May 14. 



1898- 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE 



311 



r,„ m the time of writing, quite a large number of Britishers 

 THBff *<* ks h S could have been found hurrying off, via Ostend, Dover 



i** ing th i JStoS^ there - Not a few °f theSC , W ,l rC r Vi - Cd 



qainquennial JyJJJ^J and such had to present themselves at the Casino 

 to act as judges at UK A n , 5 hence the i r haste. Those who preferred 



Z^»^ffX^^ or two travdled ™ Ha ™ i( *' ^ *e Great 

 a* 1 ' 4 * av Sny's service, and so enjoyed a good night's rest on board 

 ^JflSlSST^ S***- From Antwerp to Ghent is not a far 

 eithC Ind t£ early train is caught l ittle time is lost on the journey. 



arntei oart of Belgium is flat country, a country of verdant greenery, o. 



•™ C J?^ and lines of trees - Tre6S " ne the r ° ad ? 



m0lS l S hree number of them belong to the Government ; from trees of any 



the branches are removed up to a height of fifteen to twenty feet so that 



* e i h not impeded, and small boys do not find it an easy matter to damage 



CCr branches. The majority of the trees that grow in the towns, especially 



t e 7uS S open market places, are provided with a large iron grating that 



?nXee or four feet on all sides of the base of the trunk, and thus prevents 

 S^ee to the bases of large roots, and affords an opportunity for giving a xp* 



3le amount of water to the trees should they need it, and this opportunity IS 

 E advantage of. The soil of the Belgian lowlands is so light and easily worked 

 Zt no one seems to think of putting foot to a spade when digging ; the large 

 hart-shaped spades used would frighten half our garden labourers at home, and 

 indeed they would be unmanageable in some of the stiffer soils found in our 



islands. 



Ghent itself is the centre of an extensive nursery trade, and in it and its suburbs 

 there are over three hundred nursery establishments of varying size, some of them 

 ?«ry large and well kept. In very few, however, is there any very large variety of 

 plants cultivated, the general principle is special culture ; and the chief subjects 

 grown— grown well and in enormous quantities — are bays, palms (chiefly kentias), 

 ualcas, araucarias, dracoenas (largely D. lineata and varieties), anthuriums, and a 

 few other aroids, and bromeliads (chiefly nidulariums caraguatas, and vriesias). 

 Huge ridge and furrow houses are now the order, and their contents are certainly 

 wonderfully vigorous and well furnished. In a comparatively few establishments 

 fctrd-wooded plants are largely cultivated, and in such are to be seen regiments of 

 Citrus sinensis— the Otaheite orange, ficuses, aspidistras, and Phormium tenax 

 and its variegated form. Whither go all these plants ? is the question that natu- 

 rally arises. They go north, south, east, and west ; bays and big palms to 

 Russia and Northern Germany ; palms, araucarias, and anthuriums to our islands 

 ind many continental countries ; azaleas go to almost every country in Europe, 



indso we might continue. Belgium does a large home trade in plants, but a vastly 

 higer one abroad. 



About the wonderful exhibition at the Casino and adjoining galleries and hall 

 little need be said after the comprehensive and amply illustrated report provided 

 bjr the Gardeners^ Magazine in its issue of April 23. It seemed to the 

 writer that the magnificent azaleas were too dazzling, and placed too close together 

 for artistic effect. Coming from the gallery out on to the staircase head in the 

 annexe the breadth of azaleas made one's eyes blink again. Perhap? Mr. Pynaert, 

 who is the landscape gardener of the exhibition, will think of some means of pre- 

 fenting such an expanse of vivid colours from being apparent all at once upon the 

 nett occasion. The effect in the Casino was splendid— restful greenswards, 

 towering palms, luxuriant aroids, bristling cycads, gorgeous orchids, falling water, 

 phod pool, rustic bridge, winding paths, all combined to make up a real garden 

 of pleasure for the visitor, even though such arrangement was a bit hard upon the 



