620 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



have a single appearance or be in some sort of line. If 



the effect of a sloping bank 



a sloping bank of 

 Roses be* desired, they must be 

 planted in successive heights, riz. 

 each under each ; but if they are 

 to have a less forced and regular 

 appearance, and a more single and 

 light look, an intermediate height 



may be left out, as thus : a two feet in front of a three 



feet, &c 



Standard.- 

 4 feet. 



Short Standard. 



3 feet. 



Half Standard. 

 [2 ft. 6 in. 



Dwarf Standard. 



2 feet. 



Short Dwarf, 

 i ft. 6 in. 



Foot Standard. 



Be it observed, that a three-feet standard is most in 

 • keeping with the head it carries, and being nearer the 

 ground has a very natural appearance, and in confined 

 places is unquestionably the most desirable; but if the 

 tree is to be distant from the eye, or the shrubbery or 

 walk be large and increasing in distance, a four-feet 

 standard is certainly more distinguishable, and has a 

 much greater effect. A foot standard is of little or no 

 use, except it be intended to approach the edge of a 

 border, or is grafted for the convenience of affording 

 nosegays, or increasing the quantity of the plant placed 

 upon it. The heights most in use having been shown, it 

 may be remarked, that for a weeping Rose to stand 

 singly (perhaps surrounded with a wire guard and 

 creepers upon it, to have a more marked effect), no stem 

 can be found too high, if it be proportionally strong. 

 A fine plant of this sort, six, seven, or even eight feet 

 high, budded with a Noisette, or Boursault, looks beau- 

 tiful, and its long free branches, covered with clusters of 

 Roses, have a wild and luxuriant appearance, which give 

 it a distinct and peculiar character. The trees being 

 planted out and the earth made good around them, each 

 tree must be supported by a neat clean hazel stake 

 (unless the stock be so strong as not to require it), the 

 top of which should be sawn off exactly level with the 

 top of the wild stem, which conveys a great air of neat- 

 ness, and attached to it with a piece of bass, or a small 

 strip of pitched rope, which is still more durable. 



Observations — The following may be considered a 

 more entertaining and less slovenly mode of propagating 

 the Rose, as well as having the advantage of economy, as 

 the cuttings of the pruned trees, which would otherwise 

 be lost, are made use of. It must be remembered, how- 

 ever, that it should only be practised upon free, well- 

 rooted stocks, as otherwise the delay in the rising of the 

 sap, and the uncertainty of the supply, frequently defeat 

 the purpose. Grafting, therefore, should succeed budding 

 on the same stock, not precede it; as a bud failing on 

 the stock, if the branch be not destroyed while the sap is 

 up, leaves the stock still vigorous in the ground ; if there- 

 fore this mode be preferred, it should be practised upon 

 stocks that have had a spring to root themselves. The 

 points to be desired are, that the barks of scion and 

 stock should be cut quite smooth, and not separated 

 from the wood they grow upon— that neither should be 

 bruised—when they are put together should fit close— a 

 supply of sap should commence as soon as possible— 



~«« a T'. wind ' and rain shouId be ke P fc fr om the 

 7emoL he u e , d ' and that no lament should be 



contact Xk ,hake glVeQ t0 tbe P arts newl y P laced * 



scTon whel nl£S™ Rfi** healed ; as ^ J ar to the 

 scion when placed is likely to defeat the purpose. 



Home Correspondence.^ 



i tr^nrfatf,^ 



generally speaking, such a U^hSTS.SnS 

 pruning of this most generous of all our exotir fZTJ. 

