28 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 10, 1895. 
and air are freely admitted, no matter how bad the weather may 
be. The foliage and flowers are kept clean, and both stem and 
leaves are covered with a fine bloom like that on the skin of a 
Grape. There is no drawing or forcing of the plant, and little or 
no difference in the time of blooming as compared with Tulips 
grown entirely unprotected. The saviug in labour to the grower 
is immense ; the constant watchfulness inseparable from the old 
system is reduced to a minimum, and thus Tulip culture is made 
more acceptable to this ease-loving age. 
By a few growers the glass protection has been carried still 
further by growing the Tulips in a permanent glass house. The Rev. 
P. D. Horner adopts this plan, and uses a glass house which con¬ 
tains two beds and is about 12 feet wide, 50 feet long, and 8 feet 
high in the middle of the house. The glass sides are 4 feet high, 
and they, as well as the glass in the ends, are removable. The 
glass roof remains on always, but the sides and ends are only 
affixed as blooming time approaches, and even then are kept wide 
open except in windy weather. This “glass umbrella,” as Mr. 
Horner calls it, has proved, to use his own words, “ a perfect para¬ 
dise ” for Tulips. 
I have seen the idea carried still further at Petersfield, Hants, 
where the late Mr. Lloyd grew his large collection in two spacious 
greenhouses warmed only by sun heat. The Tulips were in full 
bloom at the beginning of April; and at first sight the thousands 
of large flowers opening in the genial air and rising from most 
luxuriant foliage, uninjured by weather in any way, made one almost 
envy the possessor of such a house. But on further examination 
it became apparent that although every care had been taken to 
insure their well-doing, and numerous standard sorts were 
grown, there was scarcely a correctly marked flower in the whole 
collection. Not a single approach to a feathered flower could be 
seen, and the thousands of flames were with two or three excep¬ 
tions heavy, dull, and muddled in their markings. The bulbs when 
taken up were large, but too light in weight for their bulk and 
rather soft. They were also liable to sudden death both in the 
plant and bulb state. I could not help coming to the conclusion 
that the glass-house culture was the sole cause of everything that 
was wrong, and that the unnatural conditions had induced what 
might fittingly describe as apoplexy in the collection. 
Glass-house culture must, in my opinion, be pronounced quite 
unsuitable, and although I by no means include Mr. Horner’s “ glass 
umbrella ” in this condemnation, I am inclined to think that the 
system of protecting by glass lights is about as far as it is desirable 
to go. Mr. Horner has, without doubt, produced under his 
“umbrella” some of the most magnificent Tulips ever seen, but 
continued culture in this manner year after year has, I think, a 
tendency to develop in some degree the evils so prominent in the 
case of Mr. Lloyd’s Tulips, not so much as regards the health of 
the bulbs as the marking of the flowers. 
The blooming period may be said to last for six weeks, and 
although the Tulip is supposed by the many to be a short-lived 
flower, I think I may py the most enthusiastic grower finds the 
time long enough. It is a period of great enjoyment and much 
work. Every bloom is inspected carefully and compared with the 
Tulip book, and notes on its quality or any other desirable 
particulars duly entered there. If the grower be an exhibitor the 
great question, as May draws on, of what flowers will be ready and 
fit to show will have careful consideration. If seedlings are to be 
raised, suitable parents for fertilisation have to be decided on, 
and the decisions carried out. Visits are exchanged with other 
growers, and bargains made about mutual exchanges or purchases. 
Soon the day arrives when the grower, with his flowers carefully 
packed, starts full of hopes and fears for the annual exhibition held 
by the Eoyal National Tulip Society, which is the event of the 
year to him, for no matter whether he stands high in the prize 
list or not, he meets his brethren gathered from far and near to 
•do honour to the flower. The Society, which has existed for nearly 
half a century, although now neither numerically nor financially 
strong, still quietly flourishes, and is a bond of union among all 
good Tulip growers, which is sundered only by death. 
(To be con'dniied.) 
NEW YEAR’S GREETINGS. 
“ Get thee gone, 1894 ! ” Such are the words with which your 
correspondent “ E. K.” bids adieu to the dying year, now counted 
among the past. Rather a hard good-bye some may say, who 
perchance have reason to review the past year with thoughts of 
satisfaction and gratitude ; but be that as it may, old Father Time 
passes slowly yet surely onward, innocently oblivious of the 
maligns or praises that may be showered upon him. Let us, there¬ 
fore, be content to “ Let the dead past bury its dead,” and give the 
New Year a joyous welcome, not with gloomy fears and dull 
forebodings, but rather with high hopes that success will crown all 
our carefully planned schemes and honest endeavours. 
