470 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 
Makcu 2 i . 
Apples make from 10s. to 14s. a bushel, for dessert 
kinds, and Us. to 10s. for kitchen. 
Elowers are very abundant, and consist of Camellias, 
Cinerarias, Primulas, Oeraniums, Cytisas racemosus. 
Tulips, Lily of the Valley (forced). Heaths, Epacrises, 
and Hyacinths. —H. 
GOSSIP. 
The general opinion among the practical planters who 
witnessed the experiments with Mr. McGlashen’s lifting- 
machines in the garden of the Horticultural Society was, 
that this mode of transplanting is less safe and effectual 
than any of the schemes which have been approved of 
for the last few years. It is less safe, because the lest 
parts of the roots are sacrificed by it—the lateral ones 
being necessarily cut through in driving down the 
spades, and the under roots are torn up by violence or 
main force. It is less effectual, because there is no 
provision, except round the sides, for maintaining the 
ball of earth from crumbling down. 
“The object of the inventor of this apparatus,” as 
we are told by a non-practical contemporary, “ was to 
lift plants from three feet to sixty feet high without 
disturbing their roots.” The working of the machine 
is, therefore, in direct opposition to the “ object of the 
inventor.” “ The inventor,” says the same contem¬ 
porary, “ desired to test his power as severely as 
possible;” and in that he succeeded, to the satisfaction 
of all who had seen it and any of the severe schemes 
hitherto applied to the moving of large plants. 
“ The advantages of the apparatus,” we are also 
seriously told, “ consists in its lifting a tree and keeping 
it upright while being transj^lanted, instead of being 
broken and bruised by being thrown on its side, as is 
invariably the case in all other modes of transplantiny! ” 
The italics are our own, to mark our surprise at so 
much ignorance on the part of the writer of the com¬ 
monest operations of the day by practical ])lanters. 
Hoes Paxton thus throw down large trees for removal ? 
Do Beaton, or Barron, “invariably” break and bruise 
all or any of the large trees under their operations? 
Certainly not. And bow did Mr. Scobie, Lord Holland’s 
gardener, remove a “ largo Weeping Ash ” lately, with a 
ball of from seven to eight tons ? Why, “ in the upright 
position;” and “now the tree is making shoots as vigo¬ 
rously as if it had never been transplanted.” It was not 
torn out of the ground with main force, neither was it 
, thrown down on one side. It was tunnelled under the 
roots, and a truck, on rollers, was pushed into the tunnel, 
j On this truck it was carried upright after the roots were 
I released all round—a proceeding now very commonly 
resorted to since the system was explained by Mr. 
, Beaton in these columns. kir. Barron’s planting- 
I carriage differs little from that invented by kir. kic 
Glashen; but klr. Barron disengages the roots before 
he applies the machine ; and those who prefer the 
Scotch machine must do the like, before they can 
I calculate on the safety of the operations on any tree 
that is more likely to suffer from extreme violence than 
a common Poplar. 
As wo arc interested in all the practical questions 
about planting, and wish to see the successful working ; 
of klr. klcGlashen’s new machine, we shall here en- j 
deavour to point out the conditions under which it is at 
all safe to appily it for any useful puiqiose. In the first 
place, we deprecate and protest against any scheme by 
which the roots of a tree are to be torn asunder by 
force, or cut through the middle by blunt instruments. 
Therefore, we would not introduce the “ spades ” until 
we had the sides of the ball cleared out with spade, 
pick, and fork, in the usual manner; following out, and 
retaining all the roots wdiich spread laterally. At this 
point, klr. klcGlashen’s sjrades, or, as we would now 
call them, gripers, are the best contrivance for that 
jHii’imse that has yet been brought before public notice, 
inasmuch as that they now fill up a want, which Mr. 
Barron—but more cumbrously — provides for, and 
which Mr. Beaton has not thought of supplying, if he 
even thought it necessary; and we should say that, 
suppiosing “ his truck on rollers” to carry seven to 
eight tons of ball, and that that quantity of earth was 
suflicient for the largest tree, we cannot see how he 
could carry a very large tree, or a top-heavy one, without 
some mechanical contrivance for holding the tree on 
the perpendicular, and for holding the ball together, 
both of which this new scheme with spades, extension 
rod, and collar, is eminently suited for effecting, and, as 
we have just said, better than anything that has been 
thouglit of previously. The roots being freed in the 
old way, the ball reduced to what size the planter 
deemed suflicient for a given tree, then squared and 
reduced at the bottom, and it is in the right condition 
for the hold of the gripers; these should then be placed 
the same way as at present, only not so close together, 
where a strong root runs out beyond their sphere. 
’Then applying the extension rod, the gripers would take 
hold as effectually as at jnesent, without such a maiming 
of roots or fibres. 'The ball being thus firmly grasped 
all round, the next operation would bo to release the 
tap roots, if any, by reducing the bottom of the ball 
with a pick, and by going deeper, or not, accordingly as 
the presence or absence of bottom-roots suggested. 
After this, the necessary force for lifting and carrying is 
all the strength that need be api)lied; and if either the 
soil was loose, or the bottom of the ball was in any 
danger of crumbling away, a “ false bottom ” coidd 
easily be secured by fastening the four eorners to the 
sides of the corner spades, after the manner of hook 
and eye. 
Wo have heard it suggested, that the lower ends of 
the spades should be turned inwards, to tlie extent of 
nine or ten inches, and when this projection was driven 
in under the ball, all round, there would be little need 
for any more security for the safety ol'the ball. Hence, 
the only improvement gained by this machine is the 
more efficient security for lifting and carrying the ball. 
As to forcing a plant out of the ground by actual ) 
pulling—a cabbage-plant would suffer by it. | 
