32 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 19, 1891. 
be held, derive from the change of scenes 
and air, the social associations ate replete 
with pleasure and serve to invigorate, when 
wisely enjoyed, the faded physical frame. 
We have too few of these international 
shows or gatherings, and for the benefit of 
horticulture and its votaries could wish 
that we had more of them. Why cannot 
we have them annually in London, in 
Manchester, and in Edinburgh in suc¬ 
cession, so that once in three years the 
South, the Midlands, and the North might 
have their opportunity ? Here in London, 
the capital of the Empire, we feel some 
shame that it is not for us to have a grand 
international horticultural show. More is 
the pity. Our Scotch friends beat us 
hollow in energy and in conception. None 
the less, we would welcome, as we feel sure 
horticulturists in all parts of the country 
would welcome, with all satisfaction, a 
really great show of this description in 
London, and next year if possible. Why 
should London wait any longer ? 
^ritish Apples. —Whilst there are some 
fruit growers who agree with our ex¬ 
cellent correspondent, Mr. R. D. Blackmore, 
with respect to the doubtful profits arising 
from hardy fruit culture in this country, 
there are many others who think and act 
differently. Amongst these we single out 
specially that able Daffodil grower, Mr. 
James Walker, who now occupies a large 
area of first class land at Ham, near King¬ 
ston-on-Thames, and a considerable portion 
of which he has planted with Apples, Pears, 
and other fruit trees. Mr. Walker is an 
experienced market grower. He is 
thoroughly familiar with sorts, with culture, 
and not least with marketing, hence knows 
as well as most men what he is about. 
His Apple plantings are almost exclu¬ 
sively on the broad-leaved Paradise stock, 
and his trees both in growth and cropping 
justify his admirable choice. Trees now 
nearly five yearsplanted are carrying crops 
of the heaviest, and with samples of tbe 
finest, as was seen by the collection 
which he sent last week to Edinburgh. 
It is very doubtful whether finer average 
fruit from any market garden are 
sent into London than are those which Mr. 
Walker has. At Ham, in the first place, 
there is a good, deep, free working soil, 
deeply stirred in the beginning and well 
manured before planting. Then the trees 
are put out in rows about ten feet apart, so 
that already they almost touch each other. 
The soil beneath is still liberally manured 
for bulbs, and thus the trees are well fed. 
The result is seen in the truly grand 
crops of fruit, and the fine quality of the 
samples. This is as it were Apple culture 
in excelsis, and because the fruits fetch a 
tip-top price doubtless pays very well. Of 
course the under or ground crops have to 
be taken into account in estimating the 
returns, but then no one embarking in fruit 
culture for profit can afford to ignore them. 
Mr. Walker thinks that his method of 
culture is the only one likely to produce 
crops ■which really may hope to compete 
with foreign fruit. 
ARLY - BLOOMING CHRYSANTHEMUMS. - 
The National Chrysanthemum Society 
has every reason to be pleased with the 
remarkably attractive display of its 
peculiar flower made at the Westminster 
Aquarium last week. The plant groups 
were the brightest and best yet seen at 
these early exhibitions, whilst the cut 
flowers, and notably the large collections 
of flowers in bunches or otherwise displayed, 
presented features at once of great beauty 
as well as of interest. The show demon¬ 
strated in a striking manner the great 
stride which has been made of late in the 
development of the early-flowering section 
of Chrysanthemums. 
Hitherto, with the exception of the 
fairly large-flowered Madame Desgrange 
section, these early bloomers have been 
too largely of the Pompon race. These 
are so charming all the same that we would 
not say a word in depreciation of them, 
and many growers have proved the flowers 
to be of the greatest value where a large 
quantity of cut flowers has to be provided 
in the early autumn months. They bunch 
well, travel well, and last well, and these 
are qualifications that a gardener cannot 
ignore. No wonder that we are somewhat 
impatient to have some of the large- 
flowered sections represented in the 
September blooming. Not that we want 
the large incurved section materially, as 
these do not find that favour for ordinary 
cut purposes that is accorded to the 
Japanese forms. 
Hence we have seen with great satisfac¬ 
tion the gradual development of the early- 
blooming Japanese strain, and many and 
most beautiful were the flowers of these 
varieties which some of the leading exhibi¬ 
tors had cn view. The Pompons too are 
fast developing into varieties which will 
equal the best Pompons seen in November. 
It is useless to talk of the undesirability of 
having Chrysanthemum flowers so early 
as the end of summer. What is certain is 
that they will be produced in great abun¬ 
dance, and growers must accept them or be 
left behind in the race. 
J^og Gardens. —When the weather is 
cold and wet, as we have found it to 
be far too often the case during the past 
summer, it is but natural that we should 
turn from the contemplation of a bog gar¬ 
den with some feeling of revulsion. Happily 
our summers are not always of the cold, 
wet order, and it is when they are of the 
traditional sort, hot, dry and parching, that 
a bog garden is indeed a joy. When Mr. 
George Paul gave his interesting descrip¬ 
tion of his bog garden at Broxbourne, and 
of the plants with which it is furnished, 
the other day, the weather had happily 
taken a delightfully warm summer-like 
turn, and therefore it was possible to listen 
to his florid description of what seems to 
have been a marked success with consider¬ 
able satisfaction. 
