1 6S 



THE 



GARDENERS' 



MAGAZINE 



March 



Patr 



Gar 



Cypr 



San 



c unin.r is reputedly one of exceeding healthiness, 

 T 1 1 k occupation of %™**™*» JJfo for that those who work at it should 



and as a resu It, it is o^uraUy if facts bear out th is supposi- 



Direct or first hybrids of cypripediums are almost »1~ 



NS. 



live to gnat old age. It does not seem --- - , ^ horticulture know 



tion, whil S f. m oitj^^ in reference 



that very old practitioners are not ^ ^ ^ rf 



failures. When two such distinct 



ery 



of 



■: 



*4 



didates, all gardeners, who recently 

 applied to be elected as pensioners 

 on the Gardeners' Benevolent In- 

 stitution, and, exclusive of widows, 

 there were thirty-four of such 

 applicants, and of these there were 

 twenty in the seventies, and no less 

 than fourteen in the sixties. The 

 oldest was seventy-nine, and four 

 others were seventy-eight years 

 old— oddly enough not one of these 

 aged persons was 

 youngest was sixty years of age 

 only, and some others were but a 

 year or two older. It does not say 

 much for the assumed healthiness 

 of the gardening profession that so 

 many persons should, at so com- 

 paratively an early age, thus be 

 forced to appeal for charitable help. 

 Reading over this list with appended ages, so sad in its associations, 

 my thoughts reverted to a brighter aspect in remembering some very aged 

 men, yet playing their parts in gardening, and doing it well too, with 

 wonderful vigour and energy. I know some well in the seventies putting 

 to shame many others not one half their age who greatly lack force and 

 vigour, There is one whose portrait is so admirably presented here, a 

 gardener who has been hard at work for more than sixty years, and is 

 to-day astonishingly vigorous and active. This is Mr. W. Smythe, still 

 gardener at Basing Park, Hants, the seat of W. Nicholson, Esq. This 

 septuagenarian tells that he began work at twelve years of age in the 

 garden of Captain Booth, UfFord Place, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, where 

 he remained five years. The natural conclusion, therefore, is that he was 

 an industrious lad and did well. Next, whilst very young, he undertakes 

 charge of B garden at St. John's Wood for four years ; then he was three 

 years with Hendersons, of Pineapple Nursery, in that day almost the 



what we 



than 



una. the 



Mr. W. Smythe. 



C. superbiens are used as parents it is easy to foretell that th^^ m 

 will also be distinct. C. Sandenanum was discovered bv Ffi f pro &% 

 when collecting in the Malay Archipelago for Messrs F 

 Co., St. Albans, and sent home about 1885. According to t!!* ** 

 nomenclature this should be a paphiopedium, and it is of m **** 

 ^o;«nr ^t e rest inasmuch as it almost provides the missing linVhL 



have hitherto known as cypripediums and seleniiS 

 ^ aupci uicns is now a well-known orchid, though not overaW* 

 collections; it was introduced in the first instance by the M * * 

 Rollison in 1855, and two years later by the Messrs. Yeitch each? 1 

 obtaining one plant only, and from these the present cultivated q^lI? 

 been propagated. The nearest ally of C. superbiens is C. C 

 latter being more robust and with bolder flowers. 



C. Sandero-superbiens is due to the efforts of two successful orchitfet* 

 and hybridisers, Captain Vipan and Mr. X. Cookson. The form* 

 crossed the two species and carefully watched over the seed-parent uS 

 the seed was ripe. Part of the seed was given to Mr. N. Cookson. 

 Oakwood, Wylam-on-Tyne, who was the first to bring a seedling toS 

 flowering stage On August 29, 1893, this specimen was exhibited at a 

 meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, when an award of merit wis 

 granted. The accompanying illustration represents a specimen staged 

 by Mr. Cookson at the Drill Hall, Westminster, on February 8 last/aS 

 one that was greatly admired for its robust habit and fine bold flower* 

 The foliage reminds one forcibly of Cypripedium Curtisi both in size aid 

 mottling. The flowers are borne two together on a tall blackish scant 

 The dorsal sepal is greenish vvhite, striped and lined with very deep 

 purplish brown ; the apex of this organ is very acutely pointed. The 

 petals, long and depending, show in a marked degree the influence or 

 C. Sanderianum ; the ground colour is a peculiar shade of greeni* 

 yellow, and on this are numerous and somewhat heavy, irregular dots of 

 purplish brown. The labellum is very prominent, large, and pouched, a 

 in C. superbiens or C. Curtisi, and of a dark brown colour, though slightly 

 paler at the mouth ; the infolded side lobes are dotted with purple brown. 

 Altogether C. Sandero-superbiens is one of our stateliest cypripedes, and 

 in a general way can only be compared with the lovely C. Morgana 

 Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons were true prophets when they described the 



leading plant nursery of London ; and from there he was sent as foreman and supplying the hybridist with a most distinct agency for the production 



to that once famous garden, Cooper's Hill, Egham, then in the occu- 

 pation of Mr. John Cathcart, who was a liberal horticultural patron. His 

 next situation was that of gardener to the once famous racing baronet, 

 Sir Joseph llawley, being recommended for the position by Mr. Thomas, 

 then a well-known landscape gardener. Here he set out the new gardens, 

 erected conservatory, and various plant houses and vineries, and in doing 

 much good work gained experience also. Later he entered the service of 

 the Rev. John Matthew, in Dorsetshire, and here again laid out the 

 grounds, erected houses, and thoroughly made the place. Through 

 death, however, his engagement here terminated in eighteen months ; 

 and from there he came to Chelsea, and was for a short time with 

 the firm of Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, who later sent him to 

 Almham Hall, in Norfolk, the seat of Lord Sondes, where he remained 

 nineteen years, leaving there again after a death in the family. Finally 

 he engaged as gardener with his present employer, Mr. Nicholson, 

 with whom he has lived honoured and esteemed, some twenty-two 

 and a half years. His is a very varied and long term of work, one 

 of which any man may well be proud. It is the working life of a 

 man who is now seventy-five years of age, and looks as hearty and is 

 so active, that he may even yet put in many years more of labour at 

 Basing Park. 



