January 7, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
295 
roof, on either side, in the most convenient place ; 
these will be found useful for hanging up small bits or 
dwarf-growing varieties. 
Ventilators should be placed at the top and bottom, 
and the lower set on a level with the hot-water pipes. 
As water has to be freely used for damping, the paths 
are best formed of grooved tiles, which afford more 
comfortable walking than when made with a smooth 
surface. Large tanks should be placed under the 
centre stage or any other convenient position, for the 
purpose of storing the rain which falls on the roof, as 
this is superior to any other for watering purposes. 
Having now described a suitable house in which to 
grow the plants, the next thing to consider is the 
filling of it. If select varieties only are to be cultivated, 
then it is best to purchase them when in flower ; but 
as these are generally high priced, this plan is not 
carried out by many. A second way is to buy healthy 
established plants that have not flowered; these mostly 
give good satisfaction, and are the best for beginners. 
If newly-imported plants can be had from a good 
source and in good condition I prefer them. They can 
be purchased cheaper, are generally more free from 
insects, and have more vigour about them than plants 
that have been weakened through mismanagement or 
from having been over-cropped with flowers, and there 
is always the chance of valuable prizes turning up 
among them when they flower. 
( To he continued. ) 
ffOTES FROM 
- 
Scottish Horticultural Association.— The 
ordinary monthly meeting of this association was held 
on Tuesday night, Mr. David P. Laird, president, in 
the chair. A paper entitled “ A Chat about Hollies,” 
by Mr. George Nicolson, curator, Royal Gardens, 
Kew, was read by the secretary, Mr. Robertson Munro. 
At the outset of the paper, the common Holly (Ilex 
Aquifolium) and its numberless varieties were referred 
to as among the most widely known and deservedly 
popular of hardy evergreen shrubs, and the British 
species was spoken of as the best for garden purposes. 
The ordinary kinds were best propagated from seeds 
when such were obtainable. The beiries the author 
advised to be mixed with sand as soon as gathered, and 
allowed to remain under these conditions until the 
following spring, when the seed should be sown in 
nursery beds or drills. Various forms of variegated 
and other Hollies could, however, be propagated from 
cuttings placed in lines in shady positions, or by means 
of budding. In regard to the best time for trans¬ 
planting Hollies, the writer gave his own experience in 
favour of autumn, although he had seen a plant 
thriving well which had not been transplanted for 
nearly a score of years, and which had been so treated 
at midsummer. "While it was difficult to say what soil 
was best for Holly growth, it might be taken that the 
plant would thrive in any soil, with the exception of 
boggy or mossy beds—in fact, in any soil not over¬ 
charged with moisture. In connection with the paper 
there were exhibited at the meeting upwards of seventy- 
two different varieties of Holly, sent by Mr. Nicolson. 
After some discussion had taken place on this paper, 
the chairman called upon Mr. Alexander Milne, of 
Messrs. Dickson & Sons, Hanover Street, whose con¬ 
tribution was a paper entitled 
“Horticultural Notes.” 
The writer of the paper expressed the opinion that 
horticulturists might fairly congratulate themselves on 
the past year’s progress in most departments of their 
.vocation. The season, as a whole, had been an ex¬ 
ceptionally dry one, very trying to horticulturists in 
many ways. Notwithstanding this, however, horti¬ 
culture had made much progress, one sign of which 
was to be found in the numerous horticultural ex¬ 
hibitions held during the year, and by the host of papers 
devoted to its interests. The opinion was thrown out 
by the author that amalgamation among the principal 
horticultural societies in the country would tend to 
their increasing usefulness. The circumstance that no 
horticultural paper existed in Scotland was also 
commented upon as unsatisfactory. Never, it was 
pointed out, had there been a time when a thorough 
knowledge of the theory and practice of horticulture 
was more needed than at present if the gardener was to 
be successful in his work. The prospects of horti¬ 
culture in the future were regarded by Mr. Milne as, 
on the whole, satisfactory, and it was, at all events, 
matter for congratulation that such good progress had 
been made in the past year. In the discussion which 
followed, Mr. Todd, of Messrs. Todd & Company, re¬ 
marked that horticulturists in Scotland had every 
reason to be grateful for the weather of 1887, for in 
many ways they in Scotland had experienced a better 
season than their brethren in England and elsewhere. 
