JOUKNAL OF HORTIODLT0BE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Februaiy 1, 1877. 



these Orchidfl. We never saw plants in more superb condition. 

 The Tree Ferns at Gunnersbury are extraordinary epecimens. 

 Two of the " trees " cannot be less than 30 feet in height, with 

 trunks 8 or 9 feet in circnmferenoe. 



Mr. Roger Leigh of Baiham Court, in an address 



lately delivered, gave an interesting description of a system 

 adopted in France whereby the children attending .^0,000 pri- 

 mary schools in the rural districts receive instructiou in the 

 CTJLTUEE OF THE SOIL. The child is shown the soil which best 

 suits a certain plant to he cultivated ; he is made to prepare it 

 for planting, to sow it, to free it from weeds, to wage war 

 against insects and grubs, and finally to record in his school 

 books the advantages derived from the selection of special coils, 

 the application of new manures and variations in the time of 

 planting. These lessons are never forgotten, and the land 

 allotment of the French peasant is made to produce a variety 

 of vegetables fit for any man's table. The agricultural societies 

 throughout France cordially second the Government in its 

 .efforts by bestowing on pupils and masters their counsel and 

 assistance, and oiJering prizes for competition. 



We some time ago directed attention to the value of 



the common Ieish Ivt for clothing the ground under trees 

 on lawns where grass refuses to grow. How efficient Ivy is 

 for the purpose named is forcibly exemplified in the pleasure 

 grounds at Gunnersbury. In these beautiful gardens aro 

 several grand old Cedars (Cedrus Libani), and beneath them, 

 aa far as the branches extend, the ground is closely covered 

 with Ivy, which is perfectly green and fresh under the dense 

 shade, and adds considerably to the effect and finish of the 

 grounds. These large circular beds of Ivy are quite orna- 

 mental and decidedly enhance the beauty of the old trees. 

 The labour of patching the turf under trees on lawns many 

 gardeners know to be considerable, but when once the Ivy is 

 established only a very small amount of labour is required to 

 keep it in order for years. The Ivy beds also add a special 

 feature to the grounds in which they are adopted — in a word 

 they are both effective and economical. The subject is highly 

 worthy of being again alluded to and of being "kept in re- 

 membrance." 



Amongst the appeals for aid owing to injury from the 



iATE FLOODS an application from the parishes of Billingham 

 and Walcot near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, was read before the 

 fisecntive committee of the Lord Mayor's fund, stating that 

 three thouBaud tons of Potatoes and Carrots and a thousand 

 acres of Wheat had 'oeen destroyed. £315 had been raised 

 locally and expended. The committee voted £100, with a 

 promise of more if needed. G70 persons had sustained injury ; 

 the average depth of water in the houses was 6 feet. 



A PCULIC GAEDEN AND EECEEATIOJT GROUND for the parish 



of St. George's-in-the-East was opened on the 25th ult. The 

 garden has been formed by the adaptation of a portion of the 

 parish churchyard, under the authority of a faculty from the 

 Bishop of Loudon's Court, and by the purchase of a disused 

 burial-ground adjoining the churchyard, the cost of the latter 

 being £2700, towards which the Metropolitan Board of Works 

 have contributed £1200. Sir James Hogg, the Chairman of 

 the Metropolitan Board, accompanied by Mr. Ritchie, M.P., 

 Mr. Samucla, M.P., the Lord Mayor, the Rev. Harry .Jones the 

 rector, the Public Garden Committee, and a number of the 

 inhabitants, proceeded round the garden, and declared it to 

 be dedicated to the public for ever. 



It is not generally known how valuable for forcing is 



the old hariiy Saxifbaga lioulata. Mr. Wills has employed 

 this plant etTeeti^ely in the Westminster Aquarium, and we 

 recently obenved it flowering freely in one of the houses in 

 the Chiswick Gardens. The plant is naturally a precocious 

 bloomer, and at the present time is showing its flowers in the 

 open borders. It is one of the large-foliaged Saxilragas, in 

 this respect somewhat resembling S. oordifolia and S. ovali- 

 f olia, which flower considerably later. The flowers of S. ligulata 

 are larger and altogether more attractive when they are assibted 

 to expand in gentle heat under glass. The flowers are admir- 

 able for boucjuets, and forced plants are ornamental for the 

 conservatory during January and February. 



