3H 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



May 



! 4i 1898. 



production of seeds. The crops have mostly been sown or planted, and with the 

 assistance of recent rains are making good progress. In the houses and frames we 

 noticed several hundred thousand plants of asters that were being hardened off 

 preparatory to being planted out on the sunny slopes for seed production. It has 

 been found that heavy crops of perfectly ripened seed can be harvested at Swanley, 

 and the Messrs. Cannell are rendering a national service in demonstrating the 

 practicability of producing aster seed at home, and thus making growers in this 

 country independent of supplies from abroad. Immense quantities of stock seed 

 are also produced at Eynsiord, but the plants required for seed production are 

 grown in pots and under glass to ensure their enjoying the climate that is to them 

 essential in the production of perfectly-ripened seeds.^ The area under fruit trees 

 has been greatly extended of late years, more especially for the manufacture of 

 young trees ; and roses, which occupy many acres of the fertile valley, are evidently 

 quite at home, as, indeed, are all the occupants of this favoured spot. 



T 



G 



N 



Lane 



slopes 



nurseries, Deiongmg u> an vv. iceton. if a charming no V ^ranarf 

 success of an establishment, then one might easilv w e c . ould ens ure the 



success, for at nresent the surra™*^™^.^ L^told Mr. lei?? 



success, for at present the surroundings are beautiful ThereU^'' 

 greenery of the budding lime trees down the lane ; the deeoer , dehcat « 



with here and there a thickly-foliaged horse chestnut bristling with a nur * r 7» 

 Behind and along one side of the nursery runs an orchard cmVfl u f ower -spikes. 

 and these at the time of our visit were a beautiful si^hr tV **** trees . 

 houses to be seen from Granard ; all is rural. Then if X» a t ar , e verv f «» 

 the cuckoo, thrush, blackbird, chirping sparrow, and 'a lar£ ™ b * ^lable, 

 be heard all round, so that it is difficult to iiTgin Tone S USE* °/ birds 

 of Putney, and not far from Hammersmith, on the edge of the rL 

 will be a thousand pities if Putney Park and v^^. , tne . me tropoh s . 

 suburban roads lined with houses, but at the 



the south-west greater London will no doubt 



4 . ■ a 



Lanes Decome ordinary 

 of progression towai* 

 hem, and their preset 



however, have not built up the fine 

 they may have helped not a little in 



Peaches in the Open During May. 



This month is about the most important in which to deal successfully 

 with peach trees out of doors. Before stating the treatment we gave our 

 peaches, I feel justified, in view of recent notes, in telling " Lux " that 

 after having frosts every night during the time the peaches were in 

 flower, we have now a very good set upon all our trees, and yet these 

 have had but a very light protection — that of a single fish-net hung about 

 two feet in front of the trees. We have a good set, and probably as 

 good as those who delight in covering their trees thickly with all kinds 

 of material, including large spruce branches. 



During the first week of this month we cleared away all the fish-nets 

 which were hanging in front of the peach trees, and as soon as this 

 was done, the garden engine, one in which I had an especially strong 

 pump fixed, was brought out. We next dissolved two pounds of carbolic 

 soap in thirty gallons of water, and with this, in a lukewarm condition, we 

 gave the trees a thorough good washing, using about thirty gallons to 

 half-a-dozen trees. The following day we used this engine again, with a 

 mixture of Richards' XL. All insecticide, at the rate of one quart to thirty 

 gallons of water. These operations we shall continue at frequent 

 intervals, until the trees are completely cleared of aphis. After the trees 

 are clean and the weather gradually becomes warmer, the growths will 

 make rapid progress, and each day will show great development. 



Another operation of great importance at this time is disbudding. 

 This must be done as soon as possible, and to do it well, some amount 

 of practice is required. Commence by taking away all the front shoots, 

 as these will not be wanted, except by those who grow peaches on the 

 spur system. I well remember Mr. Frost, of Dropmore, used to pride 

 himself on the fine peaches he used to have from trees in a peach-case 

 that were spur-pruned, but the trees never looked tidy by any means. 

 After the front shoots have been removed, then take away all the worst 

 of those that are curled and burn them. Care most for the leading 

 shoots and those at the base of the growths, leaving those naturally 

 placed the best for training up for the next year. If more space has to 

 >e covered, of course leave shoots as required for the purpose. Dis- 

 budding should be commenced at once, and no time should be lost in 

 effectually cleaning the trees from aphis, as good results depend upon 

 starting the trees well at the commencement. 



