JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Apiil IS, 1872. 



the side, or upwaids of an acre. It was designed by Henry 

 Brandling, Esq., of Irton, and laid out by Mi'. Smith, the 

 gardener. Marble vases 8 feet high occupy the centres of the 

 beds 10 ; steps lead up to the ten-ace in front of the Hall ; 

 and alonK this teiTace, as well as on the opposite side of the 

 flowev garden, are marble vases 3 feet high. An elegant and 

 costly architectural wall surmounted by a balustrade extends 

 along the east side. 



The planting is varied from year to year. We give beneath 

 the engraving that adopted last year, the plants in the cojTe- 

 sponding beds on both sides being alike. The panels extend 

 lengthwise on each side of the central walk. 



THE CALCOT POLYANTHUSES. 

 Like the Sniithficld Cattle Show and the L'niver.sity Boat 

 Race tire Calcot Polyanthuses come but once a-year, and like 

 those other attractions they, too, have their admu'ers and 

 devotees who can indulge their tastes and find pleasure with 

 less excitement and in greater comfort. Calcot is within a 

 pleasant three-mUes walk or drive of the Reading station on 

 the great Bath road, and there the visitor whose delight is in the 

 Poljanthus, the Primrose, and other spring flowers will receive 

 a hearty welcome from Mr. Webb, the hospitable proprietor. 

 We have on former occasions noticed the speeiahties of the 

 place — from the great Enghsh mastiffs which guard the en- 

 trance, the birds' nests about the cottage, the family of cats, 

 to the profusion of flowers and fruit •n'ith which the ten acres 

 of ground literally teems. But our visit was to Mr. Webb 

 and the Polyanthuses, and both were in their- gloi-y, especially 

 the latter. Since last visit we found the extent of ground 

 occupied with one flower much enlarged, and the strain greatly 

 improved. Mr. Webb appears of late to have selected much 

 more closely, and the consequence is that with time the style 

 of flowers he has succeeded in obtaining has greatly advanced ; 

 and that the pirblic appreciate this advance is evident from 

 the immense demand Mr. Webb has to supply. Of his Gari- 

 lialdi varieties the whole of the flowering plants have been 

 sold, and the quantity of other sorts distributed must have 

 been enormous. We are not surprised that the taste for these 

 gorgeous flowers of spring should have become so great ; it is 

 only necessary to see them in masses lilce those at Calcot to 

 stiiiiulatc the most lethargic. 



SHADING CUTTINGS. 



As a general rnle, the less shading there is in a garden the 

 more robust will the plants be. Soft-leaved and many young 

 fresh-potted plants, however, will feel the effects of bright sun 

 after dull weather, and in their case a sprinkling overhead 

 ■nith the syiinge, or, better still, a little shade continued for a 

 moderate length of time, will be much better for them than 

 unnecessarily deluging the roots. It is often neeessai-y to 

 shade cuttings for a few hours about mid-day, but it should 

 not be continued until late in the aftei-noon. Shade is good, 

 but if unduly prolonged is apt to weaken the plants. 



When I used to propagate thousands of plants in spring 

 under glass, I rooted cuttings more quickly, and got sturdier 

 and more robust plants, that required but a modicum of 

 hardening-off, without any shading at all. The plan adopted, 

 however, required more constant attention than the simple 

 mode of shading. Two things were necessary to success. 

 Fii-st, the cuttings were placetl at such a distance from the 

 glass, say 20 to BO inches, that the rays of light were some- 

 what diffused before reaching them. I have several times 

 alluded to this idea, and on ransacking my memory, I rather 

 think I am indebted for it, and many others through me, to 

 my old fiicnd, Mr. Caie, who did so much for grouped flower 

 gardens when he lived at Bedford Lodge, Kensington, and 

 went from thence to superintend the Duke of Argyll's gardens 

 at Inveraiy. My old friend and worthy coadjutor^ Mr. Keane, 

 knows well what an impetus was given to grouped flower 

 gardens by Mr. Caie, and what an influence he exercised on 

 easy rapid modes of propagating by cuttings, not by scores, 

 but by thousands. The placing the cuttings at a distance 

 from the glass, so that the rays of heat and light should be 

 diffused before reaching them, I believe, as stated above, I owe 

 to Mr. Caie ; and besides Mr. Keane, I believe there are a few 

 who are still -srith us, as Mr. .Judd and Mr. Ayres, who would 

 bear me out iu my statement. Simple though the matter 

 seems, a principle in propagating by cuttings was thus involved. 

