404 



JOUBNAIi OF HOKTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



t Jane 4, 



had splendid Celery, and my gardener says there is scarcely 

 such a thing as a wireworm to be found in the place. I was 

 also overrun with snails ; since putting in the lime I have not 

 1 per cent, of the number I had before. I may mention that 

 the gardener had been eleven years in the place, and had never 

 known any lime used. — Diuiios Gkeen. 



NEW BOOK. 



Gleaninsx from French Gardens. By W. Eodinson, F.L.S. 

 London : Frederick Warne & Co. 



This volume is a reclmnffc of what the author has written 

 in a series of articles in various journals during the past twelve- 

 month, and which ho considers of sufficient importance to be 

 embodied in a collected form for the permanent benefit of 

 British horticulturists. With very few exceptions there is 

 nothing contained in Mr. Eubinson's book which has not been 

 treated upon over and over again in the pages of this and other 

 garden journals ; so that these " Gleanings " are nothing more 

 than the author's view of certain features of French horti- 

 culture, which subjects have all been discussed before ; and 

 such operations as are described in the work as being most 

 worthy of adoption, and are suited to our climate, have 

 already been introduced into our garden practice. All that the 

 author has written on Fruit-tree Pruning, Gladiolus Culture, 

 Eose Showing, the Parka and Gardens of Paris, and other 

 minor subjects, have all been made familiar to the public before 

 by other writers, and however interesting they may have been 

 as fugitive pieces in periodical publications, they are not of 

 that importance to require the permanent form in which they 

 now appear. Among his certain features most worthy of adop- 

 tion, let us take for instance " Mushroom Culture," at page 213, 

 and we ask any ordinary English gardener wherein the French 

 process described by Mr. Itobinson differs essentially from that 

 practised in this country :— 



'* They begrrr with the preparation of the manoro of course, and 

 collect that of the horse for a morrth or six weeks before they 

 rrrake the beds ; this they prepare in sorrre firm spot of the market 

 garderj. arid take from it all rubbish, particles of wood, and miscfcllu- 

 ueouR matter's ; for, say they, the spawrr is not fond of these bodies. 

 After sorting it thus, they place it in beds '.i feet thick, or a little more, 

 pressing it with the fork. "When this is done the mass or bed is well 

 stamped, then thoroughly watered, arrd finally again pressed down by 

 stamping;. It is then left in that state for eight or ten days, by which 

 time it has begun to ferment. After these eight or ten days the bed 

 ought to he turned well over and re-made on the same place, care being 

 taken to place the manure that was near the sides of the first-made 

 bed towards the centre in the turning and re-making ; then they leave 

 the mass for another ten days or so. at the end of which time the 

 rrranure is about in proper condition for makrng the beds that are to 

 bear the Mushrooms. If they do not tind the stuff 'sweet,' unctuous, 

 and of a bluish-white colour in the interior, they do not expect mrrch 

 success ; hut by carrviug out the foregoing simple directions there is 

 little chance of having it otherwise. Then they make the little ridge- 

 shajied beds — about 2G inches wide, and the same in height — formed 

 like ' the back of an ass,' and placed in parallel lines, at a distance 

 of 20 inches one from the other. The manure is made into close 

 little beds gradually and carefully, the man pressing it down well with 

 the fork, so as to give the whole mass a firm close-fitting texture, so to 

 speak, and gradually narrowing as be builds till Iris little ridges are 

 finished. Of course the length of those ridges will be determined by 

 the wants of the grower ; in a market garden they may extend over 

 and cover a considerable extent. The beds once made, the manure 

 soon begins to warm again, but does rrot become unwbolesomely hot 

 for the spread of the blauc or spawn. When the beds have been made 

 some days the cultivator spawns them, having of course ascertained 

 beforehand that the heat is genial and suitable. Generally the spa^vn 

 is inserted, the boles being made in one line around the bed, ^Yithin a 

 few iucbefl of the base, and at about 13 inches apart in the line. 

 Some cultivators insert two lines, the second about 7 inches above the 

 fli'st. In doing so, it would of course be well to make the boles for 

 the spawn in nn alteraate manner. The spa'wn is inserted in bits 

 about the size of three fingers, and then the manure is closed-in over 

 and pressed firmly around it. This done, the beds are covered with 

 about 6 inches of clean litter. Ten or twelve days afterwards they 

 visit the beds to see if the spawn has taken well. When they see the 

 white filaments spreading in the bed they know that the spawn has 

 taken, and that it is good. If they do not see that it has begun to 

 spread, they do not leave the bed alone, as too many do amongst our- 

 selves, but take the spawn tliey suppose to be bad and replace it with 

 better. But, using good spawir and beiuR practised hairds at the work, 

 they rarely fail in this particular ; and u'hen the spawn is seen spread- 

 ing well through the bed, then, and not before, they cover the beds 

 with fresh sweet soil to the depth of about an inch or so." 