The two most- talked-about plants at Ghent were Acalypha Sanderi, with its 

 £g crimson tails, and a huge pyramidal specimen of Draccena Sanderiana ; both 



^r?? re i r °? n ? • Albans l) y the firm whose name they bear, and no doubt 

 2£r°f f £ rthc T m S Tem P le Show will also talk a good deal about them, 

 wruos from Brussels and Bruges were excellent in variety, though small in 



^ ,k l° gl0SSUm from the Wa,ton Gran g e collection, however, sur- 

 bTS Z L°r m °^ n ' Two hybrid orchidf; of considerable merit were staged 

 *own S T nS i if 011 ' ? run °y» who a,so raised LaHo-cattleya Lady Wigan, 



ST of th^T emple t v ° f 1897 and figured in the Gardeners' Magazine of 



•ad j t derive l yCar -' • f llo " cattle -y a H «ry Greenwood was the chief newcomer, 

 k-k:. v ? SWs on pn from C. Hardvana and T.. eWan* v*r . S* mmWn« tV^ 



parents 



these 



Lawreanceana, 



Both 



S^^BxSf^t beCOmC thC propcrt 7 ° f MeSSrS - ^ harles " 



Londfn nSe^mSfl 8 wJ \°took part in or visited the Ghent Quinquennial, 

 it^ *, n nu "erymen figured krcrelv. Ould Oireland was well represented by 



M«rs m nurser ymen figured largely. 



hom t r r !- a " d Burb idge ; Auld ReeKie senc rrotessor Balfour. D. Laird 



labour,^ with respect to horticultural exhibitions as well as inuiviauais, ana it the 

 love has some ulterior motive, the latter is not made glaringly apparent ; all 

 ends are served, and everyone feels happy and pleased with everyone else. May 

 the good folks of Ghent and neighbourhood prosper! 



Besides its nurseries Ghent has a large flower and plant market held among 

 the trees in the Place d'Armes. Here some of the poorest of the Gantoise may 

 be seen purchasing a few flowers, ivy growths, &c. , for home decoration, a pot 

 plant for the window, or some perennials for the tiny garden. Folks of the 

 better class also saunter among the stalls and pick their way amid the scores of 

 burly draught dogs ; they, too, make purchases, and about the breakfast hour may 

 be seen carrying home their treasures. About mid-day the market closes, and 

 soon the remaining plants, flowers, seeds, &c, are carted away, and the square 

 is soon swept and watered. From the railway station en route to the Casino one 

 could not fail to notice the number of plants in the windows of houses of all 

 classes ; among the better working classes the most popular window plant would 

 seem to be Impatiens Sultani. 



It is frequently urged that it would be impossible to organise a big show at 

 home lasting for a week, as the nurserymen and others would not allow their 

 exhibits to remain for such a length of time. This is an erroneous idea, as proved 

 by the Ghent Show, where at least five representative British nursery firms staged 

 extensively, and several of them did not compete for prizes. One English and 

 several c ontinental amateurs of spirit sent choice orchids, and these remained 

 throughout the exhibition. What can be done in Belgium can be done here if 

 only there was a little more cohesion among horticulturists. There has been no 

 really great horticultural display in Britain since 1866, and there does not appear 

 to be any likelihood of growers showing their real strength until the R.H.S. cele- 

 brates its centenary. Where such exhibition will take place is a matter already 

 exercising the minds of not a few, for it should be on a scale sufficient to surpass 

 anything of the kind ever before held in this or any other country. 



Nothing in Belgium generally, and Ghent particularly, strikes the British 

 stranger more forcibly than the high social status of horticulturists, both amateur 

 and professional. Many notable Belgian horticulturists hold high rank by reason 

 of their , birth or merit, and we can find parallels to these at home. But over 

 there the head gardener of any importance is treated like a count, provided his 

 education is good — the general rule ; and the nurseryman who has been diligent 

 in business may not only stand before the king, but converse with him, while in 

 his native town or suburb he is looked up to instead of being regarded as " merely 

 the nurseryman." Such men do not give themselves airs, they carry their honours 

 modestly ; you meet them at the banquet or raout with the Order of Leopold, or 

 some other decoration in the buttonhole of their swallow-tail coat, and next day 

 you find them at the garden or nursery with soft hat and blue blouse on, busy 

 among the plants or in the office. Our national pride would probably not allow 

 us to do this, and, perhaps, we should kick over the traces if honoured in any 

 way. So it may be these things are best as they are, though those sixty persons 

 who can attach V.M.H. to their names have not given evidence of insanity as 

 some considered they would after the conferment of the order. Servator. 



