70 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 22, 1885, 
turning it into the bottom of deep trenches, where it may a=sist in making 
up the ground level. "When this caDnot be effected it should be removed 
from the garden. I knew an instance of several thousands of coniferous 
plants being destroyed which had been recklessly planted on a so-called 
nursery ground, which consisted largely of an injurious mineral substance. 
On forming a bank as an addition to a kitchen garden on one occasion I 
had a good deal of bad material to deal wilh. In building a garden wall 
it was resolved to enclose the bank with a view of improving the general 
appearance of the garden as much as for any addition to cropping space. 
Covered by a considerable depth of bad soil and rocky debris it seemed at 
first that the bank would be of no avail as a useful addition to the garden. 
The chief difficulty foreseen was the probable scarcity of good soil, as it 
was desired to secure an average depth of at least 10 inches over the 
bank. This was managed in the following way :—In some places the 
depth of good soil was considerably greater than was required, and 
wherever this occurred it was removed and heaped on the surface in the 
process of trenching. The trench was then filled partly with the bad 
soil and rocky debris, and the surface level made up with good soil. This 
was supplemented with soil which was excavated in the formation of a 
walk which was proceeded with along the bottom of the bank at the same 
time ; much of the rocky material being suitable for the bottom of the 
walk was thus easily got rid of in a very useful manner. By continuing 
this system the work was satisfactorily finished. Good farmyard manure 
was afterwards spread over the surface as thickly as could be covered in 
again, lightly digging the ground. 
In the latter part of the spring Strawberries were planted on the 
greater part of the bank, which made vigorous growth and plump 
crowns, although the following summer was a very dry one. Although 
very good crops of Strawberries can be obtained from shallow soils for a 
year or two, they cannot be expected much longer unless new plantations 
are made and liberal treatment afforded them in the form of frequent 
mulchings, which, besides their nourishing effects, serve as a protection 
from severe droughts and frosts alike. 
Composts. —There is much valuable material on most estates which 
should not fail to be utilised, especially when it is necessary to increase 
the depth of soil. Road grit of a heavy texture judiciously mixed with 
quicklime was used very successfully for many purposes in a large fruit 
and kitchen garden where I was an assistant. More recently I formed a 
plot, where the soil had been useless with road grit amongst which horse 
droppings and leaves had accumulated. On this Potatoes were planted, 
and the result was a good crop of extra good quality.—D. M. 
AN INTERESTING FLOWER BORDER. 
I send an account of a flower border which has been very attractive 
during the past season. It was 11 feet wide by about 30 long, in front of 
a conservatory which had a high front of glass. It was planted with the 
following :—The front of the conservatory was covered with wire netting 
to about two-thirds up, and against it were placed large plants of Clematis 
Jackmanii, with good plants of Eccremocarpus scaber ; the red and yellow 
flowers of the latter blended well with the former, and had a telling 
effect. To cover the lower part good plants of Plumbago capensis were 
employed, which flowered well. Next to the=e was a row of single Dahlias, 
then large plants of the old Tom Thumb Pelargonium, 3 feet high. In 
front of these came white Abutilons, then a row of large plants of 
Echeveria metallica and Canna mixed. After that a row of a white 
Fuchsia called Queen ot Hanover, then Vesuvius Pelargoniums. Next to 
this were large plants of Beauty of Calderdale Pelargonium, planted low, 
in front of which was Lobelia Emperor William planted rather high ; 
then followed a dwarf Begonia of very pretty foliage, much like Pearcei, 
and the whole was edged with Echeveria secunda glauca. This arrange¬ 
ment seemed to suit everyone’s ta9te. The plants were all old ones—that 
is, the youngest not under a year, while others were three or four ; and 
this, 1 fancy, had a good deal to do with their flowering so freely, 
whereas younger plants, such as Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Lobelias, and 
others, would have turned to growth more than flower at first. 
The Plumbago was very conspicuous in other parts of the garden, and 
I think it should be more grown than it is for outdoor decoration. There 
was a large vase standing on a high pedestal in the centre of a circular 
bed cut into a series of triangular shapes. Around the bottom of the vase 
a wire frame placed so as to meet at the top of the pedestal in the form of 
a cone. This was covered with plants of Plumbago, which formed a 
mass of bloom which could be seen at a great distance, and was much 
admired from its distinct colour from the ordinary plants generally used 
in the flower garden.— Thomas Record. 
HORTICULTURE AND CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN 
AMERICA. 
The following is a portion of a letter recently received by Mr. W. K. 
Woodcock from Mr. John Thorpe, a member of the firm of Hallock, Son, 
and Thorpe, Nurserymen, Queen’s, New York, U.S. America, and some 
twelve years since of the firm of Bell & Thorpe, Nurserymen, Stratford- 
on-Avon, England, whom many readers of the Journal will recollect as 
having been for several years very large and successful exhibitors at 
most of the principal shows throughout tee country. Mr. Bell writes : — 
“ I have had a regular Waterloo, but I was Wellington. We have had a 
month’s fight about The Queen and her position. Never in the history 
of Flora has there been so much interest taken in the Chrysanthemum 
as this year. I have done what I never can expect to do again. At the 
Show of the New York Horticultural Society, held on November 3rd and 
4th, I made forty-three entries, and was first only forty-three times 
My modesty almost shocked me. Whilst my success did not make me buy 
the whole country, I yet felt that I had something to be proud of. How 
I wished you were here to have helped me to celebrate the occasion. I 
shall send you some of our monthlies with further accounts, sufficient to 
say that no such standard plants have ever been seen. I had six, each 
10 feet high, with proportionate heads and bloom, good flowers, fine 
colour, and vigorous foliage. My other plants were good, as also were 
my cut blooms ; besides which I had twenty certificates for seedlings. 