As an instance of additional labour caused by the 



LATE FLOODS may be noted the condition of the stokeholes 

 during the delude and the cost of emptying them at the Koyal 

 Gardens, Kyw. For some days and uigtits the cost of the 

 manual labour in pumping out the water was, we are informed, 

 £25 per twenty-four hours, or £17-3 per week. This was both 



too costly and too slow for the Curator, Mr. Smith, who pro- 

 posed the hiring of two of Merry weather's powerful fire engines. 

 These were obtained at a cost of £3(1 per week, each. These 

 engines kept the water under, and the saving effected by their 

 use was upwards of £100 per week. This is a striking proof 

 of the value of steam and machinery over manual labour, as 

 it is also evidence of the value of the services of a really com- 

 petent and practical manager. 



One of the great orchard hisuses at Sawbridgewokih, 



ISO feet long, and whioU is filled with Peach and Nectarine 

 trees in pots, is now a sight of great splendour. The trees 

 are a mass of bloom, and furnish an instructive study to 

 pomologists. This great establishment now extends over 

 110 acres entirely cropped with a fine stock of all kinds of 

 fruit trees. 



A correspondent writes to us as follows on selections 



OF SEEDS — "Whilst thanking 'A Kitchen Gardener' and 

 G. Abbey for their useful and excellent lists of seeds, may I 

 suggest that they and many other contributors to the Journal 

 would msvko their articles still more useful if they would make 

 it a rule to give a short sketch of their soil, climate, and 

 locality to prevent mistakes ? Enjoying, as I do, a dry climate 

 with mild winters but bitter springs and hot summers, I am 

 often disappointed to find that seeds most highly recommended, 

 but suited perhaps to a sandy soil or a rainy district, do not 

 suit a lump of Yorkshire clay." 



. • " T. H." sends the following in reply to the request of 



"Wyld Savage " on page 64: — •• I remember some few years 

 ago going to Cheddar for a day, and there I was offered some 

 hardy Ferns by an old woman who gathered them to sell to 

 vifcitors. Among them was Adiantum Capillns-Veneris. I 

 should say it may still be found growing at Cheddar. There 

 are also several varieties of hardy Ferns growing on Thap- 

 wiok Heath, very probably it may also be found there." 



The IrlsJi Farmer!:' Gar.ette in alluding to Roberts' 



Gros Guillaume Grai'E, states that Mr. Roberts regards this 

 as being quite a distinct variety from that in general cultiva- 

 tion, and besides producing mammoth bunches, being far more 

 amenable to ordinary treatment. The Vine that produced the 

 monster bunches (three of which weighed upwards of 45 lbs.) 

 grew in no elaborate prepared compost, but in good loam, 

 pure and simple. 



Writing to ua from Antwerp, Mr. Charles Van Qeert 



states that the winter in Belgium has been unusually mild. 

 They had only two nights of frost in December, and since the 

 2Gth of that mouth there has only been a little frost on the 

 22ud and 24th inst., the temperature since then being mild. 



It has been stated by Sir John Lubbock that certain 



kinds of aphides are preserved by ants for purposes of the 

 food afforded by a certain sweet secretion in the former, the 

 eggs being carefully guarded and the young larvaj fed and 

 cherished until they ultimately attain their perfect form, when 

 they served as contributions to the dietery of the ants. This 

 singular fact was some time ago alluded to in our columns by 

 our entomological correspondent " J. R. S. C." 



At a recent meeting of the Paris Academy of Sciences 



MM. Graudeau and Bouton stated as the results of chemical 

 STUDIES ON Mistletoe, that the composition of the stem 

 differs essentially from that of the species of trees on which 

 it grows. That the composition varies with the species. That 

 Mistletoe contains much more potash and phosphoric acid 

 than its supporting trees, and much less lime. It seems to 

 live on the tree like a plant on the soil, and that it takes from 

 the parts gorged with nutritive juices the incombustible matters 

 necessary for its organisation. 



The heavy rains may prove beneficial in a way not 



generally anticipated. An entomologist writes to us that "the 

 approaching season will be notable, probably, on account of 

 the scarcity or blight or insect pests of all kinds." So far as 

 he can judge, the destruction of insects by the heavy rains 

 has been very great, all species suffering much mora from 

 damp than from cold during hybernation. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GABDENINa. 



The wet weather has hindered the ])ropreBS of outdoor work, 

 and all those who have the opportunity should make the most 

 of every fine day. The crops which have come up are looking 

 the reverse of healthy, and will have to bo coaxed into growth 

 to produce satisfactory results. Offing to the inclement season 



