282 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 23, 1886. 
and there; but my woods consisted wholly of more or less ripe timber and 
underwood, and there were therefore large planting operations before me. 
“ The underwood also had suffered greatly by neglect. Though mostly 
standing upon inclines, and therefore easily drained, the old trenches had 
not been cl ared for fifty years or more, and could scarcely be traced ; and 
much ground which ought to have borne good crops of Ash or Chestnut 
had run into Willows, poor Birch, stray Dogwood, and other mar3h-loving 
f rowth. The roads for carrying cut timber, if ever there had been any, had 
isappeared ; so that whenever timber had been felled (and in Sussex it is 
the custom to fell the fully ripe trees every time the undergrowth is cut) 
the ‘ stubs ’ had been damaged by horses, cart-wheels, and the heavy 
trunks which were dragged oyer them at random. 
“ Altogether these woods—though as beautiful as could be wished to 
look upon (for outside, a wood looks much the same whether it bears £40 
or £400 an acre in timber), and though better as pleasure grounds and for 
sport than if the planting were perfect—afforded as much room for improve¬ 
ment as heart could desire ; and I set about it in earnest as soon as I came 
into possession. I made timber roads through the larger woods. This is a 
simple work, consisting merely in the formation of wide alleys by the 
removal of trees and the root3 of the undergrowth. 
“ The drainage I found very costly ; for, the ground being uneven, the 
open trenches had often to be made very deep. I therefore drained only 
the worst spots. Planting could, of course, only be done as spaces of ground 
were cleared by the annual cutting of the underwood—that is, on my ground, 
at the rate of from ten to twenty acres a year. 
“ During my period of possession I planted about 120,000 forest trees. 
This sounds like a great undertaking; but it was really a much less por¬ 
tentous thing than those may imagine who would infer that, after thirty 
years or so, I should have found myself, in return for a commensurate 
outlay, the proprietor of that number of well-grown timber-trunks, in 
addition to those already standing in my woods. 
“ In planting up old underwoods, at least five plants out of ten expire 
under the difficulties of their position. When the 1 stubs ’ are wide apart, 
the ground is usually choked with rank grass and Briars, which cannot be 
kept down, and which stifle all but the strongest young trees before they 
are able to strike their roots well and get their heads into the air. When 
the growth of underwood is comparatively thick, and there are consequently 
no grass or Brambles, the same result is produced by the growth of the 
original underwood itself, which in a couple of years overtops and excludes 
from the needful air and light all but the most sturdy youngsters. 
“ Nor is the expense of planting such a number of trees anything like 
what the reformers of our land laws and other persons of exclusively urban 
experience might suppose. For planting up underwoods, Larch, Ash, and 
Chestnut (Oak, Birch, and Beech are very seldom used) should be about 
4 feet high ; and for such plants you pay at the best forest nurseries from 
25s. to 30s. a thousand. An active man is able to plant, if I remember 
rightly, from seven hundred to a thousand a day. 
“ It is of no use to plant underwoods with trees of larger growth than I 
have mentioned. They would be more likely to be suffocated than the 
smaller ones ; for a year’s addition to the age of a plant renders it much 
less able to strike its roots freely. A Larch of 2 feet high, planted in the 
open, would probably soon overtake one of 5 or 6 feet, if planted beside it 
and at the same time. Of all trees Ash is the most profitable to plant for 
underwood, if the soil be rich and not too dry or damp ; for it grows so fast 
that it can, in favourable circumstances, be cut over twice, while other kinds 
of wood only give one crop. I had a plot of Ash on a piece of rich ground 
that gave a crop of poles every five years, which was worth at the rate of 
at least £40 an acre. But this was a rarity. 
“ Successful planting requires close and intelligent supervision. When 
left to an underling, twice as many trees die as when the work is properly 
seen to, especially if the work is ‘ piece work ’—that is, paid for by the 
number of trees planted. I found that nothing but my almost constant 
attendance on the spot could prevent the planters from doing more than 
take out a ‘ spit ’ of earth, stick the tree in one side of the hole, and chuck 
the lump of earth back again, settling it with one or two stamps of the 
heel. Again, if the matter is left to the ordinary labourer, thousands of 
plants, lying ready for planting, may he killed in one night of frost or one 
day of dry east wind, by neglect of the precaution of covering them with 
loose earth or at least with a sack or two. 
“ All planting operations, whether for underwood or large timber, are a 
work of considerable time. Underwoods do not begin really to pay until 
about twenty-six years after planting—that is to say, at the third cutting. 
The first cutting—though this valuable point is commonly omitted—should 
he two years after planting, in order to force the young stubs to send up 
several shoots instead of one. 
“This first cutting is practicable only in a perfectly new plantation, or 
where the old underwood is so thin that it may be all cut over again, 
together with the new plants, two years after a crop of underwood has been 
taken. This, of course, involves a loss of two years’ growth in the next 
crop ; but I found by experience that this sacrifice was well worth making, 
not only because it allowed of the cutting of the young plants, but still 
more on account of the immense advantage they thus obtained from the 
admission of light and air, the want of which is so fatal to the new trees 
planted among underwood.” 
A chatty readable style is adopted, and many amusing anecdotes are 
scattered through the pages. 
lAJLGr 
WORK.fouthe WEEKj! 
