The abridgement of the gardeners dictionary / [Philip Miller].

  • Miller, Philip, 1691-1771
Date:
1763
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The abridgement of the gardeners dictionary / [Philip Miller]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    895/958
    markable enough to defence notice; therefore they are omitted, as are alfo thofe with variegated leaves, of which there are feveral varieties propagated in the nurferies about London; thefe are by fome perfons efteemed. All the forts of Elm may be either propagated by layers or fuckers taken from the roots of the old trees, the latter of which is generally praftifed by the nurfery-gardeners; but as thefe are often cut up with indifferent roots they often mifcarry, and render the fuccefs doubtful; where is thofe which are propagated by layers are in no hazard, and always make better roots, and come on falter than the other, and do not fend out fuckers from their roots in fuch plenty, for which reafon this method fhould be more uni- verfally praftifed. And fince a frna-lj compafs of ground filled with flools of thefe plants will be fufhtient to furnilh a nurfery of a confiderable extent, annually, with layers to be tranfplanted, it is richly worth every perfon’s while, who would cultivate thefe trees, to allot a fpoc of ground for this purpofe. The bed foil for fuch a nurfery is a frefh Hazel loam, neither too light and dry, nor over moift and heavy; this ground fhould be well trenched, and if a little rotten dung is buried therein it will be of fervice; in doing of this great care fhould be taken to pick out all roots of perni¬ cious weeds, which, if left in the ground, would be very injurious to the layers, and cannot afterwards be fo eafily rooted out; then having laid the ground level, the plants mud be planted at about eight feet afunder each way. The bed feafon for this work is in autumn, as foon as the leaves begin to decay, that they may take loot before the dry weather in the fpring comes on, whereby a great ex¬ pence of watering them will be faved ; for if they are well fettled in the ground before the dry weather, they will re¬ quire little more than to mulch their roots to keep the earth from drying. Thefe plants fhould be permitted to grow rude two years, during which time the ground between fnould be care¬ fully cleaned and dug every fpring, by which time they will be well rooted, and have made pretty drong fhoots, fo that they may be laid in the ground. The manner of per¬ forming this being already deferibed in the article La vers, I ihall forbear repeating it in this place. When thefe layers are well rooted, which will be in one year, they fhould be taken off, and tranfplanted out into a nurfery, which lhould be upon a good foil, and well pre¬ pared (as before for the fiools) The plants fhould be planted in rows four feet afunder, and two feet didance plant from plant in rows. This fhould be done in autumn, as foon as the leaves begin to decay, and if there is fome mulch laid upon the furface of the ground about their loots, it will preferve them from being hurt by frod in winter, and from drying winds in fpring, and thereby fecure them from all hazard. In this nurfery they may remain four or five years, cb- ferving condantly to dig the ground between them every fpring, and to trim them up to dems, which will promote their growth, and render them drong enough to trans¬ plant out where they are to remain in the time before- mentioned. Thefe trees are very proper to plant in hedge rows, upon , the borders of fields, where they will thrive much better than when planted in a wood or clofe plantation, and their fhade will not be very injurious to whatever grows under them ; but when thefe trees are tranfplanted out upon banks after this manner, the banks fhould be well wrought and cleared from all other roots, ctherwife the plants, being taken from a better foil, will not make much pro- grefs in thefe places. About Michaelmas will be a good time for this work for the reafons before afligned, but when \ they are planted there fhould be fome flakes fixed in by them, to which they fhould be -faflened to prevent their being difplaced by the winds, and part of their heads fhould be taken off before they are planted, which will alfo be of ufe in preventing their being eafily overturned by winds, but by no means fhould their leading (hoot be flopped, nor the branches too ciofely cut off; for if there are not fome fhoots left on to draw and attract the fap, they will be in danger of mifearrying. Thefe trees are alfo proper to plant at a diflance from a garden or building, to break the violence of winds; for which purpofe there is not any tree more ufeful, for they may be trained up in form of a hedge, keeping them cut every year, which will caufe them to grow very clofe and handfome, to the height of forty or Jifcy feet, and be a great protection againft the fury of winds ; but they fhould not be planted too near a garden, w'here fruit trees, or other plants are placed, becaufe the roots of the Elms run fuperficially near the furface of the ground to a great dif- tance, and will intermix with the roots of the ocher trees, and deprive them of nourifhment; nor fhould they be planted near gravel or Grafs-walks, which are defigned to be well kept, becaufe the roots will run into them, ar.d fend forth fuckers in great plenty, which will deface the walks, and render them unfightly. But for large gardens, where ilnde is required, there is fcarce any tree fo proper for that purpofe, being eafy to re¬ move when grown to a confiderable fize ; fo that a perfon who is willing to have his plantations for fha.le in a fhort time, may procure trees of near one foot circumference in their trunk, which will be in little danger of fucceeding, provided they are removed with care. And thefe will take root and grow very well, though not fo well as young plants, which is what few other forts of trees will do ; but then they lhould be fuch trees as have been thus regularly trained up in a nurfery, and have good roots, and not fuch, as are taken out of hedge-rows (as is by fome pradlifed), which feldom rife with any tolerable roots, and confequent- ly often mifcarry ; and this has been the occafion of fo many plantations of thefe trees failing ; for though fome of them may live a few years, yet few of them are of long duration, and they rarely increafe much in their ftems, but frequently grow hollow, their heart decaying firft, fo that they are fupported only by their bark or fhell for a few years, and the firft fevere winter, or very dry fummer^ they are generally deftroyed. But although 1 have faid, that Elms which are trained up- in a nurfery may be removed with fafety, at a larger fize than moll other trees, yet I would not have it underflood, that by this I would recommend the planting of them when large ; for if people would have a little patience when they plant, and never plant any of thefe trees which are more than five or fix inches in girt of their ftems, they will in a few years become better trees than any of thofe which are tranfplanted of a much larger growth, and will grow to a much larger fize ; behdes, they are much more eafily re¬ moved, and do not require to be fo ftrongly fupported, nor is there much danger of the young rees mifearrying; therefore it is much more eligible to make choice of young thriving trees (but not out of a better foil than that where they are to be planted)} and never to plant any large trees, unlef. where a fmall number may be wanted for an imme¬ diate fnsde; and in fuch cafes it is always proper to plant fometyo.ang trees antoiigft the large oner, to fucceed them when_they fad. In planting of thefe trees great care fhould be taken not to bury their roots too deep, which is very injurious to them, efpeciailv if they are planted on a moift loam or clay ; in which cafe, if the day is near the furface, it will be the 5 0.2 bell