[ April 7,1*87. 
£70 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
plant of Rhododendron caucasicum album, and remarks ttyat “it is. 
the true variety, quite distinct from Cunningham’s Dwarf White. Both 
were sent out many years ago by (I believe) the late Mr. Cunningham^ 
of Comley Bank, Edinburgh, and from whom I bought them and pro-, 
pagated by layering ever since. For either forcing or outdoor, in my 
opinion, there is no Rhododendron to equal it.” The specimen sent is a 
dwarf compact bush, bearing a score of neat flower heads, the corolla 
white, with a slight greenish tinge in one lobe, and more suggestive of 
an Azalea than a Rhododendron. It is unquestionably a handsome 
variety, and evidently well adapted for culture in pots. 
-- Gardening Appointments.—M r. Alexander Black, who has, 
been foreman to Mr. J. Riddell, The Gardens, Buncombe Park. Helmsley, 
Yorks, for the last eighteen months, has been appointed gardener to the 
Duke of Leinster, Carton Park, Maynooth, Ireland. 
- Messrs. Oakshott & Millard, Reading, send us flowers of 
CINERARIAS, representing their improved large flowering strain. The, 
flowers are large, varied in colours, and very bright, some purple seifs 
being particularly good. 
- The South Essex Horticultural Society have issued 
their schedule for 1887, and announce that their Exhibition for the' 
present year will be held as usual in the grounds of Knotts Green, by 
the permission of J. G. Barclay, Esq. The prizes are of a similar 
character to those of previous years, and we notice that there Is a balance: 
of £17 in the .Society’s favour. 
- Mr. E. Molyneux considers “Syringing Chrysanthemums 
a very important detail in successful culture, both as a means of promot¬ 
ing a healthy growth as well as a preventive of the spread of insects, j 
but I prefer, to do it once a day only, and that in the evening, I.do ,not 
think it necessary to syringe the plants in the morning as well as in the 
evening, for the reason that they are exposed to night dews. Syring¬ 
ing should not take place in a general way before the plants are placed 
out of doors in May, nor in cold sunless weather should it be repeated,; 
or mildew may be encouraged. It is best done in the evening after. a 
hot day ; the leaves at the time are inclined to be soft and in some cases 
flabby. Wet the under side of the leaves as well as the upper side, as 
in such a position insects are most likely to lodge. A gentle dew,ing. on 
the surface of the leaves does not remove them. Where the plants are 
numerous and placed.in rows the garden engine is the best instrument 
to use. The water should be directed to the foliage with some force by 
going between two rows of plants and returning in the opposite direc¬ 
tion ; the plants then receive a thorough washing, which is far bet ter. 
than a light sprinkling with the hand syringe. They should not be 
syringed after the middle of September, the nights at that time becoming 
cold.” 
THE LITERATURE OF GARDENING. 
[As noticed last week Mr. W. Paul, F.L.S., recently read a paper 
upon this subject before the Royal Society of Literature, and of which 
we now give some extracts. After dealing at some length with the 
scriptural references to gardening subjects, the progress of the art 
amongst the ancients, and the continental literature, Mr. Paul pro¬ 
ceeded to the consideration of the gardening literature of this country. 
It may be here remarked that the author mentioned as Didymus 
Mountain was really the Thomas Iiyll or Hill named below, and though 
the late Mr. G. W. Johnson named them as distinct individuals in his, 
“History of English Gardening,” he subsequently corrected the mistake 
in “Notes and Queries” and in this Journal (page 449, vol. xxvii., 
second series, November 19th, 1874), when a portrait was given of 
Thomas Hill.] 
We now come to the literature of gardening in England. The 
earliest work I have on the subject is by Maccr, written according to 
some about the middle of the fifteenth century, but the first printed 
edition appeared according to Pritzel in 1487. My copy is in Latin 
verse, but 1 have seen, although I do not possess an English translation 
of it. It is in the character of a Herbal, and is illustrated with rude 
cuts of the plants it describes. Dr. Pulteney in his “ Sketches of 
Botany ” states that there are several manuscripts on trees and plants in 
the Bodleian library, which were written before the invention of print¬ 
ing, or at least before its introduction to England. Johnson in his 
“ History of Gardening ” tells' us that the author of the first book 
written on cultivation in England was Watton de Honley in the 
reign of Edward III. In “ Arnald’s Chronicle” (1521) is a chapter on 
“ The Crafte of Graffynge and Plantinse and Alterynge of Frutys.” 
