Febraary 11, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUIJB AND COTTAGE UARDENER. 



um 



procured a few Pear trees from a nursoryman in a large business 

 within a day's rtach, because I know that the trees from Mr. 

 Riv(T.s woiild take a long timo on the road, and tho weather was 

 excessively cold. These trees arc now largo, capable of bearini^ 

 largo crops, and have been most carefully trained ; and to give 

 Ihem the best chance of success, I did not allow them to bear a 

 single fruit for five or six years after planting, and they became 

 just the sort of trees one sees figured as specimens, but when the 

 fruit was allowed to mature not one was the sort I had ordered, 

 and most ot them were quite worthless. Few things in a small 

 way are more annoying than this, and had I not yearly planted 

 largo numbers from the Sawbridgeworth nurseries, I should now 

 have been badly off indeed. When one is on the rapid downhill 

 course, the loss of five to seven years in any one subject is serious, 

 and keenly felt ; so I say to all, Be sure to get your trees from a 

 man who will be certain to send what you want, or tell you he 

 has not the sorts ordered. Again, the early treatment of the trees 

 is so important, that even if a higher price were charged for 

 them it would be money well spent; but I do not find that fho 

 price is at all a measure of the quality of the " stuff" sent out 

 by nurserymen, and there can bo no doubt of the goodness of 

 the rule, to go to the highest-class firms for all such purchases. 

 Tho curious in fruit trees, like myself, will find in almost eveiy 

 extensive garden or country nursery many varieties new to him, 

 and therefore desirable ; but beyond the mrts, the growth of the 

 young trees is most important. I am soiTy to say nurserymen 

 do not take as much pains as they ought with young trees, and 

 early neglect makes it nearly impossible to get a well-formed 

 mature tree. In the case of those who can afford to look for- 

 ward for many years, "maiden trees" — i.e., those grafted in 

 the preceding soason, are the best, as then the whole training 

 must be done after the purchase ; but a couple of shillings mates 

 a difference of as many years in the age of the tree, and when 

 the tree has been properly brought up the extra price is well 

 bestowed. Now, remember, it is not the .>it;c of the tree that is 

 the proof of its good education, but the form and condition of 

 its branches and roots, and I feel constantly a professional in- 

 clination to " improve upon " the bundles of fruit trees brought 

 into the markets of country towns to suit the ignorance of 

 worthy country folk — all rank growth and club roots. At pre- 

 sent I must assume that those who are seeking for information 

 on tho subject in these pages do not know what a well-grown 

 tree is, and so I can at the present stage say no more than. Trust 

 a good man to furnish you with the tree you want. Before we 

 have ended our discourse I hope my studious friends will know 

 something about the reasons for asserting that one tree is pro- 

 perly trained and another not. As the trees for the portable 

 orchard will eventually become much larger than potted orchard- 

 house trees, those already established in pots are safe, but by no 

 means the best, for the purpose. 



■ It may be as well in this place to speak of the proper season 

 lor potting young trees; further on I shall have occasion to 

 speak about the time for shifting from a smaller-sized pot to a 

 larger. Where the trees are growing close at hand the potting 

 should be done before the leaves have fallen and after they show 

 nigns of changing colour, and for some weeks after potting the pots 

 should bo plunged in the ground, or better still in a manure or 

 bark heap, with a little heat in it ; the frees will then make some 

 fresh roots before the winter. Water should not be given for a 

 week or ten days after potting, and not then unless the weather 

 is very dry ; sun and wind should be kept from them, and then 

 the soil in the pots will be damp enough to preserve the requ'site 

 moisture for so short a time. The potting compost should be 

 firm enough to retain the impression of the fingers when a lump 

 of it is squeezed in the hand, and yet dry enough to crumble 

 easily. W hen the soil is wet the trees do not seem to fiag; but 

 this fact 'is due to the wounded roots taking up the moisture, 

 just like cut flowers in a glass of water, and no healing takes 

 place. Stip, therefore, the exhaustion by shading from sun and 

 wind, and do net saturate the soil with water. But when tribes 

 i,T>me from a distance, and to a cold climate, I am persuaded 

 that it is better to allow the severity of the winter to be past 

 liefore they are taken out of the ground. Lasl spring Mr. 

