258 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 7, 1870. 



braved the past winter in the border unprotected, and at 

 present looks promising for the summer. 



Campanula nitida, ererulea, and the double white and blue 

 varieties of the latter, are very fine, and are often called by 

 the common people " Rose-without-the-thorn," a name they 

 well deserve. They are very fine when in good bloom, and by 

 far too seldom met with. 



Campanula garganica is a very nseful little plant of very 

 dwarf habit, well adapted for edgings, and especially for rock- 

 work. It is of rather trailing habit, hardy, and of free growth, 

 often yielding a profusion of beautiful blooms. 



Campanula carpatica, white or blue, is an admirable dwarf 

 bedding or edging plant, and appears to be at home in most 

 places. With us it stands the winter, and is quite hardy. 



Campanula Loreyi, white or blue, is a very desirable border 

 plant. Being an annual, it is best sown in pots and the young 

 plants forwarded in-doors. In the late spring months seed 

 may be sown in the borders where the plants are intended to 

 remain. They continue a long time in bloom. 



There are others of this family well adapted for rockwork, 

 dwarf edgings, and other purposes — for instance, Campanula 

 alpina, elegans, muralis, pnbescens, pulla, Hostii, pumila, 

 pumila alba, and others, which are charming, though diminu- 

 tive plants. When planted in masses their white and blue 

 bells produce a charming effect. These dwarf and choice 

 plants are deserving of far more attention than they now re- 

 ceive, and they will repay one well for any little extra care that 

 may be bestowed on their cultivation. 



Campanula hederacea, or as we have of late learned to call 

 it, Wahlenbergia hederacea, is a very desirable plant on account 

 of its novelty ; British though it is, it is seldom met with, 

 either wild or cultivated. It is a useful plant on damp rock- 

 work, but is best protected in winter. Its Ivy-like leaves and 

 pretty flowers have an excellent effect. 



Most of the Campanulas are increased by division ; after 

 blooming is the best time for propagation. The divisions 

 should be planted in nursery beds in a rather shaded situation, 

 and when established they may be removed to their flowering 

 positions either in autumn or early in spring. — M. H., Acklam 

 Hall, Hiddlesbrough-on-Tees. 



FORMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF LAWNS, 

 CROQUET, AND CRICKET GROUNDS. 



In the first place, careful preparation of the ground proposed 

 to be laid down to turf is necessary. This should be com- 

 menced by draining, if found requisite, and digging to the depth 

 of 6 to 12 inches, according to the nature of the soil. When 

 this has been done, the land should be levelled and made firm 

 with a spade, and subsequently raked, to remove stones, &c. 

 Should the natural soil be too stony, it will be advisable to 

 procure a supply of good mould, and spread this over the land 

 to the depth of 2 or 3 inches. If the soil is poor, some well- 

 rotted stable-dung will be very beneficial. Where this cannot 

 be obtained, we would advise, as the best dressing of artificial 

 manure, 2 cwt. of snperphosphate of lime, and 1 cwt. of Peruvian 

 guano per acre. In March, after the ground has been made 

 thoroughly fine and clean, a heavy iron roller should be used 

 to make it perfectly level, and as the subsequent appearance 

 of the lawn depends in a great measure on this part of the 

 preparation, we cannot too strongly urge the importance of its 

 being well done. The ground should then be evenly raked, 

 and the seed sown. April and September are the best months 

 for sowing. 



As to the sorts of seeds suitable for garden lawns, &c, we 

 can, after a long course of personal observation of the nume- 

 rous kinds which have come under our notice, confidently re- 

 commend the following varieties as most certain to produce a 

 close velvety turf : — 

 Cynosurns cristatus, Crested Dog's- 



tail 



Festuca ovina, Sheep's Fescue 

 Festuca tenuifolia, Fine-leaved 



Fescue 

 Poa pratensis, Smooth-stalked 



Meadow Grass 

 Poa seuipervirens, Evergreen ditto 



Poa nemoralis, Woodside Meadow 

 Grass 



Medicago lupulina. Yellow Trefoil 



Lotas corniculatus, Bird's-foot Tre- 

 foil 



Trifolinm repens perenne,Perennial 

 White Clover 



Trifoliuni minus, Yell* 



r Suckling 

 These should be mixed iu their proper proportions, and sown 



at the rate of 3 bushels, or 60 lbs., per acre (English), or 1 gallon 



to 6 rods or perches. 

 After the sowing has been accomplished, the ground should 



be again rolled, and as soon as the young plants have attained 



the height of 2 or 3 inches, the whole plot should be carefully 



gone over with a sharp scythe. Frequent mowing and rolling 

 are indispensable to maintain the turf in good order. By 

 adopting these means, a close green sward will be obtained in 

 nearly as short a time as a lawn produced by turves, while it 

 will be far more permanent, and at much less expense. 