 it being, as it ought to be, well understood ?h.t by Wnd 

 treatment, there is no fruit-tree requiring artificial culti- 

 vation, the Peach-tree excepted, that will more easilv 

 bend to the will of the operator, nor produce more uni 

 form crops of fruit. From the many articles that have 

 appeared from time to time in the Chronicle, as well a3 

 in books treating exclusively on the culture of the Vine 

 I am surprised that the work of reformation has not 



■commenced. Amateurs complain that year after year 



even at a great expense for fuel, &c, they are never able 

 to produce more than five, six, or seven bunches of Grapes 

 upon each Vine, and of these, three or four bunches are 

 at the extremity or top of the house, two or three in the 

 middle, and the rest of the Vine is "totally barren. The 

 question that suggests itself to the mind of a practical 

 man, on entering the houses of amateurs is, Why is each 

 Vine allowed, as it were, to vie with its fellow in luxuri- 

 ance, and to expend its strength, that ought to have been 

 stored up in order to throw it into fruitfulness ?— which 

 no doubt every one would desire, but which it is quite 

 clear is never attained ; indeed, they have much the 

 appearance of Vines planted out against some rustic seat, 

 where they are allowed to ramble and luxuriate for the 

 sake of displaying their foliage and tendrils. In some 

 places where there is a scanty scattering of ill-ripened 

 fruit, you find many of the spurs have never been 

 stopped, but are allowed to run perhaps to the length of 

 four feet; these again are loaded with laterals running 

 right and left ; others that have been stopped have in 

 many cases sent out a host of laterals, each vying with 

 the other in vigour similar to the common Hop in a 

 hedge-row. If the question was asked, Why such is 

 allowed to be the case ? the answer is, •' Oh, they are 

 always the same; they are not good kinds; they never 

 bear fruit, therefore we do not think that it is worth 

 while spending time over them ; at winter pruning we 

 cut them well in, but they are still as you see, unfruitful. 

 From such neglect it is clear that not one year in ten 

 do they ripen their wood, from want of summer pruning. 

 I would recommend instant application in removing all 

 laterals and tendrils, not at one fell sweep (or the remedy 

 might prove as bad as the disease), but by taking away a 

 few each day, and in the course of a fortnight the Vines 

 could be brought into a better state as regards the more 

 perfectly ripening the wood, without which all labour 

 will prove of no avail. Further, when the wood assumes 

 a russet-brown, or approaches ripening, I would by all 

 means recommend disbudding, as mentioned in my 

 Treatise on the Vine, an operation ever attended with 

 the best results, to Vines of any age, and one, in my 

 opinion, that does not receive the attention which is due 

 to it. If Vines are grown on the long rod system, leaving 

 the eyes 18 or 20 inches apart on each side of the shoot, 

 and all laterals have not been previously removed from 

 each eye, but stopped at one joint, you will there find an 

 eye upon each of them, which take out, leaving the leaves 

 uninjured, with the exception of one or two at the ex- 

 tremity of the shoot. With regard to the spur system, 

 choose a bold eye, third or fourth from the base of the 

 spur, cutting all the others out above and below, with the 

 exception of one well placed at the base, which must be 

 retained in order to produce wood for the following year. 

 I consider a fruitful eye on the Vine as easy to discern 

 as a blossom-bud from a wood-bud on the Peach. A 

 fruitful eye is round, plump, and well filled at the base of 

 the leaf, whereas an unfruitful one is long and pointed. 

 If the above hints were more generally practised by 

 amateurs, they would have less cause to complain ; for, 

 by the above treatment (the roots in a proper state) they 

 would be gladdened with more uniform crops of fruit 

 annually, extending from below the angle of the rafter to 

 the extremity of the Vine. — James Roberts, Hampsth- 

 waite, Harrowgatc. 



