144 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 19, If SI, 
of which a supply has been had during the winter months i All 
these, and much more, must, however be passed over with a few 
words, but mention must be made of the ^Mushroom house, 180 feet 
long, as that is a special feature. It is well constructed, with the 
object of preserving an equable temperature, and four beds extend 
the whole length, with a path in the centre. The lower beds are 
partially devoted to Seakale and Rhubarb, while Lilac is placed in 
the central space, but the greater portion of the beds is occupied 
with Mushrooms, of which there is an excellent crop, and some of 
the beds have been in bearing for a long time. 
Against the walls are sheds, stables, workshops, bothies, 
offices, store houses, and every convenience for a “ factory ” on 
such an extensive scale. The whole business is conducted in a 
most systematic manner, and this is one of the essential features 
of success. The daily work of every man is entered in a book, for 
revision by the chief, and lists of all produce for headquarters are 
sent with it, besides being entered on a counterfoil, which is priced 
upon the reception of the returns. Something of a similar kind is 
followed throughout the business, and Mr. Whiteley appears to be 
one of the few masters of g’’eat commercial concerns, who know 
every day their precise financial condition. I need only add to these 
notes that my visit was rendered very agreeable by the courtesy of 
the able manager. —Lewis Castle. 
TREE?. 
The Big Avenge at Ashby Folville. 
It is not of a fine old avenue that I have to tell now, but of 
the planting of a new one, in view more especially of recording in 
the Journal the date of the planting, so that when the trees gain 
size and the avenue becomes so fine a feature as to excite attention 
and inquiry, reliable particulars of the age of the trees may be 
forthcoming for the satisfactim and guidance of posterity for the 
next three or four centuries. For the sight of a fine avenue of 
trees gives rise to the question, “ How old are they ?” and the 
answer is almost invariably vague and unsatisfactory because no 
reliable record of the planting is forthcoming. Mention may be 
made of one remarkable exception at Althorp Park, the seat of 
Lord Spencer in Northamptonshire, where date stones were first 
used at the planting in the sixteenth century, and continuously 
down to the present time. The fact is all the more important 
from the numerous magnificent specimens of old timber there. It 
has been my good fortune to see very much of our best timber, 
but I know none which affords more valuable ksions to the planter 
than that at Althorp. 
It will be understood why the Ashby Folville avenue is con¬ 
sidered of sufficient importance to have special mention when I 
explain that beginning near the Manor House it ends at a distance 
of a mile and a half from it, running due south over a boldly un¬ 
dulating surface, first passing over a gentle eminence down into a 
valley, and thence upwards to the highest part of the estate, so that 
eventually it will become a conspicuous feature in some of the 
most attraclive scenery of Leicestershire. 
To mark the lines with precision a theodolite was necessary, 
and by using staffs of white deal for maiking the stations the work 
was not difficult. The avenue is 80 feet wide, and the trees are 
60 feet apart. They are the true English Elm, about four years 
old from the bud, for every tree is worked so that uniformity of 
growth is a certainty, and they are full of health and vigour in 
roots, stem, and branches, the average height being about 12 feet. 
The soil is a fairly deep loam, the subsoil clay, of such retentive 
nature as to render thorough drainage necessary. The stations 
were excavated 2 feet deep, and the bottom of each station broken 
up another fair spit, so that soil and subsoil were broken up to a 
depth of upwards of 30 inches. The whole of the stations were 
opened before any planting was done, and so much rain and snow 
fell during this part of the work that many of the holes became 
full of water, others had less water, and some had none at all, for 
i 1 some places the loam was so deep that the natural drainage 
sufficed to carry off the water. Every station which held water 
had a row of 2|^-inch pipes placed across the bottom of it, and the 
drain was either continued to and connected with the nearest 
ditch or land drain, or continued sufficiently far down the slope to 
ensure the thorough drainage of the station. The soil was then 
replaced, the turf sods being chopped up and mixed with it, 
enough fine soil being put aside for working in among the roots of 
the trees, one man holding the tree in its exact position, another 
spreading out the roots at full length and working the fine soil well 
among arid around them with his hands, two other men throwing 
in the soil, which was pressed firmly about the roots and stem by 
careful treading. 
