Norembor 5, 1S6B. } 



journaij of hobticultube and cottage gakdenek. 



839 



rows, Cucumbers, Farsnipa, Lonf; Badishes, Toruip Badisbes, 

 Dwarf Kidney Beans, AsparaRua, Windsor Beans, Peas in shell, 

 Tomatoes, pot herbs — viz., Thymo, Parsley, Mint, Sage, tea., 

 Swoet Potatoes, Capsicnms, Nepaul Chillies, Pumpkins, Suake- 

 bai, and Erinjals (a kind of Egg-plant — Solauum) ; among 

 pUmUSinii /towers, fjrXloacs iupots, ornameutal-foliaged plants. 

 Asters, Aohimenes, BiUams, Caladiums, Carnations, Dahlias, 

 Fuchsias. Gladioli, Gloxinias, Pelargoniums, Ipomteaa, Pe- 

 tunias, Portulaoas, Phloxes, Salvias, Tropajoluma, Verbenas, 

 and double Zinnias. 



Let us add for the juoundation of poultry fancier.') that prizes 

 are offered also for Gime fowls, common fowls, Cdchia or other 

 foreign fowls, Ducks, Turkeys, aud Geese. 



SPURIOUS MELON SEED. 



Last year I ordered from an old-established seed firm a 

 packet of the Malvern Hall Melon seed, but when the fruiting 

 time arrived I found that I had no less than four different sorts 

 from that one packet of seed, not one fruit of which bore the 

 slightest resemblance to the fine variety above named. The 

 truth is, all four fruits (if they may be bo called) partook more 

 of Gourds than Melons, both in appearance and in quality. 



This year I have been erinally unfortunate with that highly 

 extolled new variety called Golden Queen. This I had from a 

 seed firm in the northern part of the kingdom. I had a packet 

 of its seed (that is, if I had the true sort), which contained 

 six seeds, for the small charge of 2s. tid. The plants have cer- 

 tainly grown luxuriantly enough, but they have persistently 

 refused to show a single female blossom. 



Other kinds when the seeds have been saved here, have 

 produced excellent crops, so that there has been nothing wrong 

 ia the cultivation of those sorts complained of. 



The seeds of this so-called Golden Queen must have been 

 from a fruit not sufficiently ripened. Perhaps some one of your 

 readers may be able to assign some other cause for its un fruit- 

 fulness. Those who have grown and fruited the Golden Queen 

 would greatly oblige by saying what they think of it. It might 

 be the means of preventing others from throwing away half- 

 a-crown. — W. H, C, Ma'ulMone. 



ARRANGING AND PLANTING SHRUBS. 



(Gontimicd from page 278.) 



Presujiisg the plan of planting to have been decided on, and 

 the outlines of the groups, masses, and borders to have been 

 marked or pegged out, the ground must be prepared for plant- 

 ing. In general, the border should incline from the back to 

 the front, and the groups or masses ought to be higher in the 

 centre than at the sides, next the walk or grass. It is objection- 

 able to have the ground higher next the walk than at back, 

 though this may sometimes occur when the walk is situated at 

 a high level, and the ground slopes from it, for much of the 

 beauty of the shrubs will be hidden, unless there are other 

 points whence the bank can be seen to advantage. If the hollow 

 come directly in the way, we have no alternative but either to 

 go round it, or fill it up, the former being by far the better 

 mode, as the slope, when clothed with shrubs, will have a fine 

 effect on being viewed from the pathway winding at the bottom. 

 With respect to the hollows that occur in groups or borders, 

 they should be levelled to some extent, in order to have a good 

 effect, and flat spaces would often be improved by throwing up 

 a mound. An irregular surface has always a better effect than 

 a flat one, and mounds are very useful to account for the di- 

 version of a path, and these, a group of shrubs, or some other 

 object must give an apparent reason for every turn in the walk. 



That all borders and groups should be higher towards the 

 back than in front, whether the incline be only 1 foot in 12, or 

 1 foot in 3, is an essential to good effect very often overlooked 

 by planters. In some cases we may see the soil from the walks 

 or drives cast out on one or both sides of the walk, without any 

 other care being taken than to raise the ground for a short dis- 

 tance from the edge of the walk, making it higher there than 

 at the point most distant from the walk. Another very com- 

 mon error consists in casting the soil from the walks upon the 

 borders, so that the narrow parts of the border or mass are 

 made higher than its widest parts, for the former, of all others, 

 should be the least in height, being in the case of a flat sur- 

 face the only places where an attempt at forming a hollow 

 should be made, and if naturally higher than the wide parts 

 they ought to be sunk rather than elevated. 



