January  2,  1896, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
17 
EVERGREENS. 
Evergreens  are  among  the  things  not  generally  understood,  and 
though  we  have  nowadays  far  greater  opportunities  of  observing  them 
than  the  people  of  olden  times,  it  is  still  an  extremely  prevalent  delusion 
that  they  do  not  shed  their  foliage  like  other  trees.  They  do,  of  course, 
drop  their  leaves,  and  most  of  them  do  it  annually  just  like  the  Oak  or 
the  Elm,  only  they  do  it  in  the  spring  instead  of  the  autumn.  With 
most  evergreens  the  process  of  leaf-shedding  is  exactly  the  same  as  in 
the  case  of  deciduous  trees.  A  transverse  section  of  the  cells  at  the  foot 
of  the  “  petiole,”  as  botanists  call  the  stalk  of  the  leaf,  becomes  dis¬ 
integrated,  and  the  leaf  falls  by  its  own  weight  or  is  shaken  off  by  the 
wind.  Both  evergreens  and  deciduous  plants  are  subject  to  this  process 
of  separation  at  the  bottom  of  the  leaf  stalk,  the  only  difference  being 
the  time  at  which  it  occurs.  In  most  of  our  trees,  native  and  imported, 
the  leaves  fall  at  the  end  of  the  summer.  Most  of  the  evergreens  hold 
on  to  their  foliage  till  next  spring  calls  forth  another  crop,  and  then 
shed  the  leaves  of  the  year  before.  The  cause  of  this  is  probably  the 
difference  of  texture  and  constitution  of  the  two  classes  of  fo’iage.  The 
evergreen  leaf  is  generally  firmer  in  its  texture,  harder  and  thicker,  and 
under  the  microscope  the  make  of  the  leaf  presents  conspicuous 
differences,  suggesting  that  for  all  their  lustrous  vigour  evergreens  live 
a  decidedly  slower  life  than  their  frailer  rivals.  They  have  fewer 
breathing  spores  or  stomata,  as  they  are  called,  on  the  under-Bide,  and 
none  at  all  on  the  top. 
Life  is  a  slower  thing,  and  hence  perhaps  it  is  that  most  evergreens 
take  longer  to  grow  than  deciduous  trees,  an!  are  very  hard  and  dense 
in  the  texture  of  their  wood.  Trees  of  all  kinds  vary  a  good  deal  in  the 
tenacity  with  which  they  hold  their  leaves.  Some  deciduous  ones  shed 
their  foliage  and  put  on  a  second  crop  in  the  same  summer  ;  on  the 
other  hand,  there  are  many  cone-bearers  to  which  the  same  foliage  will 
cling  for  ten  years  or  even  more.  In  some  cases  this  persistency  seems 
to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  what  takes  the  form  of  foliage  is  really  part 
and  parcel  of  the  bark  of  the  tree,  and  falls  only  when  the  bark  is  shed. 
Between  deciduous  trees  and  evergreens  there  is  no  very  decided  line  of 
demarcation.  Many  plants  seem  to  belong  to  one  or  the  other  class 
according  to  circumstances.  Thus  the  Honeysuckle,  in  favourable  posi¬ 
tions,  will  preserve  perpetual  green,  while  the  Privet,  which  is  ordinarily 
more  or  less  evergreen,  will  often  be  stripped  of  its  leaves  in  a  severe 
winter  and  an  exposed  position.  The  Rhododendron,  which  maintains 
a  brave  show  of  lusty  greenery  all  the  year  round  under  ordinary  con¬ 
ditions,  will  forego  its  rank  in  very  severe  winters -and  become  a  rusty 
brown. 
We  have,  however,  a  very  large  collection  of  shrubs  that  will  bear  any 
amount  of  cold  and  citing  winds,  though  very  few  of  them  are  natives 
of  this  climate.  The  Holly,  of  course,  is  a  native  Briton,  and  nothing 
more  beautiful  of  the  kind  has  come  to  us  from  any  quarter  of  the  globe. 
