THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. 



Volume XVIII. 



DECEMBER, 1876. 



Number 216, 



>LOWER EARDEN AND if LEASURE KROUND. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



There is not much to do in this department at 

 this season, but much to remember. It is the 

 season of thought, if not of work. 



How often do we hear people say they cannot 

 wait a life-time for trees to grow. Well then, 

 manure, and see how they grow. To-day we 

 measured a chestnut on a friend's lawn that was 

 4 two-year old tree when transplanted eight 

 years ago. Four feet in circumference. He top- 

 dresses his lawn every year. Nothing pays like 

 manuring ornamental trees w}iere growth is de- 

 sired. For evergreens the manure must be well 

 decayed. 



. If our advice has been followed in the past, 

 trees are planted very thickly at first. Cheap 

 ones are put in among valuable ones. As they 

 grow, thin out the worse trees. Winter is the 

 time to do it. 



Our readers will do well to remember that it is 

 not so much severe frost that hurts vegetation in 

 winter, as it is severe thawings following the 

 freezings. Everything, therefore, no matter how 

 hardy they may be, will be benefited by having 

 something thrown over them, to prevent early 

 thawing. Small things, such as hardy herbaceous 

 plants, can be protected by a little earth, and 

 there is nothing better. Seed-beds are also im- 

 proved by this covering, but if earth is used for 

 them, it should be very sandy, because it cannot 



well be removed, and seeds cannot come through 

 stiff" soil. 



It would be well, at this season of leisure, to 

 examine and decide on the course of improve- 

 ments for the ensuing year. 



Very few understand that an occasional 

 change of soil is very beneficial to flowers in 

 beds, though all know how important it is to 

 flowers in pots. There is nothing better than 

 surface soil from an old pasture, taken off" about 

 two inches deep, and thrown into a heap with 

 about one-sixth part old hot-bed dung to par- 

 tially decay. In addition to this "staple" item, 

 smaller quantity of different matters should be 

 gathered together for peculiar cases, or particu- 

 lar plants. Peat, for instance, will be found 

 very useful for many kinds of plants. This is 

 not, as is often supposed, mere black sand ; but 

 a spongy, fibrous substance from the surface of 

 bogs and boggy wastes. Sand should be col- 

 lected sharp and clean ; the washings from turn- 

 pike ditches are as good as anything. Leaf 

 mould is best got already well decayed from the 

 woods. That, one makes for himself from rotten 

 leaves is seldom good for anything ; it is always 

 sour and seems '' indigestible " to vegetation. A 

 load or so of well-decayed cow-manure is a good 

 thing for the gardener to have by him, as all 

 those plants that dislike our hot summers, and 

 want a cool soil to grow in, prefer it to any other 

 manure. A small pile of hot-bed manure is 

 almost indisperisable to the garden. 



