1844.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



117 



«f. pound of black pitch, a quarter of a pound of res n, a 

 lllr of a pound of bees'-wax. two ounces of tallow, 

 ^ I ounce of pounded mastic, half an ounce of saltpetre. 

 Vther of the«e mixtures mav be warmed in a small pipkin, 

 ■Tnon a moderate fire, and left to melt for three-quarters 

 f n hour When it is well melted, end not too hot, the 

 ?itreme point of each stock should be dipped in it, so as 

 in leave the thickness of two or three sheets of paper ot 

 mixture at the end ; or if the stocks be planted, it may be 



UX Planting Out.— The stocks being collected, should be 

 laid even according to theirseveral heights on the ground, 



tren ch due, aud a row of the tallest stems placed in it, and 

 in front of 'that another row of the next size, until all are 

 planted out— care being taken to leave sufficient room be- 

 tween each line for the operator to pass in and out without 

 much difficulty; the earth may then be trodden down, and 

 the plants attached to each other line by line, with a long 

 osier or hazel, in the same manner as the top bar of an 

 iron railing connects the uprights, and they will then be 

 preserved °from injury by the wind. The earth in which 

 the stems are placed should have been previously well 

 manured, and time given to permit it to be completely 

 absorbed and amalgamated with the soil. 



Shnols. —Stocks planted in November begin to push in 

 the March following; those much later eutered, viz., 

 after February, are delayed three weeks or a month. At 

 the time the buds begin to appear it is necessary to look 

 over the stems, from time to time, leaving only those 

 hud* which are to be worked, as too many would spoil 

 the appearance of the plant, from starting too low down 

 the stem. The desirable number is one or two to a weak 

 plant— three, four, or even five, to a strong one. If two, 

 they should be opposed to each other ; if three, they should 

 form a triangle ; if four or five, they should be as nearly 

 as possible equidistant from each other, like the points 

 of a spur-rowel, and all the shoots should be full, free, 

 vigorous, and as near the top of the stem as possible — the 

 lowest being not more than three inches under the upper 

 one; thus a proper shaped head will be formed at once. 

 The remainder of the buds should be rubbed off as they 

 appear, and before they have started above half an inch ; 

 and all suckers should be eradicated the moment they are 

 ■een. 



The reasons for permitting two, three, or more shoots 

 to push, are obvious. First, they make a handsome 

 plant by so doing at an earlier period ; secondly, the 

 plant itself occupies less room from its head being 

 rounder ; and thirdly, as gusts of wind, slugs, snails, 

 deficiency of sap, with a variety of other causes, fre- 

 quently destroy a bud after it has taken, if one shoot only 

 •were permitted to grow and be worked, many plants 

 ■would lose a season from accident, whereas it sometimes 

 happens that two out of three buds of delicate sorts will 

 $o off, end the third remain vigorous. If a single bud 

 carries the whole strength of the tree, it will also fre- 

 quently make such a shoot the first year, as shall become 

 so woody at the bottom as to induce the operator to allow 

 it to run too far f.om the graft, and thus make his plant 

 of a different height to what he intended. This, however, 

 is less likely to occur in England than in France, where 

 the growth ot the Rose is much more rapid, and may be 



nini ff .J ,,0|,ping <he bud when Rn i^h long, by nip- 

 P ng off the top, which will cause three or four eyes to 

 oreak, and form a head at once. 



(To be continued.) 



Quickly now it shrink* up ; the most delicate forms 



then on each side strive forward, towards their destined union. 

 Jointly stand they together, the affianced beautiful couples, 



or In numbers around the hoi? altar are ranged. 

 Hymen hovers near, and exquisite odours 



stream around, with sweet all-quickening power. 

 Now, compacted together, swell countless distinct germs 



Of the swelling fruit, in the lap of the bountiful mother. 

 And here Nature closes the ring of her eternal powers ; 



hut a new one instantly cnlinks itself on the former, 

 that the chain mav be lengthened out through all time. 



and that the Whole may have life, as well as each several 

 Beii.ir. 



I wish I had the skill to give the beautiful thoughts of 

 the poet in a language more worthy of his genius— 11. E. 



/-FAMILIAR BOTANY. 



