1844.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



5 23 



NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 



"\\^ J. EPPS begs respectfully to offer the following 



* ▼ • new mnd valuable Plants : — 

 Achimenespicta, 10*. 6/f.to 15$. Pentas carnea, 5i. 

 >f hirsuta (strong 



plants), 2s. 6rf. 

 Boddlea Lind eyana, 10*. 6d. t 



strong stocky plants, 3)s.6d. 



(new and splendid variety, 



from China, flowers of a 



beairiful blue) 

 Thunbergia chrysops 

 Drynionia punctata, 10*. 6d. 



(for de-criptkn see Paxton's 



Magazine for June) 

 Habrothamnus fascicularis, 5*. 

 Brugman&ia parviflora, 5*. 



tt 



»• 



Clerodendron la? vifolium, 7*. 6<f. 



Gloxinia Cartcnii, 10*. 6rf. 



bicolor. 7*. 6<*\ 

 magnirl >ra, 7$. 6d. 

 insignis, r*- 6rf. (these 

 are the finest varieties known) 

 Begonia coccinea, Vs. 6d. 

 Rose. Cloth of Gold, 7*. 6d. 

 Kuchsia, Kentish Brite, blue 

 corolla, pink tube and sepals, 

 decidedly the finest variety 

 tent out this year, strong 

 plants, 3*. 6d. 



Knightii, 5*. 

 Orders to be accompanied with a remittance or a respectable 

 reference.— Bower Nursery, Maidstone, Aug. 1, 1844. 



SATURDA Y, AUGUS T 3, 1844. 



MEETING FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK. 

 TtmuAT,: Aug. « Hortii-u!iur»i .... 8 9.U. 



COUNTRY show 

 Tomdat, Aag. 6 i . Coppice Carnation and Picotee Show. 



As Musical Promenades are not matters of 

 horticultural interest, even although they are held in 

 a garden, we think it unnecessary to say much of 

 that which the noble President and the Council of 

 the Horticultural Society so liberally provided last 

 Wednesday for the disappointed holders of Exhi- 

 bition tickets. It is sufficient to state that the effect 

 of the admirable music was quite delightful— that 

 the scene was very gay, the visitors highly gratified, 

 and the meeting in all respects a very pleasant one, 

 notwithstanding a shower or two and threatening 

 clouds. The number present was 2267. 



"I have a fine Mulbf.rry-tree," says an 

 inquirer, "upwards of 2 00 years old, and perhaps 

 18 feet high, of which I am extremely proud ; but 

 on account of some alterations I am going to make 

 in my grounds this autumn, its roots will be buried 

 5 or 6 feet below the surface, if the tree is allowed to 

 remain as it is ; and I wish to know what is best to 

 be done under the circumstances — whether to allow 

 the roots to be so buried, or, if I shall be obliged to 

 raise them, how, and at what time it will be best to 

 do so." As this is a question the answer to which will 

 doubtless interest other persons besides our corres- 

 pondent, it seems to deserve a more prominent place 

 than is usually given to such communications. 



We know, from experience, that many people, 

 otherwise well-informed, believe that roots may be 

 buried to any depth without injury, and are surprised 

 to find, when they act upon that belief, that their 

 plants either perish or grow sickly. Do not we see, 

 say they, that the roots of trees descend of themselves 

 to great depths below the surface ; and if so, why 

 should we not also bury them to such depths ? And 

 it must be admitted, that if the premises in this case 

 were true, the inference would be true also. But, 

 with great deference to popular opinion, we are 

 obliged to say, that roots never reach far below the 

 surface of the soil, and when they do, it is owing to 

 particular circumstances. Some years since, an 

 acquaintance produced a Lucerne-root, 18 feet long, 

 in proof of the common belief; but a little investiga- 

 tion showed that root to have been formed in the side 

 of a gravel-pit, along the steep face of which it had 

 pursued its course, without ever being above G inches 

 from the surface. 



