October 22, 1898. 



GARDENERS' 



MAGAZINE. 



685 



Trent Park Gardens, New Barnet. 



name of this excellent establishment has gained enviable notoriety 

 a w recent years, more particularly on account of the high quality of 

 h rhrvsanthemums which have been grown here, and achieved such 

 itinction in the principal towns and cities of the United Kingdom 

 1 rincr recent years. A visit to the gardens at all times is particularly 

 Cresting and especially so at the present, as the near approach 

 f the chrysanthemum season brings with it increased interest 

 °win£ to the high positions always attained by Mr. W. H. Lees, the 

 excellent and able gardener to F. A. Bevan, Esq. All eyes will be 

 directed to efforts made by Mr. Lees this season, and readers will, doubt- 

 less be interested to learn how fares the collection of plants under the 

 skilful treatment of this master-hand. 



It is safe to state that the chrysanthemums are a particularly promising 

 collection, and the buds being admirably timed, notwithstanding a most 

 exceptional summer season, there is every reason to suppose a good 

 account will be given when the blooms are staged upon the exhibition 

 table. A handsomer lot of plants it would, indeed, be difficult to imagine, 

 and this year they are characterised by well-ripened wood, nice stocky 

 growth, stout leathery foliage, plump, fast developing buds, the plants as 

 a whole being absolutely devoid of coarseness. Failures have been 

 recorded in the collections of many growers in different parts of the 

 country, but in this instance there have been very few indeed ; in fact, 

 hardly sufficient to notice. The buds of Madame Carnot and its sports 

 have caused many growers to bemoan their fate owing to the loss of the 

 most promising through a kind of dry rot, but in the Trent Park collec- 

 tion these are represented by a beautifully even lot of buds, which are 

 developing easily and kindly. There is said to be a pink Madame 

 Carnot, and if this is indeed a fact there is a hope of seeing this variety 

 staged in some of the keenist competitions of the present season. We 

 noticed a fine lot of Matthew Hodgson in various stages of development, 

 and as this is without exception one of the finest crimson-red Japanese 

 extant its value will be highly esteemed. Royal Sovereign promises well ; 

 so, too, do John Neville and Joseph Brooks, introduced last season with 

 considerable promise. A variety likely to receive the attention of those 

 who value a good thing when they see it, is Madeline Davis, a flower of 

 the most delicate colouring, and also of the most chaste description. 

 Other novelties, such as Joseph Chamberlain, Mary Molyneux (very tall, 

 attaining a height of almost five feet before a natural break was made), 

 President Nonin, Secretaire Fierens, the latter two being two of the best of 

 M. Ernst Cal vat's last season's novelties ; Chatsworth, Ella Curtis, Madame 

 ( ». Bruant, Julia Scaramanga, Mrs. F. A. Bevan, Oceana- 

 being grandly represented— are just a few of the newer kinds destined to 



this latter variety 



play an important part at the forthcoming shows. Very fine plants of 



Mrs. H. Weeks, some grown in the ordinary way and stopped early in 



the season, and others rooted early in the spring, and the first bud 



developing secured, showed how amenable is this variety when properly 



treated. Of the Viviand Morel family of plants there were some splendid 



examples, and these gave promise of producing blooms of exceptional 

 merit. 



| The incurved varieties were also admirably represented, the 

 <Hieens" being characterised by neat and even growth, rich green 

 JjMage, and buds secured in excellent time for the November shows. 

