COmiON GARDEN FLOWERS. 



253 



ail', perhaps during bright sunshine, or in the teeth of 

 a sharp cutting wind, that the most serious injury is 

 done to the roots. Exposure of the roots to the air 

 at all is most unnatural, and consequently injurious, 

 and every means should he used to cm-tail the period 

 of exposure to the uttermost. The roots of even the 

 hardiest trees, such as the Apple, are most sensitive 

 to injury from cold and drought. A minute's expo- 

 sure to an east wind may check the growth of the 

 roots for weeks, or injure them for life. Hence the 

 great importance of expert planting. 



Solidarity". — This term is used to denote stability 

 of top and solidity of bottom. There are several 

 means of securing the latter. The oldest-fashioned 

 and worst plan is that of treading the trees in. So 

 soon as the roots were covered, boot-heels were down 

 upon them, and the process was repeated several 

 times in the process of filling up the holes, while the 

 finish consisted of a firmer and more persistent 

 surface-treading. This doubtless consolidated the 

 roots, and also ruptured, bruised, and broke off many 

 of them as well. 



Water is a much safer and more subtle, though a 

 slower consolidator than boot-heels or the tread of 

 the foot. Where trees are of considerable size, and 

 the weather or soil is dry, there is no better mode 

 of consolidation and of running the earth home and 

 down solid than that of flooding the roots home. 



First of all, cover the roots all over with three or 

 four inches of fine soil. Then water so freely and 

 fully as to flood the soil over with water. The 

 result will be the fllling in of every crevice and 

 encasing of every root and fibre with soil. Leave 

 the holes to settle for half an hour or so, and then 

 place the remainder of the earth over the flooded 

 portion, and planting is complete. This is far better 

 than the filling in of all the earth before flooding the 

 roots home. 



The best consolidators are time and natural 

 showers. These do their work more slowly, but 

 surely and well. Trusting to these, the earth is 

 simply filled in over the roots, and neither treading 

 nor watering given. The roots probably lose a little 

 time by this mode of planting, but it is the most 

 favourable for leaving the soil in the best mechanical 

 condition for their well-doing in the end. Roots, 

 however, seem to be unable to bite loose soil, and on 

 very friable soils slight mechanical compression or 

 aqueous consolidation quickens their fresh grip of 

 the soil and fosters top growth. 



, Stability of top is, however, as essential to suc- 

 cessful planting as solidity of root-run. Hence the 

 advice to stake before planting or immediately after- 

 wards. The tops of trees left unsupported become 

 the free sport of every passing breeze, which converts 



their tops into levers for the displacement or snap- 

 ping asunder of every new-made root almost as fast 

 as the latter is formed. Henge, while freshly- 

 planted trees should be so fixed as to have the 

 power of sinking as the earth subsides or consoli- 

 dates into less bulk, they should have no power of 

 motion from side to side, till the new roots have 

 rendered the tree immovable in its new root-run. 

 Perfect fixity of tenure and immobility as far as 

 practicable are essential to the rapid re-establish- 

 ment of the newly-planted tree, and its permanent 

 health and fniitfulness. Root- disturbance or cur- 

 tailment may indeed be needed as surgical opera- 

 tions in the future career of the tree, but these come 

 within the range of special and exceptional treat- 

 ment for particular purposes, and in no way afEect 

 our present argument in favour of solidarity on the 

 heels of planting. 



COMMON GAEDEN FLOWEES. 



Everlasting Pea and Sweet Pea [Lathyrus). 

 — There are certain common forms of Lathyrus that 

 are weeds in oio- fields and hedgerows, and they are 

 known as Vetchlings. This comes from vetch (Latin, 

 vicia), "bind," from its twining habit. Of these we 

 may mention Z. pratensis, the Yellow Meadow 

 Yetchling ; L. sylvestris, the Narrow-leaved Ever- 

 lasting Pea; L. palustris, the Blue JMarsh Vetchliag; 

 L. mcontimus, the Sea-side Everlasting Pea, and a 

 few others. A^Tiile they are not considered choice 

 enough for ordinary garden purposes, they are yet 

 very pretty in the highways, fields, and woods. 

 But we may remark of the Yellow Meadow Yetch- 

 ling (i. pratensis), which is known also as the Tare 

 Everlasting, that it was called in Parkinson's time 

 " the Ramping Wild Yetch by the country people, 

 because it is the most pernicious herbe that can 

 grow on the earth, killing and strangling corne or 

 any other good herbe it shall grow by." Yet in 

 recent times it has been recommended for cultiva- 

 tion as a fodder. It is said that cattle eat it with 

 great avidity, hence it is spoken of as valuable to 

 be grown on very dry soil ; but, owing to the creep- 

 ing nature of its roots, it should be grown only as 

 a permanent crop. This is why it is called the 

 INIeadow Pea. 



L. latifolius is the Everlasting Pea of our gardens, 

 and it is so named because of its perennial character. 

 It is also known as the Broad-leaved Everlasting 

 Pea. It is a plant that grows naturally in woods, 

 but rarely in Britain in a wild state. There is no 

 doubt that what is now grown as the Everlasting 

 Pea represents varieties that have been greatly im- 



