





■ 







large size from a sheltered valley to much 



very- 

 higher ground. 



Yews 



The trees consisted of 



7 



IB 



60 



3 



22 



Hornbeam ... 3(j 



HoRSE-Cf IESNUTS 25 



Sycamores ... 28 



Oaks . . . 



Beech 

 Birch 



Elms 



Limbs 



• ♦ * 



• • • 



• # • 



• • • 



* * * 



• • • 



• • • 



• • • 



t • • 



» » 



• t * 



• • • 



• • • 



. - - 



from 

 n 



99 

 99 



16 

 16 

 19 

 16 

 13 

 30 

 14 



99 

 99 



99 



99 



27 

 49 



42 



86 



36 



99 



JJ 



I* 



99 



3) 



Horn me am 30 feet high 3 J 



7 



Sycamore 36 



34 

 37 



3> 



55 



3 



2 



4 



8 



2 



2 



4 

 6 

 2 



3 



5) 



in loam. 



(on an average.) 

 33 



99 

 99 



37 



99 

 99 



99 

 99 



In all 204 such trees were planted, of which 199 

 remain. The only one which really failed i3 thus 

 spoken of by Mr. "Holmes. After pointing out the 

 importance, as he conceives, of obtaining a good ball 

 of earth along with the tree, to attention to which 

 he attributes his success more than to anything else, 

 and explaining the nature cf the machinery used by 

 him, which he is of opinion is attended with no 

 risk, he adds : " It is in this and other respects that 

 1 consider the machinery employed infinitely supe- 

 rior to the principle of Sir Henry Stewart, for 

 example. In transplanting upwards of 200 trees, 

 not one of the number failed, and it was found 

 necessary to sacrifice only one tree. The instance I 

 allude to was that of a fine Beech, 42 feet high, re- 

 moved on Sir H. Stewart's principle. The tree 

 was rooted equally well with any of its contempo- 

 raries, but it had no ball ; hence it was difficult to 

 rear upright, and notwithstanding every care in 

 propping, the first high wind laid it prostrate, when 

 it was not considered worthy of further trouble." 



His mode of proceeding, after the trees were depo- 

 sited in the places intend 

 thus :- 



What is very important, with reference to the 

 final issue of this experiment, is the present state of 

 the roots, after three years' removal, and the late 



ly dry autumn. We can state that their 

 condition is in every respect most satisfactory. We 

 have now before us fine fibrous roots, 3 feet long, 

 taken from the Sycamore No. 16, 37 feet high, when 

 transplanted, whose shoots lengthened 2 inches the 

 first year, 2 inches the second, and 3 inches the 

 third. This tree was transplanted Dec. 29th, 1847 ; 

 it was taken from a very low, damp, dense shrubbery, 

 surrounded by tall trees, and was transplanted to the 

 most high and exposed part of the new park ; appa- 

 rently for 14 years tbe tree had had two leaders ; 

 one of these rival leaders were cut off in March, 

 1849. This tree was also affected by the wind 



planted. They grow very fast, but the crop ^ 

 ripens before frost sets in ; as soon as the haulm ^'i 

 down, large quantities of straw are put on the £r ^ 

 and towards Christmas the tubers are dug up put ^ 

 1 lb. and 2 lb. baskets, and sold for new Potato 

 from 6d. to 8d. per lb. ; they are as full of water 

 Turnip, on account of the leaves beincr 



***. 



the 



starch. 



Corn, 



On examining one you will find the skin firmly attache 

 which is not the case with a new Potato, either gn> 

 in frames or in the natural ground. James Cutln 



Camberwdl. 



BRITISH SONG BIRDS. 



for them, is described 



" In placing the tree on its new site, nothing 

 more is necessary than to have a good hole made a 

 foot or more wider every way than the roots extend. 

