October IS, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
313 
tZ ZZi ZT 3 - the b , eds rather than the flat First > 1 think tlioy prevent 
Z H ini ^ t mi 5 g Cl °, S0 and hard ’ as it: does b y constant treading when 
aremad^f 1 ^ pUtt !? g °n manure, Ac., as of course when the beds 
tuZvTZ iZf • U , 1Gbe * 'Y lde tkere is no need to tread on them, and the 
anfnmi ? 6 i 110 ? 168 bel ° w the surface of the beds, and dug in the 
tdnW ’ if a i S dr n lns for the sur P lusof the very heavy rains during the 
than ™ iL fl < \ haS A a m V, ch better appearance when planted in beds 
n . , on ., A small matter some may say ; but for myself I 
muclfelnVr sho Z d he studied a little in such matters. It is also 
* C0 . TCr the , manure with soil. I do not mean to say that 
K™ Wn ln very llght soil - such as w e have here, wouldnever 
We manJl lnggr0 , W , n °“ tbe flat For instance, if we were likely to 
thJLme l aS T °“® llke last, they would most likely benefit by it/ At 
t?rasH iTte W 1 thm Ai that , as a mle ’ before the dl T season sets in, the 
IXIng &om th “Sghr 7 giVmg Shade en ° Ugh t0 PrCVGnt thC r °° tS 
.fcJLw I 0 " 7 1 Canno . t quifce agree witb “ J - L - B." in leaving the 
In the £,f f man . UrC nntil the spring, as I should think that by doing it 
shirt* ?} Z W Z U i M help t0 kee P the sever e weather from the roots 
the *iT inte £ tb ?reby causing root-action to commence earlier in 
be enn«idere h f n W ^ G - n i* ls dela y ed un til then. Time, too, is a point to 
and T n a8 i‘ a far , ea8ler t0 spare it in the autumn than spring, 
"i ffi e e q n U t e tl ° n 'T h ftlrer the rams after it is done in February would be 
aumcient to wash the manure down to the roots soon enough to assist 
enn K ,vwT In P. usb * n g U P strong heads early in the season. This, I 
nroves veil n ttu ? g f t0 Z alm ? d at > as if the y are not a good size it often 
P f » . y unsatisfactory after our employers have been in the habit 
, . °. on their table some good French Asparagus. If the autumn 
f 2 g * veS US an advant age here I consider that it fully makes up 
whothot ° manu . re washed away through the winter. I also doubt 
, manure is procurable decayed enough not to interfere with the 
7 Sheatls pushing through as regards heavy ground. For those who 
fht at 1 , dlsad vantage I would advise a trial of well forking 
T™ 8 °7' er as dee P as they can without injury to the roots, and also 
.f surface as rough as possible in the autumn before 
covering with manure. 
I, too, have seen beds treated in the way that “ J. L. B.” describes 
t0 have be ® n done in his young days, although I can hardly 
f° , d c r mine to have departed yet, and I quite agree with what he says, 
b ... 1 be ieve it is now only the practice of a few, and to those who 
■still carry on the practice of deep beds. 1 feel sure that if they would 
xrlf Y r Y, a f ai r trial of the depth and culture, as recommended in 
es o September 15th, they will soon be rewarded with far superior 
Asparagus to what they have been having. 
In concluding these notes, I beg to thank “ J. L. B.” for his kind and 
tnild criticism and also for his advice, and I need hardly say that we are 
a one on this point—viz., that nothing succeeds like success. My reason 
giving my first notes was that as I had succeeded so well I thought I 
would do all I could to assist others to attain that end ; and I would 
also add that if others far better experienced than me would do the 
same i.e., when they find plants under their charge doing extra well, 
give a good account of their mode of culture, ’See,, it would be advan¬ 
tageous to all.—P. T. D * 
ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS. 
As the planting season is now here, advantage should be taken of it 
dj garden owners to introduce new kinds of trees and shrubs by planting J 
them in unoccupied positions, or rooting out worthless trees. We all 
know how greatly those old specimens of trees and shrubs to be found in 
many old gardens are admired, and how much the absence of them tells 
■■against the character of a new place, but with a proper selection and care 
in planting, the newest places may be made to assume a highly interesting 
•appearance. New places, however, are not always planted with the best 
varieties. On the contrary, they' are not unfrequently filled with the 
cheapest that can be bought, regardless of variety or future results. I 
have repeatedly heard garden owners say, “ I had a great bargain in these 
trees and shrubs,” but in nineteen cases out of the score there is no real 
truth in this. Planting of this kind may give temporary satisfaction, 
but when the trees grow and display their very common character, few 
will be satisfied with them, and it generally ends in many of them being 
Tooted out. . My advice, therefore, is to plant good varieties at first, and 
af expense is a consideration, I would rather be content with six good 
•ones than twelve common and inferior. 
Weigel as. —There are several varieties of these, but the best of 
them all is W. rosea. It is a native of China, and succeeds admirably in 
■nn! S Country - I Y' s fi uk; e hardy, and grows as a graceful spreading bush. 
