



r. 



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1851.| 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



293 



•j 



To talk about land wearing out 



'e :^ _„« „«t fnr the tact, that 



:hted 



it 



*&Tl SSjoke, ; f * «•"» no i for T T- 



,. IS lay in the power of a short-si 

 "** tfTxhaGst the very best of soils, simply _by 

 - IL^nt Let it however be remembered, that 



rSSTta his power to prevent J, ^wearing 



I 



is 



closely 



with which future 



■ But it will not 



to which is—" Will 



E?£i somebody, the answer 



Cl'«,«wte course pay! If 



mS six or eight pounds per acre for his .land, 



isd "PP 1 ? 



ite course pay!" If a market gardener 



jfJTwsn to »rgue that cultural 

 !. fefa in mere corn growing ; bi 



six times the manure, and six times the 

 __ to U soils, that the ordinary farmer ^ does, and 



^jnH" his 



pgue inaicuiimiuuiaiicii 



IU _.- corn growing ; but surel; 

 —. **• ^n the green and root crops of the farmer at least. 

 £*** £ * rhe t hing is pretty obvious to those who will 

 wTlt with an impartial eye ; and as " one who has 

 S at the spade," I would strongly recommend all 

 T^d in hi2h culture to run their eye over those 

 STmpers once more, especially men who live not 

 VorTthriving towns, or with cheap railway accom- 

 ^Ution : for if these things were more generally 

 Ztfoo'l there can be little doubt that many shrewd 

 ^ers would speedily learn to model and work out a 



combining good farming and good market gar- 

 1 hope for convenience of reference that Mr. 



of Larch Firs, for Hop-poles, and few crops pay better ; 

 timber certainly never pays .so well ; in fact, except in 

 those districts where there is great local demand for the 

 common kinds of timber, I fear it can hardly ever again 

 be expected to be planted with a view to profitable in- 

 vestment. The facilities which the last few years have 

 given of obtaining foreign timber at a reasonable rate, 

 and its being more applicable to our wants than our own 

 timber, must tend to drive the latter out of the market, 

 except in those inland districts where along heavy carriage 

 operates against the foreign article. But to my subject ; 

 I have stated that plantations are sometimes spoiled by 

 a too early application of edged tools. This is not, how- 

 ever, always the case ; but where young trees have been 

 allowed to draw each other up to an unwieldy height, 

 thinning then must be carefully and very gradually per- 

 formed, and it is wonderful how the trees are left to 

 appreciate the enlarged breathing room allotted them. 



the winter, that a limb is taken off, the tree will lose 

 immense deal of sap. No resinous tree that I am 



"it does not 



dening 



Cothill will republish the papers in a connected form, 

 «i the same time amplifying them, if his experience has 

 aided anything new since they last appeared. Robert 

 Brrmyton, Oulton Park. 



Scarlet Rhododendrons.— There are perpetual notices 

 appearing in your paper of scarlet Rhododendrons, 

 with from 300 to 400 flowers expanded upon them at 

 one time in the open air ; and one instance in parti- 

 cular 1 noticed of a plant at Tetton, in Somersetshire, 

 which was said in your Journal to have more than 1200 

 scarlet flowers out upon it at once ; but flowers from 

 this very plant were sent to me, and they were crimson. 

 I believe the original Rhododendron arboreum, from 

 Nepaul, is the only one which produces flowers which 

 Are really scarlet ; and I also think that that has not 

 been flowered in the open air in any part of England, 

 except in Cornwall, where it flowers well about every 

 other year, but not in the most favourable years in such 

 profusion as those which I think must be erroneously 

 named scarlet in your paper, and which I conjecture to 

 be nothing but crimson hybrid varieties. ^ My only 

 reason for troubling you with this is a wish to be 

 informed whether the Rhododendron arboreum ever 



round the 



has been 



month to 



I will not 



to prune ; 



any tree 



acquainted with bleeds more, although 

 leave large lumps of gum hanging 

 wound, to denote the cruelty to which it 

 subjected. August is likewise the best 

 prune any green Firs that necessity (for 

 admit any other reason) compels you 

 and, in fact, I am unacquainted with 

 likely to take harm from being cut at that season. 

