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watering in the beds will ever compensate for this. The water runs away from the dry soil and fibres just as the rain passes from the back of a healthy fowl. Be the plants in pots or planted out in beds to harden-off, one essential to success is having them well and thoroughly watered before moving them. Another cause of a want of complete success is planting from pots when the roots are matted in a ball, and doing nothing to gently disentangle the roots at the sides of the ball, that they may enter freely into the fresh soil. Partly on this account, and partly to save labour, the great bulk of our plants are planted out in preparatory beds, and when lifted with less or more of good balls, they have the fresh roots bristling all round like a wig, ready to take hold of the soil at once. Unless in an extreme case, no fibrous-rooted plants ever have a pot with us, but sometimes we must act according as circumstances compel us. When I have brought plants forward in small pots I found it of advantage, say in the case of the finer Geraniums, to turn them out in a rich earth bed, with a little protection, before the outside of the ball became too matted, and then, after standing there for a fortnight or three weeks, the plants would rise with the ball entire, but with fine fresh fibres coming from it all round, each of which was ready at once to enter into the well-aired soil of the flower beds and borders. Those who have plants with balls matted with roots, and as firm as a cheese, will find it an advantage if, before planting, they gently with the fingers or a pointed stick break the mould-like form of the outside of the balls.

To two more common errors I will just allude. The first is planting when it is raining and the soil is wet. In stiff soils, especially, this will be a great drawback. The soil cannot be nicely worked about the fibres, and a hard-baked uncongenial surface is likely to be the result. With plants prepared as above I would much rather plant when the soil was somewhat dry and the sun shining brightly.

Much damage is often done, and especially when plants are turned out as early as the middle of May, by frequent surface-watering. At that season it will be found that the wetter the soil the colder will the roots be. On the other hand, the drier the surface soil the warmer will be the roots beneath. In planting, therefore, in rather dry soil, and with plants previously watered, I would merely secure the roots, supply them with water exposed to the sun previously, and when that has soaked in, cover all over neatly with the dry soil. In general it will be some time before more watering is required at the roots. In very bright days the foliage may flag a little, but a skiff from the syringe over the top would be more appropriate than a deluging from the surface to the roots, that were quite wet enough before.-R. FISH.

MOVING LARGE TREES.

I ONCE met a man who when anyone made a joke did not appear to see it, but some time afterwards would burst out laughing to the surprise of everyone. I was strongly reminded of this individual on reading Mr. Barron's paper in answer to one I wrote last October. If anyone read my paper he has probably forgotten it by this time. Mr. Barron quotes a single paragraph of it, and intimates that my whole argument, or, at any rate, the gist of it, is contained in the words he quotes. Now, I think this hardly fair. Again, he says I have no knowledge on the subject, and yet is surprised that I, living within seven miles of him, and having seen so much of what has been done at Elvaston and elsewhere ever since I commenced business, should have forgotten all he has done. What time he wishes to indicate as the time I commenced business I do not know; belonging to the third generation who have owned these nurseries, it follows that my connection with the business has been from the time I left school, so I think my recollection of him dates as far back as the time he commenced to move large trees. Here let me say, if I ever move large trees there is no one whose assistance I should value more than Mr. Barron's, because no one can understand it better. If I had not lived so near to the cleverest man who ever undertook to move timber trees, I might never have written the article in question, because I might have attributed any failure in results to want of skill. I remember well the Cedar Mr. Barron moved at Elvaston and many other trees, particularly large Yews, which did remarkably well; and I think no one would gather from what I wrote that I wished to convey the idea that no large tree could be removed, or that Mr. Barron, whose name I never mentioned, could not move it. Being in the habit of

