April 16, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
305 
established in small pots they should be shifted as mentioned above, using 
a compost of two-thirds yellow loam or top spit, and one-third of well- 
decayed cow manure, leaf mould, or horse manure, or a little of each with a 
good sprinkling of sharp sand, especially if using cow manure. A few 
broken bones over the crocks at the bottom would be a great assistance to 
them.—C. Orchard. 
CARPET BEDS. 
That carpet bedding is not extinct we know from inquiries that have 
been reaching us of late, and to meet the requirements of persons who 
are thinking of adopting this method of garden decoration we submit one 
of Mr. Graham’s Hampton Court designs for a bed or border. 
This bed at No. 4 is to be raised about 4 or 5 inches above the sur¬ 
rounding ground, and it is so arranged as not to take a great variety of 
plants, which many gardeners in private places may not possess. The 
whole groundwork No. 2 is to be planted with Herniaria glabra, which is 
as hardy as the grass of the lawn, and it is so easily propagated that a 
good sod of it torn to pieces and stuck in now with the finger will make 
an excellent groundwork. The design is capable of being extended to any 
length of bed, or one side of it would do very well for a long border, and 
the suggestions given for planting are both cheap and effective, but of 
course there are hosts of other plants which can be worked in according 
to the taste of the planter. 
NOTES FROM BULB-LAND. 
There may be many readers unacquainted with that quarter o' the 
globe from whence are annually exported to this and other countries 
hardly begun, otherwise his proverbial love of flowers might tempt many 
a roving Briton to depart for a brief space from the beaten track for the 
purpose of spending a day or two amongst them. In many respects he 
might do worse. There is no picturesque scenery to be found, no im¬ 
posing effect of rugged precipice or snow-crowned heights, no food for 
romantic thought in the sight of ruined castle or monastery ; but if, as 
is almost certain to be the case, the tourist has wandered on Alpine 
slopes and viewed with delight the wooded and turreted shores of the 
Rhine, he will have had his fill of these, and will find welcome relief in 
bulb land’s vast stretches of brilliant bloom. 
So numerous are the travellers who annually seek a health-deriving 
change from British to Continental cities that every effort has been 
made by the various railway companies to organise cheap and expeditious 
routes. They have succeeded well. In a few hours the traveller from 
London can reach Paris, and thence as the centre of operations he can 
traverse the whole of Europe. Similarly rapid, though necessarily longer, 
is the journey from London to Amsterdam or other Dutch towns. 
The voyageur may dine in London between 6 and 7 p.h., cross the 
German ocean and quietly enjoy his breakfast as the steamer surges 
her way through the sluggish waters of the Maas, and lunch in 
Amsterdam at noon, so that no time is lost in the journey from England. 
English visitors during the summer are very numerous in Holland, which 
accounts for the fact of English being spoken so wiiely by the officials at 
the stations and quays. Even the non-official gentlemen who lounge 
about—blue-bloused and wooden-booted—possess a smattering of the 
language. But these are of an extortionate turn of mind, and the eloquent 
earnestness of the successful competitor in a wild struggle amongst a 
dozen or so for the possession of your bag affords ample proof that he is 
Figi 54.—Carpet Bed. 
1, Alternanthera of any kind. 2, Herniaria glabra. 3, Leucophyton Brownii or Mesembryanthemnm cordifolium variegatum. 4, Two rows of Echeverias ani 
a little Sedum glaucum planted among them, or Sedum glaueum alone. 
many tons of Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocuses, Narcissi, and other bulbs. 
It is about twelve miles from Amsterdam, and in and about Haarlem, that 
this “ flowery land ” may be found. From a few square miles of country 
in the neighbourhood indicated are procured the thousands—nay, millions 
—of Dutch bulbs which adorn our windows and greenhouses in the early 
months of the year, maintaining with a beauty and sweetness all their 
own the floral display at a period when attractive flowers are especially 
welcome in greenhouse and border. But not alone because they worthily 
fill a much-felt void is it that Dutch bulbs are so extensively grown and 
so highly appreciated. The many uses to which they may be applied 
and their easiness of culture would insure them a prominent place 
amongst reigning floral favourites, even if their period of bloom was the 
season when flowers are most plentiful. Dutch bulbs, in fact, are indis¬ 
pensable, and thus it is that bulb land, in the eyes of all lovers of flowers, 
is the most interesting part of an interesting country. 
The great majority of the numerous tourists who annually wander 
hither and thither over the face of Europe do not “ do ” bulb-land. The 
masterpieces of Rembrandt and Rubens draw them in crowds to the 
Hague ; and Amsterdam, replete with a thousand features of interest to 
those acquainted with its Old World associations, must of course be 
visited. A certain number even reach Haarlem, the magnificent church 
with its famous organ being the main object of the visit. But these 
visitors are mostly disciples of music, and far from numerous—certainly 
not a twentieth of their number are aware that almost within the precincts 
of the “ Groote Kirk ” may be seen spreading fields of magnificent bloom, 
affording in their brief season of beauty a natural effect far more interest¬ 
ing than the artificial colouring of even Rembrandt’s master hand. It 
must be admitted, however, that at the time when these wonderful flower 
farms are at their best—towards the end of April—the touring season has 
aware he holds the key of the situation when he demands an extravagant 
sum for his trifling services. 
In Rotterdam, as in all other Dutch towns, visitors cannot fail to have 
been struck by the remarkable cleanliness which everywhere prevails, 
and which seems to characterise everything and everybody, in striking 
contrast to London and other large towns in Great Britain. There is 
plenty of water, and it is used freely. Houses, roads, walls, vehicles, all 
are clean and neat; even the children who play in the streets always 
seem to have a presentable appearance. There is a splendid park, the 
resort of crowds of visitors on Sundays and during fine evenings in 
summer ; but no flower beds. To see flowers we must travel on. 
When the town is left behind and the open country is reached the 
traveller has an excellent opportunity of comparing the scenery of Holland 
with that usually seen during a railway journey in England. The differ¬ 
ence is most striking, and well illustrates the great contrast in the con¬ 
figurations of the respective countries. In Holland nothing but vast 
stretches of perfectly level meadow land can be seen for miles. This has 
been aptly described as the “ grazing ground of Europe.” It is intersected 
by drains or canals at frequent intervals—in fact, the land seems to be 
divided into very small allotments, many not exceeding an acre each. 
But all is grass land ; there is no sign of husbandry, nor those pleasing 
features of English landscape—broad expanses of corn land and pasture, 
grassy hollows and wooded slopes, with a background, seen dimly and 
faintly, of some lofty summit. All these are wanting in Holland. Water 
and windmills are the most prominent features in Dutch scenery ; but the 
quantity of both is too great for the effect to be everything that could be 
desired. 
It is not until nearing Haarlem that flowers appear—large and showy 
beds of blue, white, and yellow Crocuses on the land of the General 
