100 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  1,  1901. 
Seasonable  Notes. 
The  chief  requirement  of  Chrysanthemums  at  the  present  time 
consist  in  affording  plenty  of  water  to  the  roots,  so  that  there  is  no 
check  afforded  the  plants  which  will  bring  on  mildew  or  encourage  an 
attack  from  aphides.  The  latter  are  troublesome  when  they  effect  a 
lodgment  in  the  points  of  shoots,  and  cover  the  under  sides  of  leaves 
with  colonies  of  them.  Their  presence  certainly  indicates  lack  of 
attention,  chiefly  in  watering.  They  are  not  usually  very  troublesome 
to  plants  carefully  managed  from  the  first,  and  never  allowed  to  suffer 
from  lack  of  water,  with  occasional  supplies  of  weak  liquid,  alike  in 
the  early  stages  as  later  on.  These  pests,  however,  if  they  do  attack 
the  plants,  may  be  exterminated,  and  the  best  way  to  do  it  is  to  dust 
with  tobacco  powder,  then  syringe  and  wash  it  off.  An  effective 
insecticide  is,  however,  more  likely  to  cleanse  the  plants  quickly.  Laying 
them  on  their  sides  and  directing  the  solution  full  upon  them  is  more 
certain  of  destroying  them  at  once  than  applying  powder,  which  must 
afterwards  be  washed  off.  Earwigs,  too,  must  be  guarded  against,  as 
they  are  destructive  to  the  points  of  shoots,  and  frequently  eat  away 
young  growths  and  cripple  buds.  Some  varieties  are  affected  more 
than  others,  and  these  should  be  specially  attended  to  in  the  matter 
of  trapping  the  pests.  Hollow  Bean  stalks,  strips  of  brown  paper, 
laid  amoDg  the  plants  are  suitable  hiding  places  ;  also  small  pots  partly 
filled  with  moss  and  hay,  and  inverted  cn  the  stakes,  will  catch  many, 
examining  the  traps  frequently  and  destroying  all  found. 
Some  of  the  strong  rooted  varieties,  that  are  filling  their  pots  with 
roots,  will  be  materially  assisted  in  retaining  their  bottom  leaves,  and 
the  colour  of  the  foliage  generally,  if  weak  applications  of  liquid 
manure  and  soot  water  are  applied  once  or  twice  weekly.  Strong 
manures  must  not  be  given  too  frequently,  especially  where  growth  is 
active  and  buds  are  not  showing.  Just  at  this  period  it  is  possible  to 
cause  growth  to  be  too  rampant,  so  stimulants  must  be  given  with 
care.  Where  room  has  teen  left  at  potting  time  to  afford  a  top¬ 
dressing  of  fresh  soil,  some  varieties  that  have  produced  abundance  of 
rootlets  near  the  surface  will  be  much  benefited  by  a  layer  of  material, 
consisting  of  loam  chopped  up,  one-fourth  manure,  and  a  pound  of 
artificial  manure  to  each  bushel  mixed  in.  A  mixture  of  this  kind 
may  be  kept  at  hand  in  a  dry  position,  and  as  plants  from  time  to 
time  appear  to  need  assistance,  give  them  a  top-dressing.  The 
watering  for  a  time  afterwards  must  be  done  with  a  rosed  can,  so  as 
not  to  wash  holes  in  the  soil. 
As  far  as  possible  keep  the  main  stems  spaced  cut,  in  order  that 
they  may  receive  plenty  of  light  and  air.  Tall  varieties  with  ser  eral 
stems  should  have  these  tied  out  on  the  wires,  while  busby  plants 
ought  to  have  each  separate  shoot  staked  out,  and  small  superfluous 
growths  entirely  removed.  The  retaining  of  buds  will  be  the  next 
important  matter  requiring  attention.  Naturally  late  flowering 
varieties  which  are  expected  to  flower  early  must  have  buds  secured 
by  the  middle  of  August.  From  that  date  onwards  continue  to 
secure  buds  as  they  become  ready. — S.  D. 
- <♦#♦> - • 
Book  Notice. 
