

.8 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



me was the greatest wonder of the forest. 

 which it prostrated in falling has been burnt hollow, 

 and is so large, a gentleman who accompanied us from 

 Murphy's informed us, that when he first visited the 

 place two years ago, he rode through it on horseback 

 for 200 feet without stopping but at one spot as he 

 entered at the root. We ail walked many scores of feet 

 through it, but a large piece of its side has fallen in near 

 the head. But there are many standing whose magni- 

 tude absolutely oppresses the mind with awe. In one 

 place three of these gigantic objects grow side by side, 

 as if planted with special reference to their present 



Another, so monstrous as to absolutely 



appearance. 



compel you to walk around it, and even linger, is divided 

 at from 50 to 1 00 feet from the ground into three of these 

 straight mammoth trunks, towering over 300 feet into the 

 sky. There are others whose proportions are as deli- 

 cate, symmetrical, clean and straight as small Spruces, 

 that rise 350 feet from the ground. In one spot a huge 

 knot of some ancient prostrate giant is visible above the 

 soil, where it fell ages ago, and the earth has accumu- 

 lated so as nearly to obliterate all traces of its former 

 existence. The wood of this tree, I am told by Mr. 

 Lapham, is remarkable for its slow decay. When first 

 cut down its fibre is white, but it soon becomes reddish, 

 and long exposure makes it as dark as mahogany ; it is 

 soft, and resembles in some respects Pine and Cedar. 

 Its bark, however, is much unlike these trees ; nearest 

 the ground it is prodigiously thick, fibrous, and when 

 pressed on has a peculiar feeling of elasticity. In some 

 places it is 18 inches thick, and resembles a mass of 

 Cocoa-nut husks, thickly matted and pressed together, 

 only the fibrous material is exceedingly fine, and alto- 

 gether unlike the husk of the Cocoa nut. This bark is 

 fissured irregularly with numerous indentations, which 

 give it the appearance of great inequality and rough- 

 ness. At 150 feet from the ground it is only about 

 2 inches thick on the living tree, which is now being 

 stripped of its bark for transportation from the country. 

 An hotel is built near the ' Big Tree,' whose bark was 

 stripped last year and exhibited in San Fr&neiseo ; and 

 an appendage of the house is built over it, so as to 

 constitute a hall for cotillion parties. At the root it 

 measures 96 feet in circumference, and a portion of its 

 prostrate trunk is used for a bowling alley. 

 overthrow it, holes were bored through with 



and after the trunk 



The tree j vatory. It is almost impossible, however, to give pre- 

 cise directions as to the temperature which should be 

 maintained, for very much depends upon the kind of 

 plants which the house may contain, and also upon 

 the character of the house itself, that only general direc- 

 tions can be given, and these must be accommodated 

 to the particular circumstances of each case. Where 

 Camellias, Epacrises, Heaths, and other greenhouse 

 things form the principal floral display, 40° at night 

 by fire-heat will be quite sufficient, but where the 

 hardier stove plants or forced things are used for the 

 decoration of this house, 45? will be the proper mean 

 nigfit temperature. 



STATE OP THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK, HEAR LOfTDOK 

 For the week ending Jan. 4, 1855, as obserred at the Horticultural Garde* 



Tbmperaturs. 



Dec. 

 aid Jan. 



Friday 29 

 Satur. DO 

 Sunday 31 

 Mon., 1 

 Tues. 2 

 Wed. 3 

 Thurs. 4 



* • 



- <x> 



3 



9 

 10 

 11 

 12 



O 

 15 



Average . 

 Dec. 



Babombtbb. 



Max. Min. 



Ol the Air. 



Of the Earth 



30.443 

 50.444 



30.3-23 

 29.951 

 30X69 

 30.170 

 30.213 



30.374 



30.396 

 30.35 4 

 30.101 



29.919 

 30.02S 

 30.139 



30.164 



30.157 



Max. 



41 



47 



47 

 53 



51 



52 



47 

 43.3 



Min. 



34 

 39 

 35 



4*. 

 44 

 39 

 33 



39.3 



Mean \ toot ) 2*«« 

 deep. I deep. 



37.5 



43.0 

 41.0 

 49.5 

 47.5 

 45.5 

 42.5 



43.S 



Wind] i 



43 

 43 

 43 

 44 



4 4 

 45 



45 

 43.9 



= 





S.\Y. 

