THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



Your correspondent, u Ex- 

 that the advocates for 



Pruning Forest Trees. 

 pertus/' intimates (p. 630) 

 pruning forest trees are probably not convinced oi the 

 error of their doctrine— although silenced— because the 

 matter in controversy can only be decided by experience 

 and observation. In this I am inclined to agree with 

 « Expertus ; n but as none of us live long enough^ to 

 see timber trees, subjected to systematic pruning, arrive 

 at an age when they can be converted into massive 

 beams, or cut into planks fit for the shipwright— the 

 point of experience must be left for a future generation. 

 Now, as to what observation can do for the subject. I 

 should beg to refer " Expertus," and others who think 

 with him, to the immense Pine logs from the prairies 

 of America, that never had a branch touched by any 

 pruning instrument, in their life, and yet they attain an 

 immense length of stem, with scarcely the semblance of 

 a knot to be seen, when sawn up into boards. Would 

 pruning have improved them ? Look again to the Fir 

 timbers imported from the north of Europe ; it is true 

 some of it is found knotty (as the joiners call it), but would 

 pruning have improved it ? that is the question. Again, 

 recurring to home-grown timber, three years ago a 

 number of Oaks were felled, under my own inspection, 

 a very little distance from where I now write, that I am 

 confident were nevertouched by any pruning instrument ; 

 most of these had stems of large size — from 30 to SO feet 

 inlength— with scarcely aflaw, from dead boughs grown in, 

 or other causes. Now, would early pruning have improved 

 these? I think not. It might have retarded their growth. 

 Again, * Expertus" says, what may seem very plausible 

 at first sight, about the branches of unpruned trees 

 dying, and healing over, leaving the same defective 

 union, &c., as in the pruned branch ; now this looks 

 very feasible, and I have seen instances of faults in 

 timber from that very cause— but they are the exception, 

 and^ not^ the rule. I have looked at the matter* with 

 anxiety in young growing Oaks ; and, however inexpli- 

 cable it may seem, there is, in most cases when an 

 nnder-side branch dies, a sort of compression by the 

 living stem, that nearly or quite obliterates in a few 

 years all trace of the defunct member,and leaves scarcely 

 a mark behind ; so much for * observation." As to 

 the cases of necessity mentioned by " Expertus," these 

 are exceptions altogether to the general systematic 





| From sunrise the following morning it will have de- 

 parted as entirely as if it had been disposed of a century 

 ago. If he doubts the truth of this, let him try it, by 

 saturating a heap of common earth with it t )-day, and in 

 24 hours let him take a handful of the same, and put it 

 to his nose. He will have little, if anything, but his 

 servants' word that the earth was saturated at all. 

 Enquirer. 



Hints to Persons making a Garden. — The last point — 

 many would think it the first — on which it is necessary 

 to touch in making a garden, is soil. As to quality, it 

 may be naturally classed under the head of sand, lime, 

 or clay; as to peculiar character, it may be ferru- 

 ginous, saline, or otherwise chemically affected; as to 

 condition, it may be wet, dry, rocky, arid, or peaty. 

 There is so little sandy soil in England, as compared 

 with the continent, and the dampness of our climate 

 goes so far to counteract the complete pulverisa- 

 tion of other soils, even in 

 not wonderful that many 



with us from 



fruit is ripening 

 fl avour. 

 fine bun 



gether, or use it very sparingly, d 



_ . otherwise, it will £\Z\ u* \' me the 

 It is not essential 'to use nSe wa£ 7f* 

 ches are required. After tli* f« -7- » unle * 

 et the plants remain dormant Ul th £*J ST**^ 

 hen cut the Vines down close to the SSuS en l*? 

 them into rich composite enable theS to throw M 

 good-sized cane ; but, above all, ripen their ■*£?„* 

 the following year it will bear fruit. Thi" T ev*, T U > 

 nate year a crop will be obtained from the SS 5** 

 Of course, by keeping up a succession of VS /^ 

 of tins excellent fruit may be got every ye' ^j? 

 scarcely any expense, and with so* little attention J? 

 be a mere amusement. J. R., Nov 26 uenuon «W to 



How to Crop a small Kitchen Garden. 

