40 VILLA GARDENING paet i 



deepening of the bed of soil, or in the amelioration of its condition, 

 no great amount of the bad subsoil should be brought to the sur- 

 face, especially if the subsoil is clay or chalk. Sand is of less 

 consequence, because it is not of such an unmanageable nature as 

 clay, and chalk requires a long exposure before it will blend with 

 anything ; therefore, except in the smallest possible quantities, it 

 should not be brought to the surface. AVhere the main staple is 

 shallow, resting on a bad subsoil, it may be possible to make 

 special situations during the formation of the grounds for choice 

 subjects. In the construction of the roads and walks or other 

 accessories, the good soil may be carted to any site where it may 

 be required. As a case in point we will say we want to establish 

 a group of Cedars in a situation where the soil is thin and the 

 subsoil indifferent. Well, we cart spare soil from another place 

 and elevate the Cedar mound a foot or so, and the difficulty, so 

 far as their future is concerned, disappears. This is only acting on 

 the principle of doing well what is worth doing at all, and if this 

 system could always be acted on our difficulties would vanish, and 

 failures become less and less frequent. Trees and shrubs that 

 are frequently transplanted suffer less from removal than those 

 which are seldom moved, for the reason that the treatment received 

 by the plants causes a ball of fibry roots to be developed, instead 

 of the few thick fleshy roots which a long residence in one position 

 produces. This is why nurserymen are constantly transplanting 

 their young stock, so that they may always be in a condition to 

 remove with safety to any part of the country. 



In a country possessing such a variety of soils the same treat- 

 ment will not suit all alike, and experience alone can guide us 

 aright. In some places evergreens may be moved at any time, 

 if the work be done with care. I was visiting a noted place in 

 Norfolk some time ago, and my attention was drawn to a full- 

 grown Holly hedge that was moved the previous July without — 

 so far as I could see — suffering any injury. The soil was of a 

 light, sandy nature, and closed in over the roots, fixing them firmly 

 in their situation immediately. I know places in Surrey where 

 the soil is of a soft, silky texture, containing a good deal of 

 vegetable matter, marked by an absence of lime, and Rhododen- 

 drons and other evergreens can be moved successfidly at any time. 

 But it woidd be unwise to assume from these instances that the 

 same thing could be done everywhere, and this is why personal 

 experience of a locality is so valuable in conducting planting opera- 

 tions of any magnitude. As a rule, it is never wise to obtain 

 plants from a good soil to plant on an inferior one ; but the oppo- 

 site course is always safe. In difficult situations, where the work 