The Robin.— -In May last (see p. 335) I communi- 

 cated some curious facts connected with the natural his- 

 tory of the robin — a bird to whose remarkable peculiari- 

 ties, both in a wild and tame state, I have paid particular 

 attention for the last six years. The anecdote I related 

 to you, although authenticated by my name and address, 

 has, I find, been by some doubted, by others marvelled 

 at ; nor is this, to me, a matter of surprise, for I verily 

 believe the robin whose merits I record may justly rank 

 as one of the wonders of the world. When last I 

 addressed you my little friend was, as I mentioned, a 

 denizen of the fields, the woods, and the orchards. Free 

 as air he was roaming about with his fond mate and 

 thriving young family (four in number), into whose 

 infantine minds he was doubtless busily instilling a course 

 of sound elementary instruction. These lectures 

 have now terminated. His children, grown up, are 

 gone abroad to. see the world, and his ladye-love (as is 

 the custom with these feathered songsters) has taken the 

 veil for six long months. The consequence is, as I 

 anticipated, a reunion between myself and this bird of 

 song. No longer afraid, from prudential motives, of 

 venturing too near the habitation of man, he re-appeared 

 on Thursday, the 5th inst., in propria persona, an inde- 

 pendent, fearless bird. The friend and associate of my 

 leisure moments (for I rise regularly at 5 a.m., to attend 

 to my feathered family), he now comes at my call, how- 

 ever distant he may be. He sits on my finger and on the 

 bridge of my nose, as of old ; eats from my hand ; sings 

 like a seraph as he runs along the ground, and even 

 allows me to play with him in my open hand, as he lies 

 upon his back! In justice to my protege 1 must add 

 that his 'plumage is exquisitely bright, his eye beaming 

 with intelligence, and his whole demeanour noble. Have 

 we not here a convincing proof of the retentive memory, 

 peculiar instinct, and remarkable affection of the robin ? 

 — Wtlham Kidd, New-road, Hammersmith. 



Mulberry-tree.— On taking up a Broccoli plant that 

 was recently planted, and which had sustained injury, I 

 found a leaf-stem that had been half broken through, "and 

 the fractured part buried in the earth had sent out rootlets. 

 It has been my practice in dibbling Rape plants to coil 

 lengthy stems, which have always struck out roots at the 

 bends. In planting out Cabbage with long stems I have 

 niched them in two or three places, with the same result. 

 M. De Candolle observes in his " Organographie Vege- 



[8 



en gag 

 des racines 



naturalises a admettr U ITT?** V« • 

 _ et des tiges, c'estTf U /^ %£» gStt 

 de ces organes donne naissance a l'autre ' "V^ V * 

 une ligature ou une incision a l'ecor" A •„« c ° n > 



ftit 



1 



une ngacure ou une incision a Tecorce d'„« u° n: 

 forme au-dessus d'elle un bourX R i r ^ U - 

 celui-ci de terre et de mousse hVmide ! T"^^ 

 racines."-.' A second circumstanc^i^ Im T? ** 

 naturalists to admit of the supposed idVnJ£ V ? dac * 

 with the stem is the ease with' which one"' Ze « "* 

 may be made to give being to the other » "if ° rptai 

 a ligature or make an incision in the bark of 'tV** 

 lump forms above it, and if this is surrounded wkh^ * 

 earth and moss it will send out roots » i S*. * 

 therefore, that if the « Inquirer," f see o W \ AT"*' 

 fine Mulberry tree upwards of 200 yean, old ° £* 

 with its present locality, he may save^himse £ §ill, *< 

 labour, and risk of raising it, by makS i<in ^^ 

 stem in the part which will be 'beTowhfs TZZl* ! ! 

 communication of the leaf-roots being thus cut off i 

 the tree-root will attracted by the mois^rVo £'£ 

 soil strike into it, and the stem will thus send out £S 

 roots to seek any benefits that may be derived from *? 

 imity to the surface while the original root wil coS 

 to draw water from below.— John Goodiff, Granard 



Song Birds.— I observe, with admiration, the human, 

 remarks thrice repeated, of your worthy correspond 

 J. M., 'on the subject of wanton cruelty to birds T™ 

 true it is that many hundreds of our choicest, prc t^t 

 warblers fall victims at this season of the year to the m 

 of the savage-breasted Cockney, or to the ninard narii 

 mony of those heartless individuals who grudge the annro 

 priation of a little paltry fruit, in return for the out .oar! 