 1 eas and Beans have been sown across 



that it 



our summer, tnat it is 



very ornamental hardy 



that cause alone; such 



Dianthi, &c. Lime is 



^<"» «.„ ^, U jj u, TOW , iLttchen Garden it 

 Peas and Beans have been sown across an "^ ^ 

 the garden, and succeeded by Caunflowers I I T ° f 

 mended, let the ground be cropped next ylkr)n th?n 



plants [fail witn us 

 are the Astragali, several 



generally a poor soil, but the Leguminosae, and many 

 of the smaller ornamental and rock plants, flourish 

 on it, perhaps more on limestone than on any other sort 

 of rock. Clay is more favourable to the arborescent and 

 shrubby plants than either of the former, but many fine- 

 rooted plants refuse absolutely to take to the soil. On 

 the whole, a clay soil would seem to grow a smaller 

 number of species than either sand or lime. It may 

 sound like a paradox ; but a rich, natural, alluvial soil, 

 the best for a field or kitchen garden, is far from being 

 equally good for a flower garden. A very moderate, or 

 even poor, workable, manageable soil, well drained, is ' 

 preferable to the richest meadow land, as the basis of a 

 flower garden. It should be light, or hundreds of 

 delicate plants will not thrive in it It can be made 

 rich at pleasure, but should never be heavy. The 

 reason is obvious. A variable soil will accommo- 



lowing manner. 



As soon as the Cauliflowei 

 give the ground a slight dressing of manure o^ SJ ' 

 trench it. About ti»<TWi«* m A ^ V5™* aud r % 



gin 



pruning of plantations with a view to improve (?) the 

 timber; where lopping or pruning at all becomes a neces- 

 sity then cut close, by all means. On the whole, I 

 would luce to conclude, that, as the pruning advocates 

 are '• si fenced » they are on the high way to conviction, 

 and will lose no time in abandoning a practice involvi 

 much labour only to do mischief. Quercus 

 Propagation of Eels. — At 



ing 





._ . . — p. 806, "T. 



file possibility of eels breeding in fresh 



have a pond here, covering from three tolour acres" 

 which swarms with eels of all sizes. I have caught theS 

 from the uze of my little finger up to the weight of Ave 

 pounds j the supply of water is from nothing TOC uu , , 

 land springs, there being no communication between the ' 

 pond and any river ; when much rain occurs, I am 

 obliged to put np a sluice board, in order to prevent the 

 banks from overflowing. I have taken from 1 to 

 cwt. at a time from a box, which the water flows 

 through at the bottom of the sluice board • the We 

 quantity that has been taken out of this pond leaves ™ 

 doubt that they breed to a great extent! tot whether 

 they are propagated by spawn, or brought forth a 

 am unable to sav. Q. H ., Fincdon Wall. 



date the largest variety of species ; and as in our most 

 temperate climate we try to, and with care and skill 

 can, associate plants from the Arctic circle to the edge 

 of the tropic, from the H ; gh Alps to the shores of Egypt, 

 it follows that a very rich earth which grows the tallest 

 specimens of a few strong plants, Dahlia, Helianthus, 

 Silphium, and equally Cardoons, Urtica, and Rumex, 

 will suit but a few and spoil the natural character of the 

 rest. Any one who has grown the plants of a dry 

 climate in England will bear witness to this. The 

 ferruginous or saline properties of a given soil may be 

 very important in stimulating the growth and perfection 

 of some plants, but they certainly injure some others. 

 These points can only be ascertained by local experience. 

 Dryness or wetness of soil, or of the situation, not 



Hibiscus 



say. u. n. , fmeclon Hall, f We haw 



afeo a letter upon this subject from Mr. Bocdus who 

 we are sorry to see, is offended at the remarks of « T G>' 



plaint" 6 " S ^^ ^ " nCedleSS *° * rint tlie 



Parrot*— Mr. Kidd having taken up the cudgels 



against the noisy parrots, I beg to inform h!m thafl 



mer tL? J '. ° Ught *£* the Gold Coast «* mm, 

 mer, that already is m excellent music. (!) It has caught 



the cluck of a hen when calling its chickens the b4¥ of 



a dog, mewing of a cat, the cackle of geese &c sav! 



