172 
THE FLORIST. 
i 
gentlemen and gardeners since I came to live here that I could not get 
this thing to succeed nor that. One person gravely told me that 
Petunias would do no good in the flower garden; another that scarlet 
Geraniums would not succeed to my satisfaction; a third party said I 
could not get Rhododendrons ever to live; a fourth party said the 
attempt to plant Conifers was little less than foolishness : and so on. 
But 1 have thoroughly convinced all these parties to the contrary. I 
have never in any part of the south of England seen in any flower 
garden more purity and brilliancy of colour, together with profusion of 
bloom, than I have seen here and in other flower gardens in Yorkshire. 
Rhododendrons grow here as freely as the common Laurel, and flower 
most abundantly; and Conifers of all descriptions succeed admirably 
where the ground has been drained, or where the subsoil is of a dryish 
porous nature. 
The grounds here are extensive, and the soil various, from a light 
gravel to a stiff retentive clay. These circumstances offer great 
facilities for testing the hardiness of trees and shrubs. During the last 
nine years I have planted a great number of Conifers. Pinus insignis, 
being a favourite of mine, was among the first I planted ; it is going 
on eight years since I planted the first two trees, and no trees 
could have done better than they have ever since; they have never 
suffered in the slightest degree from the severe frosts of the several past 
winters, though they are in exposed situations; they are very hand¬ 
some young trees; the growths of the leading shoots last year are—of 
one 24 inches, and of the other 26 inches. 
These having done so well, three years ago I planted two others, 
and these have done equally well. In April, 1856,1 planted six trees, 
and of these two were put in places that I have since ascertained to 
be badly drained; and now for the result. These two trees, like all the 
others, made good growths last year, and towards the autumn the wood 
appeared ripe and all right; but during September, October, and the 
greater part of November, we had a great deal of rain, so that the ground 
where these two P. insignis were was completely saturated with water; 
before the land got dry we had, the first week in December, a heavy 
fall of snow and very severe frosts. On the morning of the 4th of 
December the thermometer registered 30 degrees of frost, and the 
effect of this severe weather on these two trees was that they were very 
much injured; many of the branches were killed back. The plants 
are at present as brown as possible, but show symptoms of life from the 
bottom part of the stem. Not far from these two trees was one in a 
much more exposed situation, but a considerably drier one; this tree 
suffered very little, while the large trees did not suffer in the slightest 
degree, but possess the beautiful intense green for which this tree is 
remarkable. All the other Conifers here escaped without the slightest 
injury, except one Araucaria imbricata, which is in a badly drained 
spot; this tree was a little browned. 
I need not multiply instances to show the evil effects of inefficiently 
drained soil. All who plant choice trees or shrubs should spare no 
expense or labour to secure thorough drainage of the soil, as it is the 
point on which aU hinges. 
Stourton. M. Saul. 
