Decemlwr 35, 1873 ] 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTHEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



513 



of the Yew, even when dead, is so prolonged, that the men of 

 the New Forest in Hampshire say " a post of Yew will outlast 

 a post of iron." Some have thought that the Yew was planted 

 in each parish churchyard to furnish bow-staves for our 

 archers, but foreign wood was preferred for the purpose, and 

 no ancient Yew I ever saw shows any trace of being lopped. 



One of these giants in age, durability, and size is in the 

 churchyard of Crowhurst, in Sussex, about five miles from 

 Hastings, and fully realises Wordsworth's verse, being 



*' Of vast circiunference, and gloom profooxid, 

 This solitary tree I A living thing 

 Produced too slowly ever to decay, 

 Of form and aspect too magnijicent 

 To be destroyed." 



r I measured its clustered trunk a few weets since, and found 

 it, as Mr. Cater Rand states it was in 1735, " 33 feet in cir- 

 cumference at the ground, and 27 feet at 4 feet from the base." 

 At about 7 feet from the ground the trunk divides into four 

 main limbs, and these have produced branches, covering a 

 circle full 00 feet in diameter. The trunk is hollow, and to 

 prevent the leverage of the side branches breaking down its 

 sides, strong bands of iron have been apphed to hold the 

 trunk together. The extremities of the branches are dead, 

 and the highest of the top are stag-headed. De Candolle ad- 

 judged its brother tree at a village similarly named in Surrey 

 to be fourteen centuries and a half old, and if so, which I see 

 no reason to doubt — Mr. Lower says some think its age is 

 3000 years ! — then 'William the Conqueror may have rested 

 beneath its branches, for when he landed at Bulverhythe it 

 was six hundred years old, and he must have passed near it 

 \7hen advancing to plant his standard on Telham Hill, just 

 b?yond.on the eve of that battle in which Harold, his rival, 

 fell. That brave and rash rival also must have been beneath 

 the branches of this Yew tree, for Domesday Book tells us 

 that Crowhurst was his domain, and by the Normans was 

 devastated, " vaftutuvifuit." 



In course of time Crowhurst passed into the possession of 

 Sir .John Pelham, and his crest, known as " the Pelham 

 buckle," is still remaining in the church tower. That buckle 

 is said to have been assigned him by heralds as indicative of 

 his aiding in the capture of John, King of France, at the 

 battle of Poictiers. That he did so aid is certain, but we think 

 that the crest was assigned in acknowledgment of his general 

 title to such a distinction, for heraldic authorities tell that 

 the buckle was intended to represent power, fidelity, and firm- 

 nefs. Near the church, on the south side, are the remains of 

 Court Lodge, the manor house ; they are only a pointed 

 arched window and part of the walls of the east gable. The 

 Papillons, connected with the Pelhams by marriage, now re- 

 side in Crowhurst Place. — G. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 

 jrrrcHEN oakden. 

 DcNO should be prepared for forcing the various culinary 

 Tegetables which are required early ; a considerable quantity of 

 leaves may be used with it. If the autumn sowing of CauU- 

 Aowers failed, it will be advisable to sow in a box, which may 

 De placed in a forcing house, and when the plants are of a suffi- 

 cient size prick them out in a frame on a slight hotbed. Celery 

 trenches may now be dug out, so that they may receive the 

 benefit of the frost ; in the spring Cauliflowers may be planted in 

 them, and dwarf Peas or Lettuce between, which will be off by 

 the time the trenches are wanted. A seed bed should now be 

 made to raise young C"^wm/jfr plants for the hotbeds; a one- 

 light box is generally of sufficient size for this purpose. After 

 the bed is made and the heat is up the dung should be forked-up 

 to the depth of a foot every other morning until the burning heat 

 has subsided. Earth-up X)^•ar/"A''I'(■Zn?yi?ea7^s as they advance in 

 growth : never allow them to grow to too great a height before 

 this is done ; water them before doing it if they are at all dry. 

 If young Potatoes are wanted very early, some Early Frame, 

 or any of its varieties, may be planted on a slight hotbed. If 

 it is not convenient to plant them immediately, they may be 

 laid in a forcing house till they begin to shont. A second crop 

 of liadishes may now be sown in a similar situation to the last 

 — that is, on a slight hotbed. 



PBCIT GVItDEN. 