The largest specimens we have are about 10 feet high and as much in 
■diameter. It is deciduous, and comes into leaf in the early spring, and 
blossoms in April and May. Many of the branches are arching, and the 
Foxglove-like flowers are closely produced all along the branches. When 
in full flower it has a grand appearance. The plants bloom freely from 
the first, as I have seen small pieces only a few inches high clothed with 
flowers. It is therefore suitable for immediate effect, either isolated on 
the grass or mixed with other bushes. It grows freely in all sorts of 
soil, and I never knew it to fail either to grow or flower. Another 
favourite variety is W. rosea variegata. This has flowers like the pre¬ 
ceding, but the leaves are more than half white, and it is one of the 
prettiest hardy bushes anyone could plant. Apart from the foliage its 
flowers are as showy as those of rosea, but it might also be used as a 
fine-foliage plant, as in this respect it rivals many of the Maples. 
Azalea mollis. —These are comparatively new and not so widely 
known or extensively grown as they merit. As a rule they are only 
found m pots for greenhouse and conservatory decoration, and they are 
very useful for such purposes, but it cannot be too widely known that 
they a,re perfectly hardy and grow and bloom admirably in the open air. 
ln this respect they are equally as good as the more common Ghent 
varieties, but they are far more massive and beautiful than these and 
vie with the best greenhouse varieties. They may be procured in 
variety, and should be planted in quantity, according to the extent of 
the garden. We have had some out for several years in different 
positions, and find them succeed well without peat or sand ; or, in fact 
]ust in ordinary soil, such as is to be found in all gardens. They cannot 
be planted in too many instances, and they may be transferred from the 
pots to the open soil as soon as the leaves drop in the autumn or anv 
time before they come on again. . 
The Laburnum.— This is known to everybody, but it is one of the 
hnest flowering trees we possess, and it is not valued and planted half 
so much as it ought to be. Its pendulous racemes of bright flowers 
render it more pleasing and interesting than almost any other tree that 
could be named. They have a charming appearance in large or small 
gardens, and they are also admirably adapted for planting in front 
gardens in towns. They may be seen frequently, but the majority of 
the trees are getting up in years, and they must have been more exten¬ 
sively planted at one time than they are now. The golden flowering 
sort is the best of them all, and I would never plant a dozen deciduous 
ornamental trees without including this. 
Wellingtonia gigantea. —The Monkey Puzzle or Araucaria 
lmbricata is a tree more frequently planted than the Wellingtonia, but 
iv.' S w i?-° “ ea ? s , so valuable or pleasing, and I cannot understand why 
the WeUmgtonia is not more planted in small gardens. The impression 
that it gams gigantic proportions and is altogether unsuitable for a 
small space may cause it to be shunned, but it need not, as althouo-h it 
gains a good size in this country it is by no means a clumsy tree. ° On 
the contrary, it is graceful in character and pretty in appearance Six 
years ago there were two planted here by the Prince and Princess of 
Wales. At that time they were 18 inches high, but they are now seven 
feet, so that their average growth upwards is about 1 foot a year. They 
always keep a good form and are conical. Our largest tree is about 
6o feet in height and 14 feet 10 inches round the stem at a distance of 
3 feet 6 inches from the ground. This specimen, although large is very 
compact, and would be by no means out of place in a much ’smaller 
garden than this. No special soil is needed for the Wellingtonia, and 
although they succeed best in partial shelter they also grow well in 
ordinary positions.— J. Muir. 
SHOW AND FANCY DAHLIAS AT THE 
NATIONAL DAHLIA SHOW. 
The Show of Dahlias at the Crystal Palace this year was the 
largest ever held there. The Fancies, no doubt owing to a new 
regulation governing the classes devoted to nurserymen, were rather 
less numerous than in 1886, but on the other hand there were nearly 
270 more Show varieties staged than at any of the previous National 
Exhibitions. 
The following short statement gives the number of flowers 
shown in each division during the last five years :_ 
1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
092 Shows and 2G9“Fancie3. 
L 5 ! ” ” 425 ” 
» .. 387 ;; 
1106 „ 350 
42?9 
1786 
The above figures are surely encouraging to the promoters of 
these National Dahlia Shows, as they clearly indicate a steadily 
increasing appreciation of this grand autumn flower. It will also 
be seen by the totals what a large number of blooms are now at our 
disposal for the purpose of this analysis. 
Among the established Show varieties which were more fre¬ 
quently represented this year than usual may be mentioned James 
Cocker, Goldfinder, Prince of Denmark, James Stephen, John 
Standish, and Miss Cannell ; and in the Fancy division Mrs. 
Saunders, Rev. J. B. M. Camm, Chorister, Professor Fawcett, and 
James O’Brien. 
That exquisite variety, Mrs. Gladstone, again distances all her 
rivals in the Show section, being staged this year in no les 3 than 
eighteen more stands than any other Dahlia, and in fifteen more 
stands than at the previous exhibition. At No. 22 we find Mrs. F. 
Foreman, and at No. 41 Mrs. G. R. Jefferd, both of which came* 
out in the same year as the leading flower. Mrs. Langtry, although 
not quite so frequently exhibited as last year, still holds the first 
place (No. 11) among the 1885 flowers,.but is closely followed by 
T. J. Saltmarsh at No. 13, and a few steps further down (at No. 22) 
by Mrs. Douglas, a refined and beautifully shaped scarlet variety. 
Mrs. W. Slack only made her first appearance in 1886, but never- 
