October 22, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
117 
as was evidenced that day, and when later the wind 
blew strong, they were carried long distances in perfect 
showers, the air being full of them. The grandeur of 
the foliage on the deciduous trees was entirely de¬ 
stroyed that day, and although Elm, Oak and some 
other trees still retain leaves, there will be no further 
beauty. 
Such a sudden destruction of all things tender, of 
course, rendered a clean sweep of summer bedding 
plants needful, and beds may be filled with bulbs and 
hardy plants as quickly as possible. It will be fully a 
month yet ere the whole of the leaves will have fallen, 
and until then it is very difficult to have gardens neat 
for the winter. It is feared that exposed Chrysan¬ 
themums in bud must have been materially injured, 
and pot plants not housed will have to pay a heavy 
penalty for neglect. The mischief will be evidenced 
later on, when the injured buds imperfectly expand.— 
A. D. 
*>Y<- 
THE MITCHAM ROAD NURSERY, 
, STREATHAM. 
A visit to Messrs. J. Peed & Sons’ nurseries in the 
autumn is very interesting, from the many tints of the 
foliage of various deciduous and ornamental trees used 
for avenue planting, &c. Yarious conifers, according to 
their kind, display a great diversity of habit and 
colouration. A rich collection of Thorns 
in fruit recalls to mind the neglect under 
which these fine old-fashioned things 
suffer, and makes one wish he had lived 
in the days of Loudon, when hardy 
deciduous trees, shrubs and fruiting kinds 
were grown in endless variety, and were 
appreciated as they ought to be. Eruit 
trees are also a great feature of the nur¬ 
series, and evince, by their ripened wood 
and plump buds, that an abundant crop 
may be expected next season. Prom the 
vigorous condition of everything, we have 
abundant evidence of the depth and 
richness of the soil; and we are further 
certified on this point by the vicinity of 
the nurseries to the Mitcham fields of herb¬ 
growing fame, the richness of which and 
the suitability for garden or nursery pur¬ 
poses are undisputed. 
Upon entering the nurseries proper, the 
visitor is greeted with large quantities of 
healthy and vigorously - grown Manetti 
Stocks and Briers with long stems for 
standard Roses. The former have been 
budded a little below the surface of the 
ground, so that none of the Stock will be 
exposed. The Briers have also been 
budded, and the buds have taken well. 
The vigour of the shoots proceeding from 
the Briers is to be attributed to the quantity 
of manure put into the ground while 
trenching, and the quantity left on the 
surface by way of mulching. The roots of 
the Brier before being planted are steeped 
in a mixture of clay, cow-manure, and a 
little size, which has the effect of healing 
over the wounds. Some dwarf Roses are also notable 
for their healthy and vigorous shoots ; while there is 
a collection of Tea Roses under glass in equally good 
condition. 
The collection of Thorns, which are now very hand¬ 
some in their rich colours of fruit and fading leaves, 
was bought as Osborn’s, of Fulham, at the last sale. 
A variety of the common CratEegus oxycantha, 
named C. o. Oliveriana, with small hoary leaves and 
black fruit, we seldom see, although it has been in 
cultivation for years. The abundance of haws, and 
their decided black colour, constitute the tree a highly 
ornamental object that would find favour as a lawn 
specimen if it were better known. There is also a 
variety of this tree with pendent shoots named 
C. o. pendula. More conspicuously ornamental is 
C. OTientalis, with its deeply cut hoary leaves and 
large coral-red fruit not necessarily so numerous as in 
the former case, but greatly admired for the size and 
brilliancy of its fruit, which is agreeable to the taste 
and edible. The claret-purple haws of C. punctata 
brevispina are equally large as those of C. orientalis, 
and as freely produced. The typical form of this species 
has scarlet fruit. 
Crataegus pyrifolia is botanically allied to 0. 
punctata, but the small yellowish red fruit renders 
the tree abundantly distinct for garden purposes, whilst 
the enormous crop makes the tree highly ornamental. 
A tree named C. Luania is conspicuous by the size, 
abundance and beauty of its orange-yellow haws. 
C. tanacetifolia is even more telling in this respect, as 
the fruits are larger than those of some of the smaller 
Crab Apples. Before maturity they are pale green, 
ultimately becoming clear yellow, and are interesting 
botanically from the presence of small feathered bracts 
at the base ; but those coming under our notice had 
the bracts scattered irregularly over the sides of the 
haws, giving them a curious appearance. The fruits of 
this tree are the sweetest we have tasted, are very good 
to eat, and might be useful for making tarts. Other 
scarlet-fruiting kinds are C. punctata rubra, C. p. r. 
stricta and C. coccinea, the latter of which might with 
great advantage be planted as a lawn specimen, as it 
fruits regularly and abundantly, while its large lobed 
leaves, combined with the fruit, are, indeed, handsome. 
C. pinnatifida is even more handsome in its foliage. 
Distinguishable from all of the above was C. macra- 
cantha, with bright scarlet'medium-sized fruits, which 
were most abundantly produced, and shone like wax. 
