54-2 General MesulU of a Gardening Tour: — 



and become unsightly by leaving the centre of the pot com- 

 paratively bare. Mr. Perrin's plan, by cutting off the con- 

 nection between the travelling shoots and the stationary 

 stool, forces the latter to throw up shoots ; and thus filling 

 the centre of the pot, as well as its sides, large handsome 

 plants are produced, which hang over the rims equally on 

 every side. 



As Points of open-air Culture and Management^ we shall in 

 the present article recommend but a few. The first shall be 

 to plant trees less deep than usual, and, in many cases, in a 

 hillock half above the surface, rather than under it. The 

 object, with fruit trees, is to bring the roots more immedi- 

 ately under the influence of the sun and air, and to dis- 

 courage their descent into the substratum, by which the tree 

 is kept growing beyond the proper season, prevented from 

 ripening its wood, and often infested with canker. The 

 object with forest or ornamental trees in a park, or on a 

 lawn, is partly the same as with fruit trees, but principally 

 to give them a natural appearance ; the bases of the stems 

 of all trees which have sprung up from the seed fortui- 

 tously being found raised above the surface, and cling- 

 ing to it by the spreading of the trunk into leading rootsy 

 and never, as in artificial planting, rising abruptly from 

 the surface like a column without a base. This seemingly 

 trifling matter, if attended to in transplanting large trees in 

 parks, instead of placing them always on a perfectly level 

 base, and covering all their roots, would convey the idea of 

 natural wood, stability, and even age. This, we think, every 

 close observer of natural wood scenery, capable of analysing 

 the impressions it makes upon him, will allow. A practice 

 which ought to go hand in hand with planting trees on the 

 surface is that of forming fruit tree borders in cold climates, 

 and where the walls are not high, much shallower than is 

 usually done, and never digging or cropping the borders 

 after they are once formed. This practice was strongly 

 recommended by Hitt, half a century ago ; but it is very 

 generally neglected, and the excuse, where the parties know 

 better, is, that they cannot spare the borders, they being 

 wanted for the culture of early crops. This may be true, 

 and the evil may be one without a ready remedy ; but, if per- 

 sisted in, it need not be wondered at that trees so treated, 

 whether on walls or espaliers, seldom produce a crop of well- 

 flavoured fruit. In the garden in which we have seen the 

 best crops, both on the walls and on standards (that of 

 C. J. S. Walker, Esq., of Longford, near Manchester), not 

 only the wall borders, but circles of several yards in diameter, 

 under the standard trees, were never dug or cropped ; but 



