286 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[UcT. I, i8S6. 



"aiidj wliich l<e<'i)N fhi m iiiiit'oru)l_v dttinp tbroiighout, 

 hikI is luore natural as eiisuiiti;; that llie dauinest 

 part sball he at the base ot the pots. 



Sv 1! I NOiNG.— Syringing, though invaluable in many 

 rrspects, has just this drawback, that the surface is 

 damped, the base of the ball not; if well managed, 

 however, it is a most necessary aid, especially just 

 after potting plants, where, through the roots being 

 broken, and the leaves continually evaporating, there 

 would not be a sufficient amount of water in the 

 tissues, did not sy.-ingiug allow of its entering largely 

 by the leaves. 



Planting. — In x>lanting care should be paid to the 

 physical nature of the soil especially. For example, 

 there can be little pleasure in seeing a creeping plant 

 growing on a di-y sunny place. AVherever roots grow 

 freely from the prostrate stems there must be a fair 

 amount of moisture in the very surface soil which 

 will attract them and admit them readily into the 

 surface. Trees moved should be as little injured in 

 the fibrous part of the root as can be; and it has 

 again and again been pointed out, that as the ascent 

 of the sap is more vigorous in the Spring and Summer 

 months, when also evaporation is excessive from the 

 leaves, transplautiug should be done in AVinter 

 or Autumn, when there is no great amount of leaf 

 in deciduous trees, or less evaporation. 



Roots moving befoke Leaves. — Many plants make 

 vigorous roots and do not produce leaves until later. 

 I remember lifting in some rare plants (Ranunculus 

 Lyalli) growing in a boggy place because the leaves 

 were poor, and as winter was coming on it was thought 

 as well to take the plants under glass. After having 

 dug them up we noticed how vigorous and strong 

 the roots were. The planting and lifting in such 

 conditions ruined the plants. It would have been 

 much better to have slightly protected them in the 

 open place where they grew, had we judged from 

 examination of roots as well as leaves before disturbing 

 them. Koots of many rhizomes, as in Anemone 

 fulgens, A. nemorosa, &c., move before the leaves do; 

 therefore it is well to plant or pot these in the 

 Autumn, that growth of root may have taken place 

 before the conditions favourable to leaf growth are 

 present in the spring time. An example of the 

 dependence of root and leaf was given me the other 

 day by one who had grown \'ines. They made leaves 

 vigorously the first year, and were not cut back until 

 late ; the grower knew that whilst making leaves they 

 were also developing strong roots, which would be of 

 great help the next year after the stem had 

 been cut back. This was an example of thoughtful 

 pruning. The grower allowed all the leaves to be 

 developed fully before cutting back his stem, which 

 is generally the case in pruning, I believe. 



Pruning. — In cutting stems either for pruning or 

 grafting great attention should be paid to the strong 

 ascent of the sap before noticed. In one plant the 

 time for the strongest ascent differs somewhat from 

 the time for it in others. I am told that this bleed- 

 ing from a tree has been known to continue even 

 after the cut end had been painted and treated in 

 many ways, the ground just under the branch being 

 continually moist from the sap exuding. Early or 

 late pruning would either be preferable to pruning 

 in the middle of the growing season, but where 

 possible late pruning seems to me the most recom- 

 mendable as regards the callu.'^ing of the place cut, 

 whilst early pruning is better where the parts left 

 are wanted to "break" or make buds quickly. 

 Illustrating the dependence of leaf and root, an old 

 story is (old bj- one of our nurserymen to the effect 

 that he once was growing Asparagus a long time 

 ago, and having to keep a walk clear through the 

 bed he tied string on either side of it, which string 

 supported the stems. The leaves or finely branching 

 stem were produced more profusely, and the roots 

 of the tied up plants were as a re.sult by far thi^ 

 best in the plot. Tho.se wbiib had bent down Iiad 

 stopped the circulation ('f the .'ap, and therefore 

 prevented the full development of the parts of the 

 plants. Asparagus is now often grown against string 

 supports. 



