A STROLL THROUGH THE GARDEN — DECEMBER. 
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are quite as much protected as if they had 
been planted. I wish to show you some few 
points about removing trees and planting 
them. When a tree has been some time 
planted, the head or branches completely ad- 
just themselves to the roots, and there is an 
even balance carried on until disturbed by 
something. Consequently, if the tree were 
violently pulled up, and half the roots left in 
the ground, and the tree were planted again, 
the balance would be completely destroyed ; 
the roots would not be sufficient to supply all 
the head; and perhaps, as all the head has an 
equal demand, the whole structure dies ; but 
if half the head were cut away, (or two-thirds 
it might perhaps be necessary to remove,) the 
roots would then be sufficient to support the 
remainder, and the tree would, in a year or 
two, become something like what it had been. 
In planting trees that have been removed, it 
is necessary, first, to see what quantity of root 
they have lost ; next, to cut all the bruised 
and damaged part of the roots away altogether; 
and according to the quantity of healthy root 
left, so to apportion the head, cutting away all 
the weak branches, shortening all the strong 
ones, and being guided as to the quantity by 
the loss of roots the tree had sustained. 
Again, suppose the tree not to be removed, 
and you cut away great part of the head, the 
roots not being damaged will supply so much 
more nourishment than the remaining head 
will consume, that the new branches grow ten 
times more vigorously; and this gives you the 
reason for pruning trees. Observe, he takes 
up that great laurel, and from the appearance 
of the roots you may easily see that many of 
the principal shoots of it have been shortened. 
He cuts off the ragged ends, to begin with, 
and now he is cuttiug away more than half 
the top. That will all be replaced the first 
summer, because the root has not suffered so 
much in proportion, as the tree above ground. 
There you observe a standard, with a large 
straggling head — that is an almond, and the 
root seems very good; but see how he is cut- 
ting in the head; he is shortening the branches 
to a foot long, and is cutting away many of 
the smaller ones. The fact is, it w T as an ugly 
grown tree, with only about five good leading 
sfioots. Now, by shortening these, each of 
the remainder will send out branches on each 
side, and the head will be formed altogether 
as handsome as it was before ugly. Cutting 
back always causes the next year's growth to 
be more vigorous than it would be if not cut 
back, because nature endeavours to supply 
deficiencies. Hence cuttings supply them- 
selves with roots, and in all vegetation there 
is a constant disposition to supply whatever 
is short. In planting these things, again, you 
observe, the earth is bruised small, to go in 
among the fibres, and he treads the ground 
hard, to make it close in upon the root. 
There is a large space there, intended for a 
green, but at present all plain level ground. 
Now, you see tho.^e rolls of soil lying by the 
side; they are all turves of grass, cut from the 
surface of the common hard by, one foot wide 
and three feet long. The surface of the bare 
soil is rolled here, and is very level. You 
now see the man lay those turves down, one after 
the other, unroll them, and form a complete 
green carpet; all the joins you see now quite 
plainly, will be completely hidden in a week ; 
and you see he has not been very long 
covering a space as large as a drawing-room 
as completely as if it had been a lawn for 
years. If we require a grass plot or lawn, 
and cannot get these turves, we are obliged to 
sow grass seeds, and wait until they come up, 
form a good bottom, and bear mowing smooth ; 
one is perfect in one month, and by sowing it 
takes two years. Yet when it is wanted on 
a large scale, we are obliged to sow, and wait 
our time. 
Among the shrubs the man has to put in, 
there are some evergreens, some deciduous, 
that is, some have the leaves fall off every 
autumn. The whole are useful ; but the art 
of laying out a shrubbery is to form all the 
leading features with evergreens, and let the 
deciduous plants and trees form a subordinate 
feature. Allow standards to rear their 
heads from the midst of evergreens, and so 
add to the beauties of the scene, when they 
flower, and not be sufficiently conspicuous to 
detract from the liveliness when they are not 
covered. I hardly know anything so ugly as 
all the plantations you are passing to look bare 
and black. 1 would have gardens cheerful 
all winter. In this garden, for instance, 
Christmas is as bright as midsummer, as to 
the general features; though certainly there are 
more flowers about at midsummer than Christ- 
mas ; but there is the greater need of doing 
all we can to render a place cheerful. Ever- 
greens present us with a vast variety of foli- 
age, both in colour and form : all the Pinus 
and fir tribes differ strongly from one another, 
and give us many varieties ; the Portugal and 
common laurel widely contrast in the form 
and colour of their leaf; hollies abound in 
variegations of all complexions. Then we 
have Aucuba japonica, different from every 
thing ; the plain and striped Alaturnus, and 
Euonymus. The Arbutus family, though 
numerous, are not so much contrasted as 
some things. Andromedas and Magnolias 
differ widely among themselves, and the colour 
and form of the green foliage yield us a thou- 
sand different shades and habits. 
The planting, you observe, is arranged so 
as to form a bank, the lowest and most slow- 
