November 30, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



917 



THE LING. 



The common form of Ling — Culluna (or 

 Erica) vulgaris — is more or less familiar 

 to everyone, from the fact that it is the 

 popular heather of our hills and moors, and 

 during August and September it ti'ansforms 

 them into glowing sheets of ruddy purple, 

 presenting a colour picture of rare and 

 refreshing beauty. The conditions under 

 which it suoceeds are generally indifferent 

 in character, and as it withstands great 

 exposure there is every reason for planting 

 it extensiA^ely in gardens or grounds of a 



semi-wild natiire. 



The type has given 

 varieties, and it is to these that planters 

 should specially direct their 



rise to numerous 

 that planters 

 attention, as 



they include some of our most beautiful 

 hardy Ericaceous plants. Like the type, 

 they succeed best in a sandy loam, although 

 in this respect they are not fastidious, pro- 



form strong bushes up to two and three 

 feet higli. The latter is tlie most attrac- 

 tive, as the foliage has a definite mossy 

 character that appeals to one, irrespective 

 of the flowers. The variety flora plena is a 

 most captivating subject, with silvery- 

 purple flowers in the foi-m of miniature 

 rosettes ; it is more spreading in habit than 

 the foregoing, and bears clipping with im- 

 punity. Alporti forms a 'arge bush with 

 dark-coloured foliage and bright crimson 

 flowers. Pilosa, pumila, and rigida are 

 dwarf Avhite-flowered forms ; and hypnoides 

 and pygm^ea are purple KX)loured, also 

 dwarf. Argentea andaurea are silvery and 

 golden-leave-d respectively, the former more 

 compact in growth than aurea. 



A most successful instance of the judicious 

 use of the varieties of Ling, on an extended 

 scale, is to be seen in the grounds of Pyrf ord 

 Court, near Woking, the property of tlie 

 Hon. Rupert Guinness. Each variety is 



PLANTING 



TREES 



Choice of Site. 



Among the many impressions made upon 

 the observer who has travelled amongst 

 the orchards and fruit plantations of this 

 country, the one which often strikes hina 

 most is the immense importance attach- 

 ing to a right or wrong choice of a 

 site for the orchard or jilantation. 



Fruit is so often planted in a haphazard 

 maimer, just anywhere, without proper 

 thought and care being bestowed upon the 

 question as to whether the field is suitaible 



in any way. 



The last few years has seen such a revo- 

 lution in questions of transport, a revolu- 

 tion which is only just beginning, and has 

 not yet reached tht^ full extent of itJS possi- 

 bilities, that one of the chief factors which 

 formerly governed the choice of a site for 

 fruit growing is fast losing its significance. 



^ '-^-4 



A 



aiiOUP OF CALLUNA (ERICA) VULGARIS HAMMOND!. 



In the gardens at Pyrford Court, near Woking. 



vided lime is not present, as in a soluble 

 state this substance is highly injurioiis to 

 the roots. The Ling is an evergreen, hard- 

 woodeil shrub, and requires the soil made 

 very firm at planting. It is also beneficial 

 to the plants to c^lip them over after flower- 

 ing, as this induces a <ltMiser habit, ami 

 with those that are naturally dwarf, the 

 result is a elose^ compact carpet of verdure. 



Where the garden proper extends into 

 the grounds, many positions will occur for 

 including varieties of Ling. They are ad- 

 iturable as foreground subjects to azaleas, 

 rhododendrons, kalmi^is, and allied plants, 

 JHid with liliums like L. Hansoni, L. testa- 



Hun, L. umbellatum 

 <xeum inter-group 

 oodland nictureof 2 



picture of great beauty wall gene 

 rally result. Probably the most popular 

 ^^arieties of Ling are Hammondi and 

 ^^*arlei ; both have white flowers, and they 



massed in quantity and due regard given to 

 the habit and colour of each, hoth as dis- 

 closed by the flowers and tho toliage; and 

 from the latter alone a must interesting 

 colour scheme results, to which the pme 

 trees and rustic stone paths form a most 

 picturtvsque setting. Thomas Smith. 

 Cdombe Court Gardens, 

 Kingston Hill. 



A Heavy Crop of Potatoes. 



^ ^ -I 



have weighed and sorted an enormous crop 

 of Factor potatoes. I used Scotch seed, a 

 liberal dressing of Webbs' Special Potato 

 Manure, and sprayed the haulm twice with 

 Woburn mixture. They came out at 22 

 tons 10 cwt. to the acre, of which 18 tons 

 are ware and the rest seed and chats. In 

 this part of the country potatoes ate not 



orOOd 



J. S. S. Godwin, James House, Ha<lr 



low, Kent 



i.e., the relative position of the proposed 

 site to the market or markets it hopes to 

 serve. At time it was essential that 

 it should lie situate either within easy 

 road distance ot the market, which cer- 

 tainly limiteil ii to twenty miles' radius^ 

 or close to a railway station with a good 



service of trains. 



With the great strides which have been 

 made in motor traction, the distance which 

 fruit can be profitably carried by road has 

 been certainly doubled, if not trebled, while 

 in many cases it has rendered the grower 

 absolutely independent of the railways for 

 the carriage of his produce. Thus, one of 

 the big factoid in deciding on a site for 

 fruit growmg has been, to a great extent, 

 eliminated. It is possible to give, there- 

 fore, greater attention to, and to be more 

 discriminating in, the choice of the site, as 

 judged from other standpoints. 



