66 



TEE GABDENEBS' CHRONICLE. 



[July 21, 1888. 



named varieties, can obtain seeds and raise their 

 own plants ; and if the seeds are sown early in the 

 year, pretty flowering plants can be obtained by the 

 usual time of flowering in summer. They merely 

 require to be pricked out from the seed-pots or pans 

 and shifted as they increase in size. J. Douglas. 



The Alpine Garden. 



PRIMULA AURICULATA. 

 A chakming Primrose for the open air, where we 

 have found it perfectly hardy, forming pretty healthy 

 tufts, and giving no trouble beyond the necessary 

 occasional watering during hot weather. It was 

 received from the Continent over a century ago under 

 the name of P. longifolia, and figured as such in the 

 Bot. Mag., t. 392. In habit as well as appearance 

 it bears a great affinity to P. farinosa ; the leaves are, 

 however, broader, devoid of farina, the flowers, if 

 anything, larger, and rosy-purple. While P. fariDosa 

 is found rather difficult to keep in the open air, 

 especially in foggy districts, unless pot culture be re- 

 sorted to, P. auriculata will be found a true 

 perennial, steadily increasing, and never failing with 

 abundance of its charming flower-heads, collected in 

 ball-like clusters. It ripens seed freely, but they do 

 not keep long and should be sown as soon as they 

 are gathered. Native of the Caucasus, flowering 

 April and May. B. 



HoUSTONIA CCEKULEA ALBA. 



Few plants, amongst the dwarfer of the alpines at 

 least, afford so much pleasure to the cultivator as the 

 one named above. Where a little shade can be 

 given, either on an east or north exposure, we find 

 the Houstonia perfectly at home, flowering so pro- 

 fusely as to injure itself. Indeed, although a native 

 of the warmer parts of North America, it goes 

 through our winters uninjured, unless too much 

 weakened by the cause given above. The type with 

 bluish flowers is, I believe, in cultivation, but in the 

 possession of very few growers, so far as I know — it 

 seems, indeed, to be as scarce as the variety alba is 

 plentiful. It is just possible that the typical form 

 changes colour with cultivation in our gardens, and 

 if this be so it will easily explain its scarcity. Ac- 

 cording to the Hortus Kewensis it was introduced to 

 this country over a century ago by Archibald Men- 

 zies, and figured in the Bot. Mag. of 1797, in 

 the second volume, t. 370. It may be propagated 

 either by cuttings or division, the latter being the 

 quickest, as the divisions form tufty little plants the 

 following spring, flowering all the summer. B. 



Perfection there is a great family resemblance, and 

 of this most useful kind, producing smooth, solid, 

 scarlet-coloured fruits, there are some 250 plants 

 in the collection — a sufficient evidence of the popu- 

 larity of this particular type. Haw Green Favourite, 

 certificated last year, is a variety worthy of note, 

 being much esteemed at Chiswick. 



Horsford's Prelude, another good thing, is an 

 American introduction, and will be appreciated by 

 those who like a somewhat small Tomato. It pro- 

 duces its beautiful deep scarlet fruits in clusters, 

 sometimes numbering as many as eighteen fruits, 

 and bearing to within 6 inches of the ground. The 

 plants are characterised by a stocky and compact 

 habit. Early Scarlet Tennis Ball is a round Plum- 

 shaped fruit, which is produced in clusters — a very 

 free setter ; a good sort to cultivate where quantity 

 is a desideratum. Laxton's Open-air, a good early 

 variety and a free setter : and that good-all-round 

 variety, Hathaway's Excelsior, also find a place in the 

 collection. Golden Queen is a very fine yellow- 

 skinned variety, certificated by the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Committee two years ago. 



Iu a lean-to house adjoining is a collection of 

 about fifty varieties, grown in 12-inch and 16-inch 

 pots, and containing some of the newer sorts, which 

 promise well. Iu this house we noted some capital 

 examples of the Currant Tomato. What a beautiful 

 decorative subject, when ripe, with its racemes of 

 diminutive fruits ! -If. 