 I he footstalks to the buds were stout and erect, proving conclusively 

 that the plants^possessed the necessary vigour to build up deep, globular 

 owers. The " Princesses n were also coming along in promising style, so 

 uere is the prospect of seeing this handsome type of the chrysanthemum 

 ■n good form as of old. The newer sorts were also noticeable, including 

 F Va [l eties as Miss D orothy Foster, Miss Violet Foster, Mdlle. Lucie 

 raure, Madame Ferlat, Mrs. N. Molyneux, Ernest Cannell, besides many 

 ners, and to these must be added such typical varieties of those a little 

 few m ^presented by Charles H. Curtis, Globe d'Or, J. Agate, and a 

 diiin T u ? have achieve d distinction. Taken as a whole, they are 

 ear Iv * y V St lot of P ,ants lt has been m y S ood fortune to see thus 

 cheerin" It Season ' . and the forecast of ultimate triumph is decidedly 

 his dit/ £ Lees * s P art ^ cular 'y careful not to overcrowd his plants in 

 case a J e v h( ? uses ' so that the Y ma y be examined with comparative 

 week « a 1 1S no mean advantage during the work of the next few 

 during h ' u 6 ventilation is always afforded, and the blinds lowered 

 in Sempk sun ? hlne - All the plants were housed before the last week 



hered tht u Whl ° h must bave been a consola tion when it is remem- 

 ™at there were several experiences of frost at this time. 



as Dlam?f rly u ari , eties are appreciated at Trent Park, both for their value 

 *is work t°h decoration, as well as for use in a cut state, and for 



Action her 7 con ^ ldered most useful. As with other growers, thecol- 

 the well tripJ^ in floweri °g tbis season than is usual, and some of 

 fo * this mi Vaneties have lo st much of their colour. Those chiefly grown 

 fe r outdnn? 0 ? ar f Madam e Marie Masse, Ivy Stark (one of the best 

 knt Hard™ A h Madame 'aComtesse Foucher de Cariel, Vice-Presi- 

 Pompon* & i a 5- R > ecroft Glory among the Japanese ; and a few 

 Japanese var i ? B1 "shing Bride, Fred. Pele, and Flora. A white 

 *mam t^u y - for .P ot culture, and grown in bush form, is Lady Fitz- 



The dis f mvaluable for cuttin S- 



^ in glvdisnl of Michaelmas daisies is a very good one, and these are 



*ason ha ln a long border with a northern aspect The abnormal 

 insnertin lts effect here ' and although the effect is very fine, on 



PUnts. Seve 1 ° nC ° an See how much the drou g ht has affected the 



now he ve jy. band some varieties are already over, although they 



a normal u! beSt * and otbers fal1 far short of what the Y should 

 ^ r v alu e as SCas ? n i. Nev ertheless, they demonstrated most effectually 

 **ciously dis D an ^^P^sable plant for the harder border, as when 

 brought 1 in the border, a very graceful and pleasing effect is 

 ^Uus bessaf.k- 0Ut ' The most conspicuous among them were Aster 



^arabicus, A. cordifolius elegans, A. cordifolius Diana, A. 



Coombe Fishacre, A. multiflorus, A. Nov.x-Belgi densus, A.N.-B. Robert 



^ tk^'" 15. Harper Crewe, and A.N.-B. laevigatas, and others to suc- 

 ceed. The hardy border is always pleasant to look upon, and at the time 

 of my visit was aglow with many free-flowering subjects. The Japanese 

 anemones were very fine, as were helianthuses in variety, the finest of 

 them, Miss Mellish, looking particularly handsome, with quite a host of 

 other subjects too numerous to mention. Four long borders are devoted 

 to roses, and many of these were, naturally, plants with a past. H.P.'s 

 are represented by masses of the best known sorts, such as Mrs. John 

 Laing, and hybrid teas by La France. Teas and noisettes were still 

 blossoming freely, and some of the most charming of the garden roses 

 were also in evidence. 



A new terrace garden recently constructed on what was previously a 

 slope, with a northern aspect, was one of the most interesting and pleas- 

 ing features of the outdoor garden. The borders were full of bright- 

 flowering plants, even thus late in the season. A grand effect has been 

 obtained by planting subjects of a kind in masses, and the importance 

 of this arrangement was best appreciated when the whole display was 

 viewed from the upper terrace. Even so late in the season as the 

 occasion of my visit, pentctemons were making quite a brilliant display. 

 Early-flowering chrysanthemums, tuberous-rooted begonias, canna*, &c* 

 in large blocks, made a most striking and glorious array of colour with 

 their blossoms, and the free use of violas in many of the newest varieties, 

 chiefly represented by William Niel, Ethel Hancock, Princess Louise, 

 Bella, Rosea pallida, Isa Fergusson, Mrs. C. F. Gordon, Harepema,and 

 Duchess of Fife, showed the wisdom in the selection of the subjects used 

 for this purpose. 