The truth is, that roots must have access to atmo- 

 spheric air, for chemical reasons into which we shall 

 not enter just now; and the exclusion of it from 

 roots, which necessarily happens when large masses 

 of earth are heaped upon them, is as fatal as suffoca- 

 tion would be w to ourselves. Under natural circum- 

 stances the tendency of the roots to keep near the 

 surface is invincible ; and this should of itself teach 

 us how important to them is free access to air. 



"The celebrated Duhamel," says Col. Greenwood, 

 " wishing to protect his field from robbery from the 

 roots of a row of Elms, cut a deep ditch between the 

 Elms and his field. The roots, however, were not to 

 be done. They of course followed the surface of 

 the ground, whether down, horizontal, or up hill, 

 and took the ditch 'in and out clever' into the philo- 

 sopher's field. Duhamel thinks these were very 

 cunning roots, and that they had an instinctive 

 notion of the treat they were to have on the other 

 side of the ditch, and grew at it. Had the philo- 

 sopher built a wall in the ditch, and then filled it in, 

 he would have beaten the roots, on account of their 

 inability to leave the surface and get under the wall." 



Nothing can be more just than this observation, 

 and it puts in the truest light the question as to whe- 

 ther roots may be buried or not. 



Nevertheless, although roots cannot be buried to 

 any considerable depth without danger, yet it is pos- 

 sible to pile masses of earth round trees with im- 

 punity. The absorbing parts of a tree s root are its 



c r 

 I 



L^l 



l 



extremities, and provided they are in free communi- 

 cation with air it matters little what becomes of the 

 other part. Let us 



suppose that the 

 figure abed repre- 

 sents a tree, of which 

 a b is the height, and 

 c d the spread of the 

 branches. Then the 

 spread of the roots 

 would probably be 

 equal to e f (a point 



i 



V 



I 

 ^1 



'f 



r a h 



that would have to be ascer- 

 tained by examination), and if so, there would be no 

 disadvantage in heaping up soil as high as I, overg a 

 and a A, because e g and h f t where the extremities of 

 the roots are found, would still be as freely exposed 

 to air as before the operation. 



Nor is it clear to us that earth might not be heaped 

 over the roots of a tree to any required deDth, pro- 

 vided air-passages were left among the roots. Let 







a 







• 9 







m / 



""""IT 







T 



1 



1 



•It 



T» 





ih 



us suppose, for instance, that a h represents the stem 

 of a tree, and c d the spread of its roots, while e f 

 shows the mass of earth placed over them, It is 

 probable that if the shafts/: // and M I were connected 



with the drains // i and k /, and there were several of 

 them round the tree — say 6 or 8 — it is probable that 

 under those circumstances the tree would not suffer 

 much or long ; it would, however, be an experiment 

 for the success of which we would not answer. 



As to removing a Mulberry-tree 18 feet high and 

 *200 years old, it is not to be thought of without 

 considerable mutilation. If it is absolutely nccewary 

 to transplant the tree, the course which we should 

 follow would be this: — We should get up its roots, 

 to the extremities of the fibres, with what care we 

 could ; we should then cut off all the young wood, 

 so as to render impossible any sudden drain upon the 

 roots when the season for leafing returns ; and we 

 should, when transplanting it, throw a quantity of 

 superphosphate of lime into the hole where the young 

 roots are, so that they might be in contact with 

 it. We should perform the operation as soon as the 

 leaves had fallen, which would be after the first frost ; 

 and then, securing the trunk firmly in its place, we 

 should leave the rest to Nature, with reasonable 

 confidence in the success of the experiment. 



It is not very long since an ingenious person 

 undertook to prove, from historical evidence, that 

 no such person as Napoleon Bonaparte ever existed. 

 A writer in the Hereford Times is determined to 

 rival the historical critic, for he asserts that the 

 Potato was not originally brought to Europe from 

 America, as we are simple enough to believe. On 

 the contrary, "It would seem to be probable that the 

 Potato was known as much as three hundred years 

 before the Christian era, having been accurately 

 described as the apax&va,'" What a pity it is that 

 gentlemen will not write about what they understand ! 

