788 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 14, 1886. 
Death of Dr. Hance. —The death is reported 
on June 22nd of Dr. H. F. Hance at Amoy, at which 
place he was Her Majesty’s Consul. Although no in¬ 
dependent work bears Dr. Hance’s name, he has done 
more than any other man to make us acquainted with 
the flora of China, both of the empire and of the 
British colonies. His contributions to botanical litera¬ 
ture are to be found in periodicals, very largely in 
Trimen’s Journal of Botany, and the number of species 
described by him for the first time is very great. 
He was a contributor to the herbaria at the British 
Museum and at Kew. It is to be hoped that his 
herbarium will be brought to London and deposited 
where it can be consulted, and his types readily com¬ 
pared with those of other authors.— Nature. 
-- 
NOTES ON VIOLAS. 
So far as I have seen, Countess of Hopetoun seems to 
me to be one of the finest of white Violas. Mrs. Gray 
has smaller and rather purer flowers, but are a little 
more flimsy. We have gone through many variations 
in white "Violas, from cornuta alba upwards, all more 
or less good, but still all wanting something, and even 
now we are a long way off from having anything really 
first class. The Countess of Hopetoun seems to have 
the true \ iola habit, and its blooms are almost veinless. 
It is also dwarf and compact in habit, and blooms freely. 
For a fancy bedder I think none can excel Countess of 
Kintore ; but it is interesting to note how this kind 
varies. In some cases the white hue largely pre¬ 
dominates in the flowers, and in others the blue does. 
I think it exceedingly striking and effective, although 
it has a somewhat leggy habit, especially in young 
plants. 
Archie Grant is a grand purplish blue Viola, and one 
of the finest we have. Even for the production of 
flowers for gathering both that and Countess of Kin tore 
are invaluable, as the bloom-stems are so long and 
the bloom so distinct and handsome. The bluest 
Pansy for bedding seems still to be Blue Beard, but it 
is not quite so free as the old Blue King, which seems 
still to be the market blue self Pansy. Of plum or 
purple kinds so-called, I do not find anything richer, 
of better habit, or more constant than Mulberry ; the 
finest true Viola of this colour yet raised, as far as my 
observation has gone. Old plants of this kind specially 
are very fine and effective. 
For first early bedding the small-flowered Yellow 
Boy does not seem beaten, but a true stock of Sove¬ 
reign is beautiful for summer use ; and of Pansies 
either George Kudd, pale yellow, or Hew Guinea, 
orange-yellow, are first rate. In the south it is of the 
first importance that the plants should be put out 
where they are to bloom in the preceding autumn.— 
NOTES ON FUCHSIAS. 
Although a vast number of varieties have been raised 
and distributed, how few, comparatively speaking, have 
been retained in collections as special favourites, or have 
found a foremost place on the exhibition table. Those 
exhibited, as a rule, are old sorts with which we 
have for a long time been familiar. What an immense 
amount of eulogy has been lavished on “Miss Lucy 
Finnis,” but oh! where, and oh ! where, has this young 
lady been seen ? certainly, neither in the market or at 
floral gatherings. I knew a friend to purchase this 
variety for market purposes at the time it was sent out, 
but no sooner had he flowered it, than it was discarded 
and consigned to the rubbish heap as being a bad 
market variety, the fact being that there is wanting a 
uniformity of growth, the habit of the plant not being 
sufficiently robust to support the monster flowers pro¬ 
duced, which renders the plants bad travellers, and for 
showing, not so readily grown into large specimens. 
There is a variety sent out this season that seems to be 
an improvement in this respect, viz., “Mrs. Short.” 
This is of the Lucy Finnis type, but apparently of a 
better habit, and a stronger grower ; consequently 
preferable if a well-formed specimen plant be the 
object. 
