JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 10, 1806. 



would, of course, entail expenses of printing, posting, adver- 

 tising, &c. ; but to guard against injudicious expenditure of 

 the Society's funds a good commission might be allowed on 

 the subscriptions actually obtained. I believe men would be 

 found willing to undertake this small risk, and would in no 

 case withhold from the general fund more than was required to 

 cover expenses. — William Paul, Waltham Cross, N. 



PLANTING ORNAMENTAL TREES AND 

 SHRUBS. 



Planting is an operation too often very indifferently per- 

 formed, and the trees so frequently " stuck in " plainly testify 

 mismanagement by the tardiness of their after-growth. Dig- 

 ging a hole and putting a tree in it is one thing, planting a tree 

 is quite another. Of the latter I will now speak. 



Trees of all kinds should be planted in prepared soil. The 

 Boil should be dug out to a depth of 2 feet, and that at 

 bottom ought to be loosened to a depth of at least 1 foot. The 

 openings so made should be larger than the ball, or extent of 

 the roots, and they should not be round nor square, but in the 

 shape of a cross, or of two rectangles placed across each other. 

 Two rectangles, each 12 feet by 6 feet, placed across each other 

 a 1 , right angles will be sufficient for moderate-sized trees, but 

 for larger trees three such, 16 feet long by 6 or 8 feet wide, 

 placed across each other, will not be too much. The space, 

 However, let it be what it may, should be such that the inner 

 radius will contain the roots without cramping them, and not 

 only that, but leave a foot clear of prepared earth for them 

 to ramify through before they come in contact with the firm or 

 poor soil. 



It is usual to make the pits or holes round, but this has the 

 effect of introducing the growing fibres of the trees into the 

 poor soil all at once, and thus a check is given, which causes 

 many persons to inquire why the tree so planted should do well 

 for a year or two after planting, and then all at once come to a 

 standstill, and even retrograde. When a tree is planted in a 

 round or square hole it is much in the same position as if it 

 were planted in a pot or tub. The roots spread and take lip 

 all or most of the food contained in the circular or square pit, 

 and by this time the head shuts out the rain ; then the roots, 

 not having extended further than the head, derive little 

 benefit from rains, and, being introduced to the firm poor soil 

 all at once, they feel the loss of the prepared or loose soil, and 

 show that loss in the growths made. By planting, however, in 

 cross-shaped pits the roots will extend rapidly through the pre- 

 pared soil, and some of them coming in contact with the firm 

 and poor soil almost immediately this will be penetrated by 

 them ; and those in the arms of the cross being in good soil will 

 keep up a free growth until the others become established in 

 the firm soil. At the same time the roots being attracted by the 

 loose soil in the arms of the cross will be at a greater distance 

 from the stem, and, therefore, derive the benefit of rains ; 

 whereas were the trees planted in round pits the head would 

 exclude most of the rain, and the roots being deprived of that 

 moisture to a great extent, the growths would be poor in con- 

 sequence, and the necessity for artificial watering would be 

 much increased. 



Fig. 1 will convey an idea of the advantages resulting from 

 planting in cross-shaped instead of circular or square pits. 

 Of these not the least is the dovetailing, so to speak, of the 

 roots in the prepared soil ; another consists in the moisture re- 

 tained gradually rendering penetrable to the roots a larger sur- 

 face of the hard ground at the sides of the hole. Besides, the 

 trees are more secure against winds, and the sides do not give 

 so great a check to the roots as those of a circular pit. 



In preparing to plant, the earth taken out of the pits ought to 

 be mixed with a quantity of good, loamy, rich soil. If the soil 

 is poor, one-fourth of the worst should be taken from it, and 

 double its bulk of fresh soil ought to be well mixed with the 

 remaining portion, and the whole, or enough to fill the pit level 

 with the surface, will have to be returned to the pit. If the 

 soil taken out is good, all that is required will be to mix 

 with it one-fourth of fresh soil. Whatever the quantity of bad 

 soil, or stones separated from that taken out of the pits, the 

 remainder should be mixed with one-fourth more fresh soil 

 than the amount taken away. Compost suitable for mixing 

 with the soil in planting may be obtained in most places by 

 collecting ditch-cleanings, weeds, and rubbish of all kinds, and 

 its quality will be improved by mixing with it parings from the 

 sides of highways and road-scrapings, a large per-centage of 



which in country districts consists of tree leaveB. Such heaps 

 turned over twice, and a cartload of fresh lime added to every 

 ten of compost at the last turning, form excellent top-dressings 

 for grass lands, besides being useful for giving trees a start at 

 the time of planting. There ought to bo such heaps of com- 

 post at hand, large or small, in every garden. From returning 



Fig. 1. 



the loosened soil taken out of the pit, together with that added 

 to it, the trees will stand on a knoll, and such knolls or mounds 

 should all be of the same height, as they will be if the fore- 

 going directions be adhered to. Before planting the tree the 

 soil in the cestre of the pit should be elevated about 9 inches 

 above the surface, and the cone thus formed should have the 

 top flattened to the extent of about 3 feet. If the root3 render 

 it necessary, it should be hollowed out with the bottom convex 

 rather than concave; for, when the bottom is concave the points 

 of the roots are apt to be turned upwards, whereas they should 

 incline from the stem of the plant downwards. In all cases the 

 hole must be large enough to admit the roots without cramping 

 or turning them from their natural position. 



Fig. 2 shows a tree planted in a convex-bottomed opening, 

 with'the roots coming straight from the root-stem ; fig. 3, one 

 placed in a hole with the bottom concave, the points of all the 

 principal roots, from which the smaller roots take their rise, 

 pointing upwards ; whilst in fig. i we have a tree planted in a 

 raised mound, the top for about 2 feet from the stem of the 

 tree being hollowed out, or concave, for watering the tree after 

 planting. The opening so made, when the tree has heoome 

 established, or before dry weather sets in, is mulched with 

 stones or rough pieces of turf, either of which will lie open 

 and permit of the basin holding water, and at the same 

 time prevent rapid evaporation. The mode of staking the 

 tree is also shown, for it is necessary after planting to main- 

 tain the stem in an upright position, otherwise the wind may 

 force it from the perpendicular when the roots are emitting 

 fresh fibres, and thus destroy many of them ; besides, a tree 

 liable to be moved by the wind is sure to have its roots dis- 