 A very little inquiry would have informed the cor- 

 respondent of the Hereford Times that this Arachidna 

 of Theophrastus was a Lathyrus, and in all proba- 

 bility either L. tuberosus or L. amphicarpos. 



NOTES ON THE CONIFERS OF JAPAN. 



So much interest is now taken in forming Pineta 



and in collecting Coniferous plants, that I have thought 



the following remarks on the kinds found in Japan, and 



lately described by Drs. Siebold and Zuccarini in the 



" Flora Japonica," may be of use to those interested in 



such matters, and also in directing those who may at 



some future time have an opportunity of visiting Japan, 



and procuring either plants or seeds of those kinds which 



yet remain to be introduced into England ; and this is 



more particularly desirable, on account of their being 

 quite hardy. 



Abies leptolepis of Siebold. "Flora Jap.," Tab. 

 105, p. 12 — This is a very distinct dwarf kind of Larch, 

 and is the same as Larix 6ibirica of Drs. Ledebour and 

 Bunge, but is a very distinct species from that found in 

 most English and foreign collections under that name. 

 It is very dwarf, probably never growing more than 3 or 

 4 feet high ; and forms a dense bush, with the leaves and 

 cones as small as those of the American Larch. Dr. 

 Bunge was the first who sent seeds to the Horticultural 

 Society in a living state. The Siberian Larch described 

 by Mr. Loudon in his last edition of the "Arboretum 

 Britannicum," p. 1054, is a very distinct kind from 

 that of Dr. Bunge, and is, as is there stated, only the 

 Russian variety of the common Larch, with the branches 

 more robust, but much less numerous. It is to be 

 found in most collections under either of the follow- 

 ing names — Larix sibirica, L. archangelica, or L. Ross- 

 ica. The Abies sibirica of Dr. Fischer is a very dif- 



ferent species from either of the above, and U the tame 

 as Abies pichta of the " Arboretum Britannicum," 

 and belongs to the Silver Fir section. The authors of 

 the " Flora Japonica," in describing this curious little 

 plant, which always comes true from seed, should have 

 adopted the name of Larix for that of Abies, as it now 

 generally dooe ; then, as Dr. Bunge* s name (L. sibirica) 

 had been previously applied to the Russian Larch, the 

 present plant would stand as Larix leptolepis. 



Abies tsuga of Siebold. " Flora Jap.," Tab. 106, 

 p. 14. — This is the same as Abies dumosa of Lambert, 

 Abies Brunoniana, Lindl. , and Abies subdecidua,\Y allien; 

 and noticed by me in a former article in the Chronicle 

 It belongs to the same section at the Hemlock Spruce, 

 which it very much resembles, and, like that species, 

 only forms a large bush, or small tree, from 20 to 30 feet 

 high. It still remains to be introduced, and would prove, 

 no doubt, quite hardy. 



Abies firma of Siebold. l Flora Jap." Tab. 107, p. 15. 

 — This belongs to the Picea, or Silver Fir section, and 

 greatly resembles in foliage and habit Abies pichta 

 (Abiet sibirica of Ledebour), but differs very much in 

 the cones ; the conet of Abies firms having the bracts 

 contiderably longer than the scales, while those of A. 

 pichta are not so long as the scales ; in fact, the cones 

 more resemble those of the Picea pectinata, or P. cepha- 

 lonica, than any other, but are not near so large. In 

 the drawing given in the " Flora Japonica " the cones 

 are represented as pendulous, hut that if evidently a 

 mistake. It is said to be a tall tree, and, no doubt, quite 

 hardy ; and probably only a northern form of the Picea 

 pectinata, which still remains to be introduced. 



