FROM THE OLD BOOK

I'd better start making some charcoal!

 

Autumn nights are drawing in and Winter is approaching so now's the time for a mug of tea or glass of beer while you light the Gas light and read what Gardeners thought and did a hundred years ago:

Here's an extract from the Old Books about an anti-fungal mixture known as Bordeaux Mixture:

A copper fungicide, used as a Spring and Summer spray for most fungous diseases of plants. The mixture is prepared by the addition of Milk of Lime to a solution of Sulphate of Copper. The ingredients consist of Sulphate of Copper [Bluestone} which should be purchased with of a guarantee of 98 per cent purity, and freshly burnt Lime of high quality. Wooden, earthenware or Copper vessels should be used for preparing the mixture, never Iron or Zinc vessels. To make up a quantity of the mixture in amount sufficient for ordinary garden use, take Sulphate of Copper 1lb, Lime [freshly burnt] in lumps 1lb, water 12 and half gallons. Put 2 and a half gallons of the water in a suitable vessel and dissolve it in the Sulphate of Copper. This is best done by wrapping the Sulphate in a piece of sacking, suspending it just beneath the surface of the water and leaving it overnight. Place the Lime in another vessel and slake it by adding water a little at a time. If an earthenware vessel be used , care must be taken lest the heat generated by the slaking causes the vessel to crack. When the Lime is slaked , make up the water to 10 gallons and stir thoroughly. Then pour the Sulphate solution into the Milk of Lime and stir thoroughly. The mixture should be strained before it is poured into the Sprayer to remove any coarse particles that might choke the the Sprayer nozzle. A piece of coarse sacking or the metal gauze strainer supplied with the Sprayer will serve the purpose. The mixture should be applied as soon as possible after mixing. If there is any doubt about the quality of the Lime, the mixture may be tested by immersing in it a clean steel knife blade. If after a few seconds immersion the blades shows a red deposit of metallic Copper more Milk of Lime should be added, and the tested repeated. The deposit of Copper indicates that unchanged Sulphate of Copper remains in the mixture, and if the latter were used in this conditio, serious scorching of the foliage would follow.

Let me say with reference to the above extract that I would not advise anyone to be tempted to try making the mixture unless they are competent in chemical usage and even then I would think twice!!!

BIRD BATHS

To encourage birds to enter the garden is to rid the plants of many pests. Many of our beautiful birds are gardeners friends, although, of course there are some that are a nuisance. Birds can find their own food, but frequently suffer from a lack of water, and if they are provided with drinking water, they will in many instances leave the ripening fruit for it's rightful owner. A receptacle for holding water, usually known as a Bird Bath, should be placed on the ground leve. Bird Baths on pedestals are pleasing placed outside windows, where they can be more easily seen, but as a general rule the birds are more at home when their water is near the ground. See that the bath is not placed near trees or bushes that could hide lurking cats, or you will never be able to admire the graceful antics of your feathered friends, for they are quick to sense danger.
Bird Bath designs vary considerably from the the mass production article in artificial stone or cement, to the hand finished type in soft coloured weathered finished stone. The price of course increases with the type of stone used. The points to verity before buying are that the stone is frost proof and heard wearing, and if not already so, will weather quickly to a pleasing colour. Also, take care to choose a type which will be in harmony with the garden design. It is quite possible to construct a bird bath at home, using a wooden mould and cement. It is possible to obtain material for mixing with the cement to tone it to a buff, or grey shade, thus relieving the severity of the cement colouring. In construction, a Bird Bath should be wide in proportion to it's depth, thus allowing ample room for bathing. Let the Bath be shallow towards the edges to allow the birds ease of access to the water. The water itself should not be more than 3 inches deep. If the Bird Bath is always kept full of clean water, the birds will quickly make it a favourite spot, but if it left empty for a day or two, or dirty water left in it, it will be purely an uninteresting garden featur, having no purpose or meaning in its introduction to the garden.

Well, it's a cold, dark night out there and so I'm going to stoke up the coal fire so that my boots will dry on the hearth, while I have a little read under the Gas light.

 

Well, the Winter is here with the dark evenings and cold winds, which is more reason to light the Gas Lamp and read from the Old Books. So bring the candles closer and mind the wax doesn't drip on your boots. Here's how they thought about things nearly a hundred years ago.