The planters were followed at once by others, who fastened 
each tree securely to a stout bamboo staff, the string going over a 
thick pad of hay placed around the stem for each tie. Next came-, 
others with bushes and withes to make a sufficiently stout guard 
around each stem to keep off the cattle, which appear to be out on 
the Leicestershire pastures all the year round. The trees were thus- 
rendered safe in every way for the moment, till the triangular 
guards, 7 feet 6 inches in height, of stout unsawn larch poles were 
made. The lower ends of the poles were first charred in a fire, so 
that below the surface of the soil, and 2 or 3 inches above it, each 
pole has an exterior of charcoal, and decay is thus prevented. The. 
poles are 2 feet from the bottom of the stem, and 1 toot from it at 
the top, upon which there is a cap or bar of larch, with six other 
horizontal bars to each panel. We have thus a thoroughly strong 
guard, injury to the roots from driving in the poles is avoided, and 
there is much less risk of the ground ever being loosened in the soil 
by the rubbing of cattle than when the poles are upright or have 
the tops sloping outwards instead of inwards, and the appearance 
is neat and entirely satisfactory. The estate carpenter wished ta 
introduce a little fancy work with diagonal bars, but this was 
prevented by a well-merited compliment on the neat and satis¬ 
factory appearance of the horizontal bars, as the expense in the 
aggregate must be considerable for so many guards, an avenue of. 
Beech trees and many mixed clumps and belts having to be done 
as well as the big avenue. 
The object of having such care bestowed uprn the stations was¬ 
te ensure the trees becoming established quickly and to induce 
vigorous growth from the first. Once get them well established 
in the stations and fine trees are an absolute certainty in such soiL 
My aim was not only to plant the trees well, but so to leave them 
that their safety and progress were assured as far as possible. 
Occasionally a station was made sufficiently near to old trees for . 
roots from them to be cut through. In every such instance an 
open trench was made between the station and the old trees,, 
sufficiently deep to cut through all roots established in the soil, 
and as a necessary precaution against the young trees being starved 
by the old ones. On Monday, November 17th, 1890, the first two 
trees at the north end of the big avenue were planted by 
Mr. R. Smith-Carington, his son, Mr. H. H. Smith-Carington, and 
his grandson, bonnie little Folville Smith-Carington, whose share 
of the work consisted in holding a branch. The last trees were 
planted at the south end of the avenue on December 8th. The 
work had been much hindered by a heavy fall of snow, but every 
tree was so well planted that there ought not to be a single failure.,. 
The Beech avenue was planted in the course of the next few. 
days for a carriage drive. It is 70 feet wide, and the trees are the 
same distance apart. It must be owned that general effect had 
more influence upon the width of this avenue than any considera¬ 
tion of the full development of the trees. Bat this is a matter 
which must be held in reserve for another paper. — Edward. 
Lucichurst. 
FOUR-INCH CARNATIONS. 
It is really a rash proceeding to express any doubt as to what 
we may expect next in the way of size or other distinctive feature 
in any popular florists’ flowers, so that Mr. John Thorpe’s prophecy 
(page 112) may come to be realised in all its fulness, even to the 
dollar apiece. The ideal flower, however, is not quite a novelty- 
In saying this, reference is not made to the sprawling monstrosities 
which have become so common of late years, some of which have 
been termed “ Malmaisons,” but wanting in every characteristic of 
these queenly flowers save the kinship of carnationhood. Here 
let me say that the true “ Malmaisons” under good treatment' 
develop one-fourth of their flowers quite 5 inches across, the re¬ 
mainder being slightly smaller. I cut at least 300 blooms last, 
season over 5 inches across, and many of them 54 inches. There is- 
simply no Carnation which can in any way approach well grown 
Malmaisons, and very few other flowers. 
Last year I grew Madame Arthur Warocque to that size named- 
This winter one rat or more has selected the plants of this variety 
as good eating out of a frameful of 1300 plants, and what may be 
the result this season I cannot say. 
(Eillet de Paris is even larger than the above, and promises to 
be a fine kind, but after three seasons’ trial I should say it is shy 
of increase. Comtesse de Paris also produces 4-inch blooms. Few 
sorts are more attractive than is this. It is of the strong growing: 
habit so characteristic of the Carnations raised in France, forces 
quite readily, and, indeed, is best, at least in our latitude, when 
cultivated under glass. There are many more of the same type, 
and this year I have on trial a collection selected to produce large 
flowers with good non-splitting calyces ; but no doubt the caljx 
which large flowers require is that of the short, firm, clasping 
nature we find in the true “ Malmaison.” It “ bursts,” no doubt, 
but not in the half-hearted, one-sided manner of t):e sorts which 