It will sometimes happen that annual weeds indigenous to 

 the soil come up ; these can easily be checked, if not c'es'.royed, 

 by mowing them of! as soon as they make their appearance. 

 Plantain, Dandelions, and Daisies, too, will often appear, and 

 these must be cut up each singly about an inch below the sur- 

 face (not deeper), and about a tea-spoonful of salt dropped 

 over the cut part. Birds are very fund of grass seeds, and care 

 should be taken to keep them off until the seeds are well up. 



For lawns requiring improvement, it is only necessary to sow 

 fresh seed, either in the spring or autumn, using a small-tooth 

 rake and rolling afterwards. Moss in lawns is generally a sign 

 of poorness in the soil, or a want of drainage ; to effect its re- 

 moval, we advise, after raking off as much moss as possible, a 

 top-dreBsiug of quicklime mixed with rich compost, applied in 

 the winter, and a sowing of more seed in the spring ; or a top- 

 dressing of soot will, by encouraging the growth of s.rass, 

 destroy the moss. This should be applied in the spiin^, at the 

 rate of about 16 bushels per acre. 



On croquet or cricket grounds, where the turf has become 

 bare through constant use, we advise a thick sowing of seed on 

 the bare spots in September, or early in March, rolling subse- 

 quently, and mowing as soon afterwards as practicable. A 

 slight dressing of manure over the whole playing square will 

 often be found beneficial in encouraging the growth of finer 

 kinds of grasses, and help to produce a close-growing turf. We 

 should not omit to mention that here, as in fine garden lawns, 

 mowing alone will not ensure a good bottom without that com- 

 pression which a roller alone can give. — [Suttom' Amateur's 

 Guide.) 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



April 6th. 



Notwithstanding a frosty night — a night of rather sharp frost 

 even for this cold spring, and although the classes in which prizes 

 were offered were few, and the prizes themselves only commensurate 

 with one of the smallest of the Society's minor shows, everyone was 

 surprised at the extent, the richness, and the variety of the display; 

 indeed, it is not too much to say that it was the most charming spring 

 Show which the Society has held of late years, likewise the most 

 effectively arranged ; and when the bright sunshine hurst through the 

 heavy morning mists, the day and the Show alike were thoroughly 

 enjoyable. Notwithstanding a levee at St. James's and the great 

 University contest on the river, the Conservatory, in which the Show 

 was held, was filled by a large company iu the afternoon, while earlier 

 in the day their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Teck 

 made a lengthened inspection of the exhibition. 



Cyclamens formed one of the main objects of the Show, and seve- 

 ral excellent collections were exhibited, presenting a very effective 

 mass of bloom on the side of one of the stages, which they nearly filled. 

 Class 1 was for the best collection, and in this Mr. Edmonds, of Hayes 

 Nursery, was first with small but well-bloomed plants ; and Mr. Stevens, 

 of Ealing, second with a less numerous collection, but also well 

 bloomed ; while Mr. James, gardener to W. F. Watson, Esq., was 

 third, all the exhibitors having some beautiful-coloured sorts. Class 2 

 was for the best six distinct kinds. In this Mr. Turner, of Slongh, 

 was first with splendidly grown plants, and with flowers very nu- 

 merous and very fine in colour. Mr. Edmonds, of Hayes, was second, 

 and Mr. James third. Messrs. Dobson, of Isleworth, also exhibited in 

 both classes. 



Of Cinerarias, shown in Class 3, Mr. James sent the best nine, the 

 second best coming from Messrs. Dobson. Among the varieties shown, 

 Florence and Eclipse, broad rosy purple-edged, Lord Elgin, rosy 

 crimson self, and Mrs. Hardman, violet purple edge, were the most 

 showy. The plants, however, in both collections were not remarkable. 



Class 4 was for the beat six Amaryllis, but only one exhibitor came 

 forward — namely, Mr. E. Baxter, gardener to C. Reiser, Esq., Brox- 

 bourne, and the flowers of his plants had been frost-bitten on the 

 journey. One kind, named Beethoven, was a very deep scarlet flower. 

 A first prize was awarded. 



Among the miscellaneous subjects, of which a large portion of the 

 Show consisted, the fine collection of pot Roses, fifty-ei^ht in number, 

 from MesBrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, formed a prominent object on one side 

 of the centre of the conservatory. The plants had very healthy foliage, 

 and the blooms were splendid. Marie Banmann, Beauty of Waltham, 

 Dr. Andry, Duchesse de Cajlus, Victor Verdier, Souvenir de M. 

 Poiteau, Madame Moreau, and John Hopper were especially notice- 

 able by their brilliancy among the bright shades of red ; while of 

 darker shades, MrB. W. Paul, Fisher Holmes, and Exposition de 

 Brie, were very fine; and of light-coloured varieties, Thyra Ham- 

 merick, Madame la Baronne de Rothschild, and Madame Noman were 