It is evident, from the perusal of this hook, and as our 



readers will judge from the above extract, that Mr. Eobinson is 

 not himself sutticiently instructed to enable him to instruct 

 others, else he would not have offered this as a feature of 

 French gardening worthy of our adoption. Like most young 

 travellers who visit strange countries for the first time, every- 

 thing he saw in France with which he himself was not familiar 

 was noted down as new, and the self-confident tone with which 

 he assailed the criticism of practical men of greater experience 

 who commented on the subjects upon which he wrote gave for 

 a time an importance to them which they would never other- 

 wise have possessed, and which has now entirely subsided. 



There is one chapter for which we must give Mr. Eobinson 

 credit, and that is the first, on " Subtropical Gardening," which 

 has more freshness about it than all the rest of the book 

 besides. 



There are one or two errors which Mr. Eobinson should 

 correct in the next edition. In every cate he calls M. Jamin, 

 of Bourg-la-Eeine, " Jamain," M. Jamaiu being of an entirely 

 different family, though also a nurseryman ; and he calls 

 M. Eose Charmeux, M. Charmeaux. These are, of course, 

 trivial mistakes, but they are apt to suggest that the other 

 contents of the book have been got together with a similar 

 want of regard to perfect accuracy. 



EOYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY'S SHOW. 



May 27th and 28Tn. 



The grand features of the Exhibition were the Roses exhibited by 

 Mr. William Paul, and Mr. Turner's mognifictnt Azaleas which were 

 the admiration of every one. and when viewed from the opposite side of 

 the Exhibition they looked most imposing and extremely beautiful. 

 The only fault I could detect was the want of a few more green leaves 

 to reUeve the glowing masses of colour produced by this splendid 

 group of plants. I hear they have passed into the hands of a private 

 grower, Mr. Turner having sold them. 



The next grand feature of the Exhibition was the magnificent 

 Pelargoniums exhibited by Mr. Fraser, of the Lea Bridge Road. Tbey 

 were certainly the best-grown lot of plants ever exhibited, the only 

 fault noticcalde in the collection of Fancy kinds was the want of one 

 or two lighter shades of colour. Most of the varieties were of dark 

 shades. In the class for nine large-flowered varieties the colours were 

 more evenly balanced. In both of the above classes no diificnlty 

 could have presented itself to the .Indges in awarding the first prize, 

 for the plants were as much superior to all other collections as Mr. 

 Turner's Azaleas were to all other exhibitions in that class. 



The Orchids were also good and numerous, likewise the stove and 

 greenhouse plants. Cape Heaths were also exhibited by Mr. Peed 

 and Messrs. Jackson & Sons. It is a pity that this fine class of 

 plants shonld have ceased to create the interest they did in former 

 years. "When Mr. Smith, of Norwood, produced his finely-grown 

 plants they were deservedly considered the gems of every exhibition 

 they were shown in. It is to be hoped Heaths wUl again regain their 

 proper jjosition at our exhibitions. 



Mr. James, gardener to W. Watson, Esq., Isleworth, staged the 

 most marvellous collection of Calceolarias I hare seen. They were 

 perfect masses of bloom, averaging about '2 feet 6 inches or 3 feet 

 through, and the most perfectly-grown plants I ever saw exhibited. 

 Their names were — Master Faruell, Picturatnm, Prince of Wales, 

 Gratitude, and Conqueror. 



The eight greenhouse Azaleas staged by Mr. C. Penny, gardener 

 to H. H. Uibbs, Esq., Regent's Park, were well worthy the highest 

 award. They were well grown and exhibited in good condition. In 

 several of the plants the fresh green foliage was pleasingly interspersed 

 ^Yith the fiowers, a circumstance which gave them a much fresher and 

 more agreeable appearance, and a finish not to be seen in any other 

 collection in the Exhibition. This style of exhibiting them should 

 be more encouraged, and would do away with the nionotonons appear- 

 ance presented by such immense masses of colour, without the 

 natural proportion of green with which Nature when left to herself 

 accompanies her floral productions. 



Fine collections of Ferns were exhibited by Mr. B. S. Williams, of 

 Holloway, and others. These give a fine character to any exhibition, 

 and wonderfully relieve the eye. 



Amongst the novelties exhibited was a pretty white bedding Pelar- 

 gonium named White Stella. It appeared to have all the good qualities 

 which Beaton's famous Stella possesses, but instead of producing a 

 crimson flower it is pure white. I think this will become a valuable 

 bedding plant. It was exhibited by Mr. Aldred, of 22, Bridge Street, 

 Maida Vale, together with several very'promising Tricolor- leaved and 

 other Pelargoniums. Mr. Mann, of Brentwood, again exhibited a 

 splendid box of Zonal Pelargonium Lord Derby. This is, without 

 doubt, the finest Scarlet Pelargonium ever raised, and if it retain its 

 fine character when bedded out, will indeed be a most valuable 

 acquisition to the flower garden. I strongly recommend all onr readers 

 interested in this class of plants to at once procure Lord Derby. 



Near Mr. Mann's beautiful box of Lord Derby was a pretty col- 



