48 4 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



bear it are the Cedars planted in woods 

 and allowed to grow mast-like shafts ! 



The cure for much of this loss and 

 waste of valuable trees lies in planting in 

 more natural ways and in grouping and 

 keeping the trees together. 



With regard to soil and situation, each 

 planter seeks the best possible develop- 

 ment for his Cedars, and so selects the 

 best soil and position he has, and, pro- 

 bably, digs a big hole for each tree and 



Cedrela sinensis 



puts many loads of earth in. The result 

 of this is not good, in more ways than one, 

 first in creating a too rapid growth in the 

 young tree, and soft unresisting wood in 

 the old, and, secondly, any proof that the 

 natural soil and other conditions of the 

 place suit the tree is withheld from us by 

 the deep preparation of soil made, entirely 

 altering the natural conditions. Any one 

 who has seen the trees in their native 

 countries will know that the Cedar usually 

 inhabits high mountains, often on bare, 

 shaly slopes, in which they are happy 



enough, though never so well developed 

 as when growing where a little soil col- 

 lects. That soil is always of a poor, rocky, 

 or pervious nature. Surely this points 

 out that in pleasure grounds and country 

 seats, instead of taking the very best soil, 

 we should plant on rocky or sandy places 

 where the tree will, though growing at 

 first slowly, eventually get a safer and 

 harder growth than it ever would on rich 

 deep soil. This would not preclude us 

 from putting a group 

 in the pleas ure 

 grounds for the sake 

 of shade, but holding 

 the trees together. 

 Also, it would be well 

 to plant it in the or- 

 dinary woodland, in 

 which the trees would 

 be drawn up with a 

 tall stem, very effec- 

 tive near drives or 

 in woods. The diffi- 

 culty of dealing with 

 the Cedar is increas- 

 ed by its being made 

 a kind of fetish in 

 our nurseries, always 

 being offered in the 

 "specimen" state, so 

 that nowadays it is 

 not easy to get a 

 nice healthy stock of 

 young plants of it, 

 and those offered are 

 generally highly 

 priced as if they were 

 some rare novelty 

 instead of a tree 

 known for some cen- 

 turies. The seed of 

 the tree is plentiful 

 in Asia Minor and 

 North Africa, and it 

 really ought to be 

 grown in forest nur- 

 series and offered 

 among the other 

 forest trees. The 



tree being as easy to raise as that of any 

 other conifer, people should not buy the 

 tree in the " specimen " state but in the 

 smaller state, a much safer and better 

 way, especially where we group and hold 

 our trees together and where they can 

 shade the ground. This plan by no 

 means precludes us from sufficient thin- 

 ning in good time, so as to secure great 

 trees, always, however, holding to the 

 principle of letting the trees shade the 

 ground and shelter each other. All young 

 plantations of Cedars should be securely 



