148 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 9, 1889. 
Ihe very worst localities about London, and 
close to the Thames, it should still be possible 
to find such first-class gardening. The con¬ 
tents of the houses will bear comparison with 
what can be found in most gardens, whilst 
some features as for instance, the wonderful 
tropical growth found in the Banana houses, 
and the marvellous semi-tropical growth found 
in the great conservatory, unequalled probably 
throughout the kingdom, are such as any place 
might well be proud to exhibit. 
There is no department of gardening which 
is not practised at Syon, and all arc well 
done. Hence the gardens form an admirable 
training school for young gardeners, whilst, 
thanks to the kindly forethought and gen¬ 
erosity of the ltuke of Northumberland, an 
experienced teacher attends in the gardens two 
evenings weekly, and the young men receive 
very useful instruction in subjects which can 
hardly prove other than advantageous to them 
in after life. Whilst some popular gardens 
have what may be called one horse reputa¬ 
tions, because some one feature is specially 
prominent, at Syon the team is a big and 
a varied one. Fruit forcing, out-door culture, 
plant forcing for flowers and for all purposes 
relating to domestic horticulture, aboricul- 
ture of the most interesting nature, vegetable 
gardening — indeed, every branch is well 
practised, and thus it is truly pleasant to 
know that an ancient and world-wide reputa¬ 
tion is well sustained. 
^t. Ann’s Hill.— Whilst much historical 
interest attaches to Holland House, Ken¬ 
sington, the scene of so many political and 
society gatherings in the past, there can be no 
doubt but that by far the widest general 
interest is found in the late Lady Holland’s 
very beautiful and singularly elevated estate of 
St. Ann’s Hill, which lies just beyond Cherlsey 
towards Virginia Water Station, where—a huge 
cone—it rises out of the surrounding flat country 
like a gigantic mound, grandly wooded, and pre¬ 
senting one of the most attractive of rural sjiots 
to be found within twenty miles of London. 
This charming retreat, once famous for its 
association with the great Charles James Fox, 
has, through the kindness of Lady Holland, long 
been accessible to the public at all times and 
seasons, and thousands of persons visit the hill 
during the summer, including great numbers of 
schools, the hill and its slopes, with its 
labyrinth of paths and its magnificent views, 
being specially favoured for school treats. 
The views from the top of the hill are so 
extensive as to be amongst the finest in the 
kingdom, because the elevation is so great as 
well as abrupt, whilst the ground beneath 
spreads out flatly as far as the eye can see. 
Naturally, to be assured that the death of Lady 
Holland will not be followed by any withdrawal 
from the public of the inestimable privilege 
they have so long enjoyed, of free access to this 
place, is of the deepest interest to all familiar 
with St. Ann’s Hill and its attractions. For 
many years the ground keeper’s pretty house, 
perched on the top of the hill, has been a 
favoured spot for the supply of needed re¬ 
freshment. The grounds are admirably kept, 
there are numerous fine specimen Conifers, and 
trees and shrubs thrive luxuriantly. To have 
this noble eminence preserved for ever to 
public use would be indeed a worthy aim. 
-- 
The Victoria and Paradise Nurseries.—We learn 
from Mr. B. S. Williams that he has taken his son, 
Mr. Henry Williams, into partnership with him, and 
that the title of the firm in future will be B. S. Williams 
& Son. 
Gardening Engagement.—Mr. David Hughes, for 
the last three and a half years foreman at Roby Hall 
Gardens, near Liverpool, as gardener to Edward Massey, 
Esq., Bamford Hall, near Rochdale. 
A Public Recreation Ground for Reading.—Mr. 
George Palmer, head of the well-known firm of Huntley 
& Palmer, of Reading, has signalised the mayoralty of 
his son, Mr. George Wm. Palmer, by presenting to the 
town 21 acres of land in the eastern suburb of the 
borough, to be used as a public recreation ground. Mr. 
Palmer has also promised £300 towards the cost of 
laying out the ground. It is proposed to designate the 
site Palmer’s Park. 