 A roadway for the truck is cut from the natural 

 surface to the bottom of the hole, and on the oppo- 

 site side means are afforded for the horses to get out 

 of the hole. The truck being in the middle of the 

 latter, loosen the chain, take out the pole, bring 



down the head of the tree, so as to allow the edge of - , ? ~ 



the ball to touch the bottom of the hole, then draw sma11 degree for the success that has attended such 



out the truck ; and should the tree not have got """"** "^ *** *" * 



quite an upright position, pull the ropes to render it 

 so, at the same time packing the ball with fine soil, 

 until it stands uDrk'ht of itself. Everv root that 



more than any other, by reason of its heavy head, as 

 compared with the stem. It was, therefore, a very 

 good one to be subjected to a root examination, as no 

 tree had to contend with such a number of unfavour- 

 able circumstances, or appeared to be doing worse. 

 The roots, however, were found, on examination, to 

 be an entire mass, similar to what we have described, 

 in a hole of 11 feet diameter. 



Let us add, that the operations now described 

 were accompanied by only two peculiar advantages. 

 There was the usual difficulty with country labourers, 

 the usual failure of first attempts in using new 

 machinery, and the disadvantage of removing trees 

 from a valley to a hill, and from deep loam to thin 

 chalk. The advantages alluded to were the ample 

 means supplied by the noble lord, in whose park 

 the work was done, and the incessant personal super- 

 vision of the gardener. Determined to deserve the 

 confidence his noble employer placed in him, he 

 made up his mind at the beginning, that whatever 

 was done should be well done ; therefore not a tree 

 was planted but by himself, and not a root was cut 

 and placed except by his own hand, or under his 



No. XIII. — Having now got safely over the w^ 

 asinorum of our subject-matter, including the buildup f 

 an aviary, the purchase of "stock," the proper mode of 

 preparing the birds' food, &c. &c.— we have hence, 

 forward to look on the pleasant side of the nirtaw* ^ ' 



upright of itself. Every 

 has been injured in taking up, should now be cut 

 smooth, and every one laid out as straight and 

 natural as possible, resembling the rays of a circle, 

 great care being taken to pack fine soil firmly round 

 the ball, and to surround every fibre with the best 

 and finest soil, until every root is covered. " 



" Immediately after transplanting, every tree was 

 m ched with old thatch, as far as the roots ex- 

 tended ; and they also had a covering of about half 

 an inch of straw around their stems, from 8 to 12 

 feet from the ground. This was done principally 

 with the view of lessening the demand made upon 

 the tree by evaporation. The straw was found to 

 keep damp a considerable time after every rain. A 

 ridge of soil was also placed around each tree, at 

 the extremity of the roots, forming a sort of cup ; 

 and I have frequently seen water standing in these 

 cups half an hour after heavy rain, during the se- 

 cond summer after planting, as by this time, from 

 vaijoiis causes, the mulch had disappeared, and the 

 surface was firm, owing to the constant treading of 

 sheep, which were allowed to feed among the trees 

 during the second summer after planting, and which 

 was, no doubt, favourable to them. 



" No further care was bestowed or considered ne- 

 cessary ; and no tree was ever watered, except during 

 the firat three weeks after transplanting, when the 

 water-cart was used to most of the two groups of 

 Hornbeam at the time they were in green leaf; 

 and it was thought that thereby an early root action 

 would be induced." 



The precise fate of each tree is described by Mr. 



Holmes, in a set of tables, from which we gather 



two or tree striking facts. A Beech tree, 42 feet 



high, made wood 12 inches long the first year, and 



7 inches in the two succeeding years ; another, 



48 feet high, made 8 inches in the first year, and 8 



and 6 inches afterwards ; another, 49 feet high 



which did not make more than 4 inches of shoot 



the first year, made G the second, and 8 the third 



fear (1S50). The annual extensions in the three 



years since removal, have been thus in the following 



instances : — 



own eye. And that, we submit, accounts in no 

 small degree for the success that has att< 

 operations wherever they have succeeded* 



MARKET GARDENING~ROUND LONDON. 



No. II. — Early Potatoes. 





Elm ... 21 



36 



29 

 42 

 25 

 25 



26 



HoilXBEAM 30 



99 



99 



Birch 

 Oak 



99 



• • > 



• ■ . 



