342 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  7,  1897. 
in  cost,  maiden  trees  will  give  as  good  results  in  five  years  from  the 
date  of  planting  as  will  three-year-old  trees.  This  in  itself  is  an 
important  subject,  and  requires  careful  consideration  where  a  large 
area  of  land  is  to  be  planted.  I  have  tried  trees  at  different  ages,  and 
must  confess  to  a  decided  preference  for  those  three  years  of  age, 
which  have  been  subjected  to  careful  preparation  in  a  nursery  until 
that  time.  These,  Avhen  carefully  planted  and  tended,  are  soon 
established,  and  a  crop  may  be  had  in  the  second  year,  the  chief  point 
being  to  prevent  free-cropping  varieties  bearing  heavily  enough  to 
interfere  with  their  after  progress.  Mr.  A.  contends,  however,  that 
the  two  years  in  the  ground  undisturbed,  which  brings  the  trees  to 
the  same  age  as  the  three-year-olds,  is  all  in  their  favour  as  fruit 
bearers,  and  they  are  consequently  able  to  bear  larger  crops  and 
greater  strain  with  safety.  The  subject  is  a  wide  one,  and  conclusions 
must  be  modified  to  some  extent  by  differences  of  soil,  situation,  and 
varieties,  but  the  bearing  upon  the  prime  cost  of  planting  orchards  is 
so  great  that  it  is  worthy  of  close  attention.  Mr.  A.  has  certainly 
succeeded  with  his  maiden  trees,  and  I  do  not  question  his  results  ; 
but  a  careful  comparison  under  similar  conditions  is  needed  to  convince 
me  that  planting  maiden  trees  is  the  most  profitable,  for  my  experience 
tends  in  an  opposite  direction,  though  if  the  question  of  decreasing 
the  first  outlay  is  the  only  consideration,  the  younger  trees  have  the 
advantage. 
Another  point  is  in  regard  to  planting,  and  here  Mr.  A.  has 
formed  a  strong  opinion  founded  on  his  own  experience.  He  advocates 
and  practises  planting  trees  upon  a  firm  base  where  the  soil  is  heavy, 
not  disturbing  the  soil  below  or  digging  holes,  but  simply  heaping  the 
soil  over  the  roots  and  adding  to  this  with  weathered  soil  every  year. 
IMuch  can  be  said  in  favour  of  this  treatment  under  similar  conditions, 
for  there  is  no  doubt  that  digging  holes  in  heavy  clayey  soil  and 
planting  in  these  is  often  productive  of  the  worst  results.  In  another 
respect  it  is  contended  that  planting  on  the  surface  is  beneficial ;  for 
example,  it  forces  the  roots  to  spread  in  a  horizontal  direction,  and 
IMr.  A.  believes — and  he  points  to  many  trees  in  proof  of  his  observa¬ 
tions — that  this  induces  a  corresponding  spreading  habit  of  growth  in 
the  branches,  thus  helping  to  keep  the  trees  open  and  free  from  crowding. 
Still  a  third  matter  demands  notice  respecting  Mr.  A.’s  practice, 
and  that  is  with  regard  to  pruning.  He  maintains  that  young  trees 
are  cut  far  too  often  and  too  hard,  and  in  many  cases  beyond  the  first 
shaping  and  subsequent  thinning,  or  the  removal  of  crossing  branches, 
his  trees  have  been  free  from  the  knife  for  some  years.  He  directs 
attention  in  many  cases  to  the  fruit  buds  and  spurs  studding  the 
lower  parts  of  the  branches  and  gradually  extending  upwards  year  by 
year,  and  contrasts  these  with  others  where  continued  pruning  has 
resulted  in  increased  but  sterile  growth. 
In  the  matter  of  manures  opinions  have  also  been  formed  at  variance 
with  some  accepted  notions,  but  they  are  worthy  of  record  because  they 
have  been  proved  by  experience,  in  this  case  at  least.  Heavy  soils  are 
generally  regarded  as  possessing  abundance  of  potasli,  and  theoretically 
it  is  unnecessary  and  wasteful  to  supply  this  as  manure,  yet  on  his 
heavy  soil  Mr.  A.  has  found  for  many  years  that  nothing  gives  such  a 
good  result  as  potash.  Nitrogen  in  various  forms  he  has  tried  and 
discarded  for  some  time,  and  now  relies  exclusively  upon  superphosphate 
and  potash  in  the  proportion  of  2  cwt.  of  the  former  to  1  cwt.  of  the 
latter,  supplied  as  kainit.  In  the  production  of  healthy  but  fruit- 
bearing  growth  this  system  of  manuring  has  given  the  greatest  satis¬ 
faction  ;  no  stable  or  farmyard  manure  is  now  employed,  and  only  in 
a  few  instances  of  exceptional  weakness  has  either  sulphate  of  ammonia 
or  nitrate  of  soda  been  used. 
