120 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  6,'18§8. 
DRAINING. 
This  may  be  called  a  seasonable  subject,  for  not  only  is  winter 
the  most  suitable  time  for  the  operation  to  be  performed,  but 
when  heavy  rains  come  on  the  already  soddened  earth  we  can 
more  readily  discover  where  drains  are  imperatively  needed  than 
in  the  summer.  It  may  be  well  to  note  the  advantages  which  accrue 
from  the  proper  draining  of  wet  soil. 
The  first  is  that  it  materially  raises  the  temperature  of  the  soil. 
Soddened  soil  is  always  colder  than  dry  soil,  because  what  heat  is 
absorbed  by  the  soil  is  not  employed  in  warming  it,  but  in 
evaporating  the  water.  Hence  a  wet  soil  retains  its  winter 
temperature  long  in  the  spring  after  a  dry  soil  has  become  warm  and 
favourable  for  the  growth  of  vegetation.  Nay,  even  the  winter 
temperature  of  wet  soil  is  much  lower  than  that  of  dry  soil.  This 
is  au  important  point,  as  anyone  can  see  if  a  moment’s  thought  is 
given  to  the  subject. 
Not  only  does  water  when  thus  stagnant  actually  keep  soil  cold 
because  of  the  heat  being  utilised  in  evaporating  it,  but  the  rain  of 
the  summer,  which  further  warms  well-drained  land  as  it  passes 
through,  has  exactly  the  opposite  effect  on  wet  undrained  land, 
for  in  that  case  it  does  not  pass  through  the  soil,  but  only  adds 
to  the  water  requiring  evaporation.  Hence  in  wet  seasons"crops 
on  wet,  undrained  soil  frequently  fail  to  mature  at  all. 
Then  draining,  especially  when  liming  is  also  practised, 
sweetens  soil.  Wet  land  is  almost  always  sour  and  contains  much 
matter  that  is  hurtful  to  vegetation,  but  when  the  surplus  water  is 
run  off  by  properly  laid  drains  it  carries  much  of  this  away.  Then, 
as  every  heavy  rain  passes  through  the  soil,  it  carries  off  more  and 
more,  till  what  was  once  a  sour,  cold,  poisonous  soil  becomes 
sweet,  warm,  and  fertile. 
Draining  fertilises  a  wet  soil.  Whenever  air  is  excluded  from 
a  soil  by  water,  the  decaying  manure  and  other  vegetation  form 
compounds  hurtful  to  vegetation  ;  but  when  the  water  is  run  off 
air  enters,  and  then  very  different  compounds — compounds  which 
nourish  instead  of  destroying — are  formed.  Then,  as  every  heavy 
rain  displaces  the  air,  so  it  is  the  cause  of  the  air  being  renewed  ; 
for  as  the  soil  again  rids  itself  of  superfluous  water  fresh  air  fills 
the  pores  of  the  soil,  and  fresh  oxygen  finds  out  the  matters  only 
awaiting  its  presence  to  become  plant  food.  Then  drainage  makes 
soil  easily  worked.  It  is  impossible  to  improve  soils  by  cultiva¬ 
tion  while  they  remain  soddened.  To  attempt  it  is  to  do  mischief. 
But  on  this  point  we  will  not  enlarge,  nor  will  "we  do  more  than 
point  to  the  fact  that  drainage  materially  improves  the  climate  as 
well  as  the  soil. 
These  facts  are  well  known,  and  need  hardly  have  been  repeated 
but  for  the  fact  that,  though  great  pains  are  often  taken  to  insure 
perfect  drainage,  no  drainage  results,  and  some  of  the  benefits 
accruing  from  drainage,  though  very  much  needed,  are  nev.er 
reaped.  Drainage  is  only  efficient  when  it  is  the  means  of  carry¬ 
ing  off  water  ;  but  when  it  does  not  do  so  it  is  evident  that  the  good 
looked  for  cannot  result.  In  ordinary  cases  the  drains  have  only 
to  be  properly  laid  to  secure  all  the  good  results  named  above, 
because  under  general  circumstances  all  the  conditions  necessary 
are  present.  In  every  garden,  however,  there  are  circumstances 
when  all  the  conditions  are  not  present.  For  instance,  inside 
borders  for  Vines  and  Peach  trees  are  invariably  and  rightly 
provided  with  drainage.  It  does  not  follow,  however,  that  it 
selves  its  purpose,  for  it  is  doubtful  if  in  any  great  number  of 
instances  water  is  applied  in  sufficient  quantity  to  insure  the 
draining. 