 When the cuttings were placed at a distance from the glass 



they had dii-eet, though subdued and reflected, light, and 

 shading being but little required, the cuttings rooted more 

 quickly, were more robust and stubby, and were not dra-nn 

 up at the tops, as they are so likely to be when much shading 

 is used. The other practical detail, as doing pretty well away 

 with sh.aduig, I believe I owe to myself, and that is what I may 

 call dewing the cuttings all over seversil times iu a sunny day. 

 Of course, when the leaves of a cutting get dry, and a bright 

 though diffused light beats on tbem, the leaves will flag and 

 look distressed ; but if the place is kept moist, and the leaves 

 are dewed over, they are forced to absorb as well as transpire, 

 and will m the above circumstances stand a fierce sun unin- 

 jured. Of all syrhiges I Uke Eeid's and Warner's best. The 

 fine rose -would "be just the thing for the inexperienced. I pre- 

 fer for every purpose the jet-nozzle, -with which I can send water 

 with the strength of a water-engine ; and merely by putting 

 the finger or thumb across the opening; a little practice 

 enables one to regulate the discharge, so as to resemble a misty 

 vapour, and that is what I call de-wing with the syi-inge. 



So long as the leaves of cuttings are bathed in this moisture 

 the fiercest sun has no effect upon them. The sun, of course, 

 dries up the moisture, but then it comes from the outside, not 

 the inside of the cutting. In sudden changes a little shading 

 may be required, but in general circumstances, where cuttings 

 are propagated by thousands -without beU-glasses, etc., a skiff 

 from the sjiinge does away with the necessity of shading, 

 wluch always disposes a cutting to gi-ow " leggy" and spindle 

 upwards. I have often made half a gallon of water tho- 

 roughly dew over some twelve to twenty Ughts of cuttings. 

 When the sun was vei-y powerful I would even sprinkle the 

 outside of the glass. Of course, do not let me lead any of my 

 readers into a blunder. The sprinkling-no-sliadhig system in- 

 volves the idea of constant attendance. Where this attend- 

 ance cannot be given, then the shading of cuttings must be 

 resorted to. All I want to impress on the minds of beginners 

 and amateurs is simply this, that the more shading there is 

 the greater wUl be the weakening of the plants' constitution. 

 Just as an example, I may mention that our bedding Cal- 

 ceolaria cuttings were inserted towards the end of October. 

 They never had the slightest shade. In sunny mornings they 

 were dewed, as state d above, about ten o'c'ock, and if the 

 day were bright the process was repeated once or twice. 

 During the sunshiny part of the day the glasses were 

 kept close, no air in general then being given unless the 

 weather was dark and duU ; but aU night through, when there 

 was no chance of frost, the lights were tilted up at back from 

 a quarter to half an inch. Those who have not tried it would 

 be amazed to find how this air at night invigorates a cutting, 

 and enables it to stand the sun of the following day. 'Wliat 

 I want to impress is just this, that shade and heat will draw 

 plants and cuttings, but direct sunlight -will not do so, and 

 therefore the more sunlight cuttings and plants -will stand the 

 more robust they will be. It is quite possible to shade plants 

 until you make tliem vei-y tender and unusually liable to 

 troubles. With tender plants under glass, the time -nhen they 

 want a little shading is just after a week or a fortnight of dull 

 weather -n-hen the sun comes out for a day or two. 



Temporary shading is often required, chiefly on sudden 

 changes of the weather. For this purpose notbuig is better 

 than light calico. For cheapness nothing equals water with a 

 little whitening in it — merely enough to colour it. For Feras, 

 il'C. , I prefer shading with milk and the smallest admixture 

 of whitening. It may be put on the glass very thinly, and if 

 yon use one brush for the mixture and a dry bnish to daub it, 

 you may make it look like ground glass. A little of this should 

 be put on during a dry sunny day to subdue the glare, except 

 where much shade is wanted. I have often used such a 

 mixture iu April, and let it remain until October, as no rains 

 wash it off ; and when the light was wanted unobscured have 

 damped the glass and then washed it oft'. For temporary pur- 

 poses water merely coloured with whitening does very well laid 

 on quickly with the syringe. This can be swept oft' by a hair 

 broom when it is necessary. The objection to whitening a 

 roof in this way is, that should you rrse the water coming oft' 

 the roof it is sure to be coloured. — R. Fisn. 



WILD FLOW'EES IN BLOOM AROUND 



. LIVERPOOL AND BIRKENHE.AD. 



My time is so fully occupied that I did not take notes before 



the 11th of Febniarv-. My Kst, therefore, will not be exactly 



correct as to the time of first flowering, as mv observations 