“ At the exhibition of the American Institute I had twelve first and 
six extra prizes. At Boston, 400 miles away, I received the silver medal 
of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for 100 varieties of cut flowers, 
five blooms of each. We advertised a special show at home for three 
weeks, and have been crowded with visitors. We filled four houses with 
plants. I have about forty seedlings I expect to name this year. One 
I have dubbed “ W. K. W.” is a most promising incurved. Unfortunately 
the plant was small, but it is a most beautiful colour, between Venus 
and Prince of Wales. I shall not let it out this coming year, it is too 
good to let slip if it keeps up its good character and appearance. I 
intend to soon send you a lot of my seedlings by some of the officers 
on Cunard, White Star, or Inman steamers to Liverpool, they can then 
go by express to Sheffield. Some of my Japanese singles are very 
large and beautiful 
“ My seedling Pelargoniums, double and single, are very fine. I have 
one of them also dubbed “ W. K. W.” This last Tuesday was monthly 
meeting of the New York Horticultural. I showe l a grand lot of Gera¬ 
niums, Carnations, and 150 varieties of cut Chrysanthemums. That ends 
our exhibitions for the year. It has been a very busy laborious season 
for me, but one crowned with success. I have not missed a single first in 
Carnations, Pelargoniums, Dahlias, Gladioli, Phloxes, Chrysanthemums, or 
Amaryllises. I have not much spare time on my hand, as now I have at 
least a month’s work on our catalogue, and I have to reserve such work for 
evenings. I have just accepted the offer to read a paper before the New 
Jersey State Horticultural Society the last day in the year, and thus end a 
busy season. 1 am enjoying good health, and feel as young as ever. 
“ My prediction is that the Chrysanthemum will be grown here ten 
times more than now. They seem to have just reached the hearts of the 
people. Of the flowers in New York at this season Roses are promising 
to be fine. Bennett’s Duke of Connaught, Niphetos, Perle des Jardins, 
Cath. Cook, Bon Siltne, and Safrano are in the largest quantities. They 
are cut with stems at least a foot long, and realise about 3 to 20 cents, 
according to demand There is a ft >wer mart where the growers, buyers, 
and shop-keepers, meet every morning, and the prices are hardly ever 
the same two days together, the difference sometimes being remarkable. 
I forgot to mention La France as being very beautiful indeed this year. 
I expect the.e are not less than 30,000 Roses brought into market every 
day, and I suppose 100,000 Violets, L’ly of the Valley, Narcissus, and 
Roman Hyacinths f rm the other flowers in quantity. At one of the large 
weddings in New York last week the floral dec 'rations cost 10,000 dollars. 
There were 800 dollars worth of Lily of Valley alone. The chances are 
there will be one or more such decorations every two or three weeks 
until Lent. The New York people are very extravagant in all their 
society matters, each one trying to surpass the other one.” 
HORTICULTURE IN 1884. 
The commencement of another year affords one an opportunity of 
reviewing the events of the past year in their bearing on our favourite 
pursuit ; and as I have already reviewed the year in its bearing on one 
branch of it in which the readers of the Journal are deeply interested— 
the culture of the Rose, I would now somewhat enlarge my vision, and sur¬ 
vey the whole field as it presents itself to one who, with a very omnivorous 
appetite in such matters, has as many opportunities as most people of 
seeing and hearing what is going on around ; and although I may form 
very unwise opinions, still at least they will have the meiit, I hope, of 
not being crude or formed on insufficient data. 
We naturally in writing upon horticultural matters revert in the first 
instance to the Royal Horticultural Society, which ought to have an ex¬ 
istence more independent and suitable to its position as the centre of horti¬ 
culture in England. The time may come when it may be so. It has, 
however, had an opportunity of showing that it possesses the confidence of 
the gardening world by the Daffodil Conference held early in the year ; 
and although the object was not of equal importance with the successful 
Apple Congress of last year, yet the manner in which it was responded 
to by all growers of the flowers must have been gratifying to all who 
desire to see the Society exercising its undoubted right of being the moving 
power for horticulture in England. Its fruit and vegetable shows organised 
under the ausp ces of the Healtheries showed also what horticultural 
skill there is in the country, while it also displayed the widespread taste 
for gardening that exists amongst the wealthier classes, far more so 
indeed than in any other nation. Its fortnightly meetiogs have not 
diminished in interest, and it is there one expects to find whatever is new 
or valuable, and much which shows the excellence of culture practised by 
English gardeners. The Royal Botanic Society has had on the whole a 
pro-perous year. Their exhibitions are always, when the weather is fine, 
well patronised, and their gardens, unlike those of South Kensington, ever 
a pleasure and delight. As to other Societies, the Manchester Botanical 
Society has again justified its claim to being the most important one out 
of London. Its Whitsuntide Exhibition was, as usual, a great success, 
while in the helping hand it gives to other Societies it shows aa example 
of liberality worthy of all imitation. The Forestry Exhibition at E lin- 
