86 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 11, 1890. 
dressing later on when the roots have filled the pots. 
Place the plants in a sunny open position, and by the 
side of a walk will be found very convenient, as they 
can then be easily examined and attended to in regard 
to watering, pinching and removing flower buds as 
they appear. Commence using manure-water whenever 
the roots are fairly numerous around the sides of the 
pot, and it is a good plan to vary the stimulants, for 
plants, as well as animals, are benefited by a change 
of diet. 
Towards the end of September the plants should be 
taken inside and placed on an airy shelf near the glass. 
After this no flowers should be taken out, but all 
allowed to remain and be stimulated by using liquid 
manure in slightly stronger doses. As soon as they 
begin to show colour they should be taken to the 
greenhouse or conservatory, and there placed in masses 
by themselves, when they will have a much grander 
effect than is the case when they are intermixed with 
other plants. By using a weak solution of sulphate of 
ammonia occasionally, the colour of the flowers will be 
much improved, but care must be taken not to use it 
too strong, as strong solutions of this useful manure 
may have disastrous results. 
Plants prepared in this way will flower profusely 
during the whole winter if kept at a temperature of 
from 45° to 55°. In the beginning of February a 
fresh batch of cuttings should be taken off; at the 
same time remove about 2 ins. of the surface soil, and 
top-dress with a compost similar to the potting 
mixture I have recommended. This will enable 
them to continue flowering for a good long while.— 
William Little, Glencorse, Midlothian. 
—-—— - 
NOTES PROM FELIXSTOWE. 
(Concluded from p. 58 ). 
On t the aspects of Felixstowe, beyond what I have 
already related, I do not purpose entering ; but a 
glance at the Bath Hotel and the appurtenances con¬ 
tiguous thereto, may not be devoid of a little interest. 
In the higher grounds, which are designed for utility 
as well as ornament, the bedding plants were a blaze of 
colour, and perhaps some one of your numerous 
readers can explain how it is that colour in plants on 
the sea coast seems to attain its maximum intensity. I 
have noticed it again and again, and fancy it must be 
due to the peculiar purity of the ambient air, which 
contains less gaseous or foreign matters in it, and would 
consequently offer less resistance to the direct rays of 
the origin of all life, viz., the sun ; but this is only a 
by thought, capable, however, of indefinite extension. 
In addition to the usual class of plants which are 
found suitable for effective display in the summer 
months, here also may be observed Tritonias, Fuchsias, 
Petunias (prevalent in this neighbourhood), Harpaliums, 
Scabious, Helichrysums, Verbenas, Nicotianas, &c., 
which latter, by the way, seem out of place during the 
day by reason of their woe-begone deshabille appearance. 
In the evening, however, they make amends by their 
sweetness and ghostly beauty, and thus are tolerated in 
the mixed border. 
Carpet work receives here a little consideration, and 
was about in the zenith of its power. Lawn tennis 
is very popular, and requires a good deal of space for 
its prosecution ; and as many of the operators are 
blondes or brunettes, a screen of foliage is necessary to 
protect them from the too rude attentions of blustering 
Boreas, or the strong saline breezes from the south¬ 
west. This requires time and patience to effect, as it is 
found that the planting of trees so near to the sea is 
attendant with disastrous consequences. Thus, last 
spring some were procured and put in position, and for 
a time all went well, until the fatal day arrived, and 
then they were all demolished. The next move, I 
understand, in the arboreal direction, will be to try 
strong seedlings. Shrubs of the Arbutus, Euonymus, 
Weigela, and Tamarisk types do well, also a few 
trees ; but the leaves of the Sycamore, Plane, Poplar, 
&e., are much lacerated. 
The lower garden is chiefly confined to rock plants, 
and such things as dwarf Sunflowers, Rudbeckias, 
ox-eye Daisies, Potentillas, Cistus, Nasturtiums,, &c., 
and although not strictly rock subjects, yet are 
employed to produce an effect. The gardener explained 
that he had other things to do, and therefore could not 
devote so much time to his professional duties as could 
be desired. 
The Bath Hotel is one of the institutions of the 
place, and recently has been much enlarged. Besides 
promenade gardens, there are tennis courts, bowling 
green, cricket ground, &c., and therefore there is a good 
deal of gardening of one kind or another carried on 
here. In the vicinity of Felixstowe, as is well known, 
some fine and interesting places may be seen ; so with 
a vivid recollection of the river Orwell and its 
beauteous banks, a trip to Ipswich was soon decided on. 
