May 28, 1874. ) 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTIOCLTUKE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



429 



and from whioh the more perishable parte of the leaves sepa- 

 rate more cleanly, leaving a network perfectly clear and well 

 defined, whioh, on close inspection, ia not always the case with 

 skeletonising. In this case every leaf is absolutely perfect, a 

 blemish, even of the slightest, not being admitted, and this if 

 the spray has cost six months' care in preparation. The group 

 for finish and arrangement is very beautiful, and worthy 

 of a place at some of the great exhibitions, whither, perhaps, 

 it may eventually find its way. When we find a gardener 

 devoting his leisure to a work of this kind, demanding the 

 exercise of the best qualities, it is proof not only that his heart 

 is in his work, but that he possesses the means and a will to 

 use them in achieving success in his calling. Young men 

 generally might do much worse than spend a portion of their 

 leisure in a recreation so elegant, interesting, and instructive. 

 — J. Wbiohi. 



Pbimula iMPERiALig. — Some years ago I read, in Wallace I 

 think, of this most gigantic Primrose, which grows on one 

 solitary mountain in Java. Surely such a plant is worth look- 

 ing after. If some enterprising importer could make a fraction 

 of what has been made by Primula japonioa he would no 

 repent his labour. Seeds or plants might be had through a 

 Dutch resident without the necessity of sending out a collector. 

 -G. S. 



ME. GEORGE GLENNY. 



On the 17th inst., after a few days' Uluess, at Gipsy HiU, 

 Norwood, died Georoe Glenny, aged eighty-one years. 



He laboured earnestly and beneficially to promote gardening 

 in all its departments, but especially floriculture, and so much 

 did we appreciate his judgment that in 1851 we placed a por- 

 tion of our columns devoted to " florists' flowers " under his 

 control. Here he allowed his judgment to be unduly warped, 

 which led to a separation, and then we, in common with Dr. 

 Lindley, were the subjects of his inveterate vituperation. About 

 a twelvemonth since he sent us his photograph portrait, which 

 we accepted as a peace offering ; therefore we wUl only add as 

 a salutary lesson to our young readers that Mr. Glenny pre- 

 vented his abUitiea being employed more extensively by his 

 self-laudation and bitter prolonged expression of animosity. 

 These were defects which no one wished to endure, and whioh 

 would have made him suffer still less of prosperity if he had 

 not pursued unweariedly literary labour. 



He was a native of London, and there apprenticed to a 

 watchmaker, but acquiring a taste for Tulips from seeing a 

 bed of them at Walworth, he devoted himself to gardening, 

 and especially floriculture. Here he was so successful, that at 

 an entertainment given to more than fifty friends at his re- 

 sidence at Worton he placed before each a silver oup which 

 his flowers had won. He relied, however, upon his pen more 

 than upon his spade and trowel for bread-winning, and in 

 1820, when twenty-seven, he became editor of the "British 

 Luminary;" then wrote for the "British Press;" and soon 

 became editor of the " Eoyal Ladies' Magazine." These were 

 failures ; but in 1832 he commenced the " Horticultural Jour- 

 nal," which lived on until 1839. Then he started the " Gar- 

 dener's Gazette," whioh was extinguished by Dr. Lindley's 

 superior "Chronicle;" but we can only find space for the 

 names and dates of his literary legion. " Garden Almanac," 

 begun in 1847 ; " Abercrombie's Every Man His Own Gar- 

 dener," with notes, 1848 ; " Gardening for Cottagers," and 

 "Gardening for the Million," 1849 ; " Catechism of Garden- 

 ing, by Eev. J. Edwards," 1849 ; and an edition arranged for 

 schools in 1855. " Handbook of Practical and Landscape 

 Gardening;" "Handbook of Flower Gardening and Green- 

 house ;" " Handbook of Fruit and Vegetable Gardening," 1850; 

 " Golden Bules for Gardeners," 1851 ; " Quarterly Eeview of 

 Horticulture," 1853-5 ; " The Flower Garden," one of Eichard- 

 Bon's Handbooks, 1853; "Farming for the MUhon," 1854; 

 " Gardener's Every-day Book," 1856 ; " Abercrombie's Pocket 

 Journal," 1857, whioh was translated into Welsh in 1860; 

 " Companion to the Garden Almanac," 1857 ; " Handy-book of 

 Gardening," 1858 ; " Fruits and Vegetables," 1859 ; " Culture 

 of Flowers," in twelve numbers, 1859-60 ; " Illustrated Garden 

 Forget-me-not," 1860 ; " Midland Florist, New Series," 1861-3; 

 " International Exhibition Bemembrancer," 1863; " DuBreuil's 

 Fruit-culture," 1872. 



