200 
November 24, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
ints for Amateurs. 
The Planting Season.—Miles of hedges are now 
being planted. For fast growth the common green¬ 
leaved Privet is largely employed in every district of 
the kingdom. There is no objection to its use. It 
has too many merits to be lightly ignored. Still, 
there has for long, been a tendency to plant too much 
of it, and though the aphorism gives it that one 
cannot have too much of a good thing, each rule has 
yet an exception. To meet and see every garden 
barricaded with a Privet hedge gives one the 
“ hump," to use a colloquial phrase. Beech hedges 
are always ornamental and do not take so very long 
to develop. Cypress hedges are always fresh, often 
aromatic, and are as successful when properly 
treated, as any other kind of hedge. 
A word might be said of Sweet Brier hedges. 
They can be relied on to make formidable and dense 
protection. They are always improving the older 
they become, and when allowed to grow freely and 
without hard pruning, they may be expected to clothe 
themselves during summer, with many flowers. 
They too, like the Arbor-Vitae or other Cypresses, 
are sweet-smelling after showers. Only there is this 
against them that they must have plenty of air and 
sunshine and freedom to grow in their wild luxuri¬ 
ance. Neat Brier hedges can be formed, but some¬ 
thing that is neater or better suiled could in such 
cases be used in their stead. The best place for 
Brier hedges is around farm houses, or villas and 
cottages in the country. The Yew and the Holly 
suffer greatly in appreciation in these days of high 
pressure. No plants are, however, better adapted 
for forming hedges. The Yew does not do well on a 
dry soil. The Holly has a little more persistence, 
yet it, too, is apt to cast its leaves if the summer 
season proves dry for a prolonged period. Much 
can be done to enrich and solidify light or gravelly 
soils before a hedge is planted, and a gocd deal of 
good is ensured by top-dressing. The soil should be 
deeply trenched, the bad subsoil (if such exists) 
being bodily removed and fresh material brought in 
its place. This applies to hedges beiDg planted 
around villas or near by dwellings, and which are 
desired speedily to be real features of ornament, or 
of shelter. With hedges in outlying parts of an 
estate one has to make the best preparations, con¬ 
sistent, with limited expenditure, on the spot. 
After having trenched and prepared the soil, and 
having obtained stout and robust plants, another 
important point is not to allow the roots to become 
dried. They should be exposed as little as possible. 
Nothing harms a plant more than such checks and 
hurts to its fundamental system—the roots. In 
planting, the roots must be well spread out, the soil 
being scattered over them rather gently at first till 
they are fairly covered. The bushes should, accord¬ 
ing to their size, receive a shaking to settle the toil 
about and among the roots. All the roots should 
not be on one level. Some should be lifted higher 
than others. It is always well to keep the roots 
toward the surface. The goodness applied to, or 
contained in, the upper “spit" of soil is then 
obtained by them. Firm the soil by moderate 
treading. The depth at which bushes or young trees 
should be planted goes by the line of mark at which 
they previously have been growing. Be careful not 
to plant much deeper, nor higher than this mark, 
which is generally evident at the base of the stem. 
These remarks apply principally to the planting of 
bushes, somewhat developed, and with which a 
great deal of care and process is required. At the 
same time even young hedge plants must be dealt 
with cautiously so as to ensure a good set off, or 
start in life. Pruning need not trouble one till 
about the time growth begins to move in springtime. 
Thorns (Crataegus) are then cut hard back; but 
most of the other plants I have named are only 
trimmed into decent shape. Hard pruning may be 
done at the beginning of the secorid year. It is 
essential to lay a strong central part and base. 
This is only done by pruning the plants close-in 
during the earlier years of their occupation.— Beacon. 
The Association of American Nurserymen will 
hold their annual convention for 1901 at Niagara 
Falls, June 12th and 13th. Mr. G. C. Seager, 
Rochester, is secretary. 
Correspondence. 
