THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 2, 1858. 
65 
sufficient to allow the swelling in the lake to take a free and 
bold course,—it breaks its banks, cuts a fresh channel, and a 
mighty river finds its way at last, where formerly ran only the 
merry bum. The breaking through the embankment of the lake, 
and the rush of waters, may fairly be compared to the bursting 
forth of a strong sucker from the collar of a plant, whose strength 
had been pent up in the roots, because the capacity of an old 
shoot or two running into branchy, small growth, was not capa¬ 
ble, any more than the burn, to ease the roots from the accumu¬ 
lations of years. Then, the actual reason for cutting down such 
climbers, and all other plants, in this fashion is, because the 
outlet of a vigorous flow of sap from the roots is not of sufficient 
capacity, through the weaker growth of former years, or through 
some injury or stagnation in the old channels of the sap. In like 
manner you will find Nature exerting the same claims in the 
forest, in the grove, and in all her domains. 
The seed of a Vine, Beaumoutia, Clematis, Rose, Iloneysucklo, 
Bramble, or any other fast-growing plant, is sown in one of 
Nature’s own ways ; it vegetates, and up comes a spindling little 
stem the first year ; it lengthens and multiplies in side branches 
very much the second and third years ; and if Nature could assist 
it by keeping other plants from it, by allowing it its due share of 
nourishment,—light and air,—the first, or bottom part, would in¬ 
crease in size and capacity according to the head. But no such 
care is bestowed on seedlings in the wilderness ; and the wild 
climbers have a struggle for life during the first period of their 
existence. The original stem gets hide-bound, and the scrambling 
head is so much divided, that very few of the branches can climb, 
or twine, up to the sun and free air. But all this time a healthy 
store accumulates in the roots, and, when that accumulation comes 
to the full, away bursts an enormously strong sucker, as com¬ 
pared with the shoots in the original head ; and, if Nature could 
then cut away the whole of the old head, down to where this very 
large sucker came from, would not the proportion of sap, which 
would still go to the old scrambling head, mix with, and go up in, 
easy flow and current through the vessels of the sucker ? That 
it certainly would, and add much to its health and vigour. 
Then the chief difference between a wild climber righting itself 
slowly in the forest from the effect of youth, age, or accident, and 
another cultivated climber, which needs righting, is simply that 
the gardener would at once ease it of the old head, by cutting it 
off down to the sucker; or, which would be still quicker, by first 
cutting all former growth, and then forcing a sucker by the art 
and mystery of his calling. Sometimes an Oak has to be cut 
down, just as close to the ground as one of these climbers, before 
it can be made to assume the right way; and sometimes the same 
with all other kinds of trees in cultivation. Bat sometimes, and 
at most times since the thing has first been done, most people 
are, and have been, contented to meet Nature half way. We 
will prune, and Nature will do the rest. It was a bargain,—man 
went on pruning his trees, and Nature followed him doing her 
part, till they came to the Vine, which was in a very bad condi¬ 
tion indeed. The man pruned and pruned, and spurred, and 
tried all sorts of ways, but all would not do ; nor would Nature 
assist him in the smallest degree. There was nothing said 
about climbers in the bargain they made, and the Vine is a 
true climber. The man got so enraged at last, that, one day, 
it was dangerous to come near him it all; lie looked so de¬ 
termined about the eyes, that all where new him found means 
to keep out of his way; and, just before going into dinner, he 
went to the Vine aud cut it down, slap to the ground, and so got 
rid of it for ever, as he thought. But, by-and-bye, would you 
believe it, a very strong new Vine came up, almost like Jonah’s 
Gourd, before his eyes ; and, on looking move closely, and turning 
the soil round the old obstinate stump, he discovered that this 
new Vine was only a sucker from the collar of the old one. Had 
you seen him at that moment, you would never forget him. Well, 
I hope you will never forget what followed : he had a fine crop 
from that sucker ; also, a second crop, which was not amiss ; but 
this time he left too many bunches, and did not sufficiently thin 
them ; and, if you believe me, the Vine was worse than ever, just 
as if it had been bewitched. The man was on his metal at last, 
and struck the metal, and it sounded quite clear that the roots 
were too deep : they were too far from the heat, and too cold to 
be heated at that depth. The next move was most carefully to 
fork out every root from the cold earth, to run the old border 
out with harrows, to make a thorough drain across the end of it, 
and also to make a drain across the bottom, to run into the end 
main drain. Then, as the old border was too deep by half, and 
he wished the new one to look as high in the world as the old, 
he filled over the drains, about twenty inches deep, with the 
debris of an old house, which was taken down in the neighbour¬ 
hood. On the top of that mixing he made a two feet deep 
border, with stuff as good as ever a Vine grew in. He planted 
the bewitched Vine, and once more cut it down to the collar, but 
this time in a very different manner. 
Now, that was the first Vine that was ever cut that way, and 
from that day to the end of his life that man never met Nature 
half way a second time with climbers. Ho could then under¬ 
stand what ailed his pillar Roses, his moth-eaten Honeysuckles, 
his Jasmines and Passion-Flowers, his Bignonias and Beaumont-ias. 
After that he never allowed very fast climbers to fruit, or flower, 
in the same soil for many years together, unless he gave the soil 
more in substance than the roots took from it at one crop ; and 
whenever anything was the matter with his climbers, or pot 
plants, especially if they got insecty, his sure and certain remedy 
was, “cutto the collar” and come again. I never heard that 
he failed; therefore, it is only reasonable that 1 should recom¬ 
mend his practice to all and every one who is now, or ever may 
be, in a regular fix. D. Beaton, 
BICTON. 
(Continued from page 51:) 
As the mansion is placed on a Tcnowl, the flower garden 
may be said to be situated on a lower opposite brae, the 
houses occupying the highest point, and the piece of 
water the lowest point, between the garden and mansion. 
The garden is a parallelogram, bounded longitudinally 
by two splendid walls of Magnolias. I scratched a sup¬ 
posed longitudinal section, as a sort of remembrancer, 
before sleeping that night, which I enclose. 
l 
SUPPOSED LOXGTTUr>TN T AL SECTION OF FIvOWER GARDEN. 
\s 
\ 
1. Part of platform on which ranges of houses, plant yards, dwelling 
house, &c., arc situated. 
2. Sloping lawn flower garden. 
3. Steep grass bank, stairs at each side, close to the Magnolia wall. 
These stairs have about fourteen steps each. 
4. Nearly level lawn, with nothing on it, down to 
G. A regular piece of water. 
5, 7. Walks round the water. Sides graced with beautiful standards of 
Sweet Bays. 
8. Steep grass bank, topped and backed with timber. Magnolia wall on 
each side (230 feet in length), from front-range of houses to about 
commencement of water. 
I do not uow recollect how the ranges of houses were 
placed, but I know I passed through a large camellia and 
orange-house, with a span-roof, more than 100 feet in 
length, and about fifteen feet in height,—the large plants 
being in excellent condition. Also, through a palm- 
house, about sixty feet in length, and between thirty and 