As there is, comparatively, not much of importance to attend 

 to at this season, a good opportunity is afforded for renovating 

 old borders and forming new ones. The first thing to be 

 attended to, alter removing unfavourable soil, is to render the 

 border dry by forming a drain in front, the top of the drain 

 being deeper than the bottom of the border, giving that bottom 



a good inclination from back to front, and then rendering it im- 

 pervious to the roots of trees by any of the methods usually 

 employed, of which we would prefer grouting willi lime and 

 gravel, as the best and cheapest. The forming of this hard 

 bottom might be dispensed with in favourable circumstances, 

 particularly if there was no necessity for cropping the borders, 

 and then by mulching the surface the roots would be encouraged 

 to rise to the top. From If to 2 feet would be depth enough of 

 good soil where healthy fruitful trees, in opposition to mere 

 luxuriance, were the object, giving the greater depth to Pears, 

 Plums, Vines, itc, and the less depth to Peaches and Nec- 

 tarines. The next thing is obtaining a good supply of hazel- 

 colo\ired loam, if it can oe procured, which will answer admir- 

 ably by itself for Apples and Pears ; for Plums if kept somewhat 

 adhesive; for Cherries if sand or road-grit be added for the 

 tender sorts ; for Peaches and Nectarines, with the addition of 

 about one-third of road drift or sandy matter, and a little leaf 

 mould if the soil is naturally adhesive ; and for Ajtricots, with less 

 sand than for Peaches, and of a gi-eater depth. For Figs it will 

 be advisable to restrain the extension of the roots, to keep the 

 tree growing from one stem instead of suckers, and to supply 

 necessary nourishment by mulching. For Vines the same soil 

 will suit well, but it must be incorporated with calcareous matter, 

 such as lime rubbish, &c., and well manured with broken and 

 bruised bones in preference to hotbed or other manure, as being 

 more lasting in their effects, and because the latter, when buried 

 deep, becomes effete for all useful purposes by being placed be- 

 yond the decomposing influence of atmospheric agency. The 

 addition of brickbats and large lumps of porous sandstone, 

 interspersed in the border so as to keep it open, will be an ad- 

 vantage. 



FLOWER G.UiDEN. 



'Where any of the beds or borders require a dressing of fresh 

 soil this should be provided in order to have it in readiness to 

 wheel on while this favourable weather lasts. Fresh soil iu 

 most cases is preferable as a dressing for flower beds to manure, 

 which is apt to cause too luxuriant a growth for a first-rate 

 display of flowers. On soils that are naturally poor, however, 

 and where neither fresh mould nor decayed leaves can be had, a 

 moderate dressing of well-rotted farmyard manure will be use- 

 ful ; but this should be well mixed with the mould the full 

 depth of the bed, and not carelessly turued-in and left in lumps 

 near the surface, for in this case a gross habit of gi-owth would 

 be promoted early in the season, and as the principal part of 

 the roots would be near the surface in the manure, the plants 

 would soon feel the effects of dry weather ; whereas if the ma- 

 nure is well-incorporated with the soil to the depth of about 

 1^ inches, no ordinary amount of dry weather will injure the 

 plants after they once get fairly established. After the severe 

 frost we have had, the cultivators of Carnations will be able to 

 appreciate the advice we have so earnestly endeavoured to in- 

 culcate, that of the paramount importance of potting layers 

 early, so that they may withstand frosts like the one we have 

 had without the frame-lights being constantly closed. Take 

 care that Auriculas get no drip, and that the covering, whether 

 glass or prepared calico, is perfectly water-tight. Tulips will 

 now each succeeding week be getting nearer the surface, some 

 shght protection will be necessary where they are gi*owu for 

 exhibition in order to prevent all possibility of injury to the 

 embryo bloom. Pinks may be sheltered with small pieces of 

 spruce fir boughs round the beds. 



STOVE. 



If there is any prospect of a scarcity of plants next May, a 

 portion of the Gloxinias and Achimenes which have been the 

 longest at rest may be started at once, as also a few Cleroden- 

 drons. The latter should be cut back to the lowest eyes so as 

 to secure having bushy specimens and the pots covered with 

 foliage, and when they fairly start into growth the balls should 

 be reduced sufliciently to allow of giving a good shift of fresh 

 soil without increasing the size of the pots. A few AUamandas 

 may also be pruned and placed in heat provided the wood is 

 well ripened. 'Where there is not a house that can be kept at a 

 rather high temperature for such plants as it is desirable to 

 push into growth at this early season, they should be placed in 

 a bottom heat of Sl)° or H5°, which will encourage the roots and 

 render a high atmospheric temperature, or overdriving the other 

 inmates of the house, less necessary. 



oheenhouse and conservatory. 



Any specimens in pots of the more valuable liardwooded 

 plants which it may be necessary to winter in the conservatory, 

 should be frequently examined, turning them partly round 

 every week to expose the foliage equally to light ; when in un- 

 suitable quarters they are sure to suffer from the slightest neg- 

 lect. Let Cytisuses and other carly-flowcring greenhouse plants 

 occupy the coolest part of the house, where air can be admitted 

 on favourable opportunities. Early-forced bulbs should now bo 

 introduced to take the place of Chrysanthemums. These will 

 make a fine show until tlie forced shrubs are in bloom. 'Watch 

 for the appearance of green fly, and as soon as observed smoke 

 the house. 



