September 26, i89i. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
47 
WEBBS 
FREE BY 
POST 
OR RAIL. 
FINEST 
SELECTED 
ROOTS, 
BULBS 
FOR GREENHOUSE DECORATION. 
Collection A, containing 481 Bulbs..Price, 42s. Od. 
„ B) „ 262 .. 21a. Od. 
„ C, „ 207 . 15s. Od. 
„ D, 134 „ .. ,i 10s. 6d. 
i. :: S :: :: :: 2 : 3 : 
FOR GARDEN BEDS, BORDERS, ftc. 
Collection M, containing2,923 Bulbs- 
. Price. 105s. 0d' 
„ N, 
t f 
1,909 
. ,, 63s. 0d' 
0 , 
11 
1,286 
. „ 42s. 0d' 
P. 
j 1 
680 „ . 
. „ 21s. Od. 
.. Q. 
1 1 
424 . 
. ,, 15s. Od. 
„ R, 
11 - 
315 „ . 
. ,, 10s. 6d 
„ S, 
203 ,, . 
. ,, 7s. 6d. 
„ T, 
»• 
114 ,, . 
. ,, 5s. Od. 
5 per cent. Discount for Cash. 
WEBBS' BULB CATALOGUE, beautifully Illustrated, 
and containing complete Cultural Instructions, Gratis and 
Post Free. 
Seedsmen by Royal Warrants to H.M. the Queen 
and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, 
WOBDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
CARNATIONS & PICOTEES. 
Strong plants of all the best named varieties ready 
in November, 6/- and 9/- per doz. 
Our new varieties, per pair, C. H. Herbert, 7/6; 
R. Thomson, 2/6; Blushing Bride, 5/-; S. S. 
Thomson, 3/6; W. Spinks, 2/-; A. W. Jones, 5/-I 
Mrs. Thomson, 2/-; Annie Sophia, 2/-; Mrs. 
Herbert, 2/-; or the set, 30/-. 
CATALOGUES GRATIS ON APPLICATION. 
THOMSON Sz Co., 
THE NURSERIES, 
SPARK HILL, BIRMINGHAM. 
SPECIAL CULTURE 
OF 
FRUIT TR IES & ROSES. 
A Large and Select Stock is now offered for Sale, 
The Illustrated and Descriptive Catalogue of Fruits post free. 
The Descriptive Catalogue of Roses post free, 
THOMAS RIVERS 8c SON, 
The Nurseries, 54 WBRIDGEWORTH,Herts. 
-3 
THE 
VERY 
BEST 
BULBS 
AT 
LOWEST 
RATES. 
■inuiintrfnrrcirriiiiintniurrfrrfirrtriliiliiltiiiiinirrmiiniinriiiivHininiiiriniiniri 
LARGE & VARIED COLLECTIONS OF 
HYACINTHS, TULIPS, 
CROCUSES, SNOWDROPS, 
NARCISSI, LILLIES, &c. 
All thoroughly ripened and In excellent 
condition for planting. 
Illustrated Descriptive Catalogue, No- 397 - 
post FBEE ON APPLICATION. 
Dicksons Growers Chester 
Ms 
ssai 
THE BEST STRAWBER RIES. 
GEORGE BUNYARD & Co. 
Beg to say their NEW DESCRIPTIVE CULTURAL and 
COMPLETE LIST of SUMMER FRUITS is now ready. 
Strawberries for forcing, for fruiting next year, &c., can be 
supplied in grand plants on liberal terms, true to name." 
THE OLD NURSERIES, MAIDSTONE. 
TWO GRAND NOVELTIES. 
A PURE WHITE BEDDING CLEMATIS, and the FERN 
which has lately received so many of the highest 
awards and proofs of admiration. 
CLEMflTIMMmTs SNOW WHITE 
JACKMANII. 
Ihe flowers are paper-white, about the same slz? as those of 
the old purple Jackmanii, but produced in even gi'eater pro* 
fusion. It is Unrivalled for beds, and also for climbing. Ready 
in Augustt ys. 6 cl. each.___— 
PTER1S TREMULA SMITHIANA. 
This is a very valuable and distinct Fern. No collection 
should be without it. Illustration and description free. 
5s. to ios. 6 d, each. 
BULBS, THE BEST PROCURABLE. 
STRAWBERRIES, all leading kinds. 
ALSO ALL THE BEST VARIETIES OF 
CLEMATIS, READY FOR PLANTING OUT 
DESCRIPTIVE LISTS FREE. 
R1CHARD~SMTtH & Co., 
Nurserymen & Seed Merchants, 
UST ORCESTER. 
For Index to Contents see page 59. 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monday, Sept. 28.—National Chrysanthemum Society. 
Meeting of General Committee at 7 pm. Sales of Bulbs at 
Protheroe & Morris' and Stevens’ Rooms. 
Tuesday, Sept. 29. —Sale of Stove and Greenhouse Plants at 
Mile Ash Nurseries, Derby (two days). Sale of Bulbs at 
Protheroe & Morris' and Stevens’ Rooms. 
