Ootober 15, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
347 
Chrysanthemum L'Isle des Plaisirs (Forbes).—A Japanese variety with 
flat or fluted florets, bright bronze red on the upper surface and golden on 
the lower. Of good substance and form. 
NOTED TREES. 
THE CHESTNUT. 
The Chestnut tree (Castanea vesca) is generally understood to be a 
native of Asia Minor, but it is abundant, at all events, as a naturalised 
tree in the mountainous parts of the south of Europe. The famous 
Castagno di Cento Cavalli, or Chestnut of the Hundred Horses, upon 
Mount Etna is probably the largest tree in Europe. It is so called, 
according to tradition, because Jeanne of Aragon and a hundred cava¬ 
liers of her suite took refuge under its branches during a heavy shower, 
and were completely sheltered from the rain. Brydone, who visited it 
in the year 1770, has given a particular description of it. He states it 
to have been 204 feet in circumference, but later observers reduce 
these dimensions to 190 or even 180 feet. It has the appearance of 
five distinct trees; but whether there were really as many trunks 
originally, or whether, as in the case of the Fortingall Yew, these trunks 
be merely portions of one great one, it is difficult to judge. Most 
travellers, however, who have examined it, incline to the opinion that the 
trunk is actually formed by the union of five stems all springing 
from the same root. A hut has been erected in the hollow space in 
its centre, with an oven, in which the inhabitants dry the Chestnuts 
and other fruits which they wish to preserve for winter, using at 
times for fuel pieces cut with a hatchet from the interior of the tree. 
The Chestnut throws up shoots very readily from the root, and Philippi 
says it is a general custom in Sicily to cut them down after they have 
attained a considerable size, when the new stems which are thrown out 
from the base shortly become trees again. This certainly furnishes a very 
weighty reason for supposing such to be the structure of the Castagno 
di Cento Cavalli; but there are other colossal Chestnuts also upon 
Mount Etna with undoubtedly single trunks. One of these, known by 
the name of the “ Chestnut of St. Agatha,” is 70 feet in circumference ; 
another is the “ Della Nave,” which is 64 feet; and the third, called 
“ Della Navella,” is 57 feet. Some general idea of their age may 
perhaps be formed by a comparison with other individuals whose history 
is better known, such as that at Sancerre, described by Bose, which, 
although only 33 feet in girth at 6 feet from the ground, has been called 
the “ Great Chestnut of Sancerre ” for 600 years. Though none of the 
English Chestnuts rival the Sicilian ones, yet there are some enormous 
ones in this country. That at Hitcham Priory, in Hertfordshire, had in 
1789 a circumference of more than 14 yards, or 42 feet, at 5 feet from 
the ground ; and though the internal part was decayed and hollowed by- 
time, the external part and leaves were vigorous. Grose found four 
Chestnuts in the garden at Great Crawford Park, Dorset, 37 feet in 
circumference, and though shattered and decayed, it still bore good 
crops of fruit. The great Chestnut at Tortworth in Gloucestershire, and 
which is a signal boundary to the Manor of Tamworth, has, how¬ 
ever, had dimensions as well as age assigned it belonging to few 
other English trees. In 1720 it measured 51 feet in diameter at 6 feet 
from the ground. Lysons, however, by later measurement, in 1791, 
made it out to be only 45 feet 3 inches. It bore fruit abundantly in 
1788. In the reign of Stephen, who ascended the throne in 1135, it was 
already remarable for its size. But even this tree, which has probably 
ong since celebrated its thousandth anniversary, does not equal the 
smallest of the three Sicilian Chestnuts. 
ORIENTAL PLANE. 
The Oriental Plane (Platanus orientalis) is one of the largest trees of 
temperate climes. Pliny speaks of one in Lycia whose trunk, hallowed 
by age, presented a cavity 81 feet in circumference, in which the Consul 
Licinius Mutianus slept with eighteen persons of his suite ; and Olivier, 
Dr. Walsh, and other modern travellers describe one in the valley of 
Bujukdereh, three leagues from Constantinople, which is 90 feet high, and 
with a stem 150 feet in circumference. The trunk is hollow within to the 
level of the soil ; the cavity is 80 feet in circumference, and occupies a 
space of 500 square feet. Yautier mentions one in Tiresia, near Pontus, 
which was 20 feet in diameter. There are no certain means of determin¬ 
ing the age of these trees ; but Hunter mentions, in Evelyn’s “ Sylva,” 
that an Oriental Plane, planted in Norfolk in 1744, was at the age of 
thirty-one years 7 feet 9 inches in circumference at 1J foot above the 
ground, which yields an average annual increase of 10 lines ; and this 
calculation applied to the tree at Bujukdereh would make it 150 years 
old, although if we consider that young trees increase much more rapidly 
than old ones, we might with safety assume it at between two and three 
times that age, or at least 400 years old. This is on the supposition that 
the trunk consists of a single stem, but the recent observations of Mr. 
Webb leave little doubt but this monster trunk is formed by the junction 
of several original trees planted in close proximity. Indeed, all along the 
shoreB of the Bosphorus, there are many groups of younger Planes, which 
for their shade have been designedly planted in a small circle, and their 
trunks will in time become similarly incorporated. Pliny’s Lycian Plane 
may have also had such an origin. 
THE ELM. 
