240 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 28, 1876. 



ing Bonthward almoBt to Oxford Street, brought £13,215, out 

 of which £um £1771 was reckoned to be the value of the wood 

 on the estate, and £130 was for the deer. Thus the timber was 

 worth an eighth of the total amount, though as it was a deer 

 park the trees could cot have been crowded together. Much of 

 the timber was soon after felled and the place dieparked. But 

 I pass on to the beginning of this century, when there was a 

 talk abont building upon the " Marylebone fields," and the 

 Regent's Park might have been covered with houses had not 

 the builders found difficulties from the clayey soil and the 

 lack of water. Previous to this, however, the land situate in 

 what we now call the Inner Circle had become the nursery of 

 Thomas Jenkins, one of the principal London gardeners in 

 the reign of George HI. The extent of the ground, consisting 

 of eighteen acres, did not give great scope, but this nursery- 

 man made the beet of it, and went-in more particularly for 

 American plants, and his specimens of Rhododendrons and of 

 Andromeda Soribunda attracted much notice. Mr. Jenkins 

 generously threw open his nursery for occasional fetes with 

 charitabla intents, and he also gave some of the residents near 

 the privilege of the entree at all times, out of which arose the 

 following romance in real life, for the details of which I am 

 indebted to the courtesy of Dr. Hogg. 



There was at the commencement of this century a fashion- 

 able boarding school in the vicinity of the park, and the young 

 ladies took their walks for exercise not unf requently in Jenkins's 

 nursery. Naturally they attracted some little notice there, 

 and one damsel especially caught the affections of the nephew 

 of the owner, a young fellow of the name of Gwjdyr (or 

 Gwyther), of Welsh descent we may presume. The circum- 

 stances gave him opportunities of showing attention in the 

 way of the presentation of nosegays and so forth ; and his love 

 met with a response, the issue being that the young lady 

 eloped with the gardener, and Henrietta Maria Leslie became 

 Mrs. Gwydyr, renouncing necessarily friends and position in 

 BO doing, for her aristocratic connections would have nothing 

 more to do with her. She had to settle down as the wife of 

 an obscure gardener and share his humble home, which report 

 says she did cheerfully until matters took a turn, and the 

 death of her father in 1817 made her Countess of Rothes in 

 her own right. Subsequently she was none the less esteemed 

 for this early escapade, and one of her sons bore the name of 

 Thomas Jenkins in memory of the old nurseryman. 



The ground now held by the Royal Botanic Society presented 

 in Jenkins's day a very different aspect. The buildings were 

 not numerous, and the surface was almost level, with only a 

 Blight slope to the west. In 1840, when the Society took 

 possession, one cf the first enterprises was the throwing-up a 

 mound, and some wiseheads suggested that the gap from 

 which the earth was taken would make a capital lake. But 

 others said, " Where on earth are we to get the water in a 

 place where springs are scarce?" when, lo ! there came a 

 tremendous downpour of rain, which lasted until the newly- 

 formed basin had a very capital supply of water to begin 

 with. During these thirty-sis years there have been many 

 changes and improvements, and, without making invidious 

 comparisons, it may be averred that no lover of botany can 

 visit any garden with more certainty of being delighted and 

 instructed.— C. 



Neapolitan Violets. — As we write these words our room is 

 perfumed by these Violets. They were grown by Mr. Amys, 

 gardener at Netley Castle, near Southampton. They are very 

 superior in size and fragrance. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOE 

 THE PRESENT "WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The weather has been very changeable during the last week 

 or two, but none of the changes have brought fine days ; the 

 wind even from the west has been piercingly cold, and has been 

 accompanied with rain, snow, and hail, making work out of 

 doors anything but pleasant. The wind, when there is no rain 

 with it, soon dries up the ground and affords suitable opportu- 

 nities for inserting the crops. Our early Potatoes are all planted. 

 Carrots, Onions, Parsnips, and Celery seeds are sown. Brussels 

 Sprouts have been sown, some of the seeds in a fmall bed, and 

 others in the rows where they are intended to remain. When 

 the seeds are sown in permanent rows a deen drill is drawn and 

 the seeds are sown thinly, just covering them over, but not fill- 

 ing up the drill ; this is done as the plants progress in growth. 