saying and writing just what comes into my mind, there is a danger of annoying those who differ from me, and even in some cases of raising the cry of "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" It is as much my interest as that of any other nurseryman to sell the largest trees I have on hand, but I always say if anyone wants good specimens of any kind of tree or shrub he cannot easily plant too small. It is not worth while repeating what I wrote in October, but my own experience fully bears out what I then wrote, and my observation likewise. It is a very common thing to hear persons say, "At my time of life I cannot afford to wait till small trees grow." These persons always buy fine specimen plants, and, as a rule, I contend that in a few years young trees would have beaten them both in size and appearance. Twenty-one years ago part of my garden was an orchard; I planted it with Pines, Junipers, Cypresses, Wellingtonias, &c., selecting by choice to plant seedlings only a few inches to 2 feet high; and when I compare them with others, I think I have every reason to be satisfied. I am quite aware trees of large size can be removed, and those with spreading roots, such as Yews and Scotch Firs, may do well, but I have seen large Hollies and many other trees after looking well for some time gradually die-off and take years to do it in. I have no wish to hinder anyone, who likes to pay the cost, from removing large trees if he has a Mr. Barron to do it for him; but I still say I should not trust to such trees for a permanent effect, but would plant young ones amongst them at the same time.-J. R. PEARSON, Chilwell. P.S.-I have just measured three trees on my grass plat all planted as small plants since the time named. Pinus macrocarpa is 20 feet high, branches lying on the ground in a circle of 22 feet diameter; Cupressus Lawsoniana, 18 feet high, 7 feet through; Wellingtonia, 28 feet high, branches lying on the ground 14 feet wide; this last was turned out of a quart pot in the spring of 1861. I merely give these as examples, and would ask, Would they have been better trees by this time if they had been large when planted ?-J. R. P.

THE BUFFALO BERRY.

IF Mr. W. Muir wishes his Shepherdia seed to vegetate readily, he should sow it in the open ground soon after it is ripe or during the months of October and November, but first rub or mash the pulp and wash it from the seed. On the approach of winter cover the bed an inch deep or more with dry fine muck or some light material, to prevent the earth from becoming hard and dry; this should be removed in the spring as soon as the seed begins to come through the ground. If the seed has been kept dry through the winter it will not likely vegetate until the spring of 1874.

When the young plants are a year or two old they should be planted in nursery rows from 12 to 15 inches apart, and in the course of from three to five years they will show their sex by the flower buds of the male plants being double the size of the female, when they can be transplanted in pairs from 4 to 6 feet apart for fruiting, otherwise they will not bear fruit.

My experiment as a hedge of a trial of 100 feet of the Buffalo Berry was not successful although well cared for, but it may be that it was not managed rightly. The plants were set in a single row 12 inches asunder, and when eight or ten years of age it would not keep its form, and the plants would fall out of line from one side or the other and become uneven and unsightly.-CHARLES DOWNING, Newburgh, New York.

WATERING CONTRIVANCES.

THE acknowledged importance of water for all cultivated plants has, I hope, induced every interested person to provide means whereby an ample supply may be conveyed to one or more parts of the garden, there to be stored up in quantity in underground tanks or open reservoirs. To economise labour in watering, as well as to secure the timely and proper execution of the work, it is very requisite to have a handy contrivance for the conveyance of water where most wanted, combining means for its application to crops, syringing plants, and for general cleansing purposes. I therefore purpose giving a few illustrations of the most substantial and useful apparatus for the purpose.

Warner's Lift and Force Pump (fig. 1).-I worked one of these years ago, and my opinion of it is, that for its particular purpose (watering), it is one of the most useful implements ever invented, and not, to my thinking, surpassed by modern

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Fig. 2.-Warner's Portable Garden Engine. watering-pot, as well as a pump with a pipe and spreader for syringing and cleaning plants and trees. When used for the

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Fig. 5.-Warner's Portable Garden Engine.

roads newly gravelled, or for making a level surface to a new lawn formed by sowing seeds. Its construction is intended to effect a saving of time and labour, and of its class it is a handy machine, as each part can be worked separately.