A fine morning was selected, and the steamboat 
“ Orwell ” picked us up at the pier, ploughed over to 
Harwich on the opposite side of the harbour, and 
thence to Ipswich, a distance of about twelve miles. 
The estuaries of the Stour and Orwell combined 
together form the capacious Harwich harbour. Both 
rivers are wide, and at high tide particularly pleasant. 
The latter has been called the “Rhine of England,” and 
certainly as progress is reported between its banks the 
country on either hand unfolds a lovely scene. The 
eye dwells with pleasure on its sylvan shores, which 
are well wooded and generally very attractive. Here 
stands 'Woolverstone Park, the property of Captain 
Berners, and Freston Tower in the same demesne, and 
there the fine observatory and Orwell Park, the property 
of the Tomline family. The position of these fine estates 
and their contiguous surroundings remind one of— 
“ The stately homes of England, 
How beautiful they stand ; 
Amidst the tall ancestral trees, 
O’er all the pleasant land.” 
Other objects allure the sight, aye ! even the humble 
cottage, which seems to nestle in the heart of nature ; 
the smiling farms, the well-stocked farmyards—for all 
the cereal crops are cut and carried—and the merry 
tinkling of the teams as they plough over the soil. A 
few minutes more, and while we have been moralizing, 
the quay is reached, and disembarkation rapidly ensues. 
The quaint old town is visited, the public monuments 
seen, and the improvements noted ; the inner man 
consoled, and while the “better half” elects to examine 
the shops and court the promenade, I go in search of 
Holywells, 
The residence of J. D. Cobbold, Esq., banker and 
brewer. On making a slight detour, by misappre¬ 
hension, I stumbled across a curious sign appended to 
a wayside inn, to wit—“ The Blooming Fuchsia.” On 
enquiry I ascertained that a jolly gardener was at the 
bottom of it, he having discovered that there was more 
to be made out of human cravings than plant require¬ 
ments. A little further brought me to the gates of 
Holywells. I sought the gardener and found him at 
dinner. My first thought was for his welfare, and I 
mentally exclaimed— 
“ May good digestion wait on appetite.” 
Judging from Mr. Marshall’s subsequent behaviour, my 
apparition did not seriously affect him. The vegetable 
department was first overhauled, Mr. Marshall's 
cottage being situated here, and the robust nature of 
the culinary produce bespoke a strong and fertile soil. 
The garden is a “good summer one,” but too much 
overshadowed during the dark days. It is on a steep 
declivity, and about 500 yards from the kitchen—quite 
far enough to carry heavy loads of green stuff. Cauli- 
•flowers, Celery, Beans, etc., looked well, and Marrow 
and Pumpkins bestrewed the bank. Fruit trees in 
quantity—trees not fruit—added diversity to the 
garden, while a little stream, devoted to the culture of 
Cress, trickled in tiny cascades through the grounds. 
Violets—Marie Louise—were in bloom thus early in 
the open, while Lettuce and other salads occupied the 
frames. Thence across the park, well timbered and 
well watered, to the floral department, where the 
ladies of the house were culling flowers—a capital 
arrangement this, saving the gardener so much time. 
As large quantities are required for decorative purposes, 
the supply is hardly equal to the demand. Besides 
the ordinary bedding stuff, Begonias—the coming 
flower — are much in vogue ; and the best strains are 
used with much effect. 
Herbaceous plants are a necessity, and receive con¬ 
siderable attention. A fine lot of Chrysanthemums, 
decorative plants, are grown for autumn and winter 
blooming. Camellias and Azaleas are also in a healthy 
condition. Two conservatories are attached to the 
mansion, one facing the south, the other north ; sun- 
loving subjects occupying the former, and Palms and 
Ferns the latter. The mansion is old but picturesque, 
it having been enlarged and improved from time to 
time as to bear now no resemblance to its former self. 
The greenhouses are numerous and well appointed. 
