January 8, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
291 
The 31st Edition is Now Ready. 
200 Pages. 150 Illustrations. 
PRICE SIXPENCE, POST FREE, 
(by Parcel Post—it is so large). 
• 
CONTENTS—The Best Seeds and Potatos for Carden and 
Farm; also Descriptive Lists of Carnations, Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, Dah'.ias, Fuchsias, Cladioli, Herbaceous Plants. 
Pansies, Pelargon'ums, Pentstemons, Phloxes, Pinks, 
Pyrethrums, Roses, and V olas; with f ull Cult ur.il Direc¬ 
tions for each. 
PRESS & OTHER OPINIONS OF THE BOOK. 
West Humberstone.— 1 YourCatalogue and Guide safe to 
hand. I am very pleased with it, and I am sure every every 
Amateur, in particular, should have one in his possession, 
as they are worth 100 times iheir cost.”—T.H. 
Leeds Mercury—" For a useful selection of vegetables and 
flowers, aod a trustworthy guide in the culture ol these, it is 
vastly ahead of ordinary catalogues.” 
Arbroath— “Very many thanks for your valuable Catalogue 
and Guide. As an Amateur, I find cultural Instructions ot 
immense value.”—D.A. 
Dell's Weekly Messenger—" Contains elaborate and 
complete articles on coltivation for exhibition as well as 
ordinary put poses. It is thus far more than a mere 
catalogue-quite an encyclopaedia of farm and garden 
plants.” 
Yarm.— " Thanks very much for your Catalogue of 1897. 
In looking through it, I find it Is even better than last yeai’s, 
which 1 thought could not be surpassed."—W.C., Gardener to 
Sir T. Richardson, M.P. 
Apply early, and please mention this paper. 
DOBBIE & Co., 
SEED GROWERS AND FLORISTS TO THE QUEEN 
ROTHESAY. 
BEGONIAS A SPECIALITY, 
Seed saved from prize plants. Choicest mixed, single or 
double varieties, is., 2s. 6d., and 5s. per packet; collections 
(seed) single, 12 named varieties, separate, gs. 6d.: 6 ditto, 
3s. Tubers, named singles, from 18s. to 503. per doz. ; choicest 
seedlings, 3s. to 303. per doz.; bedding, choicest, 3s to 9s. per 
doz.; choicest named dcubles, from 18s. per doz.: choicest 
seedlings, 6s. to 30s. per doz. ; choicest mixed, for bedding,gs. 
to 18s. per doz. Catalogues gratis. 
JOHN LAING AND SONS, 
Begonia Growers, 
FOREST HILL, LONDON, S.E. 
WHICH ARE THE BEST VARIETIES ?” 
A QUESTIO N ASKED BY EVERYONE. 
OR ANS WEB SEE ( ^ s— E 
lODFREY, EXMOUTH, DEVON. 
I 
ORCHIDS- 
Clean Healthy Plants at Low Prices. 
Always worth a visit of inspection. Kindly send for Catalogue 
JAMES CYPHER, 
_ Exotic nurseries, CHELTENHAM 
THE ROYAL GARDENERS’ ORPHAN FUND. 
THE TENTH ELECTION of CHIL- 
l DREN to the Benefits of this Fund, consisting of an 
allowance of 5s. per week (subject to the conditions stated in 
Rule XIII), will take place on FRIDAY, February 18th next, at 
“ Anderton’s Hotel," Fleet Street,London. All applications must 
be made on a properly printed form, copies of which may be 
had gratis of the Secretary, or any cf the Local Secretaries. 
Such form must be correctly filled up, duly signed, and 
returned to this office not later than Tuesday, December 2rst, 
1897. 
A. F. BARRON, Secretary. 
Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, Chiswick London. 
O RCHIDS of the highest quality, every 
plant guaranteed true to name, from 2/6 each. Please 
send for free list.—P. McARTHUR, The London Nurseries, 
4, Maida Vale, London W. 
SUTTON’S 
Amateur s Guide 
IN HORTICULTURE 
For 1898 
Contains full particulars of 
THE BEST VEGETABLES FOR THE TABLE; 
THE BEST DISEASE-RESISTING 
POTATOES; AND 
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS. 
The most complele Seed Catalogue issued. Pro¬ 
fusely illustrated with 194 illustrations. 
Price Is., Post Free. 
SUTTON’S 
ABRIDGED LIST 
OF 
VEGETABLE and FLOWER SEEDS 
especially suitable for Owners of 
Small Gardens. 
It is beau’ifully illustrated, and contains descrip 
tions of the Best Vegetables, Potatoes, and 
Flowers. 
Gratis and Post Free on Application. 
