456 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 16, 1892. 
- A Useful Flower Gatherer. —Oae of the neatest forms 
of flower gatherer we have seen is that known as Dubois’, a French 
contrivance. It is made to resemble a light walking-stick, is admirably 
finished, and the blade is protected by a stout metal sheath, so that it 
may be used as a cane. As a cutter it is excellent. It can be worked 
with great rapidity, and the stems are held securely when severed. If 
proper facilities for its manufacture under royalty were allowed by the 
French patentees there would be a considerable demand for the 
gatherer in this country. Messrs. Corry & Co., Limited, are introducing 
it, and it can be had through seedsmen. 
- A Conference at Tunbridge Wells. —We have received a 
letter from Mr. D. G. Cornwell, 19, Grove Hill Eoad, Tunbridge Wells, 
respecting the Conference of Gardeners’ Associations to be held there 
01 July Cth. There are not, he says, to be any cut-and-dried arrange¬ 
ments of resolutions settled beforehand, but free and open discussion on 
the best means of banding horticultural societies together for their mutual 
good. A luncheon will precede the Conference, and the latter will be 
followed by visits to places of interest to horticulturists in the locality. 
A dinner will be held at 6.30 P.M., and a smoking concert at 8 P.M, 
Mr. Cornwell will supply particulars when the programme has been 
finally settled. 
- New Parks in London. —Two new parks have been added to 
London’s open spaces and recently opened. Avondale Park, so called 
in commemoration of the late Duke of Clarence and Avondale, is more 
of a play-ground than anything else, occupying very little over 4 acres. 
Nevertheless, as it is .situated in one of the most crowded parts of 
Kensington it will serve a good purpose. The features of Brockwell 
Park, Herne Hill, in the south-east of London, which was opened by 
Lord Kosebery, have been previously referred to in the Journal. The 
County Council has not pursued a cutting-up and laying-out policy^ 
but has wisely striven to preserve its many natural beauties. The 
park covers about 75 acres. 
- Royal Horticultural Society.—T he next meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society in the Drill Hall, James Street, Victoria 
Street, Westminster, will be held on Tuesday, June 21st, and promises 
to be of more than ordinary interest. In addition to the plants and 
flowers usually to be seen there will be competitions among amateur 
growers of Pmonies, Delphiniums, and Pinks. The National Rose 
Society will also hold its first Show of 1892 in connection with the 
R.H.S., and if previous years may be regarded as a criterion the display 
of Roses will be a fine one. At three o’clock Mr. W. T. Thiselton 
Dyer, C.M.G., Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, has kindly con¬ 
sented to deliver a lecture on “ The Management of Trees in Parks and 
Gardens.” 
- ” The Kitchen Garden in Summer ’ was the title of a most 
seasonable and practical paper read before the members of the Wakefield 
Paxton Society at their ordinary weekly meeting at the Saw Hotel 
last Saturday evening by Mr. T. Pitts, gardener to Mr. D. B. Kendell of 
Thornhill House, Walton. Mr. B. Whiteley presided, and Mr. J. G. 
Brown, of Hatfield Hall, was in the vice chair. Mr. Pitts’ remarks were 
of great value both to gentlemen’s gardeners and amateurs, for he gave 
them, without the slightest reserve, the benefit of his long and extensive 
acquaintance with kitchen garden work, and mentioned many of the 
best varieties of vegetables and the kinds which he had proved most 
adapted for growth in this district. Mr. Pilts strongly recommended a 
more general use of the Dutch hoe, and he also advocated the judicious 
use of soot and nitrate of soda and a liberal admixture of farmyard 
manure. A long discussion ensued on the paper. 
-A Berlin Park. —The public park at Berlin, “ Humboldtshain,” 
is just now glorious in its spring dress. It* is divided into so many 
zones for native and foreign plants. Each is provided with a tablet, 
giving its scientific and German name, its country, &c. In the Asiatic 
zone many examples of Pinus floribunda are now in full and beautiful 
flower. The views from the different paths, says the “ Vossische 
Zeitung,” become each year prettier. In the south border of the park 
is the school garden, provided with plants for the instruction of 
scholars ; there is a nursery of nearly three million young plants ; a 
vivarium, an alpine garden, and a “ geological profile,” as studies for 
both teachers and pupils. Then there are hothouses and glass boxes 
where the plants for the decoration of the public gardens in the city are 
cultivated. There is plenty of vegetable material for instruction in 
drawing in the industrial and other schools, and a botanical museum is 
located in the house of the director of this park. This interesting place 
easily reached from the centre of Berlin by means of the trams. 
