Irvine Express and North Ayrshire Post. — 1884-12-12 (Irvine, Strathclyde, Scotland)

GARDEN.—Nine-tenths of the management of a garden may be summed up under the lotto% ing rules, which may be called the A B, Cof gardening A.—Plant everything in well-prepared soil of suitable texture, and take into consideration the nature, beat culture and habits of each pl nt before plai ing it B.—Neter dig, fork, or hoe amongst plants while growing. The rooting of plants begins with the protrusion of small, hard, horny points, which penetrate the soil and form the tips of the geowinz rootlets. Immediately behind these tips the growing energy or life of plants is strongest. There the formation of the cells whi,h make up the pant goes on most s uickly, the roots penetrating the soil through the hard tip being pushed forward by the constant formation Of hew cells behind it. If these young r. ots are cut or broken in any wily so much life or vital (oriels lost to the plants. and they become weakly. In a good bed of plants eonsethin, will always be rooting, except during actual frost. The proper way with plants is to prepare the soil well in the first instance, and feed the plants silence ds by top dressing. V hen anything is remo‘ed or if ted.supply fresh SOi I . and when the whole bed becomes overcrowded give it a thorough renovation. Plants which re uire anus a, digging, and manuring. and , fre i ent hoeing of the surface soil should be planted by themselves. All weeds should le hand picked. C Remember that in a state of nature the only manure that p ante receive is leaf-mould, or the product of decaying vegetation therefore, see th it no veget ,ble matter of any kind is wasted, but that all is laid up to rot The loaves may he removed from shrubberies, but should s a rettnned to them after teing rotted to powder. All plants should receive plentiful dressings of deciyed vegetable matter. The attentions that plants require in a garden are, in a gre it measure, caused by the unnatural co (Rams under which we grow them. If, ter instance, we grow a marsh plant in an ordinary border we must give it plenty of water If we grow a roc: plant in the same border we must see that no stignant moisture lodges about its roots. If we grow a woodland plant in a sunny bed we ma t supply it with artificial shade shining summer. If we grow flori-ta' flowers we must dive them the high and unnatural cult*.• iration which has produced them, or they will deteriorai ra num,. Seri ,w, Sit tee. This is a practice Which is moot in unions ; it breaks and destroys tie roots, the most active portions of whirls are teen .rally to be found near the eurface, and these ought to be encouraged and fed by top-dressings of old soil or maniere ; at this se Ron the latter ehould be i-hort and decomposed, and put on eo as not to bury up the crown!' while it is ma le to lie snugly around them. Applied in this way it vitro-rages the forniation of fresh feeders at the base of the plants, which, as strawberries grow so minds out of the ground at that point, is a great help to them when rending up their blo-sonss and perfecting their fruit This is the remelts why spare rich soil is so good for them during the winter, and not only is V at anil the manure berelicial in the manner state I, but they protect the plants greatly from cutting Mods and hard weather, the combined induences of which often cripple them sadly and weaken their powers for growing. Another thing that affects strawberries in urionsly is the -tripping off their old foliage (their winters dress, which should be left to shelter thins, and this when it is al:owed to remain, it doe- ins wow nothing else can do, as the young leaves gr dually push UD under and find their way through when they get a little hardened and can take care of themselves.  A Prteme meeting has been held at Portsmouth to take into considelation the preliminaries in connection with inviting the ( burch ' ongreos to bold thee next se-sion in the town. Cpposition Wan o *er. d to the 115°11.00n inviting the Co.47es+, and an omen Intent ob,ecting to the t !torch Congress being inv:ted to the town, cti the ground that members of secret ritualktic societies were at owed On its platforms, was carried by a majority of 13. The proeeedin ,s were very noisy, but after the view of the meeting had been taen it wac announced that in spite of the adverse vote the Congress would meet in the town ne t year. . _ _ _  .89.5 . 5.0 8.0 . 1.0  '1 H. Prince and Princess of Waieg being about to pas. through %Worcester, on their way to pay a ri-it to the Earl and Countois of Pudley at W•tley Court. the Corporatfon hare p lased a re olution for a memorial to their Foal Ilgluueeee to allow their visit to be the means of affording the citi 'ens an opportunity of manifesting tlie,r loyal and dutiful segard, by offering an ad. dress of welcome.  A fr in'tnest has been held at Brent Knoll, near 'Bridgereter;on the boy of Mr Simnn larrin. farmer nrul assi-tant overseer, whose dead bo ty was found in a rhyne near his residence, containing water about 2 ft. in depth. Acebrding to the evidemp, the deces.ed has lately been in very depressed spirits, and a few days sine:, he said he feared he was ;ton% to be ruined, ant that all his t ings would be sei ed. A verdict was returned of "Suicide by drowning in a fit of insanity "  BEF rot P. the ruagi,tfatea at Sheffield a largo number of per-one were rec,nt'y summoned for adulterating food, and several were heavily fined. John Hudson, provision dealer, for selling butterine as butter at Is, per lb., was fined £5, including costs A pro, ision dealer, named rarker, was fined £1 for a similar offence: and two other dealers were fined C 2 en-h. For selling mint and water instead of pure milk two dealers were fined C 2 and costs. The eroteoutlon3 were imitated bv the Corporation.