Amateur Gardening – 24 August 2019

48 AMATEUR GARDENING24 AUGUST 2019

Theviews,informationandopinionsexpressedduringthisseriesof extractsfrompastissuesofAGaresolelythoseof theindividualsinvolved,at thetimetheywere

written,andarenotnecessarilyrelevantorevenlegaltoday.Pleasetreatthesepagesasa lookbackat howthings were done in the past and not necessarily how they

are done today.AG accepts no responsibility if readers follow advice given in these articles from past issues.

35 years of practicaladvice

Oldest Gardening Magazine

Amateur

1884 2019

Theseextractsfrom 1955 covertheuse

oftwobotanicalterms,jet-propelledaircraft

and a step-by-step guide to mulching

Reminiscence and observation

FromAG 15 July 1955

Botanicaldescriptions

CENTRIPETALandcentrifugalarewords

thathaveanominousappearancewhen

usedin botanicaldescriptions,but

gardenersneednotbeundulyworried

orperplexedbythem.Centrifugal,as

appliedtoplants,meansthatthefirst

flowerstoopenarethoseat the top or

centreof aninflorescence.

Centripetalappliesto thoseplantsin

whichthebloomsona spikeorheadof

flowersopenfirstfrombeloworonthe

outerside.Zonalpelargoniumsare

examplesof thecentrifugaltypewhile

antirrhinumsareof thecentripetaltype,

ie,theflowersopenfromthebase

upwards.Indeed,themajorityof

gardenflowerswhichhavespicate

inflorescences belong to this category.

FromAG 12 August 1955

Aircraftproblems

JET-propelledaircrafthavetheiruses,no
doubt,buttheperpetualdesiretotravel
fastermaycreateunusualproblems.
Burstingthroughthesoundbarrierfires
ourimaginationandwemarvelat yet
anotherwonderfuldevelopmentin this
mechanicalage.Butwhena supersonic
bang occurs over a glasshouse, there

maybeunpleasanthappenings.The

explosiveforcemaybreaka lotof glass,

butthatmaynotbetheworsttrouble.

In theSouthof Englanda market

growernotonlyhadglassbrokenin his

tomatohouses,buttheglasssplinters

wereforcedintothetomatofruitsand,

naturally,thecropaffectedwasrendered

unfitforconsumptionandcompensation

waspaidfortheloss.Naturedemands

sacrifices on the altar of progress; man

From 26 August 1955

DowntoEarthNo 34 – Mulching

CROPScansufferseveresetbacksin dry

weatherunlessthesoilin andaroundthe

rootsis keptmoist.Muchcanbedoneto

conservethismoistureif theplantsare

top-mulchedwithsuitablematerial.

Well-rottedmanureis idealasa mulchto

plants,butthisis notalwayseasyto come

by.Instead,youcanusecomposted

vegetablewaste,spenthops,leafmould,

lawnmowingsorwoolshoddy.

Thesoilitselfcanbeusedasa mulch

ifit is drawnupcarefullyaroundthe

plantswitha drawhoe(1).Peasand

beans especially benefit from a moist

Beforetheadventof newspages,AGhada columndevotedtogeneral

horticultural topics past and present written by Charles H Curtis VMH

Centrifugal– zonalpelargonium

fl owers open fi rst at the top or centre

hasharnessedsteam,gas,electricity

andpetrolfortravel,lightingandheating,

buttheslightesterrorin theirusemay

meandestructionof lifeandproperty.

Thesplittingof the‘mightyatom’is

oneof themarvelsof thepresentage

and,nodoubt,thetremendouspower

it hasreleasedwillbecontrolledand

usedforpeacefulpurposes.However,

Hiroshimashowedhowterrifically

destructive the power can be.

rootrunandmaterialshouldalwaysbe

sparedfora dressingaroundthebase

of theplants(2).In section,themulch

shouldbelaiddownin thetrenchesas

shown in drawing (3). Much trouble is

experiencedbygardenerswithpot-

growntomatoes.Thesepotstendtodry

outbadlyin warmweather,anda layerof

suitablemulchingmaterialspreadover

the top of the soil will help the plants (4).

Centripetal– delphinium

fl owers open fi rst from below