December 22, 1881.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 567 
for a considerable time. When a constant succession of flowers is 
to be maintained Goldfussias do good service, and with a number 
of plants the flowering season may be prolonged for several weeks. 
If cuttings are inserted about March in a little bottom heat 
they very readily form roots. As soon as struck they may be 
potted off singly into 60-size pots and kept in the stove till they 
are well established. When they have filled their pots with roots 
they should be shifted on into 48-pots, employing a rich compost. 
After they have commenced rooting in the new soil the tops 
should be pinched out to induce them to branch ; one, or at the 
most two pinchings, will be quite sufficient. Good bushy plants 
can be grown in 48’s, but if plants are required of a larger size 
another potting will be necessary. I grow my plants in a cold 
frame through the summer fully exposed to the sun, and in autumn 
they are removed to an intermediate house. 
I find it the best plan to bring the plants on gradually into 
flower, for if they are forced into bloom they do not as a rule last 
so long. It is undoubtedly the best plan to strike young plants 
each year and grow them on as described above. I have on one 
or two occasions kept the plants a second year. After they have 
done flowering I cut them back and treat them like Pelargoniums, 
reducing the roots, and pot them in rich soil, after wffiich they 
receive the same treatment as the spring-struck plants. As a rule 
plants grown the second year are not nearly so satisfactory as 
young plants.—W. K. 
A WEEK IN BELGIUM. 
[■THE FOURTH DAY.] 
Having referred to Antwerp with its antique features and 
quaint customs, glanced at the character of the horticultural ex¬ 
hibitions, also the domestic floriculture of the old city, and briefly 
described what may be termed the town and country nurseries of 
one of the oldest and most esteemed of Belgian horticulturists, I 
pass to a change of scene and spend the fourth day in 
BRUSSELS. 
What Edinburgh is to Glasgow, and Bath to Bristol, Brussels 
is to Antwerp. On the one hand we have business with all the 
attendant excitement and an apparent money-earning community ; 
on the other we have luxury and ease represented, and what 
seems to be essentially a money-spending population. Antwerp 
is the great Belgium emporium of commerce. Brussels, the seat 
of much trade no doubt, is essentially a city of pleasure-seekers 
from many lands. Antwerp is flat and generally unpicturesque. 
Brussels occupies a position more or less undulated, and there are 
several standpoints from which beautiful views may be had of a 
beautiful city—all the more enjoyable because there is no smoke. 
It is in consequence of the practical smokelessness of Belgian coal 
that the cleanliness of the buildings is to be attributed. All the 
principal edifices are white and clean as if painted yesterday— 
a striking change from the dingy bricks of London. The trees, 
too, are as fresh as in the open fields ; the park in the centre of 
Brussels being the rendezvous of thousands, who enjoy the shady 
walks, for shaded indeed they are, and the open air concerts ; the 
boulevards, too, are extensive and enjoyable promenades. 
When it is incumbent on the visitor to see as much as 
possible of the city in the least possible time, he cannot do 
better than engage a guide who has a horse and small open 
carriage behind him. There are numbers of them, and much 
may be seen in an hour or two — the palaces of the King, 
Comte de Flandre, Due d’Aremberg, the ancient Hotel de Ville, 
and the modern Palace of Justice — the latter approaching 
completion. The New Law Courts in London are unques¬ 
tionably extensive, and many think them imposing, but they re¬ 
present a conglomeration of pepper-boxes in comparison with the 
massive grandeur and rich architecture of the noble building in 
Brussels, on which something like three million pounds sterling 
will be expended before the work is finished. 
If time permits for a suburban drive it will be enjoyed—say, 
for instance, about two miles in one direction to the Wiertz 
Museum for an inspection of the paintings, which for marvellous 
conception and dash in execution are, perhaps, unequalled as the 
work of one man. There are few visitors who do not experience a 
keener sense of the sublime and the ridiculous in this building 
than they have experienced before. In what way the latter is 
accomplished it would scarcely be fair to tell—all who have been 
will know, and those who go will find out, if they see all that is 
to be seen. The artist must have been intoxicated with his ex¬ 
traordinary imagination and his conspicuous talents. About the 
same distance in another direction is a terminus of a very dif¬ 
ferent character—the Bois de la Cambre. This is a beautiful 
wood and park combined, and for boldness of treatment and the 
diversified character of the scenery it is unique. Both these 
popular places of resort can be reached by tramcar from either 
of the railway stations. English visitors who have a day at 
disposal can spend it interestingly by a visit to Waterloo by 
coach, a distance of twelve mile3 ; but having been to the historic 
field on a former occasion I turned in another direction—namely, 
Laeken ; first, however, spending half an hour in the 
BOTANIC GARDENS. 
