January 21, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
61 
Mushrooms. —Where these are being cultivated in unheated 
structures the growth will be slow unless aided by placing 
plenty of fresh manure in the house and turning daily. This 
is undoubtedly the best way to keep up a constant supply 
during Hvinter—far better than houses heated with hot waiter 
or by any other means. I am fully convinced that nine-tenths 
of the failures in Mushroom culture are due 10 the indiscrimi¬ 
nate use of heat. Our best results here are obtained from 
a lean-to shed on the north side of a wall, which I have had 
well thatched inside; consequently, a moist, humid atmo¬ 
sphere can be assured at all seasons, and by introducing plenty 
of fresh manure during cold, severe' weather we find no diffi¬ 
culty in maintaining a regular supply, so much in request, with 
us. We make up our beds, in this case, on the ground floor, 
with a path down the centre', and these continue to bear fully 
double the length of time and better quality Mushrooms than 
those grown in what was considered to be a well-constructed 
and up-to-date Mushroom-house. In selecting the material 
for making up the beds, do not take away too much of the 
litter; only the very longest, should be removed. This, if 
firmly put together, will assist the beds to- remain in a bearing 
condition for a much longer period than if nearly every par¬ 
ticle of straw is taken akvay, a.s is frequently done. 
Aldenhaim House Gardens, Elstree. E, Beckett. 
Hardy Trees and Shrubs. 
It is not everyone who. may have the opportunity of seeing 
and learning our hardy trees and shrubs and their various 
requirements. Being so fortunate as to have what is con¬ 
sidered to be one of the best collections of choice shrubs under 
my observation, 1 'will endeavour, to the best of my ability, to 
describe some of the most interesting and useful, with the hope 
that my notes may prove instructive to readers who have not 
had similar advantages. It is surprising that, with such a 
' ast field for learning, so closely packed with the most beautiful 
adornments of our gardens, which are for ever supplying us 
with some fresh form of beauty throughout the four seasons, 
so little interest is taken by the rising generation of gardeners 
to gain a wider knowledge. 
There is probably no other branch of gardening that affords 
so many varied pleasures as the trees, shrubs, and hardy plants 
in general; but they are quickly becoming favourites with the 
flower-loving public, as is evinced by the interest, taken in such 
exhibits at the Drill Ball and shows; also by the quantity of 
hooks written solely on these subjects, lamd the attention o-iven 
them by the weekly Press. 
Protection of Shrubs. —Any shrubs that are not quite 
hardy should be protected in some way from severe weather or 
they .are sure to suffer if left exposed. Bracken is useful 
lor this, keeping out a lot of frost, and at the same- time allow¬ 
ing the plants to get air. 
Creepers on walls that are likely to be injured by frost 
should have a. mat tied over them, and a good dressing of 
bracken or long dry stable litter placed round them. These°will 
include the climbing Hydrangea, Schizopliragma hydran- 
geoides Azara mierophylla, Caryopteris Mastacanthus, and. the 
white 1 lttosporum eugenioides, Teucrium fruticans (latifo- 
lmm). Viburnum maorooephalum, and Y. Sieboldii, Garry a 
elliptica, the female variety, etc. 
Transplanting. —When the weather will permit, it will be 
advisable to complete the moving of any deciduous trees and 
shrubs that may require it. Sufficient care is not generally 
exercised in the lifting ;and replanting of trees and shrubs 
10 ® nsure thls b6m S successful, something more than dteffin^ 
up . e tree, placing it m a hole, and covering up is required' 
AiW Pl f C6 ’ gre,at Care is needed in lift ' in S *he plant. 
Allow sufficient room to work well round it, so that the roots 
as tar as possible, are not injured in any way.. Never attemnt 
to move with a larger ball of soil than can .be held together 
ro^J^n he 7 ° f T 7 Size ’ this shouId be matted and 
roped well round before taking it out; also, in planting, spare 
no pains to have the hole sufficiently large, so that each root 
can be spread out without being cramped. Should the soil 
be of ian unsuitable nature, introduce some fresh material, 
which will induce the young roots to start away freely. Each 
root should be carefully laid out with the hand; and any 
damaged pieces cut away from the under side. Plant firmly ; 
securely stake the tree and mulch over the surface with a little 
half-decayed manure. 
Conifers are best left till the first week in April before 
any shifting is attempted, for if done at this season many Will 
succumb to the operation. Deciduous trees growing in poor 
soil will be greatly benefited if a trench is taken out all round 
and filled in with some good soil. 
Conifers,growing on grass should have a liberal top-dressing 
strewn over the surface, consisting of finely-chopped, turfy 
loam, half-decayed manure, leaf soil, and road sweepings. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. A. E. Thatcher. 
Garden Charts to Scale. 
The Gardening World tells us“ Experience is a good school¬ 
master,” etc. So- it is. The economy of labour is practised in 
every successful business. And every economic gardener, striv¬ 
ing to improve his own education and reduce the expenses of 
bis employer’s place, large or small, will resort to the best 
and quickest systems of providing suitable stuff, and maintain¬ 
ing a tidy appearance everywhere. 
One of the most important operations at the present moment 
is to have charts or plans drawn to scale. My favourite scale 
is 1 in. to the yard; this takes little room on paper, and 
works out well with me. These charts can be drawn in wet 
or dark weather, and, when completed and hung on the walls 
of the office or potting shed, let us know at a glance how to 
proceed, or, which is quite as important, when not to proceed, 
with certain operations. Nor does their value end here, for 
they will prove useful for one or two years hence, showing us 
how to prevent placing the same class of plants in the same 
place. This is most important in the vegetable garden, where 
rotation of cropping must be practised. Every gardener 
knows to grow the same family of plants on Hie same ground 
means deterioration. 
Practice will cause us to utilise the ground for next year’s 
Celery, with the latest varieties of Broccoli, because the latter 
will come away in time to plant the former. Speaking of 
Celery, this crop allows us to thoroughly fallow a portion 
of the garden each year. My plan is to. go over the garden 
with this crop, and keep repeating. The manure remains 
largely in the ground, and between the raised trenches, manure 
can be dug into the bottom soil, thus making an ideal soil 
for Peas. But the chart will show us how much ground we 
can allow to each sort of vegetable, and charts of past years 
prevent putting similar crops in the same place for the longest 
possible period. 
A chart for the flower garden lets us know exactly what 
will be wanted at bedding-out time, and thus prevent us bring¬ 
ing on too much or too few, as the case might be, and allows 
us to carry out new arrangements with plants different to 
those already seen there. For the same things, however good, 
grow monotonous when seen, too long in the same place. Of 
course, we will not limit ourselves to exactly 500 plants when 
picking out the seedlings, because 500 will be wanted at plant¬ 
ing-out time. Let us err on the safe side, and pick out a 
dozen extra to each hundred. I remember one year, when 
hard up for frames, putting in very few over the exact number 
of everything I wanted, and, when June came, being short of 
almost everything, only a few being in sufficient numbers, but 
it taught “ Success don’t konsist in never makin’ blunders, but 
in never makin’ the same one twict.” 
I would strongly advise every young gardener who wishes 
to climb by legitimate means the ladder that rests on success, 
to prove for himself the value of a chart. There is nothing 
difficult about it, and it will improve him in many ways. 
H. H. G. 
