STA 



[ 847 ] 



STA 



S. rytidophy'ila, (file-leaved). 3. Blue. May. 

 Port Natal. 1840. 



Scopa'ria (Broom-like^. 1. Blue. July. 



Siberia. 1/96. 



spatula' ta (spatula-/eoerf). 1. Purple. July. 



Barbary. 1804. 



spica'ta (spiked), . White. July. Cau- 



casus. 181Q. Annual. 



Tata'rica (Tartarian). 14. Pink. June. 



llussia. 1731. 



Thoui'nii (Thouin's). 1. Blue. August. 



New Africa. 1/00. 



vimi'nea (twiggy). . Blue. July. 1818. 



virga'ta (rod-like). "14. Blue. July. Spain. 



Willdenovia'na (Willdenow's). 4. Violet. 



July. France. 1800. 



STATIONS FOTI FRUIT TREES Unless 

 the soil is good, this is the best mode 

 of planting ; and it often renders drain- 

 ing unnecessary. If the soil be too 

 wet the hole need only be half the 

 prescribed depth ; the other half may 

 rise above the ordinary ground level. 

 If too dry, there is no occasion to 

 elevate the surface, only care must be 

 taken not to place the collar of the 

 tree too deep, which is a serious fault 

 under all circumstances. Let the sta- 

 tions extend three feet on each side 

 the position for the tree, thus producing 

 an excavation of six feet square. Two 

 feet in depth is amply sufficient for any 

 fruit-tree, especially for a dwarfing plan. 

 The soil then should be thrown entirely 

 out, and four or five inches more must 

 be allowed for some impervious mate- 

 rial, which we will presently describe. 

 In throwing out the soil, care must be 

 taken to place it in samples, or both 

 labour and material will be wasted. It- 

 very frequently happens that three dis- 

 tinct samples of soil or subsoil will 

 come to hand during the operation. 

 Of course all clayey, or sour, and badly- 

 coloured subsoil must be rejected, and 

 its amount will be supplied by the new 

 material to be introduced; and if this 

 is scarce, any ordinary surface-soil may 

 be in part substituted. In filling the 

 materials back again, the best of the 

 original surface-soil must be kept down- 

 wards, mixing it thoroughly with the 

 new soil ; the inferior or second-rate 

 soil may be kept to dress the surface 

 with. As to character of soil to be in- 

 troduced, that depends partly upon the 

 soil already existing in the garden, as 

 well as on the kind of fruit -tree about 

 to be planted. If the soil is naturally 



; sandy and dry, a very stiff or clayey 

 loam should be selected; if naturally 

 clayey, any fresh, mellow, sandy loam, or 

 even the paring of road-sides, commons, 

 or lanes will prove excellent material. 

 The furrowings of old leys from what 

 is considered good wheat soil, is, how- 

 ever, of all other soils the best adapted 

 for general fruit culture. Whatever 

 materials are used, let it be remem- 

 bered that the more of turfy matter 

 that can be introduced, the longer will 

 the compost endure. Any sort of turf, 

 ! even from hungry situations, is most 

 relished by fruit-trees. If, nevertheless, 

 no turf can be obtained, and the soil is 

 ; loose and poor, it is well to introduce 

 ! any refuse vegetables of a dry character, 

 i such as decayed bean or pea haulm, 

 1 ordinary straw, old thatch, or, indeed, 

 ! anything of a decaying vegetable 

 character which is strong in fibre and 

 | enduring. If any manure is thought 

 ; necessary, it should be fresh from the 

 i stable or cow-shed, as such will endure 

 I longer in the soil ; merely using one 

 barrowful of mellow and rather rich 

 | soil to plant the tree in. As before 

 I observed, the most inferior portion of 

 the soil may be reserved to dress the 

 surface of the station with, after the 

 tree is planted ; here it will do no harm, 

 and will be in an improvable position. 

 We now come to the hard materials for 

 the bottom of the hole; four or five 

 inches in depth, as before stated. It 

 ! matters not what this is composed of: 

 ! broken stones from quarries, brickbats, 

 i chalk, cinders, or clinkers, &c., all are 

 | eligible. These being rammed hard, 

 i throw a coating of fine-riddled cinders 

 ; over the whole, or very fine gravel : 

 this secures drainage and prevents the 

 roots entering to any injurious extent. 



STAUROCA'NTHUS. (From slawos, a 



cross, and akantha, a spine; two side 



spines at the base of the principal spine 



; give it the resemblance of a cross. 



Nat. ord., Leguminous Plants [Faba- 



; cese]. Linn., \Q-Monadclphia (5-Decan- 



dria. Allied to Ulex.) 



Hardy evergreen. Seeds and cuttings of 

 young shoots, under a hand-light, ia summer 

 in sandy soil. 



! S. aphy'llus (leafless). 3. Yellow, May. Por. 

 tugal. 1823. 



