October 26, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
885 
sir, begging your pardon, I think not.” “What, then, has Mr. Paul 
moved his nursery to another place?” “No, sir; it’s just exactly 
where it was, but,” with a peculiar look, “ we’ve moved the station.” 
“ Ah ! ” That means a collapse, and acknowledgment that the porter 
was master of the position. The station is 100 yards or so nearer 
London now, and instead of walking through it along the pleasant glade 
to the office at the opposite end, we pass along the side of the nursery, 
buildings intervening, to the main street of Waltham, turn to the right, 
and reach the office entrance in practically the same time as before—a 
steady ten minutes’ walk, though there is a side entrance only four or 
five minutes from the station. 
As most persons know, or may learn by a glance at a railway map, 
Waltham Cross is reached from Liverpool Street station, the city 
terminus of the Great Eastern Railway — perhaps, at certain times, 
morning and evening, the busiest station in London, if not in the world. 
No wonder many a stranger whose life has been spent in the country, 
the leisurely ways of which have become part of his nature, is not a 
little bewildered when he finds himself jutted here and there, and 
hustled about by a mass of humanity rushing for egress or ingress. 
He may, as many do, as is apparent enough, experience some difficulty 
in learning where to “ take his ticket,” and then in finding his train. 
Let him keep cool and not rush about in a search on the platform, but 
quietly pass upstairs and book to Waltham. Oa coming down again he 
will see right before him a number of clock faces with the hands point¬ 
ing to the names of stations and number of platforms from which the 
next outgoing trains start. Amidst all the confusion, the arrangements 
at these great stations are clear enough, and a person arriving in 
reasonable time need not miss his train if he does not loss his head, 
as many do daily. 
Not through pleasant suburbs does the train pass on its way to 
Waltham. We are in the thickly populated busy East. Dwellings, not 
artistic, are packed together, and “works” of various kinds appear to 
show their worst sides to the railway. Eventually we come to an 
opening between the buildings, but much more likely to be occupied 
with barrels, rubbish, and general lumber than by trees or other forms 
of vegetation. Yet anon we come to the fields mainly cropped with 
vegetables, but in no sense representative of the splendid market 
gardens more distant and westward of the City. Of shaky patched-up 
greenhouses there is no lack, but they have a depressing rather than an 
inspiring effect, indeed the whole surroundings are suggestive of a 
struggle against adverse influences—of marshy soil below and a hazy 
soot-laden atmosphere above. The outlook improves as we go along, 
especially as we see the rising ground of Epping Forest in the distance 
on the right; but it is not until historic Waltham is reached that we 
feel fairly in the country, and the first really bright and refreshing 
scene is afforded by the nurseries which skirt the line on the left, but 
just beyond the station—Rhododendrons in the spring, Roses in the 
summer, and Dahlias, with the rich tints of various trees during the 
evening of the year. 
Fortunate was Mr. Paul in his purchase of this valuable tract of land 
between thirty and forty years ago for a nursery. He had it in mind 
to establish himself nearer the metropolis, but London has spread out 
since then, carrying with it atmospheric impurities inimical to vegetation, 
but Waltham Cross is outside the smoke radius and everything is clean. 
The site is open to all the sun that shines, and the soil is an ideal one 
for trees ornamental and useful. It is sound loam just above medium 
in texture, or sufficiently retentive for holding food ingredients, yet 
free in texture for inducing a fibrous rooting system. It is .3 to 4 feet 
deep, resting on gravel, and a little below that is the water table. In a 
wet season superfluous water passes freely away, in a dry one it sustains 
the trees, as drawn upwards by the sun in the process of capillary 
attraction. If this were not so, and if fibrous roots were not abundant, 
specimen shrubs and Conifers transplanted last May could not have 
lived through the exhausting summer. They have not only “lived” 
but grown admirably, though of course they had the needful attention 
as dictated by long experience. Firm, matured wood in fruit and orna¬ 
mental trees, Roses and various shrubs is the natural growth charac¬ 
teristics of what may be termed the concrete or governing conditions 
indicated. This is apparent all over the nursery, and such sturdiness 
above ground can only have its counterpart below—not a few strong 
fibreless roots which are never produced by such trees, indeed cannot 
be, but a multiplication of fibres as the necessary collorary of such 
growth. Excessively rampant growth always did, will, and must mean 
deep strong root penetration, just as sturdy short-jointed wood ripening 
to the tips means a free fibrous ramification in the upper stratum of 
soil. This is so because it cannot be otherwise, and people who are not 
other than wise attach primary importance to the roots of plants and 
trees as the precursors of thrifty growth. 
To the mere sightseer, who is not a cultivator, the month of October 
is not the best time for a nursery stroll, though an artist could not fail 
to admire and long to reproduce the exquisite colour tints assumed by 
many trees ; but the visitor who has some knowledge of the gardener’s 
art, though it may be much less than his more learned guide can teach 
him, is at no time more interested by an inspection than when Nature 
is completing the work of the year in the process of maturation. He 
likes to see fruit trees when the foliage is being scattered at the proper 
time, the Roses when they are preparing for rest, and trees and shrubs 
generally when the “ leaves are changing yellow and kindling into red,” 
because he can then appreciate the nature and value of the wood better 
than at any other period of the year. There is plenty to see at Waltham 
Cross in all those references, much more, in fact, than can be narrated here. 
Let US look for a moment at the fruit trees. These we fiul represented 
in all kinds and forms, also of various sizes, from thrifty maidens to 
abundant fruit producers nearly thirty years old, with any number of 
moveable specimens for immediate bearing, these latter being in demand 
for furnishing new gardens quickly and filling blanks which are ever 
occurring in old ones. 