 Hivers's remarks about the moving of Pear trees on the Quince 

 v»ere most strikingly exemplified here. Some trees from France 

 came to me in the middle of April, having been out of the 

 ground evidently some time, and several having their blossom 

 buds opening ; these trees actually set their fruit and brought it 

 to maturity, though we had no rain for months, and it was im- 

 possible to do more than give them a watering about three times 

 in the course of the season. All my experience tends the same 

 way, and 1 believe late in February to be the best time for 



potting, and in a severe season later Blill. If the trees look 

 pan^hcd on urriv.il, liig a trench, lay them in it, and cover 

 them nil over with the soil f(ir a few days, and they will looK 

 plump and fresh when taken out bofcre the end of a wei.k. 



We may now consider tho pots. 1 myself commonly use 

 fiiur sizes— 9, 11, Hi, and 10 inches wide, and tho same in depth, 

 inside measure ; but excepting for experimental purposes, 1 

 should recommend only the two largest sizes. Tho pots are 

 made different in foriri, accordingly as they are intended for 

 plants to be shifted from or to n-main in for the rest of their 

 lives. It is easily seen that to shift a large plant from one pot 

 to another, unless by breaking the pot, is not an easy matter; 

 .-io to help this process the shifting pots arc made with very 

 sloping sides, the bottoms being little more than half the breadth, 

 of the tops, but those for permanent growth arc nearly cylin' 

 drieal. By letting the soil get tolerably dry, and then gently 

 rolling tho pot, the ball will be taken out without difficulty; 

 using care to draw the pot off tlie roots, and not attempting to 

 pull the tree out of tho pot by dragging it by the neck. AH 

 these pots are made with tiers of holes all round them, but with 

 only one at the bottom, though I always have threo or four 

 small ones run through the sides from the inside of the bottom 

 to insure the free escape of water, tho object being to prevent 

 the roots going into the soil dovmwards, and to encourage the 

 lateral spread of fibrous rootlets. Tho holes in the sides vary 

 in those I have from l-J inch to 2 inches diameter, a<«ording 

 to the size of the pot, and it is better to have them more nume- 

 rous towards the top ; hut this is not of consequence provided 

 there are plenty of them, and yet not bo many as to endanger 

 the safety of the pot. .baaaaijaqis. 



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 The accompanying figure indicates vyhat I mean. I found 

 no diflicuUy in getting the pots made by the first manufactturcr 

 I applied to ; but 1 think he is a very good workman, and quipk 

 in taking up an idea. His ware is first-rate, and if anyone 

 within easy reach of llipon desire to obtain them, he cannpt.cjo 

 better than get them from Mr. Smit4,(«if<rttjbtletho[pe,nea(r t4^ 



city.— \V. KlNOSLBV. .,.■;, 5tif U^UE:, -. , .vi .>:■, jed) 

 3v, i.oi};iaitniiZ9 a (^o "S continued.).^ „^ ^j^jj^ f,„^ y^^^ ^j 

 !i b9BiiJid baa -ih - : l_j ijalied srIJ tarf) bonol 



I'HE MEZEREON— A WINTER FL<:)WER BED. 



What a charming plant the Mezereon is in the dull dark 

 months of January and February, and afterwards as tho days 

 advance, until we have the sunshine of spring. I have often 

 wondered why this fine old plant has been so long in the shade; 

 for, generally speaking, we have now to look for it in eome 

 spot, cared for by a father's darling, near a humble dwelling, 

 where it well repays the tiny bands that have spared no pains 

 to induce the old favourite Mezereon to display its beautiftU 

 blooms, to say nothing of exhaling its delicate perfume. 



There are many kinds of Daphnes, bnt my present intention 

 is to bring into more prominent notice what is called our native 

 Mezereon, which is perfectly hardy and of easy culture. I am 

 anxious to induce more of our craft to give plants of it a place 

 in some shady nook or elsewhere, for they are not very par- 

 tioulftr as to soil or situation. They are very accommodating 

 for culture either in pots or borders, and will well repay any 

 care bestowed upon them by their cheerful colour at this season, 

 whether in-doors or out. 



We hear much about winter decoration and spring gardening, 

 and it is right we should ; but I hope we shall hear more about 

 our much-neglected native from those who are so well able 

 to give sound information on that subject. It deserves to be 

 bronght in for a share of the honour conferred upon other 

 worthy oconpants of the winter and spring garden. 



I know that any one might make up a very beautiful bed for 

 this season's decoration with what are termed " very common 

 things." --J 



A good-sized bed made up in the following manner is no 