TOMATOS AT CHISWICK. 



The old-Rose house in the Royal Horticultural 

 Society's Garden is this season given up to the cul- 

 tivation of Tomatos, and will be one of the attrac- 

 tions of the garden during the latter part of the 

 season, when the plants will be in full fruiting 

 state. 



We learn that, on the average, the yearly con- 

 sumption of Tomatos by the Londoner is about 

 57 lb. 4 oz., that of the Parisian being only 

 17 lb. 2 oz. ; so that we may justly call this a 

 popular vegetable in London. 



As the collection under notice contains a large 

 number of varieties, it should be a very interesting 

 one, and a few notes upon them may prove of service 

 to our readers. The Rose-house is a light, airy 

 structure, of about 100 feet in length by 30 feet in 

 width, and contains some 450 plants, planted out in 

 lour borders — two on each side of the central walk. 

 The plants are grown with single stems, and trained 

 to stakes about 6 feet in height. The seed was sown 

 early in March, the planting-out taking place about 

 the middle of April. Ordinary garden soil is that 

 used. A capital set of fruit has been obtained, and 

 the plants are in vigorous health. 



Amongst all the sorts bearing the name of 



Scotland. 



CATHCART NURSERIES. 

 About ten minutes' walk in an easterly direction 

 from Cathcart Station, on a considerable elevation, lie 

 the new nurseries of Messrs. Austin & McAslan, nur- 

 seryman and seedsmen, 16, Buchanan Street, Glas- 

 gow. These nurseries, in extent about 40 acres, have 

 been only three years broken in from farm land, and 

 are already fully stocked with forest and ornamental 

 trees and shrubs and fruit trees in variety : Rhodo- 

 dendrons are a specialty. The stocks of every sort 

 outdoors are in capital health, the soil being good, 

 and the atmosphere pure. A very commodious 

 and handsome suite of offices, with dwelling- 

 houses for the leading servants, and a fine block 

 of plant-houses and frames, have been erected 

 within the past twelve months. The houses are 

 well stocked with stove and greenhouse plants, 

 florists' flowers and Orchids, the latter chiefly Odon- 

 toglots, all in excellent health and condition. The 

 houses themselves are thoroughly substantial, yet 

 light and elegant in style, models of what plant- 

 houses should be. A very complete collection of 

 hybrid greenhouse Rhododendrons occupies a con- 

 siderable space in one of the houses, and appears to 

 be making ground rapidly in public favour in the 

 West of Scotland. Altogether there is a pleasing 

 air of substance and thrift about the whole estab- 

 lishment that is cheering to note in an old firm in 

 these days of general change and collapse in the 

 trade. The career of the firm dates from 1717. 



AlKENHEAD. 



This, the seat of John Gordon, Esq., is situate 

 about a quarter of an hour's walk from Cathcart 

 Station, which is distant about four miles from 

 Central Station, Glasgow. Lying to the south of the 

 city, in a rural district, the park, which is of 

 moderate extent, is furnished with well-grown 

 plantations and handsome specimens of ornamental 

 deciduous trees in fine health. Rhododendrons are 

 a special feature in the kept grounds. They are not 

 only objects of interest to Mr. Gordon, but are 

 found to be the best hardy shrubs that can 

 be planted in the neighbourhood. The collection, 

 always a good one, has been much increased within 

 the last seven or eight years. The winters of 1879 

 and 1880 revealed conclusively in this district that 

 the whole Laurel tribe, and most other evergreens, 

 were not proof against such arctic frosts as occurred 



in those seasons. Masses of Laurels of great size 

 and density were killed at that time, and have been 

 replaced by masses of Rhododendrons of the best 

 hybrid sorts. Our visit was made at the time they 

 were in flower, and amongst the hundreds of plants 

 blooming abundantly were such brilliant and familiar 

 sorts as Michael, John, and Mrs. John Waterer, 

 Lady Eleanor Cathcart, Everestianum, and many 

 others. 