Wednesday, Sept. 30.—Sale of Nursery Stock at Messrs. 
John Waterer & Sons, Bagshot (three days). Sales of 
Bulbs at Protheroe & Morris' and Stevens’ Rooms. 
Thursday, Oct. 1.—Sale of Bulbs at Protheroe & Morris' 
Rooms. 
Friday, Oct. 2. —Sale of Messrs. F. Sander & Co.'s collection 
of Orchids at Protheroe & Morris’ Rooms. 
Saturday, Oct. 3.—Sale of Bulbs at Protheroe & Morris 
and Stevens’ Rooms. 
Edited by BRIAN WYNNE, F.R.H.S. 
SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 2 6th, 1891. 
f ARDENERs’ Associations. —We are so 
near to the season of the year when gar¬ 
deners assemble together at their associa¬ 
tion meetings for the purpose of obtaining 
fresh information, extending their profes¬ 
sional knowledge and enjoying social 
intercourse with their fellows, that already 
those charged with the duty of providing 
the meeting with subjects, either in the 
form of lectures, papers, or discussions, 
are actively employed in a difficult function. 
We have a legion of gardeners it is true, 
but only a very small portion possess 
literary ability. Without some power to 
put knowledge into a suitable shape, it is 
of little use for anyone to attempt to 
instruct or enlighten his fellows. He may 
have practical knowledge in abundance, 
but the power to express it may be abso¬ 
lutely absent. This fact, one which the 
spread of gardeners’ associations has 
brought out in a marked manner, shows 
how much the gardening profession has 
lost by its numerous members’ deficiency 
in literary talent. Even those who do 
accept the responsibility of preparing 
papers or lectures, as it is, too much travel 
over beaten ground, and anything novel or 
original is exceedingly rare. We mention 
these things without the slightest idea of 
discrediting gardeners’ associations, but 
rather to show what are the chief difficul¬ 
ties they have to encounter, and to 
encourage greater effort. 
We wish success to all such associations, 
and gladly learn of their extension. Even 
if but used as social gatherings they do 
much good, but if adding in any way to 
the members’ professional knowledge and 
intelligence they do very much more. We 
hope the general range of topics will 
be extended, because it is of the first 
importance that the gatherings be made 
broadly educational. 
f ARPET Bedding. —But a few years sined 
and there was no form of garden 
embellishment in the summer so popular 
as carpet bedding. To such a pitch of 
excellence was this form of bedding-out 
brought that the term “ carpet ” seemed to 
very imperfectly indicate its real nature, 
and eventually we hear of it as mosaic bed¬ 
ding, because the designs worked out with 
various plants were so complex and 
involved. However, as the most beautiful 
of all creations, no matter what, eventually 
palls or leads to satiety, so also did this 
form of bedding, and a desire for something 
simpler, more natural and varied, grew up 
which led largely to a reversion to what is 
called mixed bedding, very like what 
was esteemed as the correct style of 
summer bedding half a century ago. 
This mixed style of garden decoration is 
pleasing enough during warm, dry 
summers, but under cloudy skies and in 
dripping weather is rather apt to run riot. 
It did so last year, it has done so even 
more this year. The heavy rains have 
generated coarse growth, an excess of 
leafage, and a minimum of bloom, so that 
generally these mixed beds have been 
failures. On the other hand the carpet or 
mosaic beds, call them what we may, have 
proved to be remarkable successes. We 
have seldom seen them brighter, neater, or 
more efficiently filled than they are now. 
The result is a revival of taste for these 
carpet beds. They seem to set weather at 
defiance, and indeed appear brighter 
under rain than in sunshine. Like babes 
in a bath they do but seem to come out of 
their frequent moistenings more robust and 
beautiful. 
We are thankful for the carpet beds this 
year. In many of our public parks and 
gardens these creations of the gardener’s 
taste have been the brightest and most 
attractive objects, whilst flowering plants 
have largely been demoralized. It will be 
no matter for surprise if next summer we 
see carpet bedding enjoying a return to its 
former popularity. 
pples and Pears.— How often, unfor¬ 
tunately, it happens that we fail to 
do the right thing at the right time. It 
will perhaps be pleaded in relation to the 
omission to which we specially refer that no 
one could have been assured that we should 
have such fine crops of Apples and Pears 
as are seen everywhere this year. That 
was the case even so recently as last 
spring, but at least we have known for a 
few months what the general crop was, and 
also that the product would be a \ery fine 
one. Yet does it happen that with this 
remarkably fruitful season we have no 
conference in London to bring together 
the best samples of both kinds of fruit in 
the country; neither have we any great 
exhibition of them in the Guildhall, or 
indeed anywhere, so far as we know, 
except at Manchester and at the Crystal 
Palace next month, where no doubt some 
fine collections will be shown. 
Still it is to be deplored that such a 
splendid opportunity for comparison of 