Running through the nursery from south to north is an avenue of 
fruit trees, 400 yards long, in which is planted single tress of nearly- 
500 different kinds of Apples, Pears, Cherries and Plums, which are 
much visited during the fruiting season by connoisseurs of fruits, both 
amateur and professional. Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Figs and 
Grapes, are grown and fruited under glass. By these means not 
only are the different soils constantly under the eye for observation and 
study, but buds, grafts and eyes are, when propagating, taken from 
fruiting specimens, thus reducing to a minimum the chances of error in 
nomenclature. Fruit trees, it has been said, are grown in almost every 
form. There are standards, young and old, short and tall, feathered 
trees, pyramids and bushes on various stocks, standard and dwarf 
trained, fan-shaped and horizontal, cordons upright and horizontal in 
almost unlimited numbers. The fruiting trees, especially Apples and 
Pears, were the most striking, many being of large size, very symmetrical 
and thickly studded with fruit buds. Similar trees to those which were 
removed last winter and bore fruit this summer (1893) large enough to 
appear at the fruit shows. Of smaller fruits, Strawb jrries. Raspberries, 
Gooseberries and Currants abound, the Strawberries being prevented 
from straying and intermixing by divisional lines of Raspberries, ample 
space being afforded for both. Many varieties of the different kinds of 
fruit are grown for meeting garden needs and forming collections. For 
extensive plantations of a limited number of popular kinds, trees are 
raised and grown on Mr. Paul’s fruit farm in Sussex. The gathered 
crops of the season were stored in a fruit room recently built on the most 
approved principles, special features of which are a double roof, double 
windows and door and thatched sides. It is expected that no heating 
apparatus will ever be required here. In this nursery the Crab stock is 
preferred to the Apple, and the Paradise is recommended for private 
gardens only where the soil is a good medium loam. The Quince stock 
is used for some sorts of Pears, but the Pear stock is more largely used. 
The Mahaleb is a favourite stock for Cherries of the Morello kind ; an 
instance of the value of this stock was given. No Cherries could be 
obtained in a large well cultivated garden until this stock was tried, 
when the crop proved abundant. Although the summer just past has 
been more than usually favourable to the spread of various insect pests, 
the trees here were perfectly clean, and 'oore no marks of depreciation 
from these enemies. 
The celebrity of this nursery for Roses is well known, and although 
the flowers were somewhat despoiled by the rain there were several 
attractive blooms in the masses of Tea-scented and other kinds. The 
charming Polyanthus were represented by Gloire des Polyantha, 
Mignonette, Perle d’Or, and the newer and larger Princess Elizabeth 
Lancellotte. To these may be added the dainty Chinese Little Pet. A 
fine collection of blooms could be cut of such well proved or promising 
H.P.’s as Augustine Guinoisseau, Bardou Job, Caroline Testout, Charles 
Lamb, Climbing Queen of Queens, Clio (a wonderful grower), Danmark, 
Duchess of Albany, Ella Gordon, Garden Favourite, Gloire de Margottin, 
Grand Mogul, Gustave Piganeau, Madame Bois, Mme. Isaac Pereiere, 
Marchioness of Lome, Mrs. John Laing, Pierre Netting, Pride of Waltham, 
Silver Queen, Spencer, Star of Waltham, Ulrich Brunner Fils, and 
Victor Hugo. Lorna Doone, Kronprinzessin Victoria, and Souvenir 
de la Malmaison were flowering among the Bourbons, and Adelina, 
Viviand Morel, L’Ideal, Madame Pierre Cochet, and William Allen 
Richardson were the most floriferous Noisettes. La Soleil was shining 
among its congeners the Teas and their hybrids, and blooms could be 
cut of Madame Chauvray, Madame Moreau, Pink Rover, Princess May, 
Waltham Climber No. 3, all vigorous growers ; also of Camoens, Christine 
de None, Corinna, Ernest Metz, Grace Darling, Gustave Regis, La Boule 
d’Or, Madame de Watteville, Madame Hoste, Madame Lambard, Madame 
Pernet, Ducher, Marie Van Houtte, Perle des Jardins, Safrano and its 
red variety Sunset, The Bride, Waban, and White Lady. This reads 
like a summer list, and is worth giving as indicating both the mildness 
of the weather and some of the best autumnal Roses, Plants of appro¬ 
priate varieties are also extensively and admirably grown in pots for 
early forcing. 
The collection of hardy trees and shrubs it is impossible to pass, as 
many of them shine as brightly in their glowing garb of brown, purple, 
crimson and gold. Among the Acers circinatum, eriocarpum, ginnala, 
Schwedleri, and saccharinum were conspicuous. Berberis Thunbergi 
(dwarf) was a mass of rich red, as were some of the Cornuses. Two 
Thorns also compelled notice—Crataegus Carrieri, a nearly evergreen 
with dark glossy leaves, 3 to 4 inches long, bearing clusters of scarlet 
fruits, nearly as large as Cherries, and C, prunifolia, leaves dying off 
scarlet. Euonymus atropurpureus, Gleditschia tricanthos, Kolreuteria 
paniculata, Liquidamber, various forms of Pyrus, Prunus, and Quercus, 
with Rhus toxicodendron, Salisburia adiantifolia. Spiraeas, and Vibur¬ 
nums glistened in the sunlight. 
Clematises in pots, a fine collection, sparkled with flowers, as 
plunged with other hardy climbing plants for the winter. The Camellia 
house is one of the features of the nursery. It will be a sight to see in 
February and March, the plants, young and old, being splendidly 
“ budded ; ” and the Vines in pots, wherever they may be well grown, will 
be well worth looking at next year, for more substantial and better 
ripened canes cannot very well be imagined. The houses generally are 
