30 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



branches of art already familiar to the minds of all ; bat 

 before any improvement is commenced, let me state the 

 matter as it itands now. The seed-grower harvests the croj 

 and frequently, for a very lorry remuneration, hands the 

 seeds over to the wholesale seed-dealer, who again hands 

 them to the retailer, and in the stores and granaries of these 

 gentlemen seeds generally get no good. About Christmas or 

 soon after, seeds come into the hands of the users ; and now 

 they are placed on shelf and in drawer, in canvas bags or in 

 brown paper, in an atmosphere cold and damp, or dry and 

 musty, just as the shed or garret may chance to be where 

 they are stowed ; and the seed-rooms of many of our 

 boasted garden establishments are like the sheds, or 

 more properly sheilings, for the workmen and their tools, 

 miserably mean and ill-arranged as regards furnishing, 

 ventilation, and dryness. I could scarcely find a room in 

 any of them that I am acquainted with fit to keep a bag of 

 Kale-seed in ; for a seed-cabin, or cabinet, should be dry 

 without being hot, and ventilated without being open to 

 wind and weather. This dryness and ventilation seems 

 essential to the welfare of seeds to which the air has 

 access, and cannot be overlooked with impunity in the keep- 

 ing of loose seeds, of which the following are examples : — 

 An ounce of Broccoli-seeds came to hand (not in a bag) in 

 a square of brown paper, folded twice, turned up at the 

 ends, and marked, in words more or less misspelt, with its 

 quantity and name. This packet, with 11 others, had a 

 brown-paper round them, and a string which turned the 

 dozen out of the seed-shop very decently, but unfortu- 

 nately only three or four out of the dozen had to be 

 sowed at one time, and of these only a small portion, say 

 half, or perhaps only one-fourth, leaving the rest in con- 

 fusion, unseemly driblets dragged from the jacket pocket 

 of the sower, in untied, ill-folded papers, liable to be upset 

 by the wind, or wetted by the rain, in a basket on the 



§ round, in the open garden ; and this confusion is won. 

 erfully increased when we consider that not a dozen, but 

 little short of a thousand such packets go through a gar- 

 dener's hands in the course of a season, and of these many 

 are novelties, of which little is known, and that little only 

 to a few ; yet here they are, the gardener and his novelties, 

 •• alike unknowing and unknown." The Horticultural 

 Society has long been in the habit of sending a printed 

 label with the name and properties of the articles pasted 

 on the samples of seeds sent to the Fellows annually. 1 

 am glad of this, for it serves as a precursor to a more 

 systematic arrangement ; thus far and no farther have 

 we progressed, December, 1843. Now let us proceed anew. 

 Every packet of seeds that comes into the gardener's 

 hands should be in tin boxes, each box having on the lid 

 the name and date of the sowing of the seeds, and like- 

 wise a number or mark of reference to the name of the 

 grower of the seeds ; or, which is better still, a seal secur- 

 ing the safety of the package, stamped with a representa- 

 tion of the plant whose seeds are inclosed, and the initials 

 or name of the grower or vendor who guarantees their 

 quality. Such precautions would enable honest men to 

 trace good things to their source, and bad ones to their 

 author, and act upon the hints so gained in buying seeds 

 for the future ; and I can see no reason why seed-growers 

 should send out seeds so slovenly to the world as to be 

 liable to mixing and injuries of all kinds, whilst such as 

 Curtis and Harvey send out gunpowder — of less value 

 than garden-seeds — in close tin-cases, well wrapped in 

 paper, and beautifully labelled with letter-press and picture, 

 setting forth the manufacturers' address and specifying 

 the uses and degree of fineness of the inclosed grain. 

 Some foreign growers send Stock-seeds to this country in 

 sealed red- leather pouches, so you will perceive that I am 

 only wishing to perfect a system already begun. Sup- 

 posing, then, the lid of the tin box containing seeds to 

 stand thus — " 



biscuits are " kept dry and in their packages, they will 

 retain Ibrir delicate crispness during a lon^ voyage; nor 

 will the change of climate deteriorate them." Mark this ; 

 his bread is not mouldy for a year or two, because he 

 packs it properly. Our herbs and seeds, if similarly treated, 

 might fare the same. — A. Forsyth, Alton Towers. 



(To be continued.) 



THE ROSE-GARDEN.— No. I. '" 



The best work on the cultivation of the Tree-Rose 

 with which we are acquainted is one published in the 

 year 1830, with the following title: 



" PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS 



FOB 



THE FORMATION AND CULTURE 



or THE 



TREE-ROSE," 



BV INOCULATIOV AND GBAFT I'POV THB WILD BRIAR. 



Illustrated by Twenty-four Woodcuts. 



, 



and the number 2213, to signify in the vendor's book the 

 name of the person that saved the seeds, or else to have 

 his seal ; in which latter case his seeds would be encased 

 before he sold them, and sealed to prevent imposture. 