 While on this subject allow me to suggest to those plant- 

 ing Fir timber, for profitable uses, the expediency of 

 planting it alone, and of not being too hasty in thinning 

 it ; for most purposes for which this kind of timber is 

 wanted, a clear straight stem, carrying its thickness a 

 good way up, is what is desirable ; and if the trees do not 

 stand middling thick, they will not attain this desidera- 

 tum. Of course, a reasonable degree of thinning must 

 be observed, but do not overdo it ; a large plantation 

 of Scotch or Spruce Fir is both interesting and useful. 

 Of the kinds of timber likely hereafter to become 

 scarce, I think Beech will wear out first, being of slow 

 growth, and not used for many purposes where large 

 timber is wanted ; and more than that, not selling well, 

 few are inclined to plant it. Yet, for the uses to which 

 it is put, it will be difficult to find a substitute ; not 

 easily split, it is useful for many purposes, for which 

 its resistance to cleave makes it desirable. Wheel 

 felloes, and many kinds of millwright work, as well as 

 cart axletrees, &c, create a much greater demand for 



and have been so each year since : the acorns, too, have 

 been very numerous. The fire, I suppose, did good by 

 destroying the touchwood ; and the water started the 

 roots into more vigorous action. The account I give is 

 perfectly authentic. I was not an eye-witness of the pro- 

 cess that revived the tree— but I can testify that it is 

 now as flourishing as so old a tree, and so completely 

 hollow, well can be. P. J. Moule 9 Ckenies, Buck*. 



Onions.— Cottagers and others desirous of obtaining 

 a good and early crop of Onions next year should imme- 

 diately begin to prepare for it, by sowing an ounce or 

 two of seed very thickly, on a small bed and good soil. 

 By being sown very thickly they will be very small ; 

 and by being very small, they will be all the better for 

 the purpose they are intended. When they are harvested, 

 the largest should be separated from the smallest. The 

 former might be used for pickling, and the latter should 

 be stored away till February, when they should be 

 planted 1 inch deep and 5 inches apart every way, in 

 good soil. Early in summer they will produce an excel- 

 lent crop of fine large Onions. This plan may be old to 

 some, but it may be new to others. IF. Q. Eydon, 



Daventry. 



Vines in Pots.— The Huddersfield Floral and Horti- 

 cultural Society, with the intention of encouraging the 

 cultivation of Vines in pots, offer prizes for their pro- 

 duction. Several gardeners in the neighbourhood, who 

 intend competing for this prize, have put pots to the 

 base of last year's wood (this wood of course showing 

 fruit), and let the roots thrown out from the Vine, root 

 into the pot ; so that it is supported not only by its own 

 roots, but also by the old Vine. They will be left 

 attached to the old Vine until the day of exhibition, 

 when they will be cut off, and shown as Vines grown 

 in pots. Should Vines thus grown be allowed to 

 compete with those produced from buds or cuttings I 

 A Subscriber. [All Vines thus exhibited should be put 

 aside by the judges, as having been produced contrary to 

 the rules. How can they be said to have been grown 



in pots 1] _ _ 



The Calceolaria (see p. 278).— I find that Mr.Rumley 



has made various objections to my system of propa- 



d growing the Calceolaria. My intention was 





flowers in any part of England in the open air, except in 



«uwc« u, a„, «™ „, _. 6 .— - v , — r- - Beech than I think the supply can hereafter afford ; its 



Cornwall ; and if it does, whether it produces flowers in place, however, may possibly be supplied by some toreign 



■ . - - - product i on , as that of British Oak has, in a great mea- 



sure, been of late, in its duties of farming, the most 

 formidable bulwark of our national defences. An Old 



ch profusion as the accounts in your paper would lead 

 one think. A.B., Cornwall. [We apprehend that our 

 correspondents are not careful to distinguish crimson 

 from scarlet, not having, perhaps, very good eyes for 

 colour.] 



