4GG 



JODBNAL OF HORTIOULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



( November 26, 1876. 



space has been devoted to it, bnt to the general rage for lawn 

 roillinery and formal geometrical patternB entirely depending 

 on foliage plants clipped by rule and measure, and constantly 

 pinched to preserve a uniform and regular shape. No doubt a 

 person may say, You mow your lawn to make a green carpet ; 

 yon tie up plants to prevent them straggling, and art is always 

 trying to control nature. This is true to a certain extent, and 

 I do not wish to see this geometrical carpet bedding entirely 

 excluded, but only judiciously limited. I remember I was 

 once accused of wanting to see miles of scarlet Geraniums and 

 yellow Calceolarias because I endeavoured to fight the battle 

 of bedding plants, and affirmed that the system of planting 

 beds with the most durable and perpetual-blooming half-hardy 

 plants had done more than anything else to spread and to 

 foster the love of gardening ; bnt I should be very sorry to 

 see flowering plants pushed on one side to make way for foliage 

 plants of dwarf growth, planted merely for geometrical effect, 

 and which do not vary, for this is one of their great demerits, 

 in my mind, that there is such a sameness and monotony. 

 Once go and see a geometrical garden well clipped and cared 

 for, and you will see it just the same every day of the year 

 after, I mean when it has once reached its best. It may vary 

 a little between being a little less cUpped or more clipped ; some- 

 times the Golden Pyrethrum may have grown a little too ram- 

 pant, or the Alternantheras, and Leucophytons were bedded too 

 much with the rain, but the general monotonous effect is still 

 the same. I know if persons will use the same kind of Gera- 

 nium, or Verbena, or Calceolaria throughout a whole garden, 

 and reckon the value of a bedded garden by the number of 

 Mrs. Pollock or Lady Callum,that the same monotonous effect 

 maybe produced; but no amount of foliage plants, however 

 carefully tended, can, in my mind, make up for the want of 

 proper varieties of flowering bedding plants judiciously selected. 

 No doubt days and weeks of rainy weather are trying to the 

 lover of flowers ; but, then, what gardening pleasures are com- 

 parable to a carefully selected set of flowering plants when the 

 weather is favourable? I do not wish, as I said in the begin- 

 ning, to find fault with Battersea Park in particular on this 

 score because these geometrical beds are there only introduced 

 in their place, and not made the general piece dc resistance. 

 The subtropical part, where advantage has been taken of both 

 form and flower, and where plants are encouraged to develope 

 and show their true nature, is what makes Battersea Park so 

 really attractive. I was too early to see the real effect, but 

 having seen it in other years when more fully developed I 

 could judge what the ultimate effect would be. 



I will not attempt at any length to describe the various 

 arrangements. I was very glad, amongst other plants, to see 

 the different Begonias, with their graceful scarlet blossoms, 

 promising so well; the different kinds of Erythrina mixed 

 with AbutUon ; Grevillea robusta, and other foliaged plants, 

 presented an ornamental contrast. The Jacaranda promised, 

 too, to be a useful plant ; and amongst other commoner plants, 

 the Cineraria maritima compacta was effectively employed. 



I wUl now glance at Mr. Pearson's Pelargoniums. These 

 were friends (I was going to say old friends of mine, but that 

 would not be strictly correct), but many of them were known 

 to me. Among the best were Ethel and Miss Annie Orton — 

 no relation, I hope, to the claimant, and certainly not so great 

 an impostor — Brutus and Pirate, dark crimson ; Sir H. S. 

 Stanhope, a fine deep red ; and Lady Stanhope, of the colour 

 of Lucius or Excellent ; Charles Smith, one of the very best of 

 the new dark crimsons of the stamp of Edward Sutton or 

 General Ontram, and many others which I need not parti- 

 cularise. There were beds of Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Gibbons 

 of the lilac-pink section which were much alike, and when so 

 many good new sorts are now sent out it is diflioult, of course, 

 to make a selection and to decide which of the newer ones to 

 propagate. One thing I am very well assured of — that the old 

 favourites, such as Tom Thumb, Stella, Ac, will gradually 

 have to give way. 



Cannas are extensively grown, and make an especial feature 

 in many of the groups, but care must be taken lest they be used 

 too much and in too great masses. The Cannabis gigantea, 

 which was only just being planted out, is one of the most 

 effective of all the subtropical plants, and Mr. Rogers told uio 

 he had had more inquiries regarding it than almost any other 

 plant. Even here in the far north plants of it have grown 

 from !) to 10 feet high on a warm border, and 4 to 5 feet 

 through. 



Space warns me that I must conclude, and I can only add 

 that such gardens and parks as Battersea, Regent's Park, 



Crystal Palace, <Sl:o., conclusively prove to me that English 

 gardeners are in advance of their brethren across the water. — 

 C. P. Peach. 



AUTUMN ROOT SHOWS. 



