588 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 16, 1896. 
As the Hyacinths lose colour, the early 
Tulips make a brave display.- The double 
varieties kept up a show till the end of the 
first week in May, and since then the 
various beautiful forms of garden origin as 
well species come to the rescue. These 
include Tulipa elegans, T. fulgens, T. 
vitellina, T. retroflexa, T. macrospila, T. 
spathulata, T. ostrowskiana, and various 
others which supply a variety of colour and 
form foreign to the formal T. gesneriana. 
The Darwin Tulips, so called, are simply a 
strain of breeders or unrectified seeedlings 
of T. gesneriana; but surely the type is 
still capable of yielding some new and 
distinct, or even old and forgotten colours 
that might be well worthy of a place 
amongst bedding plants for the sake of the 
additional variety which they afford. An 
idea is prevalent in some quarters that 
these Tulips should not be put into 
commerce till they break or rectify ; but 
the fact is patent that many of the most 
beautiful bedding forms already in cultiva¬ 
tion become rectified in the beds every 
year. Only a few of the bulbs behave in 
this way in any one season, and are often 
no improvement upon the unrectified seifs. 
This need not debar the cultivator irom 
employing them ; because if he dislikes 
them he can weed them out. The variety 
named Picotee is white with a narrow rosy 
edge, but it often develops a broad margin 
of a lovely rose colour as if reverting to the 
original self colour. Several other varieties 
behave in the same way, and even to a 
greater extent, so that changes may be 
progressing either towards rectification or 
reversion to the breeder. The English 
Florist’s Tulip consists of rectified forms of 
Tulipa gesneriana, selected in accordance 
with a standard laid down by the florist ; 
and though their cultivators are to some 
extent limited, we should like to see 
their numbers greatly increased. The 
rectified forms which do not come up to the 
florist’s standard, may, nevertheless, and 
are utilised for bedding purposes and 
general garden decoration. They and the 
Darwin’s Tulips are late types. The 
Parrot Tulips with their lacerated segments 
and gorgeous mixtures of scarlet, green, 
yellow, red and crimson colours are also 
late. They are both grotesque, picturesque, 
and beautiful. 
About a hundred species of Tulips are 
now known to science, and their leading 
characteristics and classification were 
admirably explained by Mr. J. G. Baker at 
the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, as recorded in another column. 
We look to the florist to evolve new types 
from some of them for the embellishment of 
• gardens. 
f HESTNUT Sunday. —Every year, thou¬ 
sands of the inhabitants of London 
and others make a pilgrimage to Bushey 
Park to see the long avenue of Horse 
Chestnuts in bloom. Last Sunday (the 
ioth inst.), should have been “ Chestnut 
Sunday ” in the ordinary course of events, 
and doubtless many availed themselves of 
the opportunity of an outing for which 
every opportunity is afforded by ’bus, rail, 
and river; but although the day was fine 
and enjoyable, with the exception of the 
clouds of dust which made the highways 
disagreeable, those who are in the habit of 
visiting the avenue and are familiar with 
the gorgeous display of white blossom, 
must have been disappointed by the 
relatively poor show made by the trees on 
the above date. The long-continued, dry, 
east winds, and the cold nights prevalent, 
have prevented the individual blooms from 
attaining anything like their accustomed 
size. The aggregate size of the torch-like 
thyrses of bloom, and their combined effect 
were therefore deficient. Some of our con¬ 
temporaries stated that the expedition to 
Bushey iNrk might well be postponed till 
the 17th inst, or even till Whitsuntide; 
but unless the conditions become more 
favourable to vigorous growth and develop¬ 
ment, the flowers will fall when their 
mission is fulfilled, whether they attain the 
size desired by their admirers or not. The 
blossom is stated to be white, but we 
believe this is more correct in relation to 
trees upon the Continent than in Britain ; 
for a large proportion of the trees in the 
suburbs of London at least have flowers in 
which a pink, rose, or red blotch is a con¬ 
spicuous feature. 
--■ — 
The next issue of The Gardening World will be 
a special number dealing with the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society and the Temple Show. 
Mr. William Coomber, late superintendent of the 
Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, has been appointed 
head gardener to Lord Lilford, Lilford Hall, Oundle, 
Northants. 
The earliest supplies of Cherries both for the 
Paris and London markets come from the South of 
France. White Heart Cherries come from Avignon, 
Saint-Remy, Vidauban, and other centres about the 
beginning of the last week in April. Spanish fruits 
are not reckoned so good as the French Cherries, so 
that when the Oullins and Jaboulay varieties are 
sent in about the beginning of May, they get the 
preference of the Spanish sorts. 
Pictures of Irises and Daffodils.—The very 
numerous pictures of these hardy flowers shown 
at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
on the 5th inst. by William J. Caparn, Esq., Oundle, 
Northants, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal, 
which was overlooked in the hurry of reporting, and 
was not included in the official list of awards. The 
great number of the pictures and their faithful 
representation, attracted a considerable amount of 
attention. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s ninth great annual flower show in 
the Inner Temple Gardens, will open on Tuesday, 
May 19th, and promises to be quite up to the usual 
standard of excellence. On Wednesday. May 20th, 
the Great Western Railway will run cheap trains 
from Cardiff, Newport, Chepstow, Lydney, Newn- 
ham, and Stroud to London ; and gardeners may 
prolong their stay in London if they wish until as 
late as the 25th of May. The London, Brighton and 
South Coast Railway are also running cheap trains 
to London Bridge and Victoria on the same date. 
