484 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 2:2 
I 
the usual energy displayed at that time, will, in most 
instances, bo rewarded with corresponding success, and 
more after-leisure. Now, though it would be wrong to 
say that the present season, September, has not import¬ 
ant duties of its own to be performed, and these enhanced, 
too, by the long succession of wet weather we have had, 
I and may still have, yet, when circumstances render any 
j extensivo out-door alteration necessary, this is not a bad 
| season to get on with it; for the most of our shrubs, 
especially the evergreen ones, move and plaut with the 
I best chance of success just now ; and when we consider 
i the many advantages which early operations have over 
; late ones, it behoves all those contemplating such change 
; to be on the alert, in order to avail themselves of all the 
| advantages line weather commands, which is certainly 
more likely to occur in this month than the two succeed- 
! ing ones. 
Wherever, therefore, new shrubberies are to be made, 
I old ones altered or remodelled, or solitary specimens taken 
j up and replanted, the present is certainly better than a 
later season. 
Turf may also be included in the same category. 
Flower-beds, however, that are perhaps under a heavy 
crop of plants, still ornamental, must be left alone for 
some time, unless under special care, when they might 
• be sacrificed to the sweeping effects of a change; how¬ 
ever, the arrangement of them, and the remodelling of a 
flower-garden, whether on the geometric or desultory 
plan, I willingly leave toothers; suffice it to say, that 
the more formidable job of making new walks, roads, 
shrubberies, or of levelling and laying down turf, cannot 
be done at a more suitable time than the present; besides 
which, the commencement of such things sufficiently 
early in the season gives greater hopes of their being 
finished in time, should adverse weather or other circum¬ 
stances intervene; but it certainly is advisable to get all 
the planting of shrubs and trees done as early as 
possible, in order to gain all the benefits which the 
autumn affords to their attaining fresh roots; and being, 
in other respects, established in their proper quarter 
before winter sets in. In addition to this, turf that is 
laid down now will unite and grow before winter pre¬ 
vents it, and present that uniform appearance so much 
desired. Deciduous trees had, however, better remain 
until their foliage be a little more ripe ; it is not necessary 
that it should all have fallen off, but sufficiently matured 
to drop off without force; but the whole class of hardy ever¬ 
green shrubs might be planted now with a better pros¬ 
pect of their doing well, than if the operation was done 
at any other time ; other things being the same. 
Prior to the commencement of any large alteration, it 
would be advisable to consider well the various points 
on which such alterations bear; as it would be gross 
mismanagement to bury all the good soil in a large hole, 
or hollow place, merely for the purpose of rendering a 
certain spot of ground level, or otherwise agreeable to 
the eye; such an alteration might suit the purposes of 
a road surveyor or builder, but not the cultivator of 
plants. This point must, therefore, be borne in mind 
at the beginning, so that, by arranging the trenching, 
&c., all the good soil be retained at top, and if it be in 
turf or pasture, some of the bulk might be preserved for 
any purpose it may be wanted for, whether that be to 
re-lay again, or decay for the use of the potting bench ; 
of course its removal is so much loss to the ground it 
came from, and it need not be done so in those places 
where it is wanted for the benefit of the plants, &c. in¬ 
tended to bring there. However, these matters must be 
determined by the nature of each respective case ; only 
one thing we would strongly urge, that when it is removed 
for any purpose, its place ought to be supplied by some¬ 
thing else that is good added to the ground ; for, if the 
well-being of the shrubs, &c. he an important point (and 
it oiten is so) a liberal allowance of substantial food must 
be allowed them to grow in ; this may often be secured 
to them without the importation of much fresh material, 
when the most is made of what is there ; this we there¬ 
fore strongly urge on our young friends to see to with¬ 
out delay, and before they commence operations, for it 
will often happen that ill-directed labour buries and 
destroys much valuable matter before it be aware of the 
uses it might be applied to; however, on ground ap¬ 
proaching the extremes of stiffness, or dry, hungry lauds, 
the addition of matter of a contrary description will be 
attended with a beneficial result; while in these extreme 
cases, the selection of plants suitable to each ought also 
to be carefully studied, in order that the best may be 
made to meet the individual cases. 
Thus, certain plants delight in a dry, gravelly, or 
chalky soil; others preferring a stiff loam; while the 
beautiful class called American plants like moist peat, 
but do not object to grow in a cool soil of another descrip¬ 
tion, but have a decided objection to chalk, or soil in 
which lime predominates. This latter substance, being 
directly opposed to that in which they thrive, ought 
never to form an item in the same mixture as peat, for, 
though a peat bog may be ploughed up, and the admix¬ 
ture of lime may do much for destroying that fibrous 
matter with which it is bound together, yet we are far 
from certain whether this is not affected by the anni¬ 
hilation of some of its properties most necessary to re¬ 
tain for the purposes of plant culture; if, therefore, 
your gardening operations extend over any tract of 
ground of this description, you may rest assured that 
you have found out the best possible site for the most 
beautiful class of llowering shrubs we possess; and, be¬ 
fore anything else is done, consider well how much of it 
you can allot to this section, for you wall find that some 
expensive alterations will be necessary to make it avail¬ 
able for other things, which, after all, would not look so 
well. 
Turning from the pcat-bog, or morass, to one of a 
decidedly opposite nature, " the sand-bank,” the number 
of plants available here is limited ; yet we have seen a 
large embankment, formed by a radway cutting, ren¬ 
dered very interesting by such plants as Box, Furze, 
Yew, common Laurel, certain Privets, &c., Not that 
they all presented a thriving appearance, for, excepting 
the wild Juniper, few did not give signs of wishing for 
more nutritious food; yet they grew and looked tolerably 
well; and which would, in any other case, have been a 
barren mound, became an interesting clump; for even 
grass would not have grown on it in anything like a 1 
satisfactory manner, for the least drought would have 
turned it brown and unsightly. 
There are, also, certain herbaceous plants which will 
not even grow on such a position, hut the Trojtccolum 
tuberosum will make a tolerable show there, at certain 
times presenting a mass of healthy foliage, and in 
such situation, is more likely to flower, also, than in 
the rich borders of the ordinary flower-garden. Even 
hills of entire chalk are scarcely sterile, as the common 
Yew and Juniper are found wild there where the coat¬ 
ing of earth is very slight indeed; while such a posi¬ 
tion would be instant death to the numerous family 
of Rhododendron. Now, as each class presents ample 
variety, it behoves the careful cultivator, intending alter¬ 
ations, or adding new features to his grounds, to con¬ 
sider well the various plants adapted to each particular 
case, and to act accordingly ; for, be assured that no 
after-management, however skilful, can so far alter the 
condition of a plant as to reverse its constitutional 
habits and wants. J. Robson. 
