572 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  18,  1896. 
Memorial  trees  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  England,  though  it  is 
not  surprising  that  “  Royal  Windsor  ”  should  cDntain  more  of  historic 
dignity  than  any  other  demesne.  It  is  by  no  means  universally  known 
that  its  great  avenue  of  Elms  was  planted  as  a  memorial  of  the  Restora¬ 
tion  of  Charles  II.  in  1060.  The  date  was  numerically  commemorated 
in  the  number  of  trees  planted,  exactly  1000  being  employed  for  the 
purpose.  Another  imposing  memorial,  dedicated  to  an  event  which  will 
ever  be  growing  in  interest  for  posterity,  was  undertaken  on  an  estate 
in  Wales  to  commemorate  the  Jubilee  of  the  Queen’s  reign.  This  con¬ 
sists  of  a  plantation  of  some  thousands  ot  trees  so  arranged  as  to 
represent  the  word  “Jubilee,  1887,”  each  letter  and  figure  being  200  yards 
long  and  25  broad. 
The  full  effect  of  this  design  can,  of  course,  only  be  realised  by  a 
bird’s-eye  view  ;  and  unless  a  captive  balloon  should  some  day  be 
anchored  in  the  neighbourhood  the  majority  of  persons  will  have  to 
content  themselves  with  a  “  mind’s-eye  ”  picture  of  the  Jubilee  planta¬ 
tion  as  it  appears  “  on  plan.”  Groups  of  trees  intended  to  represent 
natural  objects  or  particular  geometrical  figures  were  once  rather  in 
fashion  ;  but  few  have  been  attempted  on  such  a  scale  as  that  referred 
to.  It  was  only  in  the  reign  of  the  French  King  Louis  XIV.  that  the 
planting  of  avenues  became  general,  and  its  introduction  at  Windsor, 
due  probably  to  the  relations  then  existing  between  the  two  Courts,  was 
the  precursor  of  many  of  the  magnificent  forest  aisles  of  Beech  and 
Elm  for  which  our  country  is  famous. 
But,  after  all,  groups  of  trees,  like  vast  edifices,  are  somewhat 
impersonal.  In  the  latter,  our  sympathies  often  centre  in  a  single  room, 
or  cluster  round  an  empty  chair.  And  it  is  the  individual  tree  that 
touches  us  most  nearly,  and  with  which  by  far  the  greater  number  of 
memorable  events  are  associated.  Many  a  forest  monarch,  full  of  high 
associations  and  traditions,  appeals  to  us  more  strongly  than  a  Royal 
mausoleum.  The  visitor  to  Newstead  can  hardly  be  unmoved  by  the 
sight  of  the  Oak  planted  by  Lord  Byron  as  a  memorial  of  his  first  visit 
there  in  1798.  No  erection  of  marble  could  touch  so  deep  an  emotional 
note. 
In  this  respect  trees  appear  to  be  almost  allied  to  sentient  beings. 
We  seem  able  to  commune  with  them  until  they  “  plagiarise  a  heart, 
and  answer  with  a  voice.”  Such  feelings  were  strongly  expressed  in  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  by  the  Jacobite  custom  of  planting  Scotch 
Fir  trees  as  memorials  of  the  Young  Pretender.  Strangely  enough,  the 
very  opposite  practice  prevailed  a  hundred  years  earlier,  when  many  of 
the  adherents  of  the  Stuarts  cut  down  their  choicest  trees  to  a  level 
below  the  spring  of  the  branches — beheaded  them,  in  fact — in  memory 
of  Charles  I.  and  the  Duke  of  Monmouth.  As  for  the  “  Royal  ”  and 
other  memorial  Oaks  scattered  throughout  the  country,  their  name  is 
legion;  Of  course,  trees  are  continually  being  planted  to  commemorate 
purely  local,  or  even  domestic  events  ;  and  at  the  present  time  few 
Royal  visits  are  brought  to  a  conclusion  without  a  similar  memorial 
being  solemnly  instituted. 
In  a  sense,  all  tree  planting  is  of  a  “  memorial  ”  nature,  if  not  to 
others,  at  least  to  the  individual  planter.  Apt  association’s  “  artful  aid  ” 
concurs  with  a  host  of  “  trivial,  fond  records,”  to  impress  such  an  act 
on  the  mind  of  the  longest  liver.  A  flower  or  shrub  has  its  little  day, 
perishes,  and  is  forgotten.  But  a  flourishing  tree  insists  on  being 
remembered,  and  its  branches  always  carry  a  crop  of  fruitful  memories. 
