August 18, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
135 
velocity of wind 65 miles an hour ; it did not exceed 400 miles on any 
day, and fell short of 100 miles on three days. It was the driest month 
of any during the last ten years except January, 1880. Temperature 
about the average, and very similar to last year. Sunshine rather more 
than last three years, but less than in 1881. Rain very much needed at 
the end of the month. 
- Gardening Appointment. —Mr. S. Lyon, recently gardener at 
Sundridge Park, Bromley, Kent, has been appointed gardener to Viscount 
Bridport, Cricket St. Thomas, Chard, Somerset. 
- Trachelium Cceruleum (Blue Throatwort).— A correspondent 
writes :—“ This attractive perennial from the Mediterranean region belongs 
to the Campanula family. It is a sub-shrubby branching plant, from 
18 inches to 30 inches high, producing in summer large clusters of pale 
blue flowers. It is not only a very attractive border plant, hut it is also 
one that deserves to be grown in pots. Thus grown it will compare 
favourably with Statice profusa, which plant it resembles in habit of 
growth, form, and colour of flowers, either set up in a miscellaneous col¬ 
lection of plants in the exhibition tent or for greenhouse and conservatory 
decoration. Mr. Molyneux of Swanmore Park, Bishop’s Waltham, who 
staged a well-grown plant of it in his first-prize collection at the 
late Southampton Show, which was very much admired, finds it very 
useful and easily grown for the purposes indicated above. It is also a 
very suitable plant for vases. It is easily propagated by seed, cuttings, or 
division of the roots ; the latter is the best and certainly the quickest way 
of working up a stock of it, potting the divisions in spring in suitable 
sized and properly drained pots, in three parts light loam and one of leaf 
mould, with sufficient sharp sand added to render the whole somewhat 
porous, and be afterwards grown on in a cold pit or frame like Spiraeas or 
such like plants.” 
- Mr. John T. Campbell relates in the “ American Naturalist ” 
his discovery of one of the causes of the phenomenon of particular 
TRACTS OP LAND BEING COVERED WITH A SIMULTANEOUS, NEARLY EXCLUSIVE, 
growth of trees of A particulab species. Some have ascribed the 
phenomenon to a peculiar fitness of the soil to particular kinds of vegeta¬ 
tion which he does not find to exist. His explanation is very simple, and 
is to the effect that the matter lies wholly or mainly in the fact of the 
ground being in a fit condition to receive the seeds of the various species 
when they fall upon it. Seeds of different kinds fall at various seasons, 
and when the ground is in various conditions as to moisture, &c. Those 
that find the ground in good condition sprout and grow if no accident 
occurs to remove the plants when very young. Mr. Campbell has tested 
this view in his surveys in the occasionally flooded bottom-lands of the 
Wabash River, and illustrates it by following the futures of the seeds of 
three species of trees. The balls of the Sycamore or Buttonwood begin 
falling early in the spring months, and if a flood is receding at the time 
they stick to the soft moist banks wherever they touch them, and particu¬ 
larly along the highest parts of the sand bars. Were it not for the 
subsequent floods in the same spring no other trees could grow, for these 
would occupy the ground. But they are easily killed duiing their infancy 
by overflows, and this is what happens to most of them. The Cottonwood 
is the next in order of shedding seed, and if another flood is receding 
while this is taking place it will have killed all the Sycamores which it 
has covered, and sprout the Cottonwoods. These in turn may be killed 
by the next floods. It is the turn of the Maples next to shed their seed and 
try for the ground. If either of these species succeed in making wood 
without a flood it will hold the ground, and its rivals will not be able to 
get a place. Last spring the edges of the successive plantations escaped 
the next floods after the seeds fell upon them, and Mr. Campbell could see 
along the river hanks three belts of young trees, and distinguish them by 
their general appearance. The upper belt was of Sycamore, the second 
(downward) of Cottonwood, and the third of soft Maple. In June a bigger 
flood came than any that caused the seeds to sprout, and killed all the 
young trees.— (American Cultivator.') 
A VISIT TO BARON SCHRODER’S GARDEN. 
And this was how it came about. The Horticultural Club had been 
arranging about its annual outing, and knowing how well its members had 
been cared for at Slough it was determined to make that again the 
starting point. The Royal Gardens were talked about, and our President, 
Mr. John Lee, suggested Baron Schroder’s as well, but when we came to 
think over it we considered, as there were ladies with us, that enough was 
as good as a feast, that we should find as much at The Dell as would 
satisfy a very hungry horticulturist, and so we determined on it. It was 
on a perfect day—last Thursday—that we met a somewhat less number 
than usual, for the great heat rather frightened some ; and it was, more¬ 
over, a great disappointment to us that our “ guide, philosopher, and 
friend,’’ Mr. Harry Turner, was prevented by business from accompanying 
us. Before starting on our drive through Windsor Park to Baron 
Schroder’s we visited the Royal Nursery at Slough, and enjoyed such a 
treat as is nowhere else to be had, seeing Mr. Turner’s magnificent 
collection of Carnations and Picotees. House after house was filled with 
grand specimens in pots ; out of doors immense collections in pots also 
were to be seen, while beds after bods of seedlings of the tree or fancy 
type were in full flower. Some idea of the magnitude of this collection 
may be gathered from one piece of statistics alone. In the month of 
October, when the layers are placed in small pots to winter in, there were 
210 frames, each 6 feet by 4, filled with them. OE course all the very best 
kinds are here grown in quantity, and the grass was in fine condition, 
having that glaucous look so much desired by growers of this beautiful 
class. In a rapid survey of the houses the following were noted as being 
especially fine :— Scarlet Bizarres. —Arthur Medhurst, Charles Turner, 
Fred, George Rudd, John Buxton, Mars, Rayner Johnson, and Robert 
Lord. Crimson Bizarres. —Albert, Chancellor, E. S. Dodwell, H. L. 