• • . 



. . . 



. . » 



. * . 



feet high 



99 

 99 

 99 

 99 

 9) 

 99 



4 



3 

 3 



4 

 5 

 4 

 5 



3:i 



■12—13 in. 



6 



6 



6 

 5 



4—4 



5 

 4 



O 



2 

 G 



3 



7 



3> 



fl 



99 

 99 



99 

 99 



on chalk. 



-These being in great de- 

 mand in spring, the following plan of producing them has 

 been long practised by the London market-gardeners. 

 The kind which Mr. Fitch cultivates is the true Early 

 Shaw, a large and beautiful white-skinned Potato, whose 

 only fault is its hollow eye. It is very prolific, either 

 under hoops or in the open ground. The Ash-leaved 

 Kidney was not grown to any great extent for market 

 until my plan of managing it was made known, by which 

 I caused it to produce as good a crop as any of the 

 round ones, and it always fetches a better price. When 

 Potatoes are wanted early, a -long bed, 5 feet wide, is 

 dug out to the depth of 2 feet. This trench is filled 

 with hot dung, on which 6 inches deep of the surround- 

 ing mould is put. Middle-sized whole Potatoes are 

 used for planting ; they are placed in close succession 

 along the bed, covered with two inches of mould, hooped 

 and covered over with mats and straw. In about a 

 month they will have sprouted ; frames are then got 

 ready, placing 2 feet of hot manure along the whole line 

 of framing, which is sometimes a hundred yards in 

 length ; the mould is put on to the depth of 8 inches ; 

 the Potatoes are carefully taken up from the striking 

 bed, all shoots are removed except the main one, and 

 they are planted 4 inches deep. Radishes are then 

 sown thinly over them, covering lightly with mould. 

 When the haulm of the Potato has grown to about 

 6 inches in height, the points are nipped off ; this is 

 done, in order to give the Radishes fair play, and, 

 although it may stop growth for a few days, still the 

 crop is always excellent. The plants are never moulded 

 up, a plan which weakens the Potato more than any- 

 thing else. After planting, nothing more is required 

 but to admit plenty of air, and give water : the crop is 

 not dug up until it has come to maturity 



The above is the treatment frame Potatoes receive, 

 but they are argely grown in hooped beds in the open 

 ff round. In the latter case the tubers are sprouted; as 



have before mentioned. The beds or ridges are dug 

 out 2 feet deep ,„ January, filled with hot dung and 

 covered with the surrounding mould to the depth of 10 

 inches. The Potatoes are taken up and planted 5 



„-ep and above all Radishes are sown The 

 ridges are then hooped over, allowing about 2 feet of 

 space in the middle between the mould and the hoop 

 1 hey are covered with mats and straw, but as soon as 

 the Radishes come up they are uncovered dailv, and 

 covered again every night. This is continued till the 



lit t °wf C ^^ f ° r W?S in Ma r ; ^ sometimes 

 large losses are occasioned by a sudden change of 



weaher on cold April nights. Nothing more is*done 

 to the hooped beds, beyond attending to them with 

 water Market gardeners were wont to cut all very 

 large Potatoes for seed, but they are now getting more 

 into the system of keeping the small ones for planting 

 and sending the large ones to market. 



What are called winter or new Potatoes are the pro- 

 of old tubers kept back until July, and then 



With care and attention, you will have very few deatkL 

 very few casualties, and still fewer cases of sickness. h > 

 short, you will possess a * model aviary ;'* and find it 

 a perpetual and inexhaustible fund of amusement. 



I have already taken occasion (see my remarks in the 

 Eleventh Article), briefly to direct attention to the fact 

 of the human eye, and general expression of countenance 

 having considerable influence in the taming of birds and 

 other animals ; rendering them, moreover, affectionately, 

 playful. 



