March 28, 1867. J 



JOUKNAIi OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



227 



protects the tree from rabbits, hares, sheep, cattle, and horses. 

 It only requires three or four stakes for the sheep and cattle 

 to rub against, or any fancy guard may be put round the tree 

 on which it is, for unless some such addition be made the sheep 

 Viill rub the young tree, and wire will cut the bark oft very 

 fatally, in consequence of the trunk of the tree swelling and 

 growing until the guard is filled. I have this year unlaced 

 several guards which have been on the trees for years, and they 

 are used for younger trees, and seem as good as ever. 



The netting also makes the bottom of young Quickset hedges 

 impervious, if these are planted double about a foot or IS inches 

 apai't, and a piece of netting is strained lengthwise between 

 the rows of Quickset, and fastened up with slight wooden 

 stakes until the quick grows and interlaces the netting, and 

 supports it, which will be the case by the time the stakes have 

 decayed. The hedge may then be clipped over the top of the 

 netting, and the latter be allowed permanently to remain. For 

 short lengths of hedges, and where it is desired to exclude 

 game and poultry, this will be found an admirable plan ; of 

 course, a larger mesh may be used, and a narrower width of 

 netting if desired. — 'Williaii Chastnev, Hamond Lodge, King's 

 Lynn. 



TOWN GARDENING. 



(Concluded from page 208.) 



I MUST finally state my experience of trees and shrubs, 

 which, however, is not very extensive. Evergreens are gene- 

 rally hopeless, excepting the Box. This cannot be said to 

 flourish ; but by putting in plants of a good size at first, and 

 frequently applying the hose to their leaves with a pretty strong 

 flush of water, they may be kept green, and will grow a little. 

 This remark, however, does not apply to Box-edging for bor- 

 ders, which never looks well, and becomes in places very bare. 



As regards trees, the great principle to be kept in view is to 

 select those which shed their bark more or less annually, and 

 thus keep continually presenting new portions of healthy sur- 

 face to the atmosphere. The trees which do this most freely 

 are the Birch and the Plane. The first loses its bark gradually 

 in circular strips ; from the second it comes off in blotches. 

 And what more elegant than a drooping Birch, or handsomer 

 in foliage than the Plane ? The Weeping Ash splits its bark 

 in long perpendicular seams, sometimes the entire length of 

 the stem, and becomes a very ornamental tree ; but care must 

 be taken not to let the branches touch the ground, the grass 

 will not grow under it if they do. This meed of praise does 

 not extend to the common Ash, which ought never to be ad- 

 mitted into a small garden, whether in town or country ; for 

 if it succeeds, the roots of one tree only will absorb the mois- 

 ture of the entire garden : like a young cuckoo in a thrush's 

 nest, it takes full possession, to the destruction of the previous 

 occupants. Nothing will flourish within a radius of 30 or 

 40 feet of it, as I have often noticed when observing Ash trees 

 in a corn or Tui-nip field. The Poplar of most kinds splits its 

 bark well, and succeeds in smoke ; and even the old stumpy 

 Sycamore when well played upon with water, and treated with 

 an occasional Turkish bath in the form of a scrubbing-brush 

 and soft soap, showed signs of revival, and really began to 

 grow. It was, however, one of a peculiar and delicate species, 

 the name of which I have not discovered. It appeared like a 

 hybrid between a Lime and a Sycamore, in which idea I was 

 confirmed by traces of a cincture on its stem, just below where 

 it diverged into branches, as if it had been grafted ; by the 

 few leaves which sprang from its roots having more of the 

 ordinary Sycamore form than those on the branches ; and from 

 its occasionally under its new treatment putting forth blossoms, 

 which had a slight fragrance, and of which the bees were fond, 

 but they never produced the keys or seed-vessels. The leaves, 

 however, were soon affected by frost, still more so by a cold 

 or rough wind, and often the tree was nearly stripped of them 

 by the end of June, though a second crop came. On the whole 

 it was not a tree suited for a town garden. 



Of flowering trees and shrubs, the Laburnum grows and 

 flowers the best, the Bed Hawthorn next. Lilacs require to 

 be well cut-in and watered ; they rarely would put forth a 

 flower, but they form a good bushy screen if planted before 

 unsightly objects which it is desirable in a garden to conceal. 

