mciir, 
o<3  MONTHLY. 
Vol.  XV.]  COLOMBO,  APRIL  isx,  1896.  [No.  10. 
THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  ARBORI- 
CULTURE AND  LANDSCAPE 
GARDENING. 
Bv  Rev.  J.  G.  Macvicar,  A.M.,  D.D. 
(^Reprinted  from  Transactions  of  the  Scottish  Arhori- 
cultural  Society,  Vol.  IV.  ) 
(Continued  from  page  587.) 
ND  now  for  the  labours  of  the 
arboriculturist,  afterwards  his 
enjoyments. 
As  in  other  matters,  the 
arboriculturist  in  this  country 
has  many  dilEculties  to  con- 
tend with.  Of  these  our  very 
extensive  sea-board,  compared 
with  our  very  limited  interior, 
is  one.  Particles  of  sea-salt,  when  plentiful  in  the 
air,  are  most  inimical  to  the  growth  of  forest  trees 
in  general.  Even  in  the  finest  climates,  it  particles 
of  sea-sa’t  abound  in  the  air,  they  attach  and  kill 
all  expanded  leaves  and  young  wood,  and  prevent 
the  formation  of  buds.  On  the  Bay  of  Naples,  in 
the  south  of  Italy,  just  as  on  Bressay  Sound  in  the 
Shetland  Isles,  deciduous  trees  can  be  grown,  in 
the  first  instance,  only  under  the  lee  of  a wall. 
And  each  row  of  trees,  as  it  is  farther  from  the 
sea,  only  rises  above  the  one  that  is  nearer,  like 
the  roof  of  a house.  Evergreens,  indeed,  whose 
leaves  and  life  are  more  torpid,  are  not  so  sensitive ; 
and  the  Bay  of  Naples,  where  man  has  not  interfered, 
is  beautifully  clothed  with  orange  and  lemon  trees. 
Some  plants  also  have  the  power  of  absolutely 
resisting  the  entrance  of  sea-salt  into  their  tissues, 
which,  accordingly,  may  be  seen  encrusting  their 
leaves  ; and  they  suffer  nothing  from.  salt.  Other 
trees,  again,  as  the  coconut  palm,  may  have  a truely 
maritime  habitat,  and  m»y  refuse  to  be  productive 
at  any  very  great  distance  from  the  sea.  But  a 
large  sea-board,  especially  in  a windy  country  like 
ours,  is  certainly  a great  barrier  to  arboriculture. 
And  those  gentlemen  and  foresters  who  have 
succeeded  in  giving  old  Neptune  a sight  of  a group 
of  goodly  trees  which  they  have  raised  within  the 
reach  of  his  breath,  have  a great  triumph. 
The  great  prevalence  of  westerly  winds  also  in 
our  latitudes  is  a great  disturber  of  the  growth 
and  symmetry  of  trees,  especially  in  those  valleys 
which  lie  west  and  east  from  sea  to  sea. 
But  much,  very  much,  has  been  dene  at  once  to 
protect,  to  enrich  and  to  beautify  our  country  by 
arboriculture.  But  happily  for  the  earnest  arbori- 
culturist, much  remains  still  tj  be  done;  and  of 
his  rural  art,  the  praises  stand  in  special  need  on 
being  celebrated  at  the  present  moment,  when,  if 
consequence  of  the  increasing  demand  both  for 
cora-fields  and  pasture  laid,  arboricu'ture  runs  such 
a risk  of  being  neglected.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  in  order  to  have  the  best,  whether  green  hills 
meadows,  or  corn-fields,  there  must  be  in  the  lands- 
cape a fair  proportion  of  trees. 
There  is  another  fact  which,  in  reference  to  our 
own  country,  especially  the  southern  and  western- 
counties  and  highlands,  invests  arboriculture  with 
peculiar  claims;  audit  is  this, — to  a fat  greater  ex- 
tent than  ever  before,  the  draining  of  all  boggy 
lands,  both  low  lying  and  upland,  is  being  practised. 
Now.  this  is  all  right.  It  is  the  hand  of  man  doing 
for  nature  in  our  latitudes  what  nature  is  usually 
able  to  do  for  herself.  It  is  the  hand  of  man  pro- 
ceeding to  abolish  the  bogs  which  were  the  death 
of  the  primeval  forest  in  all  those  localities  where 
trees  could  formerly  grow.  But  if  man  is  to  take 
a second  leaf  out  of  the  book  of  nature,  it  is  that 
he  shoul  1 plant  thoso  new  drained  bogs  again  ; for 
that  is  what  sho  does  whatever  she  can.  Of  this 
draining,  the  immediate  consequence  has  been  a 
great  improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  grasses 
growing  on  ihe  lands  formerly  bogs,  and  therefore 
a great  encouragement  to  the  agriculturist,  and 
especially  to  the  sheep  farmer,  to  continue  draining 
till  no  bog  remains  over  which  he  has  control— 
an  encouragemsnt  which,  at  the  present  moment, 
is  felt  intensely  in  consequence  of  the  unprecedented 
Value  of  sheep. 
