P R A C T I C E O F G A R D E N IN G .
ing in dry weather : their lengths are generally made in proportion to the length of th e year-old wood,
b u t seldom exceeding 6 in. or 8 in. The shoots of some sorts, as poplar, willow, honeysuckle, &c., are
divided into several cuttings of this length. An inch of the former year's wood is often preserved in
autumn-made cuttings, but this is not essential ; more important points are, making a smooth horizontal
section a t a bud, and, in planting, pressing the earth very finnly to th e lower extremity the cutting.
Midsummer cuttings should, in almost all cases, be covered with liand or bell glasses. I'h e alder, most
willows, the Lombardy and some other poplars, will grow from cuttings or truncheons several feet
long, and of several inches in diameter. “ This method is occasionally adopted, when it is requisite to
form expeditiously some rough plantation, to serve as a hedge or screen along an outward boundary.
Cuttings for this purpose may consist of long slender rods of one or two years’ growth, or as well of large
truncheons or stakes from 3 ft. to C fc. in length. Further, the willow, in particular, will increase from
large pole-cuttings of from 6 ft. to 10 ft., planted out a t once to form either pollard-stems, or be trained
into full standards.” {Abercrombie.)
6015. Cuttings o f tke roots. Many trees and shrubs may be thus propagated. Among these, are almost
all th e species of Prù n u s, P ÿ ru s, iV/àlus, Cratæ'gus, Méspilus, C'imus, Pópulus, &c. P hùs, Ailântus,
Coriària, /¿òsa, Spiræ'a, and many other genera, may in part be so propagated. Excellent hawthorn
hedges are sometimes produced from cuttings of the roots of an old hedge ; in general,-however, the
cuttings of roots should be taken from young trees ra the r than old. They should be cut into lengths of
from 6 in. to 1 ft., planted with th a t end of the root uppermost which was n ex t to th e tru n k of th e tree
previous to removal, made firm, and the upper section covered with from J in. to 1 in. of soil.
6016. The seasons fo r transplanting struck cuttings into nursci-y lines are those already mentioned as
th e most fit for moving deciduous ana evergreen trees, originated by other modes (.5994.).
' ‘
6017. B y suckers. A lew common trees, and a number of shrubs,5, are a
propagated by suckers. T h e timb
er trees are, the AfZÓJiZws glandulòsa, Robinm Pseùd-Acàcia ; Pópulus canéscens, àlba, and trèm u la ; and
Z/'lmus campéstris. Of hedge plants, the common sloe and other wild plums, crabs, and pears, are, or
may be, so propagated. Various shrubs are propagated by suckers. Suckers make better trees than
plants raised from cuttings, and also very good hedge plants. To induce a tree to send up suckers, the
horizontal roots may be laid bare, notched in different places, and the earth mixed with sand and
replaced ; a powerful co-operative would be to cut the tree over by th e surface, by which means all the
sap would be employed in root-shoots. At the end of one, but sometimes not till the end of th e second
season, the suckers will be fit to slip off, or to separate with th e knife a part of th e parent root attached ;
they may then be pruned as required, and planted in nursery lines. In raising plum stocks, it is a common
practice to lay down all the shoots of th e stools in winter, quite flat, and to cover them wholly over
with lin . of soil. The following summer every bud produces a shoot, or sucker, which by th e succeeding
autumn is found sufficiently well furnished with roots to admit of removal, .flbds Cótinus may
be thus multiplied.
6018. Grafting, budding, and inarching, are modes applicable to a few hardy trees and shrubs. The
common forest trees are, the C'rnus americàna; Pópuius càndicans, heterophylla, and lævigàta; Quércus
Lucombeàraa ; and i/'h n u s campéstris and suberòsa. These, and the ornamental trees and shrubs
so propagated, are worked on stocks of the more hardy species of the same, or of th e n ex t allied genus ;
and, probably, make as durable plants for timber trees as layers ; by which mode the above enumerated
sorts are also propagated. The stocks should be at least one year established, previously either to grafting
or inarching ; the operation for deciduous sorts is performed in spring at the movement of the sap. Ever-
greens are almost always inarched either in April, or May, or August. Budding is performed in Ju n e
and July, and is chiefly used in propagating the rose. Some inarched sorts require two seasons before the
scion can be detached from th e parent plant.