Large handsomely grown Fuchsias are no mean 
objects when nicely arranged in the exhibition tent, in 
fact, I have always noticed that such are sure to attract 
the special attention of the visitors, but it must of 
necessity be admitted, that there are some of our 
grandest varieties, taking the size and colour of the 
flowers into consideration, which are never seen on the 
exhibition table, the habit of the plants precluding the 
possibility of their being placed in competition with 
such huge plants as is the custom generally now to 
exhibit ; and I may, perhaps, here be allowed to offer 
a suggestion to those in whom is vested the manage¬ 
ment of shows, and who have the arrangement of the 
schedules, that it would be of considerable interest, also 
advantage, to raisers and growers of the Fuchsia were 
they to class and offer prizes in a more detailed and 
comprehensive form, the varieties being so very dis¬ 
similar in habit and character. Plants of easy growth 
and of a free-flowering tendency are properly selected as 
fit subjects to attract the eye and adorn the exhibition 
table, and consummate as has been the success of ex¬ 
hibitors as regards the grandeur of the plants exhibited, 
it appears to me that there are very many varieties of a 
dwarfer habit, producing, perhaps, vastly finer flowers, 
both as to size and colour, which are never brought to 
the front; consequently, the development of their 
character and worth is thus by no means facilitated or 
even encouraged. 
I maintain expressed views and opinions on the 
subject, and have no hesitation in reiterating them— 
viz., that we have now numerous first-class dwarf 
varieties of a distinct and uniform character, which, 
under liberal treatment, would grace any collection of 
plants, although not so imposing in the majesty of 
greatness as regards size. I have for years been in the 
practice of raising seedlings, many of a dwarf strain. 
Sowing the seed in February, I have nice, compact, 
free-flowering plants in about five or six months, and 
cuttings struck in autumn or early spring cannot fail to 
make good plants in equally quick time under ordinary 
conditions. Prizes offered specially for Fuchsias of, I 
may say, annual growth would, I should imagine, be a 
boon by offering facilities and affording encouragement 
to very many of limited means with reference to glass 
houses, as the plants, after they have done flowering, 
might be dispensed with altogether, having previously 
secured a young stock for the subsequent season. 
As an example of one of what may be designated 
dwarf varieties, I herewith enclose blooms of one of the 
Fuchsias raised by me—viz., “Miss Lizzie Vidler,” 
which, perhaps, for colour and contour has, if equalled, 
never been surpassed .—George Fry, Lewisham. [The 
flowers are very fine.—E d.] 
- —>*<— - 
“THE NURSERYMAN.” 
In an address to the American Association of 
Nurserymen, President Colman said, that “ The Nur¬ 
seryman is engaged in a useful and most honourable 
calling, and one most venerable for its antiquity. It 
is the 'primitive calling of man. In the account of 
Creation given us in the Bible, trees are the first thing 
spoken of after the earth took its present shape. 
They preceded man, as the necessary means of preparing 
the earth to be inhabited by him. They were necessary 
in order to make its atmosphere respirable, by absorbing 
its superabundance of carbolic acid. Neither man, nor 
beast, nor bird could have lived on the earth until the 
trees had thus prepared it for them. 
When we consider the place which the trees hold in 
connection with human life, how closely they are inter¬ 
woven with it in all its stages of development, we see 
the dignity and importance of the calling of the Nursery¬ 
man. That calling dates back to the earliest history 
of man. Then man found himself born into a tree 
world, a world of luxuriant forests, growing under the 
original law of species by which each should ‘ bring 
forth fruit after its kind. ’, under that law of abiding 
order and harmony, without which all human life 
would have been a chaos of confusion.” 
Speaking of the Nurseryman he said : “He needs to 
be a man of large intelligence ; he needs to cultivate 
himself as his trees ; he needs to cultivate himself in 
order that he may properly and successfully cultivate 
them ; he should be a careful student of the laws of 
plant life ; he should be an experimenter, indeed, he 
should put all theories that have any show of value, 
to the test of experiment. But he should be also a man 
of wide reading, at least in the line of his own pro¬ 
fession, and knowing thus what has been proven by 
others, save himself the expenditure of time and labour 
involved in going over the same ground again. He 
should be foremost in all public improvement in which 
trees bear a part. His knowledge fits him to be such, 
and it is comparatively easy for him to start a move¬ 
ment for planting trees along the street borders or on 
some neglected ground which might thus be transformed 
into a beautiful park, a source of perpetual pleasure. 