There had, he mentioned, been this peculiarity about 
the past season in Scotland as compared with the 
weather experienced as far south as France, that 
Scottish horticulturists were earlier in the spring time 
than the French flower growers. Mr. Alexander 
Mackenzie, "Wariston, expressed his opinion against 
Mr. Milne’s suggestion about amalgamation among 
the societies. At the close of an interesting discussion, 
a hearty vote of thanks was given to Mr. Milne for his 
paper. The chairman then referred to the great loss 
which, he said, horticulture had sustained through the 
Death of Professor Dickson. 
Though personally not intimately acquainted with 
him, he (the chairman) had had the pleasure of meeting 
him once or twice, and anyone who had met him even 
so seldom as he had could not fail to be impressed with 
his genial manner. All of them knew how thorough a 
botanist the late Professor was, and it w T ould be a 
matter of great difficulty to get a man to fill his place. 
He thought the meeting should ask the secretary to 
intimate the deep sense of regret the association had 
for the loss the members had sustained by his death. 
The secretary was instructed accordin gly. 
Vegetable Notes from the West. —"Where 
a constant supply of vegetables are required during the 
spring months, the resources of the cultivator are often 
severely tested, more especially if he has to contend 
with a cold, backward climate. Besides other forms of 
assistance which will materially help him in such 
circumstances, the selection of suitable varieties is one 
of the most important. 
Cabbages. 
Many Scotch gardeners still continue growing such 
sorts of Cabbage as Early Dwarf York, McEwan’s or 
Banack and others. These old esteemed sorts, however 
useful in their way, are in most seasons sadly disap¬ 
pointing when it is desirable to have young Cabbages 
to change with other vegetables by the beginning or 
middle of April. The most useful Cabbage I have yet 
grown for early work in our exceptionally backward 
locality is Ellam’s Dwarf; strong seedlings planted in 
the end of August, 1886, in well-prepared rich land, 
were yielding nice firm heads before the end of March 
last spring, which were most acceptable at the table. 
Dwarf York, planted side by side with Ellam’s Dwarf, 
was quite a month later before being fit to cut. I may 
state that the months of January and March here, in 
south Ayrshire, were exceptionally severe. I was 
informed last summer by a local seedsman that the 
true strain of Yanack Cabbage was quite as early as 
Ellam’s Dwarf. Having sowed and planted the so- 
called true variety along with Ellam’s Dwarf, I shall 
have an opportunity before long of judging which is 
the right thing. 
Peas. 
In gardens where mildew is troublesome, crops 
of Peas among other things suffer much from this 
pest. Having tried most of the so-called mildew- 
resisting varieties in such a garden, I have found two 
of the most reliable to be G. F. Wilson and Omega. 
From the latter, pickings are obtained till well into 
October, from sowings made twice in June. Before 
these sorts were grown specially for late crops, the 
beginning of September usually finished the Pea season. 
I have found that mildew is much checked by digging 
trenches and mixing manure liberally with the bottom 
spit ; but where very heavy soil has to be dealt with 
this practice in wet seasons would be unsafe. 
Tomatos. 
For the cultivation of this useful fruit the back 
walls of two newly - planted vineries were taken 
advantage of last season, and the results could hardly 
have been more satisfactory. A border about 3 ft. 
deep and 2 ft. wide, at the back of the pathway, was 
prepared similarly to the Vine borders. At the proper 
time plants of Hathaway’s Excelsior were planted 3 ft. 
apart and loosely fixed to the trellis. The plants were 
trained with single stems, all other growths being 
removed as they appeared. A constant supply of 
well-formed and highly-coloured fruit was secured 
throughout the summer and autumn months ; and 
several good dishes were got from November till about 
Christmas. Had it not been necessary to withdraw 
fire-heat from the houses, a supply might have been 
had during the greater part of the winter. I may 
mention that the weight of some of the fruits turned 
9 ozs., which compares favourably with some of th 
newer varieties in this as well as in other respects.— 
North Britain. 