Pear Beurre de Jonghe. 



My gardener has called my attention to a recent article in the Gardeners' 

 Magazine by Mr. Prinsep, and I should not write, but that the writer says he 

 never ate a good Beurre de Jonghe pear. We have about fifty or sixty pear trees, 

 almost all either espalier or pyramid, and the second best pear we grow is Beurre 

 de Jonghe. It wants picking before quite ripe, but not before the sun has given 

 it a tin|e of colour, and then at Christmas it is difficult to beat. I planted nearly 

 all my trees fifteen to seventeen years ago, and tried to plant sufficient varieties 

 and of the sorts to give a dish eight months in the year. A mistake, for rf I had 

 to plant again I should take about eight of proved «<* U W 

 My trees are worked both on the quince and the pear. I enclos M of our 

 kinds as they ripen, with a word as to the quality : Citron de Carme, for the 

 Sdren : wSelle good ; Williams, good ; Durandeau, most excellent ; Mane 

 Louise very Seckle, delicious ; Beurre de Capiaumont, some seasons ft* 

 ^iSpSi wrtW; LouiseBonne, *^^J<^^?^& 

 Ne Plus Meuris, good in a hot year ; Beurre Superfin ^ excel e *t > ™ 

 *n1enHid • Beurre de Tonghe, next to Durandeau for quality ; beurre d fcsperen, 



on quince worthless. I have a dozen others, but they are not 



of much consequence. j g 



Shiplake, Henley. on- Thames. 



Pool, and Kew sent r i?f P A S S ? me 0t ^ erS - The Kers > P* re et fil *> went from Liver 

 P***en were v er v SttT^ 1 ! . Curator and orchid expert. The horticultural 



■mi : c ve «y evident. nnH ir »ro P « a:cc~.^4. , 



PYRUS SIKKIMENSIS. 



A very distinct and prett'y *^j& k J& Tv/St** 

 present issue-P. s.k tamensis. £ is J^ fJ feet upon the 



its home is at an elevation of from seven { ^ ^ 



Sikkim Himalayas. ^J^ZicMtit. In June and July the 

 feet, and develops into & / t0 ^YJ a ^]etree is covered with white, for 

 rose-coloured buds expand, and the who'ejree 



rose-coloured buds expand, ana mc faintest sus- 



The ovate leaves vary from tnree i surfaces are slightly 



nate, and have serrated "Ismail red fruits, speckled with white, 

 tomentose. In September the smau reo; , h.^ ^ ^ ^ 



ripen, and have a veyfljWJ H ooker, who sent home 

 not particularly palatable J °^ eeable stew of them when 



~ -~ -v ~ 7 - seeds in 1849, states that he tnaae sikUimen sis in the 



Possibly there were other botanising in the Himalayas. month Qr SQ Uer than 



the species blooms in its d the W1 id apple and the 



differs from the two other Hima y p of ^ genus 



tttion was the b» „ 2* lea /t ,nt f resting matter in connection with this 

 - n ote$ compared K!" 7 Kewites present ; old memories were revived 



V**** W. Watson Tw >u • R °l fe T ' F ' Sander ' R - H - Pearson, L. Piret, L. 

 ^* » continu n i i; riil T eatfters ' and J- F. Wilke. It is a sign of the influence 



5*. g»rdeners. eBiS^I Up °- n matters horticultural, for here were mirserv- 

 ^ewites u-K„ _ , u,tt . lors . botanists, and 



(red 



Cou 



» l«*Hin c 

 Agri 



Pvtook 

 n P<nses 



^"cultural and • , o . , lu lcarn « ine Uosp: 



of 11 felt the? wer^ a " 1Ca i SoC1Cty ° f Ghent was P r °^se, 

 • b »t it acted « ^ onoured • 14 did not perceptibly 



SP mmm »w n U ^AW'WU 



and in these matters some of 

 learn. The hospitality of the 



and all who 

 lessen one's 



lighb 



differs from the ^..^^^^^yi^ group of the genus 

 Siberian Crab, yet hke them >t be ongs to 



pyrus. Horticulturally the *gg is now figur ed one given 



indica, but its true name Griffith was the discoverer 

 by Sir J Hooker. The tree, and the Kew Herbarium contains 



i^g^s^*^ - eariy fifty years aga 



