! December 22. 
sized pot, as otherwise they make roots so freely that 
1 very large pots would he required. 
Watering. —Little of this will he wanted in wintei, 
hut it will be wanted liberally in summer. Clear weak 
| manure will be of great service when the flower-buds 
! are opening, and during the growing period afterwards. 
Whilst growing, the syringe should bo applied every 
i afternoon over the foliage: as resting time approaches 
this must be withheld. R. Fish. 
THE WOODS AND FORESTS. 
(Continued from page 182.) 
A large, well-formed tree is one ol the noblest objects 
the earth produces. I have often been struck with awe 
on viewing a noble Oak, or grand Beech, and admired 
the Power by which, from an acorn or a nut, such an 
immense mass of vegetable matter, strongly built, and 
firmly knit together, had been formed. These majestic 
denizens of the soil that are ol the first size, have 
seldom, if ever, been planted by man. The Creator 
first commanded the original species into existence, and 
from these the self-sown large trees ol the primsev al 
forests have originated, such, tor instance, as the Poitei 
Oaks on the estate at Welbeck, belonging to the Duke 
of Portland, a remnant of the famous forest of Sher¬ 
wood. I have seen these Oaks, and could not encircle 
one of them by clasping my arms close to the tree at 
less than six times, consequently, the circumference 
must be at least thirty-six feet, or nearly twelve feet 
diameter, and the height in proportion. A period of 
several hundred years must have passed since these 
trees were first sown, for it has been remarked, that 
“ the Oak is three hundred years growing, three hun¬ 
dred years it stands in grand perfection, and it takes 
three hundred years to gradually decay and die. 
Whoever, then, plants or sows an Oak, does it for the 
benefit of succeeding far-distant ages. Let not this 
consideration, however, hinder us trom planting. I lie 
Oak, for one of the many species claiming the planters 
attention, will, even in a man s life-time, afford a re¬ 
compense for the paius bestowed upon it. Ihe produce 
ig—first stakes, then rails, then posts, then baik, and 
always fire-wood; besides its annually-shed leaves 
increases and enriches the soil around it. 
We all naturally desire to see and enjoy, during our 
life-time, the fruits of our labour, and have some return 
for the outlay even in planting a wood. To do this 
most profitably, the manner of doing it is everything. 
The soil must be duly prepared by draining (it wet) 
and digging; then the kinds of trees suitable for soil 
and situation should be selected; and then an annual 
care in pruning, thinning, and protecting from vermin 
and cattle must be bestowed; and these preparations 
and annual cares must be constant and unremitting, 
in order to succeed perfectly. Who would not laugh at 
and pity the farmer who should sow his corn without 
ploughing his land, and then expect an annual crop 
without further care ? Just as foolish is the planting 
of trees without due preparation, and afterwards leav¬ 
ing them to what men call, almost wickedly, Providence 
to take care of them. 
I have said the laud should be drained; but then 
that is expensive. Farming land, whether under grass 
or tillage, requires the drains to be covered where 
practicable, but forest land need not be so: the 
instance I gave in my last paper is a proof. Deep 
ditches, with a proper outlet for the water, will be suffi¬ 
cient. I have, in my mind’s eye, a large tract ot moor¬ 
land in Derbyshire that might be drained so at a 
comparatively slight expense. At present, it produces 
nothing but whins and heath, and grouse, and a tew 
loug-le^ed, small sheep; and there are thousands ot 
219 
acres, even in this thickly-populated country, in the 
same condition. Such tracts of land, at present, are 
not fit for any other purpose than planting. If that 
was properly done, the annual deposit of the leaves 
would, in time, cover the small rocks or stones, and 
thus, in some future era, when the land was disforested, 
a sufficient depth of rich vegetable mould would be 
deposited, on which might be cultivated vegetables for 
food to man and beast. 
The planting, then, of a piece of ground, whether 
one acre or ten thousand, having been determined 
upon, the first consideration will be, Does it require 
draining in any part, or the whole? This will include 
the outlet for the collected water, and the mode of con¬ 
veying it to that outlet. In fact, to drain land properly, 
requires a knowledge of levels, strata, deposits, &c., 
and the laws that regulate them; hence, a practical man, 
as foreman or director, ought to be employed. If the 
waste has plenty of loose stones on its surface, these 
might be got rid of usefully by making the drains with 
them. This operation of draining might bo done in 
the long days of summer, or if labourers are then better 
employed in cultivated land, it might be done in winter 
when work is scarce. The proprietor should insist 
upon its being well and effectually performed, even it 
less breadth be done during one season. The produce 
of one acre, properly drained, will be worth more in a 
given time than three acres ineffectually drained. 
Whatever quantity is drained, then, let it fee thoroughly 
done, so that a sufficient depth of dry material, whether 
soil, bog, or even stones, for the roots ot the tiecs to 
run in, and there find support for the future forest. 
T. Arpleby. 
(To be continued.) 
THE NARCISSUS. 
(Continued from page 205.) 
Summer Management .—In the open air, as so 01 - 1 
the winter is fairly passed away, let the soil in the beds 
be forked over carefully, so as not to disturb the roots 
or injure the leaves. Should the weather piove diy, 
it will be advisable to give a good soaking of water; and 
should the dry weather continue, give a second. If the 
water used this time be diluted with liquid-manuie, it 
will encourage the growth of the leaves, which all bulb- 
growers know is of importance, inasmuch as strong 
foliage gives fine bulbs for the following season, 
needful, continue a due supply of water till the blooms 
are expanded. , 
Tying— As soon as the flower-stems have advanced 
above the foliage prepare a sufficient quantity of sticks, 
painted a light green, to secure them to. The flowers 
of all the tall-growing varieties are heavy, and would be 
bent down to the ground, splashed with the soil, and 
spoiled if not supported. The single-flowered varieties, 
such as Incomparabilis, double Jonquil, &c., might be 
tied two or three to a stick ; but the Tazetta and single 
Jonquil should have a separate stick to each head o 
bloom. The sticks should be long enough to allow them 
to have firm hold of the ground, and reach very nearly, 
but not quite, up to the flowers, when they have attained 
their full height. As the sticks should be placed before 
that takes place, it will require somo judgment and fore¬ 
sight to leave them long enough to reach the proper 
height. They might be left so as to be rather longer than 
is needful, and when the stems have attained their full 
altitude then cut them down to the proper length. In 
tying them, at first sufficient space must be allowed for 
the swelling of the stem. As it will be necessaiy to 
tread upon the soil to thrust in the sticks and tie up 
the flower-stems, every time the foot is set upon the 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
