December 14, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
243 
about the summer of 1866, and happy, indeed, were 
those days of toil for the young men employed in the 
gardens who found themselves in the company of 
"old Dick,” as he was familiarly called. His " wise 
saws,” his peculiar sayings and doings, and his 
shrewd, and well-meant advice, associated with a 
never-failing love of a bit of mischevious fun, made 
the days never too long, the toil never too 
laborious. 
After a short stay at Blackman Priory, in Essex, 
with two of the young partners of the well-known 
market gardening firm of Messrs. Wheatly and 
Myatt, of Deptford, came the chance of his life in 
1868, when he was selected by the late Marquis of 
Exeter, on the recommendation of Mr. Peter Barr, 
to succeed Mr. Matheson, as gardener, at Burghley. 
To most gardening minds the grand feature of 
Burghley Park is the noble landscape effects created 
by that grand old master, " Capability Brown” ; 
but to Richard Gilbert the charm of the place was 
the fine old kitchen garden, where he found scope 
for his unwonted energies and his undoubted 
abilities as a cultivator. From causes which are no 
concern of ours, the kitchen garden at Burghley 
had to practically become a market garden, and 
Gilbert was the man for the post. He was no 
faddist or theorist, but believed firmly in deep 
cultivation, plenty of manure, and heavy cropping, 
and had a constant eye on the improvement by 
selection and other means of the strains of seeds 
which he used. 
In the early seventies he became a regular and 
very successful exhibitor of vegetables at the leading 
exhibitions, when Miles of Wycombe Abbey, Garland 
of Killerton, Lumsden of Bloxholm, Cox of Madres- 
field, and Frisby of Blankney, among other noted 
growers, took a lot of beating when they entered the 
lists. Never a mere pot-hunter, Gilbert dearly loved 
to be first for the pleasure it gave him to beat his 
rivals, and many are the amusing stories in existence 
of his artful ways of stealing a march on bis fellow- 
competitors. Who, for instance, among those who 
were present, will ever forget the Onion incident at 
the Royal Show at Birmingham, the sacrifice of that 
dish of French Beans by poor Frisby at Oxford, and 
the result that followed in each instance. One of his 
greatest successes was the capture of the Carter 
Challenge Cup, which he won right out in the 
Arcades at South Kensington in 1875. The interest 
in vegetable competition nowadays is nothing to be 
compared with the keenness that existed twenty 
years ago. On that memorable day in 1875 excite¬ 
ment ran high, but Gilbert got the cup and held his 
own against all the innuendos levelled against him, 
especially at the exhibitors’ dinner which followed, 
as some who were present still remember. Few 
men grew Melons better than Gilbert, and very few, 
if any, have equalled him in the number of certifi¬ 
cates for new varieties which he received from the 
fruit committee. Some dozen or more fell to his 
share, and there can be no doubt that more would 
have followed, as time went on, but for the un¬ 
fortunate practical joke which he played upon the 
committee in connection with the netted Victory of 
Bath. 
As a master few men have been better liked, more 
greatly respected, or more loyally served, by the young 
gardeners employed under him. He did his best to 
promote the welfare of all; he cordially disliked the 
apprentice fee system, and heartily condemned it as 
opportunity offered, and used to claim that the only 
reward he looked for in return for the kindly offices 
which he rendered to any young man was the 
presentation of a new hat, though, of their own free 
will, the thankoffering at parting sometimes took 
the form of clocks, armchairs, walking sticks, etc. 
These were more serviceable than new hats, and 
what became of the latter no one ever knew, but 
certain it is that our old friend’s “ tiles ” were ever 
of an ancient pattern. A warm-hearted, and very 
able, if old-time type of gardener was Richard 
Gilbert, and deeply do we regret that we shall know 
him no more. 
Hardening ||iscellany. 
PEAR KING HUMBERT. 
