86 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 8, 1887. 
politely gave way, and she said, “Some of you call 
man stupid. "Well, I can’t think that, for I notice he 
has what he calls plans for cheating and deceiving us. 
\ ou all know I live largely on seeds, and if I find them 
laying about, I think I have a right to all I want ; 
but, alas ! this monster, man, sometimes spoils them 
for me. I cannot eat them, and if they don’t want me 
in their grounds, why let so many seeds that I like 
grow ? I did hear one of them say that it was all the 
governor’s fault—he did not let him have hands enough 
to keep them down. My word ! why, if that’s it, I 
think it very considerate of the governor to let ns have 
so much to eat, because if it were not for him I should 
have to go somewhere else. Though I am sorry for 
taking what the fellow seems to want, I don’t see why 
he should spoil it for me.” 
A sparrow hopped round at this minute, and impudent 
fellow that he is, would have his say; he began, “Well 
friends, this dry season seems to concern you more than 
I think it ought to do ; you are too particular. Now 
look here, if I can't get one thing why I take another, 
and make no fuss about it. I know that creature, man, 
is awfully savage with me sometimes, and sets a price 
on my head, but here I am, I get what I can and eat 
what I get, and they cannot make me out. Some say 
I take one thing and others that .1 don’t; well, they 
ought to know by this time, for, as I said before, I 
take what I can get, and if they only knew all, well, 
perhaps, they would be more civil, for I don’t call 
myself a very bad sort of chap ” ; a remark which 
induced the audience to agree that the sparrow was a 
saucy rascal. 
A bullfinch then came in and he too thought man 
was too hard on him respecting his visits to the fruit 
gardens, as if the pecking out of a few fruit buds was 
all he did. “Well, I do that, certainly, but you 
know Mr. Chaflinch and Mr. Sparrow it is not all my 
fault, and I find that where we don’t go in winter, from 
some cause or other, many of the trees over which man 
makes so much fuss lose their leaves in summer. I 
think, from a tradition in our family, it was we who 
taught man the utility of pruning his fruit trees. As 
you know, he notices things pretty closely, and found 
that where we had been at work, if there were not so 
many fruits in number, they grew larger ; but, dear 
me, man forgets all this, and that I clean up a good 
many seeds which he don’t like, and yet for some 
reason allows to grow. I think it very hard he should 
account me as only a worthless, mischievous rogue ”— 
TV. B. G. 
THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
The following letter has been addressed by Mr. 
G-. F. Wilson, F. R. S., to the President of the 
Society :— 
Dear Sip. Trevor,—As I differ from some of my 
colleagues as to the most hopeful means of bringing 
new strength into the Royal Horticultural Society, I 
would ask that my views should be considered with 
theirs. 
I believe that the most likely new supporters are to 
be found among owners of gardens—often small gardens, 
in which they spend much time and take great pleasure, 
and if we can only persuade these that the society is 
doing work which helps gardening, that it will be 
managed without clique, or too much trade influence, 
and a fair amount of country amateur gardeners will be 
kept on the council to represent them, that they will 
be ready to give a small subscription, though they may 
not be able to attend meetings or to visit Chiswick, 
that in a moderate time we should get 5,000 of such 
subscribers of a guinea, that their subscriptions would 
be enough to support a strong working society, that 
the income from these would be increased through new 
Fellows inducing friends to join the society, the guinea 
subscriptions would not prevent richer well-wishers 
coming in as £2 2s. and £4 4s. patrons with large 
privileges. That the best mode of approaching the 
owners of gardens in the country would be to send out 
a paper from the council pointing out shortly the work 
being done by the society, offering guinea fellowships, 
and backing their appeal by the addition of the names 
of well-known country gardeners, both ladies and 
gentlemen. By way of example, I would suggest a 
few names, and, although this is done without any 
authority, I feel sure that they would lend their names 
and give their aid for the good object of promoting 
horticulture. You would, perhaps, suggest the names 
of likely Orchid growers, so I confine myself to those in 
my own beat, whom 1 know to be strongly interested 
in hardy plants. The names I would suggest as 
examples, are :—Mrs. James Bateman, Miss Jekyll, 
Mrs. Lloyd "Wynne, Mrs. Lawrenson, Lady Dorothy 
Neviil, Miss Sullivan, Lady Henry Grosvenor, Miss 
Owen, Lady Armstrong, Miss Marianne North, The 
Honourable Mrs. Hope, Mrs. Earle, Miss Kingsley, 
Mrs. Young, of Stanhill Court. 