 S.YV 



N -W. A 



N.W. . 



W. J 



To 



left their marks on neighbouring trees." 



a large auger, and after the trunk was mostly 

 separated, attempts were made to wedge and upset it. 

 But its immense size and weight prevented the success 

 of this undertaking, and on the fourth day it fell by the 

 force of a strong wind. In falling, it convulsed the 

 earth, and by its weight forced the soil from beneath it, 

 so that it lies in a great trench, and mud and stones 

 were driven noar a hundred feet high, where they have 



The following 

 paragraph bears very hard upon Dr. Lin d ley. [It is 

 too rich to be omitted.] u The name that has been 

 applied to this tree by Professor Lindley, an English 

 botanist, is Weliingtonia gigantea. By lam it is declared 

 to be so much unlike other Coniferce, as not only to be 

 a new species, but to require description as a new genus. 

 Other botanists of eminence think differently. To this, 

 however, he has seen fit to apply the name of an English 

 hero, a step indicating as much personal arrogance or 

 weakness as scientific indelicacy ; for it must have been 

 a prominent idea in the mind of that person that Ame- 

 rican naturalists would regard with surprise and reluc- 

 tance the application of a British name, however 

 meritoriously honoured, when a name so worthy of 

 immortal honour and renown as that of Washington 

 would strike the mind of the world as far more suitable 

 to the most gigantic and remarkable vegetable wonder 

 indigenous to a country where his name is the most dis- 

 tinguished ornament. As he and his generation declared 

 themselves independent of all English rule and political 

 dictation, so American naturalists must in this case 

 express their respectful dissent from all British scien- 

 tific c stamp acts.' If the % Big Tree * be a Taxodium, 

 let it be called now and for ever Taxodium Washing- 

 tonium. If it should be properly ranked as a new genus, 

 then let it be called to the end of time Washingtonia 

 CalLfornica. The generic name indicates unparalleled 

 greatness and grandeur ; its specific name, the only 

 locality in the world where it is found. No names can 

 be more appropriate ; and if it be in accordance with 

 the views of American botanists, I trust the scientific 

 honour of our country may be vindicated from foreign 

 indelicacy by boldly discarding the name now applied 

 to it, and by affixing to it that of the immortal man 

 whose memory we all love and honour, and teach our 

 children to adore. Under any and all circumstances, 

 however, whether of perpetuity or extinction, the name 

 of Wellington should be discarded, and that of Washing- 

 ton attached to it, and transmitted to the schools of 

 future ages."— Hooker's Journal of Botany. 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



Pinery. — A night temperature of about 60° should 

 be maintained in the fruiting pits, allowing it to rise to 

 70° during the day, or 75° with sunshine, and where the 

 fruit is approaching maturity 5° higher may be main- 

 tained if this can be done without injury to the general 

 stock. Also aim at keeping up a steady bottom-heat of 

 about 80°, which for the present will be high enough. 

 — The Vines in houses about to be started should receive 

 a dressing with the ordinary composition a few days 

 before closing the house, rubbing it well into the crevices 

 of the bark ; also get the outside border covered if not 

 already done ; this, however, should always be effected 

 before this season, so as to retain a portion of the warmth 

 infused by the summer's sun, and throw off heavy rains. 

 Where very early Melons are required, seed of 

 some established favourite should be got in at once. 

 Cucumbers being very generally grown for early use, it 

 is scarcely necessary to refer to these farther here 

 than to say that, if not already done^ seed should be 

 sown at once. These and Melons require plenty of 

 light and moisture, and every care should be used to 

 keep them clear of insects, and this renders it ad vise- 

 able to have them in a light by themselves. A small 

 quantity of Strawberry plants may now be placed in 

 a pit or frame where a temperature of about 45° can be 

 maintained, keeping them close to the glass, and giving 

 abundance of air whenever the weather will permit. 



FLOWER GARDEN AND SHRUBBERIES. 



