624 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 30, 1891. 
unfortunately is sadly neglected in many gardens, 
particularly in the case of annuals which are sown in 
the open ground. Properly speaking, they are a 
neglected class. In some gardens it is customary to 
order a certain number of pickets of annuals every 
year ; these are sown in lines, separately or in mixture 
as the case may be, and there the matter ends, for 
beyond pulling up the weeds once or twice during the 
early stages of growth, nothing more is done, and the 
annuals are left to fight the battle for mastery, or die 
of starvation and overcrowding. The strouger are 
almost certain to overpower the weaker when sown in 
mixture, and in the latter part of the season there 
appears little or no mixture at all in many instances. 
The various species and varieties of Clarkia, Godetia 
and Eucharidium develop very rapidly, and more so if 
crowded. They should therefore be thinned very 
earl}-, otherwise the plants will run up with a single 
stem, flower, and run to seed without making either a 
good or a durable display. The same fate will soon 
befall the Candytufts (Iberis umbellatus and I. amara), 
Phlox Drummondi, Silene Anneria, Erysimum 
Perowfskianum, Linum grandiflorum, Collinsia 
bicolor, Nemesia floribunda, the Leptosiphons, Gilias, 
annual Larkspurs, Collomia coccinea, and many 
others, if left to themselves. Bad seed may be an 
excuse for sowing thickly, but not for neglecting to 
thin those which come up. Overcrowding within 
certain limits, and especially if sown in mixture, will 
induce the plants to become tall and slender, with a 
small tuft of flowers on the top which will soon give 
place to as scanty a crop of fruit. Excessive crowding 
will of course limit all growth, and the plants will be 
puny and worthless. A droughty summer would 
largely conduce to this state of matters. 
Plants of creeping habit suffer in another way. For 
instance, Nemophila insignis, N. maculata, Mignonette, 
Tropieolum minus, Convolvulus tricolor, and Esch- 
scholtzia californica, if allowed plenty of space will form 
erect plants or nearly so, particularly in the early 
stages ; if crowded they soon assume a procumbent or 
trailing habit. This in itself might not be dis¬ 
advantageous under certain conditions, for on borders 
they might trail, and soon covering the ground would 
check the escape of moisture, and also appear to 
advantage. Excessive crowding even here would 
weaken the stems and induce the production of small 
flowers. Although the plants would in time occupy a 
square foot of ground profitably, the soil would sooner 
be covered if the distance were reduced to 3 ins. in the 
line. Instead of this it is not uncommon to find from 
six to twelve plants struggling for the mastery in this 
space, to the disadvantage of all concerned. 
Perhaps no plant better repays plenty of space than 
Saponaria calabrica, and this discovery is soonest made 
when the plants are raised under glass and finally 
planted out in beds or borders at about 9 ins. or 
12 ins. apart. The ground soon becomes covered, and 
when the plants come into flower they form a sheet of 
bloom for a continuous period. Phlox Drummondi, 
Marigolds, Helichrysums, Chrysanthemum coronarium, 
C. carinatum, Stocks, China Asters, Tropseolum minus, 
Zinnias, and many others, when raised under glass, are 
planted at least 12 ins. apart, in all the stronger¬ 
growing kinds, to the advantage of all concerned. The 
limited number of plants at the gardener’s disposal 
here determines the due prominence which each 
receives. Why not give the perfectly hardy species 
the same advantages by timely thinning ? Helichrysum 
bracteatum will attain a height of 3 ft. to 4 ft. in rich 
soil, and when allowed plenty of space for lateral 
development will keep throwing up side branches and 
flowering till the advent of frost. The same continuous- 
flowering habit applies to the annual Chrysanthemums, 
to Lavatera trimestris, Malope trifida grandiflora, 
Calendula officinalis, Calliopsis tinctoria, and many 
others which could be named. Over-luxuriance might 
be objected to on account of limited space, or for 
appearance sake. Then a medium course should be 
adopted as to the space allowed to each plant. 
There are few gardens in which a long-continued 
display is not desirable ; therefore means should be 
adopted to obtain it at the proper season. Such things 
as Rhodanthe Manglesiand Acroclinium roseum branch 
very little in the lateral direction as a rule, and their 
foliage is light ; therefore thinning in their case maybe 
done moderately, otherwise the effect will be lessened. 
