504 



JOUENAL OF HOETICCLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



{ June 29. 1S76. 



fonr species ocoarriog I need only specify the rarer — Adiantum 

 oapillns-Veneris, Aspleniutn lanceolatnrD, Aeplenium marinum, 

 OphiogloBSnm vulgatum, aud Omauda regalis. 



Hyacinths grow here most vigorously, and I have just pur- 

 chased a little volume written more than a century sines by a 

 Dutch floribt, by whom th^y were imported. He narrates 

 tome curious particulars of their history. 



When first imported orily single flowers were known and 

 piized, and " all those with double flowers were despised, and 

 in disdain called great cabbages that could not open. But a 

 taste for these arose, and 50 or 100 guilders have been paid 

 lor a root." 



OJ the Tulip the same author states, " Gesner saw the first 

 Tulip in the year 1559 in the garden of Mr. Herwarts at Augs- 

 burg, which had been raised from seeil brought from Constan- 

 tinople." He thinks this flowir must be a native of Turkey 

 because "its name is derived from the Turkish word tulpent, 

 which signifies a cap or turban." It was for the spiing-bloom- 

 iuR Tulips that the mania btCime so extravagatit in Holland. 

 *' This passion rose to that exctss from the year 1C31 to 1637 

 that single roots were eold for from 2000 to 5500 guilders. 

 The madness was at last checked by the iuterpotition of the 

 States of Holland and Wett Fri> eland, who regulated the price 

 of flowers by a law dated 27 Af-ril, 1G37 !" 



The fear that Eoses would not be fuliy blown for exhibiting 

 at the Exeter Show on the 23rd was not verified. I ne'^er saw 

 finer specimens than some of those exhibited by Messrs. 

 Curtis & Co. and Messrs. Paul & Son of Cheshunt. This 

 county has the climate which specially suits the Eose, and the 

 natives duly appreciate the flower. The railway trains brought 

 Ihem from long distance?, and the day was as cloudless and 

 hot as is needed to make an exhibition a great succesa. — G. 



ABELIA UNIFLORA. 



This is an evergreen climbing pbrnb densely clothed with 

 icug tapeiiog foliage somewhat similar to that of Lonicera 

 fragrantissima, and at this seaeon of the year is putting forth 

 abundant terminal clusters of Bauvardia-like flowers— white, 

 with a faint liege of purple, and jielJing a sweet and deli- 

 cate perfume. The expaiiding flower clufters have an ad- 

 ditional charm in the pretty purple-tipped buds which pale 

 into an almost pure white as they expand. The shrub 

 grows with tolerable rapiiity, having reached the top of a 

 ID-feet wall in four years, with an equally strong lateral 

 growth requiring a free use of the pruning knife to keep it 

 within bounds. 



My object in thus describing this shrub is to Fhow its great 

 value for clothing the base of high buildings with prrennial 

 greenery, for bleudicg with the growth o! deciduous climbers, 

 affording a supply of out flowers a' tractive alike in form, 

 colour, and perfume, and eBpe^jiiilly as being as valuable in 

 covering the paitj which are frequently left bare by taller 

 climbers, the Abelia imparting the warmth, neatue.-s, and high 

 finish BO desirable in wall coverings. — Edward Luckdoest. 



LIME AKD ITS APPLICATION. 

 AViTH what Mr. Abbey has written on lime I entirely agree. 

 I have proved the value of liite conclusivf ly, for by its use I 

 have improved the garden crops and saved some tons of 

 mancrc. About twenty years sjjo I took charge of a very old 

 garden. There were not many glass houses, but a great num- 

 ber of frames and pits heated with li-avee and miuure. la 

 these pits Pines, Melons, Cucumbers, Potatoes, and numerous 

 <3ther crops were grown. Leaves were carted during autuma 

 to the extent of nearly a hundred loads per year, and theee 

 were tupplemented with manure. The result of this practice 

 was that an immersfe quantity of manure was at disposal for 

 dijiging into the gnrden. For many jeirs not only had all 

 thii been used, but richer farmyard marjure was also carted 

 and applied at the time of winter diggiti'g. On takiog charge 

 I was informed that the gardin was not productive, ar;d I 

 tpeedily found that tueh wa5 the ease. Potatoes were "all 

 top," Onions "grubbed," Pens long-joist. d and unproductive, 

 and fruit trees ar.d bnthts were covered wilh mess. Suepect- 

 irrg the cause I atked for lime. " No," paid the owner of the 

 garden, " lime is the great evr! in this district ; it is a locality 

 of limestone, and the crops burn terribly." I was more than 

 ever satisfied after that espretsiorr of opinion that lime was 

 necessary lor mixing with the black mass of humus in the old 



kitchen garden. 1 knew there was no limestone there, and I 

 found out that no lime had been admitted lor half a century, 

 but was rather shunned as a scourge. 



