20 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 11. 1859. 
is, tliat special root-pruning may be performed at any 
period, observing one thing—that if performed any time 
during the growing season, it must not be half so severe ; 
for if then carried so far as we may dare do during the 
rest period, the tree would cast its foliage, and I need 
hardly say that such would peril the very life of the tree. 
But any time between the decay of the foliage and the 
foliation period in spring is perfectly eligible. 
For the sake of young beginners I may here raise 
another question. Is this root-pruning limited to kinds 
or families? I answer, No; but in all cases it is, of 
course, a matter of degree. It is indeed, applicable to 
any kind of fruit tree if needed, though, some seldom 
need it: instance the Apricot. I never root-pruned an 
Apricot in my life but once, and that was at least forty 
years since, when I was living on Wimbledon Common. 
It was an overgrown Breda that would not bear, and it 
was pruned most severely. It bore immedietely freely : 
indeed, this was my first essay in this line. 
It may be inquired, How are the inexperienced to 
know how much to cut? This is a matter more easily 
conceived by one used to such things than explained. 
But since some of our modern practitioners talk about 
biennial transplanting, which, of course, is derived from 
root-pruning, inasmuch as it is impossible to transplant 
without fracturing or cutting roots. All, however, de¬ 
pends on the habit of the tree as to grossness. For trees 
with stems of two inches diameter I generally cut to 
within about three feet of the bole; and thus proceed 
according to the size and character of the tree. 
In this way I have operated on scores of trees within 
the last thirty years, and trees in general of some size 
and age ; and I may fairly say, that I have seldom, in¬ 
deed, found cause to regret the operation. On the con¬ 
trary, it has seldom failed of producing the results 
expected from it. Of one thing I may remind those 
readers of Tiie Cottage Gardener, who have to learn 
as to fruit culture, that if the root-pruning be done late 
in spring and severely, that it is extremely probable the 
subject will be infested with insects the first summer. 
But, indeed, all root-pruned trees should be dressed 
thoroughly over every limb as soon as the root-pruning 
is performed—that is to say, provided it is done in the 
rest season. As dressing i have been in the habit of 
using soft soap, three ounces to the gallon, plenty of 
sulphur, and about half the volume of liquid chamber- 
slops, the whole thickened with clay to a paint. This we 
brush into every crevice—in fact the whole of the tree is 
plastered with it; and in order to ensure the uniformity, 
I generally add some lime, which proves a tell-tale. 
Whether the Gishurst will fairly supersede these things 
remains to be seen; but I strongly suspect that as to 
plants in foliage the Gishurst will require to have a modi¬ 
fication of its chemicals, as, in some cases, it seems to 
annoy the foliage. If used less than two ounces to the 
gallon it is somewhat inefficient, and requires repetitions. 
Now these repetitions, although fun to the amateur, are 
by no means the same to the practical gardener, who is 
generally a matter-of-fact sort of man. R. Errington. 
REMOVING A CEDRUS DEODAR A AND 
CRYPTOMERIA JxlPONICA. 
I HAVE a Deodara and a Cryptomeria, each twelve feet high. 
They have been planted about six years amongst light, loose kind 
of stuff, formerly an old foundation of buildings. I wish to 
remove them a short distance. What season would you recom¬ 
mend to move them ? and what precaution would be necessary 
in moving them ?— James Rollins. 
[This is just the season to remove your Cryptomeria and 
Deodar, and they are the right size to remove to their last 
resting-place. The Deodar will be the most precarious. Take 
a sharp pickaxe and sharp-pointed steel forks, and begin a yard 
from the stems, making an opening all round, and eighteen 
nches deep; then with the forks work down the sides of the 
ball into that trench, and shovel out as fast as the fork or forks 
loosen ; but do not let the spade or shovel go nearer the stem than 
the first trench. If you find the soil very loose, take as much 
ball as you can carry; but if the soil is dry and hard, fork off 
every morsel of it right up to the stem, and give up all ideas of a 
ball; for a dry hard ball of earth will, for a certainty, kill a 
Deodar. If the bottom is loose the Deodar will have sent the 
roots down perpendicularly full five feet, but you must not break 
them : fork them up.] 
