1844.] 



THE GARDENERS' Cl RONlCLE. 



63 



A 



THE TRUE FASTOLFF RASPBERRY. 



YOUELL and CO. take the present opportunity to 

 state that the above unequalled Raspberry is to be obtained 

 only at their Nursery or of their Agents, a list of whom appear 

 on the Advertising Sheet of this day's Qardeners' Chronicle ; and 

 they recommend their friends to be cautious of whom they 

 purchase, as another Raspberry, under the above title, is being 

 substituted by certain parties as the " true variety." 

 .Great Yarmouth Nursery, Nov. 14, J 844. 



SATURDAY, KOVEMBER 16, 1844. 



MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 

 WkdnksdaV, Nov. 20 Society of Arts . . . . . 8 p.m. 

 Saturday, Nov. 23 Koyal Botanic ' ... 



Friday, Nov. 29 . Botanical 



4 P.M. 

 8 P.K. 



To the appeal we lately made to our readers for 

 their experiments upon Potatoes during the past 

 season, we have received replies from some valu- 

 able correspondents, especially Mr. Grey, of Dilston, 

 and the Rev. Geo. Rous. These we shall publish be- 

 fore long ; but we again take the liberty of mentioning 

 the subject, and repeating our earnest request that 

 details of experiments may be forwarded to us. We 

 are sure that their value will be much increased, if, 

 instead of being published independently of each 

 other, they are brought into one point of view ; for so 

 they are most likely to be productive of public benefit. 



As this is a good time of the year for sowing 

 Tulip seed, and as we believe that a larger quan- 

 tity than usual has been saved this season, we shall 

 •extract at length from our Paris friend his fifth 

 chapter, entitled "Mode de Propagation." 



" Tulips/' says he, " are obtained in two different 

 ways — by seed and by offsets. It is ascertained by 

 •experience, that any given variety of Tulip will not 

 reproduce itself by its seeds, but, on the contrary, 

 many will be originated, differing wholly from 

 each other, thus giving amateurs an opportunity of 

 raising new and improved sorts, which they term 

 4 Breeders.' 



"To accomplish this with a greater degree of 

 certainty, they increase their chances of success by 

 only sowing seed of first-rate varieties, and espe- 

 cially those the bottom of whose petal is of unsullied 

 purity; as I find that Breeders thus originated 

 sooner develop their proper colours than those which 

 are the produce of inferior sorts. 



" When the ripeness of the Tulip seed, where the 

 flower has bloomed in a full exposure, is indicated 

 by the opening of the capsule, it is cut off a few 

 inches below the head, and placed in a very dry 

 situation, in order to insure its perfect maturity. 

 This being accomplished, the seeds are taken out, 

 and should be sown about the middle of October in 

 a bed of well-prepared earth, which has been 

 passed through a coarse sieve, and covered about the 

 eighth of an inch in depth with soil of a fine and 

 light texture, which will allow the free vegeta- 

 tion of the seeds, without incrusting or becoming 

 hard. The beds must be protected from sharp frosts 

 by covering them with leaves, or with mats, and 

 likewise kept perfectly free from weeds. If these 

 necessary precautions are attended to, the Tulips 

 will come up towards the end of February. From 

 the size of a small Pea, in the first year, the roots 

 will increase considerably during the two following 

 seasons; and each time, when the leaves fade, I 

 spread over my seedlings about an inch in thickness 

 of similarly prepared soil to that with which the 

 seed was covered, being satisfied that (from the loss 

 of time, and the greater extent of land they will oc- 

 cupy, by taking them up in the second year, and re- 

 planting them) it is the better plan to allow them to 

 remain till they have made their third growth. I do 

 not take up mine until that time, and, in a few 

 days afterwards, I replant them about two or three 

 inches in depth, and about three inches apart from 

 each other, in a well-prepared bed. Lastly, in every 

 succeeding year, I set them in fresh soil, being con- 

 vinced that they attain their full size much sooner 

 when treated in this manner; especially if sand 

 has been mixed with it, or lime-rubbish which has 



been enriched with good rotten manure, or vegetable 

 soil. 