Where any of the beds or borders require a dressing 

 of fresh soil this should be provided, in order to have it 

 in readiness to wheel on when favourable w r eather for 

 such work may occur. Fresh soil is, in most cases, 

 preferable as a dressing for flower beds to manure, 

 which is apt to cause too luxuriant a growth for a first- 

 rate display of flowers. On soils that are naturally poor, 

 however, and where neither fresh soil nor decayed 

 leaves can be had, a moderate dressing of well rotted 

 farm-yard manure will be useful ; but this should be 

 well mixed with the soil to the full depth of the bed, 

 and not carelessly turned in and left in lumps near the 

 surface ; for in this case a gross habit of growth would 

 be promoted early in the season, and as the principal 

 part of the roots would be near the surface in the 

 manure, the plants would soon feel the effects of dry 

 weather, whereas if the manure were well incorporated 

 with the soil, to the depth of about IS inches, no ordi- 

 nary amount of dry weather would injure the plants 

 after they once got fairly established. Shrubberies may 

 be thinned where this involves only the cutting out of 

 overgrown plants or loping deciduous trees or the 

 hardier kinds of evergreens ; but where evergreens 

 generally require pruning, the work had better be de- 

 ferred until March, except in favourable localities ; for 

 although when the winter proves mild such work may 

 safely be performed at any time, it is never safe to 

 depend upon this. Avoid getting upon, or working the 

 ground when it is in a sodden state, and if the hands 

 cannot be profitably employed at out-door work, get a 

 good stock of pegs, Dahlia stakes, tallies, brooms, &c, 

 prepared and stored away in an orderly manner, so as 

 to be ready for use when wanted. 



£9— Closely overcast throughout. 



— 30— Overcast; cloudy ; fine ; 



— 31 — Overcast; cloudy; overcast; boisterous at night. 

 Jan. 1— Clouuy and hoisterous ; overcast ; slight rain. 



— 2— Densely clouded ; slight rain ; overcast and mild. 



— 3— Vine ; very fine throughout. 



— 4— Uniformly overcast ; cloudy and fine. 



Mean temperature of the week 6£ (leg. above the average. 



RECORD OF THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK, 

 During the last 29 years, for the ensuing week, ending Jan. 13, 1555. 



Jan. 



"-a a 



<^ z 



<"J <u ~ 



« > 3 



J 



*8 





4> 



n> 



as 



41.3 

 39.5 

 3'J.fi 

 41.4 

 41.1 

 41.7 

 42" 





29. 

 30.5- 



3' : 



.'•'.4 



.■si. 6 



30.9 



33.3 



35.3 

 Td.O 

 35.5 

 >.9 

 3*.3 

 36.3 



as.0 



No. of 

 Years in 

 which it 

 Rained. 



•j 



1 

 2 



4 



i 



Sunday 7 

 Mon. 8 

 Tues. 9 

 Wed. in 

 Thurs. H 

 Friday 19 

 Satur. 13 



The highest temperature during the above period occurred on the "ti, 

 1S45, and 12th, 1852— therm. 64 deg. ; and tne lowest on the 7th and 8 

 ISil — therm. 6 de 



11 



7 



10 

 14 

 16 

 15 

 16 



Greatest 



Quantity 

 of Rain. 



0.34 in. 



0.26 



0.20 



0.40 



0.S3 



0.76 



0.29 



Prevailing Wini, 



m 



3 

 3 

 6 

 6 

 4 

 5 

 3 



cV 



- 1U 1 



3 7 4 



4 

 7 



4 



3 

 3 



3 

 4 

 3 



4 

 1 



2 3 

 4 2 



5 

 5 



5 



6 



4 3| 



8 2 - 



9 2 1 



6 3 I 



, r 



n 





spare no pains or expense 

 remembering that future 



Calendar of Operations. 



{For the ensuing week.) 



PLANT DEPARTMENT. 



Conservatory, Sec— In mixed conservatories, that is 

 houses containing the principal display of bloom, and a 

 miscellaneous collection of greenhouse plants, tiie use of 

 fire-heat should be avoided as much as possible, for 

 although artificial warmth is useful to most plants in 

 bloom, it is injurious to many hard- wooded things 

 which flower late in spring, and should be sparingly 



used where the^e have to be wintered in the conser- 



HARDY FRUIT AND KITCHEN GARDEN. 



