746 FARMERS' REGISTER— PLANTING OF HARDY EVERGREENS, &c. 



remarked, that these hist two evidences in favor of 

 Swedish turnips are not fully proved, and only i>ar- 

 tially supported. In conclusion, perhaps two ob- 

 servations may be of use. First, that the very 

 early season at which mangold wurzel should be 

 sown, renders it )iii;hiy expedient that the land 

 be made as clean as possible in tlie autumn, so that 

 a few days in the spring may be sufficient to get it 

 into a proper state lor the reception of the seed. 

 Secondly, that wet seasons do not suit mangold 

 wurzel so well as dry; and, consequently, for the 

 last two years, the Swedish turnips have been the 

 more valuable crop of the two. 



PLANTING OF HARDY EVERGREENS. 



From the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 



By Mr. Macnab, Supernitendent of the Royal 

 Botanic Garden of Edinburgh. Mr. Macnab says 

 that he has planted evergreens at all seasons of the 

 year, with more or less success, though from the 

 middle of June to the middle of August, is the 

 most unfavorable time for planting them. Tiie 

 particular seasons which he recommends, are late 

 in autumn, or during winter, or very early in 

 spring; that is, from the middle of October till the 

 middle of February. And of this period, he re- 

 commends, as the best, from the middle of October 

 till the middle of December, provided the weather 

 and the ground be favorable; that is, provided 

 there is no frost, no drying wind, nor much sun- 

 shine, and the ground is not (oo mych saturated 

 with wet, either from continued rain, or from the 

 nature of the soil. Mr. Macnab also differs from 

 others in the treatment of the plant, when putting 

 jt in the ground. Some recommend, when the 

 plants have been long out of the ground, to be par- 

 ticular in drying their roots, by exposing them as 

 much as possible to the sun and air, and not to 

 be nice in planting. But the following are Mr. 

 Macnab's views on this subject: — "One of tlie 

 principal things to be attended to in planting ever- 

 greens," says he, " is to fix on a dull day for win- 

 ter planting, and a moist day for spring and autumn 

 planting. There can be no secret in the proper 

 treatment of evergreens. If tliere were, I siiould 

 say, that it is in preventing their roots from be- 

 coming dry, when out of the earth; to choose 

 moist and cloudy weather for jdanting; and still 

 better, if w^e had the power, by foresight or other- 

 wise, to secure a continuance of^such weather some- 

 time after they have been planted. If the roots of 

 ever<i"reens be allowed to dry when out of the 

 ground in spring, it is scarcely possible to prevent 

 their suffering considerably, and showing this 

 injury a long; period after they are planted." And 

 hence he recommends the winter months as being 

 those in which we are best able to attain these pur- 

 poses, the day being in general moist and cloudy, 

 and even when it is sunshine, the sun being such a 

 short time above the horizon, and its influence so 

 trifling as to have little effect. But where that 

 kind of weather cannot be obtained, he then re- 

 commends the work to be performed in the evening, 

 after the sun gets low, particularly m spring or 

 autunm planting. The following are his directions 

 for tlie details of planting: — 



" In planting evergreens," sqiys he, " whether in 

 a dull day, a wet day, or a dry day, it is very ne- 

 cessary to keep in view the expediency of keep- 



ing the plants for as short a time out of the ground 

 as possible; if only a few minutes, so much the 

 l)etter; and, in all cases where it can be done, 

 where great numbers are to be planted, we should, 

 if possible, have some men stationed to take up the 

 l)lants, others to carry them, and a third set to put 

 them into the ground. In all seasons, situations 

 and soils, the plants should be well soaked with 

 water, as soon as the earth is put about the roots." 

 Though he recommends universally the practice of 

 watering immediately after planting, he remarks 

 that the urgency of the case is less where the ever- 

 greens are planted in winter, to form underwood in 

 extensive plantations ; and that the deaths, Avithout 

 watering, will be so few, that they are not worth 

 avoiding, where it costs much expense and trouble. 

 "As soon as the plant has been put into its place," 

 continues Mr. Macnab, " tiie earth should be filled 

 in, leaving a sufficient hollow round the stem, and 

 as far out as the the roots extend, to hold water, 

 which should then be poured in, in sufficient quan- 

 tity to soak the ground down to the lowest part of 

 the roots. In short, the whole should be made like 

 a kind of puddle. By this practice, which is par- 

 ticularly necessary in spring and autumn planting, 

 the eaith is carried down by the water, and every 

 crevice among the roots is filled. Care must al- 

 ways be taken to have as nujch earth above the 

 roots of the plants as will prevent them from being 

 exposed when the water has subsided." An old 

 birch-broom, or any thing similar, he observes, 

 ought to be laid above the roots, to break the fall of 

 the water when it is ])Oured upon them, and to pre- 

 vent the roots from being washed bare of such 

 earths as may adhere to them. This thorough 

 watering is so indispensable, that it is to be applied 

 even although it should be raining at the time of 

 planting. After the water has been absorbed, the 

 earth should be levelled round the stem of the 

 plant, and as far out as the water has been put on, 

 but not trodden. If the plants are large, a second 

 watering is sometimes necessary; but, in ordi- 

 nary-sized plants, one watering is quite sutficient j 

 and, after remaining twenty-four hours, more or 

 less, according to the nature of the soil, the earth 

 about the stem, and over the roots, should be trod- 

 den as firm as possible, and, after treading, should 

 be dressed with a rake. 



CLAYING OR WHITENING SUGAR. 



From the Cultivator. 



To promote the molasses passing more freely 

 from the sugar, when draining in the moulds or 

 inhs, and to improve its color, in two or three days 

 after tlie moulds or tubs are unstopped at the bot- 

 tom, mix white clay with wafer so as to reduce it 

 to a thin mortar; with this cover the top of sugar 

 one inch and a half thick : when the covering ap- 

 pears dry, remove it, and supply the place with a 

 ficsh covering about two inches thick. This pro- 

 cess may reduce the sugar one fifth, but will add 

 correspondingly to the molasses. 



PLASTER. 



From the Cultivator. 



It is a practice with some farmers, and we venr 

 ture to recommend it to all, to sow plaster of Pari? 

 on their grass grounds in March. 



