JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
June 8, 1882. ] 
475 
greatly increase the fertility of the land. In the early days of the 
Rothamsted experiments comparative trials were made, in adjoining 
fields, of Wheat after Wheat, and Wheat after fallow. The first 
ten years of those experiments showed that the land that had borne 
an alternate crop each year after fallow had produced as much Wheat 
in its five crops as the land that had grown Wheat continuously had 
produced in its ten crops. They would understand how that happened 
when they observed the amount of nitrates found to be present in 
bare fallow; when the Wheat followed a year’s fallowing it found 
two years’ nitrates to feed upon. Of course the advantage or dis¬ 
advantage of bare fallowing depended almost entirely on the weather, 
for in wet weather the advantage was to a great extent lost owing to 
the nitrates being washed away and removed in the drainage water. 
It was, therefore, a dry winter climate which made bare fallowing of 
value. 
(To be continued.) 
MATERIAL FOR POTTING ORCHIDS. 
I SEND you a sample of material for potting Orchids, which 
require something open to root in. It is plentiful in many localities 
where good fibrous peat is not to be had, and is simply the 
chopped-up roots of large specimens of Lastrea dilatata, and is 
mixed up for using with sphagnum moss and nodules of charcoal. 
I used the same material several years ago, but without cutting 
the fibres, and left off using it. Last year I was again induced 
to give the Fern roots a trial with the difference of chopping it 
up into small pieces, and have found it most satisfactory in all 
respects. I have just finished potting many Orchids with it, and 
have no doubt of their succeeding. Where Lastrea Filix-mas or 
L. Filix-foemina are common they will be found to yield suitable 
roots for this purpose as well as the species we use here. The 
variety of sphagnum used is also of much importance. Large- 
growing kinds when in robust health will overgrow the plants so 
much as to damage them considerably, unless the sphagnum is 
kept plucked, and by that means shortened. Wherever there is 
a choice of sorts, the dense-growing should be used. But when 
all has been said about composts, and important as these are, the 
kind of structure has far more effect on the plants than any other 
one thing. We know instances where certain kinds of Orchids 
grow luxuriantly with little care, and alongside them kinds which 
are also found to grow freely elsewhere can hardly be kept alive. 
The satisfactory plan here is for gardeners to grow alone the 
kinds which thrive, discarding all others.—B. 
[The sample referred to has not reached us.] 
THE HORTICULTURAL TENT AT CARDIFF. 
One of the chief attractions of the Cardiff Show of the Bath and 
West of England Society, which has been held during the past week, 
was the horticultural tent under the stewardship of the Hon. and 
Rev. J. T. Boscawen. For many years Mr. Boscawen has placed his 
great horticultural experience at the service of the Society, and he 
has been, we are glad to know, well supported in his efforts to provide 
an instructive as well as a decorative feature in the Society’s Show. 
We have frequently had an opportunity of bringing these exhibitions 
of Mr. Boscawen before our readers, and the peculiar system by 
which they are got together. From this peculiarity they differ much 
in their resemblance to one another; and while their profusion and 
quality are very much due to the neighbourhood in which they are 
held, they represent in a marked manner the style of horticulture 
which is practised in the district. Mr. Boscawen does not issue a 
prize list with tempting offers to draw the professional exhibitors 
from a distance, but he relies on the liberality of local horticulturists 
to send to the Exhibition the best examples of their skill, and accord¬ 
ing to the merit of their exhibits he rewards them. In this way a 
pretty clear estimate of the quality of the gardening which is prac¬ 
tised in the district can be formed. 
Judging from the state of the exhibition tent we are warranted in 
believing that gardening is well represented about Cardiff. It is 
true there are some large establishments in the neighbourhood, such 
as those of the Marquis of Bute at the Castle, Lord Windsor at 
St. Fagan’s, Lord Tredegar at Tredegar Park, and others ; but there 
are also smaller places where the art is carried on most meritoriously 
and with an enthusiasm which is worthy of imitation. In the course 
of our remarks on the arrangements of the tent we shall have to 
mention several of the owners of these gardens. 
There is little scope for Mr. Boscawen to vary the place of his 
exhibition, as he is confined always to the same space and to the 
same form in which it is contained ; however, he always makes the 
best of the material with which he has to deal. The attractive 
feature of the design is the central stage, which was occupied with 
large specimens of Tree Ferns, Palms, Crotons, Pelargoniums, Clematis, 
&c., which were supplied from the gardens of Lord Bute, Lord 
Tredegar, Lord Windsor, St. Fagan’s ; Sir Hussey Vivian, Singleton, 
Col. Turberville, Ewenny Priory ; Mr. C. W. Luard, Llandaff House ; 
Mr. Howell, Mr. E. Fowler, Colonel Page, Dulwich House ; and Mr. 
C. E. Stallybrass. In Mr. Howell’s plants we recognised good culture 
and intelligent treatment on the part of his gardener Mr. Hammond, 
and these were exemplified in the way in which he brought out such 
plants as Nepenthes Hookeri, Clerodendron Thompsonianum, Anthu- 
rium Wardii(very fine), Gleichenia Mendelli, and Maranta zebrina. 