At 10.30 a.m. the appointed judges will meet at the 
secretary’s tent; and at 11 a.m. the Fruit, Floral, 
and Orchid Committees will also assemble. Owing 
to the great pressure upon the society's officials, 
plants, &c. for certificate cannot be entered on the 
morning of the show .—John Weathers, Assistant 
Secretary. 
Botanic Gardens, Dublin.—An agitation is going on 
in Dublin and the neighbourhood to have the 
Botanic Gardens opened to the public at 12 noon on 
Sundays instead of 2 p.m. as at present. The plea 
is that the authorities would be conferring a boon on 
the public generally, but particularly the tourists 
and others from the country who visit the city and 
frequent the neighbourhood of the gardens. Sunday 
excursions have now become very popular, but those 
who come to the city by them have to return at 
night leaving no time for properly inspecting the 
beautiful Botanic Gardens. The best literary men 
of their day, such as Swift, Addison, Sheridan, 
Dean, Delany, and Parnell, all resided in the 
vicinity, and their memory offers inducements to 
people to come to the gardens. Several botanic and 
other public gardens in this country are mentioned 
as instances of early opening on Sundays, the 
example of which might well be copied. Some of 
them it is stated are open at 9 a.m., and none later 
than 11 a.m. Kewis cited as an instance; but Kew 
is not opened to the public till 12 on week-days and 
1 p.m. on Sundays. 
New Potatos grown in the open in Jersey are now 
plentiful in London. 
Alpine Strawberries, where they have been sown 
early enough, should now be ready to plant out. 
They come in very useful to furnish a supply after 
the crops of the larger kinds have been harvested. 
The late Marquis of Bath was followed to the grave 
by a large procession of people, including thirty 
gardeners, sixty foresters, twenty gamekeepers, and 
ninety other servants regularly employed at Long- 
leat, Wilts. 
Trees in Portland Place.—Some time ago when a 
scheme of planting two rows of ornamental trees 
along the side of the road at Portland Place, London, 
the residents were unanimously opposed to the scheme. 
Now it seems that the Public Gardens Association is 
again bringing the matter before the residents to 
ascertain their views upon the matter. 
Extensive robbery of Tulips.—On the 30th ult. 
before Messrs G. H. Pope, A. Shipley, and K. 
Robinson, at the Lawford’s Gate Petty Sessions, 
William Plunkett (otherwise John Mugg) was charged 
with wilful damage to a garden at Willsbridge, the 
property of Mr. F. J. Tarr, solicitor, of Bristol. Mr. 
Tarr had planted between 300 and 400 Tulips in his 
garden, but on the 17th ult. he found that the beds 
had been destroyed, and 300 of the Tulips taken 
away. The case was proven, and the defendant had 
to pay 20s. damage, also a fine of 10s. and costs. 
Cardamine pratense flore pleno.—There are now 
two or more forms of this in cultivation, and a third 
form we have ourselves picked up in two neigh¬ 
bouring counties, but at points about sixty or 
seventy miles apart. That was in the far north, 
namely, in Aberdeen and Kincardine. The other 
day the ordinary cultivated and double form was 
handed to us by j. C. Stogdon, Esq., who picked it 
up in a wild state in a moist hollow of the North 
Downs in Surrey, between Merstham and Boxhill. 
These numerous cases of double flowers and also the 
fact that the leaves are proliferous seem to indicate a 
tendency on the part of this species of Cardamine to 
lose the power of reproduction by seed. 
Ulster Horticultural Society—The prize schedule, 
for the Chrysanthemum show to be held on 
November ioth and nth next, has been issued. A 
new feature of this show will be the opening of a 
class for nurserymen throughout the United 
Kingdom. The last year’s show no doubt encouraged 
the committee to take this step, and it is to be hoped 
that the results will induce these concerned to open 
a considerable number of classes in the same way so 
as to get competitors from a distance and thereby 
improve the character of the show. As it is some 
splendid exhibits of the favourite autumn flower are 
put up by local growers, thus showing that culti¬ 
vation has not been neglected at Belfast and the 
neighbourhood. Mr. J. MacBride, Victoria Square, 
Belfast, is the secretary from whom the schedule may 
be had. 
“The Fern raiser”.—This is a brochure of some 
twenty-one pages, with the sub-title of “ A hardy 
Treatise on the Culture of Ferns from Spores.” 
The general scope of the author’s intention is thereby 
fairly well indicated. The preface states that he 
was frequently asked for instructions about the 
method of raising Ferns from spores, and being 
engaged in the culture of those and other popular 
subjects for market work, he was well able to supply 
information concerning the practical operations. 
This induced him to embody the information in the 
form of a treatise dealing with the main facts of his 
daily work. Needless to say, the cultural operations 
concerning the earlier stages of Ferns, are the most 
interesting to those who wish to try their own hands, 
so that the author has given most attention to those 
particulars. T here are articles on spores, harvesting 
the spores, pots and drainage, sowing the spores, 
temperature, propagating case, shading, ventilation, 
moisture, germination, soil suitable for the first 
stages of growth, patching out theprothalli, manage¬ 
ment and watering of the prothalli, potting off and 
pricking out seedlings, propagation by bulbils and 
division, See. The brochure may be had of the 
grower, Nightingale Nurseries, Grosvenor, Bath. 
Price 8d. 
