178 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August J9, 1369. 
Of older Roses, the best of the year with me were, among H.P.’s, 
Marie Baumann, Madame Crapelet, and John Stuart Mill, these being 
better than ever before ; and among Teas Princess of Wales especially 
and Madame Angele Jacquier.—W. E. Raillem. 
IRON FOR ROSES. 
“ Disappointed” quotes me as saying that iron is essential for 
the production of good Roses. I do not remember my use of the ex¬ 
pression ; but as iron is essential to the existence of every growing plant, 
good Roses cannot be produced without it. Other elements, however, 
are equally essential. I recommended a manure for Roses containing 
nitrogen, potash, phosphorus, magnesia, iron, and gypsum. The pro¬ 
portion of iron is small, only one thirty-third part of the whole, in the 
form of the sulphate. Why should “ Disappointed ” wish to substitute 
the oxide (there are several oxides of iron, to which does he refer ?) If it 
is cheap, so is the sulphate, popularly known as green vitriol. All the 
recorded experiments within my knowledge, relating to the application 
of iron in the successful cultivation of the Rose were made with the 
sulphate ; therefore I recommend “ Disappointed ” to use that salt, but 
on no account to omit the other elements of the manure suggested by 
me, if he wishes to grow good Roses. The application had better be 
made as a top-dressing immediately after the spring pruning.— Edmund 
Tones. 
THE LONDON PARKS. 
HAMPTON COURT. 
Though at some distance from the metropolitan district in which 
most of the other public parks are situated described under the above 
heading, yet Hampton Court is so easily reached by rail, and the journey 
is such a pleasant one, that few horticulturists who come to town with 
the object of inspecting such establishments omit this one from their 
tour, more particularly as the reputation it has gained under Mr. 
Graham’s management has ranked it amongst the best kept places of its 
kind. The most direct way of reaching it is to travel from Waterloo to 
Hampton Court via Wimbledon, the station being at Moulsey, on the 
Surrey side, but within a few minutes’ walk of the Palace and gardens. 
Another route, and a very agreeable one, is to journey on the Thames 
AAlley branch to Teddington Station, walking thence through Bushey 
Park to the gardens, which are reached in twenty minutes or half an 
hour. The grand avenue of Horse Chestnuts is always beautiful in the 
summer months, though it attracts the greatest number of visitors when 
the trees are in flower, and “Chestnut Sunday” has become quite a 
recognised holiday for Londoners. There is still a third way of travelling 
to Hampton Court, but that is only available when the visitor has plenty 
of time at his disposal, as several hours are occupied in the journey from 
London Bridge, and there is only one boat a day, which starts shortly 
after 10 A.M. This can only be recommended when the weather is fine, 
but then it is a most enjoyable trip as the Thames scenery, equally from 
Kew to Kingston and beyond, is charming in the extreme. 
Hampton Court Gardens have, apart from their antiquity and varied 
interest, acquired a considerable reputation for the superior manner in 
■which the “ bedding ” is carried out. Carpet beds in particular have 
been made a special feature. But far from relying exclusively upon 
these, every effort has been made to introduce as much variety as possible, 
and considerable success has attended the experiments in this direction. 
Mixed beds of the character frequently recommended in these pages and 
described at other parks have been freely employed with good results. 
The long border by the Palace has also been utilised for a collection of 
the most effective hardy plants, which render it attractive from early 
spring to late autumn, the plants employed having been carefully selected 
with that object in view. No garden is complete without a border of 
this kind, and old gardens like the one under notice are above all most 
suitable for old plants and border favourites. 
In turning to the carpet beds it may be observed that in nearly all 
Echeveria secunda glauca, with Sedum hispanicum var. glaucum, con¬ 
stitute the edging, the exceptions to this being where plants with 
similar coloured foliage form the groundwork, and then Mentha and the 
Golden Stellaria are employed in their stead. Taking these beds in 
order from the northern end of the gardens the first contains an edging 
of Echeveria and Sedum glaucum, inside which is Alternanthera 
amcena, followed by Golden Feather and Mentha Pulegium gibral- 
tarica, with panels of Veronica Candida and Alternanthera paronychi- 
oides, all well disposed on a general groundwork of Mentha. No. 3 
had a groundwork of Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum, with 
a centre of Alternanthera amcena ; on either side of this were arranged 
a Maltese cross, the one having Echeveria Peacocki, and the other 
Sempervivum montanum, both being outlined with Echeveria secunda 
glauca , there were also squares of Leucophyton Browni, and small 
circular panels of Alternanthera versicolor, while the rich and varying 
tints of other Alternantheras came out in a telling manner against the 
Mesembryanthemums. In carpet bed No. 4 an agreeable change has 
been introduced in the form of small Palms, Pandanus Veitchi, Dracaena 
rubra, the principal groundwork being composed of Alternanthera 
amabilis at either end, and A. paronychioides across the centre, the 
remainder being made up of small Latanias, set in a groundwork of 
Mentha and Sedum glaucum; there were also small plots of Pellsea 
muscosa and Herniaria glabra, in company with Pachyphytum bractea- 
tum and Cotyledon Schapyllus. No. 5 was perhaps a little perplexing, 
and although partaking more of carpet designs than the majority was 
devoid of that decision which is characteristic in these gardens. No. 6 
had Echeverias and Sedums, with Herniaria glabra next, while at 
each end were large circles of Herniaria and Alternanthera paronychi¬ 
oides aurea and amabilis, edged with Echeveria Peacocki, and having 
a central plant of Echeveria metallica, the remainder of the bed being 
barred with Alternantheras and Leucophyton Browni. In No. 7 Veronica 
Candida predominated ; this, in company with the golden forms of 
Alternanthera paronychioides aurea and major, constituting the leading 
plants employed. No. 8 had an edging of Sedum and Echeveria, with 
general groundwork of Mesembryanthemum, the centre being formed of 
Echeveria Peacocki and a single plant of a species of Aloe, while at 
the two ends are lyre-shaped designs composed of Leucophyton and 
Alternanthera. 