Fig. 4 is a Small Tub Engine, which is very handy and useful for any garden, whether large or small. I use such an engine for syringing wall trees, as well as for cleaning plants attacked with any insect; it is easily taken to any part of the garden, and used by one individual. I believe there are others in use of a larger and stronger make, but the principle of working is

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Fig. 8.-Watering Barrow.

required to be used. It is an excellent machine for the amateur as well as the gardener. The spout or delivery pipe has a regulating contrivance for as heavy or fine a shower of water as may be required. There are also several varieties of this handy instrument in use, but none, I think, that possesses any superior merit; some of them are very liable to get out of order in a short time.

Fig. 6 is a Conservatory Engine and Watering-pot combined, which is said to be capable of throwing a continuous stream of

Fig. 12.

wooden brackets attached to a wooden frame with a wheel. On one side of the bottom of the tub are a spout and rose,

sented in figs. 10 to 18, we are indebted to Messrs. Dick Radclyffe & Co., of For the opportunity of figuring this, as well as the watering-pots repreHigh Holborn.

projecting far enough to reach the plants to be watered. A plug inside prevents the escape of the water till the barrel is on the proper spot; a string connected with the plug, and attached to the right-hand side of the handle of the framework, is then pulled to let the water out, and the barrow is wheeled up the row as fast as the plants become watered. I have seen a similar barrow, but with a rose on each side, and it has the advantage of watering two rows at a time.

I come now to garden watering-pots; these are of various shapes and sizes. For the conveyance of water to plants there is none better than the common watering-pots, which are well known. They should have roses of different sizes, pierced with small and large holes; these are for ordinary watering. Then there is the small but long-spouted pot, either with or without a rose, for watering plants at a distance; while for plants on shelves close under the glass a different shaped pot is used, but being well known and in general use I need not describe any of these. I will, however, describe one which is somewhat rare, though I believe there are gardens in which this sort of watering-pot is almost exclusively used for general watering.

The French Watering-pot (fig. 9), if not invented in France, is a great favourite with French gardeners, and in the market gardens it is almost the only sort used. A friend who lives in France tells me that they are for the most part made of copper, and of course wear well and last a long time. As will be seen, the handle, which is hollow, springs from half way down the back, and passes completely over to the front part of the top; thus it is very convenient for shifting the hand in watering, and is not so likely to weary the hand as do the sharp edges of the pots in use in this country. The bodies are considered best if made flat-sided or oblong instead of round as in fig. 9. I am, however, by no means sure that we should consider that any advantage in this country; moreover, I should say they are more expensive. One more advantage these pots possess is that the depth of the pot is greater outside than inside by one-half or three-quarters of an inch, therefore the bottom is clear from the ground, and not so liable to wear or leak out. This is shown by the ring round the bottom of the illustration. It is an improvement worth taking up by our English makers. There are two roses to each pot, and most are made

to screw on.

There are other forms of these excellent watering-pots, but with the rose inverted; the water is then delivered upwards, and falls like a gentle shower on the plants (see figs. 10, 11, and 12); and there are, I believe, others made with zigzag spouts,

Fig. 13.

devised to prevent the water falling on the plants and soil with force; these are generally used without a rose for small pots. The form represented in fig. 13 is useful for watering Strawberries and other small pot-plants on shelves.

The tendency of the English makers in their so-called improvements of watering-pots is to introduce novelty rather than substantial work and advanced merit. The material is thin and very light, consequently they last but a comparatively short time.-THOMAS RECORD.

IRIS FŒTIDISSIMA VARIEGATA. HAVING on several occasions urged on the attention of your readers the claims of plants that have a good appearance during the winter, as preferable to fill the flower beds in the immediate neighbourhood of a residence more occupied during December, January, and February than in the following three; and as it is hopeless to look, in the majority of cases, for any great display of flowers during these dark months, anything that will impart cheerfulness then has greater claims on our attention than plants that bloom when flowers are plentiful. I therefore now urge the extensive cultivation of this fine hardy plant, which is one of the most suitable I know for the purpose, and one that defies the hardest winter. The variegated form of this Iris is, like most other variegated varieties, less robust than the normal one, and it is certainly the better, for the foliage is not so lank; in fact, in the variegated form it is stiff, erect, robust, and broadly margined by a band of creamy white, which can be perceived from a great distance.

