March 7, 1865. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



187 



from a timber-yard, consisting of rotten bark and chips, with, 

 probably, some very old sawdnst, formed a portion of the 

 mixture. This material, at the time, I took to be inert rather 

 than injurious ; and from the fact of wneds growing luxu- 

 riantly in it, I felt assured that it could do no harm, and 

 with the large quantity of leaf mould, sand, and boggy peat 

 used would, probably, prove beneficial. Perbaps, however, 

 the presence of bai-k from resinous woods — as Scotch Firs and 

 Larch, might have a deleterious effect, and, I believe, such 

 bark is generally objected to ; but as Scotch Fir in particular 

 seems to grow wild on dry peaty soils favourable to the Kho- 

 dodendron, the inference I drew was, that the bark ought 

 not to be hurtful. Certain, however, it was, that the better 

 class of Rhododendrons made no progress in it, or grew very 

 slowly, while the common kinds, as E. ponticum, did very 

 well ; also, other shrubs which received a share of it in 

 another place. Although the mi.f ture was unsuitable to the 

 hybrids of this interesting family, it evidently contained 

 nothing injurious to anything else. 



In contrast with the above case', but also affording another 

 instance of unsuccessful treatment of this somewhat ca- 

 pricious tribe of plants, a friend of mine, some short dis- 

 tance from here, having a small piece of marshy boggy peat 

 which suj^ported some veiy good Silver Firs on its elevated 

 parts, and had its lower portions studded with Alder and 

 Willow, had the latter removed and the whole well drained. 

 After being trenched, part was planted with Rhododendrons 

 in the full expectation that they would do well; whereas, 

 they have absolutely done worse" than mine. The kinds in 

 this instance were also hybrids worked in the usual way, and 

 good healthy plants when they were planted. I believe the 

 numbers that have actually died have been more than with 

 me, and the remainder show little signs of accommodating 

 themselves to their present home. "Now, this case differs 

 widely from mine, and at the same time is equally unfor- 

 tunate, or more so ; as with me the common varieties thrive 

 tolerably, while with liim all are bad. I ought, however, to 

 remark, that the boggy peat was so charged with feruginous 

 matter, that the water drained from it encrusted its bed a 

 bright red colour; but I have seen this before at a place 

 where Ehododendvons succeeded admirably, but the issue 

 shovVs that our acquaintance with such matters is far from 

 perfect yet. 



Now, as some soils contain within themselves all that can 

 be desired to make the Ehododendron flourish, it behoves us 

 to look round for some simple test as to what that require- 

 ment consists of. In my own case, I confess being unable 

 to give the chemical constituents, bat a study of the classes 

 of plants found growing wild there would greatly assist in 

 doing this. Certainly this is better than any other mode I 

 am acquainted with, and less likely to lead to disappoint- 

 ment than being guided by appearances only; for soils as 

 much iinlike each other as possible are found to be equally 

 • favom-able to the growth of Ehododendrons. In very many 

 places these sow and reproduce themselves by thousands, and 

 the more rough and overrun with weeds and rubbish the 

 better the young seedlings seem to thrive. The dry black 

 peat of upland moors is not by any means the only soil they 

 like, as I have seen them do well in apparently a yellow 

 sand, while a sort of yellow sandy loam is very often more 

 favourable to them than the black peat, and nothing can 

 exceed the luxuriance of some of the common kinds which 

 we have growing on ground which is at least two-thirds 

 stones. Sometimes they grow not amiss in a damp clay, 

 although eases of this kind are more rare than the others ; 

 but to the amateur who may not have had experience in 

 such matters, I would say, that in those districts where 

 the Foxglove predominates among other wild plants, there 

 be may plant the Rhododendron. The wild Heath, no doubt, 

 as an equally good guide, but it is more sparingly distributed. 

 I do not mean to imply that a solitary plant or two of Fox- 

 glove will be sufficient to insure success to the Ehododen- 

 <ia'on, as accident may have placed them there, but where suc- 

 cessive crops of this beautiful native plant exist, struggling 

 with and overcoming the other herbage of the place, there 

 the Rhododendron may be planted with a. fair prospect of 

 success. The wild Fern is a less certain gnide, unless it pre- 

 dominates almost exclusively, for it is often found on soils 

 not suited to the Rhododendron. It is, however, a frequent 

 occupant of the same plot, Other %nd les§ SQUspiguous plants 



also abound in such places, while some of our wild Orchises 

 grow in soils exactly the reverse of that required by this 

 plant, and to which it would be folly to remove it. When 

 chalk and lime predominate, it is hopeless to expect success 

 with the better class of hybrids, and the common ones will 

 only be able to live ; to luxuriate is out of the question. 