Black Hamburgh and Buekland’s Sweetwater Grapes 
still present a few fine bunches. Peaches and 
Nectarines show a few fruits, and Tomatos, Ham’s 
Green Favourite, are favourites here. Orchids and 
miscellaneous subjects find a place, and in one house a 
construction of rock-work under the stages, planted 
with British and exotic Ferns, forms an economical as 
well as a never-failing source of supply to cut from. 
The multifarious duties devolving upon the gardener, 
and the way in which things generally are managed 
here, reflect great credit upon Mr. Marshall, and 
redounds to his energy and perseverance.— C. B. G., 
Acton, W. 
- ■**=£*• - 
THE POTATO. 
Of the 700 or more species of Solanum, there are not 
more than about six which produce tubers, the subject 
of the present paper, Solanum tuberosum, being the 
only one which has been brought into general culti¬ 
vation. From its first introduction, when it was looked 
upon as a curiosity, for about one hundred years, its 
cultivation was confined to the gardens of the wealthy, 
but when its real value as an article of food became 
generally recognised, it established its claim, by 
its inherent merits, to be the most important of our 
culinary vegetables. There is a difficulty in deciding 
as to where it is indigenous, and where naturalised, 
because of its wonderful adaptability to very diverse 
soils and climates. According to Mr. J. G. Baker, 
F.R.S., its native home is the mountainous parts of 
Chili and Peru, where it is found at a considerable 
altitude, thus having the advantage of a warmer 'and 
drier climate than ours. There is little difference 
between the original type and cultivated varieties 
except in the size of the tubers. 
The name Potato was given it from its resemblance 
to the sweet Potato, Dioscorea batatas, an earlier 
introduction. The Spaniards introduced it into their 
own country long before it was known to other 
European peoples. The first tubers brought to England 
came from Virginia, but the probabilities are that the 
Spaniards took it into Mexico, from whence it spread 
over the North American Continent. The tradition is 
that Sir Walter Raleigh brought both it and Tobacco 
from Virginia in 1585, but it may have been brought 
over by Sir F. Drake a few years before that date. 
However, it is certain that Sir Walter Raleigh first 
planted Potatos at Yougal, his estate near Cork, and 
distributed them among his neighbours. This vege¬ 
table—the most valuable the New World has bestowed 
on the Old—in the case of Ireland has sometimes 
proven a curse, because of its being grown to the 
exclusion of other crops, its failure in bad seasons often 
producing famine. On the contrary, in Scotland, 
where it has not been grown to the exclusion of cereals, 
it has sometimes proved a preventive of scarcity. In 
1783 many would have died there from starvation had 
it not been for the Potato crop, but there is no 
evidence of its having been grown there prior to 1603. 
During the time of the Puritans a check was given 
to its cultivation owing to religious prejudice, its use 
being objected to because no mention is made of it in 
the Bible. In 1619 Potatos were included in the 
articles of diet for the king’s household, the price being 
Is. per lb. For 100 years after its introduction it was 
looked upon as a tender exotic, aud only planted in 
the gardens of the nobility and gentry. It was not 
till the middle of the last century that it became an 
article of general consumption. This was largely 
brought about by landowners and others allowing the 
labourers to grow them in their plantations, and which 
proved a boon to the men and a benefit to themselves 
by the extra culture bestowed on the land. 
In Burgundy its cultivation was a long time pro¬ 
hibited on the ground that it was a poisonous plant, 
and its use in India encountered for a long period a 
large amount of prejudice for the same reason. In 
Germany its growth was promoted by compulsion, and 
in Sweden a royal edict recommending it was published 
in 1764. The working populations of France and 
Italy care very little for Potatos, and possibly, 
next to the Irish we are the largest consumers of 
Potatos in the world. Both starch and spirits are 
largely manufactured from Potatos. There have been 
experiments made with other tuberous Solanums with 
a view to the production of varieties which may prove 
more suitable to our climate, and so the better able to 
withstand the ravages of the well-known Potato disease. 
S. Commersoni, found in Buenos Ayres and Montevideo, 
has been tried in France. Its native habitat being 
cooler and damper than that of S. tuberosa, it was 
thought that varieties might be obtained which would 
prove more satisfactory in wet, cold districts, and 
seasons. Solanum Jamesii has been tried with the 
same object in view in the United States. Messrs. 
Sutton, of Reading, conducted experiments with one 
furnished from Kew, as S. maglia, which proved to be 
only the original form of S. tuberosum ; and S. maglia 
