

. 



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^plies of fresh food, ft*, )u will be much amused by 

 cloeelv watching the movements of the expectant guests. 

 They will cling to the wires and feed freely from your 



If 'ever you purchase any good song-birds, whose 

 plumage may be defective, simply press hard upon the 

 stamps of their tails, and draw out the whole of the tail 

 feathers, one by one. In less than a fortnight after they 

 have luxuriated in the aviary, a new tail will be dis- 

 cernible in prospective, and in a short month their entire 

 plumage will be beautiful. This affords abundant proof 

 of the benefits derivable from air, exercise, and amuse- 

 * ir.fNnm Kidd. New-road, Hammersmith. 



GRAFTING. 



|j if # — On "the Affinity of Grafts and Stocks. 



I shall only say a few words on the affinity ot grafts 



with the stocks on which they should be worked, in order 

 to assist in destroying the errors of some ancient authors, 

 and which are still credited by some persons, who are led 

 away with the false idea that they may successfully graft 

 trees or other plants on each other, although these should 

 have no family relationship. In consequence of this 

 ignorance, it has been said, that in order to obtain black 

 Roses, you must graft on the black Currant, and to have 

 green, on the Box. They would also wish to persuade 

 us that all trees will take on the Olive, and this on the 

 Fig ; the Vine on the Walnut and Cherry ; the Peach 

 on the Willow, and the Apple on the great Cow-Cabbage, 

 &c. &c. Happily, our modern authors, and the enlight- 

 ened men of our age, have entirely rejected these false 

 assertions. It is now well known that, in order to graft 

 with success any woody or herbaceous plant, it is necessary 

 that the plant furnishing the grafts be of the same 

 family as the stock; or, frequently, that both should 

 belong to the same genus, or to varieties of the same 

 species* There should also be some analogy between 

 the saps of the tw T o individuals, not only on account of 

 their affinities, but also with reference to their proper 

 juices. Thus w T e may graft, with success, the Plum on 

 the Cherry, and vice versa, the Apple takes on the Pear, 

 and vice i sa ; but although these genera are of the 

 same family, nearlyrelated, confounded, or united by some 

 learned botanists, yet they rarely exist united two or three 

 ye*.rs. With regard to the vigour of the stocks, we 

 prefer those that are strong and hardy for large trees, 

 and the weaker for those of smaller dimensions. As to 

 the persistence of the leaves, and the movement of the 

 sap in the subjects to be united by grafting, it is in general 

 necessary that they should nearly correspond. We have, 

 however, some examples to the contrary. The Prunus 

 Laurocerasus aud P. lusitanica, both evergreens, live for 

 some time grafted on the Bird Cherry, Prunus Padus, 

 and are less sensible to the cold than those growing on 

 their own roots. The Eriobotrya japonica and E. glabra, 

 also evergreens, live a very long time grafted on the 

 Mespilus Oxyacantha. The Cedar of Lebanon, Larix 

 Cedrus, grafted on the common Larch, Larix europsea, 

 lives upwards of 10 years, but it remains stunted and 

 dwarf. There are other well known, facts of this kind, 

 which I need not mention here, as they only prove ex- 

 ceptions to the general rule. 



Of the qualities which branches and shoots ought to 

 possess when cut from the trees, and the means to be 

 adopted for preserving their vitality. — Many authors 

 recommend taking the shoots produced at the ex- 

 tremities of healthy vigorous trees. The theory which 

 they develope seems to be conclusive. It must, how- 

 ever, give way to the subjoined observations. Some 

 years before the first transfer of the Ecole des Arbres 

 Fruitiers dm Jardin des Plantes, effected in 1824, 1 was 

 obliged to take grafts from more than 400 of these trees, 

 of the different sorts, which were found to be in a state 

 of complete decrepitude, often covered with canker, 

 burns, &c. Such grafts put on healthy young stocks 

 have all grown with remarkable vigour. These trees, 

 from 20 to 26 years old, and of which many had 

 attained the height of more than 36 feet, all bore fruit 

 in prodigious quantity, and were free from original 

 disease, when they fell under the axe in 1841. 



