February 13, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



121 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



REMOVING PLANTS TO DIFFERENT SOILS. 



WO or tlu-ee weeks ago Mr. 

 Fish alluded to a fact which, 

 somehow, has never yet re- 

 ceived so much attention 

 from the flower gardener as 

 it ought, although agiicul- 

 tiu-ists have for some generations been alive to its value. 



Mr. Fish justly calls attention to the propriety of now 

 and then exchanging plants or cuttings, and cites an in- 

 stance in which some cuttings wliich he had from a neigh- 

 bour showed much greater vigour than some of his own 

 tliat were treated in exactly the same manner, and he 

 attributes then- doing so to the sole cause of his o\to being 

 to a certain extent worn out or tired of theu' quarters. 

 Now tliis is a subject of gi'eat importance, and the judicious 

 application of the facts "stated may no doubt save some of 

 the old popular favoui-ites, wliich are tlii-eatening in some 

 cases to leave ns entu-ely : wliile amongst those tliat may 

 be still regarded as in their prime, improvement may be 

 effected by the change, or at all events deterioration pre- 

 vented or delayed. 



Hitherto the common practice has been to retain a plant 

 or variety imtil it is superseded by somethhig better, 

 when it is tliscarded ; but such a com'se is not always 

 a correct one. A variet}' of plant reqiming re-propaga- 

 tion eveiy year might be very good ia l.s.5(i, while some- 

 thing better may be seen in 1«66 tlian it is at tliat time ; 

 but lias the first not deteriorated dm-ing that period fi'om 

 having been kept so long in the same place '.' In fact, has 

 not the theory of breeding in-and-in, as the skilful herds- 

 man would say, been going on until the result shows itself 

 unmistakeably in tlie condition of the plants or their pro- 

 duce '.' and instead of a moderate and easy change, a radical 

 one seems indispensable, and the variety that six or more 

 years ago was the gi-eatest ornament to the parten-e is 

 consigned to the rubbish-heap, and something fresh is 

 taken in its place. 



Thi.^, view of the matter is, perhaps, in nothing more 

 clearly exemplified than in the case of the Dahlia, wliich, 

 after being kept a number of years m one place, seems to 

 degenerate in size, and in some instances the colour also 

 is altered. Tliis tendenc}-, however, is more easily reme- 

 died with the Dahlia than with many other plants. A 

 , number of new varieties of the Dalilia are offered every 

 season at a reasonable rate, and tlie number of plants 

 required never approaches one-tenth of that of bedding 

 plants in general, and the (Ufficulty in meeting the demand 

 is by no means gi-eat: but when ten thousand Scarlet 

 Geraniums iu-e wanted, and it is apparent tliat the variety 

 hitheitto depended upon to supply the want is no longer I 

 what it used to be, a change is forced upon the gi'ower, I 



No. 255.— Vol. X., New Semes. 



whether he be prepared for it or not, and, as stated above. 

 the common practice has been to call in another plant, 

 which in its tiu'n ^vill lUcewise be discarded. 



Now, though tins plan has certain advantages in bring- 

 ing something fi-esh into notice, it would be well to inquire 

 whether or no a real improvement takes place at each 

 change. It is not fan- to compare the new favourite with 

 the old worn-out one ; we should ask if the new is really 

 better than the old was when it was a fresh introduction. 

 The memory, it is true, ■nill not always enable us to com- 

 pare present appearances with those of long ago without 

 the exercise of some of tliose feelings which are adverse to 

 an impartial judgment. Certainly we are told that ad- 

 vances are being daily made, but it is well to ask ourselves 

 if every change is an advance. The afiinnative answer is 

 one calling for caution when an old servant is about to be 

 discharged. For instance, let us take a ciu-sory view of 

 some of the populai- flowers of the da}', and, calling to 

 memoiy what they were, ask oiu-selves if they have pro- 

 gi-essed much dming the last twenty years. Pinks and 

 Cai'nations have been gi-eat favomites in their time, and 

 were certainly better thii'ty years ago than now. The 

 same may be said of the Auricula and the Polyanthus, and 

 although the Heartsease is a more modern addition of the 

 florists, it was certainly seen in better condition fifteen 

 years ago than now. The case of the Dahlia is also some- 

 what similar, but more pains have been taken to multiply 

 the varieties of tins useful autimin flower than of the others, 

 and though the kinds fasliionable twenty ago are but 

 seldom met with now, they arc weU represented in their 

 ofispring. Other examples might be given, but it may be 

 as well to tiuTi to another phase of the subject. 



Taking it for granted that new varieties of certain kinds 

 of plants can be produced T\ith facility to meet the wants 

 of the pubhc, let us see in what way the judicious retention 

 of species having more constitutional vigoiu- about them 

 can be accomplished. Species of plants are unquestionably 

 longer-lived and less likely to deteriorate than garden 

 varieties, hence the advantage of using them when they 

 are suitable ; but it often happens that improvement in 

 some foi-m or other is wanted, and a variety is put forth 

 possessing to a certain extent that improvement : by-and- 

 by improved variety No. 2 supersedes No. 1, and the last 

 is followed by others, and it is to be feared each of these 

 changes is effected by a sacrifice of some of tlie constitu- 

 tional vigour of the original species, and the consequence 

 is that after a time the variety ceases to be so useful as 

 before ; disease and an impaii'ed constitution give token 

 that its tei-m of years is fast dra^ving to a close, and that 

 sometliing else must be substituted for it. 



Now, the retanling of tliis prematm-e decay is what Mr. 

 Fish says was in some degi'ee accomplished in the case of 

 the Calceolaria, by liis having a batch of cuttings of the 

 same kind from another place, which, no doubt, -nill suc- 

 ceed better for one or more years, but will in like manner 

 want restoring, imtil the etibrt which Natures makes to 

 restore her offspring can be no longer maintamed, and 

 recoiu-se must either bo had to the species or to other 

 varieties of later date. This being the case, would it not 



No. 907.— Vol. XXSV., Old Sefoes. 