From a gardener’s point of view the New Year comes as a fresh 
awakening. We must brood no longer over the disappointments, 
or chuckle over the successes of the past year ; but be “ Up and 
doing,” as the tide has once more turned, and we can see looming 
in the distance spring’s busy days, followed by the ripening and 
in-gathering periods of summer and autumn, and so our thoughts 
should be diverted from what has been to what is to come. 
Preparations must now be made that success may follow, and 
though in all our efforts we are ruled to some extent by the 
caprices of an ever-changing climate we can by our efforts con¬ 
tribute our share to the vast concern which makes up the success 
of seedtime and harvest, and trust and hope for Nature to do her 
part. In every department of the gardening world the machinery 
must be set going—indeed, if it has ever been stopped. In the 
fruit gardens and orchards we shall soon commence talking of 
prospects, so that all seasonable work, such as pruning, cleansing, 
dressing, and replanting, should be pushed on with such dispatch 
as weather permits. 
The kitchen garden likewise claims attention. Conclusions 
have to be formed where each and every crop shall be located, 
and operations commenced for the preparation of the ground for 
the same. Seed supplies must be attended to, and numberless 
other details known only to the gardener himself, so that every¬ 
thing may be in order and nothing found wanting when spring’s 
warm sunshine and gentle showers arrive. In the pleasure garden 
it is the same. Shrubs perhaps require shifting and pruning ; 
there may be new bods to be made and fresh turf to be laid ; 
walks perchance require gravel, and drains want opening ; fresh 
peeps of landscape may be formed which in later summer days shall 
call forth expressions of admiration. The new year reminds us 
that time flies fast, and now is the day for such operations. 
Turning to the glass department there is the same general 
awakening to activity. Early Vines and Peach trees will now of 
course be in a state of growth, and in the case of succession and 
late houses the pruning and cleansing of trees and houses, top¬ 
dressing and renovating of borders, should be pushed forward and 
brought to conclusion as speedily as possible in order that there 
may be no scurry as busier days advance. Then there are the 
Chrysanthemums ; we have hardly done thinking about them, and 
yet New Year says we must begin again, and perhaps in the cuttings 
as they are put in, we can see in imagination all the form of a silver 
cup or some other diploma of merit. 
It seems early to talk yet of summer bedding, but the new year 
reminds us that there is much propagation to be done in order that 
our supply may not be short when planting time comes, and so it 
must have its share of attention, and we picture in the mind’s eye 
what the future designs shall be, and make preparations accord¬ 
ingly. Thoughts also turn to future crops of Melons, Cucumbers, 
and Tomatoes ; if not already done, seed should be sown at once 
and frail young plants nursed through the cold days that follow, in 
order that early fruit may be gathered. 
And so we welcome the New Year, with bright hopes and anti¬ 
cipations together with the duties and responsibilities which it 
brings, and when its turn comes to glide away into the silent past 
may we part from it with thoughts of regret and still of satisfac¬ 
tion, that our brightest hopes have been realised and highest 
ambitions attained.— Geo. Hollingwortii, Alton Towers. 
MESSRS. SUTTON & SONS’ PEA ALBUM. 
This eminent firm are to be congratulated on the production of their 
very beautiful Pea album, the illustrations of which are all correct 
photograph copies, and therefore depict exactly the forms and sizes of 
the pods of the various Peas illustrated. Purchasers of varieties here 
pictured will find this album valuable as enabling them to compare the 
pods and foliage of their grown plants of any sort with the photograph 
illustration as published by the firm. In illustrations of this kind the 
fanciful tastes of the artist have no room for play. What is pictured is 
what is grown, and the samples are absolutely perfect and true to 
character. That is a method of illustrating garden products which all 
will appreciate. If the days of the imaginative sketcher in garden 
catalogues are gone for ever, horticulture will have much cause to 
rejoice. Apart from all this, however, the great Reading firm have done 
a handsome thing in issuing not merely a Pea list, but a drawing-room 
album of garden products. Such a publication helps greatly to lift such 
things into a higher level—in fact, rather into the region of art than of 
mere prosaic culture. I rejoice to see this publication and these 
excellent illustrations, as gardeners will rejoice, even more perhaps, at 
the introduction of such splendid sorts of Peas.—D. 
[We have received a copy of the album referred to by our corre¬ 
spondent, and are able to say that his references to it are well merited ; 
it would, in fact, be difficult to overpraise the work either in respect to 
accuracy in representation of the twenty-two varieties of Peas pourtrayed 
or the superb artistic finish of the work.] 