The proper sorts of shoots for grafting and budding 

 are not easily known by those not well experienced in 

 the art. In taking shoots for buds, more especially, 

 they make sometimes enormous blunders by cutting 

 either too early or too late. In general the shoots 

 ought to be of medium thickness, excepting those having 

 slender wood, and in that case the thickest ought to be 

 preferred ; all ought to have made the greater part of 

 their growth, in order that a considerable number of the 

 buds on the lower part of the shoots may be completely 

 formed, for such only should be reserved for budding, 

 seeing that the bark adjoining these will be also in a 

 firm state, for if the parts are too tender and too her- 

 baceous when placed in the incision made in the stock, 

 they are apt to be decomposed by the abundance of sap 

 in the latter, which ought always to be in greater flow 

 than that of the shoots which furnish the buds.* 



The shoots of this description being separated from 



the trees, the herbaceous extremities are immediately 



cut off, as are likewise the leaves attached to the eyes 



reserved, taking always care to preserve at least one- 



lourth of their petiole. 



The shoots should not be exposed to the free air, and 

 they should be kept in a cool moist place till such time 

 * Uhey can be budded ; but whatever means may be 



^K Y "' ' ™ "" " ' " — " " ■ ' ' — ■■■ ■ - ■■-— II. ■■■- — -■—■ ■ - i .. —* 



ofn^w™! 1 - 011 ! t0 im P re88 u Pon n>} readers the necessity 

 for '« I PartlCUar attention to this observation ; it is general 



SLt of toenT* *' 4md l BhaU *"** il over when l come to 



employed for preserving their vitality, we should avoid 

 too close packing, in order to prevent the fermentation 

 of the substances employed for that pm-pose. 



We know that the moss of our woods (Hypnum) is 

 very proper for this purpose. We, gardeners, often 

 furnish ourselves with a large hollo wed-out Cucumber, 

 in which we place the shoots. In this situation they 

 may be preserved in a good state for 10 days. If for a 

 longer period, they must be put in a bottle, which must 

 be filled up with honey, and then corked and sealed 

 hermetically. In this state they will be preserved as 

 fresh as possible during the journey. 



Scions, for grafting in spring, are of course much 

 more easily preserved than buds. For these they prefer 

 the extremities of strong shoots, or any other part of 

 whfch the thickness is about equal to that of a quill, 

 and of the length of from 1 6 to 20 inches, with promi- 

 nent eyes, not excepting the terminal, which ought 

 always to be preferred, if it has not burst its envelopes. 



It has been long remarked in many countries, that, in 

 order to preserve grafts, especially for transportation, 

 they ought to be separated from the parent tree before 

 they have commenced to vegetate. In the climate of 

 Paris, the month of February appears to ns to be the 

 best time for taking them off ; they ought then to be 

 placed in a northern exposure, in a horizontal position 

 on the soil, and covered over with some of that adjoining, 

 to the depth of about 2\ inches. They should remain 

 in that position till their buds are well swelled, by which 

 time the stock intended for their reception will be much 

 more advanced, a necessary condition, as I have already 

 explained. If the cuttings for grafts have to be sent to 

 a distance, it is best to send them off as soon as they are 

 taken from the tree. If the journey require only three 

 weeks or a month, it will be sufficient to tie them up in 

 packets, putting some dry moss between them, in order 

 to prevent them from being bruised, and then insert 

 their bases in a ball of moist clay, covered with fresh moss, 

 the whole tightly enveloped in a thin coating of straw. 

 But if the cuttings have to be sent to a great distance, 

 so as to require several months on the way, they should 

 be enclosed in a box, in small parcels, all laid with their 

 tops in the same direction, their thick ends being covered 

 with clay and fresh moss, the whole compactly fastened 

 with laths likewise coated with moss. If for a long sea- 

 voyage, care should be taken to close theboxhermetically ; 

 but if not, some holes may be made in the top to prevent 

 the shoots ftom becoming mouldy. I have sent grafts 

 packed in this way to St. Petersburg, New York, &c, 

 and they have always arrived in good condition. Trans- 

 lated from the French of D'Albret. 



comparison for many years have fully eon firmed t l . 

 important fact, at bast in the climate of London. Pharo. 