Abies homolcpis. "Flora Jap." Tab. 108, p. 17.— 

 Thit very much resembles Abies Smithisna, of Dr. Wal- 

 lioh, both in cones and branches, and most probably is 

 identical. The scales figured quit* a.gr— with those of 

 Dr. Wallich's A. Smithians, in the uneven margin and 

 smaller size. This is very different from Dr. Royle's 

 A. morinda, or Khutrow, a much taller and more robust 

 tree. It is said to be a tree from 20 to 30 feet high, and 

 belongs to the Spruce section; it remains to be introduced. 



Abies I la of Siebold. " Flora Ja 3 Tab. 109, p. 18. 

 — This it the same as Picea Webbiana of the " Arbore- 

 tum Britannicum," p. 1051, and is the P. spi ctabilis of 

 Lambert, and Chilrow of the natives in the Himalayas. 

 It belongs to the Silver Fir section, and is one of the 

 most ornamental of the whole race of Pines, having beau- 

 tiful large purple conet and silvery leaves. It forms a 

 large tree m the Alps of Gostamthan, from 80 to 100 

 feet high, and is easily distinguished from all others yet 

 known (except P. pindrow, of Royle), by its bifid leaves, 

 and from that species in its much broader and shorter 

 foliage. It is quite hardy, but is much injured in spring 

 by late frosts. — George Gordon. 



THE ROSE-GARDEN.— No. XV. 



{Continued from p. 460.) 



Pruning for Transplanting. — Having gone through 

 all the detail necessary to secure the budded trees, and 

 bring them into bearing, (observing that they are not on 

 any account to be mangled, shortened, or the passage of 

 the sap in any way obstructed during growth,) we now 

 come to the time when the tree, having become orna- 

 mental, is fit to repay the labour laid out upon it, and to 

 be planted out where its beauty may be seen. This is 

 about the commencement of November, when the 

 branches should all be cut down to about a foot long, and 

 any leaves still left, cut off carefully midstalk, with a pair 

 of scissors. Worked standards, carelessly treated, fre- 

 quently do well the first season after transplantation ; 

 and then, dwindling away for a season or two, eventually 

 die off. 



Except where unavoidable, (as in Jthe instance of the 

 wild stock,) a tree should not be lopped root and branch 

 at the same time ; the double mutilation is injurious to it. 

 Thus, half of each branch is continued, to keep up an 

 intercourse with the root, and, when an action is esta- 

 blished, cutting in the head is desirable. On removing 

 trees, the fresh roots they have made, and the appearance 

 of those which were left, will require attention in the 

 application of the knife ; in pruning a large root it should 

 be cut to a lateral— in shortening a small to a fibre ; 

 where a plant has been examined and trimmed so re- 

 cently, however, the knife should be sparingly used. And 

 it may here be well to observe, that all cuts to remove 

 branches, knots, or roots, should be quite clean, slanting 

 (and deep enough to the stem, viz. even with it), and 

 nothing left projecting, lest dead wood be the conse- 

 quence, and the plant be eventually injured ; all wounds 

 should be carefully healed, and dead wood should, in all 

 cases, be removed, and living bark encircle that which 

 remains. The removal of the extraneous parts of the 

 wild branch, and the stem left above it (if any), as sub- 

 sequently directed, are best effected 18 months after 

 budding, in March ; if sooner, the bud is apt to be 

 injured, as well as the wound left uncovered ; but at this 

 time they may be cut down to the base of bud and 

 branch, and the mixture will secure the wound from 

 injury. All summer and spring-made wounds, it clean 

 cut, will partly cicatrize over the same year, and, if 

 defended while in progress, will not do any future injury. 



Replanting with a Dormant Bud.— la case of neces- 

 sity a stock with a dormant bud upon it, of the summer s 

 insertion, may be transplanted ; but this is not desiraWe, 

 although, if the wild branches to be cut off are large, it 

 may be safely enough done, because a tree m its n atu ™ 

 state, if the root and branches are in Vropoititm to ^cvl 

 other, has strength enough to carry its noun»nmen« 

 through the old wood, and then to make new. Old woM 

 does not remain ti» statu quo, but is enlarged by a fresh 