6019. General culture and management o f a private nursery. There is nothing material to be advanced
on this head, but what has been already mentioned in this chapter, or in treating of the general management
of the kitchen-garden. T h e first grand point is so to arrange th e rotation of crops, th a t a
crop of culinary vegetables shall intervene between every crop of trees, where th a t crop remains on the
same soil two or more years ; and between every two or'th re e crops where the crop of trees is taken up
annually, or every second year. T h e n ex t things are, changing the surface of the soil, as in horticulture,
weeding, stirring the surface, watering, shading, priming, training, staking, and protecting. The important
points of management are to procure th e proper quantities of seeds or stools requisite to produce
th e quantity of trees to be annually furnished ; to proportion the number of plants taken up daily to the
number replanted in the nursery or forest th e same day; and to attend to general order and neatness.
ClIAP. IX.
Arboricultural Catalogue.
6020. In our arboricultural catalogue we mean to enumerate, and shortly describe, the
principal timber trees, which may be cultivated with advantage as such, in the climate
of Britain, and also the most useful plants for hedges. We shall arrange the whole as
resinous, hard-wooded, and soft-wooded trees ; including in each section the hedge
plants belonging to it, and, in the last, the willows proper for osier plantations. The
general culture of the trees contained in each of these sections has been given in chapters
V ., y i . , VIL, and VIII, ; and the soil and mode of propagation of each individual
species, together with a descriptive enumeration of all the species hitherto introduced
into Britain, will be found in our Hortus Britannicus, and also in our Arhoretum
Britannicum, and in our Encyclopædia o f Trees and Shrubs.
S e c t . I. Resinous or Coniferous Trees.
6021. The coniferous trees in commcn cultivation in Britain are comprised in the tribes comnosine the
ntyural order Coniferæ; viz. Abietiiiæ and Cupréssinæ. The genera of th e Abiétinæ, or pme and fir
tribe, which are most generally planted in B ritain, are /'Inus, A'bies, P ícea, Làrix, Cèdrus, andlAraucária
r h e Cuprcssus, Juniperus, Thùja, and raxhdmm, are the principal trees belonging to the other tribe •
b ut as thev may be considered on the whole more as ornamental than forest trees, we deem it unnecessary
here to add any thing to what our readers will find in our Hortus B r ita n n ic u l ï'àx u s belongs te ?he
order Taxaceæ, and will be noticed with more propriety under the succeeding section.
6022. Of till gtnara composing tht kbietinte, tlie pines arc
distinguished hy faseicnlated leaves in difleroiu shrntlis, but
procGOding from the same slieat)iing-ba.«e j tho llrs by «oiitary
leaves; the larches byfasciculatwl leaves from solitary slicarlis;
and llio cedars by ilistichous and spreading leaves. Tiie
branches of the whole of tiie A bi6timc are frondose or spreading,
and caducous: thoseof the pines spread the least; tlioseof
the firs are thin and much spread, and are peculiarly frondlike;
those of the larches rather droop; and those of the
cedars are characterised by straight horizontal extension.
6023. The Wild or SaAch Pme, erroneously denominated
Scotch fir, is the V-tnus sylv£sMs L. {Lam. Pin. 1. t. 1.) Pin,
Fr.; Keifer OT PiiJirt, Ger.; Pijnhoom, Dutch; andi'i?u>, Ital.
{fig. 96f). a.). It ia an evergreen sub-conical tre e ; the leaves
inclining to dark-bluo or grey; shorter and broader than those
of the pinaster (fr). It is common in most parts of Europe
particularly the northern countries aud is tho only species of
the genus indigenous to Brit.ain, being a native of Scotland,
aud naturalised in England and Wales. Under favourable
circunistances it attains tlie height of 8Ù ft. : it ilowers in Slav,
and the cones are fit to gather in December of tbe following
year. The finest pine woods in Britain arc at Invevcauld in
Inverness-shire, aud Gordon Castle iu Aberdeenshire.
602-i. Use. Thetimbcrof this tree is the red or yollow deal
of the north of Europe, and is tho most durable and valuablo
of any of the genus, unles-s we except thecommon larch. The
universality of its ai>plication is knoivn to every ono. The
Highland pino. Sang states to bo not inferior to any imported,
either in cleanness or durability, uhen it has been grown on a
proper soil, and to a suificient ago. “ But the planted I.ow.
land pme,” he adds, “ is seldom applied to offices higher than
that ot roofing sheds or huts, liningof carts, lathing, or making
ot packtng-boxes; while the natural or self-sown is fit for the
finest purposes.” Mattliew says tliat tho best Scotch pine he
has oyer seen was p-own on the alluvial soil of the Carse of
Goivrie. (Naval limber, &c., p. 505.)' According to Reid, nn
eminent Aberdeen nurseryman, the (lesi Scotch pine timber
IS always found growing on a hazel loam. Pontey considers
tbe Englisli-gronn Scotch pino, if properly pruned, and
grown to a suificient ago, as likely to equal that of foreign
growtii. Main says that “ tho Scotch pine, when allowed to
stand till it has attained a great age, produces as fino yellow
deal as any imported ; ” and lie instances “ two cut down on
tlie estate of Chnli'ont, Bucks, in 1800, which had been grow.
