774 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



October 12, 1912. 



PLANT LIFE ON THE 



FOREST FLOOR. 



When one enters the depth of some 

 grand old woodj the first consideration 

 which impresses itself upon one is the 

 great and varied change that follows upon 

 the conversion of the bare moor into a 

 forest. Instead of the wind on the heath 

 which blew from the four quarters of 

 heaven there is shelter and stagnant air. 



Where once the sun shone straight down 



with burning ray there is now reflected 



and diffused light and heat, making a 



feeble effort to reach the ground. The 

 rains are different, too, and come in great 

 drops reluctantly to the earth ; but when 

 they fall their influence stays behind, and 

 it is long ere the moisture is dispersed 

 again into thin air. 



The nature of the soil itself is greatly 

 modified. It is full of vegetable matter ; 

 the dead leaves make a veritable hot-bed 

 for numerous parasites and semi-parasitic 

 plants. These, and the gloom-loving herbs, 

 comprise the two great forest classes, and 

 form a study of surpassing interest. When 

 we consider the disadvantages which the 

 gloom of the woods must entail, it seems 

 astounding that either in individuals or 

 in species their denizens could be so nume- 



light, with its attendant flowers and in- 

 sects, obtained access, blossoms became 

 plentiful, and seed, if not in abundance, 

 was at least not rare. But although the 

 admission of light clearly assisted the re- 



''O"" J - 



productive organs of the plant, it was the 

 reverse with the vegetative ones. Year 

 year the patch dwindled, and on 



by year the patch ilwrnclled, ana on a 

 recent visit it was difficult to gather a 



What was life for the 



—not 



few specimens 



fruit seemed to be death for the plant 



a new law in biology. 



But there are other associates of the 

 forest floor, all, in their way, notable, and 

 all of which will amply repay close and 

 continued study. Here may be studied 

 the transition from honest and self-sup- 

 porting planthood to greenwood robbery 

 and semi-parasitism. I refer specially to 

 the Goodyera repens, whose very visage be- 

 trays guilt. Its felted roots spread far 

 and wide among the leaf-mould to take 

 in food prepared on sunlit twigs, and the 

 smile on its cream-white perianth is a sickly 

 reflections. Its seeds are of most minute 

 dimensions, so light, in fact, that it takes 

 50,000 of them to weigh a dram. Needless 

 to say, the slightest breath of wind suf- 

 fices to waft them to the nearest humus 

 bed, where germination will be successful. 

 Then we also find on the forest floor Oxalis 

 acetosella, or wood sorrel, which adapts 

 itself in various ways to its surroundings. 

 The wind is absent; where, then, The seeds are not of the microscopic dimen- 



are the bearers of the pollen from flower 

 to flower, and where the wafters of the 

 seeds to new habitats? The sun is never 

 seen ; where, then, the gay flies that sport 

 in his beams and stop every now and then 

 in their gambols to give the life-giving 

 touch to the essential organs of the flowers ? 

 Truly, from the carpet of heather, bent, 

 and moss, interspersed with whin and hare- 

 bell, to the soft grasses, wood rushes, scat- 

 tered ferns, and layers of pine needles on 

 the forest floor, there is an evolution which 

 will amply repay study by all who wish 

 to approximate to coi-i-ect notions of how 

 the ';;;unu'?it of old Motlier Earth is 



woven. 



Struggling for existence, but never in 

 internecine strife, there are three or four 

 plants to be found on the floors of all our 

 woods. The trientalis, with its pearly- 

 white and clean-cut petals, starlike in their 

 setting, bespangles the forest floor; and 

 near it, but in masses, will be found the 

 lovely wood sorrel. Communities of good- 

 yera lie upon their beds of pine needles, 

 and lift up white spires of flower and 

 villous leaves so remarkable among or- 

 chids—above the soil. Rarer, but, hap- 

 pily, becoming year by year more plentiful, 

 is the beautifxil twinflower, Linnsea borealis 

 — so dear to botanists. The large trailing 

 evergreen masses of this romantic plant, 

 with its coriaceous leaves in pairs, its wiry 

 stems, and flesh-coloured shoots, arrests 

 the attention of tlie verious lout before it is 

 crowned in July with its pair of nicely- 

 balanced bell-like flowers, that perfume 

 with their faint vanilla odour the surround- 

 ing gloom. Although not what may be 

 called free, yet it may be found in this 

 roimtry from Yorkshire to Ross-shire, but 

 it is in Scandinavia where it seems to find 

 its most congenial home, and where its 

 flow^er and fruit are plentiful. Named 

 after the great Karl von Linne, who 

 sumed it on his coat of arms, this plant 

 was first discovered as a native in Scotland 

 in 1795, in the woods of Fettercairn, Kin- 

 cardineshire, by Professor J, Beattie. Its 

 fruit, however, is rare in this country. 

 An incident which came under the writer's 

 observation concerning the plant may bear 

 recapitulation here. Some vears ago a 

 great windstorm left a gap in a Avood close 

 to a patch of Linnaea borealis. After the 



sions of the goodyera, but they secure a 

 like end by other means. The seed capsule 

 has an elastic, dehiscent, fleshy coat, which, 

 when ripe, suddenly gives way, and pro- 

 je<;ts the contents to a considerable dis- 

 tance in all directions. It is pleasing to 

 see the amusement children derive in play- 

 ing with the ripe fruit of the wood sorrel. 

