August 12, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
139 
the work of horticulture together for consultation and advice had a most 
beneficial effect. He was not surprised that the clergy of the Church of 
England took a deep interest in the Association, for there were none of 
God’s works so beautiful as the flowers which they tended and cared for. 
He was not a Ritualist, but he looked with favour upon the introduction 
into the Church of the flowers which God had given to beautify the earth. 
(Applause.) Mr. T. Woodcock, in responding, remarked that the Associa¬ 
tion was very young, but they had every confidence that it would grow 
stronger and stronger every year. They felt that it was destined to do a 
great work in encouraging brotherly love and knowledge among the 
members of the various Horticultural Societies. Mr. Birks briefly pro¬ 
posed a welcome to the visitors from the various towns, a toast which was 
responded to by Mr. W. Holmes (Wakefield). 
In the evening a lecture was delivered by the Rev. A. R. Upcher, 
vicar of St. Mary’s, in the large room of the institute. Archdeacon 
Blakeney presided, and was supported by Mr. E. Birks, The lecture was 
entitled -‘A Chat about Hardy Herbaceous Flowers, ’ and was illustrated 
by an extensive and beautiful display of specimens. The lecture was much 
enjoyed, and at the close a cordial vote of thanks to the lecturer was 
passed. Mr. Upcher’s “ Chat ” was a great success, and it was the 
unanimous wish of the members that the lecture be printed, and after its 
revision by the author he promised to send it to the Journal of Horticulture 
for that purpose, to be subsequently embodied in the Association’s rep rt. 
The programme of the day included a visit to the celebrated nurseries 
of Messrs. Fisher, Son, & Sibray at Handsworth, but it was quite impos¬ 
sible to secure conveyances, as every vehicle in the town appeared to be 
engaged in conveying visitors to the Show of the Yorkshire Agricultural 
Society. The firm in question, though not personally represented at the 
luncheon, sent a number of plants for the decoration of the rooms, and it 
is certain would have accorded the delegates a pleasant reception at the 
Nursery. 
MR. B. SIMONITE’S GARDEN. 
A visit to Sheffield seems incomplete without a call on the cutler florist, 
who, by extraordinary devotion and steady unwavering perseverance, has 
acquired a reputation that would spoil some men ; but nothing can alter 
“ Ben,” for that is his Sheffield name, as an incident will show. On 
inquiry of a railway porter to be directed to Mr. Simonite’s at Rough Bank, 
the man appeared at a loss to answer. Eventually, however, he said, 
“ thah dosent mean owd Ben durs ta ?” “ Yes.” “ Then, why didn’t ta 
saay so ? iverybudy knoaws Ben. Go up that hill, tun to t’ left, then ta 
freight, then thro some posts inta a yard, then through a passage, up 
another hill, and inquire agean ; but inquire for Ben.” That was the 
direction on a former occasion ; and we appeared to traverse much the 
same zigzag route last week. After climbing hill after hill, the roads 
having an angle of about 40°, we were directed still farther upwards to 
“ Sky Edge ”—an appropriate name enough, for the clouds appeared near. 
At last the name “ S'monite Lane ” was visible—a name given in honour 
of an old and respected family of which the popular florist is now the re¬ 
presentative. That “ iverybody ” knew Ben thereabouts was quite clear, 
and a dozen persons could tell us he was “ in t’ garden “ but stop,” 
observed “ an old inhabitant,” let’s see if its t’ top or t’ bottom." “ Oh, 
it’s all reight,” he continued, “ it’s t’ bottom garden and, curiously 
enough, to reach this “ bottom garden ” we had to go still higher up the 
hill, cross a wild quarried waste, and after another half mile of ups and 
downs we found “ t’ bottom garden,” enclosed within high rough walls, 
and its owner busy with his flowers and friends. “ But if this is the 
bottom garden, Ben, where is the top one ?” was the question, and he 
pointed still a little higher, and there in the distance was a group of 
fifty gardens, each with its garden house with greenhouse in front, and 
apparently nearly a mile from any dwellings. There are about 120 green¬ 
houses there, for some of the litttle enclosures contain two and others 
three each. These Sheffielders must really love gardens. We stop in the 
“ bottom one ” high on the hill and look down on the forest of chimneys 
far below. 