Derbvshii thi 3 ° kD r a P r ot near Matl0 <*, ^ 

 iJerbv slure, that was much attached to a pet do- which 



some time ago died, and, on calling the dog by its name 



CaXTVT^^ re P« ted " Carlolwhy \vhere f s 



££? ' t s v dea ; 1 * and exhibited signs of g^reat dl 



tr« 3 . This bird repeats after its mistress the greater 



sees a 

 you've no busing *il ~ . — r~J "•*»•» «u«, ■• Be off ! 



and aayincS Tdo 1 1 i ^ m ^ othcr droJ1 «•*■ 

 •**• .. 5 \ ° not > however, arme fr 

 rations that the parrot b gifted witlT^ 



G." denies _ ; 



water. We j exa'ctly the same thing, is an all important item in the 



choice of garden-ground, and of the management of it 

 afterwards. Good drainage need hardly be insisted 



- elsP b,,t I ° n -i at ^ e pieSent day ' but as sorae P ,a,,te ref l" ir e wet 

 r«,!f ?"* SOllS} they mmt be es P ecia »y provided for. It is a 



.common error to confound marsh and marsh-plants 



| with peat, and the plants belonging to a turfymoor- 



, both qualities of soil being commonly, but carelessly' 



called bog. It is as necessary to distinguish between 



these two descriptions of soil and plants, as between the 



Alpine and other rocks before alluded to. 



palustris, from the rid. mud of a Virginian swamp 



requires very different conditions from l'arnassia pains' 



tris from the peat mosses of the north. Near the sea 



Fines and other Conifers seldom succeed well, nor do 



Rhodoracese, except in very sheltered spots, prosper 



much better. On the other hand, all saline, alkaline, 



succulent, and rigid plants, though not truly maritime 



species, grow and flourish to a dr-ree unknown in the 



mland counnes. These observations are now at an end, 



and it is hoped they may call forth more from your 



more experienced correspondents. £ 



Paulovnia-At the extremities of the main branches 

 of tins plant I have slender buds or shoots, form ing 

 efonga ,ons ,n a r,ght line of those branches. None 

 laterally from those branches ; and none at all on the 

 minor branches. These I hope are flower buds A IJ 



ive, I 





rom my obser- 



nologists may sav ikl " "reason," but phre- 



C P., B ol^Mr K dd r P ,° r 0rga,, of imitati0 " 



that ther 



may be amused at h 



V we 



cage, in a man- 



Mr. Potter, to° wlrnm he hSo£°2 ° f "^ l 0ri ° I ' 



never tried to t.„„t 1 him v ? ', assures me that he 



nun, but that ho Copied 





tomblers in the street; tTsay Te W f r ^^ SOT 

 M very orknnai for a K„,f A n l ^b h,s periorman 



ome 

 ce 



i 



nof a? Tm * T* Fi£in 9 * 'm£& 



point has been often settled 1 1 » • i 



SSfeS of * oil 8hou1,1 covei - 



Although I doubt 



some 



-- » - Tiaii some one 



"WfiUses •» myself, 

 tne roots nC i>«„..u__ . ? 



Stable 



AKwhatistheb^^rfnt^ 



-j our ^cwwjpondents is ai 

 »e liquid m fa* unk. Can 



e of the 



a mmon 



during 



f 't for the one 

 tinal des«n«*: , 



[ We fear not. The flowers are all lateral. 1 



Coal-tar Walls and Becs.-Some of your correspond- 

 ents have inquired about coal-tar for glrden walk! It 

 is in very [extensive use here for footpaths, but it s 



hoSef boS' f 8aid -f Wa,k9 ' exce P* *t a" disinco foom 

 onses, both from its appearance and smell. I use it in 



SjMSTfr2 ^t J thJnk U V ^ P-J«dicia. to the 



stunifvin, «■ ■' J * m& ? t0 P ruduce °» them a 



stuj nfymg effect, similar to chloroform ; at least im 



m -£T y &ft V !t Vas a PP lied *» walks were s rewed 

 entry d>ing state. I could attribute it to nothn r but 

 riveter T° m <he C ° a, - tar ' and 6,,a » ren < - n ' y l 

 a clSoiteZd .1 V t T 1 " 6 i t0 ap P^ U a ^ ai »- I* »™t be 

 t t S3S g ti,hf !' n t e9 ** ry ^ «™ walk, which 

 Lr ? J S W ' dl W r 8 ■**■•* for 'several 

 SL o'c ' f ht7teroe - n f gravel walks are only 

 CS « w* 6 h 7 ave , rect,mraen «^, cul then sanded or 



-:il ex^ptTot:^ D ° — ! — -s from th°e r 



Jj! 18 in Pots.— \n answer to numerous inrmirers rp 

 epecung the culture of Vines in pots, I beg to adyJe Ihll 



more portable trained low, round sti X* «. a- a . re 



rs are all off, 



About the latter end "of Februavv ^ i * • 

 ning of March, fork down the ridges XntPot? 11 * 

 2 feet row from row, and sow Springlpinie „ ll*? * 

 over them, raking it in. WheS itfermedSS 

 rough leaves thm it out to 3 inches apart. WWftf 

 for use, cut that next the rows of Potatoes first When 

 it is all cut, fork the earth up to the Potatoes Pw 

 row of Broccoli between the first ^d^d^ 

 sort to come in for use the following April • it will hi £ 

 in time for a row of Runner Kidney leans. Let theletS 

 and third rows be taken up for use as goon as fit • whin 

 they are off,draw three drills, 10 inches apart,and 3 incS 

 deep. Plant a row of Leeks in each drill, 6 inch** 

 plant from plant, shorten their tops, thin their root? 