In the following winter I asked that all the manure might 

 be carted from the garden and some loads of road scrapings 

 and roadside trimmirjgs be allowed mo in its stead. I am 

 afraid that my ideas were not in hi.rmony wilh those of my 

 employer, who I found fpoke somewhat doubtingly of my 

 abilities, and referred to me as a man of " strange notions." 

 He had the consolation, however, of having extra manure for 

 the farm, which had a sootbiog efltct and making things 

 doubtless more endurable than they otherwise would have 

 been. 



I used the road scrapings freely, and ako surreptitiously 

 several tons of lime (a kiln is on the estate). I limed quite as 

 freely as recommended by Mr. Abbey, having it brought into 

 the garden and buried out of sight on every convenient occa- 

 sion. Next year the crops were better. In the autumn all the 

 manure was sent away again, and roadside soil, scrapings, and 

 trimmings of ditches and fresh soil of any kind was intro- 

 duced. This system was carried out for eeveu years, soil and 

 lime being added until the staple of the garden was quite 

 altered. The crops improved wonderfully, and now the garden 

 is in as good order and as productive as I can with, and the 

 owner of it instead of rtferririg to the " strange notions" of 

 his gardener, entertains the highest opinion of bis judgment 

 and practice. Manure is now again u^ed moderately, but for 

 ten years not a particle was applied to the fruit quarters — 

 Gooseberries and Currants. They had nothing but lime- 

 lime to root and branch, and the moss vanished and the trees 

 were renovated. The garden wns just in the state as described 

 by Mr. Abbey, it was firll to repletion of food for plants, but 

 that food was " sealed." A corrective was needed to liberate 

 the stored-up ga^es and render them available for the support 

 of the crops. This corrective was lime, and it did its work 

 well. Every bit of ground was limid by degrees, and the 

 whole is LOW profitable garden ground, whereon all kinds of 

 crops flourish. That garden was twenty years ago regarded 

 as " worn out." Worn out of what ? Siruply of natural in- 

 organic C0!i6titrrentB, correctives enabling the food with which 

 it was gorged being turned to profitable account by being ab- 

 sorbed and assimilated by the crops. 



It is because I have experienced these striking benefits aris- 

 ing from the applicntion of lime to an old garden that I sup- 

 port Mr. Abbey in his able advocacy of its use upder all similar 

 circumstances. Lime and fresh soil — rubbish which was not 

 considered of any value — have made the old garden young 

 again, and thtra are many other old gardens to which similar 

 applications v/oubl bo of the greatest service ; but it is only to 

 old gardens rich ia organic vegetable manures to which lime 

 can be profitably applied, therefore it should always be used 

 with discrimination. 



When lime is required its application must be thorough. A 

 mere sprinkling is of little or no use ; that is why it has fallen 

 into disuse. Its effects are not immediately apparent, for it ia 

 not a mere fertiliser; but if flow its benefits are solid and 

 lasting. I recommend a careful perusal of Mr. Abbey's excel- 

 lent article, feeling assured that it is replete with sound infor- 

 mation, aud is safe in its advocacy of a practice which, if some- 

 what overlooked and ignored, is noverlhekss a practice of real 

 importance to many cultivators of the soil. — Ex-CnrswrcK. 



PLANTING A SCROLL BED. 



As information is sought as to a suitable mode of planting 

 a " narrow bed of serpentine fashion" we cannot do better 

 than teach by example in submitting a plan of the bed at 

 Victoria Park; it has been furnished by Mr. Cole with the 

 accompanying remarks on the " People's Park at the East 

 End." 



Yretoria Park is 270 acres in extent, and has been a boon of 

 great value to the dwellers of the crowded district near which 

 it is situated. Artisans and the-ir families crowd it on all 

 occasions when the weather is favourable, and it is gratifying 

 to see how they appreciate the flowers that are provided for 

 their enjoyment, t'f spring flowers there is a great aud varied 

 assortment. Flowering shrubs and weeping trees are also 

 largely repreferitcd. Willows are largely grown here, and are 

 picturesque objects en the banks of the ornamental water. 

 Laburnums, Aimouds, Double-bloemiug Cherries, and Haw- 

 thornB add to the effect, and the dwarfer kinds of flowering 

 shrubs, Buch as theMezereon, which is always loremost amon g 



