126 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 29, 1859. 
In Oak woods with undergrowth there is too, unfortunately, 
great neglect practised in thinning the trees. I have frequently 
seen large spaces in old woods where there ought to be good 
underwood quite denuded of it by the induence of the numerous 
trees and the agency of those intolerable vermin—rabbits. To 
remedy this, I would grow my timber trees and underwood 
separately. The underwood thus grown would be worth as 
much again per acre; and the trees properly thinned from their 
first planting would be sturdy and well balanced in every respect. 
How dbmmon is it to find large Beeches growing in woods with¬ 
out a vestige of the original undergrowth existing beneath their 
ample shade! Beech woods should be Beech, and nothing else 
should be planted near them. 
With regard to growing underwood by itself, we have familiar 
instances of the superior quality of Ash when grown in separate 
spiunies, or beds. When this plant occurs in mixed woods it is 
not half so straight and good as when grown in beds, and so it 
would be with all that is usually undergrowth. 
The practical acquirements of foresters are by no means to be 
deprecated or thought lightly of. It is most necessary that 
they should have sound practical knowledge ; but I would claim 
from them also, as essentials, a tolerable amount of physiological 
knowledge, and of taste for landscape scenery enough to be able 
to treat the objects they manage with artistic skill, and not to 
perpetrate the barbarities which I have seen unskilled woodmen 
commit. 
I will now briefly sum up the recommendations which I would 
most strongly urge—viz., iu forming plantations to have the soil 
well loosened as far as it can he conveniently done; to plant early 
in autumn ; to begin thinning very early ; to look scrupulously 
for excessive growths ; stopping them, and throwing the strength 
of the plant into its proper forms. This persevered in will pre¬ 
vent large and serious wounds in after years, and it will only be 
in cases of accident that amputations need be resorted to. 
The management of woods is called in The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener “Wood-craft.” It is certainly happily named, as there 
are few things which require a greater amount of “craft,” or 
knowledge, to manage successfully.—II enry Bailey, INuneham. 
SPERGULA PILIFERA. 
I may be expected, perhaps, by some to write a hue in reply 
to Mr. Robson’s queries about the Spergula pilifera. During 
the past summer the lawn at Forest Hill has quite maintained 
the high character given it in the spring: so much so, that two- 
thirds of our old grass lawn now lie in a stack in the compost- 
yard, preparing for other duties, while the ground it occupied 
has been covered with its rival. The original Spergula lawn has 
not shown the least symptoms of burning, but quite maintained its 
beautiful verdure during the summer, and that without watering, 
&c.; while the grass lawn, divided from it by a gravel-walk three 
feet wide, could scarcely boast of a green blade in some parts. It 
bears the wear and tear of walking, Ac. (not omitting the wheel¬ 
barrow), equally as well as grass ; while it possesses this advan¬ 
tage over the latter—that, should small tufts be accidentally 
knocked oft' in wheeling, Ac., the plant soon pushes forth its tiny 
creeping shoots, which immediately lake root and cover the 
ground again. 
A Thorn hedge divides our garden from a field in which 
thousands of bricks have been made during the last few years ; 
hut our surface soil is a light clay, through the little crevices of 
which the roots of the Spergula penetrate to a great depth : we 
have traced them more than- three feet. In the gravel walks, 
which arc a foot deep iu some places, with gravel, broken bricks, 
Ac., it soon establishes itself, forming quite a green tuft in a 
short time if allowed to have its own way. Oil peat it seems to 
thrive equally well; so that we expect some day it will be quite 
a boon to Scotch and Irish gardeners in some situations. 
I have not yet heard ot a single case of non-success where 
seeds or plants have been attended to as Messrs. E. G. Hender¬ 
son and Sou directed; and I feel confident, from experiments 
during the past summer, that the statement I laid before the 
above firm some time since must soon be published to the 
gardening world (being quite correct), viz., “ the best way to get a 
good lawn of the Spergula from seeds is to sow in the open 
ground, either broadcast or in drills, in autumn or early spring ; 
an ounce of seed being ample for half an acre.” 
In conclusion I may add, that if Mr. Robson is still at all 
sceptical, should lie he in our neighbourhood at any time I shall 
he most happy to show him the contents of our small garden. 