Those who intend to plant out Asparagus must, if the ground 



has not been prepared for it, trench deeply, working in plenty 

 of rich manure. If the roots have to be brought from a dis- 

 tance it is best to plant them just before they start into growth, 

 as the young growths, if started ever so little, would be injured 

 in transmission. When the plants have to be removed from 

 one part of the garden to another it is better to allow them to 

 grow a few inches before planting. The plants must then be 

 lifted carefuUy, placing them in a flat-bottomed basket in which 

 they may be conveyed to the intended beds at once. There are 

 different methods of planting them— either by drawing driUa 

 with a hoe, or by forking the ground over lightly and planting 

 the Asparagus as the work progreeses. This laet system is the 

 best. The way to proceed is this ; Begin to fork over the ground 

 at one side, then stretch a line tightly on the space that has 

 been turned over, and with a spade cut off the soil from the 

 line to the depth of 3 inches, making the bottom of the trench 

 level as far as the roots extend. The plants can then be readily 

 placed in the line and the mould forked over them. The next 

 line to be planted in the same way. We planted ours 18 inches 

 and 2 feet apart, but this is much wider than the usual distances. 

 A bed may consist of four or five rows a foot apart, leaving a 

 space of 3 feet for the alley between the beds. 



Wo have planted Rhubarb on an early border. This is also a 

 very gross-feeding crop, and does best on rich ground. We had 

 the space trenched, working in the dung to a considerable 

 depth. Seakale has also been planted, and consisted of the 

 small seedling plants that were not large enough to be forced. 

 Some of the roots that had been forced are also planted out, with 

 some ashes placed round the roots of the plants, but the ground 

 ought also to be in good condition by having been trenched or 

 ridged in the late autumn or early winter months. Scorzonera 

 and Salsafy ought now to be sown. Sow the seeds in drills a 

 foot or more apart. We have sown Spinach between the rows 

 of Peas. There is not much demand for this vegetable; a row 

 or two at each sowing of Peas is sufficient for our purpose. 



riNEBIES. 



The house started early in January is now kept at a night 

 temperature of 70°, with plenty of atmospheric moisture ; the 

 evaporating troughs are kept filled with water, and the house 

 has the walls and paths sprinkled two or three times a-day. 

 This amount of moisture is necessary at present, as much heat 

 is required from the hot-water pipes, and the winds with sun- 

 shine speedily extract moisture from the house. It is also as 

 well to state that it is possible to have the atmosphere over- 

 charged with moisture, and we have been advised to syringe and 

 sprinkle walls and paths at ten o'clock at night. It may be neces- 

 sary occasionally to sprinkle a little water about at that time if 

 the atmosphere should be too dry through overheating the pipes, 

 but it is wrong to make a practice of it. An overmoist atmo- 

 sphere causes overgrown crowns. The suckers of last year have 

 now been potted into their fruiting pots ; the tan bed has been 

 turned over, and fresh tan has been added to it. Tan is an excel- 

 lent material in which to plunge the pots, but it is not superior, 

 if equal, to Oak leaves. The plants were all moderately moist 

 at the roots before they were repotted. 



COCUMBEB HOUSE. 



Here the temperature is also 70° at night. The same treat- 

 ment as to atmospheric moisture is also followed as in the Pine 

 houses. The young plants that were put out in January have 

 made good healthy growth. They are now in fruiting condi- 

 tion. We are careful not to allow the wood to become too much 

 crowded, for it checks the plants very much to cut away a 

 large quantity of leaves with shoots at one time. When the 

 plants have quite furnished the trellis the aim of the cultivator 

 is to cut out all old growths a little at a time, and to substitute 

 young vigorous bearing shoots. The Cucumber requires liberal 

 feeding, but it may be overdone in this respect. The best treat- 

 ment is to dress the surface of the beds with a compost of equal 

 parts of loam and decayed manure, the constituent properties of 

 it being washed into the soil with repeated waterings. Fumi- 

 gate with tobacco smolse on successive evenings to destroy thrips 

 and green fly. The leaves are very tender, and would be tnj ured 

 with an overdose of smoke. They will not endure sulphur 

 fumes sufficiently strong to destroy red spider, and this pest 

 must be dislodged by syringing. 



Melons require very similar treatment, except that the com- 

 post must not be so rich. We do not add much manure to the 

 soil in which they are planted, but the bed has a surface-dressing 

 of decayed manure to retain the moisture in the soil as much as 

 to nourish the plants. 



Figs in Puis. — Those started in January are now making 

 vigorous growth, and the fruit is swelling freely. The trees are 

 very much benefited also by surface-dressings, and a httle 

 manure water as well. After the dressing is applied the roots 

 work-up into it in a very few days, and the result of its appUca- 

 tion is soon seen in the still more vigorous growth of the trees. 

 It is also desirable to syringe the trees once or twice daily to 

 keep red spider at a distance. Figs will do tolerably well under 

 the shade of Vines if the Vines are not planted too closely 

 together ; but to grow Figs well, and to have fruit of the begj 