Illegal least 200 yrar.s. These trees contained about I J load
of clear timlier each, and nere declared by every carpenter
who saw them to be most excellent yellow deal.” Tlic tree is
of groat value as a nursc-plant ; being, next to tho common
bircli :ind mountain ash, or mountain sorb (Pyrus A'ria), the
most hardy timber tree. Among its minor uses wo shall only
mention the production of tar by incision.
6025. T'nnefws. Of these several havobeen noticed bv botanists.
According to Sang, the variety eommoniy cultivated is
least ivortli tho trouble. “ The P. sylvéstris vav. montàna,”
ho says, “ is the variety ivhich yields tiie red wood: even
become red in their wood,
and full of rosin, very soon. The late botanist, Mr, Don, of
l orfar, eriiibifod specimens of cones of each variety to the
Highland Society of Scotland, and likewise to the Caledonian
Horticultural Society. The variety preferred by Don is dis-
unguishcd by the disjiosition of its branches, iidiich aro re-
niarkable for their liorizontal direction, and for a tendency to
bend doiviiwards close to the trunk. The loaves are broader i
and slmrter tlian in tbe common kind, and aro distinguishable i
at a distance by their much lighter .and beauiiful glaucous '
appearance. The bark of the trunk is smoother than in the I
common kind. The cones aro thicker, and not so much '
pointed. The plant is more hardy than the commo '
grows freely in almost any soil or situation, and quickly
at a considerable size.” Sang says, he has seen trees
varmty at Canstoun and Brechin Castle : and it is much
wished that he, or some other competent nurservman in that
qvmrtor, would collect «le scotls, and propagate it cxtensiveiy.
Thouin (A o ^ sur la CuUure de. Pins, 8vo. 1819) mentions a
variety which he ca Is P. syl. var. Pin de Riga, as affording
tty best timher. Vilmonn, who has paid great attention to
this subject, considers tho Pm do Ilagenau a very superior
970
.TO, those'of P. sylvéstris. It ha
hills in the coldest part of Norfolk, am
while the Scotch pine i- ...................
higlier than f “■
irocures annual : upplio:
‘tyi2A Soffand nutive site. “" Thii
This tree' iVnatur.ally the in- I I
litmr habitant of «mountainous nilo wV,»-,. ifs districts,i___ and __of rocky gra'i-. ellv . or . i
s: lurahlo.'" y/(.Pitywhere In the sides its of timber mountains,beeomes in dells ...OTOrt it valuable’and
a.OnT.dOT .h.UoXlCl oOwT.s.U, among stones and -rocks,ro-L D Iroroei,]/.beside rapid rivulets . .. ui meunuuii
. *
forrents, it is found in high perfection; and, if it stand single.
It IS of great beauty. In many pans of tbe Scottish Highlands,
where the soils are extremely various, and much mixed, the
Scotch puiD has arrived at agood size, and often attained re-
markable dimensions. In any kind of soil, from a sandv to a
clay, providetl the substratum be nibble or rock it wUl grow
and flourish: but in wet tllly soils it ought never to be planted'
because, whenever the roofs have exhausted the turf or upper
^oU, perforate ^ subsoil, the tree languishes and
6(127. Insects. The larem of .Vfrctiia pinAstii L. (Xylfina
Duo.) arc dejiosited in the leading buds, and often perforate
the young shoots, and leave the tree ivithout a leader. Tl-.e
A plus pini infests the tender shoott; and various Dermfrstid®
live in the bark, and perforate the soft wood. The little beetle
Hylurgus pinipferda is hatched under the old bark aim .n
the montli of May when pines and
firs make their young slioots, the
larva or grub inserts itself into
tiicir base, nearly at whore the
new growth proceeds from tbe old
wood (fig. 970. a), and works upwards
till it finds its way out at
the extremity (fr).
6028. 77/
Laricio I'o
mountains of Corsica', 'aiid '"is
nearly allied to the Scotch pine,
i here is a specimen in the Baris
garden, planted in 1784, ami
.5b ft. high in 1821, thus described
• by David Don : — “ p. Laricio is
a mucli handsomer and flnor tree
tyan P. sylvéstris, with which,
however, it In somo respects
agrees. It is of a more pyramidal
habit, and its branches are
shorter and more regularlv verti-
eillated. Its leaves are ,à third
longer, and of a lively green,
with tliur sheaths nearly entire,”
Its cones are shorter, ovate, and
quite straight, witli depressed
scales ; and its hark Is finer mid
much more entire. The enlightened
Professor of AgricuU
tnre, TIioiUii, informed us. in
1819, that it is equally hardy
with P, sylvéstris, and that its
wood IS mucii more iveiglity ami re
muro compact, stronger, and more ilexibie.’ it grows iviiü on
the summits of the highest mountains in Oorsiea It seems
J 'F n nearlj; about tlie
lecn tried on sandy
.. it was found that,
e situation had roaolied no
OT ... OT, , n.u J. . Laricio was at least 12 It
lugli. This pine, therefore, deserves to be extensively cultivated,
perhaps more so tlian any oilier.