 A slight pressure on the top causes the 

 seeds to squirt in their faces, causing much 

 fun. We are told that the leaves of this 

 plant sleep during the night, and in the 

 darkening which accompanies showers. But 

 old Dame Nature has an object in this 

 movement— which is affected by variations 

 on the turgidity of the pulvinus, or 

 cushion, at the base of the leaf-stalk— for 

 it is done to prevent the radiation of heat 

 from the leaves. The flowers are dimor- 

 phic, and exhibit that curious second string 

 to their bow which is known as cleistogamy, 

 where a failure to set seed by the usual 

 assistance of insects is supplied by the 

 plan of producing late unopening flowers 

 that are self-fertilised. 



And there are several other plants 

 found in our woods which we may just 

 touch upon. There is the Trientalis euro- 

 psea, so unhappily named the chickweed 

 winter green, and the pyrolas. Truly the 

 study of plant life in the forest brings 

 home to on© very keenly conviction in the 

 belief that the plant is even more than 

 man a child of circumstance. The trien- 

 talis of doubtful etymology, is another 

 northern flower, and it is such a true 

 dryad that nothing will induce it to 

 live beyond the forest fence. If trans- 

 planted to a garden it will survive only a 

 short time, even though a lump of peat in 

 whieh the roots are embedded be trans- 

 planted with it. One can only explain this 

 tact by supposing that the organic com- 

 pounds produced by the decay of vege- 

 table remains on moors and in woods are 

 essentially different from those evolved by 

 similar matter under the changed condi- 

 tions of temperature and moisture occur- 

 ring in a garden usually at a lower level, 

 il^vidently— and practical gardeners tell us 

 so— the peat and black graphitic soil from 

 the slopes of our snowy mountains turns 

 sour in gardens. In all probability the 

 numic acids produced linder altered cir- 

 oumstances are different. W K 



GARDENERS AND 

 GARDENING. 



Under the above heading many interesting 

 letters have appeared in recent issues of the 

 Gardeners' Magazine. Whatever mav be 

 the result of such correspondence very^^few 

 of us can, tell. Young gardeners who 

 unfortunate in not serving under such types 

 of a ''chief" as your correspondent Paul T. 

 Moore (whose sentiments I must strongly 

 support) have my sympathy. As a young 

 gardener good fortune favoured me in this 

 respect, and I often recall the valuable infor- 

 mation gained from tho&e with whom I have 

 had the honour of serving. I am also sorry 

 that the absolute management of some of 

 our best private establishments is now under 

 those who have not the interest of, or sym- 

 pathy with, those under them, 



I am often in conversation upon various 

 subjects not in aiiy way connected with hor- 

 ticulture, with men of various types, and 

 on many occasions I have been deeply im- 

 pressed by the conservative methods which 

 nearly every professional man adopts to pre- 

 serve the etiquette of his profession. I oiteu 

 wish that gardeners could be educated to 

 the necessity of some such sense of honour in 

 maintaining the position of our profession. 

 We should then soon see evidence of a higher 

 standard. 



As an example, take the firm stand which 

 the medical men have adopted against what 

 they consider an injustice to their profes- 

 sion. Taking doctors as a whole, considering 

 their station in life, and the expenses of the 

 training necessary to become qualified, it is 

 questiona^ble whether they are better paid 

 than ourselves. I am well aware they have in- 

 dividual grievances in reference to remunera- 

 tion. Most of our large cities can produce 

 [edical experts who may earn anything 

 from one thousand to twenty thousand 

 pounds per annum, but at the same time, 

 they are working harmoniously with men who 

 do not exceed a couple of hundred pounds 

 per year. Yet these men stand firmly to- 

 gether for one common cause, and their 

 ample is one we may profit by. 



There is, I believe, an old proverb that 

 before one deserves assistance he must first 

 learn to help himself. I am of opinion that 

 we shall never derive much benefit until 

 more energy and a determination to succeed 

 is infused into the majority of young gar- 

 deners. Every such man ought to have a 

 fixed determination to qualify for any and 

 every position he may or may not be called 

 upon to fulfil, from that of the humble hut 

 important crock-boy to the dignified posi- 

 tion of head gardener to the King, or chief 

 officer of the £ondon Parks; and if such men 

 were found to exist in large numbers we 

 should produce men who would yet solve the 

 difficulty of protecting our time-honoured^ 

 but almost worn-out^ profession. 



Another most essential item is to cultivate 

 sociability with those with whom one comes 

 into contact. While I advise everyone to 

 resent any interference from outsiders, and 

 to make a firm resolve to stand up for certain 

 well-kno\vn liberties, such as ordering goods, 

 and the management of one's own men. 

 I would also advise the young gardener to 

 obey his employer to the letter, and at the 

 same time devote attention to those imme- 

 diately connected with such employer. A 

 little diplomacy will often make an end of 

 wh at appea r to be great troubles . 

 muBt always remember that most of our em- 

 ployers have other matters besides gardens 

 to think of, and at times these undermine 

 their otherwise good intentions. 



I do not believe that any hard and fast rule 

 can be applied for the education of gar- 

 deners. Diplomas will assist, but they are 

 not of much value in private gardens. 

 those engaged in the horticultural trade and 

 in private gardens learn the art and value 

 of organisation they may demand greater 

 consideration, and receive their due reward. 



John Donoghue. 



Bardon Hill Gardens, Ivceds. 