Although not in the immediate province of a horticultura 

 publication, yet farming is of kin to gardening, and in recogni- 

 tion of the enterprise of the promoters of the Shows and the 

 cultural skill of the exhibitors of the roots, we will notice briefly 

 the two great Exhibitions which have recently been held. 

 Taking them in the order of priority of date, the Exhibition of 

 Messrs. Caetek & Co. was held in the Agricultural Hall, 

 Islington, on the 18th inst. The liberal prizes offered, amount- 

 ing in the aggregate to nearly .£250 including silver cups, brought 

 out a much larger display than usual. The roots — of which there 

 were thousands, in fact tons, occupied the entire north gaUery 

 of the Hall and also the west tnd of the building — were not more 

 remarkable for the size of the specimens than for the distinct 

 features of the different kinds, which instanced in a striking 

 manner tlie purity of the stocks. 



It is not the mere size of roots that we especially admire, 

 neither perhaps do the cattle, nor have on this occasion the 

 Judges; and we can imagine that in the great competition for 

 the premier prize in the class for the " Imperial Hardy Swede " 

 that some disappointment would follow, for the cup was awarded 

 to Mr. Weevil for comparatively small roots but of unsurpass- 

 able quality. The hard irony appearance of this variety is 

 worthy of its name, or the name is worthy of it, and it is 

 evidently highly popular with agriculturists. The long red 

 Mangold Wurtzels were enormous, but Mr. Bnsor won with not 

 the largest but the brightest and best. Prizes, however, were 

 given for the " heaviest " in some of the classes, and one lot of 

 three roots weighed 125 lbs. The greatest and best show of 

 Globe Mangolds consisted of " The Warden," and Mrs. Norton 

 had the premier prize. The exhibits in this class were speci- 

 ally admired for their uniform high quality. Turnips — white, 

 purple, green, and yellow — were exhibited in great perfection, as 

 were Kohl Rabi, Parsnips, Carrots, Beet, Onions, and Potatoes, 

 the collections of the latter from Mr. McKinlay, Mr. Cholmon- 

 deley, and Mr. Lumsden being of high excellence. 



The best products of eight sewage farms were staged, and 

 amongst the exhibitors who did not compete were Her Majesty 

 the Queen and their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and 

 Prince Christian. The Exhibition was highly creditable to the 

 great Holborn firm and their customers, and the awards showed 

 great discrimination on the part of the Judges. 



At one end of the Hall a collection of roots and vegetables of 

 splendid colour and quality was exhibited as having been grown 

 on poor soil by the aid of Amies' chemical manures. 



Messbs. Sutton & Sons, Eeading. — I have now for some 

 years chronicled the character of this grand root show, which 

 every year seems like a schoolboy to be outgrowing its clothes. 

 The Show was held on Saturday last, and as usual exhibitors of 

 all grades were there, from the small tenant farmer up to Her 

 Most Gracious Majesty the Queen. The Dukes of Portland and 

 Sutherland ; the Marquises of Anglesey and Bristol ; Earls of 

 Warwick, Harrington ; Caltborpe and Camoys ; while baronets 

 and members of Parliament by the dozen entered the lists. As 

 to the general character of the Show, one may say that there was 

 a larger number of really excellent roots in the various exhibits 

 than on any former occasion, while the roots of Sutton's Yellow 

 Intermediate Mangold seemed to me to be best and prettiest 

 portion of the farm produce. A few of the weights may not be 

 uninteresting. In Suttons' Berkshire Prize Y'ellow Globe Man- 

 gold the heaviest lots weighed 299 lbs. (twelve roots). In Suttons' 

 Mammoth Long Bed the heaviest twelve weighed 440 lbs. Of 

 that beautiful and valuable sort the Y'ellow Golden Tankard, 

 twelve weighed 248 lbs. ; but Suttons' Champion Swede out- 

 topped all in the number of entries — 120; the heaviest eighteen, 

 from Mr. Allsop, weighing 3C0 lbs. 



In the horticultural department of the Show some exceedingly 

 beautiful collections of vegetables were shown ; Mr. Walter, Mr. 

 of Bearwood taking first honours. The specimens exhibited 

 were of the highest order of excellence, not overgrown, but reaUy 

 good and eatable. Amongst them were Suttons' King of the 

 Cauliflowers, with compact heads of snowy whiteness ; Suttons' 

 Improved Bed Beet, an excellent kind; Suttons' Golden Globe 

 Savoy, a beautiful-looking vegetable of a bright golden-yellow 

 colour; and Suttons' Improved Reading Onion. The Leeks, too, 

 were of great excelltnce, while Sulham Prize Pink Celery is one 

 of the very best of the many varieties with which our seed lists 

 are filled ; and of all Turnips certainly the very prettiest is 

 Suttons' Snowball. The second prize was won by Major 'Thoyte, 

 and comprised many good specimens. The principal prize for 

 Potatoes was also won by Mr. Walter. The Messrs. Sutton 

 themselves exhibited — of course not for competition — a very 

 complete collection of Potatoes, including some tubers of a 

 new seedling Kidney not yet named, which promises to be a 