An account of this Pear, together with an illustration 
of it, is given in the Bullettina della R. Societci Toscana 
di Orticiiltura for November last. The tree is 
vigorous, very fertile and suitable either for the 
pyramidal form, for espaliers or cordons. The 
fruit is large, ovoid, 4% in. to 5 in. long and 3^ in. to 
4 in. at the widest part, yellow at maturity and 
marked with small russety spots. The pulp is 
white, lightly tinted with a saffron hue, full of a 
slightly acidulated, very saccharine juice exhaling a 
very agreeable perfume. It comes into season 
during November and keeps on till January. The 
Bulletin above mentioned states that it will be 
valuable for commercial purposes, and will be 
cherished by amateurs because a beautiful and good 
fruit. 
GARRYA ELLIPTICA. 
Without question this is one of our very best ever¬ 
green flowering shrubs, and yet is rather seldom met 
with. A native of California, it is just a little 
tender for our climate and requires planting in a 
somewhat sheltered position. It flowers generally 
during March, and when the long, pendulous 
catkins of a greyish-green are produced in profusion, 
the plant with its dark green foliage presents a very 
striking appearance. The male plant is the best 
known and the most beautiful of the two. Those 
ordering from nurseries should specify which they 
require or disappointment may be the result. The 
catkins of the male plants vary from four to eight 
inches in length; those of the female are much 
shorter.— IV.B.G. 
USEFUL INSECTS. 
A very important paper was read at the Penzance 
National History Society meeting recently by Mr. 
Baily on the good and harmful insect pests. He 
thought the place of honour should be accorded to 
the blow-fly, which, with an ever-increasing popula¬ 
tion, has its work cut out. The next is the honey¬ 
bee, which should be better known and appreciated, 
as it not only fertilises fruit trees, but also kills 
innumerable caterpillars. He had been studying 
and experimenting with them for the last two years, 
and so could speak from experience. Insect life 
should be better known. 
PHYSALIS FRANCHETTII. 
This grand Japanese species of Winter Cherry has 
evidently come to stay. Already it has found its 
way into many gardens in various parts of the 
country. The huge size of the angular, orange- 
coloured calyx is sufficient to put the older and 
better.known P. Alkekengi in the shade, even for 
similar decorative purposes. The stems should be 
cut after the calyx has fully changed colour, but 
before the autumn rains have had time to destroy 
the fresh appearance of the same. Fruiting shoots 
are useful for mixing with various dried flowers, 
including everlastings and grasses. 
FRUITING OF LAPAGERIA ROSEA. 
Occasionally there are instances of Stephanotis 
floribunda having fruited in this country ; but the 
case of Lapageria rosea is much more rare, notwith¬ 
standing the fact that both the type and several 
magnificent varieties fruit abundantly in various 
establishments throughout the British Isles. Both 
the type and the white Lapageria fruited abundantly 
in a cool greenhouse in the gardens of the Hon. Mr. 
Barton, Straffan Plouse, co. Kildare, Ireland, during 
the past summer. The fruits are about 2 in. long, 
fleshy, and yellow-skinned when mature and on the 
point of dropping. Structurally they are not unlike 
those of other members of the Lily family, but on a 
much larger scale than usual. They are bluntly 
three-angled, but otherwise may not inaptly be com¬ 
pared with those of the Stephanotis, or Cobaea 
scandens, especially in size. There are sketches of 
the fruit, and also of sections, in The Field, by F. W. 
Burbidge, M.A., of Trinity College, Dublin. 
NEED FOR RAIN. 
The present wet weather has its disadvantages. 
The devotees of the favourite "mum” are bothered by 
its damping their flowers, and it renders the labour 
of keeping a place tidy more laborious than if it was 
finer. At the same time we should all rejoice at the 
prospect of getting the earth well saturated with 
water. There is plenty of need for the most abundant 
downpours at present, for during the present week 
we have found soil dust dry less than 12 in. beneath 
the surface. — IV.B.G. 
MYRTLE, LAUREL, ARBUTUS, &e. 
“ Et vos, 0 Lauri, carpam, et te, proxima Myrte.” 
— Virgil. 
" Yet once more, oh ye Laurels, and one more 
Ye Myrtles brown! "—Millon. 