The leaves never show signs of decay until the spring is far advanced, say the middle or end of April, when the old foliage by degrees becomes shabby, and is thrown off during the next two months, the plant afterwards becoming ornamental again. This Iris is also useful as a separate plant in the mixed flower border, and in such a position stands out prominently at a time when such things are wanted. With me it flowers but sparingly, but this is not to be regretted, as the bloom is not remarkable; but the seed-vessels in an advanced state look well in the plain green species, and when dried form no inconsiderable addition to the collection of dried floral bouquets. The bright orange-coloured berry-like seeds set in a row in their white, soft, downy bed look very pretty, the stalk being sturdy and erect.

The variegated kind seldom flowers, and if it did, all its progeny by seed would probably not have the finely-variegated character of the original; it must, therefore, be propagated by division, and though not a fast grower, it can, nevertheless, be multiplied freely. It grows all the faster if planted in good well-manured kitchen-garden soil, but in this respect it is not particular, and few plants will bear harsher treatment than this. J. ROBSON.

MY BIRD DIARY, 1873.

THE short record I have kept of the birds which have visited my garden from time to time since the beginning of the year, may be interesting to some of your readers, and may also throw light on the contents of the Small Birds Bill, on which I see discussions raised from time to time.

I should mention that my garden consists of one acre round my vicarage, about one-quarter of which is planted with Laurels and other shrubs, with trees here and there among them, and three acres of farm garden adjoining, of which the readers of your paper had some account in 1871-72.

January, 1873.-The stock of birds living permanently on my premises, as nearly as I can ascertain, is as follows-ten couple of sparrows, four of blackbirds, two of song thrushes, eight of hedge sparrows, three of wrens, and about the same number of robins and chaffinches. There are also a few starlings, which would be inhabitants if they could, but not being able to effect a lodgment under the eaves of the house, they are obliged to live in certain hollow trees adjoining. Early in the month a flock of eight bullfinches visited the garden. They were very busy among the Gooseberries and early Plums, such as the Victoria and Rivers's Prolific. My man drew my attention to them, as the bullfinch is a rare bird here, and it is some years since it has been seen. He distrusted their motives for coming, and thought no good would come of it. I tried to persuade him that they were looking for grubs in the buds, and that, though they might destroy some few here and there in the search, the grubs would have been equally destructive. At last I yielded to his suggestions, and shot one, just to see what they were really doing. It was a hen bird, and I noticed that in this month cocks and hens came in separate parties, and not together, notwithstanding the story of this bird's constancy to its matrimonial engagements, for it is said to be the only bird which pairs for life. We opened its craw, and I regret to say that no vestige of a grub was to be discovered; the craw was full of the tender green germ of the buds of the Gooseberry and the Plum. After this I was convinced, and notwithstanding their beauty and graceful movements, I waged war upon them from that day forth. They soon became very wild, and would not let me come near them; but in all I must plead guilty to having slain a dozen up to the beginning of March. At that date the Gooseberry buds were too advanced for their taste, and the few that came after this seemed to feed principally on the buds of the Larch, and the Medlar, and the later Plums. I saw quite enough, however, to prove that the bullfinch is most rightly exempted from the protection of the Small Birds Act. He is probably the most destructive of all birds to the Plum and Gooseberry, and this season he has visited our district in extraordinary numbers. A neighbour of mine killed over thirty birds, and I heard of another man a few miles away who had killed eighty. It would be curious to ascertain if there was anything peculiar in the winter in Germany, or other parts of the Continent, to drive them over here in such unusual numbers.

