356 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[May 25, 1912. 



not essentially advanced beyond Verlot'e scheme, 

 which was a mound of successive rings of etone, 

 as irregular (i.e., spiky) in shape as you could 

 manage, with " a sort of crest " crowning the 

 summit. That, of course, is rich and ambitious. 

 Pell-mell in little puddings is our general scheme ; 

 or else, if richer still, we run to the nearest 

 nurseryman, and let him do his worst in the way 

 of spikes and spires and tortured assortments 

 of ugly rock. A yet further dream is to build 

 a vast rock-work out of square blocks of Port- 

 land cement, or of convoluted slabs made of 

 some artificial concoction, which has to be fried 

 or otherwise cooked in the kitchen. 



With the exception, however, of our rather 

 weak indifference with regard to good design, 

 it may be said that the art of the rock-garden 

 is still advancing heartily among us. We have 

 long seen the beauty of the hills and their in- 

 habitants. We have learned by now how hardy, 

 easy and happy are the latter in cultivation ; so 

 hardy and happy, indeed, as to offer a far better 

 investment than most other plants, alike to the 

 cultivator of large means and of small. Cheap 

 they aro to-day, and in number like the titars. 

 Yearly becoming cheaper as the number of their 

 lovers grows yearly by thousands. They are 

 gradually getting known, too, by their proper 

 names, despite the obscurantism of catalogues ; 

 and those names now slip without protest off 

 even the least-instructed of fair tongues. Fair 

 hands, too, have undertaken to gild the Lily and 

 paint the Rose. New seedlings appear at each 

 show, with more and more pompous names each 

 time : and Saxifraga decipiens, from a mountain- 

 fairy, is being diligently trained into a red-faced 

 kitchenmaid. Alpines, in fact, have fairly be- 

 come part of our national life, and their most 

 earnest worshipper need only put in a caution 

 lest in universal passion for novelty, and show, 

 and glare, we may slip by degrees into a 

 too-florist attitude. Already it is growing neces- 

 sary to have an M Alpine " Committee; since it 

 is notorious that true Alpines do not readily 

 excite the sympathy of the Floral Committee, 

 and many an owner of a " rock-garden " craves 

 most for stretches of gorgeous Alyssum and Au- 

 biietia. None the less, there is hope for all. 

 Zeal leads to higher zeal ; and a stuffed owl may 

 share the Matter horn with Eritrichium. All 

 roads lead to the good Rome of real discerning 

 love and sympathy with the " austere little 

 people of the hills M ; and by all those roads 

 to that one goal it may gladly be said that 

 almost all gardeners in England are pressing to- 

 day. Reginald Farrcr. 



HOME CORRESPONDENCE 



(The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for 

 the opinions expressed by correspondents.) 



Clianthus Dampieri (seep. 294). — The only 

 way to obtain satisfactory results with this plant 

 is to graft it on Colutea arborescens (the Bladder 

 Senna). The grafting should be carried out when 

 both the stock and scion are in the seedling 

 stages. The Colutea should be sown in July, 

 about a week previous to the Clianthus, and both 

 in a gentle heat. The Colutea should be potted 

 in thumb-pots as soon as possible, and after being 

 for a few days in a close frame it will be 

 ready for grafting, w T hich needs to be done before 

 the plumule has developed more than one leaf. 

 Cut the centre completely out in a downward 

 direction through the hypocotyl with a very 

 sharp knife or razor, retaining the cotyledons. 

 It should be well done, or lateral buds will be 

 troublesome. Both sides of the hypocotyl of 

 the Clianthus should be carefully cut to form a 

 tiny wedge, and inserted in the corresponding 

 cut of the Colutea. Bind round with very fine 

 matting, and place the plant in a warm case for 

 a week, in the course of which time the stock and 

 scion will unite. By the end of August the grafted 

 plants will be ready for potting in small 60' s, 

 in which they may remain over the winter. The 

 potting compost should be of an open texture 

 and consist of fibrous loam and peat, with a little 

 sand and charcoal. Watering must be done with 



care during the winter, as an excess of moisture 

 may prove fatal. By the end of February 

 the plants will be ready to place in baskets. The 

 soil should be as before, but with more open and 

 lumpy material to allow water to pass away 

 freely. About the end of March the tops should 

 be pinched, which will result in a profusion of 

 side growths. The first flowers should be picked 

 off for a few weeks to induce a plentiful growth, 

 after which the plants produce their beautiful 

 trusses of dark red flowers till late in the autumn. 

