380 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 15, 1896. 
vanished." Forest trees were not allowed 
inside the walls, but were confined to the 
grove beyond. 
We agree with Mr. Thomas that the 
clipping of trees and shrubs into the form 
of cubes, obelisks, and every other imagin¬ 
able shape was greatly overdone. The 
flower garden with its geometrical beds, 
formal edgings of box and its fountains, the 
bowling green, the orchard and the grove or 
wilderness, were some of the chief divisions 
of the garden, so that we are not surprised 
that Bacon, as well as others, railed at all 
this formality with its frivolous and meaning¬ 
less intricacies and unnatural designs. 
Every garden was further divided by a 
network of hedges and alleys with their 
stoney and vegetable appendages. By-and- 
bye large sheets of water and canals of 
Dutch origin, because copied from the Fen 
country, were included in the dressed 
grounds. 
All this was changed when Kent and 
“ Capability ” Brown came upon the scene. 
Mr. Thomas describes them as mowing 
down avenues and destroying “ every 
vestige of dignity under the pretext of help¬ 
ing Nature,” while forgetting to make a 
garden. “ The finest corrective to insanity 
of this kind,” the lecturer continued, “ was 
a knowledge of what great architects had 
done in the past.” He deprecated the 
labours of all the landscape gardeners from 
Humphrey Repton to the present time. His 
assumption was that the prevailing idea at 
present is that Nature can have no place in 
a formal garden ; but with this he strongly 
disagrees. With few exceptions, according 
to Mr. Thomas, the reign of Queen Victoria 
has only seen wildernesses pass for gardens. 
The idea that all formal gardens were 
copied from Dutch or Italian sources he 
repudiates. 
While not denying that Italy supplied us 
with ideas, both with regard to architectural 
design and the formation of gardens, Mr. 
Thomas considered that those which arose 
in this country during Tudor times were so 
English in feeling that they were termed 
Elizabethan by way of distinction. We 
think that this was bound to follow of a 
necessity, owing to the geographical, 
climatal, and racial differences, but after 
all, such designs were merely modifications 
of the original copies. The Italian gardens 
were characterised by the boldness of the 
terracing, the magnitude of the stonework, 
and the lack of the broad expanses of green 
sward for which the gardens in this country 
are celebrated all over the world. We have 
no desire to see the green lawns curtailed, 
but rather that they should be widened. 
We prefer to adopt Bacon’s view, who 
said, “ God Almightie first planted a garden, 
and, indeed, it is the purest of human 
pleasures. It is the greatest refreshment to 
the spirits of man ; without which, build¬ 
ings and palaces are but grosse handy-works 
and a man shall ever see that when ages 
grow to civility and elegancie, men come to 
build stately sooner than to garden finely ; 
as if gardening were the greater perfection,” 
By all means let us have stately homes in 
which the breath of life is infused, and let 
the grass come within view of the windows, 
but plant plenty of trees at a respectable 
distance so that we may have air and sun¬ 
shine. 
-—- 
Mr. S. Johnstone, late gardener to T. Laidlaw, 
Esq., Sillerbithall, Hawick, has been appointed 
gardener to Mrs. Robinson, Kirkley, Mallery Hall, 
Leicester. 
Mr. John Page, for a long period of years head 
gardener to the Marquis of Lothian, Monteviot, 
Jedburgh, has been appointed superintendent of 
Mount Vernon Cemetery, Liberton, Edinburgh. 
Mr. Hugh Peacock succeeds Mr. Swanston as 
gardener to G. Wilson, Esq., Kilmeny, Hawick. 
Mr. A. Outram, of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Read¬ 
ing, goes off on the 15th inst. by the ss. Campania, on 
a business trip to the United States and Canada. 
Mr. John Swanston, Kilmeny, Hawick, succeeds 
Mr. Johnstone at Sillerbithall as gardener to Thos 
Laidlaw, Esq. 
Mr. G Pul linger (of Isenhurst) has been appointed 
gardener to the Right Hon. Lord Monk Britton, 
Coneyboro' Park, Cooksbridge, Lewes, Sussex. 
