THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, July 28, 1857. 263 
of being a dense screen both winter and summer, and 
have an immediate effect, and an increasing one from 
year to year. 
Many nurserymen, to oblige their customers, and no 
doubt to their own advantage, keep by them a con¬ 
siderable stock of large Hollies, Arbor Yittes, Yews, Red 
and White Cedars, &c., and even Spruce and Scotch 
Firs for this very purpose; and in order to insure a safe 
removal they have them transplanted every second, or 
at the farthest, third year. Such plants, so removed at 
stated seasons, produce a dense mass of fibrous roots, 
which, when carefully taken up and as carefully planted, 
will be almost certain to grow. They have also this 
advantage, that they may be transplanted at almost any 
season, of the year, excepting, perhaps (and it is perhaps 
only), during the hot summer months, when they are in 
full growth. 
This is a profitable business to the nurseryman; for 
although it takes several years before evergreens can be 
got to such a size, and a considerable amount of expense 
is incurred in such frequent transplantings, yet the 
price they obtain for them repays well the time and 
expense bestowed upon them. Judicious gardeners see 
at once the advantage of such training for removal, 
and never grudge paying for it. I was in a large 
nursery near Liverpool lately, and saw a considerable 
plantation of evergreen and variegated Hollies so 
managed, and the price for the best, which were at 
least nine feet high, and tolerably furnished to the 
ground, was a guinea each; others of less size fifteen 
shillings, and so on in proportion to their height. Now, 
when we consider that these shrubs were probably from 
fifteen to twenty years of age the price was, as I con¬ 
sidered, very moderate. 
Where immediate effect is not so eagerly desired, then 
in planting a new shrubbery as a screen I would recom¬ 
mend the ground to be well drained if necessary, and 
afterwards trenched as deep as there may be tolerably 
good soil. This should be done, if possible, during 
summer, and finished by September. Then in October 
procure evergreens from two feet to three feet in height, 
and plant them rather thickly, that is, about a yard 
apart. The reason for planting them so closely is that 
they may shelter each other and sooner cover the 
ground. This thick planting, however, must be done 
with this proviso—that as soon as they touch each other 
and begin to interlace their branches every other one 
must be taken up. They will either serve to plant in 
some other part of the grounds, or they may be parted 
with to a nurseryman, who would gladly purchase or 
exchange for them at a considerable profit to the owner. 
The rest that are left in the plantation will now have 
space and air to extend their branches sideways, and, if 
a quantity of fresh rich soil is put on the ground to 
replace that which was probably taken away with the 
shrubs parted with, the others would quickly send their 
fibres into the fresh soil, and draw large supplies of 
nutriment therefrom, which would cause them to grow 
astonishingly. This thinning might be repeated, if 
necessary, again in three or four years with great 
advantage. 
I have thus, I trust, proved how a dense screen of 
evergreens might be obtained most effectually. If, how¬ 
ever, the objects sought to be concealed should be houses 
or unsightly buildings of any kind, I would then advise 
the back row of the shrubbery to be, where they would 
grow, Spruce or Scotch Firs, intermixed with compact¬ 
growing deciduous trees, such as Limes or Lombardy 
Poplars; but where the Firs would not grow, owing to 
the smoke of a large town, then I would plant Lombardy 
Poplars only, with the evergreens in front. 
The last branch of my subject is, What is to be done 
with a place in the condition I described on opening 
this subject? The most effectual method would be, of 
course, to cut down the overgrown, naked trees, stub up 
their roots, give the ground a deep trenching, adding 
fresh soil and dung to renew its strength and power of 
nourishing a fresh plantation. Then go to the nearest 
nursery, and procure at least one row of large, ready- 
grown, evergreen shrubs or trees, and thus obtain a 
screen at once; or take a medium course, cut down 
half or two-thirds of the old trees, and prune in se¬ 
verely the straggling branches of the remainder; then 
do as before advised, trench the ground, and obtain 
evergreens to fill up the naked void. This latter plan 
of preserving some of the best trees, and pruning them 
so that the evergreens would find support, air, and 
light, I have seen done very successfully, especially at a 
place where I first began to know the difference between 
a Lime and a Sycamore. That place was Wheatley 
Hall, near Doncaster, the seat of the late Sir George 
Cooke. I. was then very young; but I well remember 
Sir George’s son planting with his own hands evergreen 
shrubs in a plantation that had been thinned of many 
naked, straggling forest trees. Every evergreen was 
planted in a puddle, and very few failed. I saw the 
plantation ten years afterwards, and it was so dense 
and complete a screen that I could not see through it. 
The trees that were left formed a dense canopy over¬ 
head when in leaf that sheltered me, and no doubt the 
evergreens too, from a blazing summer’s sun. I can 
only say that whoever has a naked plantation, planted 
originally to render his grounds private, but now letting 
in every wind that blows, and exposing all parts of 
the grounds to the gaze of every passer-by, let him follow 
out the advice I have given in any or either of the 
methods described, and I will warrant that in a very 
few years he will have as complete a screen as he need 
desire. T. Appleby. 
BRITISH POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
At a Meeting of this Society, Wednesday, July 8th, Thomas 
Rivers, Esq., in the chair, Mr. Hill, of Keele Hall, again ex¬ 
hibited a Grape called the Black Eagle, which he found was 
little known except in the neighbourhood of Liverpool. He 
described it as “a good variety for forcing, an abundant 
bearer, and well adapted for pot culture.” The variety was 
evidently of the Black Prince family; bunch small; berry 
rather below medium size; nearly round; skin scarcely so 
thick as that of the Black Prince ; flesh very sweet. 
Mr. William Carmicheal, gardener to the Countess of 
Dunmore, Dunmore Park, near Falkirk, sent specimens of a 
seedling Peach, raised from a Peach stone received from 
America, and called the Stirling Castle . He described it 
as a fine-flavoured Peach, much superior to the Royal George , 
a free bearer, of vigorous habit, and not subject to mildew. 
The specimens were of first size, high coloured, and very 
large, but the flavour not fully developed. It was directed 
that his offer to send it again in a riper condition should be 
accepted. 
Mr. James Sheppard, of Bedford Nursery, sent a seedling 
Black Cherry. It was a large black fruit, in size and colour 
resembling the Black Tartarian; flesh firm and sweet. It 
was considered that if it proved to be a free-bearing variety 
also it would be a useful market fruit. 
Mr. E. Simpson, gardener to Lord Wrottesley, Wrottesley 
Park, near Wolverhampton, exhibited an Apple of last year, 
describing it as a valuable variety for culinary purposes, and 
keeping well twelve months after it is gathered, but mention¬ 
ing that it had not this year kept so well as usual, owing to 
less fortunate storing, and that therefore the specimens sent 
were not equal to its usual quality. They were not considered 
sufficient to commend it to a high place amongst long- 
keeping Apples, especially in comparison with the Easter 
Pippin. It resembles somewhat the Norfolk Stone Pippin. 
A wish was expressed that it be exhibited again on a future 
occasion. 
Mr. R. S. Yates, Fruiterer, 3, St. Ann’s Square, Man¬ 
chester, sent a box of Underhill’s Sir Harry Strawberry, 
magnificent in size, and in excellent condition. Owing to 
