

1844. J 



THE GARDENERS* CHRONICLE. 



699 







LFNDID NEW GERAXIUM-THURTELL'S "OTHELLO." 



rp HIS very distinct and superb variety was raised by 



I Capt> Th'urtell, R.N., Devonport, and is allowed by all 

 ho have seen it to be the greatest novelty that has been pro- 

 Tfrpd in Geraniums, possessing a new character, altogether 

 1 kc any other sort, which at once arrests the eye, and fixes 

 ^.♦e'ntion upon it in the midst of all the finest modern varieties; 

 £ fail to Rive satisfaction to all who buy it. The shape 



£ nerfect, and the habit excellent. 



A full description of this and other first-rate Seedlings raised 



. that ce iebrated cultivator, which have been exhibited at the 



iincipal Horticultural Shows this summer, and cut blooms of 



Vich obtained an extra prize at the Exhibition of the Royal 



botanic Society, Regent's Park, on the 2d July, 1844, will be 



found in their Catalogue of New Geraniums, just published by 



Ia me, Pixce, and Co., who possess the entire stock of all 



£•- Tni-RTKLt's flowers, and are now ready to execute orders 



fine strong plants at very moderate prices.— Exeter Nursery. 



Z\)t ffarftm erg* Ctjron ftle 



SATURDA Y, OCTOBER 19, 1844. 



MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 

 Saturday, Oct. 26 Royal Botanic ... 4 p.m. 



Fwdav, Nov. 1 Botanical • . . . 8 p.m. 



What is required when cuttings of plants are 

 to be struck, is a due adjustment of heat, light, 

 and moisture. The first stimulates the vital process, 

 the second causes the formation of matter out of 

 which roots and leaves are to be organised, the third 

 is at once a vehicle for the food required by the 

 cutting, and a part of it. The great difficulty is to 

 know how to adjust these agents. 



If the heat is too high, organs are formed faster 

 than they can be solidified ; if too low, decay comes 

 on before the reproductive forces can be put in 

 action. When light is too powerful, the fluid con- 

 tents of the cutting are lost faster than they can be 

 supplied ; when too feeble, there is not a sufficiently 

 quick formation of organisable matter to construct 

 the new roots and leaves with. If water is deficient, 

 the cutting is starved; if over-abundant, it rots. 



It is, then, the adjustment of these varying forces 

 to the peculiar nature of the cutting to be acted upon 

 that constitutes the art of propagation. It is this 

 which theory cannot supply, but which depends 

 upon skill and experience. If any part of the opera- 

 tions of cultivation can be called empirical, it is this. 

 And yet the operator is not without rules to guide 

 him in this adjustment; the misfortune is, that they 

 are too general. 



The softer a cutting, the quicker must be the 

 excitement and application of the formative process, 

 the more the light, the smaller the quantity of water. 

 The more hard and woody a cutting, the slower will 

 be the operation, the more feeble the light, the greater 

 the quantity of water. If these conditions of new 

 growth can but be preserved, all cuttings of all plants 

 may be converted into new individuals. 



The great enemies of the propagator, says Mr. 

 Neumann, are rotting and drying ; for this reason 

 cuttings are preserved in the midst of a temperature 

 and humidity always equal, the evaporation of the 

 foil is hindered, and the perspiration of the cuttings 

 M prevented. 



Heat, light, and moisture being thus shown to be 

 the agents to whose assistance we must look for suc- 

 cess, and by whose mismanagement the hopes of the 

 - trdener are ruined, it is of the first importance to 



determine how each can be best and most efficiently 



controlled. J 



And first of heat. 



«f t! e i kr V 0W that P Iants are distributed over all parts 

 ^liabitableglobe; that in neighbouring coun- 



"f," 1 £ species are nearly alike, that distant countries 

 indtl J Wlth ve getation of entirelv different kinds, 

 norti (llstin ction in the vegetation is in pro- 



filer Th the . distance of the countries from each 

 Norm i e * s not ' perhaps, a dozen species in 



Cha™ ] - £ - l0 n0t gr0W wild on this side the 

 J no-la V re * s not a dozen species common to 



linme 1 h nd . Be . n § al - Species, in fact, are in general 

 exist vl - v . s * mn, arity of temperature, and cannot 



I «ion< f u SUCh limits ' 0ne of the first conside r- 

 heat is P ro P a g at or> therefore, is what amount of 



With i na -? Ur u t0 as P ecies during its season of growth. 



| grow T • n tllat ^ is hopeless to make cuttings 



I natural 1S ° n * v wnen P ,ants strike freely that the 



requi re ^° mt of he at is sufficient ; in general they 



^ f| natural c r° re ' ^ e amoulU or " ne at found in their 



*VI but a <r lmate mav lje enou gb for them to grow in ; 