 and well water, if the weather is dry. Leave the three next 

 rows of Potatoes without putting any other crop between 

 them ; take them up the first week in August, and sow 

 Turnips, 10 inches row from row; thin them out to 

 about 3 inches apart ; when large enough, thin as re- 

 quired for use, taking out every other one. Let Savoys 

 be planted between the remaining rows of Potatoes a 

 row between each, at 20 inches apart in the rows. Tate 

 up every alternate row, as required for use, which will 

 give the Savoys the benefit of light and air, much sooner 

 than they would get it were the rows to be taken up re- 

 gularly. When the alternate rows are all removed, pro- 

 ceed to take up the others, and fork the ear tl^ well up to 

 the Savoys. The above mode of cropping will answer 

 equally well for a border (provided the Peas were sown 

 there), with the exception of the row of Broccoli, which 

 must be grown on an open quarter. J. St, , Clitheroe. 



Audacity of the Robin.— The little history of the 

 wren's nest, given by Mr. Kidd (p. 756), may be over- 

 matched by the history of a robin's nest/built last 

 spring in my garden at Hammersmith. The pair of 

 old birds had already reared off one brood, and com- 

 menced building a second nest in some Ivy growing on 

 a wall close to which my family were in the constant 

 habit of passing. Unfortunately they had selected a 

 spot where there was not sufficient support for their 

 materials, which fell to the ground almost as soon as 

 put together. Seeing this state of things, I determined 

 to help the ill-judging pair, and 11 led and tit d up some 

 twigs beneath the spot, into which I thrust a handful 

 of dead leaves, &c, which had already fallen to the 

 ground. Notwithstanding this interference, which is I 

 believe often followed by birds in the act of building 

 leaving the place which they had selected, the robin* 

 soon set thing- to rights, and hatched their second brood. 

 By constantly passing close to the nest, however, they 

 became not only used to our presence, but absolutely 

 audacious, especially to the females of my family, flying 

 at them, ami on several occasions actually pulling off 

 their caps and other head g r. /. 0. W. 



Calla at/nopica. — I get on poorly enough with this 

 Calla, and I wish for some theoretical explanation there* 

 upon. Taking 4 inclus for the thickness which ice 

 very rarely exceeds, why is it said this plant requires 

 18 inches of water above the crown of its roots, and 

 dies in 12 inches ; < r, in other word*, must be removed 

 14 inches below the line of frost ? What other causes, 

 besides frost, and at a distance from frost, work its 

 destruction \ Is the water underneath a given thickness 

 of ice warmer, aa though a frame of so much glass werq 

 ipread over it; or is it for any reason colder than before 

 the ice was formed above it ? A . //. [We take it that 

 the reducti* n of temperature will be in proportion to the 

 bullrfof water to be cooled ; that shallow water loses heat 

 much faster than deep water ; and hence that a tender 

 plant may survive a winter if lo* inches under water, 

 although it may die if only 4 inches u U r water.] 



Mrtrtire* 



Botanical of Baurainum, Dee. U.— Tb* President- 



Vll lmir ' Sever al donations were announced. Mr. 

 M'^ab read the following extract of a letter from Mr- 

 Goldie, Ayr, Canada West (late of Ayrshire):- * 

 observed in the North B> A< uiturist, that at one 

 of your botanical meeti there was a discussion about; 



what kind of trees were generally struck by lightning* 

 Since I came here I have learnt something on the subjects 



One morning no less than four trees were struck &y 

 lightning within three miles of this place, one of them 



close at hand. Of the four trees alluded to f all were 

 gigantic specimens of the Weymouth Pine, Pinus StrobuSe 



Indeed, I may say, that I do not recollect of seeing «J 

 other sort of tree I eii injured by lightning to this pan 

 of the country. Whether this occurs from the li 

 being taller and more pointed than any of the trees her J 

 or from any other cause. 1 shall not presume to say. *» 



Fine 









* 



