858 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 2. 
the rows; this will keep out the frost, and preserve the 
roots greatly. 
In the spring following, this litter should he lightly 
forked over, mixing it with the soil as much as possible, 
care being taken not to injure or disturb the roots. The 
plants will then be strong and healthy, and able to send 
up strong flower-stems. As they advance, let each have 
a stake to tie it to, to prevent the winds twisting off the 
steins. As the flowers appear, it is a season of some 
anxiety and pleasing excitement to watch the opening 
blooms, and discover the good ones amongst them. As 
they appear, let each one possessing good properties be 
marked, and described in a book kept for the purpose; 
but lot every single one, or such as are decidedly objec¬ 
tionable in other respects, be pulled up and thrown 
away at once. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
JOTTINGS BY THE WAY. 
Being on our usual autumnal tour through the north 
of England, we have jotted down a few notes on things 
we have had the privilege and pleasure of visiting in 
the nurseries and gardens we considered worthy of 
notice; and we think such notes of sufficient interest 
to send them to the editor to be published, for the in¬ 
formation, or, at least, amusement of the readers of 
The Cottage Gardener. 
We are happy to find that the taste for Coniform is on 
the increase. Mr. 0. Scott, gardener to W. Vavasour, 
Esq., at Hazlewood Castle, near Tadeaster, in Yorkshire, 
has been engaged by that gentleman to inclose about 
ten acres, or perhaps more, and plant it with the best 
and hardiest of that interesting and useful tribe. 
Though only planted about eighteen months ago, they 
are making already considerable growth. Mr. Scott 
plants each tree upon a slightly elevated mound of pre¬ 
pared loam, and with the best effect. He informed us that 
it is in contemplation to increase the space for this pur¬ 
pose to a great extent. Now this planting of these rare 
and choice plants renders the place exceedingly interest¬ 
ing both to the owner and the visitors. James Watts, 
Esq., of Cheadle, near Manchester, has also directed his 
gardener, Mr. Sturdy, to ornament his pleasure grounds 
with a considerable number of Conifer re. We saw this 
place last autumn, and there was scarcely a specimen in 
it, but now there may be seen avenues of them. We 
were much struck with some Araucaria imbricata, up¬ 
wards of ten feet high, that had been removed nearly a 
hundred miles with the most perfect success, though 
they had been planted in the place they were brought 
from for at least seven years. This proves that there is 
no necessity for nurserymen to keep this noble tree in 
pots, cramping its roots and stinting its growth. It 
shows that it may be transplanted, when of a consider¬ 
able size, with safety, even a great distance, and, of 
course, with still greater safety if on the same estate. 
Wilton Hall, near Blackburn, in Lancashire, Joseph 
Fielden, Esq. This place has also been ornamented 
with Coniferie to a considerable extent. The gardener, 
Mr. Wilson, assured us, that though the place in winter 
is much colder than many other places in the neigh¬ 
bourhood, the Araucaria imbricata, Cednis deoclara, 
and Cryptomeria japonica, stood the winter well. The 
pinetum is situated on the side of a lofty hill, almost 
high enough to attain the dignity of a mountain; and 
here, amidst a number of Scotch firs, planted as nurses, 
most of the kinds usually considered somewhat tender 
flourish surprisingly; in truth, a lesson may be learnt 
from that fact—-low, sheltered situations are not the 
places to give a strong and hardy constitution to such 
plants. The warmth of the summer, it is true, in such 
sunny nooks, where no cold blasts can blow, will cause 
the plants to push into vigorous growth, but such 
growths are tender, pithy, and ill-ripened, and are, in 
consequence, reudered in most cases unable to with¬ 
stand or bear the chilling effects of the winter frosts; 
whereas, on the mountain side, where temperate breezes 
are more prevalent, the young wood acquires early a 
degree of hardness that enables it to bear such more 
moderate changes with impunity. At a place in Cheshire 
we saw an illustration of these laws of nature. The 
place is called Astle Hall, situated near Chelford, on an 
almost level plain. I. Dixon, Esq., the owner, several 
years ago, bad some Conifers planted in front of some 
tall trees, with the idea that the latter would shelter these 
choice, and, most likely then, very expensive, plants. 
Last winter, though, comparatively speaking, a very 
mild one, was severe enough to nearly kill a fine spe¬ 
cimen of Pinus insignis. The gardener, Mr. Davis, 
stated that every leaf was turned brown, and he fully 
expected it was quite killed ; but when the warm wea¬ 
ther returned, the old wood sent forth shoots, all the 
young ones being quite destroyed. Now, this very 
I species, on the much colder hills of Lancashire, at 
Wilton Park, was not injured in the least. This is a 
fact worth knowing, in order to avoid such almost fatal 
consequences of sheltering too much. T. Appi.ery. 
(To be continued.) 
GERMINATION OF SEEDS IN AUTUMN. 
It cannot have escaped the notice of the most care¬ 
less observer how much more slowly seeds vegetate after 
the end of August than they do in the spring and early 
summer, while, to all outward appearances, the ground 
seems in better order now than then, so far as its tem¬ 
perature, and the other conditions which regulate its 
fertility are concerned. Plants, more especially those 
of the Cabbage-worts, make greater progress, unless 
checked by some adverse circumstance, as want of rain, 
&c., but seeds do not rapidly vegetate. A glance at 
that all-important law of nature will unravel the mys¬ 
tery,—we shall then see the beautiful design of seeds 
being committed to the earth in the autumn, and re¬ 
maining quiet until returning spring arouses them into 
life again ; this is more especially true of such kinds as 
by their constitution are unable to bear the severities of 
winter in so young and tender a state as they must 
necessarily be when just unfolding their rough leaves, 
for the first time, to “November’s cold and chilly blast.” 
Now, while nature may be thus wisely sealing up and 
putting away the germs of future vegetation in the 
shape of seeds of various kinds, she is actively engaged 
in urging on such as have not performed the duties 
allotted them in that field of industry. Celery grows 
with a vigour unknown in July; Spinach advances 
apace; while the whole of the Brocoli, Turnip, and Cab¬ 
bage tribe, aided by the copious dews common at this 
period, make, for a time, rapid progress. The lesson 
taught by this beautiful arrangement ought not to be 
lost upon us; it should make us see the folly of sowing 
various seeds at times when nature refuses to assist in 
their germination—yet we do persevere in our opposition, 
and, trusting to the artificial assistance we are able to 
afford, we commit seeds to the ground at the forbidden 
time mentioned, and, with some little coaxing, we con- ; 
trive to get a great part of them to grow ; so far has 
successful and long-continued cultivation been able to . 
overcome the dislike that nature has to her hidden 
treasures bursting from the salutary bonds imposed 
upon them in the face of the inclement season fast 
approaching. Thus Cauliflower and Lettuce seed will ger¬ 
minate, and the young family thrive too, if nursed a little 
at the time when they are literally “ breaking the shell 
that object being accomplished, they may be subjected 
to a little more hardship, and taught the common 
lesson of society, that as they are now fairly into the 
