10 



THE GARDKXERS 



CHRONICLE 



a horse in healtu. Luckily it does so happen that tueir 

 great en.my soot re «n utle the languid powers of 

 the soil: were it otherwise these trees wonld dis- 



* — • • ■ ■ ----- of a square as 



chlorophyll is necessary in 



almost all self-sustained 



j -j- - - . a a ier a concomitant 



plants;* but the green tint is rattier 



appear 



would 



That which is true 



of 



it 18 



be equally true of a garden properly so 

 (I more so, for ordinary garden plants 



'" * that in which 



air than anythiu* to which we can att n it. «he rent 

 virtue. , In Cblor-* - see tl.at^the ^.^ 

 colour 



rapidly tendin 



advantage. 



When planted inTlta 



niargj 



an* •*..»* — . f 



In Chlorosis we see that 

 U accompanied by an unhealthy 



derailments dependent upon old age 



plantations, or in belts by the side of public roadi A " 

 its leaves contrast agreeably with the more f Q * 

 and darker foliage of many of its associated- 

 clustering, drooping, white, Pear-blossoms Rre \ "* 

 attractive, furnishing an agreeable perfume, and i»!r 

 the brief periods of their beauty they afford an abun»* 



and rich harvest to the honey-bee. I n fe VOu ^, 

 seasons this tree ripens abundance of seed, and ify 

 And this is the kept in the pod until the following spring, and aowl £ 



light good soil, it will grow freely. u * 



called ; — . 



usually demand a better soil UK 



trees contrive to exist. 



When, therefore, we shall have lost our sooty deran^emen^ # 



atmosphere and begun again to garden the first more P^»^ When of consumable size, the. Robinias may W 



requisites will be water in abundance and manure ot If, ^^^^ P, 4hftt which exists in leaves which transplanted with safety ; mdeed, for orn amen ui JJ 

 In their absence no skill can succeed ; with them a ! fl owew is ^a «a^« * , called autuinnal , poses moved trees are to be preferred u makes *«£ 



command, no greater failure is possible than that have *~™~nto toke plaea only i«T leases exposed to A vigorous, and wnseqnmdy th^ aw tetter abb to «5 

 Xh arises from norant gardening which is just £*^ oxygen instead o ; the force of wind, * hen removed the branches sh, 



as bad in the country as in towns. Towns, indeed, I •»»#> ■ _ . * -i— •!— « <Wndent 



will have this advantage— that they provide a degree 



Of warmth and shelter which in the open country is 



nnattain e. The only real impediments will be 



fY man must, how- 



ever!' K*W*iittte**«M who cannot keep off 

 such visitors by means that shall not render his 

 garden less enjo >hle. 



8U ? ^mt The Tan" of colour, then, is dependent be well cut back, and the long rope-like root* wS* 

 £?£ formation of an acid which changes the chloro- ru n near the surface carefully preserved to a conad*. 

 ^v fir to ve low and then to rod.f A red leaf mace- . ab le length, wjth a view to ensure Us growth « H 

 phj.l tirs« »y een leaf treated ag t0 asslst in i-eepmg it in an erect position. 



rated n potash becomes green, but a green leaf treated 

 with an acid becomes yellow (see Thomson's "Organic 





What llobinias have come under my notice hi* 

 not attained a great age or size ; but the heart-wood 



of 



a 



the 

 e two 



We presume that it is in anticipation o 

 «uvent of this new condition of London that th 

 little works m ntioned at foot have been prepared. • 

 We cannot, however, Bay much in favour of the 

 second, which does not seem to have been written 

 bv a gardener, if we are to judge from the p an s 

 recommcnd.d for cultivation, and from sundry little 

 symptoms which the pr ed eye has no difficulty 

 in detectint Gardeners do not talk of < 'Abdera* 

 of .nffocnted greens," or " 1 antahan lakes, or 

 "Staavrian retread." whatever those phrases may 

 mean, nor would he have recommended such plant 



Hebenstreitias, Chtenos- 



are seldom of very long duration, but for the most part 

 nass rapidly into decomposition, except the moisture 



contain 



or soon 



Cleomes, 



annuals for a town garden, 



as firowallia*, 



toman, and Kutocas, — - - 



or unattractive species like Nicotiana lom;iflora. 