Col. Page’s gardener, Mr. Armytage, exhibited a fine plant of Bou¬ 
gainvillea glabra, a handsome specimen of Encephalartos caffra, and 
creditably grown specimens of Pelargoniums. Mr. Woodward, gar¬ 
dener to Mr. Luard of Llandaff distinguished himself by a pair of 
very handsome and freely grown plants of Adiantum farleyense. Mr. 
Parker, gardener to Mr. E. Fowler, gained for himself a well-merited 
reputation for being a successful Orchid grower, judging from the 
very creditable appearance of a small but very choice collection of 
these plants which were exhibited. We also observed some good 
plants of Gloxinias, a good specimen of Cissus discolor, and a Bou¬ 
gainvillea exhibited by Col. Turberville’s gardener, Mr. Hawkins. 
A few nurserymen from a distance contributed some of their 
specialities, such as Messrs. Laing & Sons of Stanstead Park, who 
had a bank of their renowned Tuberous Begonias, some of which were 
quite new. Mr. Hooper of Bath was there with a fine display of his 
unsurpassed Pansies, and Mr. Kelway of Langport made quite a 
blaze of double and single Pyrethrums and a choice selection of cut 
flowers of some of the best herbaceous plants now in season. 
At the end of the tent Mr. Boscawen again essayed his love for 
artificial rockwork, and in this he was ably supported by Messrs. 
Richard Smith & Co. of Worcester, who supplied all the plants neces¬ 
sary for its decoration. It is not easy at all times to find material 
by which Mr. Boscawen can carry out his great taste in rockwork 
construction, and this was one of those occasions. The material he 
had to deal with was ballast obtained from the docks, which being of 
a very homogeneous character, did not admit of much variety being 
introduced. This part of the arrangement was therefore not so varied 
nor so beautiful as was that which we were treated to at the 
Worcester Show, where from a greater abundance and variety of 
material Mr. Boscawen was able to formulate a design which was at 
once beautiful and picturesque. Besides a good assortment of alpine 
plants and Japanese Maples, with which Messrs. Smith &, Co. fur¬ 
nished the rockwork, they had a fine group of well-grown specimens 
of select varieties of Clematis in pots. 
Prominent features of horticultural interest in the grounds were 
the imposing stands of seeds, &c., of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Read¬ 
ing; Webb, Wordsley, Stourbridge; Wheeler, Gloucester ; and other 
exhibitors. 
THE LATE MR. WOODHEAD. 
About twelve months ago we briefly described the superb col¬ 
lection of Auriculas owned by Mr. Thos. Woodhead of Shibden 
Head, Queensbury, some three thousand in number. Recollecting 
that Mr. Woodhead’s garden is more than 1000 feet above sea 
level, it was surprising to find such a display of floral beauty in 
that high-lying region. Thomas Woodhead, a plain homely speci¬ 
men of a Yorkshireman, was manager for Messrs. Stocks of Shib¬ 
den Brewery, and, being a bachelor, his house was kept by his 
sister. The house, a model of cleanliness and homeliness, faced the 
garden. It was not a large place, but it was a pattern of neat¬ 
ness and order. Everything that Thomas Woodhead attempted 
he did well, and his garden showed the refined taste of this unas¬ 
suming man. High walls shielded his choice Roses from the 
stern blasts of that wild region, and in their short season they 
were gems in size and colour. These and a few Carnations, 
Picotees, and old-fashioned favourites, formed his outdoor show. 
The conservatories where the Auriculas grow are on one side of 
the open garden. It was here where Thomas Woodhead became 
famous in the floral world. He did not care much for showing at 
public exhibitions. He loved the flowers, but he did not keep 
them to himself; he was never happier than when exhibiting 
them to anyone who came. No passport was needed ; you came 
to look at the Auriculas, and you were ungrudgingly shown 
everything he had, accompanied with explanations told in a 
pleasant quiet vein of chat. When you had completed your 
round you did not know which to admire most—the charming 
flowers that had riveted your attention or the instructive conver¬ 
sation you had enjoyed with their owner. His humble attire 
and quiet manner led to some amusing misconceptions of a man 
who was blessed with sufficient to indulge his penchant for 
flowers without caring to make money out of them. 
A lady and gentleman had heard of these famous Auriculas. 
They drove over to Shibden, pulled up at the modest abode of 
Thomas Woodhead, asked to bee the flowers, and were politely 
escorted by the owner. The lady “ took stock ” of this ordinary- 
looking man, and probably thinking that he would be proud to 
find a customer, indicated to him which Auriculas she would like 
to take home in the carriage. Thomas Woodhead was nettled 
by her patronising style ; his Yorkshire blood was quickened by 
the cool assurance of this lady, and he, who would have given 
flowers to a poor woman, was determined she should not have an 
Auricula. He told her the prices he placed on the pets she had 