Questions ashed by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
" Amateurs' Page " on the top ol their letters. 
Dwarf versus Standard Fruit Trees. — D. : The 
standard trees can have the ground beneath them 
perfectly well cropped, and the practice is carried out 
in nearly every garden throughout the land. 
Lettuces, youDg Cabbages transplanted from the 
seed beds, and later on to be planted in brakes; 
various dwarf herbs such as Chervil, Sweet Basil, 
&c.; Parsley, Wallflowers, &c., are some of the crops 
that gardeners can plant and find to do well beneath 
standard trees. At the same time, those who have 
abundance of ground and labour to till it, may not 
care to disturb the roots of the standard trees. The 
ground, however, is merely pointed over with forks, 
so that the roots, which are £ ft. deep, at least, are 
seldom injured. The trees, at least, bear well 
enough. With dwarf trees the grounds between 
them can alone be cropped. 
Beans for Winter Forcing.— O L. : Ne Plus 
Ultra is considered the best French Bean for general 
use, and is oftenest relied on for forcing. You may 
start forcing now, if you wish to have a very early 
dish, but avoid too hard forcing. They are best 
grown in large pots, placed on shelves. 
Care of Shrubbery.— Maggoire: We do not advise 
pruning at this time. This work may be done when 
spring growth is about to start. There is then a 
fresh verdure soon after the tangled ends and older 
twigs have been removed. Do your planting now 
(see this week's “ Hints ") and tidy up the shrub¬ 
bery. 
Lilium wallichianum . — Grower : This fine Lilium 
was introduced from the Himalayas. We remember 
Mr. Wallace in his lecture on •' Lilies ” given in the 
Drill Hall in the summer time, referring to this 
species. He advised to grow it in pots, using turfy 
loam, the treatment being similar to that accorded 
to L. auratum. L. wallichianum superbum is stated 
to be perfectly hardy. 
Planting Raspberries.— H. : All fruit trees and 
bushes may be planted at this season of the year. 
Do not cut down the Raspberry canes until the end 
of March. 
Filling Window Boxes for Winter.— J., Ireland : 
It is now late in the season to be filling window 
boxes, but Wallflowers would do fairly well. We 
think it very much better, however, to use little 
shrubs. Aucuba japonica and Euonymus japonicus 
latifolius-aureus used by themselves make a bright 
and fresh display. Euonymus radicans variegata 
can be used along the edge. Any other useful little 
shrubs which occur to you may be tried. The 
tallest should not be more than 1 ft. high, and should 
be deeply and firmly planted, the shrubs being close 
together, 
Making a Path.—L. M . : To form a dry and 
lasting path you would require to remove the present 
existing soil to the depth of i£ ft Make the bottom 
(above which the drainage is to be placed) convex, 
that is, high in the centre, and sloping to the edges. 
This foundation should be made as firm as possible. 
Then lay in the rough stones to form the drainage. 
These should not be merely thrown in and spread 
out, but should be placed on their narrow side, close 
against each other. This must be done by hand. 
It takes a longer while to make such a path, but one 
has the fullest satisfaction in enjoying it afterwards. 
After placing in this lower layer, proceed to fill in 
layers of smaller sized stones, finishing off with 
gravel and some sand or breeze to bind the surface. 
The whole path should be beaten and rolled till it 
forms a dense, firm, welded mass. Some clay 
should should also be sprinkled among the lower 
layers of stones to prevent any interstices or 
vacuums. The surface should also be convex, and 
gutters may, if desired, be laid along each side. 6 ft. 
to 8 ft. is the usual width of garden paths. 
Making a hot bed.— A. R . : Collect a large heap 
of fresh stable litter, enough to make the size of bed 
you wish. Allow the litter to heat by fermentation. 
Turn it over once or twice, at intervals of a few days. 