We have a wheelbarrow at hand that will be quite at our disposal 
for a run over the lawn.—J. A. Summers, Gardener to A. Mon- 
gredien , Esq. 
In the spring of the year 1 purchased of Messrs. Henderson a 
2s. Gel. packet of the seed of Spergula, hoping to find it serviceable 
as a verge along a flower-bed which runs the full extent of my 
garden, and which for the most part facing south, and being very 
hot and dry, caused my grass verge (twelve inches deep) to look 
anything hut what I liked in a flower garden. I sowed the 
Spergula seed in the boxes recommended in The Cottage 
Gardener for cuttings (capital things they are too), and placed 
them iu a cool greenhouse. The seedlings came up very thickly ; 
J and I planted out into the same kind of boxes small tufts, which 
grew well and strong. About the early part of June I planted 
out along the verge, having moved the grass and prepared the 
soil. The Spergula, though I watered it every day (sometimes 
twice a-day) grew very slowly, and for about three months 
seemed at a standstill; and then till October only made very 
little growth. .About the middle of October I was so dissatisfied 
with the progress and appearance of the Spergula, that I pulled 
it up and threw it away, and have now edged my border with 
Box. I must say that I took great pains to grow this Spergula 
well, thinking it would be a capital substitute for grass in my 
garden. Several of my friends kept occasionally coining to see 
how it went on, and they all pronounced each time, “ It will not 
do.” Certainly at the time I took it up it looked more wiry ; 
but there were many parts (joints) that appeared dead and 
brown; and I cannot think it would stand any treading or 
barrow work. Added to this, the seed sows itself very much ; 
and I should fancy would como up on the gravel walks. Thus 1 
send you my experience from first to last, and hope Mr. Robson’s 
letter will bring out other people’s successes and failures ; and if 
I find the former preponderate 1 do not say I shall not try it 
once more.— L. R. Lucas, Loath. 
[This proves nothing for or against the Spergula. Would our 
best lawn Poa stand such a (rial ? or would any of the common 
grasses on the lawn, from seeds last April, transplanted in June 
on a verge, be alive in August ? No, not one plant of them, even 
if a mau stood by them and did nothing else but water them. 
Let not our correspondent’s letter check any one intending to 
use the Spergula. October is the soonest time to transplant for 
good spring seedlings.'] 
' BENEFITS ARISING FROM HORTICULTURAL 
EXHIBITIONS. 
I HAVE been connected with horticultural exhibitions for forty 
years. I have seen many societies formed for that especial pur¬ 
pose, and have seen (hem fail and break up—even such as had 
the highest iu rank in this country as patrons, from the York¬ 
shire Society, established in 1820, to the Chiswick Society esta¬ 
blished about the same time, or, perhaps, earlier. Many others 
like those two have flourished for a few years, and gone out of 
existence like them. The causes of (ho failure of those great and 
lit lie exhibitions have generally arisen from want of proper 
management and quarrels amongst the Committees; certainly 
not from want of encouragement by the public. My present 
object, however, is not to show forth the faults and failures of 
horticultural societies, but to dilate upon the benefits that accrue 
from such exhibitions, whether now in going order and prosperity, 
or, after having achieved some good, they no longer exist. 
There are no less than six classes of persons who benefit largely 
j by those shows. They are:—1st, The employers of gardeners. 
: 2nd, Gardeners themselves. 3rd, Amateurs. 4tli, Cottagers, 
j 5th, Nurserymen ; and 6th, Artists in design, besides the public 
in general. 
1st. Employers of Gardeners .—Many of this class of the public 
may ask, “ How am I benefited by exhibitions of garden pro¬ 
duce ? I neither exhibit nor subscribe.” Well, I answer, such 
may be the case, and also, perhaps, you do not allow your 
gardener to visit the shows. Still, even you benefit, inasmuch as 
by these displays of the best of the products of the gardens 
the character of the said products is elevated, and it becomes 
absolutely necessary that every garden should produce superior 
products ; and in order to be able to come up to the mark, the 
! gardener must exert his hand and his head to keep pace with the 
