April 30, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
353 
Pope would take “ the shine” out of a great many young men in a day’s work, 
enjoys capital health, and is vigorous and hearty, and thoroughly enjoys a 
good chat about old florists, old plants and flowers, and olden times. The 
nurseries here are extensive, and a great lot of glass is utilised for the supply 
of their business in Birmingham. Mr. Henry Pope founded these nurseries, 
and having made himself right free from monetary cares and anxieties, he, 
a few years since, handed his business over to his two sons, and amuses 
himself by a little potting or other work as he thinks proper, and this is 
pretty often. 
Quite half a century since the Handsworth Nurseries, then known as 
Pope’s Nurseries, were amongst the famous of the country, and were estab¬ 
lished by an uncle and cousins of Mr. Henry Pope. Another large nursery 
was established at Smethwick, near Birmingham, by Mr. Luke Pope, father 
of Mr. Henry Pope, and lovers of good painting will look with pleasure upon 
this splendid portrait of a fine old nurseryman and florist with a plant of 
Correa speciosa in his hand. 
The Popes have for quite a century played an important part in the 
gardening world, and the sons are worthily following the footsteps of their 
elders. Well, what I wanted to come to is this. I went out there to look at 
the Auriculas and Polyanthuses, and I found the latter in full bloom, but 
many of the former were not yet open, still some gems were in flower—John 
Waterson, very fine indeed; Read’s Acme, Frank Simonite, all splendid; 
Hepworth’s True Briton, a very old sort in fine character ; Colonel Champ- 
nevs, George Lightbody, and others opening ; Conservative, the plant not a 
strong one, but the bloom showed its good qualities ; Old Summerscale’s 
Catherina, in good form, and this is another very old flower. I knew Old 
Summerscales, who lived in Halifax in Yorkshire for a long number of years, 
and died there many years since. Wilbraham’s Lady Jane Grey, another 
old flower, is well done here, and has some good points, the tube being of a 
bright yellow colour, but awfully weak in its stamens. The Messrs. Pope 
have two or three most promising grey-edged flowers, seedlings of their own, 
from careful hybridisation, of which, I think, more may be heard anon. 
Selfs are also cultivated ; Ellen Lancaster very fine. They have a goodly 
collection of Alpines also, all good varieties being added as they are intro¬ 
duced. Amongst Polyanthuses Buck’s George IV. stands pre-eminent; 
Crawshaw’s Exile, Lancer, and Lancashire Hero were also good. What a 
treat it was to see about 150 pots of the double Ruby Crimson Primrose in 
fnll flower in one of the frames! It was something to be remembered. 
Pansies do well at King’s Norton, and they are grown extensively and well. 
—W. D. W. 
TRENCHING LAND FOR BROCCOLI. 
Let me see if I can put myself in order on the question of trenching. 
I notice your small paragraph from two late foremen of a predecessor, 
which I can vouch for. I know that Burghley Gardens have been trenched 
both by myself and predecessors, but, as I have before said, I trench none 
now, nor have I for years, and still the gardens are most prolific. I shall 
continue the usual system, taking special note of any unproductiveness, 
which I hope may not occur. If it does I shall again resort to trenching, 
but not before. No doubt I have told “Thinker” that my secret of 
success is to trench the land ; but I have done no trenching for years, and 
have always been rewarded with success. 
I may here relate a small incident. On taking charge of these gardens 
(seventeen years ago in July) I found a large break of Strawberries which 
had been planted, so I was told, eight years. I decided to plant this break 
with Broccoli, and had the Strawberries cleared off, hoed and raked the land, 
and planted it without any digging, on the crowbar system. 1 have seen 
numbers of acres planted in Kent in like manner, the exact district being 
Lessness Heath. After all being planted, our old wall man, the late David 
Sells, who for fifty years nailed the trees here, and was allowed more lati¬ 
tude than anyone else, said to me in these words, “ Ah, Master, you will 
have no Broccoli next spring ; excuse me, sir, but Mr. McIntosh used 
always to trench land for Broccoli.” “I said in answer, “Never mind, 
David ; we shall see who rests the men’s backs and grows the best 
Broccoli.” In due time he saw and believed.—R. Gilbert. 
HYACINTHS IN THE OPEN AIR. 
Several statements and queries have been made lately in various 
gardening publications as to the treatment of imported bulbs of Hyacinths 
after they have flowered in pots, and as to whether it was of any use 
keeping them. I think the best answer I can give on this question is to 
enclose you a few spikes cut at random from my garden. I am in the 
habit each year of receiving from Messrs. Jas. Cutbush & Son of Highgate 
some sixty or seventy bulbs. These are bloomed in pots, and after they 
have done blooming, are placed in their pots in a tolerably shady part of 
the garden out of sight, often remaining in that position until the bulb 3 
are well ripened, when they are shaken out of their pots, the roots taken 
off, and then put into a box and left there until planting time in October. 
They are simply planted in clumps in the borders, about six or eight in a 
clump; no care whatever is taken for them, they come up year after year, 
increase in numbers, and form a very gay addition to the borders at this 
time of the year. The accompanying spikes are taken at random from 
the garden, and I think that you will say they would not disgrace a 
collection grown in pots from imported bulb3. Notwithstanding the 
weight of the truss the stem is so strong that it is not until the blooms 
begin to fade that the head hangs down. When they have all died I 
sow in the space occupied by them some Mignonette, which flowers on 
well late into the autumn.—D., Deal. 
