NoTombcr 13, 1888. ] JOURNAL OF HOllTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDKNEB. 



357 



named from the plants being largely grown by small farmers 

 in that upland district, and sent north in spring for sale in the 

 Highland markets. 



Tlio Kilmaurs Kale forms the best of Hallowe'en stocks, 

 beinR " muckle anes and straifrht anes," with reddish bark and 

 reddish loaf-veins, while the " flat of the blades " is of a reddish 

 green colour, and these should be plane, or only very slightly 

 curled. — Williaii Gokrie. 



SUBTROnCAL GARDENING. 

 How delightful it must be for those who live in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Battersea Park, who can at any moment enjoy the 

 magnificence and the luxuriance of the tropics ! To have a 

 bit of Brazilian scenery in the neighbourhood of London, and 

 that in the open air, is really wonderful. We remember some- 

 thing of Pine Apples in the open air at Bicton, growing, so we 

 were told, like CabbRges ; but really the description in the 

 Journal of the tropical — I beg pardon, subtropical — gardening 

 in Battersea Park, is enough to make us who live in the north- 

 em parts of the kingdom go delirious. How I could wish all 

 persons who feel an interest in this matter, and most gardeners 

 Bhould do, to coolly argue the extent of its practicability and 

 application, and in what parts of the kingdom it is likely to 

 sncceed, and where it would bo tolly to attempt it. These are 

 more important operations than many are aware of. Unre- 

 flecting people, who are, perhaps, whirled from Battersea Park 

 into the North of England in a few hours, forget that the 

 climate of Battersea Park does not travel with them ; and no 

 donbt many an intelligent worthy man will have the cold water 

 of " You should see Battersea Park " thrown in his face. And 

 ■while the system may be lauded by enthusiastic visionaries on 

 one hand, and opposed by the matter-of-fact man on the other, 

 let the question be set at rest by a little good-natured agitation. 

 Honour to the man who has the sense or the boldness to de- 

 viate from the beaten track ; and the testing of the capacities 

 of plants for given purposes is very commendable, especially 

 where people are honest enough to record failures. 



Most gardeners know something of the marvellous change 

 in, and effect produced by, overgrown specimens of stove plants 

 turned out to play a false character for a brief season and die. 

 There may be something false in thus giving these vegetable 

 worthies a character quite unnatural to them ; it is perhaps 

 the most rational way of getting rid of our ponderous Cyeas, 

 overgrown Brugmansias, and lumbering Agaves ; still the 

 thoughts of these fine things being brought out to perish create 

 an idea similar to seeing a great personage brought out to 

 execution. Hence a question arises, Is tropical or subtropi- 

 cal gardening compatible with English climate and English 

 Bcenery ? 



Now I solicit information. Would the gentleman who has 

 written the description of Battersea Park tell me what is Sedum 

 glaucum like "charming little buttons?" lam a great lover 

 of Sedums and Saxifrages, and should much like to make the 

 acquaintance of any Sedum compact as a button. I have 

 noticed several allusions to Sedum where evidently Semper- 

 vivnms were meant. Are they amalgamated ? Again (I am 

 quoting from page 209 of the Journal), " and Sedum ochro- 

 leucum formed very pretty dense tufts, those of the last-named 

 in particular being almost like small berries." Dense tufts 

 like small berries ! I am much interested in these little alpine 

 creatures, but cannot at all understand the above. Sedum 

 glaucum is a British plant, pretty enough in its place, but of a 

 loose straggling nature, not at all like a button ; and S. ochro- 

 leucum is also a very straggling plant. Please to set us right 

 on these little matters. — T. Willtaiis, Bath Lodrie, Orinskirk. 



[The writer of the above ia right in suggesting a cautions 

 line of procedure in matters connected with subtropical gar- 

 dening, and especially in the north ; and that gardeners should 

 t coolly argue the extent of its practicability and application, 

 and in what parts of the kingdom it is likely to succeed, and 

 where it would be folly to attempt it." The descriptions in the 

 report on Battersea Park were faithfully given, and the fancied 

 error, for it is only fancied, as regards Sednms and Saxifrages, 

 and Sempervivnms, does not affect the matter of fact, that 

 those plants figured conspicuously in the arrangement de- 

 scribed. The general ignorance of subtropical decoration is 

 permeated by an idea which has no foundation in truth, that 

 great losses accompany it, whereas 1 per cent, covers at 

 Battersea Park the losses of " these vegetable worthies," such 

 as "Cycas, overgrown Brugmansias, and lumbering Agaves," 

