^nmiii 



iiiiiiitiiiiiniiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



(OF AMERICA) 

 Devoted to the Science of Floriculture and Horticulture 



■ Vol. XXV 



SEPTEMBER, 1921 



No. 9 ■ 



iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim 



Things and Thoughts of the Garden ^'j*^ 



MONTAGUE FREE 



T 



HE Enjj;lishnian's predilection for the weather as a 

 subject of conversation has probably never been 

 more strikingly exemplified than this Summer, for 



the great drought is the all engrossing subject of con- 1 

 versation, especially amongst those who are interested in 

 horticultural pursuits. In the London district only a 

 fraction over two inches of rain fell between February 

 1st and the end of July and here in Cambridgeshire, nor- 

 mally the driest section of England, with an average rain- 

 fall of only about twenty-two inches a year, appearances 

 indicate that precipitation has been even less. 



The effect on gardens has, of course, been disastrous 

 and this season one has had to use a great deal of imag- 

 ination in order to realize the beautv and attractiveness 

 of English gardens when at their best. Many rare plants 

 have undoubtedly been lost as a restilt of the unparalleled 

 drynes.s — a drought that has broken all official records 

 and caused the "oldest inhabitant" to tax his memory in 

 vain. 



Conifers, and evergreens generally, seem to have been 

 the worst sufferers and it has been painful for a garden 

 lover to notice the woebegone appearance of Rhododen- 

 drons and similar plants. In many gardens in which 

 large groupings of the various species of Erica were a 

 feature, this Summer will be long remembered for the 

 heaths are amongst the worst sufferers. It must be 

 heartbreaking for the gardener to have to see specimen 

 trees and plants dying for lack of water — a lack that he is 

 luiablc to supply and one that is but seldom felt under the 

 normally weeping skies of dam]) .Mbion. 



Even in those gardens where there is an amjjlitude of 

 help it has, in many cases, been impossilile to utilize it 

 in mitigating the severity of drought excc]it by mulching; 

 for the local authorities in most districts have prohibited 

 the use of water except for necessities. The watering 

 of plants, even rare ones, cannot be considered a neces- 

 sity when the water supply is so low, that, in some 

 countrv districts at least, it has to be brought in a water 

 cart from a distance and peddled from door to door at 

 the rate of sixpence a pailful. 



The effect on the supplv of vegetables is, of course, 

 prot'ounrl and thev are scarce and the jiricc almost pro- 

 iiihitive to those in poor circumstances. 



We have recentlv 



* * * 

 been visiting gardens in the 



^^ningham district, where they have had good rains after 

 '- the prolonged drought, and it was interesting to note the 

 ■^wcffcct on various crops. The behavior of mid-season 

 >3 and late potatoes was such as to cause much disquiet to 



X 

 u 

 o 



the growers. Instead of growing along normally, these 

 potatoes appear to have stopped, and partially ripened, 

 when the tubers were the size of walnuts or a little 

 arger. The rains have caused these partially ripened 

 tubers to start into growth and send out shoots in the 

 same way as a newly planted set. This has caused much 

 speculation as to the ultimate result, for the season is 

 now so far advanced that there is but little chance of 

 this new growth amounting to anything. Some gar- 

 deners are discussing the advisability of lifting the crop 

 immediately, but this seems to be a counsel of despair 

 for there is but little likelihood of late potatoes keeping 

 over Winter if dug at this early stage. 



Other eft'ects of the belated rains are to be seen in the 

 splitting of fruits, notably of Summer apples. I\Iany 

 shrubs such as Rhododendron and Ccf'halotaxiis have 

 put forth new shoots, and, should the coming Winter be 

 a severe one, it is probable that this new growth will 

 be severely injured. 



:;-■ * ;;: * 



The ancient borough of Cambridge and its environs 

 contains much of interest to the gardener, apart from any 

 adventitious interest he may have in medieval architec- 

 ture. In the town itself, first and foremost stands the 

 University Botanic Garden, the repository of many rare 

 and beautiful jilants. Then there are the gardens of the 

 various colleges with gay flower borders and window 

 boxes toned down somewhat by their association with 

 venerable and time stained walls. On the outskirts of 

 the town are many ])rivate estates worthy of a visit and 

 for pomologists. the great fruit farm of Chivers and 

 Sons, the jam makers, is a place of pilgrimage. 



From a combination of circumstances — the war, 

 drought, and lack of funds — the Botanic Garden is to 

 some extent a place whose glories have de|)arted but there 

 is still much that is worthy of admiration. 



The former Curator, R. Irwin Lynch, V. M. H., was 

 greatly interested in growing out-of-doors plants that are 

 usually considered tender in this district and many of 

 these are to be found in the borders surrounding the 

 range of plant houses. Doubtless, in addition to the 

 shelter from wind, heat radiated from the walls of these 

 houses assisted in mitigating the severity of the Winters. 

 In these sheltered bays may be found man\' plants th.it. 

 even in England, are considered to be greenhouse sub- 

 jects. The Transvaal Daisy, Gerbcra Janusonl, flour- 

 ishes and blooms all Summer : Thunbcrf^^ia natalensis, 

 remarkable because of its upright habit, (Ii,splays_ its lav- 

 ender blue tlowers: a hvbrid Boinarca exhibits its clus- 



691 