The next operation should be that of mulching, which should take 

 pi. aj e after the fruits have begun to swell, and then once a week, in 

 addition to synngmg, the trees should have a good watering. Especially 

 should this be done immediately the second swelling, after stoning, has 

 commenced, as they then need nearly all the liquid it is possible to give 

 hem The mulch may consist of stable or farmyard manure, and should 

 be la.d on fairly thick-say, three to five inches-but this should be re- 

 moved after the fruits are gathered. We mulch all our wall trees with 

 stable manure (peat moss), and this is the only way we care to use this 

 manure, for it is not very valuable to dig in 



l*ncr»£«f y £ nifin * ? thC P ea 5 h , ,rees w ith the garden engine we have a long 

 Stk..i!!r P!pe ■** the b °y can Pump from the walk? 

 Z , 5 P J" 3101 " T USC the hose **■ close U P to the ^ees, which is a 

 mT snort timf VV b ° y Wash a ™ mber of tre ^ s in this way 



the enrin* u n ,h ^aI^F* our , trees ever y da Y ,n hot weather, and use « *««»t«awK ; you may see tne cases or crowns ncw.y - 



ire mil of nrnii nd f ° r P eaches - Varieties on walls, which ^ st °™ge. every crown fat and firm and with no trace of suffering from an 



KVwLl ? P 1 ? n ° W ' & r e Waterloo, Amsden June, Dymond, Goshawk, t rt,fic , lally P rolon ged winter. Then you pass to darkened houses where newly 



Koyal George, Princess of Wales, Sea Eagle, and Barrington W " 1 *"~ L " »*.--* - .1** the 



Compton Basset. ^ A CooK< 



comT ) ! 1 a Tn? a , ^ k f K Urrant Mjtfr- 11 is interesting to note, arising from the grave 

 in Tm™ T 1 f e r l VageS of this insect Pe 81 in portions of Kent, that our lead* 

 ^eSSS^tS"^ N , IiSS ,° rmerod ' see ™ to have no P^lHative to Xr 

 of hush and ItoSo^ ^VKL «y out t h« sAw^ by total destruction 



isolated «i ElS ' n ^ eed wou,d , oe utterly useless if conducted in 

 dealt with and [ { Eg SeS fffS d result u . unless wide ™* compulsorily 

 local authorities wilfE e to £\ £ M graVe trouble is concerned, that 



they now have Tthe ™ ^V" Mjft infeCted areaS j USt as 



pensation fo r destruction of vul ,n h But ,n . thls .i atter case some corn- 



difficult to adopt such a £ " ^ J S ^ K vheie!ls k wi » 



would be very unfair to the 1 J, UOn l ° condemned f ™t breadths, as it 



that the proper course to take SI^L* payw °v ^W": . Miss Ormerod thinks 

 W.*hes is to grub them out, rool and i '"u"? brea ^ ths ° f mfested black car ™t 

 PotWos or other vegetable or «m a I m them i and cro P the g round wit h 



very well, but in the 



vurn, an(1 thus starve the mite out. That is all 



It 



beauty will pass away. 



Picturesque surroundings and pure air, 

 business at the Granard Nurseries, though 



the production of the healthy, finely develop^' pfantsand 7Z?rs7orVhl\? 

 establishment is noted. The builder is Mr. Iceton, who at Te Vht^ 

 seventeen years commenced business in a small way at Barnes A mrvP 

 amount of success achieved there, coupled with a foresight that indicaS! 

 growing wants and necessarily increasing demand of the metropolis for plan? 2 

 flowers, induced him, still quite a young man, to start on a large scale at PumS 

 Park Lane. Here he started seventeen years ago, and by perseverance skill and 

 a keen appreciation of the varying tastes of the great metropolitan public' has 

 made for himself a name that is highly respected by the nurserymen and marked 

 growers both of our own and other countries. The establishment has been «T 

 arged to meet the demands made, and it has flourished steadily. Mr Iceton 

 like other growers, has to meet also a keener competition than in years gone bl- 

 and if he does not obtain the high prices of earliei years he has a bigger output! 

 and it is pleasant to find in him a genial gentleman, who is too large-hearted and 

 too busy to be continually grumbling about the downfall of market growing and 

 losses sustained. The profession could do to-day with fewer grumblers, and who 

 shall say that Mr. Iceton's cheerful disposition and smiling face have not done 

 almost as much to improve his position as have hard work and honest dealing? 