[The spikes accompanying this communication were very fine, as good 
as many we have seen obtained from imported bulbs under pot culture.] 
Botanical Exploration in New Zealand. —Those who take an 
interest in our Alpine flora will be pleased to learn that Messrs. Arnold and 
Adams, who left Christchurch a week ago on an exploring tour in the 
Southern Alps, returned yesterday with a large collection of plants. On 
Friday the ascent of Mount Torlesse was made after four hours’ hard climb¬ 
ing, and they took down the cairn on the top peak and rebuilt it. When at 
the summit the Alpine travellers suffered considerably from thirst, 
which they managed to relieve by melting the snow which lay 
in a depression near the top some 10 feet deep. After enjoying the 
magnificent panorama below them they commenced an attack upon the 
rich store of plants found upon this mountain. Numerous examples 
of Raoulia pygmies, Celmisia, Gaaphalium, Aciphylla, Cotula, and of 
rare Alpine Mosses were collected. In the course of their explorations 
on Friday and Saturday they came upon a valley on the western slopes 
at a considerable elevation, surrounded by almost inaccessible rocks, and 
from the fact that the place was teeming with Senecio Lyalli and other 
plants which have not been previously collected nearer than Arthur’s 
Pass, the botanists felt satisfied that they had struck a patch of country 
hitherto unknown, The valley was remarkably rich in new species, and 
the botanists were amply rewarded for the discomforts experienced and 
hard climbing they had undergone. As specimens were obtainable in 
fine condition they were collected and dried on the spot, so that they 
may be forwarded to Ke w for description and classification.—( Christchurch 
r ress.) 
EUCHARISES NOT FLOWERING. 
The le'ter of “ Duckwing ” in your last week’s Journal gave a very 
good description of what it is possible to do even with one small hothouse. 
Unfortunately he omitted the capacity of the house. 
In his description of the cultivation of the beautiful Eucharis he 
says directly the flower stalks appear the plants are watered most freely, 
but he does not say how to treat them if no flower stalks appear, as in my 
own case. I have three 14-inch pots of Eucharises, two of which show no 
flower spikes, the third produced four blooms once in three years. I have 
kept them in a forcing house which is scarcely ever below 55° in the 
coldest night in winter, and with sun heal in summer it is often 80°. The 
plants look healthy with good foliage, but that is all. 
About a month since I plunged them in cocoa-nut fibre refuse, with 
bottom heat. Do you think I shall be more successful this time ?— 
Eucharis. 
[It appears to us that the size of the house referred to is not material' 
Your plants are possibly overpotted and have not been sufficiently rested. 
Do you not perceive there are “ no ” flower stalks on “ Duckwing’a ” 
plants during their resting period, and that the dryness after growth in¬ 
duces their formation ? Try the plan recommended on page 317 of resting 
the plants when good leaves are developed, and flowers may follow in due 
time.] 
NOTES FROM MY GARDEN IN 1884.—No. 3. 
HARDY PLANTS. 
One of the great advantages of cultivating hardy plants is, that no 
matter what may be the character of the season, these are some of the 
plants which will rejoice in it. Even in such an awful year as 1879 there 
were some moisture-loving plants that did not think it too wet, while, 
trying as was last summer to many species, there were others that throve 
in it. 
I have no doubt that many of the gaps which are now noticeable on 
rockeries and in borders are to be attributed to the excessive dryness of 
the season, and other effects of it are noticeable. I had two large clumps 
of the common Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger. They had been in the 
same position for years, and have always done well, but this winter they 
had not half a dozen blooms on them, while the leaves remained in the 
bud form on the surface of the ground for fully three months, and are 
only now in April beginning to unfold themselves. I can attribute this 
to no other cause but the weather of last year. Then, again, some plants 
of Primula of the cashmeriana and purpurea type have in previous seasons 
had large leaves, and the flowers came so early that they were cut off by 
the frost. This spring they have had very little foliage, the flowers have 
come later, and have not been at all injured. 
My culture of hardy plants comprises what are ordinarily called 
alpines and those herbaceous plants which, from the stately Delphiniums 
to the lowly Phlox, can be so easily cultivated in most places. I have 
one rockery about 100 feet long by 4 feet wide, and other smaller ones, 
and a tolerably fair space of border ; and in writing of them in the past 
year I shall mention such as did well, and what I would advise all lovers 
of flowers to grow, beginning at the earliest part of the season and going 
on till the late autumn. 
Cyclamens.—These are the very earliest of our spring flowers. Long 
before the Snowdrop droops its graceful head, or the Crocus expands its 
yellow blooms, the little lowly Cyclamen rears its tiny flowers. As I have 
written this word rear, I cannot refrain from telling a story which, although 
not exactly bearing on horticulture, is too good to keep to myself, and I 
have no doubt will be relished by some of my brethren to whom Her 
Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools are a not much-loved race. The other day 
an inspection took place at the workhouse of which I am chaplain, and 
after the children had read a piece on the Palm tree, the Inspector was 
anxious to ascertain if they knew its meaning. “ The Palm rears its 
head some 70 or 80 feet” was in the passage. “Now, what is the 
meaning of rear?” Dead silence. “Well, did you ever see a horse?” 
“Yes.” “Did you ever see a horse rear ? ” “ Yes, sir.” “Now what 
does a horse rear?” “ A colt, sir." Well I fairly burst out in a loud 
laugh in which H.M.I. (who is a good specimen of his class) joined, 
