September 2. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
353 
London Floricultural (Exeter Hall, Strand), Sept. 14t, 
28, Oct. 12+, Nov. 9+, 23, Dec. 14+. 
Maidstone. In-door Sliow. Sept. 8. ( Sec . Mr. J. G. 
Smith, Week-street.) 
Mid Carder (Palish school-room), Sept. 10. 
Newbury, Sept. 3. 
North London, Nov. 23, Chrysanthemum. 
Northampton, Sept. 27, Dahlia. 
Oxfordshire (Royal), Sept. 23. (Secs., C. Tawney and 
W. Undershell, Esqrs.) 
Peeblesiiire, Sept. 14th. (Sec., J. Stirling.) 
Ponteland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), Sept. 8. (Sec. Rev. 
J. M. St. Clere Raymond.) 
South Devon Botanical and Horticultural, Sept. 7. 
(Sec. J. Cree Hancock, Esq., Stonehouse.) 
South London (Royal), Sept. 2+, 8, Oct. 14+, Nov. 11+, 
Dec. 9+, 10. 
Surrey Amateur (George Canning, Grove Lane, Camber¬ 
well), Sept. 15, Dahlia. 
Turriff, Sept. 17. 
Whitehaven, Sept. 17, Dahlias. 
poultry shows. 
Birmingham and Midland Counties, 14th, 15th, 10th, 
and 17th December. 
Bristol Agricultural, December 7th, 8th, and 9th. 
(Sec. James Marmont.) 
Bury and Radcliffe (Lancashire), Sept. 3 (Radcliffe). 
Cornwall (Penzance), about a week after the Birming¬ 
ham. (Secs. Rev. W. W. Wingfield, Gulval Vicarage, 
and E. H. Rodd, Esq.) 
Manchester and Liverpool, Sept. 23. (See. Mr. H. 
White, Warrington.) 
Royal North Lancashire, Aug. 26th, at Preston. 
AUTUMN FRUIT PLANTING.—COMPOSTS. 
September is, perhaps, above all periods, the very 
best time to lay in, or prepare, composts; and as most of 
our fruits require a little assistance in this way, we beg 
to offer advice suitable to the period. Root-pruning, 
too, which it is said may be done at all seasons, is, in 
our opinion, best performed in the last week, or, at 
latest, the beginning of October. What may be done, 
and what ought to be done, are frequently very different 
affairs. The earnest fruit cultivator will naturally 
desire to select the best time; and, like most other 
operations, there is a time, be it when it may, that is 
more proper than any other. As to composts—several 
reasons exist why they ought to be procured at this 
period. In the first place, it is desirable to procure 
surface soils, with as much of coarse vegetable materials 
as possible—vegetable matter in a somewhat solid and 
ripened condition—in order that its texture may endure. 
Soils, or loams of a sound and proper character, are 
what the gardener terms mellower in the dry weather of 
autumn than at other times; the heat of summer has 
formed many a fissure, causing the soils to undergo 
severe atmospheric action, thereby breaking down, or 
softening the harsher portions, and infusing through 
the whole those gaseous matters which are of the high¬ 
est benefit to vegetable life The gardener, too, has 
more leisure in September than at any other period in 
the whole year; there is little but fruit gathering, 
ordinary cultural matters and general order, to com¬ 
mand his services. This, therefore, is no mean con¬ 
sideration: and, where team work is requisite, why the 
harvest is over, and our “ stable characters ” are as much 
at leisure as the gardener. 
Thus much for arguments; and there is yet another : 
fresh composts should never be handled when wet and 
adhesive, and there are few Septembers but offer a 
capital chance of avoiding these evils. It will be seen, 
that in taking a rather broad view of this matter, our 
remarks are intended to apply to operations on a small 
scale ; they refer, in the main, to those who are about 
making new gardens, or who contemplate re-arranging 
old ones. As for those who simply want to plant or 
remove a tree or two, they will of course need much less 
ceremony. 
We would here advise all those who are about plant¬ 
ing trees on fresh and unoccupied sites, to prepare for 
the work as soon as possible, as thereby, not only will a 
vast amount of labour be saved, but the work will be 
performed in a much more efficient manner. It is truly 
pitiable to observe people, not over busy in September, 
postponing such matters until the short days of winter, 
or to the busy days of February or March ; when, not : 
only the chances against success are much increased, 
but other useful and necessary labours are thrust aside, 
or protracted, to the detriment, and of course loss, of 
other gardening interests. One day in an ordinary 
September, taking length and the conditions of the soil 
fairly into consideration, is fairly worth three ordinary 
winter or February days. Besides all this, we are fully 
persuaded that October planting has an advantage over 
all other portions of the year, taking the average of 
seasons; and this with respect to both deciduous trees 
and evergreens. We are aware that the opinions of some 
first-rate men are against us, and that there are a few ex¬ 
ceptions to this general application ; but the majority are 
with us, and common sense to boot. Besides, if the 
balance be so even betwixt the two practices, who would 
not at once prefer the autumn, for the collective reasons 
before given ? There appears no reason to object to 
the removal of fruit trees before the leaf is entirely 
cast, providing active growth has fairly ceased, and the 
leaves are turning yellow. It is a similar proceeding to 
taking up potatoes before the haulm is dead ripe. Now, 
although we are strong advocates for thorough ripening 
of the wood of fruit trees intended to produce a crop of 
fruit, yet there is no cause for apprehension in the case 
of newly planted trees, the ends in view being dissimilar. 
In the one case, blossom buds are concerned, which 
cannot be too highly elaborated ; in the other, the pro¬ 
duction of shoots from wood buds is simply the object. 
Now, it is well known, that excessive perspiration by 
means of the foliage is the great hindrance to successful 
planting. Discussing then, for a moment, the com¬ 
parative merits of spring and autumn planting, who 
can doubt that there is a much greater demand on the 
perspiratory action in March than in October. Besides, 
such action in the spring is in the ascending scale; just 
the reverse in the autumn. And not the foliage alone 
suffers, but, as long experience tells us, the very wood 
also; or why so many suggestions about wrapping vine 
stems with hay-bands, and other such matter ? To be 
sure, sudden variations in temperature, constitute, in 
part, a reason for the latter procedure. But one of the 
chief considerations, as to the value of early autumn 
planting, remains to be urged, and that is, the high 
ground temperature of the soil as compared with winter 
or spring. The decline of the ground warmth in 
autumn, proceeds, probably, even at a slower ratio than 
the increase in its temperature in the spring. The soil 
once heated is slow in parting with its absorbed heat, and 
also once cooled is but tardy in acquiring it. The rays 
of a March sutr are frequently of great power, but the 
usual accompaniment of wind may be presumed to dis¬ 
perse it at times as fast as imparted to the chilled soil. 
It is a common practice with vine forcers to cover 
their borders early in the autumn, say, in the early part 
of September, in order to arrest the departing ground 
warmth; this is, at least, recognising the value of J 
ground warmth to a tree already growing in the soil; j 
and if so beneficial to established trees, why not so to j 
recently planted ones ? Our plant propagators are no¬ 
torious for using a bottom warmth somewhat in advance 
of the atmospheric temperature; and, indeed, nature 
