397 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Maecii 29, 185'*. 
seven feet and upwards high, to be surmounted hereafter 
with a balustraaing. This secondary basement is also 
formed into a flower garden of a different description; 
subordinate to the upper one, and, of course, planted in a 
different manner. 
It will generally be admitted that a level area of the 
dimensions given above, and commanded by a terrace or 
promenade, twenty-eight feet above it, would be the very 
place for a geometric garden; and from the floor-line of 
the principal suite of rooms in the mansion, an additional 
perpendicular height of twelve more feet is gained ; but, 
taking it from the terrace, the position, doubtless, is good. 
Even with this twenty-eight-feet elevation, I have seen 
several highly ornamental designs of geometric gardens, 
which could not be introduced here and planted without 
creating confusion. For, be it remembered, that, although 
we have this twenty-eight-feet perpendicidar height, there 
is a base of more than four times that number of feet 
before the centre of the design could be reached ; and, as 
explained in my former article, a plant of whatever height 
could, under such circumstances, cast its shadow four 
times its height beyond it; thereby confusing and de¬ 
ranging that symmetrical feature which forms the prin¬ 
cipal beauty of such things. Of course, this must be still 
worse when the spectator is not so much elevated above 
the design, as in the case here mentioned : and there are 
a great many so circumstanced. It was, therefore, with 
a view to remedy this, that I planted a portion of the 
prepared ground last year as soon as it was ready—which, 
it is proper hqre to say, was rather late in the season ; 
and, in fact, the whole was not finished in time to plant 
at all. 
A large portion of the space was levelled, and a 
central bed of an oval form was made, surrounded by a 
broad gravel walk and green verge. This dimension of 
the oval was 84 feet by 02 in the clear—a good-sized bed 
to fill. Our juvenile friends may calculate, at their 
leisure, how many plants such a bed would take, at the 
usual rate at which bedding plants are recommended to 
be put in—say nine inches apart each way. I was not 
able to give the bed half this number, not having the 
required plants at the time. As the reader will be anxious 
to know how a large bed like this could be made to look 
well, I may say that the bed was marked out into a figure 
of a plain but pleasing description, every part of which 
could be plainly and distinctly seen from the upper 
terrace. It was then planted in three colours only— 
scarlet, blue, and white; the latter being used as the 
ground colour. In fact, the only plants used were Tom 
Thumb Geranium, a blue Verbena, a white Verbena, and 
the variegated Alyssum. The latter, being planted as a 
stringing around the Tom Thumbs and blue Verbenas, 
gave a very distinct outline to the figures these plants 
occupied; and the whole, being about the same height, 
was kept uniform and trim without any trouble or at¬ 
tention of any kind whatever after planting: the only 
defect was, that some of the stringing was not planted 
close enough, and the wdiite Verbenas were also very 
thin. Nevertheless, the bed looked well, and was gene¬ 
rally admired, as all its parts could be so distinctly seen. 
The edging of Alyssum, acting as a sort of hedge, kept 
the other things in their proper places; while the mas¬ 
siveness of the whole gave - a greater amount of floral 
display than is usual, when small patches are promis¬ 
cuously thrown together, which they too often appear to 
be when planted in beds with narrow 7 paths between. 
One of the reasons in favour of the above way of 
planting is, that whatever design is decided upon to plant, 
it may be done, and look well all through the season, by 
taking care in selecting the plants proper to occupy it; 
for even an intricate geometric figure may be traced out 
(if not too small.in its parts), and planted with plants as 
near of a height as may be; and the portions which, in 
other designs, would be walks or the ground of those 
figures, might be planted with something else. In my 
case, I used the Alyssum and white Verbena for this 
purpose. Other plants might be used; though I confess 
I do not know anything so suitable as this Alyssum, 
which contrasts so well with almost everything it is 
planted with, and more especially with the green verges ; 
for, in my case, I planted a band of it all around the 
outer edge, as well as around each figure of the design ; 
and, in fact, used it extensively for the like purposes on 
all beds cut out on grass. 
Of the figures suitable to woi'k into a bed or plot of 
ground like the above, I need only say that the plainer 
they are the better they look. I could easily have given 
the one adopted here last year; but there is so much 
diversity in such things, and the eye becomes tired of 
looking at the same thing too long, that another design will 
be adopted this year; although with the same description 
of planting. 
1 may likewise add, that besides the lai’ge bed above 
alluded to, there are other large spandrels right and left 
of it, scarcely less than the centre bed, which were planted 
in much the same manner; and which will be again re¬ 
peated, but in a different way, this season. Perhaps some 
one will be asking, How are ladies, and other company, to 
get at the plants in the centre of such masses P To such 
inquiries, I may say that flowers in such prominent posi¬ 
tions are to be looked at, not cut; as the same kinds can 
be grown elsewhere, for the latter purpose, as they are 
here; for we have other flower gardens. I think most 
people will agree with me in excepting the most pro¬ 
minent flower garden from all fair operators with scissors 
and baskets, as well as the more ruthless young gardener 
in his search after bouquet flowers. 
I cannot conclude this chapter without a suspicion that 
some one will be hinting at what an ugly blank there 
must be when flowering plants are removed from such a 
large space as the one alluded to; and I almost guess I 
hear some chuckle at the deformity, and contrast their 
box-edging, scroll-shaped beds, and other fanciful orna¬ 
ments. Even in this winter arrangement I will not 
altogether allow them to have the whole credit on their 
side; for large space allows of a certain kind of winter 
ornament which we have adopted here also, and which I 
will, at a future time, explain. J. Hobson. 
THE SCIENCE OF GAKDENING. 
(Continued from page 383.) 
We omitted to mention, when considering the excretions from 
roots, some recent researches of Professor Gasparrini, a Neapolitan 
physiologist, whose judgment and faithfulness may be relied upon. 
M. Walser had endeavoured to show that no such excretions are 
formed (Ann. ties Sciences Naturelles, xiv., 100. Second series ), 
but Professor Gasparrini refutes his conclusions. We shall have 
occasion to refer to his experiments, tending to establish as a fact 
that the greater part of vascular plants absorb their food from 
the soil—not by the tips, or spongioles, of their fibrous rootlets, 
but by hairs formed at the base of those spongioles. These hairs, 
which the Professor calls suckers, become covered before they 
decay, which they do periodically, with grains, or clots, to which 
the soil around adheres. lie witnessed these suckers on plants 
of Parley, Scurvy Grass, Rape, Rye, and Wheat, open at their 
ends, and discharge those clots which he had observed floating 
within those suckers in a limpid fluid. The discharge was pre¬ 
ceded by a peculiar movement in the suckers, similar to that 
which occurs before a pollen-bag bursts. Warm water hastened 
the emission.—( Ricerche sulla natura dei succiaiori e la escre- 
zione delle radici, 1858.) 
The benefit derivable from the access of the atmospheric gases 
to the roots of plants, and the knowledge that fertile pulverised 
soil absorbs and retains from them moisture, explains why 
plants are benefited by having their lateral roots kept near the 
surface, and by having that surface frequently loosened by the 
fork. This is no mere imagination of theory ; for, as long since as 
the days of Cato—half a century before the Christian era—the 
importance of pulverising the soil is recorded as a revelation of 
practice. “ What is good husbandry ? ” inquires that writer. “ To 
