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JOUENAIi OP HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



[ October 1, 1886. 



attempt to keep them within the same compass, by pruning, 

 pinching, or transplanting, as those that may be growing on 

 the lighter soils, is always done at the expense of the crop. 

 The trees may be formed, but the fruit will be wanting, and it 

 is for the fruit that they are grown. A rule that may be per- 

 fectly suitable for one district, is totally inapplicable to another, 

 and to plant trees, and pursue the same methods of cultivation 

 in different situations, without regard to the constitution of the 

 soil is simply absurd. I would recommend all who are fond of 

 this fnncy miniature fruit-tree gardening, before adopting it to 

 ■visit Mr. Rivers's establishment, and see how it is done there ; 

 that they will be delighted I have not the slightest doubt, but 

 it is that they may be benfited that I recommend it. A day at 

 Sawbridgeworthor Bonks Hill (the old name of the place), with 

 Mr. Rivers, is a day well spent. — Akchameaud. 



AUTUMN-FLOWERING WHITE PINK. 

 I DO not know whether this desirable plant is well known. 

 I never saw it until Jo-day, when taking a stroll through the 

 Dorset Nurseries, at Jilandford, now being entirely remodelled 

 under the care of the prefent proprietor, Mr. H. Blaudford. 

 I noticed a bed of it in bloom ; it is simply the white Pink, 

 with which we are all so familiar, but evidently grown a double 

 flower. As it was full of flowers and buds ready to open, 

 it might surely be made a valuable plant for bouquets if grown 

 in pots, as it would, doubtless, go on flowering for some time ; 

 and for places such as Brighton, where flowers are much 

 needed during the autumn months, I should think it would 

 be very useful. — D., Veal. 



GOLD AND BRONZE PELARGONIUMS. 



I uxvE at various times been surprised at the amount of mis- 

 conception existing respecting the origin and parentage of the 

 varieties of Gold and Bronze Pelargoniums, it being frequently 

 asserted that Beauty of Oulton is the parent of all this section 

 of popular plants, than which nothing can be more contrary to 

 fact. For several years prior to its appearance, such varieties 

 as Mrs. Milford, Annie Williams, and Mrs. Hutton. were cata- 

 logued by Messrs. Henderson, of the Wellington Road Nur- 

 sery ; Luna, by Mr. Saltmarsh ; and Sceptre d'Or, by Messrs. 

 Downie, Laird, & Laing. Any one of these has a better claim 

 to be called golden than Beauty of Oulton, which clearly had 

 nothing whatever to do with their production. It is a repre- 

 sentative of a section of Bicolors which have more green than 

 yellow, and which, as usually seen, might with propriety be 

 called the Bronze and Green section. They have, it is true, 

 enough yellow to make them under certain circumstances a 

 very pretty class of plants, but unfortunately they are wanting 

 in constancy of character. Model, one of this class, is really 

 very pretty, but too dull and heavy for a bedder where distant 

 effect is studied. Beauty of Calderdale is, perhaps, the best 

 for bedding, though better suited for pot culture. Like Beauty 

 of Oulton it lacks constancy of character when planted out. 

 Glowworm and Circlet are far too green to have any claim to 

 be called Gold and Bronze. Beauty of Eibblesdale, again, is 

 often quite green. A narrow-belted variety which would, when 

 planted out, retain the yellow ground throughout the season, 

 would be a great acquisition. 



Advances on the varieties to which I have referred, are those 

 of which Egyptian Queen may be considered a type ; these 

 have a bronze-yellow gi'ound with broad heavy zones, and in 

 the hands of a skilful cultivator become very beautiful objects 

 for the exhibition table ; but so far as we may judge of them, 

 as seen at Battersea Park, the bronze and green shades render 

 them anything but the effective subjects for bedding purposes 

 which the flower gardener will always require for out-door de- 

 coration. 



Sceptre d'Or was the first of the bright Gold and Bronze va- 

 rieties, and where known it has been a great favourite, though, 

 like many others, it must give way to the improved varieties of 

 which it may be considered a type. These have a diiierent 

 habit of growth from those already mentioned, are much brighter 

 in colour, and form a better contrast with Coleus Verschalfelti, 

 than any other ycUow-leaved plants, the Golden Pyrethrum 

 not excepted. This is especially the case with Kentish Hero, 

 which will, and without any trouble, keep pace with the Coleus. 