It may be true that he who makes the 
desert into a green pasture merits the 
thanks of the world, but there is, too, some 
little merit in having converted a swamp 
into a beautiful garden full ot flowers and 
glowing in loveliness and sweetness. That 
seems to be what Mr. Paul has done, 
and what so many more have done with 
equal success. Nature has endowed us 
richly with plants which seem to find their 
best habitats in or about water, not neces¬ 
sarily stagnant water, but at least such 
ponds or bodies of water as are Lund in 
moist places. These numerous plants Vvifl 
not thrive in ordinary gardens except 'hey 
have proper surroundings, and these can 
only be furnished artificially. 
But when, as Mr. Paul had, a piece ot 
natural bog or swamp is at hand, a verit¬ 
able nuisance in all its natural deformity, 
and by the art of the gardener it is changed 
or converted into a sort of floral—if some¬ 
what moist—paradise, then indeed does 
art conquer nature, and the deformity is 
made to be as beautiful as a garden. 
Plants exist in nature in such diverse 
states and conditions that we cannot too 
heartily rejoice when enabled to grow 
them in our gardens as nature herself 
requires. 
Mr. A. Abraham, for the last twelve years gardener 
to J. H. Wilson, Esq., Hazelholt, Bishops Waltham, 
Hants, has been engaged as gardener to Lord 
Clifford, Ugbrook, Chudleigh, Devon. 
Daffodil Prizes for 1892 . — Messrs. Barr & Son 
have presented to the Royal Horticultural Society 
a series of Silver and Bronze Medals to be awarded 
for cut Daffodils to be exhibited at the meetings of 
the Society to be held in February, March, April, 
and May next. 
Mr. Thomas Everett, gardener to the Rev. Dr. 
Bartrum, D.D., the Rectory, Wakes Colne, Essex, 
died somewhat suddenly on the 24th ult., aged 
thirty-three years. The deceased, who was much 
respected, leaves a widow and three young children. 
“ Dining in Clover.” —A correspondent of Truth 
declares that one of the prettiest table decorations 
she ever saw in her life was at a friend's, a few weeks 
ago. Down the whole of the centre table ran a low, 
long zinc pan, about 9 in. wide. This was entirely con¬ 
cealed by, and filled with, Clover blooms, which made a 
lovely glow of colour on the white cloth. The pretty 
green trefoil leaves of the Clover were freely inter¬ 
mingled with the blossoms. 
An Electric Garden Engine. —Messrs. Merryweather 
& Sons, of 63, Long-acre, have a novelty in small 
pumps, worked by the electric current. As many of 
our country seats are now supplied with electric 
lighting machinery it may be well to consider how 
the electric “ stream ” may be further utilised. 
Messrs. Merryweathers’ pump is well suited for 
garden work, as it is only necessary to fix it by a 
pond or fountain and attach a suction and delivery 
pipe, when the little engine will project the water in 
the usual manner. 
Fruit Growing in the South of Ireland. —We learn 
from a Cork correspondent that a most interesting 
meeting of representative men was held in that city 
on the 31st ult., to consider the advisability of estab¬ 
lishing a South of Ireland Fruit Growing Society. 
The Mayor presided, and was supported by W. H. 
Hall, Esq., High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, who 
delivered an opening address. Papers were also 
read by Mr. T. F. Rivers, Mr. R. Hartland, Mr. 
Cole, Mr. Wright (Cork), and others. 
The Royal Agricultural Society's Consulting Ento¬ 
mologist.—We regret to learn that Miss Eleanor A. 
Ormerod has felt it necessary—in order to protect 
herself from the blundering meddlesomeness of the 
R. A. S. authorities, and her valuable literary 
property from gross plagiarism on the part of some¬ 
one high in office at the Board of Agriculture—has 
sent in her resignation as Consulting Entomologist 
to the R. A. S., and where that body is to find an 
equally competent successor it is somewhat hard to 
say. Fortunately for the agricultural community, 
however, Miss Ormerod does not intend to relinquish 
her practice of replying to enquiries for information 
respecting destructive farm insects. 
Apples for East Anglia. —Discussing the subject 
of hardy fruit culture, in the columns of The 
Suffolk Chronicle, Mr. James Gilbert, of the Ceme¬ 
tery Road, Ipswich, gives the folknving select list of 
Apples which he finds are most suited for East 
Anglia :—Cellini, Cox’s Pomona, King of the Pippins, 
Lord Suffield, Dumelow’s Seedling, Kerry Pippin, 
Emperor Alexander, Warner’s King, Keswick Cod- 
lin, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Dr. Harvey, Peasgood's 
Nonsuch, Court Pendu Plat, Lane’s Prince Albert, 
Anglesea Pippin, Stirling Castle, Worcester Pear- 
main, and Hawthornden. 
Apple Culture in the West. —Mr. S. J. Pavitt, of 
Shaw Castle Lane Nurseries, recently delivered an 
admirable practical lecture on 'this subject at 
Twerton, Somerset. He contended that the Apple 
was the staple fruit of this country, and, but that its 
cultivation had been too much neglected, try as they 
might the Colonies could not beat home-grown 
fruit. He recognised, however, in the existing law 
as to landlord and tenant an impediment to the 
development of the industry. An alteration was 
required here. Knowing the tendencies of some 
landlords, people holding a few perches of land did 
not care to expend /30 or so in laying it out with 
Apple bushes, because, when they were beginning to 
get their money back, the rent was raised on account 
of the increased value of the holding. If the law 
were made more equitable, he believed fruit culture 
would receive a great stimulus. 