 The subject is well worthy of attention, and more information 

 may be given by those residing in neighbourhoods where 

 the Rhododendron flourishes better than any other ever- 

 green, which it certainly does in some of the midland and 

 western counties. — J. Robson. 



COK'STEUCTIOISr OF PITS. 



I PUKPOSE making two frames, one cold, to use for win- 

 tering plants, the other for propagating. They will be 

 6 feet from back to front. Oblige by saying how much 

 higher the back of each should be than the front. The 

 propagating one, I understand, must have the most slope. 

 I purpose making the latter — say 3 feet below the ground- 

 level, and to have a trench 2 or 3 feet wide round it, to line 

 with spent bark. The wall below the ground-level I purpose 

 having half-brick-thick, above it one brick. I conclude the 

 heat would pass more freely through the openings in the 

 thinner than the thicker wall ; and iiE I should he under 

 the necessity of using it also as a cold frame, the nine- 

 inch work above ground will keep out more frost. By keep- 

 ing the linings in, of course the frost could not pass that 

 way. — -Ttko. 



[What are generally termed frames are boxes made of 

 stout wood, with glass sashes to suit. These are generally 

 made with one, two, or three lights. Your proposed erec- 

 tions are pits, being built of brick, and therefore stationary, 

 whilst frames are easily moved from place to place. If your 

 cold pit and propagating pit are to be in the same range, 

 there is no necessity for their being of different levels, or 

 having their gla'ss in different slopes. For pits G feet wide, 

 you will have a nice slope if the back wall is from 20 to 

 26 inches higher than the front one. You propose making 

 your cold pit of nine-inch brickwork, and that will do very 

 well. If you have a good bricklayei', who would tie a nine- 

 inch hollow wall properly, it would be warmer in winter, and 

 cooler in summer, than a solid one. If you mean to set your 

 plants on the floor of the pit, say rough ashes, &c., then it 

 would be as well if the floor were a few inches above the out- 

 side ground-level, some small openings being left in the wall, 

 to allow moisture to escape. If you make it deeper, that will_ 

 be no loss, if you elevate boards on which to set somewhat 

 dwarf plants, as, the greater the amount of air enclosed, 

 the longer will that air be in heating or cooling. 



Now, as to the propagating pit. Tou purpose sinking it 

 3 feet beneath the ground-level, and surrounding it with a 

 trench 3 feet deep and 2 J wide, which we think all right; 

 the bed inside to be built of tanner's bark, and the lining 

 also to be filled with the same. Now, we must here observe 

 that, in using tanner's bark for a bed, when the heat declines, 

 the adding a barrowload or two of hot tan to a light inside, 

 mixed with the old, will do more to increase the heat than 

 three times the quantity from the lining. As to the lining 

 itself, to secure its efficiency and neatness, it should be 

 covered with wooden flaps on the ground-level, the flaps 

 sloping, say l.V inch, from the wall to the ground, so that 

 you can walk by the side of the warm pit as comfortably as 

 by the side of the cold one ; and then, if the lining sinks, 

 the heat will still be directed against the wall or bed beneath 

 the ground-level, being sent back by the boards instead of 

 going into the atmosphere. 



With your proposed plan of having a single brick-on-bed, 

 we presume below the ground-level, so as to obtain heat 

 from the lining, and a nine-inch wall above, we have no 

 fault to find, though you do not describe how you mean to 

 join the nine to the 44-inch work. It is rather contrary to the 

 common mode of building, in which the lowest stories ought 

 to have the thickest walls. We think it would be an im- 

 provement to have nine-inch piers every 4 feet, and a flattish 

 arch between every two piers, the crown of the arch being 

 at least 6 inches below the ground-level. If you were quite 

 surg tlj^t the bed jnside, whether of dung or tan, or both, 

 would alwaj'g 'fee J. fqpt ^hgve the top of the arch, then you 



