88 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 4, 1863. 



seedlings when used in moderation early in spring. The 

 best time for performing the operation is on a mild damp 

 evening. Choice may be made of such following several 

 di-y days when tlie sliniy race are sui-e to be depasturing in 

 great force. By repeating this operation a garden may be 

 eatirely cleared of them. — G. E. 



FEOST OF JITLY 19th— LAYING DOWIs" 

 TLTEF. 



The frost of July 19th was very severe at this place 

 (Desborough, Northamptonshire) ; all Potatoes not protected 

 by fences were severely injured, quite as much so as on the 

 night of May 1st. A crop of Buckwheat I had growing in 

 an exposed situation was almost entirely destroyed. 



I should feel obliged for any infoiTuation as to the best 

 way to lay down a moderate-sized lawn. — H. H. C. 



[If you can obtain tiu'f fi-om a nice pastui'e with a fine 

 sward upon it, and li'ee of Daisies, ButtercuiJS, and Plan- 

 tain, we should prefer tui'fing to inoculating, or sowing with 

 a lawn-mixture of seeds. Should the turf at hand be good, 

 having a sprinkling of Suckhng Clover in it, but not suffi- 

 cient to turf the whole, you would do well to inoculate, 

 tearing the turf into pieces about 3 inches in diameter, and 

 placing them G inches apart, in quincunx arrangement, and 

 then strewing over all a few pounds of lawn-seed mixtiu-e. 

 Do this in showery weather in April, and you will have a finer 

 lawn than from tui'fing, and one not half so liable to become 

 brown in summer. But if the turf at hand is coai-se and 

 full of weeds, seeds will serve your purpose better than 

 turfing or inoculating, for notliing is so ugly as a rubbishy 

 lawn, and no finer ornament exists in gardening than a 

 lawn of fine grasses weE kept. Early in autumn, not in 

 winter, and in Febi-uaiy and March, ai'e good times to tiu'f 

 and inoculate, and the latter part of August and September, 

 March and April, to sow lawn grass seeds.] 



PEEVENTION OF MILDEW ON VINES, 

 PEACHES, &c., IN OECHARD-HOUSE. 



My vineries and orchard-house have been quite free from 

 this disease this season, a very simple method of prevention 

 having been adopted. Take the upper end of a worsted 

 stocking, tie up in it some very di'y sulphur powder, and 

 fasten it to the end of a long stick. About thi'ce times 

 a-week, in the daytime, shake this bag of sulphiu'. The 

 house win in a few minutes be filled with a fine dust, which 

 settles in an almost imperceptible form on every leaf, and 

 this is qixite suiScieut to act as an antidote to fungi. 



The health of all my vineries has been perfect ; the ii-uit 

 of the largest size and the finest quality. This day my 

 gardener has gathered thirty-one dozen of Peaches and 

 Nectarines of the best quality from the large orchard-house, 

 besides many dozen of inferior size, completing upwards of 

 sixty dozen of Peaches and Nectarines within the last four 

 days. 



The ventilation of my houses being perfect, as far as any- 

 thing can be perfect, the flavour of the fruit is excellent. In 

 my orchard-house I have gathered Peaches this season 

 measuring fi.-om to 10 i inches in gii-th. — A Constant 

 Readeb. 



HAEDY DECIDUOUS TEEES. 

 {Concluded from page 72. 

