October, 1910 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



233 



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The Famons Floral Clock at Teignmooth, 



smaller varieties come from England 

 and France. But the florists have taken 

 such complete possession of this popu- 

 lar flower — their hothouse blooms being 

 perfectly huge as well as gorgeous in 

 color — that our garden varieties suffer 

 by comparison. 



The chrysanthemum family is im- 

 mense, numbering over four hundred 

 distinct varieties. This number is being 

 constantly added to by newer hybrids. 

 The chrysanthemum is indeed the last 

 and most beautiful autumn flower of all 

 Flora's train. Whatever we may say in 



England. Read Adjoining Article. 



praise of the rose, we must acknowledge; 

 the lovely Oolden F"lower another Queen 

 — the Queen of Autumn. 



When the summer flowers are dead 

 and the birds have flown southward ; 

 when the Borean blasts blow down from 

 the icy regions of the North — then comes 

 our Autumn Queen with a wealth of 

 bloom the like of which we never saw in 

 June. 



" The £elds are stripped, the groves are 

 dumb, 

 The frost-flowers greet the icy moon — 

 Then blooms the bright chrysanthemum." 



The Flower Gardens of England 



Mrs. Allen Baines, Toronto 



I 



MV husband and I are on a visit to 

 my native land, and it has occur- 

 red to me, as a true and loyal 

 member of the Toronto Horticultural So- 

 ciety that a floral letter from England 

 might be welcome to readers of Thf. Cana- 

 dian HoRTici LTi'HisT. The flowers have 

 been glorious this year despite — might we 

 not say, in many instances, because — of 

 the cool and showery weather that pre- 

 vails. 



These flowers in this old land seem to 

 grow for their own pleasure. They re- 

 joice to live, to flourish, to give lavishly 

 of their very best in color and bloom. 

 N'o village street seems too dusty, no 

 cottage garden too small to be chosen 

 for their habitation. And the hearts of 

 their owners respond and give them love 

 for love, and the laborer, the river lock- 

 keeper, the villa resident and the coun- 

 \ry squireen — all alike find pleasure in 

 their cultivation. 



I spent a fortnight in my own county, 

 Devonshire. I drove constantly through 

 the little thatched villages in which every 

 cottage wall is a bower of Jasmin, climb- 



ing roses and even of scarlet geranium 

 and myrtle, both of which are perennials 

 there, and grow to an enormous size. 

 Beneath the walls and in the tiny gardens 

 white lilies stand in stately masses 

 against a background of blue larkspurs 

 and among standard bushes of hybrid 

 perpetual and tea roses that fill one with 

 delight, and perhaps a little envy, when 

 thoughts present themselves of many 

 hard (and successful) struggles for the 

 life of the former of these at home. Stan- 

 dard roses will, I fancy, always remain 

 an impossibility for us in Ontario. 

 WE WOULD LIKE TO GO 



I would like to take all the readers of 

 The Canadian Horticulturist with me 

 through the little lanes where honey- 

 suckle and wild roses in three or four 

 shades intertwine among the fern-banked 

 hedges — and, still more, I would like to 

 tell them, as they pass the cottages and 

 cosy farms, that many an owner of the 

 humblest of these successfully competes 

 with the high and the rich at country 

 flower shows, because, loving them with 

 all his heart, he has found that '"where 



there is a will there is a way" to grow 

 them. 



Of course, in the towns and seaside 

 resorts and beautiful country seats, the 

 work of the skilled professional is evi- 

 dent. One thing particularly strikes you 

 concerning the gardener here. In his 

 own line, he is generally a well educated 

 and reading man. He does not scorn 

 reading or laugh at chemical fertilizers, 

 or shrug his shoulders in conceited con- 

 tempt over the scientific treatment of 

 flowers and vegetables. He studies, he 

 makes trials of new things, he notes 

 down failures, and through failures 

 reaches to success, and thus can tell you 

 the reason of .his success. 



This was particularly exemplified at 

 Teignmouth, a sea resort in Devonshire. 

 The manager of the public gardens there 

 is a working gardener called Symes. Once 

 he was a private gardener. Now he has 

 been chosen to this office and has work- 

 ed wonders in the gardens and irv the 

 show conservatories which are filled with 

 tuberous begonias, fringed, double and 

 single, Schizanthus in every shade, form- 

 ing compact masses of bloom, Crassula 

 Coccinea and Achimenes. 



I am enclosing with this a rather poor 

 photograph of the "Clock bed," designed 

 and kept in order by Mr. Symes him- 

 self. 



Finding that I was interested, Mr. 

 Symes kindly gave me a good bit of 

 his time and the following description of 

 the clock bed. First, you must know its 

 purpose, which is to indicate the times of 

 high tide. The figures are perfectly clear, 

 the whole bed being a marvel of smooth 

 surface. In the centre there are balanced 

 two large white clock hands which are 

 moved to the hour. 



The Marquit After 



ThoHc iiHlcrH wou three lirst prizoa at the Cana- 

 dian National Exhlliition. Toronto. They were 

 lavender pink in color, and were shown by F. H. 

 Hammett, of Toronto. 