WI29. Ihe Austrian or Black Pine (F. (L.)austr-iara IV
A large tree from OUlt. to 8 0ft. high; and a nativeof Austria,
My na, the Banale, &c. The sap ivoo<l of P. austriaca is said
by lloss tobe of a whitish yellow, iiiid the hard wood ofadnsky
yellow; tlie latter being very resinous, strong, .and tough.
I t 18 much valued in Austria as a timber tree, and it is said to
surpass even the larch in resisting the iniurious eftVcts of
water, or ol allernate moisture and drj-ness. Other varieties
bclunging to the section of P . Laricio niight be mentioned,
but as tiuy are chiefly valuable as ornamental trees they :ire
omitted here. •’
Canadian Pine (P. resinósa) (Lam.
4.) IS an American tree, introduced in 17,56, not
uniiKe the ¡scotch pine,and “ receives its n.amoofred from the
colour of the bark. From the high geographical range nf tliis
nine, It is well adapted to associate with the P. sylvéstris. It
has been imported in the form of masts into this country.
Like tlie P. sylvestris, it affords an inferior timber on a damp
and uiisuirable soil.” (Caled. Ilort. Mem., vol. ii. p. ,567.)
OOol. r/tel master or Cluster-Pine (B, Finäster L.) (Lam
Pm. 9. t. 5.) (fig. 969. fr) grows to the height of 50ft. or 60f>.
with hroader, thicker, and longer leaves than Ihe common
pine («) ; the brauehes are also further apart. aii<l gi ow more
horizontally than in that tree-. As the tree advances in age it
becomes nakod and unsigluly below; but the top grows highly
picturesque, and may readily be distinguished in the landscapes
oi the Roman and Fiorentino painters. It grows na
tyrally on tye mouiitainsof Italy and the soutli of Ifoance ; in
Switzerland it is cut into shingles for covering tlie houses,
and also for making pitch. It llowcis in April and Mav and
tho cones are fit to be gathered in Dcccinlier. Tliere are
some large specimens at Culzcan Castle, on tlie sea-coast of
Ayrshire
6052. The emallconed Pinaster, or Chister Pine; Pin de
Mans, ( I . (P.) minor N. Du Ham.) This variety, which is
chiefly distinguished hy its smaller cones, and being hardier
than the siieeics, is extensively cultivatct! on the west coast of
France on the barren sands about Mans, ami iu the l.amtes of
Bordeaux ; it has also been found to stand tlic sea breeze hotter
th.an any other kind of resinous tree
6033. The .Stone Pine (P. Pfnca) (Lam. Pin. II. t. 6, 7 8 )
(.fig. 51., Jig. 971., atidfig. 972.) grows to a considerable height,
with a straigiit stem and rough
•LI ll to nP/a fi , so long as tho»o of the 'rpaifnaster,
and are of a groyisli or sea-green
colour. The cones are 5 in. in
lengtli, round, thick, and obtuse;
tile kernels are liiige, and fie-
quenlly served up in desserts
during tiie winter season in Itaiy
and the soutli of Fr.ance, and they
arc also niueh relished by tho
Cliinese, for tho same purpose, it
is a native of Greece, but not of
Italy; thougli it fornis a distin-
guishing ornament of the villas of
Rome and of Florence. It was
'ntroduced herein the yearL57(i;
but, I tiic • ed i
siuous as most of the other sorts.
It has been cuitivatcd only for
ornament.
6034. The heavy-mooded Pint (P. ponderósa Doug.).
Leaves three iu a sheatii, longer than the cones. This species
was first discovered by Douglas on tlicnovth. west coast of North
America, on the banks of the bpokan and Flathead rivers
and on the Kettle h'alls of tiie OoUimliia. Seeds ivere transmitted
hy him to the Horticultural Society in 1826, from ivhich
many plants have been raised. A tree from 60 ft. to 100 ft.
and upwards in height, of rapid growth, and perfectly hardv.
Several young plants have already heen raised from sceris pri>
duced in F.u^and. The wood, I'l hieh i,< verv heavy, is said to
bo very durable; and is, perliaps. one of the most valiuible
4 F
II