284 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and fully exposed to bitter north-east winds— we planted a large number 

 about eighteen years ago, and the way they have grown and flourished is 

 most remarkable. I confess, however, I have a great dislike to them as 

 trees. After the age of about twenty years they become very unsightly 

 and the foliage gets very ragged. I think they should only be used as 

 nurses, or where it is desired to obtain a screen very rapidly, in which 

 capacities they are invaluable. Other trees very valuable in London are 

 different varieties of Lime and Ash, the White-beam (Pyrus Aria), the 

 Service-tree {Pyrus domestica), the Ailantus, and many varieties of the 

 Acer. The Elms, both English and Scotch, do very well, but the English 

 Oak is little good, though the Turkish variety does very well in many 

 places. A tree that ought to be planted in London a great deal more is 

 the Tulip- tree (Liriodendron tidipifera). We have a few fairly good 

 specimens in Kensington Gardens, but it is a tree which has been generally 

 much neglected. 



Another excellent as well as beautiful town tree which has been even 

 more neglected is the Ginkgo or Maiden hair- tree. On an occasion of this 

 kind I can do no more than glance at a few of the trees we use and ought 

 to use in the parks of London. 



In a public, as distinguished from a private, park or garden, it is 

 expected that there shall be a constant succession of flowers from early 

 spring to late autumn ; that the beds, as far as possible, shall never be 

 empty, involving all being filled twice, and in many cases three, four, and 

 even five times, during the year. If a bed "fails it cannot be left to itself 

 as may be done in a private establishment, and it is no uncommon thing 

 for a. bed to be cleared out and refilled entirely before nine in the morning. 



To commence with our spring gardening, directly the last summer 

 crop is out, all the beds are manured and trenched, the bulbs are put in 

 with a trowel in November, and no further attention paid to them except, 

 perhaps, a slight dressing of soot. ■ . 



A large number of new bulbs are purchased every year ; the quantity 

 required may be imagined when I tell you that to fill some of our beds 

 4,000 Tulips are required, and from 2,000 to 3,000 Hyacinths. In the 

 case of the beds in Park Lane new bulbs entirely are necessary. New 

 and old cannot be' mixed, as the latter come into flower so much earlier 

 than the former, and the result is that the cost of our bulbs in Park 

 Lane alone is usually between £300 and £"400 each season. 



I may here mention that we ha^ e always to take out our bulbs before 

 they have properly ripened and died down in order to get in our first 

 summer crop, and consequently we lose a large number that might other- 

 wise be saved. Every care, however, is taken to preserve them. They 

 are arranged in shallow trays in a dark, well-ventilated shed, and in the 

 case of Tulips they are covered with ashes to check evaporation during 

 the summer. These old bulbs are used principally next season for 

 herbaceous borders, &c. , - 



Of late years we have largely extended the system of planting bulbs 

 in the grass, in which way we get our earliest flowers. Amongst these 

 should be named Crocuses, Star Narcissi, Daftbdils, which grow and spread 

 vigorously year by year without trouble or expense. 



Winter Aconites, Snowdrops, Leucojum, Siberian and Spanish Squills, 



