June 8, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
463 
BO pleasing or mellifluous as are the French ones. Common personal 
names are often hardly worthy of application to beautiful flowers. 
Ivy-leaf Pelargoniums. 
The variety Eyecroft Surprise, which is referred to with such appro¬ 
bation in your report of the Royal Botanic Show, thoroughly merits all 
praise. It may be said to present a distinct departure from the old 
long-jointed and loose-growing habit of other varieties : indeed, the 
fine specimen plants which Mr. Jones exhibited at the Temple Show 
fully demonstrated what a first-class plant it is to grow for exhibition 
purposes, for in that respect it vies in compactness of habit and 
floriferousness with the best Zonals. 
I saw the entire stock of the variety the other day at Lewisham, and 
noted that the same remarkable short-jointed habit characterised every 
plant, however grown. The flowers are of the clear bright pink 
hue, so much valued in the market, and very double and of great size. 
Altogether we have in this form the best break made in the Ivy-leaf 
section, so far as habit is concerned.—A. D. 
THE SPARROW—FOR AND AGAINST. 
It is now many years since I attributed the destructiveness of 
sparrows to eating artificial food or scraps from the table. In my youth¬ 
ful days economy was strictly carried out with rich and poor alike, 
consequently there were few or no scraps. All that is changed now, 
and a large quantity of good food is thrown away. This food feeds rats, 
mice, and sparrows, and the salt it contains causes thirst. 
Sparrows peck fruit buds now, whereas fifty years ago, when they 
had access only to natural food, did not meddle with the buds. At all 
events they are more destructive on buds near towns than in the 
country. I never saw the sparrows peck Croci. The yellow Crocus I 
have seen torn to pieces, but the depredators were slugs, and not 
sparrows. Oats when beginning to ripen are reduced in bulk by them, 
and building their nests in some places are unsightly and often stop 
water pipes, all of which tends to raise the ire of many individuals who 
threaten their destruction. 
_My garden is between two others full of pests, the occupiers of 
which take no steps whatever to reduce, consequently I have to 
keep up a perpetual warfare to have the slightest chance to enjoy 
either fruit or flowers. The sparrow comes to my aid. This year tbe 
trees, bushes, and hedges were swarming with various caterpillars. The 
sparrows for the past fortnight have kept up a continual warfare with 
them, with the result that the verdure of all mentioned is preserved. 
The numbers were so great that had the pests not been destroyed 
scarcely would a vestige of leaf been left. 
On May 13th I saw a sparrow pick from the ground a large grub of 
the daddy-longlegs and flew to a Morello Cherry tree. In less than half 
a minute it killed six caterpillars and fed its young with them. It then 
flew down and pecked heartily at the blades of grass. All this occurred 
in less than five minutes and within 6 feet or less of me. 
The foregoing are glimpses of both sides of the question. Let him 
say, who can do so wisely, whether the sparrow should live or die. 
—W. T. B. 
[Mr. Witherspoon sends a communication on this subject, but it did 
not arrive in time for insertion in our present issue. He disclaims any 
intention of discourtesy to “ W. R. Raillem” (page 444), and regrets if 
he conveyed that impression.] 
A VISIT TO WALTHAM. 
Waltham is a region which may be described as equally interesting 
to the lover of Nature, the horticulturist, the antiquary, and the his¬ 
torian. In Waltham Abbey, it is generally supposed, repose the bones 
of the heroic English king who fought and died at Hastings. Theobald’s 
Court, which is in the immediate vicinity, was the residence of King 
James the First of England and Sixth of Scotland ; the famous Cross at 
Waltham was consecrated to Eleanor, an English queen ; the chimes of 
Waltham Abbey suggested to Tennyson, when he was residing at High 
Beach, the immortal passage in his “ In Memoriam ” beginning— 
“ Rint? out, wild bells, to the wild sky. 
The flying cloud, the frosty light; 
The year is dying in the night; 
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.” 
I was chiefly attracted Walthamwards by the magnetic personality 
of a venerable and gifted horticulturist, Mr. William Paul, F.L.S., who 
has his world-famous rosarium there. Most gladly did I comply with 
his kind invitation to pay him a visit during the flowery month of May. 
Waltham is easy of access from the modern Babylon ; if you are fortunate 
enough to get a fast train at Liverpool Street Station you may be there 
in half an hour. Such, however, was not my good fortune, for my train 
stopped at nearly every station ; yet the time passed quickly, for the 
morning was fine, and there were many objects of interest by the way. 
Arrived at Waltham I found the veteran rosarian awaiting me at the 
station ; and he at once conducted me through his great rosarium. 
There were born those exquisite Roses which I am proud to possess, the 
Beauty of Waltham, the Pride of Waltham, Magna Charta, Ella Gordon, 
the Crown Prince, and many others of equal interest and renown. 
