December 6, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
213 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—At the meeting of the 
committee held on the 28th ult., Mr. Marshall in the 
chair, it was unanimously resolved to place on the 
minutes a record of the committee’s sense of the great 
loss sustained by the recent deaths of Mr. Shirley 
Hibberd and Mr. James McIntosh, vice-presidents 
and warm supporters of the Fund. The hon. secretary 
announced the following special receipts during the 
month £20, the result of a concert at Chiswick ; £10 
from Mr. J. Smith, the result of a concert at Ment- 
more ; 10s., collected by Mr. Smet at the Stourbridge 
Chrysanthemum Show ; £5, realised by sale of articles 
made by Mrs. Proctor, of Chesterfield; £1 15s. 6 d., 
collected by Mr. W. Bates at the Twickenham Chry¬ 
santhemum Show; j£l 5s. 3cl., collected by Mr. 
Vallance at the Bristol Chrysanthemum Show ; £7 14s, 
obtained by the sale of flowers at the Croydon Chry¬ 
santhemum Show ; and £4 2s. 6 d., collected from 
visitors to Mr. A. H. Smee’s private display of 
Chrysanthemums. The hon. secretary also announced 
the closing of the Deal Memorial subscription, and the 
receipt of cheques from Mr. Sherwood and Mr. Veitch 
for £126 each, the total amount of the collection being 
£554 13s. 
The William Holmes Memorial Fund.—The directors 
of the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, in consideration 
of the late Mr. William Holmes’ long connection with 
that institution as hon. secretary of the National 
Chrysanthemum Society, and as manager of the flower 
shows, have generously offered to give a benefit 
performance in aid of the Holmes Memorial Fund 
throughout the day of Wednesday, the 17th of 
December nest. In order to render the occasion as 
attractive as possible, and with a view to augmenting 
the fund, it has been arranged that a Floral Fete and 
Bazaar shall be held in the building on the same da) 7 . 
The committee will be grareful for a few flowers to 
furnish the stalls, and though flowers are scarce at this 
time of the year, it is essential to the success of the 
fund that it be proceeded with at once, and an earnest 
appeal is made for assistance in so laudable an object. 
Flowers may be made into sprays or buttonholes, or 
packed separately, and should reach the Royal Aquarium 
tefore 11 a.m. on the 17th of December, addressed to 
Mr. Lewis Castle. Fruit or miniature plants will also 
be acceptable, as the entire proceeds of the Bazaar will 
be devoted to the fund. Tickets of admission are 
issued at Is. each, and as those sold will afford a 
substantial addition to the fund, it is especially desired 
that application be made at once to the hon. secretary, 
Mr. Lewis Castle, Hotham House, Merton, Surrey. 
The Royal Horticultural Society of Perthshire.— 
A grand bazaar in aid of the funds of this society was 
held in the City Hall, Perth, on the 27th, 28th and 
29th November last. The hall was beautifully decorated 
with evergreens and Chrysanthemums, the work being 
superintended by Mr. A. McKinnon, Scone Palace 
Gardens, the practical vice-president of the society. 
The bazaar was opened each day by Sheriff Grahame, 
Perth ; Robert Pullar, Esq., of Tayside ; and Sir Alex. 
Muir McKenzie, Bart., of Delvine, in the order named. 
The decorations were the chief attraction, and were 
considered to be the finest ever seen in the City Hall. 
The bazaar committee were greatly assisted by the 
help of many of the leading ladies and gentlemen of 
the town and county among those who took a leading. 
part being the Countess of Kinnoul, Lady Richardson 
(of Pitfour), and Lady Alexander Kennedy. The 
receipts for the three days amounted to about £400, 
which sum, after deducting expenses, will place this 
useful institution, the oldest horticultural society in 
Scotland, in a firmer financial position than it has 
occupied for some years. 
Ealing Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society.— 
At the usual weekly meeting of this society, held in 
the Victoria Hall, Ealing, on the 26th ult., the 
exhibits were not so numerous as usual, the cold, frosty 
night no doubt keeping back many flowering subjects 
which would otherwise have made their appearance. 
Mr. E. Chadwick, gardener to E. M. Nelson, Esq , 
exhibited a double Chinese Primula, some Erica 
hyemalis, and a finely-flowered spray of Boussingaultia 
baselloides which created a considerable amount of 
interest amongst the gardeners. Mr. Denison, 
gardener to T. A. Gledstanes, Esq., staged a healthy 
piece of Adiantum Farleyense. Mr. Simmonds, 
gardener to W. Willans, E^q., showed a collection of 
Purple Borecole or the Braunkohl of the Germans, as 
well as some Tomatos and Brussels Sprouts. A nice 
little collection of vegetables, consisting of Cauliflowers, 
Brussels Sprouts, Onions, Turnips, and Carrots, was 
shown by Mr. Long, gardener to E. P. Oakshott Esq. 
