454 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 7,1894. 
the nursery practically stood in the centre of a new city. This was 
foreseen and prepared for by the purchase of an estate at Calmpthout, 
distance about forty minutes by rail, and when this was stocked the city 
nursery was, in the course of a few years, covered with fine houses, all 
but a small plot, the original purchase of the founder, this being 
retained as a little pleasure ground by the present proprietor in the 
form of a miniature nursery, ornamented with stately Bays, also Clethra 
arborea, fine; Choysia ternata on 4 feet stems, and Eugenias in pots 
and tubs. Here, too, is the original bush of Magnolia “ parviflora,” 
introduced from Japan, a small flowering specimen of which, exhibited 
by Messrs. Veitch & Sons, was certificated at the recent Temple Show, 
though according to the Kew authorities the true name is Watsoni. It 
is a distinct and beautiful form, hardy, dwarf, and floriferous, with 
sweet wax-like flowers, first resembling Tulips in shape, then expanding 
like a Clematis. There are long ranges of pits, perhaps the old Dahlia 
pits, still retained, and a more modern Palm house filled with plants of 
the hardier kinds grown “ cool,” and now in demand for the exhibition 
buildings, cafds, kiosks, and other adjuncts for which they are so well 
adapted. 
Calmpthout. 
Calmpthout has been mentioned. It has also been described in 
past years, but a brief reference will be fresh, at least to new readers, 
and not resented by old friends. To reach it we start from the station 
de I’Est, near the Zoological Gardens, and about eight minutes from the 
home nursery in the Rue de la Province Nor J. The station of Calmp¬ 
thout is at the nursery gates, and its entrance is, in its way, unique. 
The boundary hedge, if it may be so called, is embrasured with Ivy and 
Purple and Copper Beech. On entering we are in a colonnade, wide and 
lofty, reaching across the end. The flat roof was at first formed with 
Ampelopsis, but is now well covered with the horizontally disposed 
branches of the Beeches. 
From the colonnade, entrance is had to the different ranks, which are 
divided by closely cut hedges of various Conifers. These afford valuable 
shelter, have a pleasing appearance, and bring everything, so to say, 
under the eye. This is what may be termed the “ old ” nursery. The 
central avenue is flanked by coloured Beeches trained like church spires, 
and in the front of them specimen Conifers—each in its allotted square 
of low clipped Conifer hedge a foot or two high—quite a Dutch arrange¬ 
ment it may be supposed, yet convenient and pleasing. But the nursery 
has extended far beyond the original lines, and is probably destined to 
spread still farther. It is the Great Belgium emporium of all that is 
best in the way of evergreen, deciduous, and flowering trees and shrubs. 
The extent and variety of the collection is represented in the very clear, 
compact, instructive, and well arranged catalogue. The descriptive 
notes are in French, but the proprietors could give them just as well in 
Flemish (of course the home language), English, German, and Italian, 
in which they conduct correspondence. The collection is very rich, but 
only one or two things can, for obvious reasons, be specified here as 
attractive at the moment. 
The most beautiful flowering tree was Briot’s Scarlet Chestnut. 
..Slsculus Brioti. The familiar type is put in the shade by the glowing 
richness and massive spikes of the flne acquisition. It is to be found in 
some home collections, and when its character becomes known trees 
will be coveted for parks and pleasure grounds. 
One of the flowering shrubs, or low trees, which attracted the most 
notice in May was a species that appears to be too little known or grown 
—Cornus florida. The specimen was in pyramidal form, 9 or 10 feet 
high, and was covered as with a number of large white fluttering butter¬ 
flies. The true flowers are simple enough, and yellowish ; it is the large 
ivory white bracts that give beauty. These are to the shrub what the 
coloured bracts are to the Poinsettia, and which invest the plant with 
attractive force. A flowering spray of Cornus florida is represented in 
the illustration (fig. 74) exactly as it was cut from the tree. 
A very distinct shrub, grown for the beauty of its foliage, was 
extremely effective in contrast with the flowering Cornus. This was 
Parrotia (Hamamelis) persica, with large glossy leaves with coloured 
margins that deepen to purplish crimson in the autumn, though the 
marginal colouration is prominent in the spring. It is quite hardy, 
from Turkestan, and much valued at Calmpthout. 
A novelty in the way of shrubs well worth noting is what may be 
termed a hardy Orange, which flowers freely and produces fruits in the 
open air, the latter resembling Mandarin Oranges, though not ripening. 
This is Limonia trifoliata, also known as Citrus triptera. It comes 
from Northern China, and receives no protection in winter. The shrub 
is in somewhat close bush form, 4 to 5 feet in height and diameter, 
with bright green glossy trifoliate leaves, and long spines lurking among 
the foliage. The bush is growing in sandy soil, and has withstood many 
winters uninjured. The position is sheltered from the north, and it 
may be assumed the wood ripens well. The species has been exhibited 
at Westminster, and described as hardy at Coombe Wood. 
Space is exhausted or many other good things could be mentioned. 
It can only be said that the nursery is diligently superintended by Mr. 