Even climbers, such as Sweet Peas, Convolvulus, 
Ipoma;as, and Nasturtiums, should not be crowded in 
the seed beds, otherwise the stems will be weakened 
and the flowering period shortened. This will, however, 
greatly depend upon whether there is plenty of room 
for extension on either side of the plants, the fertility 
of the soil and moisture. 
In the case of biennials over-crowding, the effects 
produced by it are somewhat different in detail, when 
compared with annuals, but the ultimate result to the 
cultivator is equally disadvantageous. Under favour¬ 
able conditions, Foxgloves will flower the second year 
from seed, but if kept in a crowded state in the seed 
bed many will not flower till the third year, while all 
the time a large number of plants are dying, simply by 
being overgrown by those which have obtained the 
mastery. This state of things applies to many other 
biennials, such as Campanula medium, C. pyrami- 
dalis, Sweet Williams, (Euothera biennis, (E. Lamarck- 
iana, and Matthiola incana, from which the East 
Lothian, Brompton, Queen, and Intermediate Stocks 
have been raised. In a wild state the unimproved types 
of these species are restrained exactly in the same way 
as the cultivated progenitors, by crowding, and by an in¬ 
sufficient depth of soil. The cultivator should therefore 
study these points, and apply a remedy in the earliest 
stages of culture, for it should be his object not only to 
get them into flower, but to get the greatest amount of 
bloom from them in a given time. Within certain 
limits then, too vigorous growth cannot be obtained 
in biennials the first year, for upon that will depend 
the quantity of flowers obtained from each plant during 
the following season. The motto should therefore be 
to thin as early as in the case of annuals, or transplant 
to the proper distance apart, if sown in a bed or under 
glass. Antirrhinums, however, may be mentioned as an 
exception, because if too large they will either flower 
the first year, or prove difficult to preserve during 
winter if the stems are succulent and stout. Late 
sowing should be practised in their case. Wallflowers 
might be wanted to bloom in autumn, and should 
therefore be sown early ; otherwise late sowing should 
be practised. Transplant from the seed bed as soon as 
the plants become fit, to prevent them getting drawn 
and leggy. Tall plants have difficulty in withstanding 
a severe winter ; study therefore to obtain dwarf strains, 
and to thin the seedlings in good time. Good culti¬ 
vators soon discover that the most satisfactory results 
are obtained by timely attention to plants, whether 
annuals, biennials or otherwise, and that the present 
time is opportune to set about it. 
-->$<-- 
TAPTON HOUSE, CHESTERFIELD. 
About a mile and a half from the town of Chesterfield, 
with its crooked church spire seen from the summit of 
the hill, stands Tapton House, for many years associated 
with the name of “Geordie,” Stephenson, and his home 
in his later days. It is a plain, square, red-brick 
building, very roomy, and yet by no means handsome, 
and is now owned by Mrs. Markham, one of the late 
Sir Joseph Paxton’s daughters, who inherits largely 
his tastes and love for things pertaining to the garden, 
and which has recently been shown in her desire to 
have the pleasure grounds and flower garden remodelled 
and extended according to the design of a first-rate 
landscape gardener. 
Fruit growing under glass is carried out well and 
somewhat extensively, the late Mr. Markham having a 
penchant for fruit rather than for flowers ; but there 
are several good plant houses, and also a stove about 
100 ft. long filled with fine-foliaged plants of useful 
size. There are here three large vineries carrying good 
crops in various stages, a good span-roofed Melon 
house, Fig house, an Apricot house carrying a very good 
even crop after a very heavy one last year, and five 
Peach houses, one of them containing a fine old tree of 
Royal George, which was planted by George Stephenson 
many years ago, and which annually carries a fine crop 
of many hundreds of good fruits. 
Seeing some thick, half-moon-shaped red tiles laying 
about, I inquired what they were used for, and was 
told that “Geordie” invented them for laying under 
the Strawberry plants, to keep the fruit off the ground 
and assist in ripening it; but the purpose to which 
they are put now is for standing Chrysanthemum 
pots on in summer. A small Rose house occupies a 
site near the residence, and I was glad to see the 
alterations had so greatly improved the pleasure 
grounds. The kitchen-garden crops looked promising, 
although much later than usual, and hardy fruit trees 
were as full of bloom as in sunny Kent. One thing is 
very noticeable, and that is the fact that scarcely any 
shrubs are injured in north Derbyshire, whereas in the 
home counties Common Laurels, Bays, and evergreen 
Oaks have suffered severely, and Euonymus and Laurus- 
tinus are killed outright. 
