42 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 16, IttW* 
Chinese style. Moses Cooke was head of the establishment in 
Evelyn’s time, and he refers to Cooke as a man well acquainted 
with the art of gardening, and having a knowledge of mathematics. 
Later we read of him as concerned in the Brompton Park Nursery ; 
according to some he was one of its originators. He did precede 
London and Wise, but there seems to be some confusion of dates. 
'Phis is evident that he in 1676 published a small quarto upon the 
method of “ raising and ordering ” forest trees, also he wrote for 
Evelyn a treatise upon the art of making cider. Owing to the 
constant succession of wars with France during the reign of 
William III. and Anne there arose a great demand for cider, the 
wines, of which a supply used to be had from the continent, being 
almost excluded. Great attention was, therefore, given to the 
cider-producing Apples, and co other kinds, a vaiiety of them were 
raised from seed. The original Eibston Pippin is supposed to have 
been a seedling of 1688, a seedling of a tree which came from 
Normandy, and it is said to have lingered till 1835, fruiting even in 
advanced age. Most of our Apples were of French descent ; 
sometimes ships were brought over, many were raised from pips. 
The first Norfolk Beefing, or Biffin, probably reached us as a fruit, 
and seedlings were raised thereby. New' varieties were obtained 
from such old English kinds as the Jennetting, which Ray so com¬ 
mends in 1688 for its early ripeaing. Seemingly it is the same 
that older writers called Johnnine, because the fruit could be 
gathered on the festival of St. John. Our gardeners for the above 
reason planted more Vines, and trained them along trelliswork as 
well as upon walls. Capt. Foster of Lambeth was a great grower 
of Grapes in the reign of William III., and there is still a Vine 
Street there. Lambeth was, indeed, at that period famous as a 
fruit-yielding suburb. Its Apricots, Pears, and Mulberries are 
often named, and quantities of Melons were also grown in Lambeth 
and in the adjacent Vauxhall. 
Sir W. Temple, who was a well-known author of his day, and 
who studied gardening amongst other subjects, making many ex¬ 
periments at East Sheen, and afterwards at Moor Park in Surrey, 
praises the climate of London for its favourable influences upon 
most cultivated plants and trees. A radius of about ten miles 
round the metropolis, says he, is warmed during winter by the 
“ fires and steams ” of the town and its inhabitants. What would 
he have thought now of the heat arising from its millions of popu¬ 
lation ? But unfortunately much of the land that was orchard and 
garden is built over. Writing two centuries ago, he remarks that 
foreigners agreed in commending the fruit produced in the south 
of England generally ; still the shortness of our summers was a 
drawback. Hence he very sensibly advises the choice of such 
varieties of fruit trees as would ripen soon in Britain. Allusions 
which he makes to Chinese gardens prove that reports concerning 
these had already been brought to England by travellers during the 
seventeenth century, and attempts had been made to imitate them. 
While admiting the beauty of a regular arrangement in a flower 
garden. Sir William remarks that a studied irregularity pleases 
many eyes, especially if it be so managed as to give the effect of a 
natural confusion or wildness. But the Dutch formality was to be 
in the ascendant for a time. It was one of Lis pet notions regard¬ 
ing a garden that there should be a gentle slope from a terrace next 
the house to some broader extent below, the kitchen garden being 
formed beyond the flower garden, and flanked by fruit trees. 
After needful deduction from the excessive praise given by 
Evelyn to the nursery at Brompton Park, conveyed in a somewhat 
ludicrous style, it is still evident that this establishment spreads its 
influence by degrees over the greater part of this island. If not 
positively the oldest London nursery, it ranks amongst these, since 
it appears to have been started nine years before the Revolution 
The original extent afforded a good range for horticultural opera¬ 
tions, this being about 100 acres. Part of the land had been a park, 
attached to the mansion once occupied by Henry Cromwell, and a 
long line of waU was found serviceable for Vines and other fruit 
trees. Lukai’sname is the first mentioned in connection with this 
nursery. It seems also to have been spelt “ Lucre,” perhaps by 
printer’s error, and probably its possessor did not think this appel¬ 
lation an improvement. The dates are doubtful, but Cook, already 
mentioned, became a partner, also London and Field, in or about 
1690, the firm consisting then of four persons. Evelyn’s observa¬ 
tions, however, made in 1694, show that then George London and 
Henry Wise were the sole proprietors of the place, as he commends 
them alone for the wonders to be seen at this nursery, “ the store 
and variety, the skilful making, plotting, laying out, and disposing 
of the ground to the best advantage,” and so on. Indeed no other 
English, nor any foreign nursery, so well exemplified horticultural 
progress to that date. London had been gardener to Bishop Comp¬ 
ton, at Fulham Palace, afterwards he was superintendent of the 
Royal Gardens—a man, says Switzer, very partial to horse exercise, 
which is not a common thing amongst gardeners I fancy. 