February. During this month we have been visited from time to time by bullfinches, coming three and four at a time. Some bird, I expect the sparrow, has been eating the buds of the earliest-blossoming Pears, cutting them into shreds with

tating for the insertion of their names, on the ground that they do more good than harm. I would suggest to them, through your columns, that they are on their trial, and that if they do not keep down the slugs more effectually, I for one shall certainly vote against them.-WILLIAM LEA, St. Peter's Vicarage, Droitwich.

ORNAMENTAL PLANTING.-No. 2.

his beak, and leaving them under the trees. About the middle | fruit-devouring propensities, but kind friends have been agi. of the month a family of "bottle tits" paid us a passing visit. They went from tree to tree, looking for insects, and, not finding any to their mind, went on. Two days after a pair of the small blue titmouse visited us in the same way. March is not a great month for birds. In addition to my permanent stock, I saw a few yellowhammers, and at the end of the month two little creepers went over all my espaliers, searching the crevices for insects. A pair of starlings came down the chimney one morning into my bedroom, and were secured. A few bullfinches visited us from time to time, coming either singly or in pairs, but now they neglected the Gooseberries, and confined themselves to the buds of the Pershore Egg Plums, which I conclude were just in the stage to suit their epicurean palates. April is the richest bird month in all the year. The bright little fellows who have been wintering round the Mediterranean now make their appearance. In the first week we had a passing visit from titmice. This time we had a family of the great tit as well as of the blue tit, but they only stayed a few days with us. A few days later the travellers began to arrive. On the 14th the yellow and pied water-wagtails made their appearance; on the 14th the swallow; on the 19th I saw the blackcap, the chiff-chaff, and the common linnet; on the 20th the redstart and the nightingale; on the 27th the cuckoo, and on the 29th the wryneck, or, as it is called in these parts, the cuckoo's mate.

In this month I met with another bird experience, which though it has nothing to do with my garden, may be none the less interesting to some of your readers. I was walking with my brother in the Wyre Forest, and we came upon the body of a small hawk, recently dead, which we both at once pronounced to be a cock merlin. A hawk we had neither of us ever seen in Worcestershire before. The bird was lying on his back, not a feather of his plumage ruffled, but without a head. He had been decapitated as cleanly as if it had been done with a knife. That it was a merlin we now feel certain, for about ten days after my brother found the nest on which the hen was sitting on four eggs, about a quarter of a mile from the spot where the body of the cock bird lay. He brought away two of the eggs, which are unmistakeably those of the merlin, covered with deep red blotches. But what had killed the cock bird, and what had become of his head? On this subject we can only offer a conjecture. The railway passes about two hundred yards from the spot, and above it the telegraph wires, which are often so fatal to birds. In the winter woodcocks are sometimes picked up under them, and now and then a partridge, and in Scotland they are known to be so destructive to grouse and black game that the wires are covered for miles with white tallies of wood. This was probably the fate of the only merlin which had visited these parts for years. He might have been following a small bird, and in his swoop come in contact with the wire. His head, probably, fell immediately under it, while the impetus of his flight carried his body on to the bottom of the ravine in which we found it.

May brought no addition to the list of birds which have been noticed above, but now that the Gooseberries are in full leaf the damage done by the bullfinches is apparent. On many shoots there is only a tuft of green at the end. The long white branch stands out completely disbudded. I have had many of them cut out already, and I mean to have the rest done as soon as the crop is gathered, for nothing will ever grow from them again; but if the bullfinch is the great enemy of the Gooseberry, the cuckoo is its greatest friend. The abominable grub which devours the leaves always makes its appearance in May, and this year is no exception to the rule. They have shown themselves in places, but two cuckoos, which, as my man terms it, "make a good deal of time in the garden," have hitherto kept them down; we see them on the bushes, and when we examine the place, the heads only of the grubs sticking to the leaves are discovered. The cuckoos have sucked these pieces, and wisely rejected the skins.