Sun TIM; I'l.ANrs. — It is said to be well for [.•■oiuej 

 plants to be pretty frequently transplanted. JJulbs 

 growing together and dividing, are of cour.se enabled 

 to swell to large sizes if shifted, and the soil below 

 them has much of its nutrient properties extracted. 

 All .soil has a tendency to become clo.se also, and 

 this is hurtful, as the air so necessary to sweeten 

 it does not have access to the particles of soil. It 

 is harder for many plants to root if the soil be very 

 close. 



Mandkes. — In aj)plyiug manures also, it i.') well to 

 consider their etfect upon the physical condition of 

 the soil. Farmyard manure contains matter which 

 has to decompose, and its effect is to split up the 

 soil and keep it " lighter " for some time. When the 

 roots are consequently benefited by these as well as 

 by the chemical properties of the manure. No such 

 effect is produced by the smaller quantity of phos- 

 phates, or the like artificial manures. A surface soil 

 if well manured, should not be dug into a considerable 

 depth ; unless the soil is very light and poor, this 

 trenching is not advisable to prevent it becoming 

 too stiff. It is but a poor remedy, some very light 

 sandy or rubbley material should be added. 



Lengths oe Roots. — Roots descend to different 

 lengths ; this fact is made use of by farmers on laying 

 down grass land. It would be useful in our lawns, and 

 I should think that a deeply rooting grass, for inst- 

 ance, would have a better chance of growing well 

 in a place which was likely to be baked in hot 

 summers. 



Soils. — Also if roots thrive particularly in special 

 soils, they should have some attention where possible 

 given them in the way of supplying them with 

 similar constituents. But far more important to my 

 mind than supplying plants with soils of different 

 chemical composition, is to give them those which 

 retain more or less moisture in accordance with the 

 positions in which the plant has grown. It is of 

 no use to give a plant a peaty soil of a loose nature, 

 and then expose it to the fullest sun. Peat and 

 excessive moisture are generally associated in Nature, 

 and we should not disassociate the two in practice. 

 This is but one example out of many. Plants with 

 running roots, too, should, of course, have a light 

 soil, through which they will be able to easily send 

 their shoots, and by way of practical advice I may 

 say that peat, unless very sandy, or with leaf-mould, 

 does not form the most easy substance for roots or 

 runners to pierce; especiallj' in jtJts it is apt to 

 make a very tenacious " ball." Plunging in sand is 

 a capital attempt to remedy the artificial isolation 

 with which we visit plants when potted. 



Gkowth. — !■ have thought that perhap.s plants in 

 pots, as is the case with many trees grown especially 

 for fruit, did not at times produce roots vigorously 

 at the expense of the rest of the plant. I have 

 seen a Dactylis hanging over a bank, and sending 

 out 15 inches of fibrous root without seemingly con- 

 tributing any fresh leaves to its parent plant. In 

 hoeing, we should not just cut off the tops of such 

 roots as Dandelion and polygonum ; we find that they 

 grow again. The plant should lie taken quite out of 

 the soil, or at least the root cut well down, so that 

 the greater part of the thicker t-ip-rnot is pulled 

 out. We often ask, "What time should cuttings be 

 put ) . or grafts madey" We should look to the 

 structitres of the I issue, and see when such are fairly 

 ripe, and not too woody. AVhere (Jrchids are grown 

 in the air they .should, of course, have a damp at- 

 mo,sphere kept up, and many of our pot plants would 

 be better grown if we sprinkled water oftener ou 

 stands and about the pots. I have not been able 

 in this essay to give any definite ideas as to hovr 

 to judge from roots as to whether they should be 

 placed in one place or another— whether for instance, 

 they are ilainp-loviug or the reverse. This has been 

 hinted at, but time has forbiilden any minute ex- 

 amination as to these :nid simihir suggestive que.^tion-^. 

 [This may often be seen from an e.\iiuiinatiou of tue 

 microsc'pic structure of leaves and roots. — Er>.] We 

 can all tell, for instance, if we see a root growing 

 iu mosg at the surface rather than in the soil below 