 The plants should be kept all the time in a cool- 

 house, free from draughts. They should be 

 syringed overhead once or twice daily during hot 

 weather. Thrip and red spider may prove 

 troublesome and must be guarded against, espe- 

 cially during the winter. It is better to provide 

 for a succession than retain old specimens, as the 

 plants get shabby after the first year. The 

 grafting operation requires a certain amount of 

 patience, but well repays the trouble expended 

 on it. IF. H. Judd. 



The Pear Midge.— Pear trees in this and 

 other gardens of this district are badly attacked 

 by the Pear midge (Diplosis pyrivora). Infested 

 fruits may be easily detected now owing to their 

 unusual size. The fly or midge makes its first 

 appearance in April, about the time of the open- 

 ing of the blossom. The female has a long egg 

 tube, and the eggs are laid close upon the ovary 

 of the flower. The maggots hatch and eat their 

 way into the centre of the fruits ; they are very 

 minute. In the space of a few weeks the mag- 

 gots develop to about l-10th of an inch in length, 

 and by about the beginning of June are ready 

 to emerge from the fruits, drop to the ground, 

 and remain buried until they pupate the following 

 spring. No time should be lost in dealing with 

 the infested trees, picking off all fruits attacked 

 and burning them, gathering those that have 

 dropped, and burning them, as these may contain 

 maggots. Arsenical washes should be sprayed 

 on the trees when the buds are perfectly dor- 

 mant. A good remedy is to put Kainit on the 

 ground at the rate of 4 ounces to the square 

 yard as the larvse is falling, making sure this is 

 done before the larvae become enshrouded in 

 their silken cocoons, in which state they remain 

 until pupating the following spring. Lime and 

 soot may be spread oti the ground in the summer 

 time, and hoed in, with beneficial results. Trees 

 that were treated in this manner last season are 

 almost immune from attack this spring. 

 E. W. F., Henham Hall Gardens, Wangford, 

 Suffolk. 



How Garden Stuff was Used 200 Years 

 Ago. — THe last published volume of the Scrttish 

 History Society* contains among other matters 

 relating to horticulture a number of " Bills of 

 Fare " which Lady Grisell Baillie noted down at 

 dinner parties, and in these we get a good idea 

 of the place vegetables and fruit had on the 

 tables of the best society of the early Georgian 

 period. The first is dated 1715 and the last 

 1728. We could hardly expect Pineapples to 

 appear at dessert, but it is remarkable that 

 neither Grapes, Peaches, Nectarines nor Melons 

 are once mentioned, though they may have been 

 in mixed dishes of fruit which are not distin- 



guished by name. Asparagus was the most 

 popular of all vegetables, of which the variety 

 is as limited as of fruit. Two courses and 

 dessert composed the dinner, all the dishes seem- 

 ing to have been arranged on the table at once. 

 Earl of Orkney's, Oct. 12, 1715: "Ham and 

 spinach stacks, sallarly, and peas soup ; aples, 

 chestons, pears, peald walnuts." Duke of Rox- 

 burgh's, January 2: " Sparagrasse." Same 

 fruits as above. General Erie's, May 10 : " Hens 

 wt colloflour, green peas, tartes." At Mr. John- 

 ston's, May 26, 1718: "Beans and bacon, 

 archocks, peas, tarts, strawberes, chirries, 

 oranges." This gentleman was uncle to Lady 

 Grisell's husband, and earlier in King William's 

 time had been Secretary for Scotland. Bradley, 

 Switzer, and others mention Secretary Johnston 

 as a great patron of gardening. His garden was 

 attached to Orleans House, his residence at 

 Twickenham. August, at Earl of Sunderland s, 

 there was with other dishes " Soup without any- 

 thing in it," and " bottams of Raeteehocks. 

 Her & ladyship's attempts at spelling are not 

 always successful ! Princess of Wales's, July 20, 

 1720: "Bacon and beans, peas, beans, tart. 



_, ^ i — 



• The Household Book of Lady Grisell Baillie, 1692-1733. 

 Edinburgh, 1911. 



Prince of Wales's, June 22: " Frensh beans" 



scorsonera, hertickhos would do 



iiui^o ui v^dit-ss, uune £^\ rrensn beans.' 

 Earl of Carlisle's, November 20, 1722 : " Shalot 

 bitrow r es scorsonera. li»rtiVLrhna »~.ij il 



better." The same 



spinag 



• — — " vuiu \A\J 



m December 17: "Mushrooms, 

 Mir _ , sallary, sparagrass." Lord Carlisle's 

 gardens at Castle Howard were according to 

 Switzer perhaps the finest in England. Same, 

 March 28, 1725: "Kidney beans, asparagrass." 