His most original work was " Properties of Flowers and 

 Plants," published first in his " Horticultural Journal," but of 

 which when published in a collected form we do not remember 



the date of the first edition. The second edition is dated 

 1859. In this little volume he portrayed the model forms to 

 be aimed at by cultivators for exhibition. Let no one think 

 that the numerous works above enumerated contain new in- 

 formation ; they vary in name and arrangement, but the later 

 publications are copies of their predecessors ; for he was 

 obliged to write for the sake of subsistence, and was the worst 

 of copyists, for he did not seek for now information, but copied 

 himself. 



From Worton, we believe, he went to Fulham, lived there 

 many years, and then removed to Gipsy Hill, where he died. 

 If he had been as indefatigable in pursuit of fresh knowledge 

 as was his equally voluminous contemporary Mr. Loudon, he 

 would have been a meritorious writer, for he was quick of 

 observation, and had a just appreciation of what was interest- 

 ing. We can give but one illustration. In 1860, writing about 

 a market garden at Fulham, formerly cultivated by Mr. 

 Fitche, but then by Mr. Clarke, he notes that in a single year 

 it produced 5000 punnets of forced Eadishes, and 288,000 

 hands (bunches) of unforced ; 3000 dozen bunches of Greens, 

 26,000 dozen of Cabbages, 400 dozen bunches of Wallflowers, 

 800 dozen bunches of Moss Boses, and 400 dozen of hand- 

 glass or early Cauliflowers. He saw 28 acres of Dwarf Kidney 

 Beans, and knew of 600 bundles of Asparagus being sent to 

 market in one day. Ten thousand scores of Lettuces were 

 sold between the 21st of May and 23rd of June. 



At one period, we are told, he edited the " Gardener and 

 Practical Florist," and at another "Glenny's Journal," but 

 they are not remembered by us. During the concluding 

 years of his life he wrote on popular gardening for " Lloyd's 

 Weekly Newspaper." He contributed by his vituperative de- 

 nunciations to have the restrictions removed which closed 

 Kew Gardens as a place of popular resort. He was one of the 

 originators of the Gardeners' Benevolent Institution ; and 

 when he was chairman of some Institution we remember him 

 riding with legs enveloped by an appropriate bearskin, and an 

 appearance of great self-appreciation in his two-horse phjeton. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



The time for planting bedding-out plants in the places where 

 they are to form the great display of the flower garden, has 

 now arrived, and it cannot be too strongly urged upon those 

 who have this work to do, that system in arranging the colours 

 is absolutely necessary to complete success. By those who 

 have paid much attention to this part of the gardener's business 

 it must have been noticed that different artistes produce dif- 

 ferent effects with the same plants, and this, upon a careful 

 examination, will be found to arise more from the judicious 

 arrangement of the colours than from any other circumstance. 

 It is also easily seen that this subject receives very httle at- 

 tention generally, although nothing can be more important. 

 Thus, what can be more beautiful than some of the white 

 Verbenas or the yellow Calceolaria? but place these two sorts 

 together, and the pure white of the Verbena is quite destroyed. 

 Neither should colours be placed in violent contrast, because 

 richness of effect is not produced by contrast, but by harmony. 

 Thus, the scarlet Verbena or Geranium harmonises with the 

 purple Verbena or any of the blue Lobehas ; these again with 

 the Erysimum, or any of the orange-coloured flowers. The 

 great want of a good violet to harmonise with the numerous 

 yellows is to be suppUed by employing the beautiful Salvia 

 patens. In some cases, however, especially in gravelled terraces, 

 complementary or contrasting colours are desirable, and these 

 are more easily managed, there being a weU-kuown method of 

 finding the true contrast to any colour, which is this : Take a 

 piece of paper of the colour of the flower for which it is desired 

 to find the contrast, or a petal of the flower itself ; cut a small 

 circle out of it, whioh lay upon a sheet of white paper ; gaze on 

 it steadily for a minute, and then, without allowing the eye to 

 close, look upon another part of the paper, where a circle or 

 spectrum of another colour wiU be distinctly seen, and this will 

 be found the true contrasting colour. Without attending to 

 these rules the beautiful variety among our bedding-out plants 

 is almost useless ; but with care every shade of coloor may be 

 made to add to the beauty of the whole. 



Plant Mesembryanthemums out in a warm corner exposed to 

 the sun, and on rockwork raised a little from the surface ; they 

 prefer light sandy soil. Many of the kinds wUl in such a situa- 

 tion become objects of great beauty, more especially if the 

 summer prove to be a sunny one. A small annual species, 

 named M. pyropaeum, or tricolor, is a very beautiful plant for 

 the purpose; being, however, very tenacious of life they will 

 Uve almost in any sort of soU. As might be expected in so 

 large a family, some are compact growers, while others are very 

 straggling. To keep such as M. unoinatum, M. dilatatum, or 