I have nothing yet to say about the fruit-devouring birds, but if all is well, you shall have my observations upon them when the season is over. I will only mention now, that I do not think that they do their work so well as they used to do in the good old times in destroying slugs and snails. I never supposed that they did this when fruit once came in, but judging from the way in which seeds have been destroyed this spring, I am inclined to accuse blackbirds and thrushes of negligence. The framers of the Small Birds Bill very properly exempted them from protection, on account of their

In grounds of limited extent choice specimens may be introduced very effectively alternately with flower beds in the form of an avenue, on each side of a broad walk, care being taken to maintain an ample margin of turf both to flower beds and shrubs, so that the graceful growth and various shades of green may stand out in pleasing and prominent contrast to the bright colours of the flower-masses. Let no unsightly standards mar the beauty of such a scene, but let us introduce forms that ever gain more of beauty with increasing sizeforms whose lowest branches sweep the turf, from whence they taper upwards, not with a stiff and uniform formality, but with an elegance and diversity of contour that are always pleasing, and never distasteful nor offensive. It is among the numerous beautiful varieties of Conifers with which our gardens are now enriched that the most suitable plants are found for this purpose. I append a select dozen of these, and also a dozen mixed species of evergreens.

CONIFERS.

1. Cupressus macrocarpa.
2. Cupressus Lawsoniana.
3. Juniperus virginiana.
4. Picea Nordmanniana.
5. P. nobilis.

6. P. Pinsapo.

7. Cedrus atlantica.
8. C. Deodara.
9. Thuja Lobbii.
10. Thujopsis borealis.
11. T. dolabrata.

12. Araucaria imbricata.

EVERGREEN SHRUBS.

1. Arbutus Unedo.
2. Golden Queen Holly.
3. Buxus sempervirens.

4. Rhododendron Majesticum,

5. Viburnum Tinus.

6. Ilex torulosa. [lusitanicus).
7. Portugal Laurel (Cerasus
8. Ligustrum japonicum.
9. Phillyrea latifolia.

10. Ilex Aquifolium.

11. Laurus nobilis.
12. Buxus aurea.

Deciduous shrubs, from the bare aspect which they present in winter, are quite unsuitable for such a position. Some trees of pendulous habit, as the cut-leaved Birch, Betula incisa pendula, and Sophora japonica, may occasionally be introduced with advantage; but it is not often found desirable to plant trees of this class singly upon turf. Take, for example, the Weeping Birch; clothed with foliage in the bright spring and summer months, it is certainly very beautiful; but when the cold autumnal winds sweep the decaying foliage from its branches, and the deformity of its growth is laid bare, how great is the change! That which attracted us by its wealth of greenery, and the apparently graceful disposal of its growth, can now only be regarded as a grotesque object, totally devoid of grace, dignity, or beauty of any kind. The best rule, therefore, to adopt for our guidance in the selection of weeping trees for prominent positions, is to avoid any of a very stiff or formal aspect, choosing only those with that flexible pliant grace which is one of the peculiar charms of the Birch.

Taken in its broad and fullest sense, a complete pinetum consists of a collection of one or more of each variety of Conifer that is worthy of cultivation. The term, however, is very elastic, and may be applied with equal propriety to a few dozens as to hundreds. The area to be planted will, of course, be the guide as to number. Avoid all approaches to crowding; let each plant have "ample space and verge enough" for its fullest development and for effect.

The accompanying plan represents a pinetum of moderate pretensions, containing about two dozen excellent kinds of Conifers. In this arrangement I have placed the towering Abies Douglasii, the gigantic Wellingtonia, and the clump of the elegant and lofty Silver Fir somewhat in the background, not because any of them might not be brought to the very margin of the walk with the greatest propriety, but that an open expanse of turf around trees of such lofty growth and huge proportions presents them to the eye in all the fulness of that dignity and majestic grandeur for which they are so justly esteemed, and which is so much affected by crowding. A belt of Scotch Fir, Larch, and Spruce, or of these kinds mixed with deciduous trees, may be added with good effect behind the borders of mixed shrubs for shelter in exposed situations.

Very few features of a shrubbery are equal to this either in interest or importance, and yet it is not often that full justice

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