Canon Ellacombe, J. D. Llewelyn, Rev. C. "Wolley 
Dod, Captain Nelson, F. W. Burbidge, "W. E. 
Gumbleton, Mr. Poe (Nenagh), Mr. McIntosh, Dr. 
Lionel Beale, Sir Charles Strickland, Sir "William 
Bowman, Professor Allman, and Alfred Walker. On 
the present council there are some well-known and 
influential hardy-plant growers ; their names would 
appear with those of the council who would allow their 
names to be used. I only give the names that occur 
to me at the moment ; many others of equal influence 
will suggest themselves. I think that a large com¬ 
mittee or Amateurs’ Plant League should be formed 
all through the country, and that help should be asked 
from the Press, especially the Gardening Press, and that 
the “trade” should be asked to lend their powerful 
aid in making the plan known, and in collecting suit¬ 
able names for Fellows. When I proposed something 
like the above, I have been met with—“ You will not 
be able to offer sufficient inducements to people, at a 
distance from London, to join the society even with 
guinea subscriptions.” I believe this to be an entire 
mistake, and that there are enough who will join for the 
love of their gardens, and others who will subscribe as 
they do to the National Rifle Association, the Royal 
Agricultural Society, or to hospitals, or any other 
good work, without seeing any immediate personal 
advantage to be derived from doing so, and that others 
with so many calls upon them that they cannot afford 
even the guinea, will induce friends with more means 
to join. If, hereafter, we can give a direct considera¬ 
tion to distant Fellows, without interfering with “the 
trade,” so much the better, but I doubt this being a 
necessity. 
I feel the more confident that the above notions are 
correct from having worked in this direction in 1876-7. 
After it had been decided at a council meeting that the 
president should give up our lease to the Commissioners, 
with the certain result of the society losing much of its 
old support, I thought (with the support of General 
Scott), that it would be well to try to get country 
guinea subscribers. The means I took for this 
purpose and their results are shown in the papers 
sent with this, which were circulated in 1876-7. 
My experience on the council during part of the last 
ten years, has only strengthened my belief in 
the soundness of the old views, and the frequent 
visitors to my experimental garden give the means of 
testing horticultural feeling. My first letter, printed 
21st October, 1873, called “upon someone with time and 
a fresh head at his disposal to come forward and take 
the lead.” For my own part I only want to be left in 
peace to w r ork out my own garden. 
I uill not now go into any questions of future 
management, as the one point at present seems to be to 
keep the society alive. It may be objected, ” Why did 
you not go on with the old guinea fellowship scheme, 
and why was it not carried further?” I have the. 
means of showing this, but do not want to awaken 
needless controversy. I think at present it may suffice 
to say that the reason the scheme was not supported at 
head-quarters was independent of its merits or demerits. 
—George F. Wilson, September 5th, 1887. 
-—>X<—- 
BEDDING VIOLA.S. 
The familiar adage, that it is an ill wind that blows 
good to no one, is quite applicable to Violas and Pansies, 
for, although the cool moisture-laden atmosphere and 
the less brilliant sunshine, which the northern counties 
are favoured with, would be ruinous to the well-doing 
of Pelargoniums and other bedding plants, such con¬ 
ditions are undoubtedly favourable to Violas, which 
make a vigorous, healthy growth, and yield a floral 
display quite unequalled in the sunny south. I believe 
Violas have yet a great future before them, and in time 
will supersede the ordinary bedding Pelargoniums, as 
they are less costly to rear, giving less trouble in culti¬ 
vation, and are more to be relied upon for flowering. 
