IRISH GARDENING 



123 



ui fine display, and near it a large mass of Piimiihi 

 IhiUpyana x Bei'siana hybrids, pink and soft 

 orange yellow, were a centre of attraction, their 

 vigorous spikes carrying many whorls of flowers. 



I'njygonum affinh, with spikes of pink, made 

 a good colony. 



SediUBS were numerous, the inost attractive 

 l)eing /S'. (iregiinum, with thick, fleshy, bronze 

 leaves and yellow flowers; and H. miirdUs, with 

 .reddish stems and leaves, and pink flower-buds. 



Tunica rhodapen , like a slender, erect Gyjjso- 

 ])hila, and bearing numerous small pink flowers, 

 •was ouite effective. Anon. 



give the opportunity for various cultures, such 

 as flower-bulhs, shrubs, especially Rliododendrons 

 and Azaleas; herbaceous plants, all kinds of 

 vegetables and fruits. 



The innumerable waterways— as canals, ditches, 

 moats, &c.— which cross the country in all direc- 

 tions make the transport of all sorts of material, 

 not to speak of the products grown and cultivated 

 in the nurseries, very cheap and easy. Tlu' 

 geographical situation among the greatest coun- 

 tries of Europe assures a constant market for 

 these ])roducts. The whole area of nursery land 

 is divided among about one-and-a-half tiiousinid 



Famous 



Netherlands 

 Centres. 



Horticultural 



By Mr. J. v.\n den Berg. 



I HAVE much pleasure in availing myself of the 

 opportunity given by tlie Editor" of Irish 

 Gardening to acquaint readers of this paper witli 

 the horticulture of my own country. 



A great portion of the Dutch population has a 

 I)art in horticulture, and its great importance is 

 clearly shown by the fact that over 3 per cent, 

 of the total area of cultivated land is used by 

 different branches of horticulture. The natural 

 conditions are in many parts very favourable, 

 and assisted by the ideal sea climate, which is 

 in general the same .as the Irish climate, except 

 that the winters are colder, make the stock that 

 ran be grown in the Netherlands greater tlian 

 in any other part of Euroj^e. The different kinds of 



soil — wlTetlliM' iiinni-l:iTirl nnil cA-av cnnHir o,,i'1 S,,-. 



nurserymen, of which a great part is situated at 

 Boskoop. 



Boskoop is one of the most important nursery 

 centres in the Netherlands. It is situated in the 

 centre of the province of South Holland, close to 

 the residential city of the Hague, and to the im- 

 portant seaports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. 

 The place is divided into about 800 large and 

 small nurseries, which are separated into three 

 classes — namely, larue, small, and very small 

 nurseries. The large nurseries are almost always 

 held by two partners, of which one is charged 

 with the direction of the nurseries, the propaga- 

 tion houses, and the management of the working 

 people; while the other cares for the trade, 

 assisted sometimes by a number of travellers, who 

 travel over the whole of Europe and the United 

 States. 



The owners of the small nurseries work with 

 none or a small number of labourers (working 

 men). They cultivate all sorts of plants, and sell 