British  Trees.* 
A  handsomely  bound  took,  containing  thirty-one  full  page 
illustrations.  On  these  points  the  work  is  commendable,  one  of  those 
that  a  gentleman  with  means  might  well  invest  in  as  an  additional 
ornament  to  his  library.  Not  that  the  illustrations  of  the  chosen 
trees  are  at  all  what  they  might  have  beeD,  however.  Most  of  the 
photographs  have  been  taken  in  Surrey  or  places  in  the  Midlands, 
and  naturally  the  finest  specimen  trees  of  their  several  kinds  are 
not  all  to  be  found  in  so  restricted  a  sphere.  The  illustration  of  a 
Birch  tree  is  no  more  like  the  typical  and  elrgantly  beautiful 
individuals  we  have  seen  on  the  sides  of  Scottish  and  Highland 
glens  than  an  ordinary  Service  Tree  is.  The  author  has  attempted  to 
depict  a  great  variety  of  different  trees  on  the  same  scale  of  magnitude; 
that  is,  each  tree,  whether  a  giant  Oak,  Horse  Chestnut,  or  Beech,  has 
been  photographed  by  the  same  camera  that  was  equally  employed 
*  British  Trees,  with  illustrations  ;  by  Hon.  Stanhope  Tollemache,  B.A. 
London  :  Sampson  Low,  Marston  &  Company,  Ltd.  Price  14s.  nett. 
to  “take”  such  dwarfcr  trees  as  the  common  Holly,  the  False 
Acacia,  Cherry,  and  White  Thom.  The  adoption  has  had  this  result, 
that  the  characters  of  all  the  trees  have  been  reduced  or  magnified  as 
the  case  happens,  and  instead  of  being  distinctive,  they  are  all 
uniform,  and  do  not  confront  one  in  their  honest  types. 
The  author  again  has  entitled  his  book  “  British  Trees,”  but  he 
includes  also  trees  that  have  become  naturalised,  such  as  the  Sweet 
Chestnut,  the  Tulip  Tree,  Sequoia,  and  Walnut  amoDgst  others.  Of 
course  the  literature  on  tree  growth,  arboriculture,  and  allied  phases 
in  this  domain  of  authorship,  is  meagre,  and  we  ought  to  be  thankful 
to  all  who,  in  aoy  manner  whatever,  help  us  to  know  more  about 
trees,  and  to  cause  us  to  love  them  more  and  value  them  as  they 
should  be  valued.  Yet  what  we  have  written  in  review  of  this  book 
is  the  simple  expression  of  our  convictions  on  certain  of  its  features. 
The  text  accompanying  each  illustration  is  valuable,  and  so  far  as 
we  have  read,  and  are  able  to  judge,  it  is  accurate.  The  author 
perhaps  labours  under  the  disadvantage  of  a  limited  practical' 
experience  of  some  of  the  species,  but  that  does  not  affect  the  value  of 
his  teaching  so  far  as  it  goes.  We  enjoyed  reading  many  of  the 
piquant  little  articles  on  individual  trees,  and  will  presently  quote 
one  in  extenso  to  show  the  character  of  the  other  writings. 
In  his  preface  Mr.  Tollemache  disarms  the  critic,  for  he  states 
that  he  has  “no  intention  of  treating  of  the  subject  from  a  strictly 
scientific  point  of  view.”  “  Our  main  purpose,”  he  says,  “  is  to  give 
a  description  of  forest  trees  in  a  concise  and  popular  form.”  The  book 
consists  of  ninety-eight  pages  (6^  inches  by  9f  inches),  the  paper 
being  very  solid  and  smoothly  rolled.  The  typ  graphy  leaves  nothing 
to  be  desired.  Following  is  a  sample  chapter,  and  deals  with  the 
Poplar. 
The  Poplar. 
The  White  Poplar,  P.  alba,  the  Black  Poplar,  P.  nigra,  and  the 
Asp,  P.  tremula,  are  all  believed  to  be  indigenous  to  this  country. 
“  Some  derive  the  word  populus,”  it  is  said,  “  from  paipallo.  to  vibrate 
or  shake  ;  others  suppose  that  the  tree  obtained  its  name  from  having 
been  used  in  ancient  times  to  decorate  the  public  places  in  Rome,  where 
it  was  called  arbor populi,  or  the  tree  of  the  people.”  Like  its  ally  the 
Willow,  the  Poplar  is  a  dioecious  plant,  producing  only  one  sex  on  an 
individual  tree;  but  in  the  Poplar  the  leaves  are  wide  and  short, 
whereas  in  the  Willow  they  are  long  and  narrow.  The  bark  of  the 
Poplar,  too,  except  that  of  the  Lombardy  Poplar  and  of  some  old  Black 
Poplars,  is  inclined  to  be  smooth,  while  the  bark  of  the  Willow  is  rough. 