 But this is not all ; for around the tin box there must be 

 another label with the names, botanical and popular, of 

 the article inclosed, with its character and uses according 

 to the best practice ; this would convey the information 

 home to the user, and as the seed-grower is never loth to 

 tell the seed-buyer the good qualities of the plants of 

 which he has the seeds, there can be no difficulty in 

 coming at the kind of information I speak of; and when 

 once written, it can be printed for the veriest trifle now- 

 a-days ; and the cost and labour, with tin boxes and 

 printed labels, will not be one whit more than under the 

 present system of packages in canvas and paper for the 

 following reasons :— The boxes in which Walker sends out 

 500 of his percussion caps came first to my hands as a 

 likely sample-box. I weighed two ounces of Yellow Mus- 

 tard, and found this small box (which I inclose) to hold it. 

 I showed the box to our tinman and brazier, Mr. Mellow 

 of Uttoxeter, and he said he could supply such at less than 

 Id. each. These boxes, therefore, may safely be taken as 

 large enough for single ounces of ordinary seeds. The 

 next tin box that came to my hands was one of Hill and 

 Co/s Presburgh wine-biscuit-boxes. I found it to contain 

 nearly half-a-peck of Yellow Mustard, and the value of this 

 box is id. Here, then, is a quart of seed canistered for 

 Id., four quarts for 4d. Mr. Hill has, moreover, set forth 

 some useful hints 'on his ^biscuit-labels. He says if the 



" Parva Ieves capiunt animos." 



Notwithstanding its value, this work is scarcely known. 



Here and there an amateur possesses it, and appreciates 



its excellence ; but by the majority of people it was never 



heard of. We have now the satisfaction to announce that 



the copyright has been purchased for the use of this 



Paper, in which the whole Volume will appear in the 



course of the year, in a series of weekly articles, with 



numerous corrections and alterations by the talented 

 Author A. H. B. 



■ Preface. — When a traveller gives an account of the 

 country he has been wandering over, he frequently delays 

 writing his description until he has been somewhat accus- 

 tomed to the place, its manners, customs, and inhabitants ; 

 and thus, instead of mentioning what struck him at first 

 sight, and is, in reality, the most amusing and instruc- 

 tive, he publishes his work as a hard outline, deficient in 

 those light shades and fine touches, without which his 

 picture is unequal and incomplete. 



" Thus it is with writers upon experimental subjects. 

 They frequently suppose that a certain quantity of tech- 

 nical knowledge is previously in possession of the reader, 

 and omitting some necessary part of their descriptions 

 upon this assumption, the theory to the reader is incom- 

 plete, and baffles his endeavours to act upon it. 



m With a desire to avoid these errors, the memoran- 

 dums in the following pages have been noted down from 

 time to time ; they are the result of an examination of all 

 the works upon the subject accessible to the Author, 

 during a practice which commenced in perfect ignorance, 

 and ended by almost certain success. 



11 The great inducement to collect together the follow- 

 ing remarks arose from the observation of the frequent 

 failure of common Gardeners, who usually act from prac- 

 tice alone, and therefore do not always vary their opera- 

 tions as often as the changeableness of the year and the 

 nature of the place in reality require. 



44 A fact aptly illustrated by a failure in eleven cases 

 out of twelve in the first experiment on this subject wit- 

 nessed by the Author, though the operator was called an 

 experienced hand. 



44 Be it observed, that while the Author acknowledges 

 himself indebted for much matter, and almost entirely for 

 arrangement, to works published upon the subject, espe- 

 cially to a small pamphlet lately published in France, yet 

 it is upon his own practice and observations that he 

 depends for his assertions, and from his own failures (par- 

 tial or entire) that he endeavours to point cut the defi- 

 ciencies likely to prevent success, and the means and 

 observations requisite to improve upon it. 



44 Amongst the amusements of the most refined and 

 elegant minds, those which have some reference to the 

 productions of Nature are perhaps the more satisfactory, 

 both in practice and result. 



" Ornamental scenery, the culture of exotics, the laying 

 out of pleasure-grounds, &c, are matters which involve a 

 considerable expense, both in commencement and conti- 

 nuance, though perhaps only indulged in to a small extent ; 

 but the gradual improvement of a place, by adding to the 

 number of ornamental shrubs, filling up vacancies, &c, is 

 an amusement, indulged at a less expense, requiring only 

 occasional assistance, a little method, and a few imple- 

 ments for the purpose of propagating the species desired, 

 many of which wHl bear to be transplanted repeatedly, 

 and, costing little at first, are fit subjects of practical 

 amusement to those who like to have such matters under 

 their own especial eye, and are interested in them in pro- 

 portion as they themselves can increase and attend to them. 



14 Introduction. — Amongst the ornamental shrubs 

 j cultivation, the Rose has long borne the belle from 't 

 shape, permanence, the variety of its specie*, and th! 

 brilliancy of its colour; one thing, however, seem#!5 

 desirable, viz., that the unneatness, as it were' of tS 

 plant should be corrected by its springing like most oth 

 ornamental shrubs (which are not feathered to the baie^ 

 from a single stem. As well as that its height should plac 

 it above the other shrubs which (particularly evergreen^ 

 would otherwise hide, choke up, and injure the plant. 



