Jubilee Horticultural Show.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 32, 8 February 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

Jubilee Horticultural Show.

The show of fruit, flowers, vegetables, and pob plants in the Choral Hall last week wag the best that" has ever been held in Auckland. Not only were all the staged in first-class order, but the whole of the arrangements surpassed the mostfeftn. guine expectations of those concerned. The difficulties and opposition which from time to time were thrown in the way of those get. ting up the exhibition only assisted ia acting as a spur to greater exertions. One thing which I was sorry aboub was thai our agriculbural friends did nob try and place before the visitors some specimens of the agricultural produce of this part of New Zealand. Ib would be useless for me to particularise any of the exhibitß, as I would need to deal with each and all, as they were all in such splendid condition. The general public showed by the packed hou_ during the two days thab flower shows couldalwaysbeasuccessifbheywereproperly conducbed. Numerous friends came forward and voluntarily gave their services to assist in making the success greater. Horticulturists and others were loud in their praise of Mr A. E. Dewes and Dr. Sanders for the manner in which they executed the many duties entrusted to them. It is to be hoped that when the Chrysanthemum Show comes off next April the public will patronise it liberally, aa ib will be equally as good as bhe Jubilee' Show.

Soil In a Good State for Cultivating

To be able to keep the soil in a good state of cultivation is the first question thab all cultivators must study. How often do We hear that the produce of a piece oi ground will scarcely pay for the gathering of the crop, clearly pointing to the fact that either the ground is boo poor, or that ib has been exhausted by previous crops. Whelre systematic cropping is attempted, suffi' cienb fertilising maberials must be placed in bhe ground with each crop, so as to keep ib in a sbate ot fertility. Cultivators maintain this state of fertility by artificial means, for which purpose we add to tha soil fertilising materials in the shaje of vegetable, animal, or mineral matters. The first of these, by decaying, le&vtS a deposib of planb , food,.,.which* supplied in sufficienb quantities, will nob only keep the soil in good heart year after year, but will also add to its fertility. Mineral manures are also vory valuable for many kinds of crops. They not only supply direct to some crops such particles as bhey may require, bub ab tha same time their chemical action on the soil dissolves quantities of plant food stored therein. In using manure ib is besb always to place it in such a manner that it will jusb be covered up with the soil, for tha sun's rays and atmosphere will absorb and carry away a portion of it 3 strength if ib be left exposed on the surface. When using litter manure, especially _ in the. autumn, ib is betber to dig it into Ufc* ground in a fresh sbate, for by doing so the soil will get bhe benefit of all the ammonia contained therein. If dug in just as the summer crops come off the ground ib will soon roc and supply goodfood for a green crop during the winter, and when .the next summer crops are put in the debris will act on them at once. Whero manure is required for flower borders ib should now be placed in a heap as it comes to hand, so that ib may get well rotted by the time the borders get their annual digging over at the end of tha season. When manures such as guano or other manures that are ~easily dissolved io moisture are used, they should only Cfl applied when the crop is able to take thefflbecause if left long in the soil all tho manurial ingredients are washed out They are best also applied in moist weather. Culivabors, when using manure, should also try and study the nature of the, soil bhab is bo be manured, and, where possible, use Buch manure as will suit tha, soil. For insbance, where the soil is of a lighb, dry nature, try and obtain COW manure, as it is of a retentive nature, and, will keep moisture longer in light dry soils. Again, where the soil is of a nea Ty» stiff, and retentive characber, stable manure is the besb, as ib is lighb and easily becomes friable, and will assist in breaking up bhe parbicles of stiff soil. The question of manure being so important, all cultivators should try and make ib a study. Il will greatly assisb them if bhey wiU only try and observe how in nature soils are manured. Nature practices manuring on an extensive scale. In the forests, fern, and other scrub lands still in ,* natural condition, we find the earth is covered with a deposit of l branches, and half-decomposed wood, and bark of old trees, along with bhe debris ot thousands of ferns, under scrub, etc. In the virgin bush, fern, or scrub land, the work of Nature in the way of manuring can be seen going on daily, or *"*J < *I' hourly, some decayed portion will "?'? ing from the trees, scrub, etc., where it becomes a portion of thatvastbodyofmateri%iß in all stages of decay, which in time will supply more food for the trees or plant* growing on the ground. This natural! covering of manure is being constantly re* newed, and instead cf the trees or scrub 19 time exhausting the soil, they are constantly enriching it. Consequently wherever there have been large natural forests, heavy scrUP or swamp lands, which have been est_Q» lished for centuries, ib is almoßt a lwa J£ safe to trust to the fertility of siicn soils. The heavier and denser tne natural growth, the greater will have been the annual debris, leaving heavier depoeiw of decayed vegetable matber every ye* r » and causing bhose soils to become very rich in bime. Now, when bhe husbandman takes bhe place of Nature we find a torn destruction of this natural growbh ; consequently bhe same desbruction of the naturw means of mauuring. Of course such I has wj be destroyed so that he may leave the son free for bhe growbh of the plants he may Wish to cultivate. This artificial enlftM tion is as a rule undertaken so that all production of the ground may be taKWj away in time, all the plant food whiob tun have been stored up will get exhausted, and when this occurs, plant fo° d m "g again be re-introduced into the sod,J°*?Js cultivation may go on with gra wi *r lu « results. *.