 But to return. Only five more years may Mr. Iceton remain at Putney Park 

 Lane, and already, as previously noted in these columns, he has obtained an 

 estate close to Ravenscourt Park and Turnham Green, where very shortly some 

 extensive ranges of cleverly planned glasshouses will be built for him by Mr. 

 Duncan Tucker. This spot will eventually become Mr. Iceton's chief establish- 

 ment, and as he is but now in his forty-seventh year, and has thirty years 1 ex- 

 penence behind him, there is little doubt but that, with continued health and 

 strength, there is a fine prospect before him. 



To many of our readers Mr. Iceton's name is indissolubly joined, in thought, 

 with palms and lily of the valley. These certainly are the most extensively 

 grown subjects at his nurseries, though several others run them close. Of palms 

 there are dozens of large light houses filled with all the most popular sorts that are 

 in demand for house decoration ; under the stages are hundreds of thousands of 

 seeds in various stages of germination, and on the shelves close to the glass arc 

 whole armies of seedlings clean and thrifty, and eager to develop sufficiently to 

 take the place of the larger plants as they pass out day by day. There ire 

 splendid stocks of the handsome Kentia Forsteriana in all stages from the seedling 

 with its one cotyledon up to tall and spreading specimens that would grace the 

 finest conservatory or winter garden. Kentia Belmoreana, Latania borbonica, 

 Livistonia rotundifolia, Phcenix reclinata, P. tenuis, and P. rupicola, the beautiful 

 Coccs Weddel liana, and taller but not less graceful Cocos pluroosus, Areca 

 lutescens, A. sapida and A. Baueri, Rhapis humilis and R. flabelliformis-these 

 are the palms most in demand and seen here in huge quantities, every plant t 

 perfect one for its age. Mr. Iceton has a few pets, and among these are so«e 



beautiful of all the 

 mrea, two kinds in 



am PC ciltTfTPSt ! ir,i 



which the foliage is distinctly and curiously coloured as the names suggest 

 Calamus (Doemonorops) palembanicus. These the proprietor cares for with the 

 interest of a plant lover rather than of a market grower. Seaforthia elegtns is 

 grown but not extensively, as it is a palm that has long since been superseded for 

 home decoration. 



Some half-dozen or so of houses are devoted to lily of the valley in vano« 



cases 



r T~v piuiuugcu wmrer. lnen you pass to aarKcnee 

 boxed up crowns are being coaxed into flower and growth ; further along 

 spikes have been produced, and so the various stages can be viewed up to inc 

 fully developed spikes of twelve or fourteen large and pure white bells m ™ 

 to-morrow morning go to Covent Garden, to Bristol, may be to Manchester 

 elsewhere, to subsequently adnrn the* of " mv ladv." to fill the button*^ 



fragrance 



passed 



absol 



healthy uw.es. Mow i« that »#. k^ i — T w J * VC H 3 L * KCI1 w maintain a supply of 



• If ? Are there an y stocks in the kingdom 

 "Jr ne . W 50 much th e better. But still, if 



removed from other old ones 



r - 'rf^'J K" , »ii nut ot course nave oeen uismwu".- i-, 



ago. (Quantities of the elecant Spiraa japonica are seen, some quite 

 others crowned with snowy plumes. Liliums abound in frames, pits, and 



P r f oba Wy not less than fifty thousand are grown each Y™'™'1£Z 

 ouik of this quantity consists of Lilium longiflorum eximium, a «nety "J^ 

 pushing L. Hamsi out of the market, because it is more robust an. th sJJJJ 

 more substantial. The climate of Bermuda seems to have weakened ^J™^ 

 ion of he famous L. Harrisi ; or is it the lack of high cultivation ? 



W-f C Van , ety k not wh »t it was, and is being passed over b, 'J™*^ 

 ^ome idea of the 1 * UmifWpd from tne »^ , _ 



in th 



l as ss^*=Ksr zssfiSiEZ ^J^SSt 



L lancifohum are other lilies grown in quantity Azaleas, and a few o«ng 

 cultivated chiefly for providing flowers to meet the home demand. 



th.se «ocks must !* k «TTl re 

 » few years : and to that en 1 ;? P ° ng wa >' 

 midst of corn^rowin e .di«rirt« seems needful 

 the clean youn^ S ^w* 1o ° K ^ from ^ 



purees of .dence c^ fu n^^r^ be gai, 

 •bsolute destruction of , Si a D fo ' 



■ 



batcbes 



_ mite uiiu 



It seems a pity that the 



in 



euonymuses of sorts, may 



thousands | so 