44 The mode adopted to gain this point, which has 'alas 

 added to the beauty and regularity of the plant, as well as 

 to the profusion of its flowers, (though it is said to hare 

 injured its durability,) will be treated upon in the follow- 

 ing remarks, together with the means of preserving the 

 health and improving the appearance of the tree. 



" There appear to be but three reasons for entering 

 into competition with mechanics in any branch of their 

 work : the first, to effect our own purpose, with our own 

 hands, and thus furnish ourselves with occupalion and 

 amusement ; the second, to avoid the expense attending 

 the labour of others ; and the third, and more difficult to 

 improve upon the manufacture, by dexterity of operation 

 care in completion, and choice of material. 



44 1 shall endeavour to show that these points maybe 

 perfectly obtained : the first, by the insurance of success 

 to the operator from a clear and comprehensive view of 

 the subject ; the second, by a diminution of expense ; and 

 the third, by an evasion of those deficiencies which are 

 the result of scanty labour and general inattention. 



14 The usual price of a tree Rose is from 5s. to 10*. 6r/., 

 the materials required to make any quantity are few, of 

 little or no value, and the Stocks * themselves are pro- 

 curable in any number, at any price, in the country. 



41 Rose trees, properly treated, rarely perish in a good 

 soil, and when they do, it is in general during the first 

 season, and before any trouble has been bestowed upon 

 the Stocks. As the Stocks will be picked, they will more 

 than equal those in common use, and being subsequently 

 budded upon, according to their size, health, and fitness 

 for the species they are intended to carry, the success 

 will be more complete than when no selection is made in 

 the material, and the cultivation is confined to a demand 

 for particular species, and the labour and time bestowed 

 upon them, limited by a due regard to the per centage 

 they are intended to return. 



41 The injury from wounds, also, being commensurate 

 with the first planting the Stock in the salesman's 

 nursery, the damage done to it by the time it has become 

 ornament il is frequently irretrievable, and the tree vege- 

 tates weakly for a season or two, (especially if small,) 

 and then dies, or is broken off by the wind. This, a 

 careful attention to the following rules will effectually 

 obviate." 



(To be continued.) 



/ L1SIANTHUS RUSSELLIANUS. 

 This fine annual, introduced from Texas in 1835, is 

 still uncultivable in the hands of many good gardeners; 

 yet we occasionally see noble specimens on the exhibition 

 tables near London, a sufficient proof that the plant mar 

 be grown well under proper management. Among the 

 most successful cultivators of it is Mr. James Cuthill, 

 florist, Camberwell, who has put into our hands the fol- 

 lowing account of his mode of treatment : — The best time 

 to sow the seed is in March, and as the seed is extremely 

 small it requires particular care. If deposited in the 

 usual way, upon loose soil, the first watering carries the 

 seed along with it, and hence the failure. Prepare the 

 following compost — half loam, the other half leaf, peat, 

 or bog-mould, with a little sand ; place plenty of draw- 

 ings in the bottom of a 48 or 32 pot, fill it with the com- 

 post very tight, and on the top place half an inch of sand ; 

 damp the sand with water to harden the surface, sow the 

 seed, and sprinkle a very little dry sand on the top. 

 Place a propagating-glass over the pot, or a piece of glass 

 will do ; place the pot in a heat of 70° or 80° with a pan 

 under it for future watering ; at no time water on the 

 top ; the pan ought never to be allowed to get dry. The 

 seedlings will appear in three weeks or more ; when 

 about three weeks up, plant them singly in a 60 pot in 

 the above compost, with plenty of drainings in the bottom. 

 Place them again in the back of your Cucumber pit or 

 frame ; after this you cannot give them too much water 

 over head and in the pans, and by the autumn, if they 

 have been kept in a good growing heat, they will be fine 

 little bushy plants. Top them at every joint; in Sep- 

 tember shift them into large sixties, merely to keep their 

 roots in a more intermediate state for the winter ; after 

 this all top watering must cease, and a pan must be 

 placed under each pot to receive the watering. As the 

 winter approaches not a drop of water must be allowed to 

 fall on the plant The drier the top mould next the 

 leaves and stem, the more certain of preserving the plant. 

 The best place I have found is a one-light pit, heated 

 with a lining of dung from 50° to 60° ; air given front and 

 back, so that no damp can fix on the bars and drop on 

 the plants. The second best place is the coldest part of 

 the stove, very near the glass. I have also kept them 

 well in the warmest part of the greenhouse. In all cases 

 water just sufficient to keep the plants from flagging — » 

 the winter is dry, once a fortnight ; if damp, once a month 



* The first of these articles is the only one absolutely neces- 

 sary ; the remainder are the operator's luxuries. £ *■ rf * 

 Budding- knife * ° 



Letters and figures to label ■ ; . . .1 

 Punch 



Steel plvers and nippers ..... 

 Bundle of copper wire ..... 

 Piece of lead .0 



5 



5 

 2 

 2 



1 

 1 







6 

 6 

 

 



£\ 17 ° 



