103 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 17, 1885. 
I do not profess in tlie above list to have given by 
any means all the forms that are in cultivation, but 
such as are, perhaps, among the most commonly grown 
varieties, and most suitable from a gardener’s point of 
view, and which is more than is to be found in most 
gardens, excepting with Fern fanciers who make them 
a speciality. For a compost two parts peat to one of 
loam, with small crock nodules mixed through it, and 
a liberal allowance of coarse sand added, will be found 
to answer for a root medium ; whilst growing, abun¬ 
dance of water at the root is necessary. I have seen 
plants materially damaged through getting dry, but 
avoid the other extreme of soddening the soil or the 
plants will not thrive.— E. Dumper. 
-- 
LANCASHIRE MARKET GAR¬ 
DENS. 
Leaving Messrs. Upton’s nursery at Irlam, which 
■was noticed in your number for September 26th, we 
pursued our v'ay to Mr. T. Deakin’s market garden, 
where for the nonce, we might have fancied ourselves 
in the late Mr. Dancer’s grounds at Fulham ; the 
grounds here being planted on a similar plan. Here, 
we saw young Apple and Pear trees of luxurious growth, 
though the frosts of last May destroyed most of the 
crop, and we may remark, that there has not been 
one month this year free from frost in this part of the 
country. The breadths of Brussels Sprouts, Veitch’s 
Cauliflower, Celery, Savoys, &c. were excellent. AA r e 
saw some glass here but did not go into the houses, as 
we were anxious to get on to Mr. John Taylor’s, Irwell 
Nurseries. These grounds, about 26 acres in extent, 
are well furnished with fruit and forest trees, shrubs 
and herbaceous plants, with numerous glass houses, and 
the cost for labour and horse-keep exceeds £700 per 
annum. The trade ramifications are extensive, and we 
were told that the present unfortunate strike of mill 
employes at Oldham, causes a difference in the returns 
of this one nursery of over £150 per week. The stock 
of green hollies here is very good, the plants varying 
from 2 ft. to 14 ft. in height, and the number grown is 
over 10,000. Large quantities of Privets, Rhododen¬ 
drons, and Conifers are grown, as also large breadths of 
golden Retinospora, Laurels, and Aucubas, and great 
numbers of Gooseberries, Lancashire Lad and Crown 
Bob. AVe noticed also large quarters of Roses, especially 
of Madame Laffey, which is found very profitable for 
market purposes, Mr. Taylor having made many 
hundreds of pounds from this Rose alone. Moss Roses 
are also grown extensively for cutting from, as also 
Phloxes, Pinks, Cornflower, Lily of the Valley, &c., in 
fact, any free-blooming plant is here turned to use. 
Lilium speeiosum and its varieties are grown in tubs or 
large-sized flower pots, and masses of Pyrus japoniea 
and hardy heaths are also laid under tribute for Shude- 
liill Market. 
"Within the houses the kinds grown for their flowers 
are too numerous to mention. Some houses are filled 
with Roses, others with Camellias, Acacia pubescens, 
and A. affinis over the roofs ; Brugmansia suaveolens, 
Kniglitii, and sanguinea all come in useful. In others 
may be found Aloysia citriodora, Vallota purpurea, 
Allamanda grandillora and Hendersoni, Stephanotis, 
and Clerodendron Thompson!, with hundreds of Globe 
Amaranthus in pots on stages. In others again, we 
noticed Bougainvillea glabra, Gardenias, large plants of 
Hoya carnosa, and Bougainvillea running across rods 
and hanging in immense wreaths. Anon we came to 
masses of Zonal Pelargoniumsjust showing their bloom 
buds, and immense Azaleas of the Indian section, while 
large quantities of hardy kinds are brought forward as 
required during winter and early spring. 
A number of other houses and pits were being erected 
to keep up the demand for cut flowers ; in another 
place we noticed perhaps about an acre of Galtonia (Hya- 
cinthus) candicans, Gladiolus, Pyrethrums, Phloxes, 
&c., from which large hampers of flowers were being 
cut. These are sent every day to Shudehill market, 
whence they are dispersed to the other busy towns of 
Lancashire. AVe are obliged to leave much unmentioned 
which we saw in this place, we were not aware there was 
such a busy place so near to Manchester ; it is unique 
of its kind. On gaining the Manchester road we passed 
several farms under heavy crops, which were being 
gathered in. —A 7 ! J. D. 
