THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. 



Vol. XIX. 



APRIL, 1877. 



Number 220. 



iLOWER g;ARDEN AND pLEASURE JROUND. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



April is a good planting month. There is not 

 much art in planting trees, though it is often 

 made a mystery. Not to let the roots dry for 

 an instant between taking up and planting, every- 

 body knows, but everybody does not do it; in 

 fact Everybody deceives himself. We have seen 

 this distinguished individual leave the tops of 

 trees exposed to the sun, with a mat or straw 

 thrown over the roots ; and think all was right, 

 — or heel in for a day or two, by just throwing a 

 little dirt over the roots. This is a little good; 

 but Everybody's fault is, that although this may 

 be ten minutes of good, he expects to get ten 

 hours, or even ten days' value out of it, and 

 thus he suffers more than if he had done noth- 

 ing, because he forgets that the branches evapo- 

 rate moisture from the roots in a dry wind, and 

 the juices go from the roots through the branches 

 very nearly as well as directly to the air from the 

 roots themselves. So with heeling in. The soil 

 is thrown in lightly, or at most just " kicked " 

 down. " It is only temporary," very few of the 

 roots come in contact with the soil. They can 

 draw in no moisture to supply the waste of 

 evaporation, and thus they stay day after day, — 

 Everybody satisfied because he sees the roots 

 covered, really worse than if they had been ex- 

 posed. We have no doubt that more trees are 

 lost from imperfect heeling in than from any other 

 cause whatever. Of course, if the tops be cov- 

 ered as well as the roots, there is less waste of 

 moisture and more chance of success. 



This hint will help us in planting. That is, 

 pound the soil in well about the fibres, so that 

 they may be in close contact with it ; or they can- 

 not draw in the necessary moisture. Should the 

 trees appear a little dry, or the roots badly muti- 

 lated in digging, or have few fibres, cut away the 

 plant according to the severity of the injury. It 

 is scarcely necessary to repeat that for this 

 evaporation reason, it is best to plant trees when 

 the ground is rather dry, because it then pow- 

 ders best in pounding, and gets well in about the 

 roots. Wet ground plasters, and leaves large 

 hollows in which roots cannot work. 



We approve of thick planting. Trees grow 

 faster for one another's company, and a place 

 well filled at once, saves many years of time to 

 see them grow. Those not wanted after the 

 place has grown some, can be transplanted to 

 other parts of the ground. How to remove large 

 trees successfully, we have often explained. 

 Where thick planting is to be adopted, of course 

 care must be taken in locating those perma- 

 nently to remain. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



DECORATION OF GROUNDS. ETC, 



BY WM. FLITTON, GAED. TO JNO. LEE CARROLL, ESQ., 

 BALTIMORE, MD. 



The Salvia spoken of on page 373, December 

 number of the Monthly, is Salvia splendens, pure 

 and simple. It would seem hardly possible to 

 intensify the scarlet of Salvia splendens when in 