Apart from the carpet beds some were conspicuous for other plants. 
For example, one large bed had a broad band of Golden Stellaria for a 
margin, and next to this a still broader band of Iresine Lindeni, follow¬ 
ing which were silver and gold Pelargoniums and central blocks of 
Coleuses, with just enough Viola Blue Bell. This was an effective bed. 
Several other beds partook of the same character with slight variations. 
One bed had Ficus elastica, with Ageratum and Dactylis elegantissima 
beneath ; another bed was conspicuous with scarlet Phloxes, Souvenir 
de la Malmaison Rose, and Stocks ; and a bed of standard Roses had a 
delightfully fragrant companion in Heliotrope President Garfield. 
Scores of other beds were filled with Pelargoniums, while some had 
Cannas, scarlet Gladioli, and hybrid Pentstemons. Promising well for 
a future display was a large bed devoted to Chrysanthemum Madame 
C. Desgrange, margined with Aster Amellus bessarabicus. These two 
plants are of uniform height and flower at about the same time, and 
afford an illustration of what may be accomplished with good hardy 
perennials. 
NOTES FROM A HERTS GARDEN. 
PEACHES AND NECTARINES. 
Crops of these fruits this season have been or are very tantalising. 
The blossoms were abundant and strong, the “ set ” was good, and the 
fruit took the first swelling and continued it up to the size of Walnuts 
in capital style ; then it, or most part, became and remained stationary, 
or nearly so, for several days, when it suddenly and unaccount¬ 
ably collapsed—shrivelling and falling in showers. These are some of 
the delights of gardening. We were anticipating (and appearances 
justified the forecast) a fuller and finer crop of fruit than usual. We 
had begun to calculate the time and manner of feeding directly the 
stoning was sufficiently advanced, and discerned in prospective dishes 
teeming with high-coloured, luscious fruit. Outdoor fruits, particu¬ 
larly Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, and Figs were thin—next to nil, 
and Pears promised to add little, scarcely sufficient to give variety to 
desserts. Multiplying dishes of Grapes or Melons are poor apologies for 
variety ; indeed, it only makes the want of the absentees felt more 
keenly, and prompts inquiry. The remainder of the Peaches fortunately 
were fine, but the Nectarines finer. Further, the Peaches were thinner 
than the Nectarines, yet they did not finish so satisfactorily. These 
remarks apply to the early houses, as the result as regards the finish is 
not determined in the later heated ones, yet there is every prospect of a 
similar issue. The trees in all instances made no attempt at stoning ; 
the fruit alike in the early and late houses swelled only to the size of 
Walnuts, and then fell in quantity. The crop before stoning was not 
remarkably heavy, and after dropping it was not more than one-third of 
what the trees were capable or considered competent to carry. A 
notable characteristic was that the trees cast the fruits almost totally 
from the upper part where the wood is strongest, the lower part of the 
trees retaining the greater part of their crops. It may be further noted 
that the large flowered varieties cast more fruits than the small flowered, 
and that the Nectarines shed less fruit than the Peaches. I may further 
reiterate the fact that the Nectarines finished much better than the 
Peaches; indeed the Nectarines, particularly that very fine early 
variety, Lord Napier, some of the fruit of which rivalled the early 
Peaches or Hale's Early in size, were superlative. Finally, some of the 
fruit split at the stone, and in every instance was confined to the large 
flowered and large fruited varieties only ; in fact the larger the fruit the 
greater danger of its being spoiled by stone-splitting. 
Such are the facts, and my object in troubling you, Mr. Editor, is to 
elicit, if these lines are thought worthy of a place in “ our Journal,” 
the views of others upon the matter named. My views are that the 
casting of the fruit before stoning was a result of the cold, sunless, and 
wet weather of 1888, the wood not being solidified as made, the sap im¬ 
perfectly elaborated, and the matter stored in the wood and buds 
inadequate to the maintenance of the fruit in its early stages. The 
wood, in brief, was not sufficiently ripened, in which view I consider 
proof conclusive in that of the fruit not being cast on the wood at the 
lower part of the tree or trellis, where the growth from position alone 
was less strong than at the upper part, and of necessity having less sap, 
would under the disadvantageous elaboratory conditions of the season 
attain to a great extent of assimilation, ripening of the wood, and per¬ 
fection of the buds, than growths much stronger. This is my view of 
the case—viz., grossness or a tendency that way is in the direction of 
unfruitfulness, and to that cause exclusively we attribute the casting of 
the incipient fruits. The grossness intended is not that known as 
characteristic of sterility, but that of ordinary growth in consequence 
of the unfavourable climatic conditions insufficiently hardened and 
stored with assimilated material. Of course those having full crops 
will attribute the disaster to errors of culture, alleging that a little 