BENEFICIAL INSECTS: We have a number of insects in our gardens which are of decided benefit to us. These insects may be divided into two groups, those which are predacceous, i.e: hunting and killing their prey, and those that are parasitic, living on other insects, keeping them alive the while to supply food.

Of the first we find the Ladybird, the Lace Wing and the Hover Fly, and of the latter group, insects usually called Ichneumeon and the Tachinid flies. In the case of the Ladybirds, not only the the adults feed upon the aphis but also their offspring. Eggs are laid by the parents on aphis infected plants and the young, on hatching out, devour the green fly. Although the control is not complete, much good is done by these beetles and their young.

The Lace Wing, on the other hand, is only beneficial in the larval stage, the young and so called aphis "lions" preying up the colonies of aphis. These voracious little creatures suck the aphis dry and then cover themselves with the dried skins of their prey, so camouflaging themselves while they continue their attack upon the green fly.

The Hover Fly works in a similar way, lbut as the larvae are legless, their range is more restricted. Whereas aphis "lions" and Ladybird young may be found upon the foliage of the plants the larvae of a Hover Fly confine themselves more to the stem, living usually where a leaf joint joins the stalk. There is no doubt all these do an immense amount of good, but they will never completely control an attack of aphis.

The parasitic insects such as the Ichneumon fly, Chalcid fly, and Brachonid flies belong to the Bee group and are therefore not true flies. They lay their eggs in their victims, which may either be Caterpillars or aphis, by means of a long ovipositor. Young grubs on hatching out enter the victim and live upon the food it has eat for its own sustenance. They do not touch any vital organ of their host for this would bring about, not only it's death, but their own. Their object is to keep their host alive. When they are full grown which coincides with the maturity of their host, they pupate. The host now usually dies, but in some cases it will pupate enclosing the pupae of the parasite in its own pupal case. About the time the host would be hatching out the parasites hatch and are then ready to carry on fresh egg laying.

Another example is the Tachinid flies, related to the Blowflies, several species of which are parasitic on caterpillars. These flies are not unlike a large housefly, but they are somewhat greyer in colour and they lay their eggs upon caterpillars. On hatching out the young maggots enter the caterpillar and feed upon the contents of the stomach. Meantime the caterpillar eats ravenously in order to take in sufficient food for itself and "lodgers". When full grown the caterpillars will die and the maggots eat their way out, changing into brown barrel shaped pupae on the ground and from which fresh flies hatch in a couple of weeks. Whereas these beneficial insects will never completely control any pest, they certainly keep them in check; and there is no doubt that without their aid our troubles would be greatly increased and more time, labour and expense would be incurred in keeping out fruit, flowers and vegetables clean.



Here's how they made a Burgundy mixture in the old days, and I don't mean wine!!

BURGUNDY MIXTURE: A copper fungicide, easier to prepare than, and used as a substitute for, Bordeaux mixture. It differs from the latter in that soda crystals are used in place of the lime. Take Sulphate of copper [98% purity] 1lb, washing soda crystals 1 and a quarter pounds, water 10 gallons. Dissolve the Sulphate of copper in about 7 gallons of the water, and the soda crystals in the remaining 3 remaining gallons. Add the soda solution to the sulphate solution and stir well.



Time to make a mug of tea and a cheese sarny and think about plans for the Spring, ever hopeful!!

 

That's so true, Andrew. But the life of a estate gardener in the old days was not a healthy one partly due to the poisons they used as insecticides and fungicides. Some of those things are still practised today, albeit on a lower profile.:D

 

Well, it's a grey, damp, drizzly day and, after attempting a few jobs in the garden, I've come back into the warmth of the House and settled down with a mug of hot tea and an Old Book for a gentle browse. Fancy joining me, if so light the gas light, take a seat and imagine you're living in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