We  can  claim  also  the  Ivy,  the  funereal  Yew,  and  the  Box,  and  that 
pretty  well  exhausts  our  native  list,  unless  we  include  the  Furze  and 
the  Heather.  All  the  rest  that  come  under  the  designation  of  evergreens 
have  been  imported  at  various  times.  All  kinds  of  Laurels,  Laurestinas, 
Aucubas  and  so  forth,  are  foreigners  without  exception.  The  great 
features  of  old-fashioned  pleasure-gardens  until  our  merchant  ships 
began  to  push  their  way  into  distant  parts  of  the  earth,  and  our  horti¬ 
culturists  began  to  interest  themselves  in  foreign  growths,  were  Holly, 
Ivy  and  Box,  and  beautiful  old  gardens  they  were  very  often.  The  fact 
that  Holly  and  Box  are  both  extremely  slow  growers  and  require  gene¬ 
rations  to  make  any  great  Bhow  of  themselves,  gave  to  gardens  in  which 
they  were  well  established  an  aspect  of  venerable  age.  High  and  thick 
edges  of  Box  and  well-grown  Hollies  gave  something  of  that  aspect  of 
stability  and  permanency  to  small  gardens  that  fine  timber  lend  to  a 
park,  and  there  was  nothing  old-fashioned  gardeners  were  prouder  of 
than  of  their  giant  Hollies,  their  Box  walks,  and  their  “  topiary  ” 
achievements  in  clipping  out  evergreen  cones  And  pyramids,  birds  and 
beasts,  and  other  fanciful  productions  of  the  kind.  Such  things  are 
Btill  to  be  seen  here  and  there,  but  Boxes  have  been  relegated  quite  to 
the  background  by  shinier  shrubs,  and  the  Holly  has  lost  much  of  its 
importance  as  an  ornamental  shrub,  though  in  the  prime  of  its  winter 
beauty,  and  thickly  clustered  with  berries,  there  is  hardly  anything  that 
can  come  near  it — certainly  nothing  equal  to  it — for  winter  effect. 
We  have  an  astonishing  variety  of  winter  greenery  now,  and  not  only 
“  greenery,”  for  many  “  evergreens  ”  have  developed  a  marvellous  variety 
of  colour,  and  any  ODe  who  does  not  mind  a  little  expense  can  now  fill 
the  beds  of  the  open  garden  with  bronzes  and  browns  and  reds  and 
yellows  and  purples,  almost  as  varied,  if  not  as  vivid,  as  in  the  summer. 
One  of  the  most  valuable  of  our  imported  evergreens  was  the  common 
“  Sweet  Bay,”  which  has  been  ours  now  for  more  than  three  centuries, 
and  for  many  a  long  year  was  immensely  popular.  It  is  as  hardy  as 
Holly,  and  though  it  cannot  be  compared  with  it  in  shining,  lusty  vigour 
of  appearance,  it  is  lighter  and  brighter  in  colour,  is  very  easy  to  pro¬ 
pagate  and  quick  of  growth. 
The  Aucuba,  the  Variegated  Laurel, as  it  is  popularly  called,  is  a  much 
later  import  and  comes  to  us  from  Japan,  which,  by  the  way,  has  quite 
recently,  comparatively  speaking,  sent  an  invaluable  addition  to  our 
stock  of  evergreens  in  the  Euonymus,  the  dark  Bhining  shrub  that  seems 
to  grow  everywhere  and  under  any  conditions.  This  came  to  us  about 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  what  with  the  plain  olive 
green  of  the  original  importation,  and  the  gold  and  silver  varieties 
that  have  been  evolved  from  it  has  been  a  great  acquisition  to  our 
shrubberies. 
But  the  greatest  of  all  accessions  to  our  stock  of  evergreen  shrubs 
has,  of  course,  been  the  Rhododendron.  Several  parts  of  the  world  have 
contributed  to  the  immense  variety  of  this  charming  plant,  which  has 
now  become  thoroughly  naturalised,  and  which  in  itself  has  entirely 
altered  the  early  summer  aspect  of  gardens  and  parks,  and  that  within 
living  memory.  Countries  as  widely  separated  as  India  and  Kamschatka, 
Spain  and  Siberia,  have  contributed  to  our  wealth  in  these  magnificent 
flowering  shrubs,  which  under  all  ordinary  circumstances  are  perfectly 
hardy  and  wonderfully  easy  of  cultivation  in  a  general  way,  though 
there  are  some  localities  in  England  in  which  it  is  said  they  cannot  be 
induced  to  make  themselves  at  home.  Such  is  our  wealth  in  evergreen 
shrubs  now  that  we  may  almost  lose  any  sense  of  winter  desolation,  and 
may  keep  our  gardens  almost  a3  well  furnished  and  as  fresh  and  verdant 
in  winter  as  in  summer.  It  is  difficult  to  realise  that  there  ever  was  a 
time  'yhen  Holly  and  Ivy  and  Box  were  the  only  resources  for  English 
gardens  in  winter,  with  the  addition  of  the  Yew  for  those  who  did  not 
object  to  it  on  account  of  lugubrious  aspect  and  its  almost  inseparable 
association  with  churchyards. — (“  Daily  News.”) 
WORK.F0Il™WEEK., 
K _ S 
HARDY  FRUIT  GARDEN. 
Applying  Liquid  Manure. — During  mild  periods  in  the  winter 
liquid  manure  from  cesspools  or  pits  that  are  being  emptied  of  their 
contents  may  be  advantageously  poured  on  the  soil  over  the  roots  of  large 
old  fruit  trees  either  on  grass  or  in  gardens  under  general  cultivation. 