Young Plantations. — Assuredly the case of which 

 * J. D." complains so much, at page 261, must be a 

 solitary one ; for the majority of young plantations 

 planted during the last 20 years have been tolerably 

 well treated, unless in cases where embarrassed 

 circumstances, or perhaps caprice, induced the pro- 

 prietor to delay thinning them until it could hardly 

 be performed at all in a satisfactory way ; on the 

 other hand, however, I have seen much mischief 

 effected by beginning to thin too soon. I have seen a 

 healthy lot of green Firs, not more than six years 

 planted, almost spoiled for ever by being denuded of 

 their under branches, in order that the ground might 

 undergo a sort of tillage, which certain rules of hus- 

 bandry are said to require to keep it sweet, pervious, 

 and healthy ; and in some favourite plantations I have 

 seen this evil carried to such an extent as to give an 

 ■.equivocal token of the mischief that was going on. 

 The roots of the Pinus tribe all lie near the surface, 

 and each successive digging destroys what may have 

 been formed since the previous digging, which are, by- 

 tne-bye, the most useful roots which the plant has. 

 Well, this root pruning goes on year after year, until 

 the tree, having obtained some size, is forced into a re- 

 clining position bv the wind, its roots beinc: so far re- 



Sawyer. 



Ants.— Lust year I sought advice as to the best mode 



of getting rid of ants, which have infested my house for 

 some two or three years past, marching along the outer 

 walls in direct lines to the house, and by the windows 

 and chinks getting into the kitchen and sitting rooms, 

 infecting everything they run upon or into, and destroy- 

 ing one's comfort ; sometimes in one's food, and some- 

 times over the curtains, carpets, &c. I received many 

 kind answers ; some to try cloths dipped in spirits of 

 turpentine, others arsenic and cheese or honey, but all 

 to no effect. I have even taken down part of the skirt- 

 ing board of my kitchen, and from the plaster of the 

 walls they issue out of holes like wasps from a bank. 

 What shall I do ? Can I puff sulphur in, and stop the 

 holes with cement and paint, or will spirits of turpentine 

 stuffed in and covered over suffocate them ? I am 



case the evil lies in the commission, and not in the 

 ssion of, a worse than useless duty ; but the great 

 mass of young plantations are more liable to suffer 

 from neglect than from an over performance of those 

 offices, which we are led to believe assists Nature in her 

 course ; but no set of rules or code of laws can be laid 

 down as to the when and where thinning ought to begin 

 and where to end, for so much depends on local cir- 

 cumstances, the purposes for which the timber is re- 

 quired, and the other contingencies, that what may 

 appear to be absurd in one case is both proper and 

 beneficial in another; for instance, I have seen trees 

 planted at the rate of something like 12,000 per acre 

 upon ground that had been in tillage, and in tolerably 

 good condition ; now, except hoeing the weeds the first 

 two or three seasons, nothing whatever was done until 

 the 1 4th year, not a twig was taken off, and not a tree 

 cut out From this the general reader, knowing no 

 Siore of the matter than here expressed, would con- 

 clude that the plantation was irrecoverably spoiled ; 

 nothing of the kind however happened, it is then 

 just ripe for the purposes for which it is wanted, 

 *nd it usually sells from 40J. to 70/. per acre. It is 

 then wholly cut down, the stumps are grubbed up, and the 

 **nd undergoes a course of husbandry previous to planting 

 Mother time. This nlan is onlv carried out in the case 



afraid the plaster of the house on the walls must be full 

 of them. What advice can you give to eradicate these 

 plagues ? North/wood. [Ants will not endure the vapour 

 of turpentine ; nor will they eat through cement ; but if 

 the walls are really full of them, we fear they will never 

 depart until the walls are wholly cased in the same im- 

 penetrable substance.] 



Cryptomeria japonica. — I presume by its present 

 price others have found that this tree will grow from 

 seed ripened in England. One of my plants, which had 

 been kept three or four years in a pot, was planted out 

 two years ago, and last year it ripened about half a pint 

 of cones. The seed from these was sown in the green- 

 house, and is now coming up abundantly, though the 

 mice made sad work with it soon after it was sown. It 

 may, doubtless, in a few years be also common as the 

 Larch, if its timber proves of any value. It is quite as 

 quick of growth, if not quicker, to judge from those I 

 have planted. /. Rogers, Sevenoaks. 