COMPOSTS: For Green House plants loam is the chief ingredient used in composts. Loam is, or should be, the top spit of an old pasture or common, stacked grass side downwards. with a layer of decayed manure between, in the open air for some months before use. It should be as full of fibre as possible, not too heavy and adhesive, nor too light and sandy. Small quantities should be chopped off the face or stack as wanted, the finer portion being reserved for seed sowing. It is a good plan to have a few bushels in a box or compartment in the Potting Shed, so as to get rid of excessive moisture, increase it's warmth, and also be available for use in rainy or frosty weather. Another important ingredient is leaf mould. The best leaf mould composed of oak leaves, the next beech leaves. and the worst, elm, lime, laurel, and other leaves. Good oak and beech leaf mould can be purchased by the sack. If the fresh leaves can be obtained, place these in a shallow heap where the rain can reach them. Remove all sticks, as these harbour injurious fungi. Turn the leaves over once a month until fairly decayed. then sift through a coarse sieve, remove the fine portion inside for use, and leave the remainder to decay for further use. Peat is another ingredient used for orchids, azaleas, camellias, and heaths. Two kinds are necessary. One is a light kind with plenty of fibre and little fine earth or sand in its texture. This is used for orchids. The other is a more compact and solid kind, containing sand and fine decayed vegetable substances. This is the kind used for heaths, azeleas, etc. Both are to be purchased by the sack, and should be stored in a heap outdoors, bringing in small quantities as requried. Then there is Silver Sand, an important requisite. There are two kinds of this, a fine and a coarse. both procurable by the bushel from dealers in horticultural sundries. Sea sand, if well exposed to the air for some time, and then washed thoroughly to get rid of saline matters, may be used for carnations, chrysanthemums, and ordinary plants. Fresh sphagnum moss is also essential for orchid culture. This may be collected from moors and other damp spots, or procured by the bushel from a sundriesman. Lastly, lastly there is cocoanut fibre refuse, a useful material for propagating beds, starting tubers in, and mixing in composts for fern culture. Except for seed sowing , the loam should not be sifted, but used in a more or less lumpy condition. None of the lumps, however, should be larger than a bantam's egg. Tear the large lumps to pieces by means of the fingers. The leaf mould should be sifted fairly fine. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly, and place the compost, a day before using, in the house in which the plants are to be grown. If this course of action is inconvenient, plunge a hot brick in the heap a short time before using, to take off the chill.


They certainly took a lot of trouble and time to make their compost. Of course some of the means of collecting sphagnum moss is now frowned upon and illegal but things were different in those days!

This is an extract of manures and is in fact a second part of an earlier extraction. I have no date on this particular book but I think it's around 1900.


FISH MEAL: It is to be obtained by drying any available fish offal from the markets, and usually the oil is got rid of by superheated steam. The resulting matter is ground to a fine powder and sold under this name. It is a phosphate manure of no small value suitable for many crops, especially such a Globe Beet, Kohl Rabi, Celeriac, Swedes, Turnips, etc, is suitable for most soils except those which are very heavy. It is best applied in the Winter or early Spring at the rate of 2 -3 lbs per square rod and forked in. It is of no use as a liquid manure, but may be applied as a top dressing and watered i.

HERRING REFUSE: This is a very abundant on the East coast at the Herring season. It consists a of great many materials. There is sure to be a certain amount of bad fish in it, and with this is mixed up the sweepings from the harbour or dock where the Herring pickers work. It can be dug into the land in its raw state or mixed with an equal volume of fresh manure, but in any case should be put on in the Winter and not applied at a greater rate than about 2 -4 cwt per square rod.

They used everything thing they could as fertilisers and there is a further extract to come which tells you how they used Mussel shells, Oyster shells, Cannery refuse and Shrimps.

Well, that's my mug of tea finished.

 

Seems a while since I managed to get time to sit down on the old chair and browse through the Old Books. So I'll light the gas lamp, ease my boots off and, because of the recent withdrawal of some of today's gardening chemicals, have a look at how they made some of their fungicides etc over a hundreds years ago. Obviously we can't make them today legally:

Formulae: The following formulae are applicable to the gardener rather than the large commercial fruit grower:

FUNGICIDES: Fungus diseases are of two kinds, endophytic and ectophytic, those living within the plant tissues coming under the first heading and those living exposed coming under the second heading. Fungicides may be roughly divided into two types, lthose containing copper and those with sulphur. Copper is perhaps mostly used for fungi of the endophytic type while Sulphur is used for moulds and those of ectophytic type. It must be remembered that certain plants are more susceptible to copper than to Sulphur, therefore treatment for fungus diseases must be undertaken with care.

Bordeaux Mixture: The manufacture of this should not be attempted at home by the amateur. It may be bought in past form to be diluted as stated by the makers. It is always liable to cause a certain amount of russeting on apple and must not be used on Cox's Orange Pippin, Beauty of Bath, Duchess Favourite, Gladstone, Lady Sudeley, Millar's Seedling. Those who have large orchards to deal with, however, should see notes on Burgundy Mixtures. The above trees should be sprayed with Lime-Sulphur at normal strength with exception of Cox's Orange Pippin which will only stand half strength.