 The Sweet Chestnut is certainly not so widely spread as 

 the Elm, Oak, and Beech, and it is questionable whether it 

 is really an indigenous tree or not. It is, however, one to 

 which public attention has often been directed, some of its 

 admirers giving it all the qualities of the Oak. Tliis is 

 more than - questionable as a timber tree ; but as one for 

 ornament it is scarcely, if at all, inferior. The dark glossy 

 green of its foliage, with tlie numerous sjjikes of bloom by 

 which the adult trees ai-e studded in August, give it quite 

 aa interesting appearance. The single tree always shows 

 a wide expanse of top, and as an avenue tree, it has few 

 sft periors. It, however, only thrives on dry, stony, or sandy 



ground, and in such a place its growth is as rapid as the 

 Beech. It attains nearly if not quite the saise dimen- 

 sions — perhaps will exceed that tree when the specimen 

 becomes old enough. Some noble trees in the pai*k at 

 Preston Hall are upwards of 17 feet in circumference at 

 5 feet fi'om the ground, and they appear quite sound and 

 healthy, and likely to increase in size ; but there are not 

 many spots which suit them so well. In many places the 

 tops begin to die, and decay sets in at the collar before they 

 attain anything like the size above stated; while for cold 

 or damp situations thej' ai-e totally unfit. Perhaps one of 

 the best pm-poses they are put to is for coppice, the poles 

 being the most durable that can be had for hop-poles ; and 

 in suitable places the tree grows as ii-eely as ;mything 

 that is planted. As a timlier it resembles Gale, but is too 

 liable to split when cut up for use in carijentry. Longitu- 

 diniiUy it is tough and strong, while ti-ansversely there is 

 not sufficient adhesion between the layers of each yeax, 

 and the consequence is that when it is saivn up pieces 

 splinter off. 



Stcamokb is a hardy tree, growing freely ia most situ- 

 ations, and very often where scarcely any other ^riU live. 

 As a single tree it withstands the wind well ; and while we 

 see most trees bending or leaning in one cUi-ection in accord- 

 ance with the prevaluig high gales, the Sycamore rarely 

 shows any difference. It also withstands the sea-breeze as 

 well as most trees. It likes good ground, grows rapidly 

 and to a lai'ge size, and rarely dies off. There is in Cobham 

 Park a very fine tree of this kind which is connected with 

 some historical event ; the girth near the bottom I believe 

 to be nearly 22 feet. The soil it is growing in is dry, 

 though not particularly so, and it is also tolei-ably deep. As 

 a single tree the Sycamore aiibrds more shade, perhaps, 

 than imy other, the large leaves thickly clustered together 

 tomUng to make the Sycamore more dense than any other. 

 Its leaves, however, become blotched diu'ing summer, and 

 fall short of the clear daik green hue of the Sweet 

 Chestnut. 



The Lime is, perhaps, the qviickest-growing tree we have 

 on ordinary soils, and when young it will even excel the 

 Elm. It makes an avenue quicker than anything else, and, 

 being very hardy, rarely suffers a mishap. There are fewer 

 branches blown off' the Lime than most other trees, and the 

 number of avenues of it ai-e too well known to require com- 

 ment. Its lower branches hanging on the ground give it 

 a cool shady character, while the aspect of the ti'ee is any- 

 thing but one of solemn gloominess. 



Of The Oeiental Plane I wish I could say something 

 more favoui'able, as its appeai'ance at times is all that can 

 be desired ; but some excelleut specimens we had of it here 

 became much diseased some years ago, and several have 

 died, wliile the others have dead tips and other appearances 

 of ill health. It is also a tree of foreign groivth rather than 

 indigenous, and less likely to become an aged hcinoui-able 

 member of the sylvan community. When health}' it looks 

 well. The foliage is more cleai' than the Sycamore, the 

 latter being rarely \vithout black spots. 



The Ash is a sturdy native, presenting, perhaps, greater 

 diversity of form than any other tree ; but for pai-k scenery 

 it is certainly not held in such high esteem as many 

 others. It is, however, not by may means in consequence 

 of its lacking due proportions that it is less esteemed. The 

 name, perhaps, has a something to do with it. Some little 

 time ago I measiu'cd one in the park at East Sutton that 

 was upwards of 22 feet in cu-ciunference at 4 feet fi'om the 

 ground. Its top was also in proportion. 



Than The Walnut perhaps no tree, with the exception of 

 the Oak and Yew, has a more venerable appearance when 

 stricken with age. The hoary whiteness of the bai'k, with 

 now and then the fracture not healed over where a limb has 

 been blown off, gives the Walnut a fine appearance. They 

 ai'C, however, better adapted for a group or for single trees 

 than for an avenue.. The lUversity of their gi-owth renders 

 them unsuitable for that purpose. They like a good soil, 

 not wet and yet not very dry. One of the best fi-uit-bearing 

 trees I ever knew was in Northumberland. 



Of the beauty of The Hokse Chestnut while in flower 

 much has been said, and certainly it does then look weU. 

 The growth and outline of the tree is also good, but the 

 foliage is not the best. It is, however, a favoui'ite. witli 