 ing of hearts full of melody, gratitude, and love. Unfor 

 tunately I am myself among those who suffer from Out 

 devastation by beardless boys and Cockney sportsmen • 

 but I am not altogether without a remedy; and this 

 remedy I suggest to the notice of your correspondent 

 "J. M." Let him, as I do, keep some choice black- 

 birds, thrushes, and other varieties of birds, in large, 

 capacious cages (for confinement should not be made' 

 punishment) and let him hang them on the walls and 

 trees of his garden. The song of these warblers will 

 assuredly attract others ; and by these means he may 

 concentrate all the harmony of the feathered tribe in hi* 

 own immediate locality, thereby protecting them from 

 the danger of random shots, and from the cruel 

 manoeuvres of bird-catchers, bird-haters, and other simi- 

 lar •'varmint," as "J. M.V enemy, the gamekeeper, 

 has it. When thus assembled, the birds will come 

 regularly to be fed on fruit, seed, bread-crumbs, or berries, 

 and they will never stray further than is necessary for their 

 further supplies of food. I am one of the true Waterton 

 family ; I never hear the report of a gun in the winter 

 season but it goes to my heart. It is not a sufficient argu- 

 ment for me to be told that a man or a boy is a bad shot. 

 By their want of skill their victims are too often maimed, 

 when death would have been a blessing. Scandalous is it 

 that humanity should be thus outraged, and that God's 

 lovely and loving creatures should be thus wantonly 

 deprived of their lawful, innocent enjoyment of life, to 

 gratify the worst feelings of which human nature ia 

 susceptible. — William Kidd, New-road, Hammersmith. 



Pruning J? orest Trees. — From time to time articles 

 have appeared in your columns, from the pens of various 

 correspondents, advocating what I still call the perni- 

 cious and absurd practice of pruning forest-trees. I call 

 it by these epithets in relation to the extent and the 

 mode in which it has been heretofore recommended and 

 practised, and not in regard to what I cousider "judi- 

 cious pruning," for which I am an advocate as well as those 

 who have controverted my opinions. A writer, in your 

 Number of July 27, who signs himself " W. H.," qootei 

 a sentence of mine, I think rather incorrectly, viz.— that 

 " I never saw a magnificent stem that had not a proper. 

 tionally large head;" and proceeds to ask me whether 

 I had not seen a magnificent head that had not a pro- 

 portionally large stem ? I answer, yes ; and there are 

 some specimens very near me now, and the cause o 

 disproportion is pruning — extreme pruning, vulgar y 

 called pollarding. My opinion formerly expressed, ana 

 not correctly quoted by " W. H.," is— that I n^r saw 

 magnificent stem but what, at some period of its w , 

 id a proportionally large head ; for I have seen mwf 

 magnificent stems with little or no head at all, but tn 

 is quite beside the question. Your correspondent 

 quite right in preserving any and every tree that is 

 ornament to his grounds, whatever its proportions. 

 is worth considering, however, whether his . m ^ had 

 heads would not be quite as ornamental if the ? 

 also proportionally magnificent stems? I q« ltc *g 

 with "■ W. H." on the propriety of planting Oak wne 

 ever the character of the soil and other circumstance 

 are favourable to its growth ; not, however to trie 

 elusion of other things. I agree with him also as to _ 

 desirableness of clean, straight timber, for useru | 

 poses, cScc. I commend him for his attention *• 

 plantations— a pleasing contrast to the general neg ^ 

 and mistaken management we so often witness. r 

 years' experience entitles his opinion to respect; bot,q« I 



-What is "judicious pruning ? " It is a pbra £■■ 

 fear, mistakenly— as it is variously— understood. 

 " W. H." here, I could show him abundance or u 

 out of which " the builder might cut his stout beam 

 girder," not only 25 or 30 feet, but 35 or ^w 

 even 50 feet, that, in all likelihood, were neyei touci. 

 by a pruning instrument in their lives. *} "' 5 

 what is "judicious pruning," and how long is it to ^ 

 tinue ? If those who are so zealous in M^SSwff 

 process generally, would define what it is partitui 



a 

 had 