Ornamental trees for avenue and pleasure ground 
planting are grown in considerable variety, ranging 
from 3 ft. to 12 ft. Of the latter heights were Birches, 
Elms, Poplars (the Lombardy Poplar being fine), 
Sycamores, Sweet or Spanish Chestnuts, and the 
London Plane (Platanus orientalis acerifolia). Speci¬ 
Odontoglossum Ruckeeianum insigne. 
mens about 3 ft. to 5 ft. in height, with more deeply 
cut leaves, and the young shoots covered with a more 
rusty tomentum, appeared like P. occidentalis, but in 
the absence of fruit, it is difficult to distinguish from 
the London Plane. Specimens of the common Quince 
(C. vulgaris) about 10 ft. in height were fruiting freely, 
and the same might be said of the common Medlar 
(Mespilus germanica) with unusually large fruits about 
to ripen. Large trees of the Snowy Medlar (Arne- 
lanchier) are also grown. Some weeping and other 
Willows are very ornamental in their way, notably, 
the Kilmarnock Willow (Salix caprea pendula), the red 
American Weeping Willow, and a kind named S. 
coerulea, with the young branches heavily covered with 
a whitish bloom, giving place to a violet colour, and 
ultimately the branches and twigs become green. The 
leaves are about the size of those of the Almond. 
Prunus Pissardi was notable for the deep metallic 
blackish purple tint of its foliage, being darker than 
we have previously noticed it. The stems are equally 
black, and the tree besides being useful as a foliage, 
fruiting, and forcing subject, forms a handsome com¬ 
panion plant to Negundo aceroides variegatum. There 
are large breadths of the Portugal Laurel (Prunus 
lusitanicus) about 12 ins. to 18 ins. high, and of the com¬ 
mon green form of Euonymus japonicus and Ligustrum 
ovalifolium, the deep green foliage of which is very 
fine at this season. A suitable plant for window boxes 
is Ligustrum ovalifolium aurea marginatum. The 
foliage is margined with yellow; but those of the 
young shoots are conspicuously purple. It is very 
difficult to propagate from cuttings, and succeeds best 
when grafted on the ordinary green form. A very 
popular shrub in the neighbourhood of towns is the 
Golden Elder (Samhucus nigra aurea), which is grown 
in the form of large bushes, as well as the Silver Elder 
(S. n. variegata), the leaves of which are very effectively 
margined with white. A most interesting lot of 
Cupressus Lawsoniana, all raised from seed, exhibited 
no end of different shades of colour—green, glaucous, 
and silvery white, while the variety of habit was 
equally notorious, if not more so—erect, drooping, 
pyramidal, bushy, rapid, and slow growers, &c. 
The fruit trees and bushes grown here are second in 
importance to nothing else in the nurseries. This 
applies to the care bestowed upon them, their healthy 
character, and the quantity of fruit-buds with which 
the trees are furnished, whether large or small. The 
large kinds have been frequently transplanted, and so 
abundant and concentrated are their clean fibrous roots 
that they may be lifted by pulling them out without 
the use of a spade or other tool. We had ocular 
demonstration of this with a strong pyramidal specimen 
about 6 ft. in height. An interesting lot of maiden 
Apple trees, grafted on the Paradise stock, were about 
2 ft. in height; whereas those on the Crab, 
under the same conditions and alongside 
of them, were 3 ft. high. Another piece 
of ground was occupied by Apples in the 
shape of pyramids and bushes on the 
Paradise stock, and from 2 ft. to 4 ft. in 
height, which had been bearing fine fruits 
very freely for some years past. They 
were full of bloom-buds, and are trans¬ 
planted every year. Neat little specimens 
of Lord Suifield are in excellent condition 
for potting up; others are trained to 
cordon, horizontal, and fan-shapes, the 
latter being about 3 ft. to 5 ft. high. 
Standards, pyramids, and bushes, from 
5 ft. to 12 ft. in height, are suitable for 
filling up gaps where such have occurred 
in gardens. They were lifted in February 
or March, and will be in fruiting condition 
next year. 
Pears on the Quince form dwarf and 
bushy trees, well set with buds, a quantity 
being trained as espaliers and grafted on 
the Pear stock, so as to meet the require¬ 
ments of those desiring trees that will 
grow to a large size. Some espaliers are 
also grafted on the Quince; fine specimens 
of the Hessle Pear, that have frequently 
been borne down by the weight of the 
fruit, ranging from 6 ft. to 9 ft. or 12 ft., 
and grown in various forms — pyramid, 
bush, standard, and fan—have been fre¬ 
quently lifted, and are consequently in 
excellent condition for raising and bearing 
at once. Fan-trained Peaches, grafted on 
the Mussel Plum, exhibit remarkable 
vigour, some that were budded about 
fourteen months ago being now 3 ft. to 4 it. high, 
although the bud was dormant the first year. A 
considerable quantity of Plum trees are grown as 
standards, and are now 8 ft. to 9 ft. high ; while there 
are fan-trained specimens on tall stems suitable for 
planting against the wall of a house. Red, White, and 
Black Currants are grown by the thousand. 
-- 
BOSTON HOUSE, BRENTFORD. 
One of the oldest family residences in Middlesex is 
Boston House, pleasantly situated on the outskirts of 
New Brentford, from which it was formerly some 
distance away, but is gradually being encroached upon 
by the builder, until in the near future we shall expect 
it to be merely a suburb of London closely surrounded 
by dwelling houses. One of the more recent estates to 
be broken up for this purpose is Ealing Park, the 
ground of which, or part of it, is cut up into squares by 
projected streets. Boston House is believed to have been 
a monastery in the time of Edward VI, and the Earl of 
Leicester and Sir Thomas Gresham were early pro¬ 
prietors. In 1670 the house and estate was purchased 
by one of Sir Christopher Clitherow’s sons, and they have 
been in the possession of that family ever since. The 
present owner, Colonel Clitherow, is one of a long line 
of military men who have made this place their home. 
A high boundary wall separates the house, gardens and 