Sutton’s Seeds 
GENUINE ONLY FROM SUTTON X SONS,READING. 
11 Gardening la the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man."— Bacon. 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , JANUARY 8 th, 1898. 
NEXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Tuesday, January nth.—Royal Horticultural Society; 
meeting of committees at 12 o’clock. 
Sale of Lilies, Rhododendrons, and Roses at 12 o'clock by 
Messrs. Protheroe & Morris. 
Wednesday, January 12th.—Sale of Lilies, Roses, and 
Begonias at 12 o'clock by Messrs. Protheroe & Morris. 
Friday, January 14th.—Sale of imported and established 
Orcnids by Messrs. Protheroe & Morris. 
Wown and Suburban Planting. —Arbori- 
A culture is a favourite theme with many 
who live in cities and towns ; but notwith¬ 
standing the natural love for trees they are 
very frequently badly mismanaged, owing 
to the treatment they receive at the hands 
of those who are neither gardeners nor 
foresters. The men employed by corporate 
bodies to plant, protect, and prune the 
trees under their jurisdiction are mostly un¬ 
skilled labourers without even the experi¬ 
ence of a jobbing gardener. We have 
frequent instances of the disfigurement of 
town trees, even in cases where there is 
plenty of room for them to display their 
natural habit of growth. An instance of 
this on the south coast came to our notice 
recently. The same thing happens else¬ 
where, and a paper on the subject by Mr. 
John Wilson, Leazes Park, Newcastle, 
appears in the Transactions of the English 
Avboricultuval Society, Vol. III., p. 329. He 
says that the judicious planting of trees in 
towns is admitted to be both a pleasure and 
a substantial benefit to the inhabitants. 
Though street planting has not always been 
attended by successful results, corporations 
or the powers that be are recommended to 
select the most favourable and roomy situa¬ 
tions for planting before trying the more 
crowded or congested thoroughfares, which, 
however, should not be attempted at all 
where the presence of trees would hamper 
the traffic and other business of the place. 
Wherever planting is deemed advisable it 
should be undertaken with a clear under¬ 
standing of the worst that can happen when 
the trees get established. He warns 
people against Utopian ideas about umbra¬ 
geous side walks and green canopies where 
the realisation of such is impossible. 
Numerous details are given about the 
preparation of the sites to receive the trees, 
the old soil (o be taken away and its place 
taken by fresh material. The soil in old- 
established streets is generally totally unfit 
for the growth of young trees, and the pits 
f ox them should be 5 ft. in diameter and 3 ft. 
in depth. This would render the operation 
a costly one, but the writer hints that this 
work could most conveniently be under¬ 
taken while new streets are being laid out. 
All this is generally disregarded, however ; 
and we are often surprised that the trees 
can live after their roots have been cut back to 
the stumps and laid by the waysides to 
await planting till such times as holes suffi¬ 
ciently large to admit the mutilated roots 
have been cut with pick and spade in the 
consolidated sides of old streets. It must 
take many years before such trees can 
support themselves against gales of wind 
without rigid staking, which becomes all 
the more necessary owing to the height the 
specimens are grown before being con¬ 
sidered fit for street planting. Mr. Wilson 
thinks that they are too often treated as 
posts to be dealt with mechanically, instead 
of being regarded as living organised 
bodies, and urges that the rank and file of 
planters should have some knowledge of 
“ How Trees Grow.” 
He is also much concerned about the 
formality of the planting so generally 
adopted. As far as streets are concerned 
it is difficult to see how formality can be 
avoided if the trees must follow the outlines 
of the pavement or the houses; but at the 
same time there seems no reason why the 
trees employed should be all of one kind. 
In our opinion the greater variety the better 
so long as there is space for the trees to 
assume their respective natural habits; for 
therein lies half their beauty. Mr. Wilson 
lays great stress upon this feature. While 
admitting a certain amount of liberty for 
the trees, the situation demands that some 
restraints be placed upon wild nature, and 
just at this point most of the difficulties in 
connection with the management of trees 
arise. Those responsible for the pruning of 
the trees should have a well balanced judge¬ 
ment and a cultivated taste,so that they may 
place sufficient restraint upon growth as 
may be required by the exigencies of the 
situation, without disfiguring and making 
them assume unnatural shapes. The peri¬ 
odical hacking to which some trees are 
subjected is not only outrageous to good 
taste, but radically wrong. Cutting down 
the head of a tree till it assumes the appear¬ 
ance of a badly worn broom inverted is 
simply barbarous; but worse things happen, 
as when the trees are allowed to grow into 
shapely proportions till some one invested 
with a little brief authority suddenly dis¬ 
covers that they want pruning, and orders 
some ignorant labourer to proceed and give 
them a thorough hacking. 