Given a cold frame, or prepared beds struck out in 
some border, with an edging of bricks or boards, and 
you have all that is requisite to preserve them through 
the winter, lights being placed over them from 
December until March. I consider September to be a 
good month to take cuttings, as the atmosphere is dull 
and moist, and prevents flagging. Moreover, the soil 
being warm, the cuttings will be nicely rooted before 
the chill autumn frosts set in. The cuttings can also 
be taken from the base of the plants, and these are 
much preferable to the hard and hollow old stems. Any 
moderately good garden soil will suit them, but a 
little manure, by way of encouragement, is not lost 
upon them. Our compost is made up of an old 
Cucumber bed, with sand and leaf-soil or cocoa-nut 
fibre refuse added, and the whole run .through an inch 
riddle. The cutting bed is from 6 ins. to 8 ins. in 
depth, and the cuttings are dibbled in 2 ins. apart each 
way ; then they receive a good drenching, with an 
occasional damping down, if the weather should prove 
dry. After the lights are placed over them, they should 
have all the air possible, through the winter, that 
is consistent with their safety.— B. L. 
-- 
NOTES FROM CARBROOK, 
NEAR LARBERT. 
"When one visits a garden where there is much that 
is well done, and takes notes of the best features of the 
place, it is with difficulty the writer can curtail his 
remarks when making an epitome, and especially so 
when there is anything to which fame is attached. 
Taking an early walk of some six miles or more, via 
Torwood (a spot famous for its historical associations, 
where Edward assembled many of his warriors pre¬ 
paratory for the attack at Bannockburn) onward, 
leaving several beautiful seats right and left in our 
rear, and passing from the main road through some 
very attractive retreats—cool, rocky, and well clothed 
with Ferns and shrubs—we found Mr. Bolton’s (M.P. 
for Stirlingshire) well-managed garden, in which there 
is much profusion, with a decided absence of confusion. 
Such may be ^expected when the management is under 
one whose name has so long been associated with 
industry, enthusiasm and success as the widely-known 
Mr. Neil Glass. The specialities of his achievements 
when an exhibitor were cut flowers (especially Dahlias) 
and vegetables, and though Mr. Glass does not now 
meet his compeers in the conflict at horticultural 
exhibitions, it would still be a simple matter for him 
to do so successfully, as the material is at hand in 
abundance. 
His famous Onions, so often lauded for their grand 
appearance on exhibition tables, are prodigious examples 
of extra culture. Cranston’s is the kind now in 
favour, and possibly the seed may be home-saved, a 
laudable practice when such can be done. It is often 
found that good samples deteriorate when they are in 
the hands of the general trade. A quantity of the fine 
Onions referred to were shielded from wet by the use of 
glass lights, and the heat, accompanied by dry 
warm air passing over the bulbs, prepared them for 
keeping. A vague idea is sometimes entertained by 
some that a goodly-sized Onion will not keep, but that 
only happens when the bulbs are not matured and 
kept coddled in close positions, too hot for them to 
remain dormant. Onions can stand any amount of 
cold when they are properly matured and never have 
been kept free from the cool dry air, so conducive to 
keeping. We have seen many samples, including the 
great displays at Banbury, in Oxfordshire, where we 
have taken part in judging over 100 lots competing for 
one great prize, but do not recollect seeing finer bulbs, 
accompanied by handsome form, than those at Car- 
brook. The Leeks, too, are about on a par with them. 
Although they are no longer grown at Carbrook for 
sensational purposes on exhibition tables, one may 
safely say that Mr. Glass has not forsaken his old 
loves. 
All other vegetables in the plots appeared to have 
had none of their requirements curtailed, drought not 
lessening the bulk of the luxuriant crops which cover 
closely every available spot of ground. Fruits generally 
have been and are fine. Apples, of sorts suitable to 
the locality, are very abundant and well coloured, the 
trees being clothed with fine foliage, and a complete 
absence of gross wood tends strongly to the colouring of 
the fruit, allowing air and light to reach them on 
all sides. Plums do well in this part, and from the 
well-covered walls of fruitful trees large crops are 
gathered. Pears show how well the season has suited 
them ; for example, the fine Marie Louise which we 
noticed would not be a discredit to Kent or Worcester¬ 
shire. Chrysanthemums are largely and well grown, 
strong in stem, and feathered to the pots by clean 
foliage of great luxuriance. Plunging of the pots is 
practised by Mr. Glass, which, no doubt, is helpful in 
securing such vigour and inflorescence as I am told is 
always to be seen at Carbrook. About twenty years 
ago, a friend made a vigorous onslaught on our recoin- 