Malva crispa, Catananche lutea, and Fedia dentate, 

 to be cultivated anywhere. m 



Mr. Pauls book, on the contrary, is that ot a 

 practical man, whose advice may be taken with 

 confidence ; and we anticipate that it will become, 

 as it deserves, a general authority in suburban 

 cultivation. We must, however, be permitted 

 to doubt whether his selection of plants wi 

 continue to have freight with tho*e who shall 

 1. ive purchased upon his advice such thm as the 



of London gardens: — 



philadelphicum, Lathy rus i* variety, 

 Benthamia fragtfera, Podocarpus come \ 

 naria canadei is, to say nothing of others whose 

 mea are unkn< a beyond the nurseries. 



™' ;{ U The green tint of chlorophyll not only passes 

 into other colours, but sometimes becomes unnaturally 

 deep, a circumstance which is occasionally indicative ot 

 evil Under the full action of light and air, forcing 

 manures or certain gaseous matters have this effect ; and 

 the same phenomenon takes place in fairy rings under 

 the influence of the fungi by which they are produced 

 The pi esence of mycelium in tissues, as for instance that 

 of lunt, causes sometimes a marked intensity of green, 



y which the plants which are affected may be pointed 

 out long before the spike appears, and indeed in the case 

 of seed purposely inoculated, occasionally from the 

 earliest infancy. Some other epiphytal fungi have a 

 similar effect. The general deep tint observed in some 

 years at the beginning of autumn in woods is caused by 



the dark Fumagos which overrun the leaves. 



following for decoration 

 Erigeron 



rwni«trv » n 426) It is, therefore, apparently more ^ ^ 



nnrelv chemical than a vital phenomenon, and where has attained full maturity in from 25 to 35 years ; wb* 

 ?»ip a«uniption of florid hues maybe supposed to be | put down, trees of the latter age have even shown sip* 

 P<ttPntiallv vital, as in the flowers of plants, such parts of decay at the pith ; after that age the growth is *,, 

 esseuiuuj • _. i.-a.ju-A- ««*-* n*i* but they will resist the force of the storm unscathrf. 



When once established repeated thinnings will soon fc 

 replaced by suckers, which are produced freely fan 

 the roots. The rapid growth and the early period it 

 which it produces heart- wood, has induced the t 

 that the young stems were w*ell adapted for Hop-poles 

 but those who are practically acquainted with its mode 

 of growth will require no argument to convince them 

 that it is ill adapted for this purpose. If Hop-pola 

 can be obtained at all from it they must be from those 

 trees that have grown up with long and straight branches 

 or limbs, and that have made durable heart-woe: 

 These, indeed, will be lasting. Cattle will eat eager 

 of the young shoots and foliage of the Robiiiia,taJ 

 fortunately the green meadows and pastures, together 

 with the greatly improved husbandry of our couutr 

 will, we hope, always preclude the necessity of depend- 

 ing on such a source for a supply of fodder for ocr 



stock. . „ 



The Ilobinia has likewise been praised for its abra- 

 dant and quick supply of firewood; but when we fe 

 into consideration the strong and repulsive thorns w. 

 which it is armed in the early period of its growth, id 

 that the workman must be thoroughly defended by i 

 panoply of leather before he can attempt to make uj 

 progress with the work, it is not likely that it rill e 

 become a favourite in this country as an inhabitant i 



Saogui- 



VEGETABLE PATHOLOGY.— No. LXVIL 



Variolation 



296. DfXotoRATio (Change of Colour). 

 not onlv differs in degree, according to the more or les 

 impertect formation of chlorophyll, but different shade 

 may be c< ined in the same individual, as in a variety 

 of crown imperial, where there are y alow, white, and 

 green bands, but it may be accompanied by hues which 

 are no proper shade of green or its component parts, as 

 reds. A w nown instance is that of the variety of 

 Kale called Rugged Jack, which is permanent when 

 raised from cuttings. How far it may have the same 

 effect upon the stock as other variegated grafts has, per- 

 haps, not been ascertained. Any such effect if really 

 produced would probably le confined to the white or 

 whitish ceils, for coloured cells apparently exercise no 

 general effect upon those with which they are connected. 