" Whatever care may be taken in the choice of 

 seed, few perfect flowers will be obtained on their 

 «rst blooming, which will probably be in the fifth 

 year. During each year afterwards, there may ap- 

 pear a few choice sorts, according to the goodness of 

 the flowers from which the seed was gathered, and 

 the suitableness of the soil. Their improvement is 

 also gradual, as the colours or markings, which were 

 at first confused and undecided, will, after a time, as- 

 sume their proper character, and attain all the per- 

 fection of which they are susceptible." 



Here we are at issue. As far as our experience 

 goes we like to have flowers break from the breed 

 (or become variegated), in fnc stale at first. For the 

 florist who has once seen a Tulip in a clean state, 

 «ves in hope that, although uncertain, it may come 



so again ; and we know of very few instances indeed, 

 where the flower alters for the better, after having 

 broken indifferently. We will take Polyphemus for 

 instance, with its numerous aliases, and we may 

 certainly defy a bad break or strain to " come well,* 

 as we florists pay ; or, to render ourselves intelligible, 

 a bulb of an inferior degree of quality, or one that 

 did not assume its proper character when first it 

 changed its colour from the self or breeder state, will 

 seldom, if ever, produce a good or first-rate flower. 



Nine-tenths of the disappointments experienced 

 by Tulip-growers arise from getting bad strains of 

 any particular sort. It is very certain that they may 

 get a flower broken from the same breeder as their 

 neighbour, but while he is successful in obtaining good 

 and well-marked blooms, they may never be able to 

 flower it fit to be seen, and, in fact, it will bear no 

 comparison with the other. Getting fine strains or good 

 breaks is the grand secret in Tulip-growing. Thus 

 we have Brulante eclatante, and Beteral's Brulante 

 eclatante, the last immeasurably superior to the 

 former; also Ponceau tres Blanc, and Dutch Pon- 

 ceau tres blanc, the latter a finer strain than the 

 other. Again : Sir Sidney Smith, a feathered 

 bizarre, is called Magnum Bonum, when from a 

 clean break ; and many others might be adduced to 

 illustrate our position. We have seen and grown 

 French Tulips, said to be very fine sorts, but really 

 we must have grown them many years (if they do 

 alter for the better) before they would have reached 

 our standard of a tine flower. 



In continuation, u From their first flowering, all 

 those with bad shaped cups are discarded, also those 

 with indented petals, or that are tinged with yellow ; 

 and a weak bending stem is considered a serious 

 defect. 



"After the petals have fallen, the heads or capsules 

 are cut off in order to strengthen the roots, which 

 otherwise would be uselessly weakened by ripening 

 their seeds." 



" The side bulbs always reproduce flowers identical 

 with those from which they derived their origin. 

 Their period of blooming varies according to their 

 size; it occasionally happens in the first year, and 

 sometimes it will take six or seven years' growth before 

 they flower. During the month of August, the bed 

 must- be prepared for their reception, and in Sep- 

 tember they must be planted from two to three or 

 four inches apart, according to their size. Should 

 their planting be deferred till November, it is very 

 possible that many of the smaller ones will shrivel 

 up and perish. When they are put into the ground 

 or taken up, the same system is followed as in the 

 main collection, so that all mistakes may be avoided, 

 and by that means the amateur will be able to 

 replace any bulbs which by accident or otherwise he 

 may have lost in his choice or best beds." — W. 



These directions, which are purely practical, and 

 divested by the author of all theory, nevertheless, 

 like all good cultivation, are entirely conformable to 

 the laws of Vegetable Physiology. The same mode 

 of management applies to all bulbs which naturally 

 inhabit countries considerably warmer than our own ; 

 and, if it were applied to them with the skill 

 and patience of a Tulip-grower, would have pre- 

 vented the loss of many fine things, obtained at 

 great cost, and of surpassing beauty, such, for in- 

 stance, as the whole race of Calochortus. 