•  J er^  mu°h  the  water  which  falls  on  the  land  evaporates 
either  directly  or  indirectly  from  the  leaves  of  plants.  Evapora¬ 
tion  inside  fruit  houses  cannot  be  less  than  what  takes  place 
outside,  and  we  should  fancy  it  to  be  a  good  deal  greater, 
while  such  broad-leaved  plants  as  Vines  pump  an  enormous 
amount  of  water  from  the  soil.  True,  gardeners  apply  more 
water  to  inside  borders  than  was  usual  only  a  few  years  ago, 
while  the  drying  during  the  resting  period  usual  once  is  no  longer 
practised,  still  almost  all  are  perfectly  satisfied  if  they  can  make 
sure  of  their  borders  being  fairly  saturated.  Thorough-going 
practitioners  in  some  few  instances,  in  order  to  “  make  assurance 
doubly  sure,”  may  give  enough  not  only  to  secure  all  the  benefits 
of  plenty  of  moisture,  but  also  the  benefits  of  drainage. 
Our  inside  borders  are,  in  almost  all  cases,  heavily  manured,  in 
fact,  over-manured.  For  a  time  no  great  harm  results,  but  in  time 
the  soil  becomes  overloaded,  and  those  who  can  afford  to  do  so 
renew  the  soil  partially  or  wholly.  Soils  outside  do  not  require  such 
renewing,  and  it  is  an  expensive  process  that  few  can  afford.  Care 
m  manuring  will  he'p  to  stave  off  the  evil  day  ;  the  periodical 
application  of  slight  dressings  of  hot  lime  will  do  much  to  keep 
matters  right  ;  but  in  order  to  maintain  the  borders  in  their  fertility 
drainage— -in  other  words,  abundant  applications  of  water — is  also 
necessary  Undoubtedly  the  great  purifier  of  the  soil  is  wate-. 
Injurious  acids  and  salts  are  by  its  agency  carried  out  of  the  soil 
into  the  drains  and  away,  and  nowhere  are  such  to  be  found  in  such 
quantity  as  in  over-manured  undrained  soils.  Indeed  it  is  not 
necessary  that  the  compounds  formed  should  be  in  themselves 
hurtful.  Nitrate  of  lime  or  potash  are  manures  of  the  greatest 
value  when  applied  in  moderate  quantities,  but  when  they  accumu¬ 
late  in  over-manured  soils  that  are  not  drained  they  become 
positively  destructive.  Outside  the  weather-clerk  takes  care  that 
such  shall  not  happen  if  we  only  lay  the  pipes.  In  fact,  outside 
such  manurings  are  not  given  as  are  applied  inside,  and  our  object 
should,  in  the  former  instance,  be  how  to  guard  against  their  loss. 
Inside  we  should  take  care  that  they  do  not  accumulate  and 
destroy. — S.  G. 
YOUNG  PEACH  TREES. 
It  is  sometimes  a  question  how  to  prune  young  trees  the  season  they 
are  planted  and  which  often  have  strong  shoots  varying  from  3  to  5  feet 
in  length.  Our  experience  is  that  the  shoots  should  be  well  pruned 
back  to  within  1  foot  from  where  they  started,  either  when  planting  or 
before  the  trees  start  into  growth.  We  have  tried  both  ways  and  no 
perceptible  difference  could  be  observed. 
All  young  fruit  trees  when  first  planted  should  be  cut  hard  back  ;  it 
is  a  mistake  not  to  do  so,  as  the  inexperienced  often  find  to  their  cost 
afterwards.  If  the  shoots  are  left  a  fair  length  at  first,  growths  are 
invariably  wanted  near  the  base,  and  if  they  are  not  produced  at  first 
very  often  they  do  not  come  afterwards,  or  are  weak  and  puny.  Thorough, 
pruning  will  induce  them  to  burst  almost  every  eye  that  may  be  left, 
when  there  will  be  abundance  of  shoots  to  select  from. 