 The stock and graft retain their own peculiarities of 

 colour uuchanged. In the white Silesian and red 

 Beet grafted on each other by Dr. Maclean (see 

 Gardener*' Chrwiicle, 1B55, p. 20) there was not the 

 least blending of the colours in the contiguous cells.f 

 " Each produced its own colouring matter in its own 

 new cell* as they formed superficially, the red cells 

 adhering to the white culls while in the nascent state, 

 but retaining each the peculiarity belonging to it, 

 without any interchange of contents through the sides 



of the walls in contact/ 9 



297. It ia not then with any primary or normal dis- 

 position of red tints combined with blue or otherwise 

 that we are concerned^ in this place. They do not 

 depend upon any diseased action as far as we know, nor 

 they communicate like tints arising from true variega- 

 tion to tissues with which they may be in contact. The 

 decoloration of which we now wish to speak is that 



ROBINIA PSEUD-ACACIA. 



Tins elegant and fast-growing tree has been justly 

 celebrated for the strength and durability of its timber. 

 But some writers, in their enthusiastic encomiums on it, 

 have attributed to it qualities to which it. can lay no 

 claim, more especially when grown in this country. Its 

 chief merit consists in the early formation of heart 

 wood, its strength and durability ; the other portions of 

 the tree possess no claim to notice more than any other 

 quick growing tree. Having been employed for very 

 many years by a gentleman who has planted a goodly 

 number of the Ilobinia, and who has in various ways 

 tested and proved the lasting qualities of its wood, I 

 am, therefore, enabled to give the following remarks 



from practical experience and observation. 



The Robinia delights in a rich light soil and sheltered 

 situation. In such a soil it is questionable whether 

 digging or trenching is of advantage. Its natural habit 

 when young is to grow freely and rapidly, making shoots, 

 when once established, from 6 to 10 feet in a season. 

 The object in such a soil should be rather to check than 

 encourage an excessive growth ; for the great defect of 

 the Robinia in its young state "is the splitting and 

 separation of its branches from the trunk, even by their 

 own weight, and much more than when exposed to a 

 brisk w?nd. In light sandy, gravelly, or chalky soils I 

 would advise the ground to be trenched 18 inches deep. 

 In stiff retentive clays I have seen repeated trials to 

 grow it without success; the last trial was made in 

 1345, but in the wet autumn of 1852 and spring of 1853 

 they all perished. A strong stiff soil, on which is laid 

 a large quantity of sand, and then trenched, however, 

 appears to suit it well. The splitting and separation of 

 the branches require the constant attention of those who 

 plant the Robinia to produce lasting timber. I confess 

 I am unable to point out any mode of treatment by 

 which this natural defect may be entirely overcome ; 

 but shortening or pruning back the young wood during 

 summer and even the leading shoot when it shows a 

 tendency to split off, appears to me to be the best way 

 of lessening the evil. From the neglect of such a mode 



the copse ; but if its qualities in this respect were era 

 such as have been described, there could be little induce. 

 ment now to plant it for this purpose. Ihe formal 

 of railways has opened up an intercommumctfon 

 throughout the country, by which the produce of oor 

 coal-fields, the wreck of the forests and morass ol 

 bygone ages of our globe, are conveyed for our use 

 Upon a careful examination of those trees i tbttoj 

 more particularly under my notice, I ima i 



come 



there is not more than one in ten whose stems ««£ 

 out blemish and decay ; these defects are pnnejg 

 caused by winds breaking off the branch* ,p 

 decay and admitting moisture ; or pos S1 b y th «*« 

 the soil and the variableness of our ■climate . m»J «* 

 accelerate the evil. These are the reason j * 

 standing the undoubted value and durab'lijrot « j£ 

 and the urgent recommendations of many w 

 cates, why it is not more generally planted 



country. .-. _,t,;„i, fa «tt 



I shall not enumerate the purposes to who 



has been applied in this and other < ou ^ i{fc * 

 merely confine my remarks to wuat x ^ t &«& 

 for, which has been for strong posts to suppo ^ 



open S heds, gate posts, posts ^ J« ^Sl- ^ f . 