I must not omit to mention a fine house of Muscat of Alexandria 

 grapes, in which many handsome exhibition bunches were hanging, the 

 berries being large and well coloured. There were other houses of 

 interest, but space prevents further details. The estate of Trent Park 

 is charmingly situated, and it would be difficult to find its equal so near 

 to town, with its delightfully undulating landscape, well timbered, and 

 just now assuming its autumn garb. In the generous proprietor, Mr. 

 F. A. Bevan, it is exceedingly gratifying to know that the world of horti- 

 culture has such an enthusiastic supporter, and the greatest credit is due 

 to him for the encouragement given to those whose privilege it is to care 

 for his beautiful gardens and pleasure grounds. Visitor. 



Remedy for Chrysanthemum Rust. 



Together with many other growers I attended the conference of the 

 N.C.S. on the subject of chrysanthemum rust on October 1 1. I had in- 

 tended giving my experience of the pest, but the time allowed for discus- 

 sion was rather short, and I waited over-long to hear what gardeners had 

 themselves done to cure or prevent it. None, however, came forward, 

 at least with one exception, and he had no experience with the pest ; all 

 the others were trade growers who took part in the discussion, and only 

 one of these had a remedy to propose, so far as I could hear. So far as 

 the petroleum (paraffin) treatment is concerned, my experience differs 

 from that of Mr. Wells, for I tried it in the spring of 1S96, when the rust 

 first made its appearance in our collection, but it was of no use at all, for 

 it did not stop the pest from spreading over the two plants experimented 

 with; neither did quassia water, clear lime water, Bordeaux mixture. 

 There were eight plants of Lord Brooke attacked by the rust, so I put 

 these alone in a small house and labelled the pairs of plants I syringed 

 with each mixture, so as to avoid mistakes. For five weeks I syringed 

 these plants twice a day with the mixtures mentioned, but to no purpose, 

 for every plant was worse at the end of that time than when I started, so 

 the furnace was used to prevent the fungus spreading to the collection of 

 1,500 plants we were growing that year. 



We saw no more of the chrysanthemum rust until the end of July, 

 1897 ; then we had two or three cold, damp nights, and a day or two 

 afterwards I noticed a few spots on such varieties as Mrs. S. C. Probyn, 

 Miss E. Zeichman, H. L. Sunderbruck, Niveus, Julia Scaramanga, James 

 Myers and a few others, but thosenamed were the worst, though curiously 

 enough these were not all in the same yard, but some were at one end of 

 the garden and some the other. Altogether there were forty-three plants 

 out of the 2 000 grown that had these rust spots, and in every instance 

 the leaves that had the spots were from a foot to fifteen inches from the 

 first break Remembering that I had to burn the plants of Lord Brooke 

 after five weeks' syringing, I thought I would either kill or cure this lot, 

 sol decided to make a strong solution of kill m-Right, and give thata trial. 

 The affected plants were put together in the melon ground and syringed 

 twice a day for a week, then I found the rust had ceased to spread, so 



was done once a day in the evening ; at the end of three weeks 

 all the leaves that were affected-those parts that were infests 



fungus-had dried up, so that when taken between ones finger and 

 , u L ,Wa«ed portions crumbled up to dust, leaving the rest of the 



1^ S °T * ?' <4CUrCd ,,,e;tVCS * Minedo * 



he stems until the plants were cut down for storing. 



ThUvear 1898, there has not been a sign of rust on any of our 

 1 V J the precaution was taken to syringe them regularly twice a 

 plants, as uic h August, and September, and once a week 

 week during April, way, 5 t v t 



ted by 



preparing 



ght 



week during 



during June and July ; »"». — y-™* - 



11 ^* « The following is the method 

 our collection, ^ pounds Kill-m- Right dissolved in two and 



for stocking b water, well stirring the whole until cool. For use 



a half g all .°^^ d p 0 tful of this liquid into two gallons of rain water, 

 we put * y bucket ! this is sprayed on by means of a syringe, using 

 in a wooac £ n „ cr to make a spray to reach the under surface of the 

 foliage- ^hetio gallons will suffice for about 160 plants, spraying both 



foliag 



sides of the row. r „ r j, m 

 Wimbledon House Gardens. 



T. DO? SETT. 