It wmiM h MoRPH °LOGy.-No. IV. 



would be unjust to Goethe, and to his fame as a 



biXol^M 8 ? 1 ° m u Mr8 ' AUSdQ ' S Hteral Ver8i ° n0f 



US M «*amorphose der Pflanzen : "— 



Mark 



step. wise led un S f - 10W b >' degrees the plant 



Out of the see RfiS* l*** to bl ' ,Mom a "" to *»**. 

 softly lets it f. rf OU,S lfse,f » soon »* the earth 

 nd to the ntl^Hr u,t ? hfe, out of her fructifying lap j 



ft 



SI 



■« iu mv. attractiui r u ^ %_ ucuijiu*- i«p ; 



commends the ip V * ' the ho,v » the eternally moving: 

 mple slept in thp rest str »cture of budding leaves, 

 loretype ll,e (germinating) power; an incipient 



root, and lea 5 / Z^iS, ! tseIf » compressed within the husk, 



. thus does the rir.b ' (,,,ly half formed and colourless; 



,f sh °ot. S uSSSl kernel l ,rof ect the silent life; 



_, a,1 <i soon rears ill w rds,tn,s,in S irself to lne gentle moisture, 



* nd thus, even LL he form ,n lts earliest appearance, 

 Q, , ,ickl >-, then a ^,0 ° ng pla,,ts ' is infancy distinguished. 

 J oir >t upon joint h? C u 1Ve im P ,lls e, arising-, repeats 

 »Ot indeed J«. r ' h » %lt "ft ever the primitiv 



e type. 



^*hioneii out a .u * Same; for mai'ifold shoots forth, 



morc '«Rpread m •" "***■ lcaf succeeding to leaf; 



parts, ' lU0re indented, more distinct in points and in 



Anj *o attains^ ^ tscar ce shaped, in the lowermost organ. 

 v w|,5c h, in manv » T 1 ' ,ts hi & l,est destined completion, 

 * ariously ribi,e«i a it 1 awaken » thy mind to amazement. 

 * r ee and i.,fi n , t ,? lJa ^ e(, » "» the juicv exuberant surface 

 *ut now, \ al '*" ••»"»• the impulse which causes the growth. 

 nitfJOQ, ' w,la powerful hand, suddenly checks the lor- 



ln "'endeVer SlZ, '* towards a bigher perfection. [rows, 



ly th"T,* U '! W ,ea(,s she the **P» tne vessels she nar- 

 — si 'out k v re hetra >* the more delicate workings. 

 I '"J 1 f he frame „?« B|f rorce of tue branches softly relaxes, 

 caf1e *s, however I « m takes a mor *-' perfect consistence. 

 t>* nd a won,| erfli r *, **» M > UP darts the slenderer flower-stalk, 



th n(t in a c rcle n ,Ufe attraots the observer's eye. 

 Th # «! esser leaves nL» anffe thc »»elvc.. counted or countless, 

 ■ n? eUr ' a »ff cah-T " eJ ? to one Uke *• 



T} a e n vi CJ " ,Ckl y 



^nd now 



a nd li 

 Er erth y 



? w Nature u>.ZZ - ? fortn the £ a >* coloured crown. 

 i ,ln bon limb shTn 1 ' 1 , er m « he st fullest magniflcence, 

 h * wonder is t ' e „ d,Splavs » "Preared in beaut.ful series. 

 Bnh , L es ab ^ve the IE? I a ' S * °" the flnw er-stalk, the flower 



re i bi l* ,or iou» ahowin thT eM ; ork of ^^nw leases. 

 yC8 « l »egay £££L ^if*^ ' ,f "ew operations ; 



soured leaf leels the all-powerful hand. 



Home Correspondence. 