TRAINING FOREST-TREES. 

 I observe in the Chronicle of Sept. 2S, a successful re- 

 futation of what Dr. Thackeray does not recommend or 

 practise respecting the training of forest trees. Mr. Bil- 

 liugton states him to entertain the notion that* 1 divesting a 

 tree of its side-branches increases the weight or bulk of 

 the timber in the trunk." Dr. Thackeray's system is 

 not to divest the tree of its side-branches. That was the 

 old plan, which lopped off all the side-branches, leaving 

 a little bushy head, which was thereby encouraged to 

 diverge into several branches of equal thickness ; on the 

 contrary, he selects a single stem as the leader, and gra- 

 dually takes off such large branches as may interfere with 

 and rival it. Mr. Billington next states that in a former 

 Treatise he has ''shown, beyond a doubt, that Larches 

 with numerous htaithy branches and leaves increase in 

 girth upwards ol' two inches annually ; and that those 

 having diseased leaves and only a few branches increase 

 very little." If the leaves be unhealthy the tree must be 

 unhealthy; and who ever doubted that a healthy tree would 

 increase faster than an unhealthy one ? Mr. Billington 

 then says that " lopping off branches as they are pro- 

 duced, or too soon afterwards, makes trees tall, weak, 

 puny things." Who doubts this? Not Dr. Thackeray ; for 

 he never proposed to lop them off " as soon as produced." 1 

 nor very soon afterwards, uuless they appeared likely to 

 detract from or rival the head or leader. Nor can any 

 one doubt that lopping " too soon" is bad ; but what is 

 " too soon ?" that is just the point in question. If Mr. 

 Billington's sole object be the promotion of truth— the 

 establishing of the best system— (and I have no reason 

 to suppose the contrary), I would venture to suggest 

 that the best way of obtaining 'his object is to examine 

 carefully and state candidly the plans and reasons ob- 

 jected to. I adopted, ten years ago, the Thackeray 

 system in some remnants of ancient forest, and in my 



hedgerow timber, at Wood Walton and Westow, in the 

 county of Huntingdon. The trees in the former, some 

 growing from old stools, some self-sown, are thinned 

 periodically when the underwood is cut. Most of the 

 older trees I have found separated into many branches, 

 none of which deserve the name of timber, and leaving 

 a very short trunk, which is saleable. Experience as yet 

 cannot show a decisive result; but those trees which 

 have been trained on the Thackeray plan present the 

 appearance of a longer and stouter stem than otners of 

 the same age formerly did. The advantage as to 

 hedgerow timber seems still greater. The old trees 

 having nothing to restrain them, have formed, at about 

 half the timber height, an umbrageous top, doing far 

 mare annual damage to the land, especially if it be 

 arable, than their growth can compensate. For this 

 reason I have cut down several not wanted for shade to 

 cat Je, which, if they had been trained on a different plan, 

 might advantageously have remained. I visited Dr. 

 Thackeray's Flintshire woods twice iu 183G, and again in 

 last September. Their appearance fully confirmed the 

 favourable opinion which I had formed. In one respect 

 I differ from him — in thinking it better to finish the prun- 

 ing in July, or if practicable in June, as the bark will then 

 have time to cicatrise, and in some degree grow over 

 the wounded trunk — George Prymc, Cambridge. 



THE NERQUIS PLANTATIONS. 



In a recent Number of the Gardeners' Chronicle these 

 plantations form the subject of a lengthened article, 

 written by Mr. Billington, near Oswestry. As a practical 

 forester, and as one who has had frequent opportunities 

 of inspecting Dr. Thackeray's plantations, I trust I may 

 be excused for taking part in a discussion of which the 

 article in question has been the origin. 



