Jwe 26, IBM. } 



JOUBNAIi OP HOBTICOLTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENE5. 



i67 



A PEW NOTES ON THE WELLINGTONIA. 



fe"^ '^ 



'ATER since the almost fabu- 

 lous dimensions of this mo- 

 narch of the forest in tlie far 

 west were first reported to 

 us the interest in it has been 

 kept alive by notes from 

 travellers, by the anival of seeds, their germination, and 

 the healthy and vigoroiLs growth of the plant in this 

 country. Fiu-ther, the reports of the magnitude of tlie tree 

 in its native valleys were confirmed by the outer casing of 

 one of these monarchs of the forest being set up in the 

 Crystal Palace. Since the introduction of the WeUingtonia 

 the demand for it has b(!en duly supplied, and it has been 

 planted in all manner of situations, and not a few plants 

 adorn tlie front gardens i)f small subiu-ban villas, wliere 

 there is not the remotest chance of the tree attaining the 

 di m ensions of a medium-sized shrub Tvitliout being in the 

 way. 



The rapid growth of the WeUingtonia seems to place it 

 amongst the iirst favourites of the day for creating effect 

 in a very short time, and its beauty as a tree, irrespective 

 of the size it attains, gives it a claim which no other plant 

 possesses. Nevertheless with all its good qualities it has 

 its faults, and it is only fair to state these, but fortunately 

 they are neither numerous nor such as cannot be amended, 

 or rather avoided. Its principal fault is that it transplants 

 badly after it has been more than one year in a place. 

 This, I believe, is a<bnitted by all. 



The question then arises, Which is the best time to plant 

 it ? My own opinion, as well as experience, would point 

 out the earlj- autiunn months — say September and October, 

 but this I expect must be accepted with some qualification. 

 In seasons like the last the plants witli me gi'ew at least 

 as much after the 1st of September as they did before that 

 time. Would it, therefore, be vdse to disturb that grou-th 

 by transplanting the trees so early ? Cu'cunistances often 

 render the delay of transplanting imperative, and it lias, 

 therefore, sometimes to be performed at seasons most un- 

 favourable to the welfare of the tree, but it is so accommo- 

 dating at times when its success is doubtful that unexpected 

 results follow. In my own practice I beUevo that I have 

 planted WeUingtonias in every month in the year except- 

 ing August and September, and I am not certain that these 

 months are not the very best. I have seen carefully lifting 

 a few plants in July attended ^nth tolerable success, and 

 October is very good, but a like result did not follow planting 

 in January ; for though a portion of the plants gi'ew well, 

 others died oil'. I beUevo Apiil to be better than mid- 

 winter for planting, more especially if the trees have been 

 standing thickly together in nurseiy rows, for to isolate 

 them in exposed places at that time is, I beUeve, as hurt- 



Ko. 274.— Vol. X., Kaw SEBiEa 



ful to the top as to the roots, and they fail. It is probable, 

 therefore, that planting in October wUl be attended with 

 the best results, and what I liave done at tliat time has 

 been so. There are, however, oflier conditions proper to 

 be observed in the planting of WeUingtonias, as well as of 

 aU other l>inuses, which it would be weU (o bear m mind; 

 but as failures are equally instructive as successful manage- 

 ment I herewith give an example of both. 



In the middle of October, Ixm. I planted in nursery rows 

 a number of WeUingtonias that had pre^-icmsly been in small 

 00-pots. None of the plants exceeded (i inches high, whUe 

 1 most of tliem were not more than half that height. The 

 soil was of a loose open nature, with plenty of stones iu it, 

 and it had previously been cropped witli Potatoes and other 

 common vegetables. I may remark that during the winter 

 the Uttle plants were anything but promising, and many 

 persons prognosticated then- faUm-e. Then- brownness was 

 no doubt in gi-eat measure owing to then- roots being dis- 

 entangled and carefuUy spread out straight from tlie collar, 

 which, however, was not always done without fracturing 

 now and tlien a stiff crooked root ; but it was persisted in, 

 for I had seen enough of the evUs of transplanting trees that 

 have been some time in pots, and therefore I deteniimed to 

 remove aU trace of their having been so treated. The ordeal 

 unquestionably checked gro^vth, and the plants cUd not 

 commence to gi'ow tUl the summer was somewhat advanced, 

 but veiT few of them failed, and the growtli of the whole 

 was pretty fair. Two of the plants that I took up that 

 autumn w-ere nicely rooted, and bore the removal well ; 

 but cii-cumstances prevented the whole being taken up 

 then, and they remaLne<i another year in the ground, where 

 they made rapid growth, most of them being o feet high, 

 and weU furnished at bottom. The fine autumn, or rather 

 the rains we had in October after a period of very dry 

 weather, prolonged tlieir growth so mucli tliat I believe 

 they kept on gi-owing imtil December, when it was deter- 

 mined to remove them. Here was the error; had we done 

 so earUer, say in October, I believe that we might liave 

 been successful, but it happened that we could not do so at 

 that time, and it was .January ere they were finaUy planted 

 out. ^Vlthough better rooted plants could hardly luve 

 been wished for than most of them were, their success has 

 been far from satisfactory, several ha%ing died, others 

 partiaUy so, wlule some have appaj-ently scarcely felt the 

 change, but the latter are in the minoritj'. It may be said 

 that they were aUowed to remain too long in then- position 

 in the nm'sery, but two years is not a long time for trees 

 and shrubs iu an ordinaiy way : and some two hundred 

 or more Cupressus Lawsoniana tliat were treated in ex- 

 actly the same way as the WeUingtonias, and tiansplanted 

 at the same time, have scarcely experienced a check. 

 although their gro\vth equaUed that of the WelUugtouia-s, 

 It raay. therefore, bo set down as an established fact that 

 the latter is one of the classes of plants wiiivh do not bear 

 transplanting well after having been more than one year 

 in a place. This is unquestionably a tbvtwback, but it 

 is amply compensated for by tlie good qualities of the 

 tree. 

 I wUI now mention two or three of tliose good properties. 



No. 9S6.— Vol. XXSV., Ou) SIJEIES. 