Thomas Tusser (1515-1580) wrote “ One hundred points of good 
husbandry,” a book which has gone through many editions. I have the 
modern edition by Dr. Mavor, published in 1812, dedicated to Sic John 
Sinclair, at that time President of the Board of Agriculture. This work 
.is principally .on agriculture, but he gives lists of forty-two sorts of 
seeds and herbs for the kitchen, twenty-two sorts of herbs and roots for 
salads and sauce, eleven herbs and roots to boil or to butter, twenty-one 
, strewing-herbs,'.forty herbs, branches, and flowers for windows and pots, 
seventeen herbs to distil in summer, and twenty-five herbs to grow in 
the garden for physic. He also gives a list of twenty-seven sorts of 
fruit trees to beset or removed. The book is written in verse, and is full 
of wise preeepts on rural affairs in general. Dr. Bulleyn (1500-1576) 
wrote on gardening, and tells us that we had excellent Apples, Pears, 
Plums, and Cherries in his time, although it was customary to import 
them from France and Holland. Henry Lyte published a translation of 
Dodoens’ Herbal in 1578, an interesting book, because, although it does 
not touch on cultivation, the enumeration of plants and trees, their de¬ 
scription and nature, is very full and valuable. Dodoens seems to have 
borrowed much from Dioscorides, a Greek herbalist of the first century, 
as our own Gerard later on borrowed much from Dodoens: 
Didymus Mountain published the • first part of the “ Gardener’s 
Labyrinth ” 'in 1571. He does not claim originality, and as a compilation 
it is valuable, bringing together scattered fragments on practical gar¬ 
dening. A second part of this book was published in 1577, and 
numerous editions succeeded at brief intervals. Thomas Hyll published 
“ The Profitable Art of Gardening” in 1563, and there are other editions 
of this book at about the same date. Sir Hugh Platt published “ The 
Jewel-House of Art and Nature” in 1594, and “The Paradise of Flora” 
in 1600,- subsequent editions of the latter having the title of “ The 
Garden of - Eden,” I have both these books, but not the first editions of 
them ; the former has little in connection with gardening, although the 
afithor claims to have presented the Lord Mayor with fresh green 
Artichokes on' Twelfth Day, with a score of fresh Oranges, which he had 
■kept, from the previous Whitsuntide. “The Garden of Eden” ds really 
a book on gardening. The author says in his epistle to the reader that 
“ his collections are not written at adventure or by an imaginary conceit 
in a scholar’s private study, but wrung out of the earth by the painful 
hand of experience.” The publisher tells us there was “ not a gardener 
in England of any note but made use of his discoveries and confirmed 
his'inventions by their own experience, and whatever they discovered 
and communioated he freely acknowledged by naming the author.” He 
8pcaks.'of, trees and plants as “ God’s Vegetable Creatures.” The style is 
clear and elegant, conveying much sound instruction ; but the author 
was living in the twilight of gardening, and did not discern all things so 
clearly as he - thought. He was in friendly communication with gar¬ 
deners "and .lovers of gardening, and seems to have scrupulously 
acknowledged Jhe services of those he borrowed from. In 1578 appeared 
a translation of Heresbach by Barnaby Googe, under the title of 
“ Foure Bookes of Husbandrie, containing the Whole Art and Trade of 
HusbandriesHardening, Graffeing, and Planting, &c.” of which Johnson 
in his ‘“History, of Gardening” says, “It is a book replete with just 
' observations, arid though short and imperfect, still superior to any work 
that had preceded it.” 
In' 1597 appeared “The Herbal or General History of Plants,” by 
John Gerard, but - this work, important and valuable as it was in regard 
to it-s influence on gardening, is botanical rather than horticultural. In 
the Same year'was' published “A New Orchard and Garden” by 
William Lawson, and with it “The Country Housewife’s Garden.” 
These two works are usually found together, and seem to have been 
written by a man who had a practical knowledge of his subject. The 
first is principally occupied with the orchard, the second with herbs, hut 
here'he recommends two gardens, one for flowers, the other a kitchen 
garden. Gervase Markham, who w r rote in the early part of the seven¬ 
teenth century, seems to have been an author by profession. His chief 
works are agricultural rather than horticultural. In “ A Way to Get 
Wealth” he has, however, a division, “ The Making of Orchards, Plant¬ 
ing and Grafting, the Office of Gardening, and the Ornaments. Ac.,” but 
which seems to be the same as Lawson’s “New Orchard and Garden” 
already alluded to'. John Parkinson published his first book, “ Paradis 
. in Sole Paradigus Terrestris,” in 1629. I have read somewhere that he in¬ 
tended the' title of this book as a play on his own name, “ Park-in-sun.” 
This work seems to me a new departure in the literature of gardening, 
for it not only recognises and figures the many varieties of flowers which 
were springing into, life under the hands of the cultivator in his time, 
but it has, a goad deal to say—and says it well—on the arrangement of 
gardens and on the cultivation and preserving of the plants which they 
contained. It is the work of a scholar, and one who did not look with 
indifference or contempt on the practical operations of the art. Hi6 
“ Paradise,” or “ Garden of Pleasant Flowers ” begins with the Crown 
Imperial and ends with the Grapes. In the large list of flowering plants 
which he enumerates are Tulips, 137 sorts ; Narcissus and Daffodils, 95 ; 
Hyacinths, .50 ; Crocuses, 31 ; Irises, 73 ; Anemones, 67 ; R munouluses, 
23 ; Geraniums, 9 ; Auriculas, 22 ; Primroses and Cowslips, 21 ; Car¬ 
nations and Gilliflowers, 52 ; Pinks, 20 ; Roses, 24 ; and smaller 
numbers of other flowers. Continuing his work he takes up the 
kitchen garden as a second part, and concludes with the orchard as 
a third part. With both of these he deals somewhat briefly, but still 
with no apparent diminution of interest, and in advance of what had 
hitherto appeared on the subject of English gardening. We have no 
time to giv.e- extracts, and this is the less important, as the “ Paradisi ” 
although not- free from errors is a wonderful book for the age, and 
should, be in the possession of every lover of gardening. In 1640 
appeared the “ Theatrum Botanicum or Theatre of Plants ” by the same 
author, which some would likely consider a greater work, but which is 
botanical rather than horticultural. - 