HARDY FLOWERING HERBACEOFS PLANTS. 
(Continued from 'page 7.) 
A ST E R,—StArwort. 
Nat. ord. Asteracese. Linn. Syngenesia superflua. 
Generic Character. — Involucre imbricated ; lower scales 
spreading (except in Aster trfolius). Receptacle naked, 
Pappus simple. Florets of the ray more than ten. 
Aster abbreviates (shortened). 2 ft. Blue. August. North 
America. 
A. acris (acrid). Leaves linear-lanceolate, smooth, not dotted, 
three-nerved; branches umbellate-corymbose; involucre im¬ 
bricated, half as long as disk. 2 ft. Blue. August. South 
of Europe. 
A. adulterines (false). Leaves stem-clasping, lanceolate, lower 
ones sub-serrate, smooth, branch-leaves linear, squarrose; in* 
volucre squarrose, shorter than disk. 3 ft. Violet. Septem¬ 
ber. N. America. 
A. jestivus (summer). Stem erect, branched from the bottom j 
leaves lanceolate, sub-stem-clasping, entire, apex tapering, edge 
scabrous ; branchlets pilose; involucre scales, lax, linear, acute, 
equal. 2 ft. Blue. July. Labrador. 
A. albinus (alpine). Stem one-flowered ; leaves entire, radical- 
ones lanceolate-spatulate, stem ones lanceolate; involucre 
scales nearly equal, lanceolate, bluntish. 1 ft. Blue. June. 
Europe. 
A.- elore-albo (white-flowcrcd). 1 ft. White. July. 
Europe. 
A. Altaicus (Altaic). Stem simple, corymbose, downy ; leaves 
linear-lanceolate, entire, blunt, mucronato, tliree-nerved at 
base, veiny. 1 ft. Blue. June. Siberia. 
A. amellus (Ameilus). Leaves oblong-lanceolate, entire, sca¬ 
brous ; branches corymbose ; involucre imbricate, sub-squar- 
rose, scales blunt, inner ones membranaceous, points coloured. 
2 ft. Purple. August. Italy. 
A. AMrLEXiCAULis (stem-claspmg). Stem panicled, smooth; 
leaves ovate-oblong, acute, cordate, stem-clasping, serrated ; 
involucre scales lanceolate, closely imbricated. 3 ft. Blue. 
October. N. America. 
A. argenteus (silver-leaved). Stem slender, decumbent, loosely 
branched ; branchlets one-headed; leaves oblong-lanceolate, 
sessile, silky. 1 ft. Purple. August. N. America. 
A. bellidiplorus (Daisy-flowered). Stem much branched; 
leaves stem-clasping, narrow-lanceolate, upper leaves scabrous, 
lower ones sub-serrate; involucre scales spreading. 3 ft. Pale 
red. September. N. America. 
A. biflortjs (two-flowered). Stem usually two-flowered, but 
sometimes one-flowered: leaves sessile, lanceolate, serrate, 
scabrous; involucre scales, imbricated, adpressed, ovate. 1 It. 
Violet. August. Caucasus. 
A. blandus (charming). Stem pyramidal; leaves sub-stem- 
clasping, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, serrated, smooth; 
racemes hardly longer than the leaves. 2 ft. Pale blue. 
October. N. America. 
A. bicolor (two-coloured). Stem hairy; leaves elliptic, hairy, 
lower ones serrate, those on the flower-branches small, nu¬ 
merous, entire ; racemes erect; involucre scales obtuse. 3 ft. 
White and yellow. August. N. America. 
A. Cabulicus (Cabul). Plant covered with rusty down ; leaves 
lanceolate, petioles short, denticulate, downy ; heads corym- 
bosely panicled ; involucre scales ovate-linear, apiculate; ray 
twenty-flowered. 3 ft. Pink. August. Cabul. 
A. canus (hoary-leaved). Leaves linear-lanceolate, entire, three- 
nerved, both sides hoary ; branches corymbose, divaricate; in¬ 
volucre imbricated, half leDgth of disk. 2 ft. Purple. August. 
Hungary. 
A. Cassiababicus (Arabian Cassia). Stem erect, pilose; leaves 