Scottish Gardening, 
Planting Tiief.s and Shrubs. —The season has 
now arrived when operations preparatory to tree and 
shrub planting generally occupy attention, September 
and April being favourite seasons for transplanting. 
Many make an fearly start and have the work completed 
before th& earth becomes cold, as in late spring, so 
that growth takes place at once, and while there is a 
chance left of getting the roots secure in the fresh soil. 
It is admittedly a great advantage to the future well¬ 
being of the plants to have the wounds and cuts of the 
roots healed up before winter sets in, and with a hold 
of the soil, and all other things being equal, the plants 
will begin to grow next season as kindly as if they had 
never been moved. It is of much importance to plant 
quickly after the plants have been removed from the soil, 
and it is only in the case of systematically lifting them 
every one or two years, that immunity from a check, 
more or less, can be relied on. AA 7 here trees, especially 
the Fir tribe, have been long on the same ground 
where they have had deep looting access, it is next to 
impossible to move plants of large size with much hope 
of success. 
Hints on Purchasing Plants. —AA'hen planters 
are about to purchase their trees and shrubs from the 
nurseries, it is of vital importance to get a guarantee 
from the vendor that the roots are in a proper condition 
for removal and transit. At sales we have seen what 
by many was considered ‘ ‘ capital bargains ” disposed 
of, but a little time and experience showed that the 
plants would have been expensive could they have been 
had gratis, the roots being separated from the soil, 
fibreless, large, naked, unwieldly, and probably unavoid¬ 
ably injured at lifting time. Such trees the inexperi¬ 
enced should never (if possible) accept, but rather give 
abetter price for plants which have had proper manipu¬ 
lation, by careful lifting and transplanting during past 
seasons. The same applies to fruit trees, but they are 
manageable compared with evergreen trees and shrubs. 
AVe have, during a course of many years practice, 
planted under very varied conditions, and often under 
circumstances the reverse of promising to lead to 
success, and also at times under orders which removed 
from us the smallest hope of success. AVhere work has 
to be done extensively it is not often that planting can 
be done at the right season, and, therefore, one must 
give the greater attention to preparing for the work. 
The mere forming of a hole and placing the roots 
firmly in it is not planting. 
Preparing the Ground. —If clumps are to be 
planted trenching ismost advisable, as a good depth of 
soil keeps long in an even state of moisture and is 
never so liable to become saturated with wet, as land 
lying solid and the tilth is of a shallow character ; 
proprietors who have had much planting done and seen 
the results of trenching the soil readily agree to the 
extra expense. No one cares to plant without seeing 
tangible results, and trenching has done much to 
accomplish this. It is argued by some that it is 
dangerous in heavy clay districts to bring up the 
subsoil. This we would not advise, as the turning 
of healthy surface soil well down and bringing cold 
unhealthy subsoil upwards, and placing the roots of 
plants in it, would be most injudicious. The surface 
spit and the crumbs turned over on the subsoil after 
the latter has been deeply dug and broken up, is the 
better practice. 
Draining is of primary importance where such is 
necessary. It is often noticeable that plants grow 
freely for a few years and then make little progress, 
and become stunted. The roots, under such conditions, 
may be arrested in their growth by a solid inert bot¬ 
tom, or the subsoil may be sour and poisonous from 
bad drainage. The position of the spot to be planted 
must have consideration ; when the soil is high and 
dry, it may be necessary to put the roots well down 
into the soil, but if the reverse is the case, and the 
land is swampy, a mound of soil should be raised high 
enough to allow the roots to stand at least above the 
surrounding surface when planted, and if well covered 
with soil it will induce root growth to keep upwards. 
In severe seasons of frost, it is observable that trees 
and shrubs suffer most severely in low lying and damp 
localities, while on uplands the same class of plants 
may be found exempt. 