 and plants of many other genera, and they are used year after 



year successively. It should be known, however, that this 

 does not apply to annuals, as many Solanums, nor to llicinus, 

 Wigandia, Ferdinanda, and a variety of softwooded kinds, that 

 are raised annually from cuUings, or from seeds in the spring, 

 and are allowed to remain until destroyed by frost. Subtropical 

 gardening is as successfully practised at Cliveden as at Bat- 

 tersea, on a smaller scale, and at other places round London, 

 and also at Aston Park, Birmingham. These are hints which 

 we throw out for our friends in the north, in the hope that if 

 their operations are directed by discretion, and a thorough 

 knowledge of the subject, at least many failures will be pre- 

 vented, and that success will, to a considerable extent, attend 

 their efforts, and enable them ultimately to enjoy, in their own 

 gardens, the magnificence and luxuriance of tropical vegetation.] 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The following arrangements have been made by the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society for their Exhibitions and Meetings next 

 year : — • 



March 13th, Show of Hyacinths and Spring Flowers. At 

 this meeting prizes to the amount of nearly £50, offered by 

 the principal bulb-growers in Holland, will be competed for ; 

 and Mr. William Paul, of Waltham Gross, will continue his 

 exhibition of spring-flowering plants. April 17th, Show of 

 Roses and Spring Flowers. May 8th, Show of Early Azaleas 

 and Spring Flowers. During this month a Show cf Pelar- 

 goniums will be held, at which subscription prizes by the 

 growers of these plants will be competed for. June 2nd and 3rd, 

 Grand Summer Flower Show. June 1.5th, Special Prize Show. 

 June 29th, Great Rose Show. The National Rose Show is in- 

 corporated with this Exhibition. A Grand Summer Exhibition 

 of Flowering Plants and Fruits will be held at Manchester in 

 Jaly, at the same time as, and adjoining, the Eoyal Agricultural 

 Society's Show. 



The Fruit and Floral, and General Meetings for the election 

 of Fellows, &c., will take place as follows — viz., January 19th ; 

 February IGth ; November ICth ; and December 21st ; and on 

 the first and third Tuesday in each month from March to 

 October inclusive. 



PETUNIAS APPEARING (THOUGH UNSOWN. 



This season we have seen what I presume would be con- 

 sidered a horticultural rarity. In the garden attached to my 

 house, which is 300 feet above the level of the sea, and in a 

 most open and exposed situation. Petunias have sprung up 

 spontaneously in the open ground in large quantities, and some 

 very beautiful ones were among the number ; also, on a heap 

 of clay and rubbish several came up, but how the seeds reached 

 the place at all is a mystery. During my residence of two 

 years I have been making the flower garden, in which no such 

 thing as a Petunia had ever been ; added to this the house and 

 grounds are thoronghly detached, and how the seeds came to 

 be in the heap of clay and rubbish especially, is inexplicable. 

 Added to this, the earth for the border in the garden in which 

 they were also found, was taken from a pasture and some inches 

 below the surface soil. Your comments on the above will 

 much oblige. — James G. Danoai:, Vicar, Boi/ton, Cormvall. 



[Years ago, perhaps either Petunias seeded in your or some 

 other garden, and were thrown on to the manure heap, and the 

 manure was dug into the soil of your garden, or washed by 

 the rains into the soil of the pasture ; and when once seeds are 

 buried so deeply in the soil as to be prevented germinating 

 they often keep sound for many years, and vegetate when by 

 any means they are brought nearer to the surface, and, con- 

 sequently, within the influence of the requisite amount of 

 warmth and air. Seeds in the Egyptian mummy cases, and 

 the seeds of Charlock in soil raised from great depths. Celery 

 seed ten years old, and other instances are within our know- 

 ledge, demonstrating how long seeds retain vitality. — Eds.] 



STOKE NEWINGTON CHRYSANTIIEMU:\I SHOW. 



Tills was held on the IDth and 11th inst. in the Lnxembonrg Hall, 

 near Dalston Junction, a place Tery convenient of access from nearlj 

 all parts of London. The display was, as usual, excellent, and very 

 effectively arranged ; the specimen plants bein;^ placed all round the 

 room, and the cut hlooms on the centre table forming a bordering to 

 a fine collection of fruit exhibited by Mr. James, of the Rochester 

 Castle, Stoke Newin^ton, part of which was Enf^lish -grown, consisting 

 of Apples, Pears. Grapes. Medlars, Walnuts, Arc. and another part 

 of Apples and Pears grown by Mr. Langlois in Jersey, and many of 