Such,  in  brief,  are  a  few  of  the  subjects  of  investigation  which  have 
yielded  Mr.  A.  much  jfieasure  in  past  years,  and  at  the  present  time 
he  has  the  satisfaction  of  reaping  the  results  of  his  woi'k  in  a  more 
substantial  way.  At  a  future  time  something  farther  may  be  said  in 
regard  to  this  plantation,  for  it  is  full  of  interest  in  connection  with 
the  behaviour  of  certain  varieties. — Observer. 
DECORATIVE  WORK. 
{Continued  from  page  308.) 
This  paper,  as  premised  in  our  last,  pertains  to  what  may  be 
considered,  from  a  gardener’s  point  of  view,  the  most  important,  as 
it  is  in  various  details  the  most  comprehensive,  phase  of  our  subject — 
viz.,  the  decoration  of  a  private  mansion  upon  some  festive  occasion. 
The  decorator  having  received  timely  notice,  and  possibly  some 
general  outlines,  which  may  be  little  more  than  the  particular  use  to 
which  certain  reception  or  other  rooms  will  be  devoted  to,  will  at 
once,  even  if  months  prior  to  the  event,  commence  preparations  in 
every  available  way.  As  no  two  houses  are  alike,  no  two  men  are 
alike  in  their  methods,  and  season  and  circumstances  vary  consider- 
ably,  it  will,  for  our  purpose,  be  sufiBcient  to  give  one  illustration 
which,  though  drawn  from  memory,  will  be  as  close  to  detail  as 
possible.  Very  probably,  too,  the  case  in  question  may  furnish  ideas 
to  a  greater  number  of  young  workmen  under  our  heading  than  any 
other,  being  as  it  was,  and  so  often  is,  one  of  apparent  difficulty  by 
reason  of  a  somewhat  limited  amount  of  choice  material  to  draw  upon, 
and  the  scene  of  intended  operations  necessitating  a  rigid  economy  of 
space.  In  this  instance,  some  300  guests  were  expected  for  the  nonce 
to  be  comfortably  accommodated  within  a  pretty  English  home  not 
palatial  in  size.  Lest  it  should  be  inferred,  however,  that  there  was 
little  to  do  it  with  and  little  to  be  done,  it  must  be  said  that  such  w^as 
not  the  case— this  case.  Our  head  gardener  was  a  man  who  veritably 
gloried  in  difficulties,  each  difficulty  being  his  opportunity. 
The  preliminary  operation  consisted  of  a  conference  between 
mistress  and  man  at  an  early  date,  with  a  general  survey  of  the 
whole  routine  of  operations ;  the  latter  taking  notes  upon  the  spot 
of  those  salient  points  where  it  was  possible  for  a  cunning  hand  to 
contrive  an  especially  good  effect.  There  was  sufficient  confidence 
placed  in  him  as  a  man  of  resource;  henceforward  he  had  carte 
llanche,  no  further  questions  being  asked  or  orders  given.  Conaing' 
to  the  eventful  day  when  in  a  few  hours  all  was  transforined  into 
what  one  distinguished  guest  was  pleased  to  call  “  1  airyland, 
neither  hurry  nor  confusion  was  apparent,  and  two  hours  were  yet 
to  the  good  when  the  host,  after  a  critical  survey  of  the  completed 
wmrk,  said  to  our  friend,  “You  have  surpassed  yourself!”  Before 
going  into  details  one  thing  must  be  impressed,  obvious  as  it  may 
be — viz.,  that  the  “head”  had  studied  apd  planned  every  detail  to 
the  extent  that  all  which  worked  so  smoothly,  and  everything  which 
seemed  to  fit  so  admirably  into  its  place,  was,  in  fact,  as  regards 
plans,  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  affording  the  best  possible^  under 
the  circumstances.  It  must  also  be  added  that  his  hands  his  own 
hands— had  fashioned  considerable  addenda  to  the  general  effect  in 
the  way  of  some  amateur  carpentering ;  but  of  this  more  anon. 