-- 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Are the old familiar phrases, bedding-out, carpet 
bedding, and spring bedding soon to become things of 
the past 1 We think not entirely, as they have too 
strong a hold on the public mind. It is, in fact, 
difficult to imagine a garden of any extent without 
examples of either of those three styles of flower 
gardening. The old objections against what is 
generally known as the bedding system still holds 
good, namely, a glare of colour for two or three 
months, and a howling wilderness for the other 
nine. Spring bedding was adopted as a remedy for 
this ; and when well carried out, pleasing effects are 
produced. The gardeners’ efforts in this line have 
often been more admired than his achievements in the 
summer bedding line. It often happens, however, 
from late cold springs that spring bedding attains its 
best when it is necessary to remove it for the summer 
occupants of the beds. This has, in some instances, 
led to a partial or total abandonment of the plan. 
Those at the head of affairs dislike the destruction of 
so much floral beauty on the one hand, and the delay 
occasioned in getting out the summer bedding plants 
on the other. 
Carpet bedding follows better after the spring plants 
than flowering plants do, because a good proportion of 
the plants used in it are tender, and the planting out 
two or three weeks later will often be of advantage. 
Having to be thickly planted the ground is better 
covered, and a display more quickly created than could 
be done where flowering plants are used, unless the 
latter be extra strong. In large private and public 
gardens there will always be room for good samples of 
this style, and the absence of it from our public parks 
would be a real loss. What would the thousands who 
frequent them say on finding it abolished ? What is 
to be the prevailing practice in the flower gardening of 
the future ? As is well known, a reaction has now 
been going on for some years in favour of what are 
popularly called old-fashioned flowers. It is well that 
it should be so ; but, unfortunately, there are many 
thousands whose available space for flower gardening is 
so restricted that they can only find room for a few 
hardy herbaceous plants. These will have to content 
themselves with a few spring-flowering plants and 
bulbs, to be followed by the ordinary bedding plants. 
It is most likely that the chief supporters of this 
system will, in future, have their interest awakened in 
hardy herbaceous plants, which to all lovers of nature 
constitute an unalloyed pleasure, and betokens a 
healthier state of the public mind, which has so long 
been satiated with ribbon borders, displaying all the 
colours of the rainbow, and trained to look upon plants 
as material for the production of so much colour rather 
than for any individual beauty they may possess. The 
acquaintance of many professional gardeners with the 
stores of floral beauty available for the embellishment 
of their flower gardens is lamentably deficient, perhaps 
from no fault of their own. Opportunities for gaining 
an acquaintance with them in times past have been 
very restricted ; but now that a gradually-widening 
circle of admirers are taking them up, there will be the 
less excuse for ignorance ; and it is to be hoped that 
the rising generation of gardeners will be as keen to 
acquire a knowledge of hardy flowering plants as many 
among them are to gain an intimate acquaintance with 
Orchids and other occupants of our glasshouses. 
Men with a thorough knowledge of the requirements, 
habits, and names of these supposed humbler plants 
will be able to command positions of trust and useful¬ 
ness, other things being equal, in virtue of their 
attainments in this direction. To thoroughly master 
this department of garden work requires as much study, 
forethought, and attention as anything else. There is 
an almost infinite variety of subjects, many of them 
having special requirements ; and the men who can 
successfully handle an extensive collection of hardy 
flowering plants are, we think, fewer than those who 
will manage a collection of Orchids comparatively well. 
We think the reviving taste for these old favourites 
will help to put gardeners as a body on a higher level; 
for in the past many a man has been reputed a good 
gardener w T hose knowledge of plants was most meagre, 
and who, had he been put to superintend the planting 
and after-cultivation of only a moderate collection of 
herbaceous plants, would have proved himself utterly 
incapable. 
SCOTLAND. 