A Paying Crop of Carrots.—The East Anglian Times 
states that Mr. C. Bint, of Dunmow, who sowed a 
quarter of an aerer of ground on what is known as the 
Jubilee Allotments, with Carter’s Scarlet Perfection 
Carrot, has just realiesd his crop, which he put into an 
auction sale. The weight of the roots taken up was 
upwards of 61 tons, or something like 261 tons per acre, 
many of them scaling 6 lbs. each, and the average 
price they made was 25 s. 4 d. a ton, or nearly £33 an 
acre. 
The Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—The concert or¬ 
ganised by the members of the Chiswick Gardeners’ 
Mutual Improvement Association, in aid of the above 
fund, took place in the Vestry Hall, Chiswick, on the 
31st of October last. A considerable variety of vocal 
and instrumental music was well rendered by several 
popular artistes, and the audience numbered some 400 
persons. After paying all expenses there will be a 
balance of some £10 left, which will be handed over to 
the secretary of the fund in due course. 
National Chrysanthemum Society.—At a meeting 
of the general committee of this society, held on the 
30th ult., it was resolved that the society’s celebration 
of the centenary of the introduction of the Chrysan¬ 
themum should take the form of a four days festival, 
to be held at the Royal Aquarium in November, 1890, 
and the offer of the Aquarium Company to give £200 
towards the expenses thereof was gratefully accepted. 
The committee also decided to give some prizes for 
October Chrysanthemums next year, and further 
agreed to contribute to the cartage expenses of exhi¬ 
bitors in the specimen plant and group classes at the 
forthcoming show, as far as funds will permit, and at 
the discretion of the honorary secretary. A cordial 
invitation was received from the Ancient Society of 
York Florists to visit their show, and special arrange¬ 
ments have been made with the Great Northern 
Railways, so that those members who intend going to 
Hull can visit the York exhibition en route. Appli¬ 
cations for the special tickets should be made direct 
to Mr. Holmes. 
The Red-skins’ Potatos.—When American Indians 
can grow fine Potatos, it is hardly worth the while of 
the white man to make a fuss about his “whoppers.” 
A recent Calgary paper (north-west territory of Canada) 
informs its readers that “there has been received from 
Chief White Calf, of the South Blackfeet Indian 
reserve, specimen Potatos of Beauty of Hebron and 
Early Rose, as fine as any Potatos ever seen in that part 
of Canada.” This fact shows that when “Injuns’’take 
to civilised life, they make good cultivators. Probably 
Chief White Calf could now, in Potato-growing, give a 
wrinkle to many a home gardener who thinks he knows 
everything. It is stupid to be too uppish in garden 
work. 
The Hall and Fraser Memorial Fund.—The following 
subscriptions have been received since we went to press 
last week:— 
& s. d. 
Lord Rothschild 
Leopold de Rothschild, Esq. 
T. R. Watt, Esq., Chislehurst 
Messrs. Hugh Low & Co. 
F. C. .Jaconib, Esq.... 
A. II. Smee, Esq. ... 
Messrs. J. & R. Morley 
Messrs. Seegar & Tropp 
S. G. Lutwyehe, Esq. 
T. B. Haywood, Esq. 
“Emma,” Arddarroch 
Mr. ,J. D. Mackay, Junr., Greenoc 
Walter Cobb., Esq. (additional) 
Mr. John Downie, Edinburgh 
Mr. P. Codd, Clapham Paik 
H. Milner, Esq. 
Mr. J. Godseff, St. Albans .. 
W. Thompson, Esq., Stone 
Mr. W. J. Marshall 
Dr. Gorton ... 
Mrs. Dymond 
T. H. Seamark, Esq. 
Mr. H. Perkins, Greenlands 
Mr. Whalley 
Mr. W. E. Boyce, Highgate 
Mr. Steven^, Stone... 
Amount previously acknowledged 
21 0 
21 0 
0 10 
0 10 
0 10 
0 10 
0 10 
0 5 
0 5 
0 5 
239 5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
6 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
6 
0 
6 
0 
0 
0 
0 
C 
National Co-operative Flower Show, 1890. —We 
understand that the schedule of prizes to be issued for 
this exhibition will show a greater sub-division of 
classes than heretofore. The enormous number of 
entries for the show—about 4,000—caused the chief 
classes to be altogether too large, both in 1888 and 
18S9. Last year the managers tried to meet the 
dilfimlty by offering eight prizes in each of the principal 
classes, instead of four, but this did not quite meet the 
case. It made extra work for the judges, and resulted 
in the large money prizes falling into few hands. 