Mayor, J. D. Hextall, John Simonite, and Sultan. Pink and Purple 
Bizarres. —James Taylor, Sarah Payne, and Unexpected. Purple Flakes. 
—Dr. Forster, James Douglas, Mayor of Nottingham, and Squire Meynell. 
Scarlet Flakes. —Annihilator, Flirt, John Ball, Jupiter, Matador.. Rose 
Flakes. —Rob Roy, Jessica, Tim Bobbin, and Samuel Norman. Picotees. 
— Red-edged. —Dr. Epps, Emily, Grosteen, Horace Major, Mrs. Bower, 
Queen of Summer, Violet Douglas. Purple-edged. —Baroness Burdett 
Coutts, Clara Penson, Her Majesty, Mary, Mrs. A. Chancellor, Rev. 
J. B. M. Camm, and Zerlina. Rose and Scarlet-edged. —Constance Heron, 
Fanny Helen, Louisa, Mrs. Payne, Edith Dombrain, and Royal Visit. 
The yellow Picotees were also very beautiful. 
Having taken a good view of these, over which we could have lingered for 
a much longer time, we re-entered the brakes and drove through the Great 
Park. We had intended to have visited the Royal Gardens, but we found 
that this would occupy too much time, and so we made at once for The 
Dell, where we were met by Baron Schroder’s excellent gardener, Mr. 
Ballantyne, and were conducted to the house, which is most charmingly 
situated on the skirts of Windsor Forest. From the dining-room window 
and the terrace there is a most exquisite view of Windsor Castle ; you 
look down through a vista of noble trees over the Dell, from whence the 
house derives its name, and there in the distance stands out the noble pile 
of the Castle glittering in the bright sun, and justifying its claim to be one of 
the grandest, if not the grandest, of all the palatial residences of European 
sovereigns. Mr. Ballantyne kindly took us into the forest, where from a 
point of view opposite Miss Seymour’s residence, there is if possible a 
more lovely view, but both scenes will long remain in our memory. 
The house is not a large one, but has been built and added to with a 
good eye to comfort. There is at the garden side of it a long glass 
verandah, which when filled with flowers must be excessively pretty. At 
the north side of the house there is a very beautiful fernery, containing 
many choice specimens of Tree and other Ferns. The grounds are laid 
out with very great taste, trees judiciously planted, bright vistas through 
them, and Conifers seem to do remarkably well there. One of our 
members is a gentleman who is an expert in such matters, and he said 
that whoever laid it out was an artist, and that he had rarely seen a 
place more beautifully arranged. There is on the lawn a parterre of 
light bedding out, but at this time sadly wanting moisture, while all 
around are choice trees and flowering shrubs of all kinds, including 
perhaps one of the choicest collections of Rhododendrons in the country, 
the older varieties having been gradually weeded out and their place 
taken by all the best seedlings of Waterer and others. The high road to 
Egham passes close by the grounds, and the garden proper being on the 
other side, a subway has been made under the road, so that you pass from 
the pleasure ground to the garden without leaving the place. It is in thi3 
garden that the grand collection of Baron Schroder, especially of Orchids, 
is to be found. There is also a goodly range of vineries, in which there 
was a magnificent crop of Grapes. One house of Black Hamburghs had 
been cleared in the Ascot week, but there were houses full of well- 
developed, beautifully coloured bunches, also Muscat of Alexandria, 
Foster’s Seedling, Madresfield Court, and other good varieties. There 
were also Peach houses with even crops of luscious fruit, all bearing 
witness to the intelligence and skill of Mr. Ballantyne. 
It is known to everybody that Baron Schroder possesses one of the 
choicest and most select collections of Orchids in the country, vieing with 
Sir Trevor Lawrence and Mr. Lee, but July is a bad month to see Orchids 
in flower. There were, however, some Cattleyas, Vandas, Cypripediums, 
and especially that beautiful variety of niveum which obtained a first- 
class certificate lately. The whole collection showed that the plants were 
most carefully looktd after, and rewarded their care by great luxuriance 
and health. In another house there was a beautiful collection of Zonal 
Pelargoniums, Tuberous rooted Begonias of the very best kinds, and also a 
large number of the deliciously sweet-scented Tuberose finer than I have 
seen them for some time, but the plant which struck me as most remark¬ 
able was the very finest example of Alocasia Veitchii that I have ever seen. 
The leaves were at least 3 feet long, and perhaps more, the plant about 
4 feet through, and the leaves fall down all round in the most perfect 
manner. I have often seen specimen plants at our great exhibitions, but 
never cne comparable to this. Allamandas and other stove plants were 
luxuriantly in flower, but we had not time to linger over these, nor to 
visit the Pine pits, where some splendid fruits are produced; in fact we 
all felt that our whole day might have been very profitably occupied in 
