208 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



such as tke Hoop Petticoat group and the Polyan- 

 thus varieties, do need some attention paid as to soil 

 and position, for they are only satisfactory when in 

 warm spots in light soil, and there is no hetter place 

 for them than a border at the foot of a south wall. 



Dalfodil bulhs do not require to he lifted an- 

 nually ; on the contrary, they succeed hest when 

 left undisturbed for at least three seasons. When 

 it is found that the plants become less vigorous, 

 and diminish in size, that is a sign that they require 

 a change of soil, and the bulbs should, there- 

 fore, be lifted, separated according to theii; sizes, and 

 re-planted immediately in newly prepared ground. 

 This should be done after the foliage has quite de- 

 cayed, which is generally about August. There is 

 nothing gained by keeping the bulbs out of the 

 ground longer than is necessary to dry them suffi- 

 ciently to enable one to clean them. Of course, for 

 purposes of sale, they must be kept out of the 

 ground, and it is this protracted dryness that 

 weakens the bulbs. When purchasing Daffodils 

 it is best to get them as early in September as pos- 

 sible, and plant at once, no matter what class of 

 Daffodil it is, for the bulbs commence to grow almost 

 as soon as planted, and then they make good growth 

 before the winter sets in. 



Fot-mdture of any other class of Daffodil but the 

 Polyanthus or Dutch varieties is not commonly prac- 

 tised, although it may be desirable to grow some 

 bulbs in pots for conservatory decoration in spring. 

 But the Trumpet and other groups beyond the 

 Polyanthus do not readily lend themselves to 

 forcing into early bloom. The Polyanthus varieties 

 are easily grown and flowered well, if a similar course 

 is adopted to that recommended for Hyacinths and 

 Crocuses. 



TREES AJSTD SHEUBS. 



Bt George Nichoison. 



Ostryopsis Davidiana is the only species of 

 the genus, and is nearly allied to the Ostryas. It is 

 an ornamental deciduous shrub, with leaves much 

 like those of the common Hazel-nut in outline, but 

 with veining more like that of the Hornbeam. The 

 specific name was given in honour of the Abbe 

 David, to whom European, gardens are indebted for 

 a largo number of Mongolian plants. 



Oxycoccos.— This genus is represented in the 

 British flora by the Cranberry, 0. palustria^ a pretty 

 little evergreen with prostrate, thin, wiry branches, 

 and small leaves; the red flowers are followed by 

 dark red globose fruits. The Large, or American 

 Cranberry, 0. macroearpus, is a more vigorous 



species with larger leaves and fruits. In some 

 districts in the United States this plant is very 

 extensively cultivated for its fruits, and there is no 

 reason* whatever why it should not succeed equally 

 well in Britain if properly cared for. Sir Joseph 

 Banks in the "Transactions of the Horticultural 

 Society," at the commencement of the present 

 century, gives a detailed statement of the way in 

 which he grew the plant at Spring Grove. In the 

 centre of a pond, a kind of artificial island was 

 made ; it consisted of an oak box twenty-two feet 

 in diameter, and thirteen inches deep — the bottom, 

 bored through with many holes, being five inches 

 below the surface of the water. First a layer of 

 stones and rubbish was placed in this box, and then 

 it was filled up with bog earth. A number of curious 

 bog plants were grown here, but the American 

 Cranberry grew so luxuriantly as soon to occupy 

 the entire space. We read that in 1806 twenty- 

 three bottles of very fine Cranberries were produced, 

 much superior in flavour to those imported. Then 

 the cultivation was still further extended by making 

 a bed on the side of the pond, by means of a few 

 stakes driven into the bottom parallel to the side, 

 and lined with old boards. That, however, such 

 conditions are not absolutely necessary to the 

 successful management of the American Cranberry, 

 is proved by other contributors to the same publica- 

 tion some years later ; one of these made a large bed 

 away from water, and in a rather dry situation ; bog 

 earth was used in making this bed, and rooted 

 cuttiags of the Cranberry planted out. This was in . 

 1818, "and in the autumn of 1820 the entire bed 

 was filled so completely by the plants, as to form a 

 mass through which a weed could scarcely penetrate, 

 the whole exhibiting a profusion of bearing branches, 

 which are now (May, 1821) putting forth such an 

 abundance of blossoms as not only to make a very 

 handsome appearance, but to promise a supply of 

 berries far exceeding my expectations." Dry, 

 healthy commons and wastes would produce a large 

 supply of these fruits, with little labour or expense, 

 either for the markets, or for food for moor game. 

 Pent is the only soil in which the "Cranberry will 

 thrive, and it should have an open sunny spot. 



Oxydendron arboreum, foi-merly known as 

 Andromeda arborea, is the only species of this genus 

 of Heathworts. The deciduous leaves in shape and 

 size are somiewhat like those of the Peach. The 

 white fiowers terminate the branches of the season, 

 , and are borne in long, one-sided racemes clustered 

 into an open panicle. The distribution in a wild 

 state is from Pennsylvania and Ohio southward, 

 mostly along the AUeghanies ; and the positions it 

 generally affects are rich woods. Like most of its 



