THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 20. 
! 300 
dead, and some of the higher branches also arc decaying 
at the ends; yet they are two noble trees well worthy 
of inspection and a long journey to see them. We 
passed through a wood planted exactly a hundred and 
twenty years ago. Most of the trees are from eighty to 
a hundred feet high, with clean trunks as straight as an 
arrow, and three-fourths of their height without a branch. 
Many of these fine trunks will measure from two to 
> three feet diameter, and will affotd a great number of 
noble planks for ship-building They stand at, on an 
average, about forty feet from each other; so that an 
acre will yield more than three hundred of these noble 
trees. Surely this is encouragement to planters to go 
j and do likewise. 
Other plantations of younger trees are advancing 
' rapidly; hut they require, now, an immediate severe 
thinning, or they will not attain the size and diameter 
of the one just mentioned. I believe the present Duke 
! has given orders that every thing proper to be dono 
shall he immediately carried into effect. 
Most of tho large Oak plantations here are marked 
with a large label, firmly placed in the ground. On 
these labels is either the letter 1’, or the letter S, with a 
date to each. The letter P means planted in such a 
year, and the letter S means sown in such a year. I 
tried to make out a difference between the two, in some 
that were nearly forty years old ; but am compelled to 
confess that I could not detect any, neither in straight¬ 
ness of growth, nor in height; but 1 was informed that 
great pains were always taken with the planted trees, 
so that no wonder they soon overtook their sown 
brethren. One point struck me much, and that is, the 
extreme thickness of the ten or fifteen-year-old planta¬ 
tions. Nothing could exceed their health; and I ascribe 
that to their being sown or planted in four-feet beds 
thrown up for the purpose. The ditches between the 
beds kept them dry; and more than that, permitted the 
air to blow and circulate freely amongst the trees, 
whereas, had they been equally sown or planted over the 
whole surface of the land, the air could not have entered 
at all, and the consequence would have been one-half 
of the trees, if not more, would have actually been 
smothered. I could not help thinking, however, that 
the young trees, even under the most favourable circum¬ 
stances, would have been much finer if they had been 
regularly thinned from tho time they began to crowd on 
I each other. I also observed that they had not been 
i pruned at all. I believe the Duke held the opinion, 
that if the Oaks stood sufficiently thick the lower 
branches would be smothered, and fall off by degrees of 
their own accord. It is a pity that the reverse of this 
non-pruning method was not at least given a trial. It 
is true, I saw several branches that had dropped off, and 
their place was quite healed over, so that it required a 
} sharp eye to discover where they had been; but I also 
! saw some, nay, many short stumps of dead branches 
that the bark was vainly attempting to encircle and 
| cover, thus enclosing, as it were, a long piece of dead 
wood, which would eventually become a hard knot, and 
when the trunk is squared up and sawn into planks 
will be a great drawback on its value. Close early 
pruning, such as I described in a former paper, is the 
preventive of such defects, and I am fully persuaded 
not only useful for that, but also for a greater develop¬ 
ment of the bulk of timber. 
The soil at Welbeck is a deep loam upon a stratum of 
red sand ; the situation of most of the woods is on gentle 
rising ground, though some of them are on broad flats, yet 
considerably elevated above the rivers in tho neighbour¬ 
hood; hence, the soil and situation are both particularly 
favourable to the production of fine Oak timber. The late 
Duke was liberal with his land for this purpose, though it 
was and is valuable for agricultural purposes. Whoever 
wishes to have good Oak must imitate this disinterested 
example, and give a portion of good ground for the same 
patriotic, and in the end profitable, investment. Nearly 
the whole of the woods here are Oak, at least, as far as 
1 observed, and a large fortune would he realised by 
felling only all such as are encroaching upon each 
other. If our national woods and forests were as thickly 
wooded with such fine timber, the reports of the proceeds 
would cut a very different figure than they do at present, I 
besides leaving a large, young, thriving stock for the 
generations to come. That they are not so, is a fact too 
clearly established; yet it is to be hoped, by better 
management in more efficient hands, they will soon 
be put into a better condition. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
FLORIST’S FLOWERS. 
THE DAISY. 
(Concluded from page 257.) 
Propagation .—In my last paper on this universally 
admired flower, both by old and young, \ described the 
best method of improving the varieties already in exist¬ 
ence by seed, and it naturally follows, as it were, that it 
is desirable to know how to preserve the varieties so 
raised, as well as the older ones, and that must he done 
by division. The Daisy sends forth side-shoots from 
the centre stem very freely, and these shoots being close 
to the ground put forth roots as they grow, and then 
may be easily increased by division. The best season 
for this interesting operation is July, though it may be 
dono through all tho spring months, commencing with 
March; but if the work is done about this time of the 
year, the plants so divided got well established before 
winter, and are strong enough to carry them through 
the winter well, and flower firmly early tho next year. 
Previously to taking up the plants to he divided, let a 
bed be prepared for their reception. The soil of the bed 
should be light and rich. I have used road-scrapings, 
with the best effect for that purpose, mixing them 
thoroughly with tho common soil of the garden. By 
road-scrapings, I mean the horse-droppings collected by 
poor cottagers' children, or old men past heavy labour. 
This is generally mixed with the sand, and small stones 
collected with it; and this mixture keeps the soil open, 
and greatly assists the young plants in their growth. 
This material should be laid or spread upon the bed 
about two inches thick, and then the bed should be well 
and deeply dug, mixing the gathered dung well with 
the soil. If time will allow, this digging should be done 
twice, the better to effect the mixing, and this second 
digging will effect that better if is it done with a five¬ 
pronged fork. Parkes’s five-pronged fork is one of the 
best instruments ever invented for pulverising and mix¬ 
ing garden soils and manures. This preparation of the 
bed should be done at least a month before it is wanted 
for the divisions. That time having arrived, level and 
rake the surface of tho bed, and then lift tho plants 
carefully with a small spade or trowel. Write fresh 
legible labels for each variety, and plant one sort before 
taking up the next. This precaution is especially incum¬ 
bent upon the florist who intends his plants for sale, in 
order to insure correct dealings with his customers. The 
plants, when taken up, should have all the soil shaken 
off them, and then with a sharp knife cut off each 
stolon, or offset, taking care to preserve all the roots 
to each division. If these roots are very long, they 
may be shortened-in a little. Then open a trench at 
one end of the bed, and chop down the further side of 
the trench nearly perpendicular, place the roots against 
this upright side, and with the hand place a little soil 
against each plant to keep it in its place. If they are to 
bloom in this bed, tho distance from plant to plant 