Protecting the Roots. —It is highly necessary 
that when planting is performed the roots of valuable 
plants, which are liable to suffer from frost should be 
protected. On dry and poor land we prefer the protec¬ 
tion of short manure, over which may be placed a 
quantity of soil to retain the virtue of the manure, as 
in ornamental grounds litter of any kind, however 
valuable, is very objectionable. AVe have often used 
withered grass and leaves for root protection. By 
summer the mulching is well rotted, and may be of 
great value as protection from drought. 
Thick and Thin Planting.- —AVlien plantations and 
shrubberies are being formed, planting is often done so 
thinly that the keen draughts of wind through the 
plants punish them so severely that they never push 
into active growth, but move on slowly and stunted, 
always remaining dwarfed. AA'e had lately favourable 
opportunities of observing a variety of hill planting in 
the highlands on slopes where one could hardly expect 
trees to thrive. There were vast plantations in the 
greatest luxuriance. Many of the Fir tribe were well 
represented, intermixed with Limes, Poplars of sorts, 
Birch, Oaks, Ash, Elms, &c. Such is common enough 
anywhere, but the care taken to plant so densely that 
the wind cannot penetrate the mass of plants in un¬ 
broken sweeps is carefully maintained. Each plant 
protects its fellow, and such immense growth speaks 
volumes for the system of “planting thickly,” if 
“thinning early” is also adopted. Close to these 
plantations may be seen the results of “thin planting;” 
the stunted appearance of the plants telling forcibly 
that such false economy should be avoided. The 
highland foresters are men advanced in the arts of their 
profession, as the vast luxuriant forests testify, and we 
know that these men do not readily err on the side of 
false economy either in labour or plants. 
Transplanting Large Trees. —AA'hen large trees 
are to be transplanted we have always found that pre¬ 
paration the previous year greatly facilitates success. 
Digging round the roots, cutting off cleanly such as are 
likely to be broken, and those which are free from 
fibre, replacing the soil, and leaving the whole un¬ 
touched till next season, when a quantity of fibres will 
be formed which will readily strike into the new soil 
when transplanting takes place. It is in favour of 
ultimate success to make the soil firm about the roots, 
and they should be secured against wind. In preference 
to stakes, we use three ropes extending equi-distant 
outwards at regular angles, each fastened to a peg firmly 
fixed in the soil. The ropes are fastened round the 
stem of the tree, which is protected with a piece of cloth, 
matting, hay-bands, &c. If wind has the mastery of 
the plants a short career will be theirs. It is often 
noticeable that planting for effect is very injudiciously 
done, trees being placed indiscriminately on the demesne. 
Views which might have been retained are closed up, 
hollows are filled, and the plants only show their tops, 
making the surrounding undulations appear level. 
Clumps forming glades are to be commended, carrying 
the eye as far across the country as possible, and the 
clumps should not be in scrolls, or showing thin lines, 
which are often observable in plantations formed b} r the 
inexperienced. Such may look pretty on the ground 
under close inspection while the plants are small, but 
one should look forward for generations to come, antici¬ 
pating what the plantation should be like when fully 
developed. Trees form outlines of their own, and 
should always be planted in masses. 
In Blenheim Park one may see grand examples of 
planting, as carried out by the famous “Capability 
Brown,” who, no doubt, could see in his mind’s eye the 
work (consummately planned) which was to create such 
admiration years after the great planter had passed (but 
not forgotten) from the scene. AA'e never seemed to 
become tired of gazing across the delightful landscapes 
at Blenheim. At Burleigh Park, near Stamford, the 
same class of planting was arranged, and though not of 
the gigantic type as at Blenheim, is very extensive and 
beautiful. In the Regent’s Park Botanic Garden 
masterly examples are to be seen of shrub and tree 
arrangement, which of itself is a lasting tribute to the 
great Scotch landscape gardener, Mr. Marnoek, whose 
masterly skill planned that beautiful garden, which is so 
justly admired. An evil (too often practised) is the hud¬ 
dling of shrubs or insignificant trees around the trunks 
of the giants of the forest, exhibiting thoroughly bad 
taste, absence of skill, besides frequently damaging the 
fine trees by torturing their roots. Large trees should 
stanfl clear and unfettered, showing all their proportions. 
