412 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICOLTUEB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



( November 27, 1873 



itself correct — a little help by the way — which one gardener 

 should always be ready to give to another, and feel himself 

 richer by the giviug. The plant under notice was received in 

 June, 1S72. It was in a 3-inch pot, and had two fronds. The 

 one plant has increased to thhteen, the largest being close 

 on 3 feet through, on all sides perfectly furnished with fine 

 spreading fronds. In the first jDlace, none of these plants had 

 bottom heat. Bottom heat is, in my experience, not only not 

 necessary, but often detrimental to Ferns. When given, a 

 plant may push quicker, but it is not invariably solid lasting 

 growth, and some failures with this plant are, I have no doubt, 

 due to overhaste in plunging the roots into a iieated bed, which 

 Beems contrary to their nature. In growing-on young plants 

 gome were set on a wooden trellis and some on slate, and 

 those on slate established themselves the soonest, and were in 

 all respects the best. The cool continuously-moist base of 

 slate showed to decided advantage against the drier, warmer 

 stage of wood. The plant was shifted into a 5-ineh pot in 

 .Tuly in a mixture of turfy peat and bruised charcoal in nearly 

 equal parts, but with a few nodules of burnt loam and a liberal 

 dash of sand. It was potted rather deeply, in view of future 

 division. In September it was given a 7-inch pot, adding a 

 little more loam to the soil, and making it altogether more 

 lumpy and open. Now a slip was stolen off, \7ell rooted by 

 the deep potting ; it was put into a 5-inch pot, and in these 

 the plants were wintered. By November the pots were filled 

 with roots. Less water was now given, just enough to sus- 

 tain health, but not to induce fresh growth. The winter night 

 temperature was never above 60°, and frequently as low as 5o\ 



With the natural rise of temperature in spring parent and 

 child awoke from their rest and pushed away with vigour. A 

 shift into a 9-inch pot was given to the parent, steahng away 

 another stout offset, and the child of September was divided 

 into four. After this the original plant was not mutilated 

 further, but was potted higher, the object being not to foster a 

 further spread of crowns, but to concentrate strength to form 

 one good plant, leaving the young ones to increase. This they 

 have done, and their number is twelve, looking very happy 

 in a square wooden box with a large sheet of glass over ; for 

 Ferns like a shady quiet habitation. 



The original plant was in June of this year given a 12-iuch 

 pot, using equal parts of peat, loam, and charcoal, aU thoroughly 

 rough and open — indeed, the finer particles had been sifted 

 out, and the composition was such as an Orchid would have 

 delighted in. In this it throve vigorously, and in this it will 

 pass its second winter in a state of rest and quiet, in the hope 

 that it will not add one inch to its size for the next three months. 

 But in resting it must not be starved. In tliis matter evil is 

 sometimes done. Ferns may be rested without being starved. 

 The soil must never be really dry. Careful thoughtful water- 

 ing is the secret of success with other plants besides Ferns. 



With this plEuit and its increase very rough soil, very care- 

 ful watering — the summer abundance being gradually reduced 

 with a falling temperature to a winter minimum — and a quiet 

 shaded atmosphere have been the conditions aimed at. Also 

 (and this is not conjecture), the plant is altogether better than 

 it wonld have been had no slips been taken from it, and had 

 it still been one instead of thirteen. If a fine plant is re- 

 quired there is nothing like throwing the whole root-force into 

 a single crown to begin with, and preventing its superficial 

 spread by rather high potting. The stool of this plant, 3 feet 

 thi'ough, is certainly not 3 inches in diameter. 



In growing large plants of Adiantum euneatum for cutting 

 from, I have frequently observed the force of crown-concen- 

 tration. I have two plants side by side, for instance, of the 

 variety last named— one is 4 feet and the other only 2 feet in 

 diameter. They were both in 5-inch pots m the spring of last 

 year. The stool of the large plant is 6 inches in diameter, 

 while the crowns of the small one are spread over the entire 

 surface of a 13-inoh pot, and the root-power is far too much 

 divided to produce large fronds. This result was foreseen at 

 the time of potting; but as amass of stuff to cut from, and 

 not showy plants, was the end in view, the one plant answers 

 its purpose as well as the other, or rather, perhaps, the smaller 

 is the more useful, as giving a greater number of handy fronds 

 and taking up less room than the large one. It may, however, 

 be useful to note the difference and the reason of it in the 

 ultimate size of two plants equally healthy and of the same 

 age. It was by acting in accordance with this principle that 

 A. farleyense was at first potted low to induce root-and-crown 

 spread to increase stock, and then by potting high to concen- 

 trate strength, a fine and promising parent with a family of 



twelve are provided for enjoyment. Let me say that in the 

 spring shift, probably the final one, burnt rough loam will be 

 increased and peat decreased, and in this stronger food suste- 

 nance wiU be more lasting. — Old Friend. 



