3G 
THE FLOKIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ MARCH, 
grounds, they have a hideous appearance. 
These unnatural-looking intruders might be 
slightly improved by planting them with 
shrubs during the winter months, but it would 
be much better to turf over the space after 
levelling them down. 
I could mention a number of gardens 
which have of late years been deformed in a 
similar manner, by introducing flower-beds, 
small grotesque basins of water, and piles of 
stones and roots in objectionable corners, show¬ 
ing that persons devoid of taste and almost 
of reason had been wasting time and means in 
destroying what might otherwise be beautiful. 
How many splendid views and striking objects 
are shut out by nonsensical planting and 
“ rockeries,” as they are called! We yet seem 
to be much in the dark regarding svhat real 
landscape gardening means, and what real 
garden beauty consists of. If it is true, as we 
were lately told by a great nurseryman, 
that one could count all the landscape gardeners 
in Britain on his fingers, and then not take 
up the whole ten, we have little to boast of. 
Of course, one cannot associate the belting 
of parks all round, shutting out all that is beau¬ 
tiful, with landscape gardening; neither do we 
class those persons as “ artists ” or landscape 
gardeners who cut up every available space 
into geometrical shapes for flowers or shrubs. 
Abundance of advice is written to meet the 
wants of the veriest novice in a cultural sense, 
but a proper course of instruction for educating 
young horticulturists in a sound theory of land¬ 
scape work is sadly wanting. Touches of syste¬ 
matic and skilful planting are given occasionally, 
but it is in very scanty proportion to the wants 
of those interested in the matter. It is pleas¬ 
ing to read of the work which the Scottish 
Horticultural Association is doing, and of the 
prize offered to young gardeners for the best 
original design for a Flower garden. I hope to 
see more successfully taken in hand that most 
noble branch of all gardening, which has such 
names as Brown, Marnock, and a few others 
well known, associated with it, viz., Landscape 
Gardening.—M. Temple, Impney Hall. 
RANSOMERS TREE-FELLER. 
OB some time past, the Messrs. A. 
Bansome and Co., Engineers, of Stanley 
Works, Chelsea, haye been experiment¬ 
ing in the construction of a steam-sawing 
machine for the felling of trees, and they have 
now brought it to such a degree of complete¬ 
ness that, as announced in the daily papers, a 
public trial, to which engineers, landed pro¬ 
prietors, and other interested persons were 
invited, took place on the 11th ult., on the 
Boupell Park Estate, with very satisfactory 
results. 
The machine, which weighs between 3 and 
4 cwt., consists of a steam cylinder of about 
4 in. diameter, having a long stroke, attached 
to a light cast-iron bed-plate, upon which it 
is so arranged as to pivot on its centre, this 
motion being worked by a hand-wheel turning 
a worm, which gears into a toothed quadrant, 
cast on the back of the cylinder, and its 
range being sufficient to enable the saw to pass 
through the largest trees ordinarily met with 
without moving the bed-plate. The saw is fixed 
to the end of the piston-rod, which is made to 
travel in a true line when at work, by guides, 
and the teeth of the saw are of such a form as 
to cut only during the inward or return stroke. 
By this device it is found that a saw up to 
Oft. or 10 ft. in length can be worked without 
any straining apparatus or guide, as its own 
cut is sufficient to guide the saw in a straight 
line through the tree when once entered. As 
the teeth offer no resistance to the outward 
stroke, all possibility of the saw buckling is 
obviated. A strong wrought-iron strut is 
attached to the bed-plate, and this is furnished 
with two fangs, which are made to bite into 
the butt of the tree, by a chain passed round 
the latter just below the saw-cut and tightened 
by a powerful screw. 
The necessary steam is supplied at a pres¬ 
sure of 40 lb. to 50 lb. from a 3 or 4 horse¬ 
power portable boiler, through a strong 
flexible steam-pipe. As this pipe may be of 
considerable length, the boiler can remain 
stationary until the machine has cut down all 
the trees within a radius determined by the 
length of the pipe. Four men are required to 
work each tree-feller, one to guide the machine, 
one to drive wedges into the cut to prevent 
the tree from pinching the saw, and to control 
the direction in which it falls; one to stoke 
the boiler, and the fourth to clear away under¬ 
wood from the tree next to be operated on. 
Machines are made for felling trees up to 6 ft., 