Care  is  needed  after  the  trees  start  into  growth,  or  some  shoots  will 
take  the  lead  of  others,  the  tree  becoming  stronger  on  one  Bide  than  the 
other.  Pinching  the  stronger  and  allowing  the  weaker  to  extend  will 
remedy  this.  A  central  one  should  be  retained  if  any  amount  of  trellis 
or  wall  space  needs  covering.  The  lowest  branches  as  a  rule  may  be 
allowed  to  extend  their  leaders  if  a  back  growth  starts  with  fair  strength. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  next  two,  which  may  need  pinching,  or  they 
may  take  the  lead  of  the  lower  two  if  left  to  themselves.  A  little  care 
only  is  needed  early  to  regulate  the  growth  of  the  two  lower  main 
branches  on  each  side.  The  shoots  that  start  from  the  central  one  need 
care  and  watchfulness  at  first,  or  they  will  grow  with  undue  strength 
and  by  the  end  of  the  season  be  4  or  5  feet  in  length,  and  unchecked 
growth  of  this  description  robs  the  lower  branches.  The  best  method  to 
avoid  the  production  of  unfruitful  wood  in  the  young  tree  is  to  pinch  all 
the  strong  shoots  on  the  leader  when  6  inches  in  length,  which  will 
induce  the  formation  of  double  the  number  of  shoots  of  a  smaller  size 
which  under  glass  generally  become  ripened.  If  all  are  not  wanted  for 
the  formation  of  the  tree  they  can  be  cut  away  later  in  the  season. 
With  attention  in  pinching  young  trees  may  be  developed  rapidly 
and  furnished  with  ripened  fruit- bearing  wood,  instead  of  strong  coarse 
growth  that  will  be  barren.  Once  trees  are  established  long  lengths  of 
shoots  may  be  laid  in  annually,  and  with  a  little  care  in  pinching  they 
can  be  induced  to  furnish  lateral  growths. — Wm.  Barduky. 
CATALPA  BIGNONIOIDES. 
The  tree  so  generally  known  as  “  the  Catalpa  ”  is  now  recognised 
by  authorities  under  the  above  title ;  the  name  C.  syringmfolia,  which 
is  also  widely  used  in  nurseries  and  gardens,  having  been  formerly 
given  to  the  same  tree,  and  is  now  ranked  as  a  synonym  of  C.  bigno- 
nioides.  The  adoption  of  these  two  names  has  caused  some  confusion, 
and  even  now  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  them  classed  as  distinct  in 
trade  lists.  Some  of  the  earlier  writers  referred  this  tree  to  the  genus 
Bignonia,  to  which  it  is  closely  related,  and  it  was  consequently  described 
as  Bignonia  Catalpa  in  several  botanical  works.  It  appears,  however, 
that  the  same  designation  has  been  conferred  upon  at  least  two  other 
species — namely,  C.  Kaempferi  and  C.  speciosa,  the  former  by  Keempfer 
and  Thunberg  when  describing  the  plants  of  Japan,  and  the  latter  by 
writers  on  the  North  American  Flora. 
Catalpa  bignonioides  is  an  old  inhabitant  of  English  gardens,  as  it 
was  introduced  by  a  Mr.  Mark  Catesby  from  Carolina  in  1726.  It  is 
faithfully  described  by  Phillip  Miller,  and  it  was  included  in  the  Kew 
collection  at  the  time  Aiton  published  his  “  Kortus  Kewensis.”  The 
tree  is  a  native  of  Georgia  and  neighbouring  States,  but  it  was  early  and 
extensively  planted  for  ornamental  purposes  in  the  towns  of  the  Northern 
States  as  far  as  Massachusetts,  and  is  now  a  common  tree  over  a  wide  area. 
Loudon  in  referring  to  it  says,  “  The  French  of  Upper  Louisiana  call 
the  tree  Bois  Shavanon  from  its  being  found  in  abundance  on  the  banks 
of  the  Shavanon  now  called  the  Cumberland  ;  ”  but  as  will  be  noted 
farther  on,  Dr.  Englemann  considers  this  term  was  applied  to  C.  speciosa, 
and  had  a  different  origin.  In  the  southern  counties  of  this  country  and 
on  the  Continent  the  Catalpa  grows  as  rapidly  as  in  its  native  land, 
quite  a  good  sized  tree  being  formed  in  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  this 
has  recommended  it  to  many  planters.  Another  advantage  is  that  it 
succeeds  in  damp  situations  where  some  Conifers  and  other  trees  will 
not  exist,  but  with  the  common  Birch,  Poplars,  and  Willows  it  flourishes 
admirably.  A  waterlogged  soil  is  not  suitable  for  it,  but  it  does  not 
object  to  abundant  moisture  where  there  is  a  good  natural  drainage.  In 
deep  alluvial  soil  it  makes  most  vigorous  growth  until  a  height  of  30  or 
