454 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Maech 13- 
measure, neglected the replacing of the forest timber by 
planting, and, I fear, have not managed well what is 
now in existence, ft is high time to bestir ourselves, 
to take time by the forelock, and adopt such means 
that the culture of timber may bo better known, and 
put in practice throughout the length and breadth of 
the land. 
I am of a decided opinion, after a course of careful 
reading and study, that Government should take this 
matter in hand, and set an example to large landholders; 
and the first step I would recommend would be to form 
an experimental forest, as a guide to which I most re¬ 
spectfully submit the following resolutions :— 
1st. That a considerable 1st. It may be asked, 
extent of land, not less than Where is such a plot of 
from one to two hundred 
acres, of various qualities 
and heights above the level 
of the sea, shall be chosen 
and set apart for, and de¬ 
voted to, the culture of every 
kind of hardy timber tree 
in separate and distinct 
lots. 
2nd. That this plot of 
ground shall be called 
“The National Experi¬ 
mental Forest.” 
3rd. That every kind of 
timber tree shall be planted 
in each kind of soil, to 
prove which thrives best in 
it, all being thinned and 
pruned alike. One portion 
to be set apart to be pruned 
in the various ways differ¬ 
ent foresters have recom¬ 
mended, and one portion to 
be left to be pruned by 
nature alone. 
4th. That this Experi¬ 
mental Forest shall be 
placed under the uncon¬ 
trolled management of the 
best forester of the day, 
with a staff of well-edu¬ 
cated young men as assist¬ 
ants, to whom the head 
manager shall bo required 
to impart all the elements 
of forest culture, with a 
view to train up a number 
of effective and able fores¬ 
ters for the next genera¬ 
tion. 
5th. That a regular re¬ 
gister of the operations 
done; the progress of the 
different experiments; the 
growth of the trees, ex¬ 
penses incurred; and any- 
land to bo’found? I an¬ 
swer, In any of the national 
woods and forests a plot of 
sloping ground might be 
selected. I should say it 
ought to be near a railway • 
station, in order that it 
might be easily visited. 
Before planting, everything 
that would interfere with 
its object ought to be cleared 
away, the ground well 
drained, and so fenced as 
to keep out all kinds of 
game that would injure the 
young trees A good dwell¬ 
ing-house for the head ma¬ 
nager, with lodging-rooms, 
library, &c., for the assist¬ 
ants, ought to be provided. 
2nd. The National Ex¬ 
perimental Forest should 
be always open to respect- 
ablo visitors, especially fo¬ 
resters, nurserymen, and 
gardeners. 
3rd. By thus bringing 
into juxtaposition the va¬ 
rious trees, the fitness or 
not of any species for such 
and such soils would be 
made a matter of certainty, 
and thus the planting of 
them on unsuitable soils 
avoided. The hardihood, 
also, of foreign timber trees, 
and their probable value, 
proved. 
4th. This rule is a very 
important one. As a school 
for young foresters the in¬ 
stitution would be invalu¬ 
able. 
5th. By thus publishing 
the progress of the place, 
the nation would be satis¬ 
fied that the expences in¬ 
curred would be money well 
laid out, even though the 
thing else likely to be of use 
to the forester, and the 
public in general, be pub¬ 
lished annually in a cheap 
form. 
6th. That every seventh 
year this Experimental 
Forest shall be visited and 
examined throughout by a 
committee of competent 
persons, who shall draw up 
a report of its state and 
progress, and submit that 
report to Parliament. 
7th. That at the end of 
the third seventh year, part 
of every kind of timber on 
every lot shall be (after due 
preparation) felled, sawn 
up, and notes taken in the 
presence of lire visiting 
committee and an expe¬ 
rienced timber - merchant, 
with a view to show the 
effects'of the various modes 
of pruning, the solidity, and 
usefulness of the wood 
grown in high and low 
situations, in close or thin 
plantings, and an estimate 
made of the value and pro¬ 
fit of each kind of tree per 
acre. 
timber itself on the plot 
did not (which I am pretty 
certain it would) repay the 
expence. 
Cth. The head forester 
would be certain to exert 
himself to the utmost to 
render this forest a credit 
to himself and useful to 
the nation generally, when 
he knew that he would 
havethese septennial visita 
tions. 
7th. This visitation in 
the twenty-first year would 
be the consummation of 
the experiment. If all has 
prospered, and given satis¬ 
faction, a second and larger 
lot of the forest land might 
be subjected to the same 
routine of culture, and the 
first one left in its prosper¬ 
ous condition, well clothed 
with young progressing-in- 
value timber. This second 
Experimental Forest being 
on a larger scale, the expe¬ 
rience gained in the first 
one will be found extremely 
useful as a guide in plant¬ 
ing it. And by thus ex¬ 
tending, from time to time, 
the operations of the insti¬ 
tution, the whole of the 
forest lands would be put 
into a prosperous condition, 
and there would be a pros¬ 
pect of these islands being, 
in all their uncultivated 
parts, clothed with valuable 
timber. T. Aprleey. 
PORTLAND1A TLATANTHA. 
(Broad-Flowered Portlandia.) 
This is a genus of noble stove-shrubs, from Jamaica, 
named in honour of the Duchess of Portland, a liberal 
patroness of gardening. There are only three species, 
namely, P. coccinea, P. grandijlora, and P. platantha. 
The first has, as its name imports, scarlet flowers ; but 
it has never, that 1 know of, flowered in this country, 
though introduced so long back as 1812. The second, 
1 have seen very well grown and finely flowered at 
Welbcck, the seat of the Duke of Portland. The third, 
however, is the finest of three species, and is of a more 
recout introduction; and as it is really a fine plant, I 
wish to bring it more into the notice and favour of the 
readers of The Cottage Gardener that have a stove 
to grow it in. 
It is an upright-growing, woody shrub, with broad 
ovate leaves, and large, pure white, sweet-scented 
flowers, somewhat trumpet-shapod, standing upright. 
The P. grandijlora has similar flowers, but both leaves 
and flowers are much smaller, and the plant requires to 
be of a tolerable sizo, aged, and woody, before it blooms, 
and even then it is rather uncertain ; but this species 
(P. platantha) flowers very freely. I have had plants 
moro than a loot high, and only two years old, from 
the cutting-pot, that produced four or five of their 
noble flowers. Even cuttings frequently show flower- 