If any transplanting of fruit trees has yet to be done 

 this season, it should be seen to while the weather is 

 favourable for such work; also see to getting ground 

 intended to be planted with young trees prepared, and 



to have this properly done, 

 success will very largely 

 depend upon how this is effected. Make sure of thorough 

 drainage, and where the subsoil is unkind this should be 

 removed, replacing it with some good fresh loam. When 

 a large breadth has to be planted in one season this ex- 

 pensive kind of preparation cannot always be afforded, 

 but it is better to do such work only in such quantities 

 as will allow of every precaution being used to 

 ensure success, and it is useless to hope for this 

 on some soils without making expensive prepa- 

 rations before planting. Get pruning and nailing 

 forwarded as fast as circumstances will permit. Attend 

 to keeping up a supply of Seakale, Rhubarb, and Aspa- 

 ragus, according to the demand and convenience, by 

 introducing quantities of the roots into heat at intervals 

 of about a fortnight. Where there is room to spare in 

 the Mushroom-house, the two former will be found to 

 do exceedingly well there, and a supply will be obtained 

 with very little trouble. A quantity of roots should be 

 got up and laid in where they can be covered in case of 

 severe frost, so as to avoid the chance of having to take 

 them up when the ground is frozen hard. Also see to 

 providing a supply of French Beans. These are fre- 

 quently grown in the early Vineries or in plant houses, 

 but their liability to the attacks of red spider renders 

 them dangerous inmates of such structures, and where 

 it can possibly be done they should be grown in a pit 

 devoted to such purposes. .* 



The amount of Pvam in 1854 is about 5 

 average. 



inches below f* 



Notices to Correspondents. 



Box Edgings : P E. In answer to your inquiry as to whether 

 relaying Box-edgn s, the surplus Box belongs to the landlord* 

 tenant, we have to say that it is a legal question which c* 

 only be answered upon a full knowledge of the circumstance 



Imi'atiens Hookebi: Oi?. A plant of this Balsam is now in 

 bloom in the Horticultural Society's Garden, and a very beau? 

 fui thing it is. 



Insects : W C, Edgware. The insects sent by you as injun 

 to Cabbages and French Beans are of two distinct kuiaV 

 longing to distinct orders ; the small ones therefore are not* 

 young of the larger. The former are a small species of spn- 

 tailed insects (Podura fimetaria) common in gardens, especi- 

 among semi-decayed vegetable matter; the larger one 

 small species of Julus or snake millepede. This attaeKs 

 roots of living vegetables, and can only be got rid of by a e 

 ful cleansing of the soil. W. _ T F - 



Names of Fhotts: B T R. 2, Winter Nelis, and 3 is Ne i 

 Meuris; yon have therefore not got Knight's Monarch. 

 Apple No. 1 is Stunner Pippin ; 2, Mannington's Peat^; 

 The other specimen of Winter Nelis is larger tnau JS 

 Beurr£ Diel which you state to have grown 18 ounces, JP* 

 Beurre 14£, and Chaumontel 14 ounces, are above the ^ 

 size of these varieties.— J2 Robertson. 1, Althorp CrasfjTL 

 Bezi de la Motte ; 4, Vicar of Winkneld ; 5, Duchesse d AJ 

 leme; 6, Too far gone— probably Sucre* Vert; 7, tow- 

 Aberdeenshire. 1, Keinette du Canada; 2, Blenheim *W 

 3, Beurre" Diel, a very good specimen; 4, Easter Be 

 probably Marie Louise from a late blossom.— # Pike. 1|* 

 Is Glou Morceau ; the Apple is not known, appears to v* 



fit for Cider. || ^ 



Names of Plants : We have been so often obliged to reI "\ ctt 



decline naming heaps of dried or other plants, that we ** $ 



to request our corn, spon dents to recollect that we never 



or could have undertaken an unlimited duty of 



thB *J 



Young gardeners, to whom these remarks more especially j£ 

 muld bear in mind that, before applying to us for *?*J*m 

 they should exhaust their other means of gaining *™ Vitfl 

 We cannot save them the trouble of examining and tfli^ 

 for themselves : nor would it be desirable if we could. ^ 

 can do is to help them— and that most willingly. **JJ*> 

 requested that, in future, not more than four P lante JLf6* 

 sent us at one time.— FA P. Yes; see answers to Cor r8Pr 



dents in last week's Paper. 8. 



