iiMSH (;ai;dkni\( 



host of ill tluTC arc alrcudy on tlir liioimd 

 tlum.saiuls of natural soi'dliiiL's. stiiitly volup- 

 tcers. keen for active service, wliicli. of course, 

 we liave carefully spared in the ui'iieral clearing: 

 u]). Wliere we have cut away heavy <:rowlh the 

 iZround is l)are. hut if tins is done Itcfore ^hly. 

 hy autumn it will i»rohahly he found that licic 

 l(i(» hist\ littU' ash and sycamore arc coniin>f u]) 

 in scoR's. At 4.\ feet it takes iM.Kl ]>lants to 

 the acre. Sonu> 1. .")(>(» of these, which of course 

 in oi'dinary ])huitinir we liavi' to l)uy and diir 

 hok's for. are nurses pure and sim])le. and ne\ ei- 

 .ome to anythin^i at all. Three hundred out of 

 the iiMuaininii ()()() only reach litdit pole si/.e 

 when thev ha\c' to he taken out in thinnings. 

 and some :{(•<• or less ever reach tiinlier si/e. 

 On this area we can use the natural seedlin^rs 

 to sup])ly all the nurses, as well as that niMnl)er 

 of ash and sycamore that we woidd have ])lanted 

 anyhow, and Ave need only buy and dig holes 

 for and ])lant such few trees as will make a 

 healthy mixture on the ground. Asli and 

 sycamore require a shade-bearing tree mixed 

 w ith tliem to get the best results. 



There are probably some spots on which iu> 

 seedlings api)ear. We must fill these in. but 

 all told. ])erha])s 500 trees per acre planted 

 l»y us secures a complete and exceptionally 

 ]iromising crop, and the total cost is about £1. 

 Dotible that if you like, to niake sure Ave are 

 under the mark, and double it again to make 

 doubly sure, and do what sums you fancy in 

 compoinid interest for sixty years, and I am not 

 the least afraid but that one AA'Ood Avill pay tlie 

 I'cnt and taxes and a handsome dividend as 

 well. 



If this wood is treated in a husine; s-like Avay 

 throughout its career, there are Aery fcAV 

 businesses that Avould be able to shoAV as good 

 a balance sheet Avhen the final clear cut comes. 

 ( )f course the princi])al reason for this is that Ave 

 are starting the avoocI under exceptionally 

 faA'ourable conditions, and at half or a quarter 

 the cost, Avhich is generally taken as the 

 mininnim. 



The type of Avood described a})ove — a common 

 type, as I iiave said — is taken as an example of 

 Avhat can be done to find a Avay Avhere the OAvner 

 has tlie Avill. And, by the Avay, there is a 

 curiously common belief that young trees can 

 not be planted immediatel}' after cutting old 

 ones. Immediately after cutting hard Avoods 

 is the A'cry best time to plant : the soil Avas ncA^er 

 so fertile or in such good condition. After 

 cut ting Conifers the ground is likeAvise in excellent 

 condition, but there is danger of injury from 

 the j)ine Avood for some three, or perhaps four, 

 years. It may be A\'orth risking immediate 

 planting, but there is a risk. 



Some Alpine Pansies. 



r.\ II. CdKUI.Vmn. |'"l.,i;iii-e Ceneva. 



Ai.AlosT e\ciy nioiMil.'iin rliain in the .\'orlli 

 Hemis|ihere. at least, has its pait ieid;w loiin of 

 I'ansy. 



The Pyi-enees haxc \ iola coinula. whih' the 

 south of "the S])anish Sierras ha\e V. Muidiyana 

 and the .\r\ernc mountains \'. Sudctica. 'IMie 

 al|iine chain has a nice lot of things in that wa\-. 



In the highest summits of the Corsican Alj.s 

 as well as of the ni;iiit line .\\\)s there is the most 

 t-\(iuisite and line of all the \'iolas. I mean 

 which I nc\er can ])i'aisc 

 enoiigii. It IS a dw aif-erccping ])laiit. growing 



iilariie 



It is a dwarf-e 

 bctAVcen the stones and bearing delicate blue 

 floAVcrs of the best of the ])lues. But. alas! 

 the ])lant is of a cry difficult growtti. and I. till 

 now. never could succeed Avith it. 



Xear to it. in tlie stony slopes of the nuiri- 

 t ime Alps, too. there is a Aery nice and very rare 

 Pansy called Valderia, Avhich is one of the 

 prides of that Acry rich country. The colour is 

 not so ical blue as V. nummularia^folia, but as 

 good as the very highly praised V. cenisia. Avhich 

 is near to it. V. Valderia should be groAvn in 

 AA-hat you call moraine. Avhat I call tourl)iere. 

 Avhere it does perfectly Avell. 



In the Avliole alpine chain, at tlic higher 

 elevations, there is another Avell knoAvn Viola, 

 called V. cenisia. It only groAVs in slate debris 

 ()!■ in the moraine (I mean the right SavIss 

 moraine) oidy l)etAveen stones and limestones 

 specially, its nearest ally is the very beautiful 

 and rare V. Comolia, Avhicli is found in the higher 

 Aljjs of the Orobian chain in the North of Italy. 

 Very near to cenisia, that beautiful ])lant has 

 really pink floAvers of the best pink colour. 

 They are also A'cry fragrant. 



In other parts (Oriental) of the Al])s Ave find 

 the very ])articular V. al])ina, dAvarf and distinct. 

 But the more common are the species of the 

 calcarata group (calcarata, Zoyzii. lutea). which 

 are all very easy to cultiA'ate. 



Another group is re])resented by V. hetc- 

 ro-i)hylla. deelinata. &c.. Avliich are Italians, and 

 of great beauty too. 



In the moinitains of (Ireece and in the Balkans 

 there are V. gracilis and Eugeniae, Avhieh are 

 near to calcarata. In the South Apennines is 

 found another nearly allied form called Berto- 

 loni, Av^iich Ave groAv here Aery easily. 



But, speaking of Pansies, I nmst not forget a 

 A er}- free-floAvering liybrid Ave found once in one 

 of our seedlings — 1 mean V. Florariensis. It 

 seems to be a cross betAveen V. calcarata and 

 V. rothomagensis. The latter plant aa-c got 

 tAventy-fiA'e years ago from its classical station 



