The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-09-24 00:00:00

Rgrtruitural anb R?ortfrultural.

A correspondent mks what we meant by suggesting
that the principles of judgment should he put in the ache.
dule of prizes for each horticultural exhibition. We
thought we had expressed ourselves with sufficient plain.
ness, but as one of our readers has not thought so,
others may have felt the remark to be wanting in clear-
ness. We will therefore endeavour to make ourselves
better understood, premising, however, that the remark
was in the first place thrown out hastily and without
mature consideration ; subsequent reflection has however
confirmed us hr the opinion that the course recommended
would be in the highest (levee judicious. Every one who
has had the smallest experience in the management of
horticultural eabilyitions must be fully aware of the great
amount of dissatisfaction which always follows the award
of prizes at a flower' show ; and why ?" The reason is
that persons are chosen as judges who act merely upon
impression, and not upon any fixed principles. Their
judgment is therefore of the most varied character, and
cannot possibly give general satisfaction. A gardener
cultivates a plant, accordirrg to his judgment, in a supe-
rior style; the jb-dge does not like it, became it does not
suit his taste; ask him, why ?" lie can give no definite
reasons for lris-dislike;' it is with him a mere matter of
taste. This is- altogether v.-mpg.; the qualities of a well
grown plant may Le fixed by rale as certainly as any
other branch of Lie art. This orree admitted, what is tee
prevent the reciaisite tocints from being published in the'
schedale as a guide to-the cultivatorrand fixed rules to the'
judges? It is true under this regulation some dissatisfac--
tion might arise, but it would be rarer from the disap-
pointment of the loser than the conviction of unfair judg--
ment. in judging ilbrists' flowers, nothing would be
more easy. George Gienny has laid down such a com-
plete code of laws for the lodgment, that none better'
could be adopted ; and beiog chosen, no discontent could'
Ahre difficulty %coal& arise in fixing the qualifica-
tions ofspecimeallants; bet it only requires a little deli-
beratinn,-and a a f rules might be framed cubject to the
improvement which experience might suggest. The re-
sult would be that cultivators would know what points to-
aim at, and judges would not srdistitute their own fancies
for real principles, and much greater amount of satisfac-
tion would' lie' experienced.

Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin.--7"bere is now in flower
in this establishment the rare Allardia tomentosa (De-
caisne), which is-a new genus to our British collections,
besides being important for its locality, viz:, on the Thi-
bet frontier, at an, elevation of 12,0110 feet. The plant
vtien growing is very pretty, and will become a great
favourite with those who look after plants suitable for
rock-work. The large pink flowers, contrasted with the
Ner, woolly leaves, make a fine appearance. The stems
rise,• or rather grow, about 10 inches long, trailing on the
surface of the ground. In this garden, from the same si-
tuation, are also specimens of the Potentilla rigida, of
Wallich, a fine species, allied to P. fruticosa. It is very
pretty, growing about a foot high, with large bright yel-
low flowers. The seeds from which both plants were
raised were presented by- hz - Madden.—Gardeners'
Chronicle.'

Mangohi Wurzel.—We observed that Beet-root cut
below the collar, produced neither leaves nor buds, even
when in the earth. If Beet-root is pulled up and cut
below the collar, it will not vegetate any more. The
roots may therefore be exposed ell the more to air and
light, in orditr that fermentation may be prevented, since
the development of leaves and buds need be no longer
feared. The wound thus caused in the roots never causes
them to alter or rot, if they are exposed to a temperature
of from 53 to 59 deg. F, in dry air. The wound soon.
heals, and the roots can be preserved without rotting. In
order to ascertain by experiment the effect of this mode
of keeping beet-root, two lots of roots, the juice of which
marked 7 deg., were taken in the month of November,
1848, the roots of one lot being cut across below the col-
lar, and the roots of the other lot being in the state is
which they are usually stored up. The two lots were
placed in a dry spot, out of the reacirof frost, and in which
the air was renewed ; at the end of February the juice was
extracted from them. Those roots which had their collars
had nearly all vegetated, and gave a juice marking 3 deg.,
those, on the other hand, with success in intermittent
fevers. which had resisted the action of sulphate of qui-

'—Comptes rendus

Transmutation of Species.—The state of natural his-
tory in India reminds us continually of Pliny, and the
mass of facts, fiction, shrewdness, and credulity there

preserved. Occasionally its revelations rival the most
recent experiments or speculations of our own philoso-
phers. Ahubdev Teewaree, and other learned pundits of
Almorab, affirm that the fact or fable of the transmuta-
tion of the Cerealia by means of frequent cutting or brow-
sing has been known in India from time- immemorial.
The late Mr. G. T. Lushington informed me, that the
same belief prevails at Bhurtpoor. According to Bhub-
dep., wheat becomes barley; barley, wild Oats (Avena
fatua);. rice, Panic= f

Irmentaceum ; while mundooa,.
Eleusine corocano, degenerates into Khuroos or Jhurooa,
which seems to be Eleusine indica. They do not seem to

have any tradition as to how and where the finer Oerealia
were obtained. Dr. Griffith (p. 3) mentions the wild
form of Oryza saliva as common in Silhet.—Major Mad-
den, in the Jdurnal of the Agricultural and Horticultu-
ral Society of India.

Winterini the Carnation.—As winter will soon ap-
proach us, perhaps the following plan of wintering the
carnation may prove acceptable. My frame stands on
legs, and has a false bottom eight inches from the ground,
well drilled with a 14-inch augur. On this bottom I .put
a layer of potsherds and brick-rubbish, and on, these my.
posts (48'ir each containing two plants), are placed. I
then fill up-to‘ the rims with a compost of three parts dn.._

der ashes and one part sawdust, with a small quantity of
powdered charcoal, all well mixed. In this mixture the
plants may be watered without the least fear of injury
from mildew, &e., as the water passes off 'freely, and no
damp is generated in the frame from the earth beneath.
In this way I have grown carnations, &c. for a number of
years, and have always had an extremely healthy stock.
I have false bottoms in my frames, because I use them
for other purposes, such as working dahlias and growing
cucumbers in, &e.—Alpha, in Beck's Florist and Garden
Miscellany ;"r September.

Wash jax-Filtit Trees.—l aro, at this season of the
year, frequently asked what is the best wash for fruit
trees, both trunk and limbs. The following has given

tried, an.l

ace use

d no other fo

least twelve years.

use a large vessel', say a tub, made by sawing a molasses
hich will hold about 70

n, two, at the

pl.l

leelbarrow

clay, and ameinal quantity of fresh cow manure, cover-
ing it with- water. After soaking and mixing a day or
two, I add half a bushel wood ashes, 1115, of sulphur, 6 or
- -- -" half

hen sla

a peck of time,.and add to the above,.using water suffici-
ent to make the whole about the consistency of thin
cream, which will nearly fill the tub.; mix - well together
for several days ; then, with a common whitewash brush
(an old floor brush will answer), I paint the bodies of the
trees, having first used a smaller brush to paint the
and the limbs themselves, as far as
y gentleman trying this wash, or
will find iv to- giye him perfect sa-

4

illnaeb &tatts.

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