JANUARY. 15 



straw may be strewed over the compost when it is put in the 

 border, and which may be further improved by a small quantity of gritty 

 road scrapings, which is a capital material for improving strong clayey 

 composts, and may be added to the turf with advantage, if it is too 

 heavy. The mixing and turning over of these ingredients should 

 always be done when in a dry state ; the best time to collect the dif- 

 ferent soils is the autumn, and once or twice in frosty weather, they 

 should be turned over. This is not absolutely necessary with turves, 

 unless of heavy texture and sour ; but where the scourings of ditches, 

 &c., are used, the mixture is much improved by exposing it to the 

 action of the weather. By the beginning of March it will be ready for 

 filling in the border. 



A Gardener in the Country. 



THE LATE MR. GROOM'S TULIPS. 



Who has not heard of the famed bed of Tulips grown at Clapham 

 Rise by the late Mr. Henry Groom, which we once heard described as 

 resembling Tottenliam Court Road in length? This bed, as well as 

 the extensive collection of breeders, &c., is now distributed, having been 

 sold by auction by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris on the 30th October 

 last. It may not be known to some of our readers that Mr. Groom 

 died suddenly last summer of disease of the heart. 



To Mr. Groom's perseverance we are indebted for the introduction of 

 many beautiful varieties of the Tulip, the result of forty years' practice 

 in hybridising and improving this chaste flower. Many of Mr. Groom's 

 best seedlings, however, are only known to those who have had the 

 opportunity of' seeing them growing at Clapham Rise, as Mr. Groom 

 did not exhibit, and the high prices quoted for them prevented their 

 being generally distributed. The last priced catalogue published by 

 Mr. Groom in the autumn of 1854, contained three varieties at the 

 enormous figure of one hundred guineas each, namely, Duchess of 

 Cambridge, Princess Mary of Cambridge, and Miss Eliza Seymour, all 

 of Mr. Groom's own raising. There is also one at fifty guineas, twelve 

 at twenty-one guineas each, and four at ten guineas each We need 

 not add that such prices for a single root would prevent their being 

 distributed to any great extent. We expect to see some of the varieties 

 improved by being grown away from Clapham, others may not be 

 so good by the change, as Mr. Groom's method of culture was to starve 

 them into purity. No one can admire a delicately marked pure flower 

 more than ourselves, but we must have an average sized flower with it. 

 If they must be dwarfed into pigmies to give them that waxy 

 appearance we should be afraid of them ; but having grown several of 

 Mr. Groom's varieties we are of opinion they will stand good growth 

 without becoming foul. For instance, we have seen much finer 

 specimens of Groom's Queen Victoria grown in other collections than 

 we have ever seen in Mr. Groom's bed. Mr. Groom adopted the plan 

 of mixing large quantities of coarse river sand in the soil. 



As regards the sale, the prices averaged but low, there being but a 