There is perhaps in Europe no greater raiser of new and valuable Roses 
than Mr. Paul—a fact adequately realised and admitted by all the 
leading European rosarians of the last half-century, such as Guillot, 
Verdier, Levet, Lacharme, Margottin, Labbay, and Liabaud, many of 
whom have been his intimate personal friends. He has many interesting 
reminiscences of these, of which one of the most memorable is connected 
with the first introduction by himself into England of the “ Marechal 
Niel.” Another celebrated and exceedingly valuable French Rose 
which Mr. Paul was the first to popularise in this country, where it has 
reached an absolutely universal circulation, is Gloire de Dijon, a flower 
possessing at least five different shades of colour, of exquisite fragrance, 
immense substance, and marvellous durability. Among the famous 
Roses of which Mr. Paul has been the “raiser” (for that is the technical 
and unbeautiful term) I may mention Beauty of Waltham, Lord Clyde, 
Duke of Edinburgh, Duchess of Albany, Duchess of Bedford, Glory of 
Waltham, Magna Charta, Marchioness of Lome, Pride of Waltham, Queen 
of Queens, Star of Waltham, Ella Gordon, Crown Prince, and Little Gem, 
the last-mentioned being a crimson Moss of remarkable beauty. Of his 
more recent productions, which he showed to me at Waltham in 
magnificent bloom, are Sappho, Clio, Corinna, Duke of York, Salamander, 
and Princess May. His White Lady, a daughter of Lady Mary Fitz- 
william, is a Rose of remarkable substance, size, and beauty, though of 
dwarf habit (a great recommendation); it is exceedingly prolific, and its 
fragrance is that of the Malmaison Carnation. I had recently the 
pleasure of highly recommending this superb Rose for extensive cultiva¬ 
tion to Mr. Harry Turner, when he was showing me his “ Royal 
Nurseries ” near Windsor Castle, where he grows to perfection countless 
masses of Regal Pelargoniums and Azaleas, 70,000 plants of the finest 
Carnations, and 200,000 Rose trees. I have on the other hand been com¬ 
mending to Mr. Paul, having seen it in all its integrity at the Royal 
Nurseries (well worthy of such a name), Mr. Turner’s very beautiful 
and profusely floriferous Polyantha Rose, which I doubt not the Waltham 
rosarian will do much to popularise. 
During my memorable visit to his rosarium Mr. Paul gave me much 
interesting information regarding the origin or parentage of his Roses. 
He told me, for example, that Beauty of Waltham and the Duke of 
Edinburgh were raised from seed of General Jacqueminot between 1862 
and 1868. His Duchess of Albany is, if that be possible, an improved 
La France, and owes its characteristics, which cannot be over-valued, to 
that divine Rose, which, like some of our Orchids, Cattleyas, Lrelias, and 
marvellously lovely Dendrobiums (of which perhaps the fairest, sent 
to me by the Duchess of Sutherland, are glowing before me as I write) 
almost too beautiful for earth. My open-air substitutes for those 
tropical flowers at the conservatory are Irises and Aquilegias ; of the 
latter I possess all the most precious and most graceful existing varieties, 
including californica, cserulea hybrida, canadensis, and chrysantha. 
Mr. Paul is not a cultivator, unless under glass, of Japanese, Indian, 
or Levantine Lilies, as at Waltham (to use the language of Mr. Herbert 
Spencer) they find themselves “out of correspondence with their en¬ 
vironments.” They do not find there a congenial soul. Here, in Kirk- 
maiden, they simply luxuriate, as if they were in Japan, or on the lower 
slopes of their native Himalayas. I grow them among Roses, and 
the effect, I anticipate, will be remarkably fine when L. longiflorum 
giganteum blooms contemporaneously with the Duchess of Bedford, 
L. candidum with La France, L. speciosum Krsetzeri with Victor Hugo, 
and L. auratum with Mrs. Paul. 
Roses are by no means at Waltham the predominating speciality, for 
flowering trees and shrubs of all kinds are everywhere, at least equally 
conspicuous and impressive. Mr. Paul is especially successful as a 
cultivator of the Camellia, which grows in his extensive Waltham 
conservatory to a height of 15 feet, and flowers most profusely in early 
spring. He has also made a special study of the Hollyhock, regarding 
which there is much admirable writing in his “ Contributions to Horti¬ 
culture,” his latest work, dedicated to Dr. Hogg, an old friend of his, 
and a great writer on fruit, whom I had the gratification of meeting at 
Waltham. Prom him also I received exceptional kindness, which I take 
this opportunity of gratefully recognising. Mr. Paul resides at Waltham 
House, not far from his rosarium, a beautifully situated residence, 
which he purchased from Anthony Trollope, the distinguished novelist, 
twenty years ago. To it is attached an exquisitely shady, antique 
garden, full of unexpected beauties, much frequented by genial horti¬ 
culturists, ring doves, merles, and nightingales ; also let me add, by my 
favourite thrush, who in that region of simplicity, sincerity, and 
unobtrusive kindliness naturally finds himself at home. If a certain 
sardonic English poet had lived in the present period, and visited 
Waltham House, he never would have written that memorable deliverance 
on the happiness of men— 
“ Man never is, but always to be blessed.” 
—David R. Williamson. 
YENTNOR AND BONCHURCH (ISLE op WIGHT) SHOW. 
May 31st. 
The first Exhibition of the season, and the twenty-seventh of the 
Undercliffe Horticultural Society, was held on the above date. A more 
charming place than the grounds of East Dene, Bonchurch, the seat of 
J. Snowden Henry, Esq., J.P., D.L., could scarcely be imagined. Situated 
at the foot of high sloping downs and rising precipices, richly embellished 
with magnificent specimens of choice flowering shrubs and overhanging 
foliage plants, with sheltering nooks and sloping lawns running down 
to the edge of the sea made a delightful promenade for the many visitors 
to the Exhibition. 
The Exhibition was held in three tents, and the vagaries of this 