The Elm (Ulmus camp'strh) attains a large size, and lives to a great 
age. Mention is made of one planted by Henry IY. of France, which was 
standing at the Luxembourg at the commencement of the French Revolu¬ 
tion. One at the upper end of Church Lane, Chelsea, said to have been 
planted by Queen Elizabeth, was felled in 1745. It was 13 feet in cir¬ 
cumference at the bottom, and 110 feet high. Supposing it were planted 
about 1570, its age would be 175 years, and its annual average increase in 
diameter about 31 lines. Piffe’s Elm, near the Biddington Oak, in the 
vale of Gloucester, was in 1783 about 80 feet high, and the smallest girth 
of the principal trunk was 16 feet. From the planting of Sir Francis 
Bacon’s Elms in Gray’s Inn Walks in 1600, and their decay about 
1720, one would be disposed to assign the healthy period of the Elm in 
this country to be about 120 years. But De Candolle mentions one at 
Morges which fell down in 1827, probably undermined by the waters of 
the neighbouring Lake of Geneva. It was perfectly healthy, and had 
been growing in a favourable situation. A section of the trunk above the 
root showed it sage to be 335 years ; at the same place the diameter was 
16 feet 4| inches English, and immediately below the branches, at 12 feet 
from the ground, it was 29£ in circumference ; of five immense branches 
one was 15 feet 9 inches English in girth. 
Of American Elms (a different species, however, from any of the 
European ones) the most noted is that upon Boston Common. Its girth at 
5 feet from the ground (in 1844) was 16 feet 1 inch ; at the height of 
3 feet it measures 17 feet 11 inches, and near the earth 23 feet 6 inches. 
It is said to have been planted in 1670 by Capt. Daniel Hendman, then 
a schoolmaster in Boston, and who afterwards joined the artillery. It is 
therefore (1846) about 175 years old. In an old map of Boston, published 
in 1720, the Elm is delineated as a large tree. In 1800 there was a great 
hollow in it, large enough for a boy to hide himse’f in ; but the cavity 
was then cleared of its rotten wood, and filled with a composition of lime, 
rubbish from old buildings, and clay. There is now no appearance of the 
hollow, and the tree is apparently as flourishing as ever. The Aspinwall 
Elm in Brooklyn is also of considerable size. It was planted in 1656 ; 
and in 1837, when 181 years old, measured 16 feet 8 inches at 5 feet from 
the ground, and 26 feet 5 inches close to the surface, These give the 
annual increase of growth of the American Elm very accurately at 44 lines 
in diameter.— (Forestry.) 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Trenching.— We do not like to see an empty kitchen garden at any 
time of the year, but in late autumn and during the winter vacancies 
do occur, and from now onwards for the next four or five months ground 
requiring trenching must have attention. Our system is to trench a piece 
or two every winter, and we have never more to do than can be accom¬ 
plished comfortably. Shallow soils are not the best, and for the majority 
of crops, and in most districts, the soil cannot be too deeply trenched. 
From 2 feet to 2£ feet at least is not too deep for the production of 
heavy high-class crops. Poor subsoils should never be turned on to the 
surface in any great quantities in one year. The first crop will not be 
very satisfactory, and when there is a great extent of bad surface supplies 
may be deficient. In dealing with bad subsoils we generally keep them 
in the bottom, and simply fork a quantity of rough rubbish and manure 
into the bottom of each trench to improve it there, and as this goes on it 
may be turned on to the surface in a few years afterwards. Three years 
ago we dealt with a stiff piece of clay land in this manner, and we are now 
trenching it again, with the result that the cold wet stiff bottom is found 
to be excellent soil for any vegetable crop. Where manure and refuse is 
scarce we have trenched ashes into wet soil with good results. We do not 
begin trenching a quarter to-day and finish it off to-morrow, but it is a 
“ standing job ” during the winter, depending upon what else there is for 
the men to do and the state of the weather. 
Digging. —We dig every inch of our kitchen garden annually, and 
although trenching may not be necessary, digging must be done. Short 
spades are of no use for this work. They should not be put in at an 
angle, but straight down, and the soil should be turned clean over. At 
this time and on during the winter it cannot be left too rough, as the 
frost acts as a pulveriser. 
Roots. —CaTrots and Beetroots which have attained a good size will 
not become much larger, and they will now be safer under cover, The 
Carrots may be lifted with the aid of a fork if they cannot be drawn up 
freely, and the Beet may have to be lifted in this way too, but the utmost 
care is necessary that the skin should not be broken. The tops may be 
cut close in to the crowns in the case of the Carrots, but the leaf stems 
of the Beet should be left a few inches in length to prevent bleeding. 
When the roots are plentiful it may not be necessary to reserve the 
worst of them, and small and deformed ones can be used for the pigs, but 
where they are scarce it will be well to save all, as it is surprising what an 
obliging cook can do with inferior roots. As in the case of all other 
roots, these should only be lifted on dry days, and they may be stored as 
soon as they have become dry. A shed or cellar is a good place for them. 
Put them down in layers on the top of each other with a quantity of sand, 
ashes, sawdust, or ordinary garden soil between each. We prefer the 
latter, as it is always convenient and answers the purpose well. Do not 
lift autumn-sown Carrots ; they will continue growing until Christmas 
or later and may be drawn up as required. Onions which were taken 
