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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



(OF AMERICA) 

 Devoted to the Science of Floriculture and Horticulture 



Vol. XXVI 



FEBRUAKY. 1922 



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Things and Thoughts of the Garden 



MONTAGUE FREE 



Wi£ started the last la]' of (Utr horticultural pil- 

 grimage in England hy hoarding' a train at 

 Paddington Station for the two hundred mile, 

 non-stop trip to Torqua}'. The journey westward was 

 not so enjoyable as we had anticipated; for too many 

 others had the impulse to travel hy that particular train. 

 and. as most of them got to the station before us we 

 were compelled to spend the greater part of the journey 

 .sitting on an angular and squashy suitcase in the corri- 

 dor. Our anatomy is somewhat elongated and occasioned 

 considerable distress to ourselves, and to exploring pas- 

 sengers in their quest for the dining car. However, bv 

 entering tlie dining car as soon as it was open, and 

 dawdling over luncheon until we were invited to leave to 

 make room for other hi.mgry mortals, a comfortable seat 

 was obtained for part of the trip. 



Our main object in visiting the west of England was to 

 call on Mr. R. Irwin Lynch, ^I. A., V. M. H., formerly 

 curator of the Cambridge Botanic Garden, who for 

 reasons of health has retired from his charge at Cam- 

 bridge and taken up residence at Torquay. 



Our first position was under Mr. Lynch and to him, 

 more than to any other, we owe whatever ability we may 

 have as a gardener. 



The pleasure of talking over old times, and the profit 

 gained from discussing horticultural matters with so dis- 

 tinguished an exponent as Mr. Lynch, can readily be im- 

 agined. His place in the foremost ranks of eminent hor- 

 ticulturists has been recognized by the bestowal of many 

 honors, including the V. M. H., perhaps the highest and 

 most coveted distinction obtainable in the realm of horti- 

 culture. His work in developing the Cambridge garden 

 into one of the foremost botanic gardens of the country 

 caused the University to confer upon him the honorary 

 degree of Master of Arts. All this of course is most 

 gratifying to one of his "old boys.'' 



^ ^ ^ 



It was not until our journeyings brought us to the 

 southwest of England that turf was encountered of a 

 greenness and texture that one associates with the far- 

 famed English lawns. The excellent condition of the lawns 

 m this section was due to the fact that the rainfall of the 

 western part of England is much greater than that in the 

 east and in this year of unparallelled drought the western 

 gardeners were distinctly at an advantage in comparison 

 with those in the east. Doubtless many Americans would 

 be surprised to be told that there is great variety in the 

 climate of such a dinkv httle island as England, but its 



topography is such that there is a vast difference in the 

 amount of rainfall received in the various districts. For 

 example, in one part of the mountains in the county of 

 Cumberland the rainfall is over 150 inches a year. On 

 the west coast, generally, the average rainfall is from 36 

 to 66 inches per annum, whereas in the eastern counties it 

 ranges from 20 to 30 inches only. This is due to the 

 fact that the high ground on the west intercepts the 

 moisture-laden winds from the Atlantic. Incidentallv the 

 average annual rainfall in the vicinity of New York is 

 about 45 inches. 



* * * 



Torcjuay was our headquarters for gardening explora- 

 tion in this section. In the tovv-n itself are man\' features 

 of interest to the gardener, for here the climate is such 

 that it is possible to grow many sub-tropical plants in the 

 open air all the year round. Many of these are to be 

 found planted out along the slope of a steep hill overlook- 

 uig the bay. Here one may find, 'growing luxuriantly, 

 the I'anary Island date palm, Plurnix canarlensis. The 

 blue gum of Australia, Eucalyptus globulus, also flour- 

 ishes, reaching a height of 40 feet, and blooms profusely. 

 This species has been planted quite extensively in Cali- 

 fornia where it is said to thrive exceedingly well. Cordy- 

 linc ausfralis, the Dracccna indk-isa of seedsmen, which 

 IS widely grown as an ornamental plant for vases in 

 America, is extensively planted, both along the Rock 

 Walk and in the pavilion grounds. The effect that it 

 gives is extremely un-English, and one is reminded of the 

 sub-tropics rather than of so northern a country as Eng- 

 land. At Torquay it attains the stature of a tree, and 

 branches and blossoms freely. 



One remarkable feature of Torquay- is the plants grow- 

 ing on old walls. The species most commonly met with 

 is the red valerian, Centranthus ruber. Although it was 

 the tail end of the season when we saw it, it was still 

 attractive in many places and the wealth of old flower 

 stalks gave evidence of its jjrofuse blooming earlier in the 

 season. This is a plant worthy of the attention of .Amer- 

 ican gardeners who are confronted with the necessity of 

 finding material that will grow in poor, dry soil. 



There is a remarkable fruiting specimen of Ficus 

 repcns growing on the walls of St. Matthew's Church at 

 Chelston, a suburb of Torqua\. As is well known, the 

 foliage of the adult and fruiting branches of this plant 

 is eritirely distinct from that possessed by the young plants 

 when they are clambering over a wall or tree trunk. Un- 

 der suitable conditions, when the plant has occupied the 



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