Kew Guild.—The annual general meeting of the 
Kew Guild will be held in the Gymnasium, near Kew 
Gardens Railway Station, on Thursday evening, 
February 27th, at half-past seven. 
The black spot of Orchids is due to the presence of 
drops of water upon the leaves when the tempera¬ 
ture is particularly low, and there is a superabun¬ 
dance of moisture in the air of the house and at the 
roots of the plants. 
The Wild Birds’ Protection Act, 1880 , has been 
put into force by the Home Secretary, in the 
Kesteven district, Lincolnshire, to protect such 
birds as the merlin, hobby, kestrel, common buzzard, 
honey buzzard, sand martin, house martin, swallow, 
swift, and wryneck. It is also forbidden to destroy 
or take the eggs of certain other birds. 
Mr. Robert L. Proudlock, who has been curator of the 
Calcutta Botanic Gardens for a litile over five years, 
has been appointed to take charge of the Government 
Botanic Gardens and parks at Ootacamund, Nilgiri 
Hills, India. Mr. Proudlock is an old Kewite, and 
we congratulate him upon his appointment to a place 
where the climate is more congenial than in the 
malarial delta of the Ganges. 
The Florist and his Customer—After a twenty 
minutes’ discussion on the merits and value of a 
plant, the florist exclaimed to his customer, “ Oh, I 
see what you want! It is a plant that will require 
little water, less attention, bloom in the window all 
the year round, keep its leaves, never produce green¬ 
fly, cost only a penny, and that I shall send it to your 
house by the boy.” Customer: “ Yes, yes, exactly.” 
Florist: “ I hope you may get it. Good morning.” 
— Snaggs . 
Flagstaff at Kew.— This consists of a fine spar of 
the Douglas Fir, 159 ft. in height, and has been a 
conspicuous object in the gardens for the last thirty- 
five years. The underground and basal portion was 
found to be decayed and so soft in places that it 
could be crumbled with the fingers. It was taken 
down recently and the decayed portion removed, a 
splice of the same length added, and the staff success¬ 
fully restored to its original position on the 4th inst. 
Presentation to Mr. S. Johnstone, Gardener.—A few 
friends met in the Crown Hotel on the 1st inst. to 
bid farewell to Mr. S. Johnstone, gardener, who is 
leaving for a situation in Leicestershire, and pre¬ 
sented him with a testimonial, subscribed for by his 
many friends in town and district. Mr. Wm. Oliver 
presided. The presentation took the form of a very 
handsome timepiece, with a silver plate for Mrs. 
Johnstone. Mr. Jas. Wheelans, gardener, Briery- 
Yards, made the presentation in an able manner. 
With song and sentiment the company passed a few 
happy hours. 
Chrysanthemum Show at Aberdeen —A large and 
representative meeting was held at 8, Hadden Street, 
on Friday last, for the purpose of electing a com¬ 
mittee to carry out the above object. The enthusiasm 
created, and the amount of support promised, were 
such that those present were unanimous that a 
Chrysanthemum, vegetable and fruit show should be 
he’d in the late autumn of this year, and, with Mr. 
Wm Reid as secretary and treasurer, the under¬ 
taking may be already considered as a success.— 
Caerulea. 
Blue Peas for Boiling— Complaints are being 
made in Yorkshire that great deterioration has taken 
place of late years in the value of blue Peas for 
boiling. A large proportion of the samples offered 
for sale are small in size and much mixed with 
white, maple, and dun Peas as well as Tares. The 
growers neglect to provide themselves with seed 
until they actually want it, when good samples can¬ 
not be found. This state of matters ought to be 
remedied seeing that Canada is sending samples of 
larger and altogether finer seeds. 
The Rainfall in California this season has only been 
3 in., and the time for it is over. 
Why are Scotchmen the best gardeners ? Because 
they are always on one or other side of the Border. 
—Le Veyt. 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society. 