Where a hundred or a hundred and twenty exhibitors 
competed in a class, even eight prizes did not give 
many chances of success. In the chief classes the 
exhibitors will now be divided into districts. Exhi¬ 
bitors in the North, South, East, West, Midlands, 
Scotland, and Ireland, will compete only with others 
from their own localities, and there will be four prizes in 
each of these district classes. This will give twenty- 
eight prizes, where before there were only eight, and 
will prevent the prizes being monopolised by growers 
from districts especially favoured by climate. 
-- 
TURF WALKS IN KITCHEN 
GARDENS. 
I notice in one of your contemporaries that grass walks 
are recommended by “A. D.”—presumably of “Ours.” 
Good walks in a garden form not the least attractive 
feature of all gardening establishments. A gardener 
may have a well-shaven lawn, gay flower beds, or a 
clean, well-cropped kitchen garden, but if the walks 
are badly made or kept, they greatly detract from the 
other good features. Turf walks in kitchen gardens no 
doubt look very nice in summer—cool and refreshing— 
as compared with the yellow tone of gravel, especially 
if the garden is of sufficient extent to allow of a 5 ft. or 
6 ft. border for herbaceous plants, which may be added 
to at bedding-out time by the disposal in such borders 
of the remnants. 
But I am rather sceptical as to the advisability of 
turf walks for winter, though much depends on the 
elevation of the garden and the nature of the soil. If 
the former is low lying and the latter stiff and reten¬ 
tive, turf walks, if frequently used, would become a 
quagmire, and would soon be shorn of their verdant 
greenness. Then again, there is the necessity of pro¬ 
curing boards whenever any amount of barrow work 
has to be done ; and I am of opinion that such walks 
would be a good harbour for slugs during the daytime ; 
in showery weather in the spring they will travel over 
gravel walks and paving in search of young seedlings 
of the vegetable world, and as grass walks would greatly 
facilitate their operations in that line, there w r ould be a 
need for their capture at night time. 
Some years ago,'when serving at a nobleman’s place 
in this county, the gardener found, on taking possession, 
that most of the Box edging was nearly 1 ft. high, so 
in the autumn he decided to have an alteration. A 
quantity of it was uprooted, and as wet days were 
plentiful that season, box trimming formed a standing 
dish for the men. So soon as weather permitted, the 
edges were made up for re-laying, after the boring pegs 
had been brought into use to ascertain the proper level, 
whether flat or a gradient. "When the Box was re-laid, 
the walks were taken in hand. They had a very good 
foundation, so that a substantial layer of chalk was put 
on to bring the walk nearly to the required level. 
The chalk was well rammed, then a layer of beach— 
gravel from the sea-shore, which is screened into several 
degrees of coarseness, the finest being similar to split- 
peas—which was well rolled to bind it into the chalk, 
being afterwards finished off with a slight layer of fine 
beach. I say slight, because if put on too thick it 
would be akin to the sea shore—tiring to travel on. 
Such paths were always solid, dry, and pleasant to 
walk upon in all weathers, and woe betide that labourer 
who came off the quarters with muddy boots without 
finding the scrapers, which were conveniently placed, 
or he that trundled a barrow with a dirty wheel along 
those walks ! 
There being a few miles of beach walks on the place, 
it was one man’s work to attend to them, and it was 
surprising what he would get over in a day, armed with 
a Dutch hoe that had, literally speaking, “got some 
iron in it,” and a short-toothed iron rake, which was 
drawn over the walks in the kitchen garden on Saturday 
afternoons to obliterate wheel marks, though we were 
neither troubled with perambulators nor Royal Mail 
carts. Of course hoeing is out of the question on walks 
composed of good binding gravel, but in these days of 
“ Weed Killers ” the slow and tedious method of hand 
weeding can be entirely dispensed with. Likewise for 