^M>f a hi?lf ater de S ree of excitement, bv means 



rtem to «•! tem P era *ure, will be demanded by 



iffra^rnenf . „ root in > wn *n cut up into the 



k (KSk in7n ? l Cuttin g s - A Willow- cutting 



I !t does sn lL u 0pen g rou nd will strike root, but 



q a hotbel I* 8 "* and more vi g° rousl y if P laced 

 je^J^rounri to ;il ' A Whitethorn cutting in the open 





fc n 



°undwill ** " llue ">orn cutting in tne open 

 >Us * it wiiM 1 r00t at *** > in a warm propagating 

 "ion cin.; so /eadily ; and, to reverse the illus- 



puced, and V n i "T c «"ure, win pensn it it lsre- 



,<on5 ^erablv K° n y pUt forth r00ts when {t is raised 

 Mr Neumin^ their nat ural standard. Thus 



F a ngoes &" Tn u ntlous that Nutmegs, Guaiacum, 

 I > **, win not succeed unless in a tempera- J 



ture of about 100* Fah. That degree of heat, agaiS. 

 would be fatal to greenhouse plants. 



But it is not the temperature of the atmosphere 

 that requires to be maintained above that to which 

 plants are naturally subject : it is the soil that must 

 be warmed. The first object is to obtain roots; 

 those organs once formed, leaves will follow. The 

 vital action which causes the production of roots if 

 in the first instance, local ; roots are produced by the 

 development of the cellular matter of the under- 

 ground part; that cellular matter requires to be sti- 

 mulated by unusual warmth ; but the necessary 

 stimulus cannot be communicated bv a heated atmo- 

 sphere: it is the warmth of the soil in which the 

 cellular matter lies buried that must be secured. 

 Unusual warmth of the air would have the effect of 

 stimulating the buds, and would cause a premature 



appearance of leaves, which would be anything 

 rather than conducive to the success of a cutting. If 

 soil were to be kept at 33«, and the air at 84°, leaves 

 would form, but no roots would be emitted under 

 ground, however skilful the operator; and then, un- 

 less roots were thrown out above ground, the cuttings 

 would speedily exhaust themselves. On the other 

 hand, if the soil were kept at 84°, and the air at 83*, 

 leaves would certainly be formed as soon as the roots 



had struck out, although in a pinched and shivering 

 condition. 



A proper degree of bmtom-heat, then, is the first 

 point for consideration, for all other processes are 

 subservient to that fundamental requisite; and the 

 rule is, that it should always be higher by several de- 

 grees than that to which plants are naturally subject. 

 Unfortunately we have very little evidence to show 

 what that is ; but a rough estimate of it may be 

 formed by regarding it to equal the mean tempera- 

 ture of the summer : hence the great value of good 

 meteorological observations to gardeners. Suppose, 

 for example, that it is required to strike a cutting 

 of some plant from Algiers, and that the mean tem- 

 perature of the summer there were 70° — which is, 

 we believe, about the truth— the safe course for the 

 gardener to take would be, to plunge his cutting in 

 soil warmed up to 75°. 



It is very much to be regretted that no one should 

 have as yet compiled a set of meteorological tables 

 fer the use of gardeners. They would be invaluable ; 

 and we live in hope that some public body will, ere 

 long, take up the subject. Scattered through books, 



there is a vast quantity of evidence which, although 

 imperfect, is of great value, but nobody knows 

 where to look for it when it is wanted. If such a 

 work were once compiled, evidence would quickly 

 accumulate, for inquirers would learn what to ob- 

 serve. With that evidence, gardening would assume 

 more and more the condition of a science; for there 

 is no doubt that a correct knowledge of the heat, 

 light, and moisture of different climates is, next after 

 the laws of vegetable physiology, the surest guide to 

 successful cultivation. 



The action of light and heat we shall consider on 

 the next occasion. 



Now that Providence has blessed us with an 

 Acorn harvest of unexampled abundance, do not let 

 us throw away the advantage. The value of these 

 nuts for pig-feeding, and for deer or poultry, is well 

 known; but we doubt whether, in their natural 

 state, they are anything like so nutritious as they 

 would be with a little preparation. We know that 

 Barley is greatly improved by being malted ; because 

 the starch which it contains is by that process con- 

 verted into sugar. Why should we not treat Acorns 

 in the same way ? They, too, are full of starch, and 

 if malted would exchange it for sugar. 



All that it would be necessary to do is to moisten 

 the Acorns, gather them into a large heap in an out- 

 house, and throw mats or sacks over them. In a 

 short time they would heat, and begin to grow. As 

 soon as the young root is an inch long the malting 

 would be effected, and might be stopped by simply 

 spreading the Acorns out to dry again. 



We believe this has been done already to some 

 profit ; and at any rate it is quite worth the experi- 

 ment, especially for cottagers, for whose pigs Acorns 

 are always in such request. It costs nothing, and 

 cannot do harm. 



] For the bed, ** an open situation," ys the writer, 



I "is chosen, facing, if possible, the south-east or 



south-west, and at least 15 or -20 feet from any walls. 



