August 21, 1S90. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
155 
easy and rapid in its work ; capital for green wood. 3, Belgian 
secateurs for pruning. 4, Aubert’s Parisian secateurs. 5, Clasp 
and sheath knives. 
AUTUMN FUCHSIAS. 
Bushy specimens in 5 or 6-inch pots are very attractive in the 
conservatory during the months of October and November. Free 
flowering and naturally bushy growers are those which give the 
greatest satisfaction, and if plants were struck late in spring, and 
are now growing in 3 and 4 inch pots receive frequent pinching, 
they will, with another shift into a size larger pot, and continuing 
the pinching when the shoots get long enough, grow into desirable 
plants, handy in size, with fine healthy foliage, and a promise of 
abundance of bloom. It is only the single varieties that can be 
recommended for these purposes ; the doubles are not, as a rule, 
free enough in flowering at that time of the year. A cool frame 
on a bed of ashes is the place to grow them for the next five or six 
weeks, where they can be readily shaded from strong sun, and the 
lights removed in showery or dull weather and dewy autumn nights. 
Shade and moisture will keep them soft and growing, but a dry 
atmosphere and too much sun will bring them into flower too soon. 
A free, open, and rich compost composed of turfy loam, leaf soil, 
"decayed manure and sand, with broken charcoal mixed therewith 
will grow them well. They may be frequently syringed in dry 
weather, and should at such times receive attention at least twice a 
day, to ascertain whether water is needed or not. They will 
scarcely need any kind of liquid or artificial manure until the pots 
are full of roots and flowers are showing, which it is desirable 
should be encouraged to develop, and only then weak supplies will 
be needed, as the demands of the plants are not so heavy and 
frequent as in the longer days of summer. 
Any very free flowering varieties will be suitable for autumn 
decoration if properly prepared. Older plants that have done 
blooming may be encouraged to flower again by a little shortening 
back of the shoots, a warm close atmosphere and frequent 
syringing to induce fredi young growths, which, partially ripened, 
are sure to produce flowers, which are always welcome late m the 
season.—S. W. 
NOTES ON EARLY ENGLISH HORTICULTURE. 
( Continued from page 479, last vol .) 
Just now the minds of Chelsea folks are exercised lest the long 
famous Apothecaries’ or Physic Garden on the banks of the 
Thames, so long sacred to horticultural and botanical purposes, 
should have its few acres thrown into the devouring maw of the 
modern builder, which has swallowed hundreds of the acres about 
London formerly occupied as nursery or garden grounds. Let us 
hope many persons in other London districts will be heartily in¬ 
terested in the effort to keep intact this historic space, and also to 
utilise it, if that be possible. Some way may be found, I think, to 
give this small area a botanical or educational value, and thus keep 
In remembrance the design with which Sir Hans Sloane handed 
over the land to the keeping of the Apothecaries’ Company. In 
pursuing the history of our horticulture we have reached a period 
when this Chelsea garden had attained a position of importance, 
owing to the eminence of Miller, head of the establishment from 
about 1722 to 1769. The renowned Linnaeus spoke in the highest 
terms of Miller, with whom he often corresponded, and by some 
foreign botanists he was styled the “ Prince of Gardeners ” in that 
century, but of course at home he was not greatly honoured, at 
least during his life. A large number of exotic plants had been 
added to this garden in the reign of Anne, when Doody was 
gardener, and Petiver demonstrator. The latter was an intimate of 
Ray, and a great collector of natural history objects generally. 
Many of his specimens were bought by Sir Hans Sloane, and 
formed part of the nucleus of the British Museum. To encourage 
the apothecaries in their researches after new and rare plants the 
Baronet presented the Company with this garden on condition of 
their handing in yearly fifty fresh specimens reared there to the Royal 
'Society till the number of 3000 had been reached. Small as is the 
space, it contained one of the most important collections of exotic 
trees formed early in the eighteenth century, and even now some 
of these live there in their descendants. Its splendid Oriental 
Plane, considered to b9 the finest British specimen, was killed, as 
was supposed, by the works of the Embankment, and its famous 
Magnolia died some years ago. This Magnolia was an offset, it 
was said, of the celebrated tree p’anted at Exeter, which supplied 
plants to many gardens near and distant. Amongst its notable 
trees were the large examples of the Nettle Tree, the Paper Mul¬ 
berry, the Salisburia, the Pistacia Terebinthus, and several species of 
Pandanus. On a visit to the Gardens I was fortunate enough to 
see in full flower a very large and venerable example of the Styrax 
(Styrax officinale). 
