Chips and Slips. 8 1 1 



plantiDg — i.e., plauLiiig carelessly in unsuitable soil — is one main cause of 

 this decay. Auother and perhaps more prolific source of death consists in 

 periodically raising the level of the soil about the trees by adding fresh 

 surface soil evei'y year. This is done to give a fresh and orderly appearance 

 to the garden, but the result is to remove the roots of the trees and shrubs 

 farther and farther from the sunshine and atmospheric influences. That 

 deaths should occur is not to be wondered at. If it be necessary to add 

 fresh soil, the old surface soil should be first removed and the fresh added ; 

 the level will not be elevated beyond its former height, and the plants will be 

 fi;reatly benefited by the dressing. — Gardener's Chronicle. 



Lahge Wild Ciieery-Tkee.— It is stated by J. B. of Bradford Abbas, 

 Dorsetshire, in Science Gossip, that a grand specimen of the Wild Cherry 

 (Pruniis avium) exists within a field upon his farm of the following 

 dimensions — 



2 feet from the ground, 21 feet in circumference. 



6 „ ), 21 ,, „ 



10 „ „ 19 „ 



At 12 feet up the branches begin to fork ; and one of the principal arms had 

 the misfortune to be broken oil' during the hurricane that swept across the 

 west of England on the 14th of last October. 



Timber tok Carriage Building. — " To obtain good results, only the best 

 timber, thoroughly seasoned and free from knots, should be used, and 

 great care should be bestowed on its selection. Nothing is of more import- 

 ance than this, for it is waste of money throwing away labour on bad or 

 indifferent materials. The English hedgerow ash is well adapted for those 

 parts requiring great strength and solidity, such as the frame of the body, 

 &c. For the panels Honduras mahogany is best, but it should be chosen 

 of straight grain, and as free as possible from all those markings which, are 

 so eagerly sought by the cabinet and furniture makers. It is found that such 

 markings cause blemishes, owing to the action of the sun drawing them, as 

 it were, through the paint and varnish. Mahogany is easily bent to any 

 required shape, and retains the form well, qualities which render it of great 

 value to carriage builders. American hickory, birch, and pine are also 

 much used by carriage manufacturers — the first for wheels, and the other two 

 for various purposes. American-made wheels are in great demand, and can- 

 not be surpassed for lightness, strength, and excellence of workmanship. 

 English oak is very good for spokes, and for the stocks or centres elm is 

 excellent, and for these purposes both woods are extensively used." The 

 above I have come across in an old scrap-book of a once famous whip^ and 

 as you are noticing coach-building, it may be interesting.—/. L., in " Land 

 and Water." 



Boxwood. — In some parts of Persia boxwood grows in abundance, particularly 

 in the district of Tenekaboiln, in the province of Mazenderun. LTpwards of 

 £27,000 worth of this wood was purchased at Kostow, in 1875, by a Liverpool 

 firm, and the great profits made by some individuals have induced many 

 people to engage in this trade. Boxwood was formerly cut down in 

 large quantities in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, but disputes 

 having arisen as to the rightful ownership of the forests, the Russian Govern- 

 ment has within the last few years prohibited its being cut ; hence it has been 

 sought for in these provinces. It is a wood that grows very slowly, and 