The soilih .'hen excavated, forming a cavity about 17 



vards long, 18 inches deep on one side and 14 on the 



other, and s\ feet in ok adt h- _ 



" It may then be filled in September or October 



with a friable substantial maiden loam > . which has 



been previously passed through a coarw s * eve « The 



bed must he raised two inches above the ml vface on 



the side where the bed is 18 inches deep, and 6 inc.^ es 



on the opposite side, where it is 14, thus forming an 

 inclined plane. 



tl By this means the florist can see at a glance hiV 

 whole collection, and without confusion inspect them 

 individually. There is also another advantage 

 lined by giving the bed a gentle slope: drenching- 

 heavy rain can easily flow ofT, which otherwise 

 might stagnate, and bv soddening the ground cause 

 serious damage to the bulbs." 



Here we may observe that the usual method in 

 England is to form the bed highest in the centre, so 

 that in a bed of seven rows of flowers, which is the 

 number generally adopted, the fourth or middle row 

 is the tallest, and the others decrease in height on 

 both sides, the first, or the row next the path, being 

 shortest. By this arrangement, we obtain an equally 

 good view of each side of the bed. 



We do not, however, admire the plan of sifting or 

 screening the soil composing the bed, as we are confi- 

 dent that bulbs do better in maiden loam, well beaten 

 with a spade, in which the decayed turf is retained, 

 than in earth or compost which has been passed 

 through a sieve. 



* If a second bed is formed," says our author, 

 "care must be taken to make it parallel with the 

 first, and exactly of the same dimensions. It should 

 be separated from it by a path four feet wide, and 

 its slope ought to be in the opposite direction, that is, 

 the two beds ought to incline one towards the other 

 to produce a more beautiful effect. In order to 

 supply the requisite nutriment for the support of the 

 bulbs, which when grown for a length of time 

 in the same soil become foul and degenerate, the 

 person who during fifteen years has had the whole 

 management of my Tulips, changes the soil com- 

 posing the beds every two years ; and to obtain as 

 tine a bloom the second season as the first, he spreads 

 in July or August a quantity of night-soil, in a semi- 

 liquid state, so as to completely saturate the beds ; 

 after a month has elapsed, he mixes it well together, 

 either by passing it through a sieve or screen, or by 

 turning it over with a spade, even to the bottom of 

 the bed, so that the whole may be equally enriched 

 with this most excellent manure. If night-soil is 

 not easily procured, well-rotten cow-manure, in the 

 proportion of one-eighth, may be added to the soil 

 composing the bed." 



Thus far, then, we have situation, the earth most 

 proper for, and the form of the beds, with the 

 manure usually employed on the Continent. 



We consider cow-manure, in a thoroughly decom- 

 posed state, to be highly beneficial in the composition 

 of a Tulip bed, and from experience we can say, 

 that some of the finest blooms we ever had were when 

 a thick layer of cow-dung formed the sub-stratum. 



As for night-soil, we do not imagine that it is 

 often used in the manner above alluded to, although 

 we have seen its good effects on Ranunculuses, by 

 being spread over the bed when it was dug, in 

 autumn, and washed in by the heavy rains usual at 

 that period. Where fresh maiden loam cannot be 

 procured, this might be tried, as we are sure that 

 confidence may be placed in our author's experience. 

 — W. 



As the season for planting Tulips is rapidly ap- 

 proaching, we hasten to lay before our readers the 

 translation of a work published by a first-rate Pari- 

 sian cultivator. Our Tulip-growing friends will 

 thus have an opportunity of seeing how far our 

 neighbours on the Continent agree with us in the 

 cultivation of this beautiful flower, and at the same 

 time they possibly may meet with some information 

 which may be of service in the future management 

 of their beds, &c. We have made a close translation 

 of that part of the work which describes the forma- 

 tion of the beds, planting, &c. ; and where the Con- 

 tinental practice differs from ours, we shall give our 

 own opinions as we proceed. 



PRUNING FOREST-TREES. 



Inutilesquefalce ramos amputans.— Horack. 

 With pruning-knife the useless branch he cuts. 



I have lately seen a long Article in the Gardeners 9 

 Chronicle, signed " W. Billington," containing some 

 strictures on the management of my woods in the 

 neighbourhood of Nerquis; and in support of those 

 opinions the writer refers to a work entitled " Facts and 

 Hints/' published by him some twenty years ago. I 

 think be estimates too highly the interest created by that 

 work, in supposing not only that every one read it at the 

 time, but that it made such an impression on the readers 

 as to be still remembered. In his present letter, how- 

 ever, the hints may have been repeated — facts seem to 

 have been forgotten. Mr. Billington's principles, reduced 

 to few words, seem to be that the tree is supported 

 from the atmosphere, through the leaves and branches, 

 rather than from the soil, through the agency of the 

 roots — a theory certainly very acceptable to the owners 

 of barren mountain soil, had it anything to support it 

 but the assertion of the writer. I do not feel disposed 

 to deny that a tree with numerous healthy branches and 

 leaves will increase in girth, more than one that has but 

 few leaves, and them diseased. Here has been a confusion 

 of cause and effect, and leaves the question untouched, 

 Whether a wholesome discipline in removing a redun- 

 dancy of branches may not tend to the improvement of 

 the tree ? I do not deny that leaves are necessary to the 