The flower-gardening features include pretty nearly 

 every style, from the ordinary types of bedding to 

 carpet-bedding and picturesque beds, the latter being 

 done with hardy shrubs of contrasting colours and 

 habit, vvhich have an excellent effect in combination 

 with the surrounding flower-beds. Hardy plants of 

 the herbaceous kinds receive a considerable share of 

 the attention of Mr. Hogg, the intelligent and 

 capable gardener. 



In the kitchen garden borders were to be seen 

 masses of Orchis foliosa and O. maculata superba, 

 2 feet or more in diameter, composed of dozens of 

 plants throwing up their flowers most vigorously. 

 In a snug corner by the door of one of the houses 

 was a group composed of Cypripedium pubescens 

 and C. spectabile, along with Tropieolum poly- 

 phyllum and the rare Lychnis chalcedonica alba. 

 These already mentioned, along with beds of purple 

 and old Double White Rockets — both the Scotch 

 and French forms of the latter being equally well 

 attended to — will suffice to indicate the opinion of 

 Mr. Hogg as to what really good hardy herbaceous 

 plants are. 



The walls of the kitchen garden are well clothed 

 with fruit trees. Plums are plentiful, so also are 

 Cherries, but Apples are scarce, and Pears almost 

 nil, owing to late frosts. Peaches on the open south 

 wall are well set, and the trees healthy. 



The kitchen -garden contains a long range of 

 rather old-fashioned lean-to fruit-houses, well 

 stocked with Vines and Peach trees bearing good 

 crops. From the centre of this range there extend 

 two roomy span-roofed modern plant-houses, one of 

 which is devoted to Ericas of the hard-wooded class, 

 to Azalea indica, and to New Holland plants now-a- 

 days so rarely seen, even in large establishments. 

 Here they are done well, and Mr. Hogg, it may be 

 remarked, has won many laurels at the shows in the 

 West of Scotland with this class of plants. 



To Orchids there are four or five houses devoted. 

 The collection is young, but in capital health, and 

 contains choice species and varieties of all the 

 popular genera. Some fine forms of Cattleya Mossiae, 

 a remarkable variety of Miltonia Roezlii, with an 

 enormously broad and long lip, almost pure white ; 

 several well-flowered specimens of Vanda suavis ; 

 Odontoglossum citrosmum, and several Cypripe- 

 diums, were the chief of those in flower at the time 

 of our visit. W. S. 



Cabbage Competition. 



We learn from the Kelso Mail of July 11 

 that Messrs. Stuart & Mein, seedsmen, Kelso, 

 encouraged by the great success attending the 

 Cabbage Competition which they inaugurated 

 last year, determined to hold a similar com- 

 petition this season, and accordingly Friday, 

 July 6, was the date fixed for the exhibition. Last 

 year, with a view to demonstrating the superiority 

 of Mein's No. 1 Cabbage as an early variety, the 

 firm offered a premium of £5 for the best pair of 

 hearts grown from seed directly supplied by them, 

 the date of exhibition being in May. On that occa- 

 sion the prize was won by Mr. D. Inglis, Howick 

 Hall, Northumberland, with two fine Cabbages 

 weighing 8} lb. This year a premium of £5 was 

 again held out, Messrs. Stuart & Mein being de- 

 sirous of now showing that their Cabbage was also 

 the best late variety, standing longest without burst- 

 ing; and hence the reason for the show being held 

 much later than last year. As indicating the wide- 

 spread interest manifested in the competition, it may 

 be mentioned that no fewer than ninety-one pairs of 

 hearts were sent in from all parts of Great Britain 

 and Ireland. There was a large consignment from 

 the Southern and Western Counties of England ; 



