JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
comers, and to find out what will and what will not do, for I do not think 
we know very much about the likings of moisture-loving hardy plants. 
THE SITE. 
My experiment wa9 tried at High Beech, and this is how the bog 
garden was made. The site was one of those depressions which are 
found on the Bagshot Sand hilltops, upon the Wimbledon, Epping Forest, 
and Hampstead Heathlands. Between two ridges of raised ground and 
on the falling slope occur spewy springs issuing from the higher ground 
above, and soaking down the hollow, widening and gathering moisture till 
the water issues in a small rill at the bottom of the decline. Drosera*, 
Ivy-leaved Campanula, and other native bog plants are found with the 
sphagnum and rushes in the wet springy ground. 
The successful growth of Sarracenias and Dionsea first led to carrying 
out the idea more fully. There are many hardy plants which from the 
want of the continuous moisture of such a site, and which they enjoy in 
their native haunts, do not succeed year after year in the ordinary herba¬ 
ceous or garden border; a hot summer comes and they are not—to 
instance some Calthas, the double sorts of the glorious Marsh Marigolds 
now brightening our Lea Marshes, Sarracenias, Primroses from Himalayan 
bogs, Spiraeas, and others. The idea was to show these plants in their 
natural way, and so to see them in their full beauty. 
HOW BEST TO USE THE SITE-REQUIREMENTS. 
The chief thing to do was to husband and use thoroughly the water 
running into and accumulating in the bog. A temporary deep drain was 
made right up the centre, and the work was done in a dry early autumn, 
allowing the men to move on the surface. This, husbanding the water, 
was done by forming beds following the circular shape of the depression, 
and so made that the upper set received all the issuing spewy springs that 
could be found issuing from the surrounding banks on to the surface of 
the bog. A 2| feet wide hank of clay was then put in and trodden firmly 
on the lower side of the beds, defining the beds and keeping the moisture 
in them until allowed to escape. 
A second series of beds was a foot lower. A third a few inches below 
this, and one bed of this series had all the peat removed until the clav 
which (except here and there where water oozed up through clayey sand) 
formed the bottom of the bog, was reached, thus making a small pond to 
receive the overflowings from the upper beds. A fourth series of beds 
received the overflow from the pond and upper beds, as well as one or two 
independent springs from the sides, and eventually the water ran off into 
the brook or ditch in a small clay-lined channel built across the so to speak 
miniature valley. 
The small difficulties I had to overcome were in making the clay walls 
to the beds. Towards the sides of the hollow a firm bottom was found, 
but when the bottom was springy the water simply oozed up through the 
day and does so more or less still, but the dams or walls do their work— 
that is, they keep the moisture in the several levels well. They act also 
as paths to let you walk in comfort about the space (which, by-the-by, 
is 60 feet square), the chief thing to make a bog garden useable and enjoy¬ 
able in all weathers and seasons. But the paths at first did not answer, 
for you found yourself up to the knees in miry clay. A surface crust of 
gravel and cement concrete was tried, but the water sponged up through 
it, the clay swallowed it; so something had to be done to keep the 
clay down and get a safe path. 
The foreman suggested, and a wood clearing close by furnished, the 
remedy. For the spewy places some small Beech trunks were split in two, 
laid round side downwards along the paths, and short split branches 
(smaller) were laid across them, making corduroy paths 2£ feet wide. A 
little gravel between the logs keep them in place ; they are a perfect, 
comfortable, and lasting path, and keep the clay down and in place. I 
forgot to say that from each series of beds water above a certain level 
flows in small drain pipes into the next level, enabling the height of the 
water in each bed to be regulated. 
In the middle of one or two of the largest central beds an upright 
post is driven, the top just on the surface, to receive the one end of three 
split trees, and so allow every plant in the bed to be reached. So far 
we have gained control of the water, enlarged and retained the full 
boggy space, and have means of moving comfortably about the moist 
area. 
PREPARING THE BED3 FOR PL ANTING. 
Owing to enlarginv the area there was not sufficient peaty material, 
foreign peat and leaves had to be furnished to make li foot of good soil 
in each bed. Small rills drawn with a hoe to the mouth of the overt! >w 
pipe allow the bog to be controlled, a stroke of the hoe retains moisture, 
or allows the surface and crowns of the plants to be kept dry or Taised 
out of the water. The beds are sub-divided by small peat banks, on 
which plants liking their toes or rcot-extremities in water, but their 
crowns to live in drier regions, are fixed. 
The chief enemies have been, the principle of the 11 fittest surviving,” 
in the shape of the rushes and water-loving grasses striving to resume 
possession, an occasional and timely weeding conquers this, the Liverwort 
tries to surface the whole, to the detriment of the smaller plants, such as 
Soldanellas, Vio'as. It wants a careful, and now and again, scratching 
away. The birds, tempted by the loose peat surface, after hoeing or 
weeding, come and scratch for food, and some smaller winter-resting 
plants, such as Dionnets, Droseras, Pinguicula, are apt not to be forth¬ 
coming when looked for next spring. Just a word as to full exposure to 
sunlight. The spa^e is open, except for a slight shade in the shape of a 
row or two of 6 feet Hollies to the south, but my experience is that 
moisture at the roots, few plants object to this. In this the garden differs 
from Mr. Wilson’s interesting experiments at Wisboy, where many of the 
plants are under, or shaded by overhanging trees. In other ways our 
experiments differ, besides it is not everyone can devote a wood to 
gardening. 
THE PLANTS. 
Of the plants first put in, there were many died. The water supply of 
the several parts was unknown ; some were drowned, some were too dry. 