Priming Forest Trees — The subject of pruning is one 

 that deserves much attention from those interested in the 

 management of plantations. Opinions are so divided 

 wiih regard to its utility or hurtfulness, that it is of great 

 importance that the true theory should be arrived at, and 

 I shall, therefore, in the following observations, endea- 

 vour to contribute my quota towards the fuitheranoe of 

 that object. The motives for pruning are, I conceive, 

 twofold: — First and chiefly, to obtain a tall, straight, 

 well-proportioned, bole or trunk, free from knots and 

 snags ; and secondly and secondarily, to admit light and 

 air more effectually to the lower branches of the tree 

 pruned, and of surrouuding trees, and to prevent the 

 meeting and interference of these lower branches. This 

 lat'er object is much assisted, and, perhaps, in some de- 

 gree superseded, by that most indispensable process in 

 Arboriculture, thinning. The question which, when an- 

 swered, will decide the efficiency or injuriousness of 

 pruning, appears to me to be — " Does the lopping off of 

 a branch increase or retard the general growth of a tree f 

 To furnish a satisfactory reply to this questfon is by no 

 means an easy matter, but 1 shall endeavour to elucidate 

 it somewhat, by adducing a few facts bearing upon the 

 point. The general principles of vegetable physiology 

 are now sufficiently ascertained, and those that relate to 

 the growth of trees are as follows : — The sap is absorbed 

 by the roots, ascends the stem, traverses the branches, is 

 elaborated in the leaves, and descends pgain towards the 

 root, depositing a new layer of wood, and also the peculiar 

 secretions of the species. If, then, we deprive a tree of 

 one of its houghs, do we not take from it a number of its 

 digestive organs, its leases ? and do we not thereby im- 

 pair its growth, at least its increase in thickness ? A 

 branch, inasmuch as it bears leaves, is a means of pro- 

 ductiveness, and not of waste, to a tree ; I should, there- 

 fore, be inclined to answer in the affirmative, and to say 

 that pruning, to any extent at a time, must be injurious, 

 at least as far as regards increase in diameter. Let us 

 mark the operations of unass ; sted nature. A single tree, 



if left unpeuogd, and allowed to extend its branches on 



every side, soon acquires a thick massy trunk, and large 

 boughs, but does not increase much in height. On the 

 other hand, when the trees of a plantation are allowed to 

 remain so close together as to prune themselves, so 

 to speak (and 1 may mention that plantations of 

 Scotch Fir are generally treated in this way in this 

 part of the country), they shoot up well in height but 

 are slender, and of small diameter. Thus we see that 

 a tree suffered to extend itself laterally will increase chiefly 

 iu thickness, and that one which is not permitted to do 

 so will increase most in length. There is one point 

 connected with pruning which I do not think has yet been 

 satisfactorily determined. It is this — " Does a tree ab- 

 sorb the same quantity of sap from the ground when de- 

 prived of several of its branches, as it did while they 

 formed integral parts of it?" The elucidation of this 

 question would throw some light on the effects of the ope- 

 ration of pruning. Upon the whole, gradual and cautious 

 pruning seems to. be necessary to the obtaining of a 

 lengthy, straight, and smooth stem, avoiding, however, 

 the lopping off of any large limb, except in the case of a 

 fork ; and 1 should he inclined to say that such n system 

 of pruning, combined with careful aud judicious thinning, 

 will form the best mode of managing wood to advantage. 

 — Dendrophilus, Roxbu ri/hshire. 



Icehouses. — 1 beg to offer a plan for keeping ice, that 

 has come under my own experience. Having no pro- 

 perly constructed ice-house, I converted to the purpose 

 a building formerly used as a mushroom-house, which 

 is in a drv and shadv situation. The first consideration 

 was, how to get a drainage for the water without admitting 

 the outward air. For this purpose I dug, or rather sub- 

 soiled the flooring, a foot or more in depth (the deeper 

 the bet f er), leaving it as loose and friable as possible ; 

 upon that was placed a layer of sticks and faggot-, upon 

 that again was put another layer of straw, lining the 

 sides or the building with straw, so as to prevent the ice 

 from coming in contact with the brick wall. The ice was 

 then carted iu and broken quire small, with wooden 

 beaters ; when fuil the door was shut close, and all ad- 

 mission of outward air was prevented as much as possible 

 by straw, &c. In this way, and at the expense of a few 

 pounds, 1 have preserved ice for 12 and 18 months. I may 

 observe, an ice-house will be more likely to succeed above 

 ground than under, and when free from the damp and 

 drippings of trees. Ice will not melt in the hottest sun 

 half so soon as in a close and damp cellar. Put a lump 

 of ice into cold water, and one of the same size before a 

 hot rire, and the former will dissolfe in half the time that. 

 the latter will. The bed for the ice should be 3 feet 

 above the level of the ground, and this bed should consist 

 of faggots, or something that will admit the drippings to 

 be drained instantly off. This is the way they have ice- 

 houses under the burning sun of Virginia, and there they 

 keep their fish and meat as fresh and sweet as in winter, 

 wheu neither will keep 12 hours, though let down to the 





depth of 100 feet in a well. A Virginian, with some 

 poles and straw, will construct an ice-house for 10 dollars, 

 as good, if not better, than those which cost our men 

 of taste as many scores of pounds. — A. E. W, Daventry. 

 Qualities of Plants. — Will plants imbibe anything pre- 

 judicial, or otherwise, if the matter contained in the soil 

 exists iu a superabundant quantity in lieu of their proper 

 aliment — or are they sometimes driven, like animals, from 

 necessity, to make use of unwholesome food which alters 

 the constituents of their bodies ? All roots, fruits, &c. 

 have their own peculiar uniform taste; such as a Parsnip 

 like a Parsnip, &c, but they differ occasionally in a 

 remarkable degree. Grapes (of Tokay) on >Ute had a 

 peculiar delicious rich flavour. Parsnips (Berlin) on 

 sandy soil were very sweet-flavoured and highly esteemed. 

 Potatoes (Penzance, Cornwall) grown on a gravelly soil, 

 and manured with sea- weed were excellent, and tasted 

 like new flour. Celery (Sandwich) produced in deep sand 

 impregnated with salt, was very different from that grown 

 elsewhere. Carrots (Sandy, in Beds) on deep warm sand 

 with chalk bottom, were very sugary. Strawberries 

 (Huntingdon) raised in rich moist loam had a most 

 nauseous flavour ; and Jerusalem Artichokes (Hunting- 

 don) on the same kind of soil had a watery earthy taste. 