54 
jfpj 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Spring Cabbage. —These are now the most important of young 
cr ps. A quantity of these should be grown in every garden, as nothing 
will compensate for their absence in spring. They are very often the 
only vegetable in the garden in April anl May. The earliest of the 
plants were placed out some tim9 ago, but the second-sized ones are now 
large, and others should be planted. It is always a good plan to have at 
least two plantations of them, and although tne seed may have been 
sown at the same time, there is always some difference in the size of the 
plants. In fact it will be observed that some of these in the earliest 
seed bed are quite small now, and these ought t) be looked after until the 
spring, when they should be placed out to succeed those planted now. 
We find the slugs and snails very troublesome this season. We have 
heard of some young Cabbage plantations being completely spoiled by 
them, and many blanks may have to be filled. A dusting of fresh lime 
in the morning or evening will destroy a great many pests, and if it is 
found that they continue to be destructive, hand-gathering ought to be 
resorted to. Dutch-hoe between the first planted Cabbages, and when 
they are fairly established draw a little soil up to their stems with the 
drag hoe. 
Harvesting Onions. —This work may now be completed. Those 
of the White Spanish types generally die sooner than such varieties as 
James’s Keeping and other strong upright growing sorts, and where any 
of these are still fresh and strong in growth they should have their stems 
twisted and laid over. It will be found that those of this description 
have very thick necks, as the small-necked ones have almost dried up in 
the stems, and as the thick ones are bad keepers they should be placed 
by themselves for immediate use. When first taken under cover all Onions 
should be placed in some cool airy shed until quite dry, and they may 
then be stored in an Apple or any other room without emitting any 
disagreeable odour. In fact we always keep our Onions on the floor of 
our Apple room during the winter, and no harm results from it. Before 
putting them in the shed pull the greater part of the stem off, and the 
rough loose outer skin can also be cleared from them. Where they are 
intended for ropeing the stems should be left a little longer than where 
this practice is not carried out. There need be no hurry in doing it, as 
this is work which can very well be done on any wet day during October 
or November. We never rope our Onions, as they keep equally well 
without, and although they may look well hanging in strings, we do not 
value this kind of decoration. Autumn Onion seed has germinated 
uncommonly well, and the plants are very healthy. Spr.nkle a little 
soot or lime amongst them occasionally to prevent the grubs in¬ 
creasing, and Dutch-hoe amongst them when the surface of the soil is 
dry. 
Late Potatoes. —These are now well matured and should be lifted 
and taken in. Toe disease is more prevalent amongst them than the 
early ones, but the crop is a good one. Only dig when the soil is dry, and 
it will fall from them when they are cast up on the surface. When dug 
on the forenoon of a sunny day they will soon dry and be in good condi¬ 
tion f r taking under cover in the evening. Place them in an open shed 
if possible for a few days, then turn them over, and in doing so remove 
any showing signs of disease, but none of the latter should ever be housed 
in the first instance. The good ones will keep well in any dark place 
where the temperature does not fluctuate very much or rise too high. 
Tomatoes. —Plants which fruited under glass early in summer and 
until lately have been thrown away. We are now gathering fruit from 
the open air, and some late plants in pots will soon be taken into a warm 
house to induce them to ripen a crop until far into winter. The open air 
plants, which are growing wherever there is a strip of bare wall between 
the fruit, are now very useful, as the fruit from them is well developed 
and finely flavoured. Do not allow any fresh shoots to form on them, and 
cut away some of the largest of the leaves where they are shading the 
fruit. (Jive them abundance of liquid manure, and should the weather 
become rough and cold place a light over them. If ripe fruits are very 
plentiful now bottle them for the winter or convert them into sauce. Do 
not allow ripe Iruit to remain on the plants after it is matured, as it 
hinders the development of the later fruits which are very important. If 
any surplus plants have been standing about in small pots all summer, 
transfer them into larger ones now, place them in a genial atmosphere, 
and they will produce a useful crop about Christmas. Laxton’s open air 
Tomato is the best of all for out of door culture. 
Mustard And Cress. —These will not grow feeely in tho open air 
after this time, and seed should now be sown in shallow boxes or on the 
surface of some bed or border under glass. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines.— Trees Ripening the Fruit in July.— 
The trees will now be approaching the resting period, and the foliage is 
falling. They should be kept somewhat drier at the roots, but if the 
lights have been removed, the trees being in a condition to allow of it 
being done in August, they should remain off some time longer, in fact 
until heavy rains and snow. If the trees are very strong it is not wise 
to remove the lights, and if the growth is complete an l the wood not 
ripening kindly, form a trench about one-third the height of the treej 
from the stem, and detach all roots down to the drainage, leaving the 
trench open for ten days or a fortnight, when it may he filled again and 
made firm. This will cause the growth to harden, and the sap will be 
concentrated on the buds, and help to plump them. Young trees only w.ll 
require this, but older trees that have the wood very strong should be 
root-pruned and have the roots wholly or partially lifted before the leaves 
have all fallen. In the case of weakly trees remove the old soil from 
over and amongst the roots, supplying fresh rather strong loam with about 
a tenth of crushed bones added, and a twentieth of wood ashes or charred 