The best survivors of the first plantations are—Calthas, double forms, the 
monstrous, the Palustris plena, and the later dwarf and double form. Of 
the Sarracenias, purpurea flowers and seeds freely about. S. Drummondi 
is the next hardiest. S. flava, S. rubra and psittacina seem to live, but get 
weaker after each winter. I am sorry that some interesting hybrids sent 
me by Mr. H. Yeitch and Mr. Wrigley have not survived. The white 
Pilewort is a splendid plant in the bog. Lobelia syphilitica and the 
American Osmundas flourish well together. On an extreme jutting out into 
the small pond Saxifraga cordata flowers gloriously, the golden Lysimachia 
has to be restrained, or would cover the surface. The striped \ iola and 
V. pedata, Ranunculuses, including the beautiful littleone, Parnassifolius, 
thrive. Dondia Epipactis, Valeriana Phu aurea, the Trollius, and more 
especially the varieties of American Cowslip, Dodecatheon Jeffreyanum, 
and others are quite at their best. 
Of tho taller-growing plants the Thalictrums, Achillea Piarmica fl.-pl., 
the American Liatris, Lysimachia clethroides, Lychnis of sorts, Gentiana 
pneumonanthe and macrophylla thrive freely. Pyrola rotundifolia, the 
Mandrake with its curious two-legged roots, Pyrola rotundifolia, Trien- 
talis europaea. On the slightly raised banks the Arctic Bramble and 
the R. Chamaemorus have established themselves, and fight where they join 
for supremacy with the American Cranberry from the Wisbey wood. 
Droseras, Diomea, and Pinguicula have been disturbed this winter by 
the birds. Orchis foliosa seems to rejoice in a water-teeming bed, and 
is there quite hardy. N ) doubt other Orchis would succeed. 
Primulas have a bed to themselves, forty or fifty of the Alpine and 
Himalayan kinds were planted, but probably from the want of limestone 
or from not having been planted on shaly slopes charged with water, only 
the following have survived and thriven. P. japonica and denticulata are 
becoming the self-sowing weeds of the garden. P. rosea and its large- 
flowered variety, P. Wulfeana and the varieties of minima, P. viscosa 
nivalis, glutinosa need also shade ; P. villosa and Stuartii; Munroi needs 
the moistest place. A large bed is given up to Spiraeas, such as Aruncus, 
palmata, and japonic!, they are mixed with the American Lilies of the 
pardalinum type, which attain 6 to 8 feet. Mr. Bull’s Astilboides and the 
white form of Palmata thrive apace. 
The Zebra and corkscrew rushes need to he kept in bounds. Of Irises, 
I took counsel with Professor Foster ; the stronger varieties of lris lvcompfei i 
are at home in the wet bog, but occasionally a sort disappears in winter. 
They seem quite at home in the clay banks of the rill. 
I should occupy too much time if I gave all the failures ; the result 
of the experiment has appeared to be a success. If my remarks lead 
some others to make a trial in this direction I shall be glad. So many 
have more experience than I have had. Will they tell us something 
about it ? 
THE HEREFORDSHIRE POMONA. 
PRESENTATION TO MISS BULL AND MISS ELLIS. 
The invaluable services of Miss Bull and Miss Ellis of Hereford, in 
painting the original drawings for illustrating the “ Herefordshire Pomona,” 
were to some extent recognised by a testimonial presented last week. 
Throughout his great work the late Dr. Bull was encouraged by Lady Emily 
Foley, the rich and fruitful gardens of Stoke Edith House being ever open 
to the Woolkope Naturalists’ Field Club; and it was with her ladyship that 
the idea originated of making the presentation under notice. (It was also, 
we mav mention, through her ladyship that Her Majesty the Queen com¬ 
manded a copy of the Herefordshire Pomona” to be specially prepared 
for the Royal Library at Windsor.) About eighty of the nobility, gentry, 
and professional gentlemen subscribed, and the testimonial to each lady 
took the form of a miniature portrait on ivory of the late Dr. Bull, together 
with a cheque of 100 guineas. The interesting ceremony took place in the 
drawing-room of the Deanery, and many of the subscribers were present. 
The°Dean said he should'be interpreting the wishes of those present if 
he aBked Lady Emily Fo'ey to make the presentation. Mr. Henry Higgins 
seconded the proposition, which was supported by Mr. Piper. 
Mr. Reginald Symoiuls, the Hon. Secretary, intimated that several 
letters in explanation of inability to attend had been received. Dr. Hogg, 
in his letter addressed to Lady Emily, said that after the considerable shara 
he had taken in oonjunction with the lamented Dr. Bull in the preparation 
of the “ Herefordshire Pomona,” it was a great disappointment to him not to 
be able to be present on such an interesting occasion. It was very gratifying 
to him to know that so substantial a recognition of the devoted services 
Miss Bull and Miss Ellis had rendered not only to theircounty.bat to their 
country, by their illustrations to the “ Herefordshire Pomona, 1 which far 
excelled anything of the kind produced in England, and which were in no 
way inferior to the efforts of the best artists of the Continent, had been 
secured. Tho other letters were from Lord Batemen, Sir William Vernon 
Guise, Mr. Pulley, M.P., Mr. Rankin, Mr. W. Henry Barneby, Mr. B. St. 
John Attwood-Mathews, Mr. Edwin Lees, Worcester; Mr. E. Caddiclt, 
Birmingham; Mr. Arthur Hutchinson, Rev. Prebendary Phillott, Rev. 
C. II. Bulmer, Rev. J. E. Vize, Welshpool; Mr. Jame3 Davies, and Mr. 
C. Rootes. . , . 
Lady Emily Foley then read the following address, and gracefully made 
the presentation :— . 
» The 1 Herefordshire Pomona ’ having now been completed, the W ool- 
hope Naturalists’ Field Club, under whose superintendence it was brought 
out, and the ladies 3 ni gentlemen whose names are appended, from a wish to 