—The annual meeting of this society will take place 
on Monday, March 9th, at 8 p.m. Mr. Joseph Cheal 
has kindly consented to preside. 
The readings of the barometer have been very high 
for some time past, and it is stated that they have 
only once been parallelled in this respect during the 
past 145 years. 
A gratuitous suggestion.—The skilful hybridist 
might try his hand at crossing the Cow-wheat with 
theButterwort, so that bread already buttered might 
be grown in the garden.— Snaggs. 
Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. —We are very much 
pleased to hear that His Grace the Duke of Bedford 
has accepted the office of President of the Royal 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund in succession to the late 
Right Hon. Sir Julian Goldsmid, Bart. 
In Kew Gardens.—Fair visitor (as the discordant 
shrieks of the syren of a steamboat sounded in her 
ears from the adjacent Thames): " Oh what a 
horrible noise.” Wee Toddler: ‘‘Why, mamma, that 
must be the man calling “ all out.”— Sniggs. 
Robert Burns’ great grandson, the last descendant 
in the male line, died at Blackhall, Edinburgh, 
recently in his fifty-second year. He has been a 
soldier and a gardener in his time. He leaves no 
children. 
Leap Year in America. —Ladies have the privilege 
of sending " leap year bouquets” to gentlemen on 
these occasions, and they order their florists to make 
them as ugly as possible. Hideous combinations of 
Lilies, Radishes, Turnips, Carrots, Tulips, etc., are 
thus sent by the fair aggressors. Naughty puss ! 
The new climbing French Bean is already enjoying 
great popularity, there being a strong demand for it 
notwithstanding the clamour that climbing French 
Beans were not wanted. It may be compared to 
Canadian Wonder, but attains a height of 6 ft. or 
7 ft., and the pods are both abundant in quantity 
and excellent in quality. It readily submits to 
forcing. 
Improvements at Hemel Hempstead. —We under¬ 
stand that Mr. A. D. Webster, of Boxmoor, and who 
has just concluded laying out and re-modelling 
Esher Place for Sir Edgar Vincent, Governor of the 
Imperial Ottoman Bank, is at present busily engaged 
with a large staff of workmen levelling and laying 
out the recreation and cricket grounds for the 
Boxmoor trustees at Hemel Hempstead. 
A dark-leaved Ivy.—Everyone is familiar with the 
rich dark green colour of the Ivy, but amongst 
garden forms there are pleasing light green, gray, 
golden, and silver-leaved sorts. That named Hedera 
Helix atropurpurea has dark green leaves when they 
are matured, but during winter they assume a dark 
brownish-purple hue that is particularly noticeable 
amongst a collection. It may be seen in the gardens 
of the Royal Horticultural Society, Chiswick, in its 
winter garb. 
Ealing Gardeners’ Society.—At the ordinary meet¬ 
ing of this society on the 4th inst., Mr. C. B. Green, 
who presided, announced that a new departure was 
to be made in devoting the whole of the evening to 
impromptu speaking. The method adopted was to 
collect a number of questions written on slips of 
paper, in one hat, and the names of those willing to 
speak in another. The hats were shaken up and the 
hon. secretary (Mr. W. Roberts) drew one of the 
subjects, while the chairman extracting one of the 
names, called upon the individual indicated to open 
the discussion. A good deal of interest was dis¬ 
played in the proceedings and the discussion on a few 
of the subjects lasted the whole evening. 
Dangers of a little knowledge.—The late Professor 
Robert Hunt, when connected with the Royal 
Cornwall Polytechnic Society, used to relate in 
humorous style the results of some of his early ex¬ 
periments. Finding that plants grew quickly under 
yellow glass, he announced his opinion that tinted 
glass was best for greenhouses. This so impressed 
some of his friends that they had the glass in their 
greenhouses changed. " The plants grew much 
faster,” the professor admitted ; " but, alas ! the 
gigantic stalks and foliage were all; no blossoms nor 
fruit appeared.” From thishe concluded that it was 
unwise to proclaim results to the public, before a 
careful study of the same has been made. 