Young  vigorous  trees  that  are  already  making  plenty  of  wood  should  not 
have  the  soil  still  further  enriched  in  this  way,  as  it  may  tend  to  produce 
unmanageable  growth,  and  defer  their  fruiting.  All  trees,  however,  of 
a  weakly  character,  or  which  have  had  the  soil  impoverished  by 
continuous  cropping,  cannot  fail  to  be  benefited  by  such  assistance. 
The  food  thus  conveyed  into  the  soil  will  partly  be  appropriated  by 
the  most  active  roots  at  once,  but  a  large  proportion  of  it  will  be  stored 
in  an  available  form  in  the  soil  ready  for  the  roots  to  draw  on  in  the 
forthcoming  season.  The  soil  surrounding  large  fruit  trees  is  frequently 
deficient  in  moisture  at  various  times,  but  at  the  present  period  of  the 
year  the  ground  should  be  moist  to  a  considerable  depth,  and  liquid 
nourishment  from  tanks  and  cesspools  will  be  better  retained  by  tbe 
soil  than  during  dry  periods,  when  it  would  quickly  pass  beyond  the 
area  of  the  roots.  Dilution  of  the  liquid  need  not  be  adopted  to  a 
weakening  extent,  as  its  strong  properties  will  soon  be  distributed  in 
the  soil. 
Trees  having  a  quantity  of  deep  roots  require  the  food  at  a  lower 
level  than  surface-rooting  trees.  In  order  that  the  liquid  may  reach 
them  readily  make  holes  with  a  crowbar  at  intervals  over  the  space 
covered  by  the  branches,  and  fill  up  several  times.  Water  in  the  soil 
has  the  power  of  passing  from  particle  to  particle  in  all  directions  by 
means  of  surface  tension,  hence  the  soil  lying  between  the  perpendicular 
holes  readily  becomes  moistened  and  enriched  by  the  food  elements 
dissolved  in  the  liquid. 
"Washing;  Fruit  Trees  — One  of  the  most  effective  cleansers  of 
the  wood  and  branches  of  fruit  trees  is  a  solution  of  soda  and  potash. 
The  method  of  preparation  consists  in  dissolving  half  a  pound  each  of 
caustic  soda  and  crude  commercial  potash  in  5  gallons  of  water. 
Thoroughly  mix  the  solution,  heat  it  to  a  temperature  of  120°,  and 
apply  to  the  trees  with  the  aid  of  a  spraying  apparatus.  For  stone 
fruits  the  solution  should  be  half  strength.  On  all  trees  this  dressing 
destroys  insects  apd  their  eggs,  including  scale  and  red  spider.  Mossy 
growths  and  lichens  will  succumb  if  not  encrusted  round  the  stems  too 
thickly,  in  which  case  the  greater  part  should  first  be  scraped  away 
without  injuring  the  bark. 
A  soot,  lime,  and  sulphur  mixture  is  good  for  brushing  over  the 
trunks,  stems,  and  larger  branches  of  trees  for  cleansing  them  of  green 
mossy  coverings  and  lichens.  The  proportions  for  mixing  this  kind  of 
dressing  are — lime,  7  lbs. ;  soot,  3^  lbs.  ;  sulphur,  5  lbs.  Mix  in  a  soft- 
soap  solution  1  lb.  to  a  gallon  of  water.  The  quantity  of  soapy  solution 
needed  depends  on  the  amount  of  wash  required,  which  must  be  brought 
to  the  consistency  of  thin  paint.  The  mixture  is  applied  with  better 
effect  when  warm,  and  the  wood  is  more  easily  covered  when  slightly 
damp. 
Destroying;  American  Blight. — This  pest  on  Apple  trees  requires 
strong  measures  to  insure  its  eradication.  The  white  cottony  substance 
which  encloses  the  insect  is  not  so  conspicuous  now  as  in  the  summer  ; 
but  as  the  insects  harbour  in  crevices  and  canker-like  swellings  in  the 
bark  the  infested  spots  are  easily  located.  Apply  methylated  spirits 
of  wine  to  the  affected  parts  with  a  half  worn-out  painter’s  brush. 
Petroleum  also  destroys  the  insects,  and  should  be  used  in  a  similar 
manner,  being  careful  not  to  use  the  brush  too  wet  or  allow  the  liquid  to 
run  down  the  bark.  In  badly  infested  cases  more  than  one  application 
may  be  necessary,  a  careful  dressing  in  the  summer  when  the  insects  are 
more  conspicuous  being  of  great  advantage.  Another  serviceable 
remedy  suitable  for  severe  attacks  is  gas  tar  mixed  with  clay  aDd  water. 
Mix  a  pint  of  tar  with  a  pint  of  finely  powdered  dry  clay,  adding  to  it  a 
gallon  of  hot  water.  This  brings  the  mixture  when  well  incorporated 
to  a  thin  paste,  easily  applied  to  the  trunks  and  stems  with  a  brush. 