The  experiment  recently  carried  out  in  the  environs  of  Madrid,  when 
2000  school  children  each  planted  a  sapling  of  his  own,  may  be  open  to 
criticism  on  its  practical  side  ;  but  few  of  the  children  who  remain  to 
grow  up  in  the  neighbourhood  can  ever  be  indifferent  to  the  welfare  of 
his  particular  tree.  For  him  this  will  always  be  a  “  memorial  ”  tree  in 
the  best  and  truest  sense  ;  and  customs  of  a  not  dissimilar  kind  found  in 
other  countries  show  that  our  ancestors  were  not  insensible  to  their 
salutary  effect. 
A  Prussian  ordinance  of  the  eighteenth  century,  itself  founded  on 
a  very  ancient  practice,  decreed  that  every  young  couple  should  plant 
six  fruit  trees  and  six  Oaks  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  ;  and  when 
this  fatherly  piece  of  legislation  fell  into  neglect,  the  parish  clergy  were 
directed  not  to  marry  any  persons  until  proof  of  such  planting  had  been 
given.  The  Italians  have  a  proverb,  “  If  you  wish  to  leave  a  com¬ 
petency  to  your  grandchildren,  plant  an  Olive  tree.”  And  though  our 
old  English  proverb  declares  that  “  A  Willow  will  buy  a  horse  before  an 
Oak  will  find  him  a  saddle,”  even  the  latter  slow-growing  tree  will  often 
recompense  the  planter  in  his  lifetime. 
These,  of  course,  are  utilitarian  considerations  ;  but  it  is  one  of 
the  great  advantages  of  memorial  planting  that  we  may  dedicate  a 
tree  to  a  sentimental  use  without  any  diminution  of  its  practical 
benefit.  The  establishment  of  what  is  known  as  “  Arbor  Day,”  some 
twenty-five  years  ago,  in  the  United  States,  was  entirely  due  to 
prudential,  if  also  patriotic,  considerations.  Many  millions  of  trees 
have  since  been  planted  by  individuals,  without  any  organisation  or 
control  of  a  central  authority  ;  and  it  may  be  safely  said  of  each  unit 
of  this  vast  aggregate  that  it  will  always  maintain  a  special  interest 
for  the  planter  and  his  descendants. 
All  trees  that  attain  to  patriarchal  age  may  be  said  to  belong  to 
history,  although  their  records  are  not  always  clearly  decipherable. 
They  have  outlived  the  generations  that  watched  their  gradual 
progress  towards  maturity,  and  they  survive  with  an  additional  claim 
upon  the  regard  of  posterity.  No  one  is  more  sensitively  alive  to  this 
claim  than  the  gracious  lady  who  has  herself  planted  so  many  trees 
destined  to  grow  into  memorials  of  the  highest  interest.  During  a 
gale  at  the  end  of  last  year,  one  of  the  trees  at  Holyrood,  planted  in  the 
time  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  was  blown  down.  But  before  it  was 
taken^away  a  photograph  was  sent  to  the  Queen,  and  the  assurance  of 
experts  given  that  there  was  no  hope  of  saving  the  fallen  patriarch. 
A  similar  rule  prevails  in  all  the  royal  demesnes,  from  which  no  historic 
tree  can  be  removed  without  Her  Majesty’s  express  permission.  — 
(“  The  Globe.”) 
RHODODENDRON  EXHIBITION  AT  BIRMINGHAM. 
More  or  less  interesting  and  attractive  as  the  Edgbaston  Botanical 
Garden  is  at  any  season  of  the  year,  it  is  at  the  present  time  additionally 
so  by  reason  of  the  very  fine  show  of  Rhododendrons  contributed  by 
Messrs.  John  Waterer  &  Sons,  Bagshot,  Surrey,  and  which  was  inaugu¬ 
rated  on  the  0th  inst.  under  the  joint  auspices  of  the  Botanical  Society 
and  the  firm  in  question.  A  large  marquee,  about  150  feet  long  by 
45  feet  wide,  has  been  laid  under  contribution  for  the  purpose  indicated. 
The  plants  have  been  placed  closely  together  in  three  oval-shaped  beds 
along  the  centre,  and  a  wide  tortuous  border  lines  the  sides  and  ends  of 
the  tent,  whilst  the  intervening  walks  are  formed  of  bright  yellowish 
sand.  The  site  is  the  old  lawn  tennis  ground,  and  the  turf  of  the 
portion  occupied  by  the  show  was  utilised  in  banking  the  edging  of  the 
beds,  consequently  the  tout  ensemble  was  at  once  most  effective. 
Considering  the  lateness  of  the  season  for  the  removal  of  the  plants, 
the  long  journey  and  hot  weather,  the  plants  looked  remarkably  fresh, 
and  the  blossoms  as  bright  as  if  they  had  been  in  situ  for  several  months 
— qualifications  which  render  the  Rhododendron  the  most  useful, 
accommodating,  and  showy  when  in  flower  of  any  other  hardy  shrub. 
