THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 269 



growing temperature ; but give air rather freely, and avoid keeping 

 too warm, until the buds start into growth, otherwise they will be 

 apt to break thinly. Good rich fibry peat, and sandy turfy loam, in 

 the proportion of three parts of the former to one of the latter, forms 

 a suitable compost for these plants. The peat and loam should be 

 carefully broken up, and well intermixed with a liberal proportion 

 of silver sand, to ensure the free percolation of water through the 

 soil after the decay of the fibre. Cuttings of half ripe pieces of the 

 young wood root freely in a sharp bottom-heat, and soon form use- 

 ful sized plants. 



NOTES ON TRANSPLANTING. 



yUTUMN is at hand, and planting will soon be com- 

 menced. A considerable experience as a landscape 

 gardener assures me that good practical knowledge on 

 the subject does not generally obtain among those most 

 interested in the results. If this, and the succeeding 

 papers which I purpose writing on the subject, should in any way 

 remedy that, I shall be pleased. Professional men are, I believe, 

 pretty well agreed as to the best time and mode of transplanting ; 

 and there are many excellent treatises from which, as far as prin- 

 ciples are concerned, the amateur may glean the best advice, but 

 while principles alone are of the highest value to the initiated, they 

 often prove stumbling-blocks to the mere novice. To benefit him 

 those principles must be illustrated, both in the rule and in the ex- 

 ception. I hope to do that. 



As a general rule, the best season in which to transplant trees 

 and shrubs is the autumn, from the last week in September till the 

 same period in November. Evergreens especially should, if pos- 

 sible, be removed then. Of course, they may be safely planted at 

 other periods ; in fact, there is scarcely a month in the year in 

 which evergreens, under certain conditions, may not be transplanted 

 with perfect success ; but, as a general rule, and in all operations of 

 magnitude, some time between the periods named above should be 

 chosen. Deciduous plants should be removed between the decay of 

 the leaf in autumn, and the swelling of the bud in spring. So soon 

 as the leaf begins to fade, is, however, the best time for the opera- 

 tion ; but, as in the case of evergreens, the rule admits of many 

 exceptions. These will be noticed in due course. 



Of the comparative advantage of different periods of the year 

 for removing evergreens, the following will furnish good examples. 

 A year or two since a large number of shrubs and trees, principally 

 evergreens, was removed under my directions. Circumstances which 

 I had no influence over rendered it imperative that the operation of 

 transplanting should be tardily proceeded with. In fact, the work 

 was begun in the middle of August, and was hardly finished in the 

 succeeding May. Every week during this long period, when the 

 weatiier would allow, some shrubs were transplanted. I watched 



September. 