 The Acacia and Almond, though they do well in the squares 

 in the west end of London where there is less smoke, main- 

 tained a faint struggle for life only; and my system was to 

 expel everything which conveyed an idea of misery. For the 

 game reason I banished the Kibes, the Gueldres Rose, the 



Honeysuckle, and the Privet ; the last I often pity, with its 

 profusion of black wires, when I see it in the open spaces of 

 the metropolis. I found the wall of the garden facing the east 

 partially covered with Irish Ivy when 1 succeeded to it. It 

 grew, but it required constant nailing and trouble; for the 

 teeth, or small centipedal lobes, which it puts out at the 

 back of the stems would not retain their hold on the wall. 

 There is, however, a small species with a bright leaf beauti- 

 fully veined which clings to the wall, but its dying leaves dis- 

 figure it, and litter the beds throughout the summer. The 

 Irish Ivy I prevented doing so by having all the old leaves 

 closely sheared off as soon as the new buds began to start in the 

 spring. In two or three weeks' time the wall was again covered 

 with new verdure. On the opposite wall I planted Jasmine, 

 white and yellow. The white flowered annually, more or less, 

 by keeping it well cut-in, but its shoots were always weak. 

 The yellow was a stronger sort and had a larger flower, and the 

 difficulty has been rather to restrain its growth than to promote 

 it. I have seen in some towns the Virginian Creeper do, the 

 scarlet and crimson leaves of which, when decaying, are so rich 

 and beautiful, but it would not grow with me. I apprehend 

 that the climate of England is unfavourable to its perfect deve- 

 lopment, as I have never observed it in this country put forth 

 its small coral spray, as I have seen it when growing wild in 

 Switzerland. I have also tried the wUd English Clematis, 

 called Virgin's Bower, which bore plenty of leaves, but never 

 flowered. 



I have now " said my say," and have only to add in conclu- 

 sion that the garden took up but little of my time, and required 

 Httle trouble beyond what I could safely trust to a servant or 

 labouring man, as sweeping up, mowing, &c. My time was too 

 fuUy occupied by engagements of a far more important cha- 

 racter to permit of my being much in it. My chief enjoyment 

 on week days during the proper season consisted in snatching 

 those fragments of time which arose when I retoi'ned home 

 exhausted from the cultivation of plants of a very diiierent 

 nature (the Immortelles), and was five or ten minutes too early 

 for a meal. I then went at once into the garden, and my 

 nervous system was more strengthened and refreshed thereby 

 than by throwing myself into an easy chair, the mind being so 

 completely relieved by the change of objects and ideas. On 

 Sundays it was a still greater treat. Then with my family we 

 had more intervals of leisure ; then there was little or no 

 smoke — no overlookers ; the busy hum from the neighbouring 

 warehouses was hushed, all was tranquil, and we could sit out 

 with a book at a distance from the south or open end, and 

 when we lifted our eyes and looked beyond saw nothing but 

 sunny hiUs and cheerful fields ; and thus we enjoyed our nis 

 in urhe with grateful satisfaction and thankfulness to God. — 

 Philokepos. 



IMESSRS. CUTBUSHS SHOW OF SPRING 

 FLOWERS. 



This commenced at the Ciystal Palace on Saturday last, and 

 will continue open until the 6th of next month. It is, as 

 usual, a very attractive and excellent display, which will doubt- 

 less be inspected with interest and pleasure by multitudes of 

 visitors. 'The plants are admirably arranged, and occupy about 

 240 feet run of tabling divided down the centre, one side being 

 chiefly filled with Hyacinths and Tulips, the other with a mis- 

 cellaneous collection of other spring-flowering plants ; and at 

 each end is a good flowering specimen of white Azalea indiea. 



Taking first the side on which are ranged the bulbs we find 

 the first or front row to consist of variegated Pelargoniums, such 

 as Mrs. Pollock, Cloth of Gold, Golden Chain, and Lady Ply- 

 mouth ; the second row of Hyacinths and Tulips mixed ; the 

 third row of the same flowers separately and in about equal 

 proportions ; and the fourth or back row of Hyacinths only. 

 Among the latter there is a remarkably large and fine spike of 

 Florence Nightingale; and of other varieties of the red class 

 Cavaignac, Macaulay, Von Schiller, Princess Clothilde, Due de 

 Malakoff, and double Duke of Wellington are excellent. Blues 

 are well represented in Charles Dickens, Grand Lilas, Nimrod, 

 and some others ; and the very dark or black kinds in General 

 Havelock and Mimosa. Of' the white varieties there are 

 several excellent spikes of Mont Blanc, and some others. 

 Haydn, mauve, is also very pretty. There are a few new kinds, 

 noticeable among which are Le Grand .Taune, buff yellow; 

 Princess Helena, with large, pure white bells ; Mrs. James 

 Cutbush, with white bells of good substance ; Princess Anna, 