Let no one imagine neat and trim gravel walks, smooth lawns, and 
ornamental edgings. Florists’ gardens are not in that style at all. Only 
the flowers are cared for, the surroundings being of no consequence what¬ 
ever. This particular enclosure is about -50 by 40 feet. There are three 
or four home-made greenhouses and beds of Dahlias, Pinks, and Carna¬ 
tions, with odds and ends here and there, and a few rows of Chrysan¬ 
themums in pots. Carnations are over in many places, but here they 
were only just coming in. And what care is needed lo preserve the 
flowers ! The moment a bud shows colour it must be protected, or the 
sulphur and soot washed down would ruin the flowers. The buds are 
supported through slits in horizontal boards, two placed together for a 
time, so that one invert d flower pot, miniature handlight, bellglass, tin 
lid, or old hat crown will cover them. These packed together 18 inches 
or so above the beds are not in themselves beautiful; but raise them, and 
where the flowers are expanded there is something to see—grounds pure 
as snow, flakes rich, edges clearly defined and bright. “ Look here, I 
will show you a James Douglas, and I know you have never seen a 
better f ” And there indeed was a purple flake Carnation, of which we 
had never seen the equal at a National Show—broad smooth petals richly 
coloured, no muddling, but the bars sharp and clear. That flower alone 
was wortn the “ climb,” because it was as near perfection as could be 
imagined. It would not “ keep ” for Manchester, or the cognoscenti 
would bend over it in boundless admiration. A few Picotees were ex¬ 
panding, the flowers being remarkable for their purity and clearly defined 
bright edge lines ; but it was too early by about ten days for seeing the 
majority. Tee plants iu one bed were protected by short frame lights 
supported above them, and under these lights the flowers had again to be 
sheltered from the drifting soot, or they would be spoiled. A number of 
plants are grown in pots, and were arranged under glass. Very beautiful 
amongst these was the fine rose flake Carnation Sybil, the colour being 
strikingly rich and the petals broad ; but, as in the case outside, the 
flowering season was only just c mmencing. The plants were small both 
outside and in, the long winter and late spr'ng having rendered it a 
work of extreme difficulty to preserve them at all. They only started 
growing in June, and it is not easy to see how stock can be raised from 
them. On expressing surprise that these stunted and hardly brought up 
plants could produce such beautiful flowers, we were told such plants 
invariably give the best blooms. A point worthy of notice is this : the 
Carnations and Picotees planted out in beds were better, and, as a rule, 
promising to develope finer blooms than the plants in pots; and if that 
is so in this garden on the terribly bleak “heights” above Sheffield, 
where the winters are severe and long, the springs late, and more smoke 
than sun always, the culture of these plants ought to be ea»y in thousands 
of gardens in nearly all parts of the country, for certainly there is not 
one in a hundred where anything approaching the natural obstacles are 
present that are successfully encountered by this persevering florist, who 
has raised some of the finest varieties of the day. He works untiringly, 
and has riches in store in the form of some of his later creations. His 
Auriculas are mostly under glass; sturdy plants with leaves “ like 
leather ” in 4-inch pots, and numbers of seedlings in various stages of 
growth, some of which have proved their worth as among the finest yet 
raised, and others the result of parentage that can nowhere else be found, 
are with confidence expected to take high rank in the floral world. 
Only a deep love for flowers, with incessant working, watching 
and patient waiting, could enable anyone to accomplish anything like 
what has been achieved in this strangely situated, and it might almost 
be described “ outlandish,” Sheffi.ld garden; and no man than its 
owner is more trusted and. respected at home and abroad. He covets 
neither praise nor patronage, but plods on in honest endeavour as a very 
sterling florist and a straightforward man. 
MR. D. GILMOUR’3 GARDEN. 
From the garden of an old florist to that of this new rosarian is a 
rather wide step, for they are situated on opposite sides of the town. 
They are alike in one respect, and only one—altitude ; only Highbury, 
Mr. Gilmour’s residence, is probably considerably higher than Rough 
Bank, the air being also as clear and pure as that over the not far distant 
Derbyshire hills. The western suburbs of Sheffield are boldly and 
strikingly beautiful, and there is no su-picion of the contiguity of the 
busy murky towD. So far, then, as regards the purity of ihe atmosphere, 
Roses ought to grow at Highbury, and Mr. Gilmour has told in hie 
admirable paper on page 59, the issue of the 22nd ult., that as regards 
soil he intends them to be satisfied before he is much older. 
His established Roses are in beds on his lawn, one variety only in each 
bed, and these masses of healthy plants with stout stems and deep green 
foliage are decidedly more effective than if the varieties were in mixture 
with the necessary inequalities of height and habit. The R ise season is 
late on the wind-swept eminence, and on the 6th inst. the first blooms 
were onlj just expanding. Very beautiful were the masses of Merveille 
de Lyon, which has been planted by the hundred, and no long time 
will elapse before blooms can be counted by the thousand. La France 
and Baronne de Rothschild also appear quite at home, these light varieties, 
as mentioned in the paper referred to, thriving better in the light soil of 
that part of the garden than the dark ones do. This is very apparent, but 
their owner is of opinion the soil is too light for producing the requisite 
stoutness of petal, and more crumbled clay will be aided for giving 
texture to the blooms. Though the Rose garden is to some extent sheltered 
with shrubs, the wind sweeps with terrific force from the moors, and t> 
this with lusty growth may be attributed mainly the absence of mildew, 
which is only sesn on the tender growths of a few weakly plants on the 
side most protected from westerly gales. Green fly is not grown at 
Highbury. 
Though the lawn contains nothing but beds of Roses they have over¬ 
flowed into the kitchen garden and appear to be rapidly iaking up the 
giound there ; nor is this all, for a six-acre field has been purchased, 
drained, and in great part planted with stocks which are being budded 
now at the rate of upwards of a thousand a day wiih the newest and best 
varieties in commerce. Her Majesty will be in great force next year, for 
Mr. Gilmour has not been content with purchasing a dozen p ants but a 
hundred, and how many buds these have given we cannot say, but Rose- 
growers can form a pretty good idea, and other new sorts of premise, 
including Clara Cochet, are being worked on a similarly liberal scale. 
It is quite certain the Highbury Roses will be heard of again. Mr. 
Gilmour is in earnest with his work and possesses the means for carrying 
it on well. He has furthermore secured the services of Mr. Oorp, who 
knows what he is about in the culture of his favourite flowers. Yet the 
Roses grown in this high and bleak locality must be too late for the 
orthodox shows, and something great is in contemplation in the way of a 
Sheffield show on new lines. An experiment has been made, and the result 
of it is seen in the Rose cot in the chddreu’s hosp t d, est, bl shtd and 
maintained at a cost of £40 a year. This is not a bad beginning, but, 
viewed with the provision now being made, is on'y a very small begin¬ 
ning of Mr. Gilmour's career as a coming rosarian. He. appears detei- 
mined to make Sheffield a great Rose centre, and he is evidently not the 
man to fail. He grows Rose3 under glass ton, Teas planted out on 
benches, working them on different stocks, including W lliam Allen 
Richardson, and signs are not wanting that something good will rcsul 