From beside the gardener’s house at Tapton a great 
number of coal mines and iron works are to be seen 
within a short distance emitting volumes of black 
smoke, while the Yorkshire moors lie beyond. It is 
no wonder, therefore, that the shrubs look as though 
they had been in a London fog all the winter, for the 
sheep out in the park are as black as those to be seen 
in Hyde Park. After a heavy snowstorm on Saturday 
night and Whit-Sundav morn, the sun was shining 
brilliantly when I visited Tapton on Whit-Monday 
afternoon ; but a sharp frost followed at night, much to 
the damage of the Potatos.— TV. P. 
-- 
FRUIT GROWING & MARKET 
GARDENING IN FLORIDA. 
Orange trees take some time after planting before 
they become remunerative. Generally about five 
years after planting young trees they commence to 
bear. The crop at first is a small one, but every year 
after this it nearly doubles that of the preceding year. 
To be more accurate, each acre of Orange trees five 
years after planting is generally estimated to increase 
in value $100 per year per acre. Groves can be 
purchased just coming into bearing, but the price is 
high. I met a gentleman who had paid 81,400 per 
acre for a young grove (a very high price), hut he 
informed me it brought him, in the first year, 25 per 
cent, profit on his outlay, and the second year 40 per 
cent. Each year it will keep on increasing, so that if 
he lives another twenty years he may enjoy a return of 
200 per cent, per annum on his original investment. 
The hungry gap between planting and harvesting 
need not necessarily be unprofitable to the owner, as 
many a grove pays a good return, and often supports a 
family, by growing Strawberries and vegetables. This 
can be done in every instance, but care must be taken 
not to impoverish the land too much, and fertilisers 
must be used, as the Orange requires manure and a 
good soil, as well as other plants. The older an 
Orange tree is the better the fruit ; on young trees the 
Oranges are coarse and thick skinned, but every year 
improves the quality. The oldest Orange tree in 
Florida is not over fifty years of age, and some of them 
bear nine to twelve thousand oranges every season, and 
as there are trees in Italy known to be 200 years old 
and bearing fruit, the settler owning a grove has the 
satisfaction of knowing that his property will increase 
in value as long as he lives, if not longer. The profit 
derived from Orange growing is not to be despised. A 
well-cultivated, five-acre five-year old budded grove 
produces generally about 100 boxes of fruit, worth, say, 
one dollar and a half per box after paying all expenses, 
freight, commission to salesmen, &c. By the time the 
grove is ten years old it should produce 500 boxes per 
acre, with a proportionate increase in receipts. 
To eat one of the delicious Oranges grown here one 
has to learn a little, otherwise the stranger is inclined 
to say, “ How sloppy !” when the juice drips over his 
fingers and clothes. You must, to thoroughly enjoy 
the sweet flavour, and not lose the juice, peel the 
Orange as you would an Apple, then cut the fruit 
crosswise, and suck from the ruptured cells “nectar fit 
for the gods.” You will then appreciate what a fresh- 
pulled Florida Orange is, especially on a spring day, 
with the temperature at about 75°, with a refreshing 
breeze which makes exercise a pleasure. 
Other Fruits. 
Many other fruits are profitably grown by the Florida 
farmers besides Oranges. Among these, Lemons, Pine¬ 
apples, Melons, Strawberries, Grape Fruit, Peaches, 
Pears, Bananas, and Guavas are the most important. 
The Strawberry season is now almost over ; two days 
ago (April 18th) I saw about two tons’ weight being 
put on a train I was travelling by ; they were addressed 
to Boston, threedays’ journey. In all probability they 
will be sold there at half a dollar per pound. The 
value at Waldo, the station where they were loaded, 
was shown by the little negro bare-footed lads, who 
boarded our train laden with baskets containing over a 
pound weight of Strawberries each, and which they 
were eager to sell at five cents (2Jcf.) per basket. 
Lemons are cultivated like the Oranges, and picked as 
green as green can be, packed in boxes, and after a 
week or two, when opened, they come out quite yellow. 
The season is just commencing for these, and lasts 
from April to September, during the summer months, 
when Lemons are most in demand. Grape Fruit, 
round like an over-grown Orange, but three times the 
size, with yellow-coloured skin, is a juicy fruit with a 
tart flavour, not relished at first, but requires an 
acquired taste ; it is becoming popular in the Northern 