It  is  a  pity  they  are  not  cultivated  to  nearly  the  extent  their  merits 
deserve,  for  they  are  not  fastidious  a9  to  the  nature  of  the  soil,  though  it 
is  a  commonly  received  opinion  that  they  cannot  be  grown  successfully 
without  having  a  suitable  peaty  soil,  whereas  good  turfy  soil  from  a 
pasturage,  mixed  with  leaf  mould  or  decayed  manure,  or  the  addition  of 
peat,  affords  an  admirable  medium  for  the  culture  of  the  Rhododendron, 
and  the  Mollis  and  Ghent  section  of  hardy  Azaleas. 
Resuming  we  may  remark  that  Messrs.  Waterer’s  exhibit  contains 
several  of  the  best  and  newest  varieties  extant,  and  the  names  of  which 
it  would  be  almost  superfluous  to  enumerate.  Amongst  them  are  several 
unnamed  seedlings  of  high  merit.  Noteworthy  also  is  the  collection  of 
ornamental  shrubs  in  boxes  or  tubs,  which  are  stationed  on  both  sides 
of  the  entrance  walk  to  the  tent. 
Be  it  understood,  however,  that  Messrs.  Waterer  do  not  altogether 
enjoy  a  monopoly  here  with  their  charming  exhibits,  inasmuch  as  in 
worthy  rivalry  there  exists  the  long-established  and  comparatively 
large  collection  belonging  to  the  gardens,  and  amongst  which  large  old- 
established  plants  of  John  Waterer,  Blandyanum,  Everestianum,  and 
others  are  very  conspicuous  ;  whilst  such  as  Mrs.  W.  Agnew,  Duchess  of 
Bedford,  W.  E.  Gladstone,  Baron  Schroder,  Sappho.  J.  Marshall  Brook, 
Marchioness  of  Lansdown,  Martin  H.  Sutton,  Kate  Waterer,  and 
Sigismund  Rucker  are,  and  have  been,  very  attractive.  Mr.  Latham, 
the  energetic  curator,  has  recently  planted  a  large  number  of  young 
varieties,  seedlings  and  otherwise,  around  the  edging  of  the  old  beds. 
The  fine  old  stagers  of  the  neighbouring  Ghent  section  of  hardy  Azaleas 
— now  past  their  best — have  also  been  very  attractive,  and  rendered 
additionally  so  by  their  honeyed,  delicious  perfume. — G. 
HARDY  FRUIT  GARDEN. 
layering  Strawberries.— When  it  is  desirable  to  establish  early 
plants  the  first  plantlets  on  runners  may,  as  soon  as  young  roots  appear 
at  the  base,  be  secured  on  the  surface  of  3-inch  pots  filled  with  a  mixture 
of  loam  and  manure  well  firmed.  The  pots  may  be  three  parts  plunged 
in  the  ground  which  will  prevent  the  soil  drying  so  quickly,  and  also 
avoid  the  risk  of  their  being  knocked  over  easily.  A  peg  or  small  stone 
is  sufficient  to  keep  the  runner  in  position  while  roots  are  taking  hold  of 
the  soil.  Cut  off  the  wire  beyond  the  pot.  The  runners  only  from 
fruitful  plants  must  be  utilised,  those  from  barren  plants  proving  disap¬ 
pointing  where  fruit  is  expected  the  following  year.  Maintain  the  soil 
moist  by  frequent  watering,  which  will  facilitate  the  rooting  and 
establishment  of  strong  plants,  when  the  pots  can  be  removed  to  quarters 
where  they  can  stand  closely  together. 
Netting  Strawberry  Beds. — The  choicest  fruit  ought  to  be 
protected  from  the  ravages  of  birds  by  nets  placed  over  the  beds.  This 
may  readily  be  done  by  driving  down  a  few  supports  on  the  outskirts. 
The  tops  of  these  may  be  just  above  the  level  of  the  plants,  so  that  cross 
pieces  laid  over  the  bed  may  support  nets  which  do  not  touch  the  plants. 
The  nets  may  hang  to  the  ground  at  the  ends  and  sides,  fastening  if 
necessary.  This  protection  is  easily  removed  for  gathering  the  fruit. 
Nets  are  often  simply  laid  over  the  plants,  and  when  the  plan  acts  well 
it  can  be  adopted  in  preference  to  a  more  elaborate  arrangement. 
Summer  Pruning  and  Training. — Regular  attention  to  the 
removal  of  superfluous  wood,  and  the  shortening  of  shoots  which  may 
not  be  suitable  for  laying  in,  constitute  the  routine  work  among  Apricots, 
Peaches,  Nectarines,  Plums,  and  Cherries.  Shoots  that  are  shortened 
for  forming  spurs  may  have  three  full-sized  leaves  left.  Growths  to  be 
laid  in  should  be  selected  from  the  bsse  of  the  present  bearing  shoots. 
