412 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 2, 1892 . 
ultimately suffer, whilst immediate destruction of the bushes 
would rob the tenant of his chief means of profit. The soil is an 
almost clayey loam, and the subsoil of a Tery clayey and cold 
nature ; hence the roots being driven into it for sustenance, failed 
to find what they needed, with the result that the top growths 
were dying as fast as made. 
It was very interesting as well as instructive to compare this 
overcropped orchard with one close by, which came into the same 
grower’s hands some few years since. This orchard had long 
been grossly neglected, and became foul with weeds and couch 
grass, the trees also being much checked and stunted. As soon as 
possible the whole of the weedy undergrowth was trenched in, the 
old bushes about the trees being also destroyed. Since that time 
the ground has been cultivated, manured, and cleared, and cropped 
with vegetables or flowers. Here in every case the trees are the 
embodiment of health and blooming profusely. They have wonder¬ 
fully improved during the past few years, and now are in capital 
condition. Only a similar course of treatment will save the trees 
in the other orchard unless they are too far gone, but a course of 
top cultivation and manuring can often work wonders. 
Annual or temporary crops which admit of frequent moving, 
cleaning, and manuring of the soil may be grown about tall trees 
with profit, but permanent crops will not thrive equally over a 
long series of years. That fact should be clearly understood when 
calculations are made by tenants or intending fruit planters as to 
what may be their respective profits. No doubt on the average 
a breadth of Gooseberries and Currants will prove eventually 
to be more profitable than a breadth of standard trees. The 
two may very well run in harmony for ten or twelve years, but 
not much longer.—A. D. 
BRITISH PLANTS. 
I AM led by reading now and again in the Journal a note on 
one or other of our native plants to offer a few remarks on the 
subject, and if you consider them of sufficient interest they will, I 
presume, find a place in your pages. Speaking generally, gardeners 
do not, I think, care for British plants, nor is it to be wondered at 
that in these days of high pressure resulting from exhibiting, 
marketing, and providing for the wants of large households they 
jshould receive so little attention, few of us having the time to spare 
from our scanty leisure to make ourselves acquainted with even the 
more showy species ; but I fear the chief reason why they are so 
-little cared for is that they grow wild. One sometimes hear the 
remark, “ Ah ! that grows in the hedges.” There are, however, 
those to whom wild plants afford real enjoyment. 
Though a knowledge ot British plants is not indispensable to a 
gardener, I venture to affirm that it will some day prove useful. 
It should be remembered that our flora represents a good number 
of natural orders, therefore the study will be found serviceable in 
the wider field of exotics. A very accomplished botanist once told 
me that no better material could be found for a beginner than our 
own wild plants. That is many years since, and I cannot even now 
lay claim to being a botanist, because like most of my brethren in 
the craft I have always had plenty of work to do. Nevertheless, I 
have been able to get a good deal of pleasure out of wild plants, 
and my object in writing is to tell any who may be interested in 
the subject how they may do the same without any great tax on 
their time. Spare moments, country walks either for business or 
-pleasure, near home or abroad, is about all the time I have devoted 
'to it ; in fact, I use it as a kind of recreation. It is astonishing 
how much more interesting a walk becomes when one is engaged in 
looking over the flora of a locality in the hope of meeting with 
some unknown plant, to say nothing of the pleasure of seeing those 
that are familiar. I have for years past contrived to make my 
country walks enjoyable in this way, and especially so when I have 
been fortunate enough to find a bit of new ground. I confess 
to have been at such times just a little excited. 
I have never had time to devote to the preservation of a collec¬ 
tion of dried specimens of British plants (Ferns being an exception), 
but the following has been my practice. I procured a copy of 
“ Bentham’s Handbook of the British Flora.” I like it better 
(than any other book I have yet seen. The descriptions of the 
plants are very accurate and detailed ; moreover, it contains much 
botanical information and excellent analytical keys. There are 
illustrated books on the subject, but since identifying plants by 
their portraits affords no mental exercise I prefer to trace out my 
specimens by the keys. When I commenced I went through my 
book and marked off the few plants I then knew (these, for the 
most part, were common species), at the same time writing on the 
margin opposite to each some remark, as “ Garden weed,” the name 
of the wood, field, or lane where I remembered to have seen it 
growing ; for trees, the places where I had observed fine specimens, 
and other notes of interest; and so on with each species with which 
I have since made myself acquainted. I think if this plan is fol¬ 
lowed there will be no difficulty in calling to mind any plant that 
has been once known, though years may have elapsed—at least, I 
have not found any ; but to those who have time to study the 
subject more systematically, and to preserve specimens, I would 
say by all means do so. 