VILLA AND SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



To those to whom expense is of little importance, 

 compared with ornamental effect, various modes of 

 training Pears may be suggested ; but whatever plan 

 is adopted it will be necessary to procure in the first 

 instance plants which can be adapted to the particular 

 system which may be projected. For example, if it is 

 intended to train in the form of a weeping fountain or 

 umbrella, then the young tree must have a straight 

 clean stem at least 5 feet high, which should occupy 

 the centre of the circle, and this circle should have an 

 iron frame fastened substantially upon stone or on 

 brick and cement supports near the surface of the 

 ground, i When complete, this frame will exhibit an 

 appearance similar to that of an ordinary striking glass. 

 The system of training pursued in this device is to 

 direct the course of the shoots downwards, placing them 

 from 9 to 12 inches apart. This mode of training has 

 been adopted in many of our best gardens, for it pro- 

 duces an effect in harmony with the geometrical lines 

 which necessarily prevail in kitchen gardens. Another 

 plan consists in inverting this form, selecting dwarf 

 plants for the purpose, and in training the shoots 

 upwards. Both plans have been found to answer, and 

 the expense in either case is about the same. There 

 are those, however, who prefer to have their iron frames 

 made in the form of a cylinder, planting dwarf trees, 

 and training the branches in a spiral manner. This 

 gives a longer extension of branch, and fewer shoots 

 are employed in training. I can bear testimony to this 

 mode answering perfectly, and in a garden having high 

 pretensions to artificial arrangement and skilful manage- 

 ment ; the effect is both novel and pleasing, and may 

 be maintained at no sacrifice of the crop. 



But the most important as well as the most economi- 

 cal arrangement has yet to be mentioned. It is well 

 known that in hot weather, and especially when bright 

 sunshine prevails, few individuals are tempted to visit 

 a kitchen garden, owing to the absence of all shade, and 

 the universal exposure to which they are subjected in 



it. Now, suppose that a centre or main walk runs 

 north and south, with borders on either side. From 

 these borders I would recommend an arch to be thrown 

 over the walk, and the trees to be trained over the 

 exterior of the trellis, which should form the arch, 

 until the whole was completely enshrouded. This mode 

 of training would be of great importance ; for, instead 

 of occupying the borders with the trees, the walk alone 

 would be shaded. The advantages of the plan are — 

 economy, the perfect security of the fruit, and the 

 facility which it affords of protecting the blossoms from 

 frost in spring. The flavour of the fruit, too, under 

 these conditions, is very superior, at least in the 

 majority of kinds ; for they are exposed more freely to 

 air and light on a trellis than against walls, and are 

 less liable to become grittv. Experience and constant 



CULTURE OF THE CAMELLIA. 



The beautiful glossy foliage of the Camellia, when In 

 health, as well as its glorious tio\ rs, deservedly gain 

 for it a conspicuous place in every greenhouse ; yet, 

 notwithstanding this, I am afraid that, even in these 

 enlightened times, amateurs are not so well acquainted 

 with its management as they should be, and as, from the 

 inquiries often put to you by them, I am sure they wish 

 to be. To have Camellias flourish, something more 

 is necessary than to put them into pots in finely sifted 

 soil, to place them on our greenhouse stage, to water 

 them when they are dry, and to allow them to remain in 

 this condition otherwise undisturbed for years. True, 

 if we give them air, the atmosphere — one of the sources 

 from which plants derive nourishment — will perform its 

 part ; but does the soil, under the conditions mentioned, 

 rightly effect its portion of the work ? I fear not ; and 

 out of this arises all, or nearly all, the mischief of which 

 amateurs complain. 