 Having also a large leaf, with a distinct zone, which may be 

 seen from a great distance, and a robust habit, it is one of the 

 most desirable plants of the season. It has held its own 



against all others at Chiswick, and will, no doubt, become 

 a great favourite, being not only beautiful, as seen when near, 

 but at a great distance it is quite as effective as a good bed of 

 yellow Calceolaria. I fear I may have trespassed too far on 

 your space, but this is a section of Pelargoniums of which I am 

 very fond, and which I think will quite eclipse Tricolors as 

 bedding plants, though they may not surpass them as examples 

 of individual beautv ; but even this remains to be proved. — 

 W. B. G., Eutland lioad, Perry Hill. 



A FRAGMENT OF DORSETSHIRE. 



A FEW weeks only have passed since I was staying at Wey- 

 mouth, or, to speak more truly, at Melcombe Regis, for all the 

 most worthy of residences are here, although the name of its 

 twin borough of the other side the river Wey prevails so far as 

 now to include the whole. So soon as I had provided the 

 where to rest and the wherewithal to gladden the heart and to 

 give a cheerful countenance — though be it observed that the 

 latter effect was brought about by other agents than oil— I pur- 

 sued my wonted course, and sought for the local guide books. 

 I am prone to patronise local literature ; but (that is a be- 

 numbing monosyllable), I am obliged to confess that, bad as 

 such literature usually is, the local literature of Weymouth is 

 in the superlative of defectiveness. X would forgive its meagre- 

 ness if even it was correct meagreness ; but it is just the other 

 thing, and especially upon topics which interest me most. I 

 believe that Truidical blood is in my veins, for I venerate 

 " Gospel Oaks," and have pilgrimed to every tree of celebrity 

 between the Wallace Oak and Burnham Beeches. So when I 

 read in one of the Weymouth guides of " Culliford tree " I 

 rejoiced inwardly, and prepared to unravel legends, and jot 

 down for your pages marvels of interest. Now, I will wager 

 my golden pen against a crowquill stump, that not one of the 

 readers of those pages would guess that no such tree exists. 

 Yet such is the fact, and Culliford tree is the corruptly spelt 

 name of one of the divisions of the county ! So I put no faith 

 in the guide books, and accepted that most unerring of in- 

 formants, the Ordnance map ; and with that in pocket I know 

 of no more enjoyable mode of " looking around " than stroUing 

 on to a church the tower or spire of which peers up above dis- 

 tant trees, and, having reached it, inquiring the name, and 

 then rummaging one's memory and books to find out " all 

 about it." This was my occupation during a day in August 

 last past; and the church I reached was that of Portisham, a 

 village distant from the old highroad, and further still from the 

 iron way, nestling into the base of the chalk bill rising above 

 it. Such quiet out-of-the-world places seem suited only to the 

 production of men whose " talk is of bullocks," and of women 

 to sit in the sun and knit stockings ; so it comes upon us sur- 

 prisingly when we find that such a place of quietude has pro- 

 duced one of the world's great ones. And Portisham causes 

 this surprise, for here was born that Sir Thomas Hardy who 

 was the brave companion of Nelson and CoUingwood. Your 

 pages are not the fitting place in which to dwell upon their 

 naval deeds ; but space may be spared to note that they all 

 delighted in gardening. Nelson used to set-to and dig in his 

 garden at Merton as if he was doing piecework. CoUingwood's 

 charming letters to his daughters show how his heart yearned 

 to be at home, to make holes with his walking-staff, and drop 

 acorns into them where a fitting vacancy offered itself. 



There was but little to detain me at Portisham, so I rested 

 beneath the shade of one of its Elms, and consulted the unerring 

 map. It revealed that the load before me led to Abbotsbury, 

 and of the swannery there I had often read, so I was promptly 

 up and away thitherward. 



The previous day I had reached Fleet, the fishermen's village 

 whose church was swept away by the wondrous tide of the 

 23rd of November, 1824, and the height of which is shown to 

 have been 23 feet above its usual high mark by the record on a 

 pole, to which you have to raise your eyes at the Abbotsbury 

 Decoy. To the interior of that treacherous enclosure I was 

 now admitted ; but the swannery at that, the breeding, season, 

 was forbidden ground. It is in the broad part of the Fleet, 

 as the narrow strip of sea there is called, and there are kept 

 six hundred and more swans, though it is certain that more 

 than twice that number were there formerly ; and including 

 " hoppers " — that is, a small species, which fed, ranged, and 

 returned, some accounts enlarge the numbers to eight thousand. 

 It is certain that five hundred were there in the reign of Eliza- 

 beth, each of the value of 2s. 6^/., and possessed by Joan, widow 