INSECTICIDES:

Carbolic Emulsion: A repellent for use against such pests as celery and carrot fly,

Carbolic acid...............................1 pint
Soft Soap...................................1lb
Water........................................10 gallons

Dissolve the soap in some of the water already heated, churn in the carbolic, and then make up to 10 gallons.

Caustic Soda: A somewhat obsolete method of Winter Washing, but nevertheless a very effective method of destroying moss, lichen and scale insects.

Caustic Soda.................................3lbs
Water...........................................10 gallons

Wear goggles and protect all exposed parts of the body when applying.""

Seems like a dangerous occupation to me. Mind you the life expectancy of an Estate Gardener and Commercial Gardener wasn't all that long due to the chemical they were using and exposed to. Anyway, there's a few more to describe but it's time to get back to work in the garden before the Foreman spots me. I'll split this into two parts and read the second part tomorrow. Oh, turn out the Gas light on your way out would you?

 

Well, I have a Green House but I'll never get to the skills that the Green House Gardener had to have over a hundred years to raise plants successfully. But if you're interested in what went on back in, 1902, then put your spade down on the Wheel Barrow, come inside the Shed, sit down on a crate, light the gas lamp and read this extract from a book printed 110 years ago.

"Manures - For mixing with potting composts, decayed manure is necessary. This may be cow or horse dung. Cow dung is the best for most plants. Both, however, must be well decayed. The cow dung should be obtained fresh and free from straw, and placed in a heap for some months to decay. When dry and crumbly, remove it to the Potting Shed, where store until wanted . The horse dung may be such as has been used in a hot bed. Some of this should also be stored in the Potting Shed. Both manures should be rubbed through a fine sieve before using. Bone meal and crushed bones are essential for mixing with Chrysanthemum and Geranium composts. For liquid manures, soot, horse, cow, sheep, and poultry dung, are excellent materials. They should be used separately, a gallon of soot, a peck of poultry dung, or half a bushel of each of the other kinds, placed in a coarse piece of sacking, and soaked with 30 to 40 gallons of water for a few days, will make first rate liquid manures. Fresh materials should be added to each fresh lot of water. Sulphate of ammonia, used at the rate of a quarter of an ounce per gallon of water, is beneficial to flowering plants that are of free growth and of a herbaceous nature. This manure must not be used for Heaths, Azaleas, or woody stemmed plants. It is best applied just as the buds are forming, and should only be given occasionally. Nitrate of Soda may be used at a similar rate for soft wooded plants, but only occassionally. Potash and Superphosate are not desirable manures to use separately, but they may be used in conjunction with Sulphate of Ammonia to form a liquid manure for Roses, Chrysanthemums, Perlargoniums and Lilies. Mix together two parts by weight of Superphosphate, and one part each of Sulphate of Potash and Sulphate of Ammonia, and use half an ounce to each gallon f water. Sulphate of Iron is sometimes used as a liquid manure, but we cannot recommend it. We have, however, found a few crystals placed on the soil of Palms and allowed to dissolve gradually, do good by increasing the depth of the green tint in the foliage. Guano is an excellent fertiliser for general use. Use half an ounce to each gallon of water. The inexperienced grower will, however, be wise in leaving artificials severely alone, and confining himself to soot and cattle dung for liquid manure making. If he must use artificials, then we counsel him to employ one of the many excellent compound manures in the Market. These are carefully prepared, most efficient in effect, and safe to use. One word as to the use of liquid and other manures. Always see that the soil is moist before applying them, and do not use them to often. We do not agree with the practice of mixing much manure with the soil. In practice, we have always found it better to use very little manure in the soil, and so encourage free root formation. When well rooted, then, we hold, it is better to feed liberally, either with liquids or by sprinkling the manure on the soil. It is advisable before mixing decayed manure with soil to bake it slightly over a fie, in order to kill eelworms, weevil grubs, etc, often present in such manure. This precaution will prevent injury to the roots afterwards."

Notice that they say "Soil" and not compost. Different days and different methods.

 

Don't forget the traditional helpers as well as the cows and horses!

 

Oh come now, Shiney, Bees don't make a big a pile as Cows and Horses, I mean I've never trodden in a Bee pat!!

 

You didn't see the pile I made when they were chasing me!!!

 

Well, that makes you a bigger "helper" than the Bees!!:WINK1: