474 West London Gardeners' AssGciation. 



Mr. Russel failed even under Speechly, the originator of it. He then adverted 

 to a case in which a gardener, who had a beautiful stock of pines, intended to 

 shake them out of the pots, and repot them when they had done flowering; 

 and mentioned a method of making plants start into fruit ; namely, the watering 

 them with a solution of pigeons' dung. Mr. Judd stated that he had seen fine 

 fruit from plants grown in a temperature of not below 70^ in winter, and 90° 

 in summer ; but ultimately agreed in the correctness of Mr. Fish's statements 

 upon this point, though he considered he had been very unfortunate in select- 

 in" his winter fruiters. He recommended the Jamaica and smooth Havannah. 

 The remedy for insects which he had seen prove most efficacious was, washing 

 the plant in a solution formed of three pounds of yellow soap in a gallon of 

 water. He had known old and fresh soil used with equally advantageous 

 results, and recommended enriching the soil with deer dung; noticing that 

 black pines delight in light soils, and thrive well when a little peat is added to 

 the loam. Mr. Keane considered that, in cultivating the pine, we should imi- 

 tate nature; but he thought that the low temperature at night, and in winter, 

 which was recommended, was not natural to the pine. Mr. Caie contended, 

 that, although we could command the heat of Jamaica, we could not command 

 its sunlight, and that therefore a uniform degree of temperature in this climate 

 was not natural ; illustrating his remarks, by detailing an instance, in which 

 the attempt was made to imitate closely the temperature of a tropical climate ; 

 but, though the plants grew remarkably well, the fruit were like buttons. A 

 number of other members addressed the meeting; but no new idea was 

 elicited. 



A letter was read from Mr. Main, containing some wise parental advice to 

 the Society ; expressing his anxiety and his willingness to clear up, as far as lay 

 in his power, any knotty question which came before them. Mr. Leyton was 

 unanimously elected a member of the Society. 



April 3. — Mr. Caie read an essay upon the grouping system of flowers in 

 flower-gardens, with a coloured plan ; and referring, amid a number of other 

 facts, to the importance of planting naturally luxuriant plants shallow, and in 

 poor soil, for the purpose of insuring a profusion of bloom. All united in 

 expressing their high approbation of this essay : but an animated discussion 

 took place on it, from Mr. Fish expressing his doubts if ever the system 

 would become prevalent, unless in small places, and under liberal employers, 

 owing to the extra expense attending it when a reserve garden was kept ; and, 

 when one was not kept, the unsatisfactory results of attempts at grouping, the 

 flower-garden being quite useless till the month of July ; or the young plants 

 beiiio- to be observed in it groping their way through masses of the decaying 

 herbage of bulbs, &c. ; or, what was worse, the leaves of the bulbs must be 

 cut down prematurely, and thus their flowering injured for a following year. 

 Also, that there was a discrepancy among the supporters of the grouping 

 system ; some contending that it was the highest perfection of the art ; and 

 others, that it was the closest imitation of nature, as, in reality, while the form 

 on the clumps indicated art, the mass of flowers in the clumps showed that, 

 after the plants had been put into the soil, little more art had been put in 

 requisition ; and that, as gardening was universally allowed to be an art, the 

 application of that art ought at all times to be perceptible, &c. 



Mr. Judd considered that bulbs would suffer little from being cut down a 

 little too early ; made some remarks upon unity of idea ; and contended that it 

 was quite unnatural to see plants standing as isolated specimens. Mr. Russel 

 contended that an industrious gardener would always find time for the grouping 

 system, if he were disposed. Mr. Ayres showed how the form of the garden 

 should be in accordance with the paint of sight, and the form of the clumps, 

 such as to constitute a v.'hole. He also adverted to several plans in the Gar- 

 dener's Magazine, and to the striking deficiencies in the arboretum and flower- 

 garden of the Horticultural Society; and concluded with hoping that gardeners 

 would imitate Mr. Caie, and show such an acquaintance with the subject, that 

 they would no longer be obliged to succumb to the ideas of architects, and 