It is some time since the above was written. After reading it 
over I laid it aside, thinking it would be of no interest to your 
readers ; but as Mr. W. W. Pettigrew has opened the subject at 
page 352 with his very interesting and instructive paper, which I 
have greatly enjoyed, it occurred to me that while his contribution 
was calculated to inspire a love for British plants amongst your 
more scientific young readers, this will, perhaps, help a little those 
of the class to which I belong—viz,, the pseudo-botanist.—T. S. 
[A very laudable desire, and the method indicated is worthy of 
the attention of young gardeners.] 
GOOD THINGS AT THE TEMPLE. 
“ Plenty of stuff here,” colloquially remarked a gardener to 
me at the recent Temple Show, and undoubtedly the wearer of 
the “ blue apron ” spoke correctly. There were plenty of exhibits 
outside Orchids which were interesting in their way but-; well, 
we are not all Orchidists. There were, as the detailed report in 
“ our Journal ” last week showed, magnificent groups of fl<^wering 
and foliage, greenhouse and stove plants, Roses in abundance, an 
unlimited supply of cut flowers and hardy plants, and Strawberries 
almost beyond description, if size counts for anything. 
Like many others I took a leisurely (?) stroll around the Show 
in the afternoon, when the spacious marquees were packed with 
people as well as flowers. Some of the latter I saw, others I did 
not. Many gardeners, I thought, however, were less fortunate 
than myself, they did not see the Exhibition at all. A suggestion 
was therefore made to me, as an occasional scribbler, that a few 
remarks on some of the good things that were to be seen there 
would be of interest to those readers who were not privileged to 
see for themselves. I say “ some of the good things ” advisedly, 
because I was so pressed for time (and with people) that only a 
cursory glance at the numerous exhibits could be made. "The 
general verdict was that all the exhibits were good. That may be 
so, still some were better than others, as is only natural—but I am 
digressing. 
Conspicuous amongst the many beautiful things there the 
Pelargoniums struck me, as doubtless they did other visitors, as 
being exceedingly showy. The well-trained plants exhibited by 
Mr. C. Turner of Slough stood out prominently against the smaller 
specimeuf staged by Messrs. J. & J. Hayes, H. J. Jones, and Hugh 
Low & Co. In each case the plants were remarkably well flowered, 
and among them some really good varieties were noticeable. One 
named Princess May, shown by Messrs. Hayes, attracted some 
attention, and was adjudged an award of merit. 'This is apparently 
a very free blooming kind, producing fine trusses of flowers of a 
charming salmon pink hue, with a dark purplish blotch. I noticed 
plants of the same variety were included in Mr. H. J. Jones’ 
group, but these were not honoured in a similar manner. 
“ What’s in a name ? ” asked Shakespere once upon a time, to 
which the florists of the present day might say :— 
“ Who hath not owned, with rapture-smitten frame, 
The power of grace, the magic of a name ? ” 
For do we not find the appellation of “ Princess May ” attached to 
not only Pelargoniums, as already said, but to Roses, Begonias, and 
numerous other flowers ? That the amiable and popular Princess 
deserves all the honours that florists can endow her with no one 
can doubt, but there seems to he a danger of taking this method of 
naming varieties of flowers a little too far. A line should be 
drawn somewhere. The average gardener does not bother himself 
about the names of the numerous varieties, and by this means 
backs out of the difficulty. The enthusiastic amateur, however, 
makes an attempt to grasp the details, and gets deeper in the mire. 
But here again I am digressing. I intended opening this para¬ 
graph by referring to the charming Princess May Rose, shown by 
Messrs. W. Paul & Son. This is a beautiful variety, worthy of 
the name it bears, and, singular to say, was the only Rose 
certificated in the whole Show. In form the blooms partake 
somewhat after the well - known La France, and are of a soft 
rose pink shade. The vigorous growing Moss Rose Zenobia, 
recently certificated and described in the Journal, was also 
noticeable in Messrs. Paul’s collection. This, I should say, 
would be a splendid variety for garden decoration. 
Turning to the various groups of Tuberous Begonias one finds 