I have invariably found this to be the case ; and 

 therefore, always make a point of attending to the aviary 

 myself ', in propria persona. It was no uncommon cir. 

 cumstance for a bird to perch on my head, my shoulder 

 my knee (whilst stooping), or on my hand, whilst 

 engaged in cleansing the perches, &c. On such occa- 

 sions, I made it an undeviating rule to notice these 

 marks of affectionate regard, by giving him a fond look 

 and whistling him a lively tune; also, by offering him, 

 some * tid-bit" in the form of a mealworm, an earwig 

 a piece of ripe, soft Pear, or the leaf of a juicy Lettuce. 



Emboldened by the familiarity of their fellows, and 

 remarking that I never abused the confidence reposed 

 in me, nearly the whole family would, after a while, eat 

 from my hand. I have gone so far with many of them, 

 as to take them up singly, while trotting about the floor; 

 kiss them ; play with them; and let them run away quietly 

 from my half-open hand. They would as quickly return, 

 and repeat the same ceremony; evidently much gratified 

 with their "tiny 3 ' performances. 



You will have unlimited opportunities for the indul- 

 gence of these reciprocal, pleasing familiarities ; for you. 

 must enter the aviary every morning, regular as clock- 

 work, to perform the requirements of the day. The 

 perches must all be rubbed hard with a soapy flannel, 

 and afterwards dried ; the windows and looking-glasses 

 must be wiped with a dry cloth, the floor must be 

 cleansed from its impurities, the universal mixture 

 must be fresh made ; and the residue (if any) thrown 

 into the poultry yard, the fountain cleansed, fresh water 

 turned on, and, in short, a variety of other minor 

 matters must be attended to, which will necessarily 

 suggest themselves at the time. 



I would here remark that all persons who will have 

 fine birds, must be scrupulously exact in keeping their 

 apartment clean; also in seeing to their toe-nails bein£ 

 kept properly cut, and their feet not clogged up nor 

 fouled by dirt. Look to their "hoppers" and food- 

 troughs, daily, and blow away the refuse of any seed that 

 may remain on the lower ledge. 



Be careful to keep a nice selection of Geraniums, 

 Stocks, Calceolarias, &c, in the miniature balconies 

 round the windows, and train your Ivy and othe? 



Th 



* 



3 



I 



1 



55 



duce 



climbers over the upper parts of your windows. 



birds will rejoice in an arrangement of this nature,. 



and their song will be loud and continuous. You must 



also have, nailed on the outside of all your windows (at 

 all events the lower panes), a strong galvanised wire- 

 work frame — the bars sufficiently close to prevent the 

 ingress of the cats, which would, otherwise, dash through 

 the windows, and make sad havoc within. There is but 

 one way of annihilating these vermin ; to this I have 

 already directed attention. (See Article No. 10.) 



t In selecting your birds generally, it is always ad* 

 visable to prefer those of a quiet temper. This remark 

 has reference, in the most pointed manner, to wood- 

 larks in particular. These melodious little songsters 

 are, for the most part, very wild, and very timid, knock- 

 ing themselves about sadly, even at the reflection of 

 their own shadow. They also have a bad habit of jump- 

 ing up violently from the floor, when you go near them; 

 especially when they are moulting. Their legs, I should 

 observe, are fragile as the finest glass ; consequently, 

 they are liable to be easily broken. Woodlarks, of 

 quiet habits, are a great acquisition in an aviary, where 

 "harmony" is considered desirable. As they race 

 along the floor, in the joyousness of their nature, they 

 pour forth the most deliciously-plaintive notes. Many 

 persons rank them as equal, some as superior to the 

 Nightingale. 



Skylarks will neither thrive nor sing in an aviary. 

 Naturally accustomed to soar aloft, they are sure to 

 dash their heads violently against the ceiling, and they 

 cannot be taught to keep upon the floor. It is, there- 

 fore, quite useless to admit any of this tribe. 



Should you, perchance, observe anv wing-feathers 

 lying about, watch narrowly who the offender is that 

 has been thus spiteful ; and if you find any recurrence 

 of the outrage, remove him at once. There must be no 

 insubordination allowed. When bringing in the daily 