The compost I have found best adapted to the growth 

 of the Camellia is, a mixture of peat and loam in nearly 

 equal proportions, together with a sprinkling of sharp 

 sand. When the loam is light and sandy, less peat is 

 necessary. These should be broken up, not sifted, inti- 

 mately mixed, and the roughest pieces laid at the bottom 

 of the pot over the drainage, which must be complete, 

 or little success will attend your labours, even though 

 all other conditions should be favourable. By complete 

 drainage, I do not mean that this should be effected so 

 much by crocks, as by the way in which the soil is 

 ai*ranged in the pots ; for experience has taught mo 

 that the roots of the Camellia are apt to die among 

 crocks alone when many are used ; at least, I havo 

 found such to be the case. I put one large concave 

 crock or oyster-shell over the opening in the bottom of 

 the pot, with three or four smaller pieces round it, and 

 over these the most turfy portions of the compost, in 

 which the roots of the Camellia appear to delight. 



Camellias will grow, and even flourish, in either peat 

 or loam separately ; they generally grow most luxuri- 

 antly in peat, and the foliage of plants in this kind of 

 soil is of the deepest green ; but I have not found them 

 to flower so well. In loam alone the leaves are paler, 

 and the plants are more liable to get into ill health. Th# 

 utility of mixing the two soils, therefore, will be at once 



apparent. 



The question, "How am I to restore my sickly plants 



to health ? * is one often asked. When Camellias get 

 into ill health, from whatever cause, the best plan is, 

 to turn the plants out of their pots in spring, to ex- 

 amine their roots ; and if these are found to be dead or 

 dying, to shake the soil entirely away from them, re- 

 moving at the same time all pieces that are dead. The 

 top must also be well shortened-in, in order to preserve 

 a sort of balance between that and the root. These 

 things being done, place the plant in a pot just large 

 enough comfortably to adm't the roots, in a compost 

 consisting of two parts pc at to one of loam, using a 

 little more sand than for plants in health. When 

 potted, water, to settle the soil ; place them in a gentle 

 bottom heat, and keep them close ; watering at the 

 root but sparingly till the plants begin to grow, but 

 frequently syringing their tops with tepid water. If 

 they have made good roots by autumn, they may be 

 either shifted into larger pots then, or in the following 

 spring, when they may receive the same treatment as 



the general collection. 



In regard to the best season for shifting Camellia?, 

 some diversity of opinion exists ; some recommending 

 that it should be done in spring, others that it should 

 be performed in autumn. I have tried both seasons, 

 and with nearly equal success ; but, as a general rule, I 



prefer spring- shifting. 



It has been correctly stated that the Camellia is not a 

 greenhouse plant ; nevertheless, although this is strictly 

 true, it succeeds best when treated as a hardy green- 

 house shrub. If it be kept in a temperature above 

 freezing, it will thrive better than if grown in a warmer 

 atmosphere. Camellias, however, like an increase of 

 warmth and plenty of moisture when they are making 

 their new wood ; and to ensure a good display of bloom, 

 this latter must be thoroughly ripened. After they have 

 ripened their wood and set their flower-buds, they may 

 be placed in the open air, or retained in the greenhouse, 

 according to circumstances. If kept in the greenhouse, 

 as much air as possible should be admitted, and the 

 foliage may be occasionally sprinkled with water, which 

 will keep it clean and healthy. On this latter point 

 much depends ; for it is in the leaves that the sap, 

 under the influence of light, undergoes those changes in 

 its composition by which it becomes capable of forming 

 the various compounds required in the plant's economy. 

 The roots, too, must be kept in a proper state as to 



moisture. 



In cases in which it is not convenient to use large 

 pots, Camellias may be kept in health by watering them 

 occasionally, during their growing season, with weak 

 liquid manure, which will in some measure restore to 

 the soil the fertilising qualities of which it has become 



deficient. 



It now remains for me to speak of propagation, which 

 is, however, more the province of the nurseryman than 

 of the amateur ; and yet so much interest attaches to 

 the offspring of one's own handiwork, that, for the 

 benefit of those who like to amuse themselves in tins 



kind of employment, which is as instructive as it is 

 pleasant, I will add, that Camellias are increased by 







*t 