 These have been brought prominently under my notice, 

 but other plants, trees, &c. are likewise affected by the 

 soil in which they grow. Firs. &c. grown on wet land 

 are valueless for timber through being deficient of some 

 particular substance, and having too much of something 

 injurious to them. — Nemo. [Plants are unable to reject 

 the fluid matters that are presented to their roots, and 

 consequently, where such matters unsuitable to them 



exist in land, they and their products are necessarily 

 affected.] 



Durability of Oak Timber felled in Winter. — I have 

 been again to see the beam No. 1, from winch the bark 

 came, as stated in a former Number. The numerals are 

 thus: — 1035, old-fashioned figures; the initials R. M. 

 were evidently cut in the wood at the same period, being 

 of the same breadth and form ; the date 1035 is cut on 

 two beams out of the same old building, which beams, as 

 well as No. 1, had been squared previously to being used, 

 as the bark taken off was in the hollows where the squar- 

 ing did not reach. A timber-merchant and builder is 

 now working up much of this old timber a second time to 

 make ornamental woodwork in a church now rebuilding;. 

 It is as hard and sound as ever, and much of the Oak- 

 wood mentioned before near Oswestry, proved by dates to 

 have been upwards of 800 years in use, was used again in 

 building a new church in lieu of the old-fashioned wood- 

 framed house. Here is a proof of Oak-timber, felled with 

 the bark on, having been upwards of 800 years in »»«* 

 re-used, to endure how much longer 1 cagnn* ' t eVi ; but it 

 has been put id a new house, and to Suorn the inside of a 

 new Church. T h? ::i:r.C builder has very lately taken a 

 piece of Oak-bark, quite fresh and sound, from a beam, 

 proved by date to have been in use 300 years. These 

 facts, I should think, would set the question at rest as to 

 which is the best season to fell Oak, when durability is 

 required. I believe I could procure the piece with the 

 numerals and initials on, should any one wish to possess 

 such a curiosity, by paying a trifle to tiie owner for car- 

 riage, package, &c. ; but as it is now exposed to all wea- 

 thers, it will soon go to decay. — W, Billing ton, Oswestry , 

 Salop. 



Fastoljf Raspberry. — The history of this excellent 

 variety is as follows : — It was discovered 24 or 2.5 years 

 since, in the garden of Colonel Lucas, of Filoy House, 

 near Yarmouth, Norfolk (now the property of the Rev. 

 Gibson Lucas), growing close beside an old Laurel hedge, 

 which has been since removed. The fruit being found to 

 possess most of the excellent qualities Messrs. Youell and 

 Co. describe, Col. Lucas's gardener took great pains to 

 propagate and increase it, and eventually its superiority 

 was so manifest that he ceased to cultivate any but it and 

 the double-bearing variety, which this is not. By degrees, 

 through Col. Lucas's kindness in allowing canes of it to 

 be given away, it became almost the only Raspberry cul- 

 tivated in the village of Filby, and from thence crept into 

 most of the gardens both of the gentry and cottiers in 

 the neighbourhood. About a year ago, Messrs. Youell 

 and Co. commenced advertising it under the name of the 

 FastolfT, from the circumstance of the Fastolff family- 

 having some centuries since possessed and lived at Caistor 

 Castie, now an old ruin in the village of that name adjoin- 

 ing Filby. — Fair Play. [The remainder of this letter is 

 an advertisement. The only tiling which interests the public 

 is the fact above mentioned.] 



Hampton Court. — I take it for granted that your Paper 

 is the legitimate medium through which to advocate the 

 rights as well as to record the professional practices of 

 gardeners ; and I therefore beg to complain, on behalf of 

 those of my brethren more immediately concerned, of the 

 prevailing practice of keeping open the gardens and palace 

 of Hampton Court to the ungodly portion of the public 

 on the Sabbath-day. I say ungodly, feeling assured that 

 no man that either fears or loves God will so spend the 

 day which He has commanded to be kept holy. I am no 

 bigot, and detest all attempts to enforce any kind of 

 religious observances by dint of any mere authority, either 

 spiritual or temporal ; at the same time I think it a great 

 hardship on the respected gardener at Hampton Court 

 and those employed under him to be deprived of the inva- 

 luable privilege of the Sabbath-day, and not ouly deprived 

 but harassed the whole of that, more than any other day 

 in the week, for the gratification of a host of profane 

 Sabbath-breakers, who have no fear of God before their 

 eyes. It is a hardship in my opinion to which no gar- 

 dener ought to be subjected, and if you could be instru- 

 mental in any way in getting the nuisance abated, you 