 ^ckMowers'ticks, tallies, &c **i**%£d 



frames for covered tanks, window sills, handles ,-, 





icks, tames, ^ -- > n^ 



cabinet work. The heart-wood should De ^ 



before it is sawn up for Dahlias and for 



wise it is apt to twist and warp 



jaurements o_ _ 



with a vie w to show the growth of tWtr ^ ^ ^ 



The measui 



to twist am* *r-*r" . ^mpnstf^ 



•ements of the t olio w.ng ■PfjjSJ* 



in a given number of years, but no accoun - ^ 

 limbs, many of which wouldjnakepo^ ^ ^ 



the trees are selected from many 



planted 



under a regular and systematic course of pruning 

 It may be grown to produce timber in dells 



In woods where there are large vacant spaces, if the 



surrounded 



and just about to lose their vitality, evidenced either the exclusion of sunlight and air, for these, I hold 

 by parting from the parent plant, or by a tendency to to be indispensable to the organism of the tree. 

 enter into further and more rapid decomposition. It 



may be regarded possibly rather as a symptom than as hi)li 1S smiame ^a 



an especial disease ; but in whatever light it may be excess of>otsture wut ao), t ne it omni a may De planted 



regarded, it is the inevitable forerunner in mature cellar, assume a red tint wnen exposed in a warm frame to light- 

 tissues of more or less speedy decay.i The presence ot ' The tint may, however, be confined to the petioles of the leaves 



Z F jL-__r "*" -UTL '■ t,j e lamina? acquiring rapidly afull green without any concomitant 



* The u Hand nook ot \ ilia hardening," by Wni. _ Paul. Piper 

 and Co. 12mo, pp. IBS. 



" The Town Garden/' by Shirley Ilibberd. Groombridge. 

 2tmo, pp. 172. 



f This is the more r*>m*r]cable hecanw deep red Beet when eaten 



growth ; height ol tree, 28 it., <*** » 



cc •*» utf 



trenched 9 ft. deep ; 

 4 ft. 9 in. : at 10 ft* 



height, 45 



g 



15 ft-, » *i*; 



at 





in lars,^ qusumres uupans coitmr » me unw, Tne colouring 

 matter is probably not chemically combined with the fluid, or 

 at least not in a state of real solution but merely stxsi d in it, 

 and therefore will not pass through the membranous walls. 



X All assumption of florid tints by parts normally green is not, 

 however, necessarily indicative of decay. The bleached shoo 

 ef Pelargoniums for instance, which have been induced in a 



acquiring rapidly a full green without any concomitant 

 red. A branch of Aider if cut across soon assumes a vivid red. 

 In this case possibly the change may be one rather of molecular 

 arrangement in the exposed sap than of chemical composition, 

 as in the analogous blue tint of many Boleti. 



• Monotxopa is stated by Duchartre, in his memoir on that 

 genus, to he no true parasite. It ii certainly capable of cultiva- 

 tion, which is not the case with Orobanches, and such plants as 

 derive their nutriment from some organised matrix. 



t It i* obvious that change from green to yellow is not neces- 

 sarily dependent upon the same causes as the prevention of the 

 formation of a full green tint. The one may take place in the 

 presence of light, the other in its partial or total absence. 



no protection. 3d. fJanieu p. *~ > ^ m w 

 deep, rich, garden soil -height, o0 it. ^ ^ * 

 5 ftl in. ; at 10 ft., 3 ft. d ia , »* pisBt^fl 



hed 2 ft. ^j£ 



at 30 ft, 2 ft. ; rath 



34 years' growth, ground trenc 





2 ft deep ; light soil, ^velly bottom i ^^,1 

 4 ft. 3 in"; at 10 ft., 8 ft, 2 »-^ fi5 ft. -gtf 

 at 30 ft, 2 ft. 8 in. ; height of tr ^d ^ ' 

 free from branches, protected sou ^ 



trees. . *w the ab° Te . f5r «•* 



I have omitted to tnenU« . tW th^ ^ V 



planted along with Larch, I utk ; 