Mr. 13. has an unquestionable right to assert the 

 superiority of his favourite theory over anything else 

 of the kind yet submitted to the public ; but this 

 theory must have something more to support it than 

 mere assertion ; and the outspeaking merits of the system 

 of pruning and thinning practised in Dr. T.'s plantations 

 has of late been well attested by highly competent 

 authorities. I have, within these few days, gone through 

 and minutely inspected the Nerquis plantations. Like 

 Mr. B. "Tsaw much to admire and praise." "The 

 greater part of the Larches are really *good f ' and 

 there are certainly some fine Oak and Ash trees." Mr. 

 B. very justly observes, '* that what is spent in forming 

 large branches may by art be made to form valuable 

 timber in an elongated trunk," and that M it is clear that 

 we may regulate by skill and art the increase of the girth 

 and elongation of the trunks to almost any proportion! 

 we please." I most cordially join Mr. B. in his " pro- 

 test against the non-pruning advocates ; " and I think 

 with him, that "Dr. T.'s system of pruning is tole- 

 rably correct ;" but I trust to be excused for saying that 

 I cannot consistently follow Mr. B., when he tells 

 us that "■' Dr. T.'s system is erroneous, and apt to esta- 

 blish a mode of pruning wholly opposed to the true 

 means of increasing useful and valuable timber j w or 

 when he says that the greater part of the trees at Nerquis 

 are only fit for poles, rails, ladders, and such like pur- 

 poses. Mr. B. admits that the Larches are good. Now, 

 if we compare the girths of the Larch and Oak specimens 

 given in his own report, the proportion which they bear 

 to each other (Larch 3 feet 2 inches, Oak 1 foot 7 inches) 

 is not far from what is usual and common. As might be 

 expected, Mr. B.'s measurements partake largely of the 

 general character of his report, and ought to be viewed 

 accordingly. My visit to Nerquis having been subsequent 

 to the appearance of Mr. B.'s observations, my inspec- 

 tion was very naturally directed to the examination 

 of such points as seemed most to engage Mr. B.'s attention. 



As regards the effect of the method of pruning 

 practised in Dr. T.'s woods, no unprejudiced person, 

 capable of judging, can have but one opinion ; and I 

 speak guardedly when I say, that these plantations afford 

 a more convincing proof of the advantages resulting from 

 a systematic mode of training, than is often to be met 

 with. They are undeniably the finest in North Wales 

 — soil, situation, and climate considered. The Oak and 

 Ash trees, instead of showing signs of having been injured 

 by the Larches, are, on the contrary, in a very thriving 

 condition, having wide-spreading, lofty tops — a sure in- 

 dication of vigour of growth. These observations do not 

 well accord with Mr. B.'s description of matters. In 

 that part of the plantation from which (as I was infortned 

 by Dr. T.'s wood-forester) Mr. B. selected his speci- 

 mens, I measured off a rectangular plot of ground, 35 

 yards by 2-4, where the trees seemed to be of an average 

 size ; the total number of trees upon this piece of ground 

 was 37, viz. 7 Larches, the circumferences of which, 

 taken at 4 feet from the base of the trunks were 

 46. 44, 46, 45, 40, 44, and 40 inches respectively ; 

 7 ditto from 36 to 38 inches in girth, at 4 feet from 

 the base ; 6 Oak trees, the circumference of which, 

 taken at the same height, were 28, 26, 24, 22, 21, and 

 24 inches respectively ; 4 Sycamore trees, average girth 

 at 4 feet from the ground, aoout 24 inches, and 13 

 smaller-sized trees of various kinds. So much for the 

 " unmerciful" pruning. 



Mr. Spencer, a subsequent writer on the subject, says, 

 at page 716, " Admitting that the trees in Nerquit 

 plantations are fine specimens of growth, does it not 

 tollow that their vigour is solely attributable to the 

 pruning they have had ? — Certainly not." According 

 to Mr. Speucer, the mode of culture practised at Nerquis 

 is founded on mistaken notion! of the principles of vege- 

 table economy. If so,T presume we have no alternative 

 but to attribute the] success attending their growth to 