He also showed fine blooms of W. G. Drover, Mrs. 
J. Wright, and Fabian de Mediana Chrysanthemums. 
A Camellia was shown by Mr. Griggs, gardener to 
A. G. Dixon, Esq. Before the reading of a paper by 
Mr. J. Fraser on the “Cultivated Races of the 
Cabbage,” the question of the best means of catching 
field mice in the garden was discussed. 
-►>$<-- 
SHIRLEY HIBBERD. 
IN MEMORIAM. 
Gone from our midst! that mighty brain— 
That grasped all knowledge with a giant’s hold; 
Storing the chambers of his mind, 
Each passing year, with hoards of wealth untold: 
Nor did a niggard hand refuse 
To open wide the doors, that all who willed 
Might in that stately store-house gaze, 
And gather the rich fruits of labour skilled. 
Gone from our midst ! the genial heart— 
That loved to radiate with kindly care 
The darkened path of wandering feet, 
Turning the desert to a garden fair. 
How oft with stream of wise discourse, 
Of wit and mirthful jest he sought to cheer 
The tedium of prosaic life ! 
For this his friends shall hold his memory dear. 
Dropt is the fertile pen ! that once 
Led willing feet through nature’s secret ways, 
By hedge and bank, through flow’ry mead— 
Where nought escaped a penetrating gaze— 
Enliv’ning all it chanced to touch 
“ With cultured sweetness and alluring light.” 
God grant, that gifted soul may find 
The fulness of desire in God’s own sight! 
— G. G., Nov. 22nd, 1890. 
-- 
LA HAYE DU PUITS, GUERNSEY. 
The beautiful residence of Le M. Thomas le Marchant 
is situated not far from the western coast of the island. 
The estate consists of 50 acres, and is therefore one of 
the largest here, as one of 100 acres is hardly to be 
found. The mansion is of French architecture, built 
of granite, was at one time a nunnery, and is one of 
the oldest in Guernsey. The roof is covered with 
black fluted tiles. Gardens and pleasure grounds 
surround the mansion on all sides, and along the front 
boundary wall is a massive hedge of Holly Oak 
(Quercus Ilex). 
Hardy Trees and Shrubs. 
The walls of the mansion are covered with Ivy, Myrtle, 
Tecoma jasminoides, and Vitis striata, the evergreen 
foliage of the latter being fine. Near by the house are 
fine specimens of Fuchsia globosa, 6 ft. to 8 ft. high, 
and very floriferous, also Abutilon Boule de Neige, 
Yucca aloifolia variegata, Acacia dealbata, and one of 
the A. longifolia type. The Acacias are well adapted 
to withstand the wind. A bush of the blue-flowered 
Teucrium fruticosum was 6 ft. high and as far through. 
Areca sapida has been grown outside for the last four 
years, and there are trees of Chamserops, 8 ft. to 10 ft. 
high, on the lawn. A Tree Fern—namely, Dicksonia 
antarctica, had a clear stem 4 ft. high. The sweet- 
scented Pittosporum Tobira was flowering in the hedges, 
and seedlings from the old plants of Berberis Darwini 
come up everywhere, as do also those of the Holly Oak. 
Magnolia grandiflora was still flowering on the walls at 
the time of our visit on the 1st of October. 
On one side of a walk was a magnificent hedge of 
Cupressus macrocarpa left unpruned. The trees had 
been raised from seed, and varied greatly in habit ; 
some of them were heavily fruited, carrying the cones 
of three successive years before the scales opened to 
allow the scattering of the seeds. Turkey Oaks were 
planted on the other side of the walk. Nor must we 
omit to mention a fine avenue of Cordyline australis, 
varying from 3 ft. to 12 ft. in height. Many of them 
were in fruit, carrying huge panicles of green, pink, 
and white berries, of which the blackbirds are very 
fond. The stems are straight till they flower, after 
which they fork at every inflorescence which is 
developed. The leaves vary greatly with white or 
red mid-ribs, and the habit also varies from seed. 