By the end of ten days the straw will be browned 
and moderately short or pliable. Prepare then to 
make the bed. It should extend a foot and a half 
beyond the woodwork of the frame, and should when 
newly finished, be about a yard high at the back, 
sloping forward to about 2 ft. high at the front. The 
litter must be trodden firmly. Then place on the 
frame and fill within it, from 6 in. to 1 ft. of soil, 
Close the frame till this is warmed through, and it is 
ready for use. 
■ - 
GRANTULLY CASTLE. 
Our visit to Taymouth Castle (recorded in a pre¬ 
vious issue), which gave every satisfaction, by no 
means satiated our inordinate desire for beholding 
the cultivated productions of “ Flora and Pomona." 
To appease this capricious yet engrossing appetite, 
in the cool of the evening we wended our way from 
Aberfeldy, by the sinuous banks of the Tay. His¬ 
torians inform us that when this noble river was 
first beheld by the Romans from a point of vantage 
a little further south, they with one accord hailed it 
as '* Ecce Tiber! Ecce campus Martius !’’ An 
exclamation which in latter years gave rise to the 
cantata:— 
" Behold the Tiber I the vain Romans cried. 
Viewing the ample Tay from Baigles side ; 
But where’s the Scot? who would the vaunt 
repay, 
And hail the puny Tiber for the Tay." 
There was no question of finding the gardens, which 
are three miles east from Aberfeldy, and in full 
view from the road, but the day is close at hand 
when by reason of recently planted Firs they will be 
as secluded as the majority of country gardens. 
Mr. Cumming, the gardener, to our great regret, 
was, owing to business which called him hence, 
absent at the time of our visit, but his absence was, 
to a certain extent, compensated for by the attentions 
of his affable foreman, who did the honours of the 
place and Mr. Cumming's improvements the justice 
they fully merited. Three and a half years ago Mr. 
Cumming who, for ten years previously, had been 
gardener and steward to Viscount Cough, St. 
Helens, Co. Dublin, took charge of these gardens. 
Although some of them had previous to his arrival 
been laid out, still the major portion of their 
development, especially that of the grounds, have 
been overseered by him, and their form reflects great 
credit upon his landscape forming capabilities. « 
In passing we may note, although it has already 
found prominence in a previous issue, that the week 
previous to our visit, he had the honour of winning a 
medal awarded for the best essay on herbaceous 
plants. 
To give an idea of the rapidity at which the 
grounds are developing it may be noted that since 
1897, ti.oco Rhododendrons, and 42,000 forest trees 
and Coniferae have been plartad; and it is intended 
to continue planting at a similar rate for some years 
to come. 
By a small stove we were introduced to the glass 
structures. Here were noted some well grown and 
serviceable Dracaenas and Pandanus Veitchi. A 
splendid batch of Panicum variegatum was draping 
the front of the stage, and rambling all over its 
upper sat face, forming a groundwork, which from 
an ornate point was bright and effective, and from 
which arose, along with many others, those plants 
already enumerated. For the obtaining of an early 
supply a quantity of young plants of Primula sinen¬ 
sis in an advanced stage was located here on a shelf 
in close proximity to the roof. Luxuriant examples 
of Fittonia argyroneura and Fittonia Verschaffeltii, 
planted out underneath the stages, attracted special 
notice. The rich yellow flowers of Allamanda 
Hendersonii trained on the roof gave a touch of 
completement to an interesting stove. 
The vineries, which contained a mixed collection 
of varieties, exhibited ample signs of able culture. 
In one of them a nice collection of young Palms 
was noted. Ferns, which were chiefly represented 
by Adiantum cuneatum, were in splendid order. 
From the fact that the majority of them were 
obtained as stray seedlings, and potted up about a 
year ago, to a beholder they were interesting and 
creditable to their cultivator. Covering the back 
wall of a plant house specimens of Ivy-leaved 
Pelargoniums were, by reason of the profundity of 
their floral productions, deserving of the old-time 