At  the  enti-ance  porch  some  room  was  afforded  in  one  corner  for  a 
bold  group  of  evergreen  shrubs,  sufficiently  tall,  and  not  crowded  out 
of  character.  A  younger  hand  at  the  work  would  possibly  here  have 
placed  something  more  elaborate,  if  not  more  showy,  yet  less  suited 
to  the  exposed  position,  and  thus  begin  big  at  the  beginning.  To  do 
so  would  be  a  mistake.  It  is  always  better  to  do  as  an  old  iriend  does 
in  showing  his  houses,  begin  modestly,  and  lead  up  to  the  highest 
and  best.  In  the  entrance  hall,  a  square  space,  and  somewhat  limited 
for  room,  two  graceful  groups  wei'e  disposed  in  the  facing  angles,  each 
consisting  of  a  central  plant  of  a  light  feathery  Bamboo,  springing 
from  a  cluster  of  Ferns,  encushioned  in  moss,  these  Bamboos  being 
sufficiently  tall  to  arch  over  the  folding  doors.  The  inner  hall  and 
staircase  from  their  greater  importance  were  more  lavishly  treated. 
This  hall,  being  heated  by  some  half-dozen  circular  coils,  enclosed  in 
ornamental  cases,  with  flat  marble  tops,  they  served  admirably  as 
pedestals  for  fine  specimen  Palms  in  tubs,  throwing  them  well  up  into 
space.  One  such  near  the  staircase  foot  was  utilised  as  a  vantage 
point  for  a  noble  Dicksonia  antarctica,  the  plant  in  this  position 
having  an  almost  unique  effect. 
The  tubs  of  these  large  specimens  when  stood  upon  the  coils 
admitted  of  no  other  concealment  than  the  virgin  cort  with  which 
they  were  permanently  covered  ;  nor  in  fact  did  anything  else  appear 
necessary,  although  a  few  spriys  of  Ivy,  secured  by  small  tacks  to  the 
cork  in  a  natural  manner,  was  a  pleasing  adjunct.  For  brightness 
each  available  nook  ir  ‘his  apartment  contained  within  a  circumscribed 
space  a  group  of  gay  flowering  plants,  chiefly  white  and  shades  of  red,  all 
nicely  fringed  and  interspersed  with  Ferns.  The  plan  of  keeping  each 
variety  of  plants  employed  distinct  in  groups  was  commendable,  giving 
a  decided  character  tone,  to  which  indiscriminate  mixing  is  inimical. 
This  apartment  being  for  the  occasion  used  as  a  promenade,  seats  and 
lounges  were  arranged  to  form  a  part  of  the  general  scheme.  A  turn 
on  the  staircase  at  right  angles  was  not,  as  a  vantage  point,  overlooked, 
and  doubtless  interested  visitors  wondered  ho^v  such  a  marvellous 
specimen  Bamboo  grew  in  the  high,  narrow,  cork-covered  box,  made 
to  fit  the  angle.  However,  there  are  tricks  in  all  trades,  and  a  little 
making  up  at  a  pinch  (including  splicing)  is  quite  justifiable  on  these 
occasions.  i 
The  more  restricted  space  of  a  corridor  leading  to  the  principal 
rooms  admitted  the  introduction  on  one  side  only  of  a  single  line  of 
Eex  Begonias  banked  in  moss,  the  moss  being  retained  in  its  place  by 
two  parallel  lines  of  string  which,  when  stretched  tightly,  was  invisible, 
and  prevented  its  being  swept  astray  by  ladies’  dresses.  A  simple 
device  which  should  be  invariably  employed  for  all  floor  groups  wheie 
the  contingency  is  likely  to  occur.  Rising  from  the  line  of  Begonias, 
at  intervals  some  cork-covered  stems  were  gracefully  entwined  with 
climbing  Asparagus,  and  surmounted  with  a  plant  of  Nephrolepis 
exaltatar  to  hold  which  the  cork  had  been  left  sufficiently  high  above 
the  rustic  stem.  A  dozen  shields,  cut  from  |-inch  boards,  and  faced 
with  red  baize,  hung  upon  the  walls  of  this  corridor  at  the  eye  level, 
and  had  a  particularly  good  effect.  These  were  outlined  wfith  a  single 
row  of  Golden  Holly  leaves,  each  leaf  partly  overlapping  its  neighbour, 
thus  hiding  the  tacks  with  which  they  were  secured.  In  the  centre 
of  each  shield  a  monogram  had  been  neatly  worked  in  the  same 
material — Holly  leaves.  This,  and  other  similar  work,  had  been  done 
at  leisure  intervals  some  days  beforehand. 