ORNAMENTAL PLANTING.— No. II. 



DETAILS OF PLANTING. 



The season for the planting of trees and shrubs is upon us, 

 and much work is now being done that will bear its mark in 

 future generations. The culture of crops of a few weeks' or 

 even months' duration is of comparative insignificance ; suc- 

 cess is therefore doubly important, and the most careful atten- 

 tion should be given to every detail of this work in order to 

 insure it. It was only a few months ago, before it had been 

 requested that these papers should be wi'itten, that some 

 notes explanatory of the general details of this operation were 

 published ; since then, during the past summer, several in- 

 stances of failure have come under my notice, some of them 

 of so glaring a nature as to be quite painful to behold. In 

 one remarkable instance nearly the whole of the shrubs sur- 

 rounding a small lawn were dead or dying, and as many of 

 them were large enough to be expensive, it was aU the more 

 vexatious. Nor is this simply the experience of a solitary 

 season, but it is noticeable year after year, so that I shaU not 

 hesitate to repeat some part of former statements now. 



When the planting is on an extensive scale, it is important 

 that the stations should be in readiness for the trees before 

 they are received from the nursery, so that no time may be 

 lost in the planting, it being one of the principal conditions 

 of success that the roots shall be exposed as httle as possible 

 to the ail'; but, when practicable, I would always prefer to 

 have the shrubs in hand first of all, so that each may be 

 planted when the station ia prepared, because after soil is 

 newly stuTed it becomes more quickly saturated, and for a 

 time retains moisture in a greater degree than that which has 

 remained undisturbed. In a wet season, consequently, one 

 has sometimes to wait for many weeks after the stations are 

 prepared before the soil is in a suitable condition for planting, 

 it being undoubtedly a mistake to place the roots in soil that 

 is so saturated as to be wrought to the consistency of mortar 

 by the action of the tools, to which it adheres in huge clods, 

 so that the work cannot be done either with a hearty will or 

 so carefuUy as it ought to be, and the hard crude mass into 

 which the soil subsides is about as unkindly a staple for plant- 

 food as well can be. 



Another objectionable plan is the elaborate trenching and 

 mixing of the soU of new borders and beds before the plant- 

 ing. Apparently this is good practice, but in reality it is not 

 so. If the trenching and planting could only be done together, 

 all would be right enough, but it is only in exceptional in- 

 stances that this can be managed, as, for example, when the 

 labour power is unlimited. Generally speaking, this is not 

 the case. It is, therefore, advisable that beyond any neces- 

 sary levelling nothing should be done till after the plant- 

 ing ; then by thoroughly digging or trenching, the space be- 

 tween the plants is left untrodden and in the best condition 

 for the roots. Moreover, the surface presents that dressed 

 and finished appearance which it is always desirable to secure. 

 When stations are prepared upon a lawn, or in any position 

 where the surrounding soil will not be broken-up, care should 

 be taken to insure the free passage of superfluous water, for 

 the roots will perish in a waterlogged soil, and it is self-evident 

 that a hole that is excavated in a stiff' heavy loam or clay 

 must be drained artificially, or the plant wOl die. The remedy 

 is very simple : Lay a row of 2-inch drain pipes across the 

 centre of the bottom of the hole among a layer of rough 

 stones, and continue the drain from the hole to a lower level, 

 where the water can escape freely. 



In preparing the soil, never forget that the fungus which 

 invariably forms on decaying wood is fatal to trees, spreading 

 from the dead wood over the living roots with wonderful 

 rapidity. Every scrap of broken branches, roots, or chips 

 ought, therefore, to be picked out. The importance of this 

 matter should always induce a close supervision of the work, 

 it being very diflicult to get proper attention given to it by 

 labourers. 



A strong loam suits most shrubs best ; if it cannot be ob- 

 tained, and the soil is poor, a little old well-rotted manure will 

 greatly improve it. Very much of this work of preparation 

 depends upon the kinds of shrubs which it is intended to 

 plant. Last season some trees of Picea peetiaata were planted 