Beside thee, Bay, let gentle Myrtle bloom, 
Thy sister, sacred erst to Beauty's queen, 
As thou to Phoebus, and with thee display 
Her fragrant foliage and perennial green, 
At times embellish’d with her snowy flow'rs ' 
And there let Laurel spread her lucid leaf, 
That oft—with thine confounded—hath usurp'd 
And giv'n poetic honours, not her own ; 
And there Japan s bright Aucuba, whose green, 
Freckled with gold, few winter plants outshine ; 
While in dark contrast with her yellower hue, 
Or whitely blooming with sweet-scented flow'rs, 
The Laurel—nam’d of Portugal—presents 
Her pensile sprays, her glossy leaves, her dark 
Autumnal fruit; and Laurustinus near—■ 
So hardy in her loveliness—reserves 
The chaste luxuriance of her blushing buds, 
Her snow-white flow'rs, to smile in wintry gloom, 
And cheer the redbreast 'midst his lonely song ! 
There, too, let dark green Arbutus suspend 
From crimson stalks, amid upspearing leaves, 
Her small pale crystal bells of treasur’d seed, 
Like Lilies of the vale ; and—these withdrawn—- 
Her wintry clusters—scarlet globes, that mock 
Rich, ripen'd Strawberries in form and glow : 
Fair Arbutus, in many a Latian lay 
Still blooming 1 native to Ierne's shore, 
Tufting each rugged steep, each islet green, 
That in thy lakes, Killarney, mirror’d smiles! 
She, too, the sister Arbutus—her name 
Andrachne—she that sheds her russet bark 
Autumnal, and, beneath, to wintry suns 
Displays her naked stems of glossy red— 
She also claims poetic tribute, claims 
Her station ’midst the ever-verdant grove. 
With these, to mantle winter’s nakedness, 
By tasteful art be scatter’d o’er the lawn 
Grey, prickly Juniper; trim, close-leav’d Box; 
Dark, spiry Cypress ; and, of kindred garb, 
But livelier verdure and less tapering form, 
The plant so proudly nam’d the Tree of Life ! ” 
— Thos. Grinfield, M.A. (Trin. Col 1 ., Cam), Weston- 
super-Mare, Oct. igth, 1895. 
--f-- 
SUBSTITUTES FOR LARCH. 
A most interesting lecture on the above subject was 
delivered by Dr. Maxwell T. Masters at tbe meeting 
of the Royal Horticultural Society on Tuesday, Nov. 
12th, the Rev. W. Wilks presiding, and a goodly 
number of fellows of the society being present. The 
lecturer opened by saying that of late years the 
disease affecting the Larch had been so rampant, and 
had caused the death of so many trees, that it was 
necessary to find some suitable substitute, as the 
disease itself was practically incurable. The trees 
starting into growth early in the spring were 
often checked and weakened considerably by 
the late frosts, and afterwards fell an easy prey to 
the fungus once its spores had entered through some 
cut or wound in the bark. A tree, to be an efficient 
substitute for the Larch, must be perfectly 
hardy, must grow rapidly and produce good timber 
quickly, and also there should be a sufficient stock 
of it in the hands of the nurserymen to enable them 
to supply the demand that would arise for the par¬ 
ticular subject selected as the most suitable. In 
looking over the list of Conifers that might be con¬ 
fidently recommended he was struck with the large 
number that might be chosen ; indeed, the difficulty 
was one of choice amongst a number rather than 
scarcity of subjects. 
Dr. Masters then directed the attention of his 
audience towards a table which had been prepared 
showing the relative values of the timber afforded by 
a number of Conifers. Taking the value of the 
wood of the Scotch Fir at 100, the Corsican Pine 
was rated at 125; Lawson's Cypress, 120; Nord- 
man Fir, 125 ; Cupressus macrocarpa, 190 ; Mertens’ 
Tsuga, 200; Larch, 216; Menzies' Spruce, 220; 
and the Douglas Fir, 225. There existed a 
good many different opinions as to which tree 
might be accepted as the best all-round 
substilute, but in his own estimation the palm must 
