THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
398 
height and uses. However, it is a handsome tree, and 
ought to be in every collection. 
CftYi’TOMERtA japonica (Japan Cedar). From Krypios, 
hidden; and merit , part; the structure of all the parts 
of the flower being hid. The seeds of this tree, now 
grown in almost every garden of any note, were intro¬ 
duced by Mr. Fortune no longer since than 1844, and, 
if he had introduced no other (lower or tree, he would 
be amply entitled to the grateful thanks of every lover j 
of fine trees. Tt grows from 80 feet to 100 feet high, 
I and the timber is said to be excellent, the growth 
rapid, and the habit most beautiful. The only fault it 
has is that in very exposed situations the leaves turn a 
little rusty in winter ; but, as it was stated in our notice 
of the gardens at Trentha.m, last year, Mr. Fleming pre¬ 
serves the colour of the leaves, this objection may by 
the same means be obviated. They keep the rich colour i 
by giving the trees a liberal allowance, during the 1 
growing season, of liquid manure. i 
In the Horticultural Society’s Journal there is a very ! 
interesting paper on this tree, by Mr. Gordon, which, at 
that time, was comparatively new. He says, in regard 
to its cultivation, “ The Japan Cedar seems as easily 
managed as the common Chinese Arbor Vitae, and like 
it succeeds in any soil or situation which is not very 
poor or wot.” In the large nurseries at Bagshot, and 
Knap Hill, especially in that of Messrs. Standisli & 
Noblo, there are immense quantities of it. In their 
soil, which is thin and poor, much like that of our wild 
heaths, it appears to grow with great rapidity, even as 
quick as the common Larch. We saw them a few days 
ago, and were much struck with the number and density 
of the branches on each, arising, no doubt, from the 
open situation in which they grew, nature having pro- 
vided, as it were, these numerous shoots to balance the : 
trees against the winds that must prevail in such a free- ' 
from-shado situation. This peculiarity rendered them 
much handsomer in appearance than if they had been | 
drawn up more quickly in a close, or well-sheltered site. : 
This tree, when of a right size for such a purpose as we 
shall mention presently, is now, considering its late ! 
introduction, exceedingly cheap, and it would be still 
more so if the demand for it increased. The purpose 
we allude to is the planting of our wide wastes (mixed, 
perhaps, with the Larch) with this new and beautiful 
tree. We have watched its growth and capability of 
enduring our climate, and are now almost certain that it 
would endure our severest winters. There are thousands 
of acres of land in the neighbourhood of Bagshot and 
Knap Hill, that are not worth, in their present state, 5s. 
per acre, that would grow this tree well, and would, in 
course of time, be adorned with its beauty, aiid rendered 
valuable by its timber. But alas! our landed pro¬ 
prietors appear to be very supine now in such patriotic 
pursuits. Nurseries are crowded with all sorts of trees, 
without almost any demand for them, and nurserymen 
are almost at their wit’s end what to do with them. 
Thousands are stubbed up every year, and after the 
stems are cut up, for perhaps dahlia stakes, the residue 
are sent to the rubbish heap to be burnt. This is a 
melancholy, though too true a picture of the state of 
one half or more of the nurseries, both in England and 
' Scotland. It is true, there are a few exceptions amongst 
our nobility; there arc some who make it a point of 
honour, if they cut a few trees for sale, they plant fifty 
times as many in order that their posterity may be able 
to cut down also for profit. May the number of such 
patriotic individuals be increased. 
(To be continued.') 
September 23. 
THE HOLLYHOCK. 
(Continuedfrom page 385.) 
Exhibiting. —Much difference of opinion is abroad as 
to the proper mode of exhibiting tlieso now really tine 
double llowers. Some are for showing them in boxes, 
made in a similar manner to those we described lately 
for cut roses, each bottle to hold a single bloom ; others 
show them in bottles simply and singly, without the box; 
but the best way, we judge, is to show them in spikes, 
some two feet or less long, according to the state they 
may be in at the time. This latter method shows better 
than either of the others the entire merits of the 
varieties as ornaments for the liower garden. To 
obtain flower-stems with numerous perfect flowers on 
each, it will be necessary, or at least judicious, to cut oil, 
in an early stage, the extreme ends of the flower-shoots ; 
the flowers will then open to the very extremity, and will 
be beautiful objects on the exhibition tables. 
Conveying them to the Exhibition .—This mode of 
showing in spikes renders the conveyance somewhat 
difficult, especially to a great distance. The only way to 
be completely successful in such a case, is to have a deep 
box with ono side hung on hinges, so that it can be 
opened easily, and the spikes taken out in succession; 
the bottom of the box should be fitted with bottles to 
hold water, and each spike should be securely fastened 
in each bottle. To keep them, there should be a 
sufficient number of round laths nailed across the box, 
about midway in the depth, and these should be placed 
exactly between each row of bottles ; then, as each spike 
is placed firmly in each bottle, a string should be tied 
to each spike both ways. This would keep each spike 
firmly in its place, and thus prevent the blooms rubbing 
against each other. By this method we have seen 
spikes of Hollyhocks successfully carried by rail for fifty 
miles. If they are exhibited in single cut blooms, they 
are, no doubt, more easily conveyed to a distance ; but, 
for reasons already given, we adhere to the opinion, that 
in all cases #ie Hollyhock ought to be shown in spikes. 
Those societies which offer prizes for Hollyhocks, should 
by all means so arrange them, that the small growers 
should have a chance of winning prizes. For large 
growers, such as Mr. Bragg, Mr. Dircham, Mr. Chater, 
Messrs. Paul, and such like, the prize should not be for 
less than stands of twenty-four varieties; but for ama¬ 
teurs, gentlemen, and cottage gardeners, there should be 
prizes offered for stands of twelve, and even six, in each. 
This gives every grower encouragement, and each should 
be confined to his class; that is, no grower should he 
allowed to compete in more than ono class. This would 
be acting fair to all parties, and would give satisfaction, 
as well as encouragement, to all. 
Propagation: By Cuttings. —If our forefathers bad 
been told that it was possible to propagate the Holly 
hock by cuttings, we fear they would have laughed at 
the idea; but such is the perseverance of florists in the 
art of propagating those plants which the public require, 
that even the soft, pithy stem of this plant is made to 
produce numerous plants, so much so, that in one single 
season we have known one single variety multiplied by 
cuttings into several scores of plants; if we were to say 
hundreds, we believe we should write the truth. A 
young man whom we have the pleasure of knowing, Mr. 
Macintosh, of the Edgeware Road, raised last year a 
seedling of excellent qualities, which he named the 
Duke of Wellington , a party-coloured flower, of excellent 
qualities. He propagated it, as a matter of course, as 
well as business, and the day before we wrote these lines 
we called upon him, and found he had been very suc¬ 
cessful in increasing it, so that he has now a large 
stock of it. The way he accomplished this is similar, in 
most respects, to that described in The Cottage Gardeners 
Dictionary. He took off the bottom side-shoots, cut 
