267 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 31, 1860. 
Tritoma seeds ; and unless tlie ■weight or the number of 
seeds in each packet is mentioned, I should choose the 
highest priced in preference for my own use with the 
greatest confidence of the best bargain. 
My packet of seeds of Tritoma was sown on the last 
day of the old year,—the deadest time in winter,—and 
the first of the seedlings could just he seen on the morn¬ 
ing of the 24th of January, the day on which Parliament 
met. The pots Avcrc all the time in a common green¬ 
house temperature ; but they lvould vegetate faster as 
the season advanced, or at that period if a pot of them 
stood in the kitchen window—one of the best places on 
earth to get up seeds very early in the season. I wanted, 
however, to see the exact time they took in the dead of 
winter under the most common and most ordinary treat¬ 
ment ; and I think I may safely say that five weeks would 
be required to get up December-sown seeds of Tritoma, 
four weeks for January, three weeks in February, and 
two weeks or less in March, according to the state of the 
weather. 
But this meeting of Parliament has deranged the plans 
of one of those at that meeting at the half-way house. He 
and his people used to have the dung ready to make up the 
first cutting-bed on the 3rd or 4th of February—the more 
usual time for Parliament to meet. The sooner the better 
this season, however, as there are so many more who 
must go early to market to make up in time for the losses 
by the early frost. 
Now is the right time also to make up the yearly stock of 
Diadematums, Quercifoliums , Uniques sendt Almas, together 
with Golden Chains and all the dwarf variegated and 
plain-leaved minimum Geraniums. The former, because 
of their habit of lankiness, if they are propagated in 
summer from the flowering wood: and the latter, from 
their dwarf habits allowing them to be stored in winter 
in the same space that would be required, even if they 
were cut in for cuttings in the autumn—that is, they 
carry their cuttings on.their heads all the winter without 
occupying more room than they would need if you or I 
undertook to carry their cuttings through the winter 
instead—a matter which is of little consequence to big 
folks, but which is of the utmost advantage to us and to 
those in the same condition of life, without meaning 
worldly conditions, but the extent and condition of our 
share of the world in gardening. It is but too often the 
case with such as “ we,” that, with all our wits about us, 
we can never keep autumn-struck cuttings of these dear 
little minimums, plain and variegated as they arc, alive 
through a dreary dead winter for want of better conve¬ 
niences ; so we lift the plants and pot them whole in the 
autumn, barring thinning off most of their big leaves. 
By so doing they root and establish themselves in the 
pots in one-lialf tbe time it would take those which were 
stumped to get cuttings from in autumn; and there is no 
fear or bother with the plants all the winter. The cuttings 
are still on them safe as walking on dry land ; and in 
February we cut many more cuttings from them than 
would be lawful in the autumn, for we stump them down 
in February as the florists do the Pelargoniums in July. 
The young, the youth, and the manhood cuttings of all 
minimums will root in February as freely as Verbenas— 
that is, the shoots of last year, if they are long enough ; 
or, with them, the bottoms of the two-year-old shoots. 
When the growth of two or more years is not long 
enough to make a respectable cutting we go the whole 
length, and take the cutting with the bottom part as bare 
and as old as it may be, with equal certainty of rooting 
just as well as the youngest of them, only that they take 
ten days longer to succeed in the effort. 
I have added another to this class of minimums, which 
will require exactly the same care and treatment as the 
Golden Chain: I named it the Silver Chain in my stud¬ 
book. Since then, however, another beautiful small 
grower has been published under that name, and my 
name had to be cancelled; but you will soon hear of it as 
Heaton's Variegated Nosegay. The flower is Cherry- 
coloured, and the habit is the right model for an edging- 
plant. D. Beaton. 
PLANTING AND TRANSPLANTING TREES 
AND SHRUBS. 
There have been in all ages of the world’s history but few 
men of great intelligence who have not turned their attention to 
1 the art of planting, and who have left to their survivors monu¬ 
ments in the shape of trees which have long chronicled their 
! memories. 
The art of transplanting has for ages past received little at¬ 
tention, having been performed in the rudest way, by cutting oil' 
the roots to a certain radius, and by the agency of mechanical 
power removing a large ball of earth entire, which has been 
dropped into a hole of very little larger size, and the head of the 
tree and side-branches much reduced at the same time. 
“ A work of difficult}' and danger tried, 
Nor oft successful found.” 
I 
It is not to be wondered at, then, that trees so treated do not 
j for many years assume a picturesque and expressive form, but 
, remain markedly distinguishable for their crippled appearance. 
But, notwithstanding this drawback upon its ultimate success, 
j such was the practice both with the Greeks and Romans, in 
France during the reign of Louis XIV., in the northern parts of 
Europe, and in our own country till the time of Evelyn, and 
somewhat later. 
It is now about 190 years since the removal of large trees was 
first introduced into this country. Lord Fitzhardinge, a con¬ 
temporary of the celebrated Evelyn, being the first person who 
ventured to improve upon the then existing practice, by cutting 
round the roots two or three years before removal. 
Evelyn, who as an ancient authority was one of the best in¬ 
formed men of his day, gives in his “Sylva” the following 
directions for transplanting an Elm tree :— 
“ Of all the trees which grow in our woods, there is none 
which doth better suffer the transplantations than the Elm ; for 
you may remove a tree of twenty years’ growth with undoubted 
success. It is an experiment I have made with a tree almost as 
big as my w r aste; but you must totally disbranch him, leaving 
only the summit entire; and being careful to take him up with 
as much earth as you can, refresh him with abundance of water. 
This is an excellent and expeditious way for great persons to 
plant the accesses of their houses with, for being disposed at 
16 or 18 foot interval, they will in a few years bear goodly 
branches, and thrive to admiration.” 
Thus we find the art of transplanting in his day to be as per¬ 
fectly empirical as it had been in the time of the Greeks and 
Romans ; and so it continued, with the exception of Lord Fitz- 
hardinge’s preparation of the roots a year or two beforehand, till 
the time of Sir Henry Stuart, whose publicat ion of the “ Planter’s 
Guide ” laid the foundation of a new era in the art. The beau¬ 
tiful scenes created at once at Allunton by the poivers of his 
skill and genius do him great credit as a landscape artist and a 
sound practical man, and his idea of preserving the whole beauty 
and contour of trees without mutilation is good and realisable. 
I have planted many trees upon his plan, and in no case have 
I lost one, but all have been attended with the happiest results ; 
and although many of the trees were forty feet in height, they 
have never been in the least wind-waived, although they had no 
other security than his “ retaining bason.” I have planted trees 
thus treated by the side of others which had been done on the 
mutilating plan twenty-five years ago; and wdiile they appear 
only like mutilated stumps, the Stuartian trees are fully vigorous 
and picturesque. 
Having thus glanced at the origin and progress of the art of 
transplanting, I will now discuss the subject, and will first con¬ 
sider the expediency of choosing a proper season for doing it. 
There is no doubt in my mind as to being able to transplant 
successfully both trees and shrubs at any time of the year—that is, 
if we take every pains and do not grudge bestowing a little extra¬ 
ordinary labour upon them ; but it is an indispensable provision 
j that their roots must be previously cut round and prepared. 
I Dull damp weather must be selected for the operation; shading 
must be resorted to on bright days; and the syringe or garden- 
engine be constantly used to refresh and invigorate the plant or 
plants, while copious supplies of water must be given to the 
roots. 