Renovating old trees.— Some years ago, the" hollow 

 trunk of an old Oak, at a village in Buckinghamshire, 

 was taken possession of by a swarm of bees. Some of 

 the villagers thought it good to take the honey, and to that 

 end they lighted a fire inside the trunk, for the purpose 

 of smoking out the bees. The trunk was coated within 

 with touchwood ; this soon took fire, and the whole tree 

 would probably have been consumed, had it not suddenly 

 occurred to£the bystanders, that these proceedings might 

 not be altogether pleasing t to the owner. This reflection 

 induced them to put out the fire, which they did, with 

 all speed, by the help of the parish fire-engine. Now, 

 the Oak had longjbeen in a very languishing state, which 

 was no wonder, for the girth of the trunk is fully 20 ft., 

 which large size, on a light gravel, probably implies an 

 age of many centuries. However, old and failing as the 

 tree was, the treatment thus described wholly cured it of 

 sickliness* The leaves became plentiful and well grown, 



gating m „ „ 



simply to show the general utility of this plant, for deco- 

 rative purposes, and at the same time to point out the 

 facility with which it might be grown for that particular 

 object Every gardener has * a way of his own," and, 

 of course, others must consider the effect that climate, 

 soil, and other circumstances, may have on the growth 

 and flowering of plants. My way of propagating is by 

 seed, as it is evident that the finest specimens are made 

 of seedlings ; while Mr. R. asserts that the flowers produced 

 upon plants raised from cuttings are far superior, and 

 that the majority of plants raised from seed are worth- 

 less ; if care, however, is taken at the time of hybridising, 

 to select the most distinct varieties, the disappointment 

 will not be met with that he anticipates. To save a 

 considerable degree of trouble and expense, it is far pre- 

 ferable to shift the young plants, when well established 

 in small pots, into those they are to occupy at the time 

 of flowering, without the intermediate shifting which 

 Mr. R. proposes, and which, 1 think, is unnecessary. 

 In my opinion, Mr. R. is wrong in placing saucers of 

 liquid manure under his pots ; he should bear in mind 

 that the Calceolaria is more susceptible of injury from 

 too much watering than most plants in general cultiva- 

 tion. The soil becomes saturated and sour, and the 

 affair generally ends in the destruction of the plants, if 

 immediate precautions are not taken Jo counteract the 

 evil. I prepare a good porous compost, through which 

 water can percolate freely, so that an abundant supply 

 can always be given without fear of hurting the plants, 

 and this proves more beneficial than placing saucers of 

 liquid manure beneath the pots. Lastly, when you can 

 keep your plants in a good state of health, and constantly 

 syringe them till the development of the flower com- 

 mences, you will keep them free of insects ; but if it 

 happens that they are attacked by green-fly, of course 

 it is unnecessary for me to state that fumigating with 

 tobacco is the best preventive, when cautiously ap- 



plied. M. P* 



§>mttit4 





Horticultural : Garden Exhibition, May 3.— The 

 leading features of this grand display of horticultural 

 skill being adverted to in another column, we will 

 confine ourselves here to describing the scene in 



detail. 



In collections of 20 Stove and Greenhouse Plants, 



the Large Gold Medal was awarded to Mr. May. gr. to 

 Mrs. Lawrence, of Ealing Park. At the back of this 

 group stood an enormous example of the large-flowered 

 Epacris; an Azalea, profusely clothed with double 

 flowers of the richest red ; a white blossomed Heath, 

 two varieties of Eriostemon, one forming a cylinder of 

 little white stars at least 7 feet high ; two Polygalas, 

 the white variety of Erica vestita, two Chorozemas, the 

 beautiful Boronias pinnata and sefrulata, the useful 

 Podolobium staurophyllum ; a Pimeleaspectabilis, form- 

 a ball of flowers 5 feet in diameter ; the Baxter 

 Leschenault, the Java Ixora, most beautifully blos- 

 somed ; the Cels Hovea, Gompholobium polymorphum, a 

 red Azalea, and Pultenaea stipularis.— Another collec- 

 tion of 20 was contributed by Mr. Cole, gr. to ti. 

 Colyer Esq., of Dartford. It comprised * ™£* 

 example of the imperial Hoya, in finer ™noMion, 

 perhaps, than it has ever before been ^25* *" V 

 the Box and Oleander-leaved Brio»^W 

 juniperina, two Polygalas, the pretty Cape Heath called 



mg 