The shrubberies near one end of the Cordylines con¬ 
tain a great variety of plants, amongst which we noted 
Fuchsia fulgens, Leycesteria formosa, with finely 
coloured bracts, Clethra arborea, Metrosideros fiori- 
bunda, Pittosporum tenuifolium, P. Tobira variegata, 
Eurybia tenuifolia, and Grevillea robusta which was 
planted out three years ago. Clerodendron feetidum 
was flowering finely, but is a terrible weed on account 
of the number of shoots it throws up. The Guernsey 
Rose is yellow and of the Austrian Briar type. Yitis 
heterophylla was flowering on a wall, and sometimes 
produces a crop of blue fruits. A Walnut tree was 
interesting from the fact that it was raised from a nut 
picked up in the trenches at Strasburg during the 
Franco-German war. On the walls of the conservatory 
were fine masses of Fuchsia Mademoiselle Marie 
Cornelissen, and near by on walls were Mandevilla 
suaveolens, the Pomegranate, and Boussingaultia 
baselloides, all of which flower in the open air. 
Herbaceous Plants. 
No specialty is made of what are usually known as 
border plants, and it will be sufficient here to note 
some of those usually reckoned greenhouse subjects 
in England. Canna iridiflora Ehemanni is hardy and 
was flowering in the open, as was also Agapanthus 
umbellatusand Hedychium Gardnerianum, the Garland 
Flower. The Trumpet Lily (Richardia africana) is 
only cut down by frost about once in four years. The 
pale blue Convolvulus mauritanieus was supporting 
itself on the stems of Teucrium fruticosum. Amongst 
Ferns in shady places we noted Cyrtomium falcatum, 
and Woodwardia radicans. The orbicular leaves of the 
yellow-flowered Limnanthemum nymphteoides floated 
on an artificial pond. 
Most interesting, however, was the Guernsey Lily 
(Nerine sarniensis), which Mr. T. Garland, the gardener, 
who has been here for the last fifteen years, says has 
been undisturbed for the last twenty-two years. A 
vessel containing bulbs is supposed to have been 
wrecked many years ago in Yazon Bay close by, and 
the bulbs were brought to La Haye du Puits, where the 
Lily is believed to flower better than anywhere else in 
the open. About 27,000 flowers are cut annually, and 
there is reckonedTo be about three cart-loads of bulbs. 
In the same field is a piece of ground in which about 
20,000 conns of Gladiolus The Bride are planted. The 
stems grow 3 ft. high, and the flowers are cut for 
market. The Hottentot Fig (Mesembryanthemum 
edule), ripens its fruits on a rockery. 
The Glass Houses. 
A great variety of Coleus is grown in the conservatory. 
In one of the plant houses was a piece of the curious 
but showy Strelitzia regime in flower. It was also 
shown in a lean-to house, having no means of artificial 
heating ; and here too were Ananas sativa variegata 
and the curious Tradeseantia discolor in bloom. A 
fernery, also unheated, contained a considerable variety 
of Ferns, including Cyathea dealbata, Trichomanes 
radicaDS and other filmy types, also Lomaria brasil- 
iensis, 3 ft. to 4 ft. high, and L. falcata cristata. The 
Grapes in the vineries had mostly been cut. A 
curiosity in its way is that a crop of early Potatos is 
taken off the outside border, after which the latter is 
planted with some neat carpet bedding. 
Hardy Fruit. 
Here, as elsewhere on the island, Figs are trained hori¬ 
zontally as flat, table-like bushes of great width. 
Chaumontel Pear trained as an espalier on walls was 
simply loaded with fruit. It is used for stewing. 
Doyenne du Comice is, however, a much better 
flavoured fruit. We noted some fine Ribston Pippin 
Apples, grown as horizontal cordons along the sides of 
walks. An old orchard planted with standard trees 
on the grass presented, in the case of many trees, a 
beautiful sight. Boston Russet, Royal Russet, Blen¬ 
heim Orange, Sweet le Messieure, Reinette du Canada, 
and many other varieties were heavily loaded with 
fruit, some of which was in the process of being 
gathered. None of the old trees have names attached 
to them, and many of them are only of local reputation ; 
but in a year of scarcity like the present, they would 
have been aceeptable to many a gardener. 
■-«*££<—- 
SHOWS AT THE ROYAL 
AQUARIUM. 
A dead set is just now being made against the Royal 
Aquarium as a place for the holding of flower shows. 
Especially do the criticisms refer to the shows of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society. Of course, the 
Aquarium is far from being all that can be desired even 
for any purpose, but so far as flower shows are concerned, 
if certain associations, notably the smoke and the noise 
in the building, be objectionable, at least there is 
ample area, a remarkably central site, of convenient 
access, and the furnishing of all the conveniences for 
a show free of charge. Still further, few are the flower 
shows held there which are not largely attended. 
The two chief objections to the place lie—first, in 
the tobacco smoke, and in the second to the unseemly 