The wider the border the greater should be its incline, and 

 the ground, whether of border, mass, or group, ought to be 

 elevated above the walk. The soil from the walks and drives 

 will go far towards securing the required inclination, and will 

 in most cases be suSticient ; besides, it will, by giving greater 

 depth of soil, contriljute to the well-doing of the shrubs. 



The ground ought not only to be freed of all inequalities 

 which cannot be planted, but the subsoil must be considered. 

 If the subsoil is wot, and water lodges there, to insure .the 

 success of ihe shrubs, it must be properly drained. It is a 

 great mistake to act as if shrubs will grow anywhere ; few exist 

 in a bog, and though some succeed in moist ground, none do 

 BO where the water becomes stagnant in the soil. The drains 

 ought to be deep, a depth of 4 feet is not too much, aud as a 

 matter of course they must have a proper outlet. 



The next matter to engage attention will be the soil itself. 

 This must be examined with regard to its suitability for certain 

 plants. It it is not what is required, it must either be im- 

 proved by incorporating with it a quantity of the proper de- 

 scription, or by replacing it altogether. If the] soil is shallow, 

 before planting its depth must be increased ; it is well in all cases 

 not to plant in a depth of less than 18 inches of soil without 

 making an effort to secure at least that depth. Soils, however, 

 that are naturally shallow, but have a subsoil which can be 

 easily penetrated by the roots, are very often suitable for 

 planting, more so than deep soils rendered cold and wet from 

 want of draining. The chief objection to shallow soils is that 

 the plants are very liable to suffer from drought, but in general 

 they are dwarfer. and flower and produce berries more pro- 

 fusely than those in deep soils. These, on the contrary, are 

 favourable to growth, and the roots, from penetrating to a 

 greater depth, are better able to cater for the foliage ; the plants 

 are, therefore, more abundantly supplied with food, and are 

 better able to resist dry weather than those in shallow soil. 



To insure success in planting, aud free growth, shallow soil 

 ought to be made as deep as practicable, by trenching it not 

 less than 2 feet deep, putting the top at the bottom, and bringing 

 the bottom to the top, uuless the bottom soil is bad ; then turn 

 over the soil as deeply as you can without bringing too much: 

 of the bad soil to the top, and loosen the bottorn. Few on 

 going into a nursery can fail to notice the great diilorence in 

 the growth of shrubs there as compared with private gardens, 

 making as much progress in nurseries in two years as in other 

 gardens in three or four. Some tell us that it is due to the plants 

 being drawn up by close-planting, and there is certainly sonae 

 truth in that ; but the result is in a still greater measure at- 

 tributable to the labour expended on the preparation of the 

 ground. Nurserymen invariably, in breaking up land, hav? it 

 well and deeply trenched. This in my opinion is the one great 

 point of difference, and that by which their shrubs and trees 

 attain such a superiority of growth. It is surprising that those 

 who are proud of fine trees aud shrubs, should often be so par- 

 simonious as regards the preparation of the ground for planting. 

 Good plants, well-rooted, carefully planted, and attended to in 

 their early stages, seldom prove satisfactory if the ground has 

 not been properly prepared. The results are as different as 

 light from darkness between planting in trenched ground, and 

 in holes made in little better than a rock, all the feeding ground 

 the plants have being the small quantity of loose soil contained 

 in the holes. 



Errors are not confined to the preparation of the ground, 

 but the proper time for planting appears not to be well under- 

 stood, for planting is generally in full progress in the depth of 

 winter, than which a worse time could not well be. The 

 ground is then wet and cold ; the roots, instead of putting 

 forth fresh rootlets, imbibe moisture and begin to decay, and 

 the plants commence the succeeding season of heat and drought 

 with an impaired constitution, without the means of meeting 

 the requirements of the shoots and leaves, except by the 

 emission of fibres from the thick stem-like roots, which is but 

 a slow process. They may not die, but are so enfeebled that 

 it takes years before they assume a respectable appearance. _ 



These remarks apply more particularly to evergreens, which, 

 are best planted in October, though planting may be performed 

 with perfect safety in September if the shrubs have completed 

 their growth and the weather is moist. It is the best time in 

 the whole year for planting all evergreens, not excepting Hollies, 

 which, though they may be safely removed in May, are, in tha 

 event of a dry hot summer, not capable of making a good 

 growth, while if planted early in autumn they almost in- 

 variably make a good start in spring. Ehododendrons and all 

 I American shrubs may be safely transplanted at any season, for 



