THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHA.N. 



Vol. XXII. 



APRIL, 1880. 



Number 256. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground, 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



The best time to plant evergreens is always a 

 disputed point, — some preferring the early, 

 others the later spring. But the average plan- 

 ter takes the earliest advantage, for there is al- 

 ways enough to do when the last chance to do 

 anything arrives. The real difference in season 

 is hardly in favor^of one over the other ; much 

 more depends on the manner in which the tree 

 is taken up, and the manner in which it is plant- 

 ed, than on the precise month in the year. More 

 trees die from bad planting than from a bad sea- 

 son, or bad digging ; and bad planting consists 

 more in not having the earth rammed in tightly 

 about the roots than even some good tree plant- 

 ers imagine. It is all very well to spread out 

 the roots with the Angers, and to punch in a fist- 

 full of earth here and there. It is not because 

 one spends an hour over the job that it is done 

 well. Nor is it any proof of good planting that 

 a large hole, or a deep hole, or a hole full of 

 good soil, or a dozen buckets of water, or the 

 prevention of drying by the roots, or the cutting 

 off of wounded portions were all scrupulously at- 

 tended to. We may do all this, and the tree be 

 very badly planted indeed. The man who takes 

 a heavy paving rammer, and rams in tightly 

 every shovelful of earth as it goes in on the 

 roots, and who may perhaps finish the job of 



planting even a large tree in fifteen minutes, we 

 should regard as much the best tree planter. If 

 the tree has been badly dug, this may be reme- 

 died by cutting back some of the weaker bran- 

 ches, and leaving the stronger ones ; but no- 

 thing will make up for a loosely packed soil 

 about the roots. 



Where evergreens can be benefited by prun- 

 ing, April is a very good month to attempt it. 

 If a tree is thin in foliage at the base, the top of 

 the tree, leader and all, must be cut away. It 

 makes no difference what the kind is, all will 

 make new leaders after being cut back, if pro- 

 perly attended to. We make this remark be- 

 cause there is a prevalent idea that Pines will 

 not stand this cutting. Of course the trimming 

 should be done in a conical manner, so as to 

 conform to the conical style of the evergreen 

 tree. Sometimes an evergreen, especially a 

 Pine, will rather turn up some of the ends of its 

 side branches than push out another leader; 

 when this is the case, cut these away, and a real 

 leader will form the second year. 



Evergreen hedges should be trimmed now, 

 cutting them conically, so as to give light to the 

 lowermost branches. 



There is so much to be done in April, that 

 the briefest hints must suffice. First, of course, 

 we must prepare the ground for planting. Soil 

 loosened two feet deep dries out less in summer 