Mr. Smythe has always been interested in crossing and hybridising, and 

 has produced many excellent things, and his latest efforts in that direction 

 seem to have been with kidney beans, for the strain known as " Smythe's 

 Hybrids" are of his production. He crossed dwarfs and scarlet runners 

 originally with much success ; then he again crossed the scarlet runner 

 with Canadian Wonder, and also with one of his best dwarf hybrids. From 

 these crosses came the two very fine dwarf beans shown to the Fruit 

 Committee at the Drill Hall on August 10 last year. The product 

 of the latter cross, named Goliath, was undoubtedly one of the finest and 

 most prolific dwarf beans ever seen ; and if it keeps true when put into 

 commerce, as it probably will be next year, it will doubtless be 

 very popular. One of the most important of the ornamental plants 

 raised by Mr. Smythe is Tacsonia Smythiana, obtained from a 

 cross effected between T. mollissima and another species. Basing 

 Park, Mr. Smythe's present location, is a beautiful place, famous in 

 history as the site of Basing House of Cromwell's time ; and lies 

 almost midway between Alton and Petersfield. When the new light 

 railway being constructed to run from Basingstoke, vi& Alton, down 

 the valley to Fareham is completed, Basing Park will be very acces- 



slbIe - A. Dean. 



of new and interesting forms. 



Spring Cabbage. 



With such a mild winter as we have had, spring cabbages promise to be 

 earlier than usual, and I fear in some gardens there will be many loft 

 from "bolting," as recently I saw several quarters that had alreauy 

 suffered in this respect. For many years I, in common with many others, 

 lost a good portion of our spring crop by premature flowering, but there 

 are few losses now, owing to our different mode of culture. Many growers 

 are far too kind to the plants, for it is a common practice to P lacclar P 

 quantities of rich manure under the roots of small plants, and the real 

 is a soft growth that bolts after the least check. Some of our older 

 varieties are much addicted to " bolting," and it is not well to rely up* 

 these for the earliest supplies ; many are large, and sutler more iron 

 cold than smaller kinds, So far I have not met with any variety equi 

 to Ellam's for earliness and stability. Many market growers wt 

 excellent varieties of their own selection, but they grow larger kinds «■ 

 Ellam's. The latter is too small for their purposes, but on tne oi» 

 hand, the market stock for spring supplies is grown in s " ,ta ^ lc 

 open field, and less subject to disease than on old garden land, so u» 

 there is less "bolting" than in soil much manured. . 



My plan to prevent running will not commend itself to an, dui 

 this merit, that we have few failures and little anxiety as to our 

 do not manure the land at all when planting, yet many think quan 

 spring cabbage cannot be too rich ; we did manure formerl >; * adopl 

 result that we lost a goodly portion of our crop, and th * s ™ a °,_ nt -^ 

 other measures. Seeing what good results followed the piam 

 broccoli on land which had produced a crop, and not dug ^or ow 

 prepared, we followed the same plan for early cabbage, ana n 1 

 lose one per cent, from any cause. Our cabbages follow thc f ^*^ 

 onions, and having a light soil we tread and roll the lana iu ^ ^ 



other • * 

 rare 



onions, and having a light soil we treaa ana run ^ u 



crop, and this frequent working upon the land makes 1 1 cabb|JCS 

 possible; the surface is lightly hoed over after the crop, ana 1 1 



put out the latter part of September, or earlier, according to 



Drills are drawn to prevent the moisture given when nee ^j, 



away. The roots are firmly trodden in when planted, anu 



seas* 



>tuffc 

 none 



Pickled Gherkins. 



. , c .... « _ —These are small young cucumbers, used almost exclu- 

 sively for pickling. The best ones for the purpose are those about three inches and 

 a half long and one inch in diameter, when less than this they have very little 



SITS: i ^ L 0l $ h ' P ? ckIy skin with a clean cloth and some dry salt, 



boih "g K vln te ar ' simn >er for five minutes, then drain, and 

 piacc n suitame jars ana bottles. Distribute the various spices as evenly as 



E^nl ' ST ^ Vmegar ° Ver ; and when coId finish off ^ the usual 



frllTJi qUaft of , vine g ar half an ounce each of salt and whole 

 - 1 lorsF w^e tarragon, a large blade of mace, and half a dozen cloves. 



Decern- 



a oiuiuy uaru growtn. une can eaiuy •« > - > , . 



our cabbages with a fertiliser in showery we*™*?.' l " L (ee S«* 

 marked in a few days after giving the food. 1 belie ^ 



beneft 



nrst*** 



To show how early the season is, we shall cut treeiy 

 in March, as the cabbages are growing as freely as in »i» ^ VyTH £S. 



Syon Gardens. 



