JuJy 1, 1«76. ] 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE OAEDENEE. 



11 



predominate in alpine plants and are so rare in our gardens, 

 and the bright and shining yellows intermingled with more 

 sombre shades, make a real scene of beauty. 



There are some other things about Belvoir I should like to 

 mention, but I have selected as most worthy of notice and 

 most characteristic of the place, and must reserve a few other 

 observations for a future time. — D., Deal. 



f 





THE FEEO-PLANT. 



Most plant-stands are formal affairs, mere skeletons of 

 wood or wire, that detract from the beauty of the flowers and 

 do not readily lend 

 themselves to the 

 adorning of a room, 

 or they are very costly 

 and hold but few 

 pots. 



Brackets are well 

 enough in their way, 

 but sometimes incon- 

 venient, and so we de- 

 cided to try the effect 

 of a bit of rustic work, 

 and the result has 

 been eminently satis- 

 factory. A square of 

 oilcloth prevents da- 

 mage to the carpet, 

 and on occasion cut 

 flowers and pressed 

 Perns are added to 

 its living beauties. 

 Some sticks of laurel, 

 a saw, bit, and 

 hatchet, with a little 

 mother wit, is all the 

 materials and tools 

 necessary for its con- 

 struction. Other kinds 

 of wood will answer, 

 but laurel is the best 

 because of its tough 

 and fine grain, and 

 peculiarly suitable 

 manner of growth. 

 Pick out your sticks 

 in the woods, but you 

 must humour them a 

 little, for you will 

 never find just what 

 you want. For put- 

 ting them together as 

 a frame, use small 

 carriage bolts— nuts 

 inside — one of them is 

 worth several screws 

 or nails, and it must 

 be strong. For the 

 top make a frame of 

 2 by 3 Inches scant- 

 ling, on which nail 

 some boards, and then take a sheet of zinc .S inches larger 

 each way than the top, turn up the sides H inch, bend the 

 corners round, and you have a water-tight top without rivets 

 or solder. The sides of the frame and top must be hidden by 

 the rustic work. Now put your aquarium iu position (the 

 aquarium is an essential part of the fero-plant, though it may 

 be a globe), then with sand, cinders, and water lime or plaster 

 of Paris, coloured by some dry paints as yellow ochre or burnt 

 sienna, build some rockwork on a separate board fitted in the 

 space not covered by the aquarium. 



The flower-pots should stand on wooden blocks or empty 

 fruit-cans turned upside down, which make it much lighter. 

 The branch at one corner is a supplemental affair bolted on ; 

 the terminal supports for pots are the collars of gas fixtures, 

 which are admirably adapted for the purpose in size and 

 shape. 



To furnish the fero-plant go to our native woods, and you 

 will find a wenlth of ornament hardly dreamed of. Cover and 

 hide the ed^'os of the zinc trough with moss, for which the 

 thin mats torn from the faces of rocks, and sprinkled with 



Polypods, are most suitable. Some exotics, as the Calla, &e., 

 are iu the figure, but for a long time we had nothing but 

 native plants.— W. H. Seamans (in American Gardeners' 

 Monthly). 



THE GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT 



INSTITUTION. 



I WISH to draw the especial attention of your readers, and of 



my brother gardeners in particular, to the near approach of 



the thirty-second anniversary festival of the Gardeners' Royal 



Benevolent Institution. It is to take place at the London 



Tavern, Bishopsgate 

 Street, on July 2nd, 

 and under the presi- ' 

 dentship of R. Broad- 

 water, Esq., Master of 

 the worshipful com- 

 pany of Fruiterers, 

 which is most apropos 

 of such an occasion, 

 for who can value 

 more truly the ser- 

 vices the gardeners do 

 the community than 

 can the fruiterers of 

 the country ? 



In the long list of 

 Stewards — about se- 

 venty in number — we 

 are gratifyingly struck 

 with those who year 

 by year give thus their 

 valuable time and 

 support by their 

 msans, to this in- 

 valuable Institution. 

 Gardeners have the 

 power to aid this fes- 

 tival, through their 

 employers, by send- 

 ing fruit and flowers 

 to enliven the display, 

 and thereby to in- 

 crease the pleasure of 

 those who assemble 

 for a worthy object. 



Finally, let me 

 earnestly ask every 

 non-subscribing bro- 

 ther gardener not to 

 pass by this appeal 

 without deciding to 

 become at once a 

 member of this only 

 true federation of 

 gardeners. The simple 

 guinea per annum 

 assuredly can be 

 spared by all who 

 possess the will, even 

 from what I confess 

 are in far too many eases wretchedly low salaries. Such a 

 guinea will never be really missed by any, and it might to you, 

 as to myself, some day become a solace to old age, infirmity, 

 and adverse visitations of Providence, such as are at present 

 hidden. Apart even from this, delay postpones the guarantee, 

 which is the right of every fifteen-years subscriber or his 

 wife's receiving the Institution's aid. 



All packages should be addressed to Mr. E. R. Cutler, 

 G.RB.I., London Tavern, Bishopsgate Street, London, either 

 on Thursday, July let, or not later than the earlier trains on 

 the morning of Friday, July 2nd. Let all who will aid, there- 

 fore, be so kind as to write to the Secretary as soon as possible. 

 — William Eakley. 



Roses not Cldstehed.— Mr. Robson's demand for " Eosfs 

 that have the good property of furnishiEg good long stalks to 

 each flower, whereby they can be cut without loss," reminds 

 me of an old mess-room story, that when a certain officer of 

 high rank, whose head was not very well covered at the top, 

 was chatting one of hi.? staff for his prematurely grey locks, 



-The pero-plant. 