- Avenue Trees. —It is so much the rule to plant in avenues, 
whether in town or country, only one kind of tree, that I have often 
felt almost angry with the lack of taste shown in such planting, for 
nothing can well be more monotonous than wearisome lines of the same 
sort of tree in all directions. Now I noticed the other day a new street 
or road at Teddington planted with Horse Chestnut, but alternately on 
either side with scarlet and white varieties. The planter evidently 
thought that with the famous Chestnut avenue of Bushey Park close by 
as an example there could be no such fine tree for the planting of streets 
as the Horse Chestnut, and that to introduce the scarlet variety would 
be a great success. What really is happening is that whilst the common 
variety grows grossly and does not bloom appreciably until the trees 
become large, the scarlet Chestnut is a slow grower and blooms profusely 
when but a few years old. When I saw all the scarlet flowered trees 
in bloom a week since the white flowered variety almost everywhere 
bad done blooming, but these rich coloured ones were gloriously beauti¬ 
ful ; indeed I have never seen the variety in better condition. The asso¬ 
ciation of the two varieties is all the same a great mistake. In a newly 
made short street on Kingston Hill the novel plan of planting diverse 
flowering trees has been adopted, Hawthorns and Laburnums being 
intermixed with, whilst in bloom, very pleasing effect, and in such a 
comparatively open area no doubt the trees will thrive very well. All 
descriptions of flowering trees have bloomed gloriously this year, and 
especially in villa forecourts. I see no reason to doubt but that 
similar trees will thrive and bloom equally in the street margins. When 
I see huge growing Plane trees planted on either side of a 25 feet street 
I recognise what all must regard as a piece of inconsiderate folly. 
Either the trees must be kept very hard lopped later or the houses must 
submit to have their windows hidden and darkened by the excess of 
leafage.—A, D. 
- A Pleasant Outing.— On Friday afternoon of last week the 
gardeners of Kingston-on-Thames and district, who recently promoted as 
a Committee a concert in that town on behalf of the Gardeners’ Orphan 
Fund, on the invitation of Mr. E, Burrell, who acted as Chairman of the 
Committee, and with the sanction of H.R.H. the Duchess of Albany, 
paid a visit to Claremont. The party included several lady friends, 
numbering sixteen in all, and was conveyed in a large brake via 
Surbiton, Hook, and Claygate through very beautiful country to Clare¬ 
mont. Here being received by Mr. Burrell, they were first conducted 
through the various ranges of glass plant houses, vineries, Peaeh houses. 
Tomato and Melon ranges, &c.; also through the kitchen and adjoin¬ 
ing flower gardens. In every department there was much to admire. 
The fruit crops in general were excellent, everything was in admirable 
condition, and the entire section reflected upon the gardener the highest 
credit. Returning to the gardener’s house it was found that Mrs. 
Burrell had laid tea beneath the branches of a noble Pterocarya 
caucasica, the branches of which extend to the diameter of 80 feet, and 
which forms probably one of the noblest trees of its kind in the kingdom. 
Close by the beautiful Salisburia adiantifolia and the Virginian Laurel, 
Laurus sassafras, form handsome trees. Tea over, and the intense heat 
of the sun’s rays moderated, the party was conducted across the park 
past the noble mansion to the beautiful pleasure grounds, the work of 
the famous Capability Brown. These were found to be of such great 
beauty as to call forth the most enthusiastic evidence of admiration 
even from old seasoned gardeners. The Rhododendrons were in 
luxuriant bloom, forming wondrous masses of colour, and the groueds 
having in them several very lofty elevations and all magnificently 
wooded, the glades, scenes, and pictures presented baffle description. 
Lovelier grounds can hardly be found anywhere. After partaking once 
again of Mr. Burrell’s kind hospitality the party returned home greatly 
delighted with their outing and reception.—A. D. 
- Strawberry Vicomtesse HLricart de Thury. —I quite 
agree with and can corroborate the remarks of “ E. M.,” on page 395 ol 
the Journal for May 26th, on this Strawberry, as with me it has been a 
favourite, both for pot culture and the open air, for the last fourteen or 
fifteen years. Having tried several varieties for forcing, and some with 
very unsatisfactory results, I procured runners of the Vicomtesse, and 
have never failed to secure a grand crop of well-coloured and fine- 
flavoured fruit. It has also another advantage; being of compact 
dwarf habit it can be grown (and I prefer to so grow it) in 5-inch pots. 
In not a few places the greatest amount of work has to be done in the 
least possible time, and where this is the case the time usually spent in 
layering the runners into thumb pots, or 60’8, may be saved by allowing 
the runners to root in the rows, taking care in gathering the fruit not 
to tread on them ; then, in August or September, the runners may be 