Such things are not simply pleasant to the sight, they 
have an influence upon character. The children who 
grow up among beautiful trees, who walk under them 
as they go to and from school, or play under their shade, 
will grow up to be different and better men and women 
than if they had not lived in this fellowship. 
Within a short time we have become aware not only 
that our land-owners need at the hands of the nursery¬ 
men a supply of fruit trees for the orchard, and trees 
for shade or ornament around the dwelling and alon» 
the street, but that the problem is before us how to 
preserve our great forests from absolute destruction, and 
how to establish forests where now there are none, or 
only semblance of any. Our existing forests are falling 
before the axe and the forest fire, at the rate of not less 
than 60,000 acres every day. This rapid destruction 
needs to be checked and regulated, or our agriculture 
and industries will suffer almost beyond our power to 
estimate. Where we have been planting trees by the 
hundreds or thousands, the call is now for trees by the 
million.” 
-»>:=:<-- 
GOODRICH COURT. 
Goodrich Court, near Boss, in the count} 7 of Here¬ 
ford, is the seat of Harold C. Moffatt, Esq., and is 
situated on a hill overlooking the beautiful valley of 
the river Wye, and commands some of the best scenery 
in the county. On July 28th I, in company with a 
few friends, paid a short visit to this place. Having 
only time enough just to look through the glass struc¬ 
tures, which are filled with fruit and miscellaneous 
well-grown plants, together with Orchids, my remarks 
will be confined chiefly to them, although much of an 
historical interest might be written about the mansion 
and its surroundings. Mr. Spencer, who has charge of 
the gardens and home farm, kindly received us, and 
did all he could in the short time at our disposal to 
enlighten us upon any subject we asked about. 
The first house we entered contained Cattleyas and 
L Delias, making good growths; L. Lindleyana, which 
is by no means plentiful, being amongst them. Another 
scarce plant, which I did not recognise, was Lycaste 
leucantha, said to be very beautiful. There were also 
some fine masses of Sophronites grandiflora, with some¬ 
thing like twenty-four breaks upon them', growing upon 
blocks and lying flat upon the stage. Mr. Spencer said 
he found that they did better in that position than 
hung up close to the glass. I think that may be ac¬ 
counted for by the fact of there being a more even state 
of moisture and temperature in the former place than 
in the latter. These little gems from the Organ Moun¬ 
tains give capital returns for good culture, and I am 
sure that any hints as to the way in which they may 
be grown best will be acceptable to your readers. I do 
not know how Mr. Spencer treats his Sophronites 
throughout the year, but I should allow them to remain 
in their present position until they showed flower buds, 
then hang them up close to the glass in a cool house to 
finish and mature or ripen all the new growths, and 
next year, after a period of rest, put them back into 
their growing quarters. Should these plants at Good¬ 
rich Court give an adequate number of flowers to 
growths, they will be worth going a few miles to see. 
The next house we entered contained stove plants, 
Ferns, and a few Orchids. Dipladenia amabilis and D. 
Brearleyana, in flower, were remarkably well grown, 
clean, and healthy ; so, also, were Allamanda nobilis 
and A. grandiflora. The same may be said of some of 
the choice and newer kinds of Ferns, which have been 
grown into specimens from very small pots in a short 
time. Anthurium Andreanum had an unusual number 
of flowers upon it, open at one and the same time. "We 
were next shown into a late Vinery containing Muscats, 
Lady Downes, Alicante, and Gros Colmar. The latter, 
we were informed, coloured better and was better 
flavoured than most people had it. This was at¬ 
tributed to poorness of soil; consequently, the Vine 
made less rank or sappy growth, the wood in this case 
being of a firmer and better quality. Another Vinery 
contained splendid examples of the Eastnor Castle 
variety of Black Hamburgh, also Madresfield Court, 
which were very fine in bunch and berry, and free from- 
cracking ; Buckland Sweetwater was also in fair con¬ 
dition. Another well-built span-roofed house was gay 
with zonal Pelargoniums, some fine things amongst 
them ; Begonias (tuberous), were also a fine feature in 