 Duke of Hamilton's, January 25, 1725 : " Red 

 cabbage, salary, asparagrass." Duke of 

 Chandos's, April 25: " Hartichocs, spneh." 

 Lord Mountjoy's, March 15, 1727: "All sorts 

 of roots, asparagras, sallary, licks, etc. Detart: 

 Franch plumb, apricoks, aples, frenfth figs, 

 plumbs, pistache nuts, etc." Lord Halifax's, 

 May 23, 1726: "Bacon and beans, pease, 

 sparagras." Sir R. Walpole's, June 6, 1727: 

 " Currant tart, peas stewd, hautichok sukers, 

 Angeltoty." The " sukers " were probably 

 Cardoons and " Angeltoty " Angelica. An 

 " eparn in the middle " is onlv twice mentioned. 

 Early in the century the Baillies took up resi- 

 dence at Mellerstain, where new gardens, an en- 

 closed orchard, avenues, &c, were laid out. The 

 fruit trees for the orchard were bought in 

 London in 1715, and consisted of Peaches, Nec- 

 tarines, Pears, &c, though this is not mentioned 

 in this volume. The cost for 90 trees was 

 £4 Is. 6d. Three hundred Lime trees were pur- 

 chased at the same time, and with freight cos 

 £5. In 1714 Thorns cost 10s. per 1,000, " Plains 

 Id. pr. pice," Elms, 15s. per 1,000, genus 

 (Prunus avium), 4d. per 100, Firs, 12s. per 100, 

 " Anemonys " were 4d. each, Ranunculus, 3d., 

 Junquils, Id., Tulips, 2d , in all £1 5s. having 

 been disbursed for these. In 1718, 300 Horse 

 "Chestons" cost 6s., and £1 5s. was paid for 

 Chestons and Walnuts. Fir seeds were 12s., 

 Lime seeds, 5s. 6d., and white Pease, 6d., each 

 per lb. The financial transactions, of which 

 the undernoted account is a specimen, do not 

 lead one to enw those who lived in the good old 

 times. It is beaded " John Hope," who was 

 gardener for only a brief period :— 



" To his house rent, this besides his £4 



of fie (wage)... 

 To him 5 sh. 



• • • 



u ii 



5 



To him for Pringle's shoes 2 10 



To him by com from Widow Wight 2 16 B 

 To him a stone wooll at 6s. 8d., more 



8 sh 14 a 



To him which clears his wages from 

 Martimas, 1709, till Martimas, 



1710 10 



From which it appears that John Hope received 

 in cash for his 12 months' labour of body ana 

 mind just 13s. 10d., and began the next year 

 with lOd. to the good. The previous year be is 

 debited with 8s. for bed, and at the end of tne 

 year received 8s. 2§d., the balance of the trans- 

 actions. When residing in London there are dis- 

 bursements for " greens to the parlour chimney. 

 Is. 6d.," that is, evergreens to or» a , ment J^ 

 grate, also small items for doing up the garden 

 and for dressing the vine. There is a rema k- 

 able item on one occasion, viz., " Chenes at tn 

 Ball, 10a.," but as this was in Scots money » 

 looks not so alarming for a lady to -consume, tte 

 amount in sterling money being 10d. . Jhe ony 

 time a bouquet is mentioned is tor a ball at ^ 

 the "Buckie" costing 12s. Jhen h « ^ 

 daughters were married one of he it«J" in ;£ 

 account is for a garland, that for Grisell oo 

 was afterwards well known as Lady .Murra 

 costing 3s. "for ruband," while that . to ■ Rachd. 

 who married Lord Binning, cost £1 Is bd « 

 entry is "For the Garland that is brock o^e 

 the Brid's head." B. P. Brotherston. 



Sale of Orch.ds. -In your issue of thj 

 27th ult., you published a paragr aph cam 8 

 attention to the forthcoming sale of Wen 

 belonging to my late brother, H. J- f da ™ ' , 

 Roseneath, Enfield. The collection , v a , as J 

 stated, a varied and comprehensive one, 

 although not containing varieties of ] n e 

 highest merit, included many S™i a ™ d U- 

 plants. The result, however, * « * e / on ]y 



appointing; the 2,370 P^^SX which 

 £303 7s. gross (expenses not ^edf^' eT 

 works out at an average of **»uWs. ^ 49 

 plant. One plant sold for hlA £ •' the re - 

 raited only . £1 to 6 guineas each . 



mainder ranging. from 19s do * n tl /an the pn* 

 most of them bringing no more tna fc C 



of ordinary hardy herbaceous roots. 

 Adams. 