Phillip Miller’s father was a market gardener at Deptford, and 
at the time he accepted the office of gardener to the establishment 
at Chelsea Miller had a small nursery near Newington Butts, 
Surrey. According to Field, the historian of this Chelsea garden, 
the career of Miller showed what an ordinary working gardener 
might do in the way of raising himself to eminence by study and 
perseverance, for he was apparently a self-taught man. His 
“ Gardeners’ Dictionary ” proves how extensive was his theoretical 
and practical knowledge, and though the work was costly its sale 
was considerable for that period. We can quite believe on ex¬ 
amining this book in Field’s statement that horticulture is greatly 
indebted to Miller for his trouble in procuring and his skill in 
cultivating species or varieties unknown to these islands. He 
appears to have been the first to recommend the practice of grow¬ 
ing the bulbs of Hyacinths, Tulips, and allied species in water, 
though it is probable the introducer of the method was one Martin 
Triewald, a Swedish gentleman, about 1728. It is likely that 
Miller’s influence led to the formation of a society of London 
gardeners and nurserymen, at which discussions took place on 
horticultural topics. Amongst its senior members we notice the 
names of Fairchild, Hoxton ; of Furber, original proprietor of the 
Kensington Nursery ; Gray of Fulham, Driver of Lambeth, and 
Hunt of Putney. The Messrs. Hunt had a rather extensive 
arboretum on the bank of the Thames, sheltered by the Surrey 
hills. Its trees and plants were sold in 1834, and the ground 
cleared for building. James Lee, who afterwards started the 
Hammersmith Nursery, was one of the younger men in this 
Society. He was then working under Miller at the Apothecaries’ 
Garden. It may be that the speedy dissolution of the Society 
arose from the ill success of a volume they prepared conjointly, 
one intended to be the first of a series, which would be 
given a complete and illustrated catalogue of all hardy trees, 
shrubs, and plants. This first part was published at a guinea 
and a half, with figures of fifty species drawn and coloured 
by Yan Huysum. This, if it could have been completed, would 
have helped on English horticulture considerably, but it failed to 
obtain purchasers. The fame of Miller led to his being often con¬ 
sulted by the owners of extensive gardens as to arrangement of 
ground or methods of cultivation. Amongst his employers were 
the Dukes of Bedford and Richmond. Miller held his office at 
the Chelsea garden till 1769, and died soon after his resigna¬ 
tion. By the joint efforts of the Botanical and Horticultural 
Societies of London a cenotaph to his honour was erected in 
the old churchyard of Chelsea in 1815, but from some strange 
mistake it is placed on the spot where Horsfall the printer was 
buried. 
The society of gardeners to which Miller was secretary consisted 
chiefly of West London men. but it had a few members at Hoxton, 
Kingsland, and Mile End. In the reign of George I. very different 
systems were followed in the gardens or fields at the east and west of 
London. The market gardeners at the east raised large quantities 
of vegetables for the city ; those at the west, with a more limited 
space at command, grew more choice kinds, and managed to have a 
rapid succession of crops. About this period the White Beet was 
grown extensively, the midribs and footstalks of the leaves being 
boiled and eaten as Asparagus. We should also have seen in the 
gardens what was called Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium bonus 
Ilenricus) ; the leaves of this plant some thought equal, or superior, 
to Spinach. The Cbive was a variety of the Onion much in 
demand, because the young plants were cut up for salads, and they 
were also put round flower beds for an edging. A plant now 
neglected, the Squash Melon (Cucurbita melopepo) had some 
popularity, being grown on the sides of rivulets or ditches. Our 
ancestors gathered the fruit unripe, boiled it, and served it on 
toast. Few cottage gardens were without some plants of the 
Pumpkin. People used to compete in trying how far the shoots 
could be made to run over a grassy bank. One writer on gardening 
thinks that the English would never have been so partial to all 
varieties of Cabbage as they showed themselves in the eighteenth 
century except for the influence of northern gardeners, and the 
Scotch, he adds, must have acquired their liking by contact with 
the German fishermen. It was usual then to grow Spinach amongst 
Cabbages, and a favourite plan of the gardeners was to plant 
Cucumbers along the rows of this vegetable in May. Quantities of 
Lettuces were sown in frames about June, and afterwards trans¬ 
planted under glass. One singular feature of market and kitchen 
gardens of that time was the numerous pits, receptacles of dung 
and litter, to which water was freely added to excite fermentation, 
as it was not usual to spread at once to the land what manure was 
obtained from the stables and cowsheds. Gardeners then pre¬ 
ferred to have the k teben garden somewhat on the incline, open 