These are situated quite close to the Station du Nord, the 
station for Antwerp ; and as the boulevard alongside of them, the 
north side, is much higher than the Gardens they show to great 
advantage, sloping as they do to the south, the glass structures 
occupying the higher ground, forming the northern boundary ; in 
fact the gardens are so thoroughly overlooked that they can be 
and are enjoyed by thousands without entering them at all. The 
principal range of glass is very extensive, very old, and very ill 
adapted for the growth of plants. It is in the old orangery style, 
having a front of masonry with windows, but a roof of glass 
domed in the centre. It is more imposing from without than 
attractive within, still it contains many gigantic Palms ; in fact, 
it is a forest of Palms, which are kept as healthy as the place and 
circumstances permit. A very large fernery is more attractive, as 
it is furnished with many fine and choice specimens in excellent 
condition. There are also long, low, span-roofed houses crowded 
with a varied botanical collection of plants, which are evidently 
well cared for and cultivated. Outside the grounds are rendered 
attractive by various kinds of bedding plants, Orange trees in 
tubs, and a garden of hardy plants. There appears to be little of 
everything, including carpet bedding, and there is something to 
meet the tastes of all. The Superintendent, M. Lubbers, is ad¬ 
mitted to be one of the most accomplished gardeners in Belgium, 
and any of the British fraternity who visit him will find his 
ability equalled by his courtesy ; but they will find the pleasure 
enhanced if they can speak the French or Flemish languages, for 
there is nothing much more awkward than the meeting of a 
Belgian and Englishman each ignorant of the other’s tongue, and 
both smiling and bowing their best to render themselves agree¬ 
able. We now pass on to 
LAEKEN. 
There is a station at Laeken on the line to Ghent—in fact two 
stations, one for the Royal family and the palace visitors, and 
the other for the public ; but it is as well to go by tramcar, the 
distance being only about two miles. Those who were acquainted 
with Laeken two or three years ago, and visit it again now, will 
be astonished at the great alterations and striking and costly im¬ 
provements that have been made by His Majesty. The approach 
formerly was through a village the reverse of picturesque. The 
road was narrow and cramped by old cottages on one side and the 
dead park wall on the other. Now all is changed. The King 
purchased the property, pulled down the old tenements, and con¬ 
verted the site into a handsome park, which he has presented to 
the people of Laeken and Brussels. It is a right royal gift. Nor 
is this all. The park is only separated from the royal demesne 
by an open iron fence, so the palace grounds can be seen by the 
public, and since the improvements have been effected they are 
certainly worth seeing. The Royal Family have also a correspond¬ 
ing advantage, for an extensive and picturesque view of the pub¬ 
lic park is obtained from the palace ; a prominent object of 
interest to all being the Leopold Memorial, an elaborate structure, 
somewhat in the style of the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park, 
erected in memory of Leopold I. This public park has been 
most skilfully designed and planted by M. Delabarriere, a student 
of M. Alphande in the parks of Paris. M. Delabarriere has also 
been engaged in remodelling a great portion of the royal pleasure 
grounds, and he has certainly accomplished his work in a masterly 
manner—created, in fact, quite a transformation. It is not sur¬ 
prising that the King, in recognition of work so well done, should 
desire to retain the services of one who has proved his competence, 
and in all probability both the public and the private park will 
remain under his superintendence. Boldness and freedom charac¬ 
terise the whole work, and Art and Nature have been so happily 
merged that it is impossible to tell where one ends and the 
other begins. Laeken is richly wooded, and abounds in glades 
and vistas that render the surroundings of the palace highly 
picturesque. 
THE WINTER GARDEN. 
From a gardening point of view this remarkable structure 
towers above all else at Laeken. It stands alone in all its 
majesty, and is quite unlike anything we have in England. It 
is circular, with two corridors or wings attached. The roof is a 
vast dome, resting on a wall of masonry 3 or 4 feet high and 
terminating in a lantern with moveable lights for ventilation. 
