40 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 25. 
very considerable, ihe waterpot must be put in re¬ 
quisition ; watering frequently but slightly at first. 
We shall in a few weeks have much more advice 
to offer about strawberry forcing, and in the mean¬ 
time we must conclude with a few general obser¬ 
vations. At no time should they have a greater heat 
by artificial means than 00°, if possible : we believe 
this to be the maximum amount to he beneficial. 
Of course sun beat is a different affair, especially 
when the plant is much advanced; still the straw¬ 
berry succeeds best in a moderate temperature. They 
should at all times be kept as close to< tbe'glass as 
possible, and when once the blossom spike appears, 
they should never he suffered to become dry tor an 
hour. Not that they like to be saturated; wo merely 
mean attentive watering, for being so limited as to 
soil, as compared with those in the open ground, not 
a point may he given away. Again, liquid manure 
should he used from the moment the truss of blos¬ 
soms begins to rise, for unless the flower stalks 
lengthen freely, and with vigour, it is vain to expect 
a good croj). The liquid manure may he commenced 
very weak, and increased slightly in strength as the 
fruit advances towards maturity, taking especial care 
to discontinue it the moment the first berry is ob¬ 
served to change colour. These, then, are the main 
maxims, but more advice irf detail will, he requisite 
in a few weeks. R. Erring ton. 
THE FLOWER-GARDEN. 
Pr. anting. —One of the greatest improvements in 
modern gardening is autumnal planting, and more 
particularly of evergreen trees and shrubs. 1 fere we 
made a beginning, for some years past, about the 
middle of September, and we consider it a good bit 
when we can finish by Christmas. Those who have 
planted thus early will not willingly put off to a later 
period in after years. This has been one of the best 
autumns for early planting that f recollect The 
ground was warm and the weather very mild—no 
heavy blustering winds to toss about newly-planted 
things, and the early rains at the beginning of October 
were abundant, and as warm as on a May day, so that 
fresh loosened soil was soaked through and through, 
thus carrying the finer particles of it down into any 
open spaces that might have been left about tho 
roots; and no doubt, by this time, fresh healthy 
roots are formed in abundance from the sides and 
cut ends of the larger roots of our transplanted trees 
or shrubs. As, however, a good deal of planting is 
still unfinished, and, in the majority of places, not 
yet begun, or, may be, ( not much thought about, 
L am still in good time to lay down a few rules 
which may he'useful to'young planters. We often 
learn as useful instruction from the results of had 
practice*) as from details of the most perfect opera¬ 
tions or the most scientific hearing of a question 
relating to the operations of the gardener. Indeed, 
were wo candid enough to avow our errors and 
record them, I am not sure if that would not he, 
at times, the best portion of our instructions. At 
any rate I shall here record, in the first place, how 
f was first taught to plant a tree: a hole being made 
large enough to hold the roots, and as deep as would 
allow of tho tree being planted as far in the ground 
as it formerly stood, tho roots wore spread evenly on 
the bottom, and then a few spadesful of soil thrown 
over them ; the tree or hush was now shook up and 
down and, may he, sideways, in order that the soil 
should crumble down among the roots; a few more 
spadesful thrown in, and another shake or two, and 
so on till the hole was quite full; then two or three 
stamps with the foot were given, to steady the plant, 
and this barbarous work or mischief-—which you will 
—was finished. Let us now analyse this process 
from beginning to end, and see what we can make of 
it. In the first place, the hole was large enough to 
hold the roots without cramping or twisting them 
round it; so far so good, hut it ought to have been 
larger—even ii'it had been in a piece of garden ground 
that had been dug and trenched times out of mind 
—in order to allow the new formed roots to pass on 
in straight lines, instead of having to grope about 
for a free passage, which probably they would soon 
find in this garden ground. But let us suppose the 
planting t,o he done in a new piece of ground that ; 
had not been disturbed for years, and the case is very 
different. How the young roots are to escape from a 
confined space in such hard soil is more than what 
many planters can tell, or even guess at; and yet 
this is not the worst part of the talc. The roots were 
spread jout regularly, that is, notone of them crossing 
another, hut drawn out from tho stem like lines— 
nothing could bo done better; then a little mould 
was thrown over them—all right and proper too ; 
hut now mad-brains will have his way—he orders 
the tree to he shook, to let the soil fill in among the 
roots. You pull it up gently, it is true; shake it two 
or three times, and then let it down in its place 
again, and tile mischief is accomplished. How? You 
can’t see it. Of course you cannot—it is below the 
surface; hut can you not perceive that, when you 
pulled up the plant to shake it, all the roots followed, 
and, on a moderate calculation, were thus displaced 
full six inches; that is, their points are six inches 
nearer the centre of the hole than they were when 
we laid them down. Moreover, many of them, per 
chance, are as soft and as pliable as Sally’s auburn 
hair, and they have a load of earth thrown over 
them. Now do you understand me? No. Well, 
then, when you let down tho plant after shaking it, 
what became of those pliable roots? Why, every 
one of them must have been doubled up into loops, 
as they could not ho pushed forward into their for¬ 
mer position through the soil, unless they were made 
of cast iron, or something else that would not yield ; 
or, if they are brittle, as many roots are, they would 
snap like glass sooner than they could he pushed 
hack through the soil into their former places; and 
thus many an honest man laid the foundation of had 
diseases in his host shrubbery plants—rendering them 
liable to the attacks of insects—to he covered with 
moss and lichens, and all other casualties to which 
sickly or stunted plants are liable. 1 could instance 
a lot of young thorns that had been planted twelve 
years since, after this fashion, that have not yet made 
six inches of young wood, and, to this day, they look 
the pictures of misery and bad management. But I 
have said enough to warn the young planter against 
this way of planting, and now let us sec how the 
thing should be done. 
If the soil is at all dry at the bottom, no matter how 
poor it may he, it should ho stirred or trenched three 
feet deep for garden planting—that is, for ornamental 
trees and shrubs, and for hedges. In the case of 
single plants, where a pit or hole is only required, 
the narrowest diameter ought to he four feet, and if 
the bottom soil is poor it should he removed and 
some good added instead; but loose soil of this de¬ 
scription will subside in time, and if the plants are 
tied to stakes, as many need he to keep them linn 
the first year or two, the sinking of the soil from 
under tho roots may cause them to strain, or other- 
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