Charles Van Geert, junior, Charles the second he is now (and he has a 
Charles the third—-a promising young man at the University), who 
inherits his father’s love for all that he grows so well, also his high 
character, urbanity, and linguistic ability—a combination that renders 
a few hours in the company of the Van Geerts very enjoyable. A little 
more remains to be said in connection with the trip to Antwerp, but it 
cannot be said now, in view of the printers’ scowls and the Doctor’s 
knife. 
Rose Show Fixtures in 1894. 
June 13th (Wednesday).—Colchester.f 
„ 20th (Wednesday).—Isle of Wight (Shanklin). 
„ 26th (Tuesday)—Westminster (R.H.S.). 
„ 27th (Wednesday).—Windsor (N.R.S.) and Richmond (Surrey). 
„ 28th (Thursday).—Canterbury, Eltham, and Sutton. 
„ 30th (Saturday).—Sittingbourne and Brockham. 
July 3rd (Tuesday).—Farningham, Bagshot, and Diss. 
„ 4th (Wednesday).—Croydon, Reigate, Tunbridge Wells, Baling, 
and Ipswich. 
„ 5th (Thursday).—Hereford and Norwich. 
„ 7th (Saturday).—Crystal Palace (N.R.S.) 
„ 10th (Tuesday).—Gloucester and Wolverhampton.* 
„ 11th (Wednesday).—Hitchin and King’s Lynn. 
„ 12th (Thursday).—Bath, Harleston, Woodbridge, and Worksop. 
„ 14th (Saturday).—New Brighton. 
„ 17ch (Tuesday).—Helensburgh. 
„ 19th (Thursday).—Halifax (N.R.S.)., Halesworth, and Trentham. 
„ 21st (Saturday).—Manchester. 
„ 24th (Tuesday).—Tibshelf. 
,, 26th (Thursday).—Southwell. 
,, 28th (Saturday).—Bedale. 
Aug. Ist (Wednesday).—Chesterfield. 
* A Show lasting three days. f A Show lasting two days. 
Any date of Rose shows, or of other horticultural exhibitions where 
Roses form a leading feature, not named above, I shall be glad to receive 
as soon as fixed, for insertion in future lists. — Edward Mawley, 
Rosehanli, Berlihamsted, Herts. 
Dates of Rose Shows. 
After all the prognostications, warnings, and threatenings to which 
we have been treated during the last five or six weeks, the following 
announcement issued by the “ Ryde Exhibition and Horticultural 
Association ” will perhaps come as a surprise :—“ The Committee of the 
above beg to inform their patrons that in consequence of the lateness 
of the season they have postponed the Rose Show from the 7th to 
the 14th June.”—X. 
Some Notes on the Effects of the Recent Frost. 
I have now heard from the four points of the compass in regard 
the frost of the 20th. In England, apparently Yorkshire, Windsor, 
Notts, Hitchin, Dartford, and Croydon have been hit hardest, the 
rosarians in those districts having undoubtedly suffered severely from 
its effects. At first there were cries of alarm from East Anglia, but now 
only partial disablement is reported. In the west, Bath has suffered 
slightly, but near Bath, at Mr. Hill Gray’s, no damage was done ; 
neither has there been any destruction at Birch Vicarage. Colchester 
seems to have escaped ; the high winds which followed the frost 
appear to have done more harm than the low temperature of the 20th 
and 21st. The weather now seems improving, and some of our plants 
may yet enable us to put in an appearance at the Rose meetings, but 
not in the form we hoped to show this year. 
I have recently come across the following old piece of rhyme, knowm 
in far country places :— 
“ The farmer went to his Wheat in May, 
And came right sorrowful away ; 
He went to his Wheat again in June, 
And came away singing a merry tune-.” 
I thought it such a good omen, and so happy in every way at the 
moment, that I send it to you so that we may all be cheered up a bit. 
The effect of the frost on individual Roses seems to have been remark¬ 
ably uniform everywhere. The dark varieties, especially Charles 
Lefebvre, Sir Rowland Hill (C. Lefebvre sport), A. K. Williams, Charles 
Darwin, Comte Raimbaud, Victor Hugo, Louis Van Houtte, Horace 
Vernet, and Gustave Piganeau seem very hard hit; whereas La France, 
Mrs. John Laing, Ulrich Brunner, and Gabriel Luizet have not suffered 
so much. It may be noted that the former are dark foliaged and the 
latter light; these little points are worth considering. I was much sur¬ 
prised to see the effect on Charles Lefebvre, which I thought could bear 
any frost; but I suppose the damaged shoots were very sappy from the 
rapidity of their development and growth. Some of my Teas are injured, 
even the buds of the vigorous Edith Gifford have suffered. Some 
Cleopatras, however, which I have always looked on as exceedingly 
delicate, are unhurt; whereas Marie Van Houtte, considered extra 
robust, is hurt 1 These are peculiar incidents. Comtesse de Nadaillac 
does not seem injured, so far as I can see at present ; but the sun will 
soon show anything seriously wrong. 
The remedy for all this destruction is the crux. With all my 
acquaintance and correspondence amongst the crack growers I cannot 
truly say that one of us seems certain of what to do. Some of us have 
cut away what we know to be useless, whereas others are letting the 