The  leaves  of  the  Poplar  are  triangular.  They  expand  in  May,  and  are 
retained  till  late  in  the  autumn,  when  they  turn  to  a  lemon  yellow 
colour.  The  male  catkins,  which  are  very  large  and  of  a  purplish  red, 
appear  about  the  end  of  March.  Owing  to  their  long  and  thin  foot¬ 
stalks,  the  pale  green  shining  leaves  of  the  Poplar  become  agitated  by 
the  slightest  breeze — a  feature  still  more  observable  in  the  Asp,  on 
which  the  footstalks  of  the  leaves  are  flattened. 
When  Zephyrs  wake,  • 
The  Aspen's  trembling  leaves  must  shake. 
In  the  White  Poplar  the  leaves  are  lobed,  and  covered  with  a  white' 
down  underneath.  As  the  tree  grows  up,  the  bark  on  the  upper  portion 
of  the  stem  and  branches  becomes  a  greyish  white.  The  leaves  of  thb 
Black  Poplar  are  not  lobed ;  the  edges  are  serrated,  they  are  smooth  on 
both  sides,  and  of  a  paler  green  beneath.  The  Black  Poplar  is  the  more 
common  of  the  two,  and  it  produces  the  best  timber,  which  would  be 
more  extensively  used  for  rough  boarding  if  it  were  not  for  the  large 
importations  of  cheap  foreign  deal.  It  is  very  adaptable  for  boards  on 
which  wheelbarrows  are  run,  the  tough  nature  of  the  wood  rendering  it 
less  liable  to  splinter  than  deal.  In  point  of  fact,  the  cost  of  falling 
and  sawing  is  as  much  as  Poplar  timber  is  worth  in  the  present  day, 
unless  it  lies  very  handy.  The  timber  of  the  Asp  is  comparatively 
worthless. 
The  Poplar  is  generally  propagated  by  cuttings,  or  from  suckers, 
which  the  Asp  in  particular  throws  up  in  abundance.  They  grow  freely 
in  woods  after  the  underwood  has  fallen,  and  die  down  in  a  few  years 
as  the  surrounding  coppice  wood  rises.  Like  most  rapid  growing  trees, 
the  Poplar  has  a  brief  duration  of  life.  Where  trees  ure  required  in  a 
short  time,  there  is  probably  no  tree  that  will  serve  the  purpose  better 
than  the  Poplar.  In  early  summer  the  young  leaves,  with  their  fresh 
white  down,  give  the  White  Poplar  a  particularly  bright  appearance, 
and  one  does  occasionally  meet  with  a  handsome  specimen  of  the  Black 
Poplar,  like  the  subject  of  our  photograph  ;  but  frequently  the  Poplar 
is  rather  a  stiff-looking  tree,  thinly  clothed,  and  perhaps  devoid  of 
branches  for  20  or  30  feet  from  its  base.  The  not  uncommon  practice 
of  cropping  the  stem,  besides  disfiguring  the  tree,  is  of  course  harmful 
to  it.  Through  the  cells  of  their  leaves  plants  take  in  and  digest  the 
carbonic  acid  gas  which  is  so  essential  to  their  nourishment. 
Of  the  foreign  Poplars  cultivated  in  England  the  Lombardy  Poplar, 
P.  fastigiata,  a  variety  of  the  Black  Poplar,  is  the  most  familiar.  It  is 
easily  distinguishable  by  its  Cypress-like  growth,  and  by  the  roughness 
of  its  bark.  On  the  banks  of  the  River  Po  it  is  said  to  grow  naturally. 
Introduced  into  this  country  about  1750,  no  tree  that  we  have  attains  a 
greater  height  in  the  first  twenty  years  of  its  growth.  Its  endurance  of 
smoke,  and  the  small  compass  it  requires,  peculiarly  commend  it  for 
planting  in  the  gardens  of  our  towns  and  suburbs. 