London was, it is likely, the first gardener who had to assess the 
damages done to a garden—its trees and shrubs. This he did for 
Evelyn, after Czar Peter had occupied Sayes Court, and not only 
neglected but wilfully damaged the grounds, as proved by London’s 
statement of May 9th, 1698, his estimate of the outlay required 
being £55. He adds, however, that the injury to many of the 
shrubs was irreparable. 
After many vicissitudes, it is curious to note that part of this olJ 
demesne of Evelyn’s is now converted into a public garden. It 
was from the establishment of London and AVise that gardeners 
learnt to use evergreens more extensively in planting, and the firm 
obtained from abroad varieties of trees suitable for parks and shrulr- 
beries previously unknown here, and people came from all parts of 
Britain to study their improved modes of garden arrangement iit 
all branches.—J. R. S. C. 
REIDIA GLAUCESCENS, 
The species comprised in the extremely large and peculiar 
natural order Euphorbiacese are remarkable for their great diversity 
in habit. The majority are herbaceous plants with simple leaver 
and insignificant flowers, and are widely distributed through 
temperate and tropical countries. Some, the inhabitants of dry 
regions, assume the appearance of Cactaceous plants, with strangely 
formed succulent leafless branches and stems. Others, chiefly 
Crotons, are largely cultivated in our hothouses for the beauty of 
the foliage, and a few species of Euphorbia and the well known 
Poinsettia are general favourites owing to their brilliantly coloured 
bracts. The Phyllanthuses and Xylophyllas have flattened leaf¬ 
like branches, on the margins of which are produced bright and 
pretty little flowers, and are well worth cultivating ; but for- 
general elegance Reidia glaucescens can scarcely be surpassed by 
any of its numerous strangely varied congeners. This plant was- 
introduced to the Royal Gardens, Kew, from Siam in 1864 by 
Mr. Thomas Christy, jun. 
The genus Reidia comprises about a dozen species, chiefly 
natives of India, but mostly inferior in decorative value to the 
one under consideration, which, although of such recent intro¬ 
duction, has become a great favourite with cultivators. It owe» 
much of its gracefulness to the slender branches along which the 
cval leaves are arranged in a two-ranked (distichous) manner, eacb 
Iranch greatly resembling a pinnate leaf. From the axils of the 
true leaves hang the flowers on filamentous peduncles, and to a; 
casual observer the flowers appear to spring from beneath th« 
branches. The flowers are small and uni-sexual, those at the lower 
portion of the branches being stamiuate, with four deeply fimbriated 
sepals, and those on the upper part pistillate, with six similar sepals 
and longer peduncles. The sepals in both forms are of a greenish- 
tinge towards the margin, crimson in the centre and on the linden 
surface, the peduncles also being tinged w'ith red. 
The plant is of easy cultivation, as it only requires a light open 
compost of loam, sand, and peat or leaf soil, with good drainage, 
and a brisk moist stove temperature. Under such liberal treat¬ 
ment it thrives rapidly, and as the small but pretty flowers remain 
on the plant for a considerable time during summer and autumn it 
amply repays for cultivation ; in fact, even when its flowers have 
fallen, the graceful habit of the plant renders it very attractive and 
distinct for associating with other plants in groups.—L. 
FORCING RHUBARB. 
Unless roots of the earliest Rhubarb are grown for forcing; 
there is sometimes difficulty in maintaining a supply during the 
early months of the winter, for whatever convenience there may be 
they are known in some cases to absolutely refuse to grow for. 
several weeks, causing much inconvenience and anxiety. AVith. 
those who have some of the early varieties this difficulty is perhaps, 
unknown, and since this question of variety was so fully brought 
forward last year by several correspondents of the Journal growers- 
are encouraged to act on the suggestions, and secure new stocks, 
either by roots or seeds. 
On the season no doubt depends the issue of easy forcing or the 
contrary, for, like most deciduous plants, frost hastens the maturity 
and rest apparently required previous to the excitement into 
renewed growth. 'That this is true is proved by the fact of many, 
exposing the roots to frost after lifting before they are taken 
indoors, and to the absence of frost may be attributed the slowness 
of the earliest responding to the warmer conditions provided for an. 
early supply this winter. My own experience does not stand alona 
in this matter, for I learn from other gardening friends that the 
same difficulty has presented itself. Mr. Hilton considers a foot or 
18 inches sufficient depth of manure for maintaining gentle heat,, 
but this would depend on the size of the bed and its position, for if 
exposed to cold winds and snow a narrow bed of that depth wouldf 
