Dee. 27th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING- WORLD. 
259 
Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
turbant of the routine of life. Happily, garden¬ 
ing is less subject to these spasmodic operations 
of custom than many other vocations are, and 
work must go on with regularity and despatch. 
Blest with plenty to do, and willing hearts to 
labour, we can congratulate our readers on their 
good fortune, and thus heartily wish them all a 
happy and prosperous New Year. 
C |t (fcbtnrag Horlfr. 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 1th, 1884. 
Chbistmas. Artists of a certain sentimental 
stamp are very fond of depicting their ideal 
Christmas season as one of frost, snow, real hard 
winter weather, and from out of its pitilessly 
bitter associations wreathing an ideal fireside or 
home circle of all that is joyous, luxurious, and 
comfortable. The pictures are beautiful enough 
in their way, because they deal with or depict 
only the bright side of life, supported by plenty 
and riches. The real existence in poverty and 
suffering of the poor at any time is anything but 
an idyll; but with such associations at Christmas 
as artists will delineate and some literatists 
describe, the condition of the really poor is 
miserable indeed, and shows how hollow a 
mockery is the ideal Christmastide. Were artists 
of this class to set about delineating a gardener’s 
Christmas, no doubt they would represent him 
also ice and snow-bound, his tools hanging in 
perfect order on the walls, his fires well banked 
up, and himself seated in one of his hothouses 
stripped to his shirt sleeves, heedless of the 
intense frost, the falling snow, and the fierce 
cold blasts without, literally glorying in his 
surroundings of heat and luxuriant plant life. 
’Tis true the customary roaring fire with its yule 
log must, in this case, be omitted; but a gaily 
painted lanthorn may emit a brilliant light, and 
to complete the picture, of course the jolly gar¬ 
dener must be smoking a long pipe, and indulging 
m the contents of a big mug of something 
strong. How many gardeners are there who 
would feel flattered with the picture or admit its 
truthfulness; indeed, we have but sketched it, 
that some other Christmas ideals might be exhi¬ 
bited in their true and extravagant aspect. 
It is not possible even now as we go to 
press, on December the 23rd, to assert that 
Christmas Day will not be a green one, literally 
mild, soft, and possibly spring-like in its tem¬ 
perature and surroundings. It seems just now 
much more probable that some such weather 
will predominate, than that frost and snow will 
reign over the customary festivities. Perhaps it 
may rain all the day, but though the yule log 
and the cheerful fireside is as acceptable then as 
in time of frost, yet no poet however facile, or 
artist however inspired, could hope to depict a 
jolly Christmas under such deplorable conditions. 
The poetry of life is obliterated when heavy rains 
prevail. We have no doubt most of our garden 
readers will find the coming Christmas to be of a 
very prosaic order. Beyond, perhaps, being called 
upon to furnish some customary decorative mate¬ 
rial, calls that become onerous by oft repetition, 
it will doubtless be that few will find Christmas 
differing one iota from non-festive periods, or if 
they will, perhaps think Christmas a nuisance. 
Let the season be what it will, garden work 
must go on ; the requirements of the garden are 
inexorable, and will have attention. Happy, 
after all, are those who have much, or at least 
enough, to do at this season, as compared with 
the state of mind of thousands who are perforce 
idle, and hungry too. Tor the sake of those we 
could wish that festive seasons were less dis- 
Cheistmas Greenery.— We have often won¬ 
dered from whence comes the huge heads of ever¬ 
green boughs which find their way to London 
markets just prior to Christmas, and still more as 
to where they go, for customers must be found 
for all this material otherwise it would not be 
brought so far and in such quantities. There is 
an explanation of the demand for Spruce Firs, 
for let the season be what it may, Christmas-trees 
seem to be an established portion of the festive 
institution, and one that will only die out with an 
absolute failure to supply the needed trees. Few 
only who are aware of the extent of the requirements 
Evergreens in this direction would imagine 
how great is the demand, and sometimes how 
difficult it is to meet it, especially in the case of 
large specimens, for sometimes big fellows are 
wanted that cannot be picked up any day. YV e 
heard an inquiry for one just recently 15 ft. in 
height, and we may be sure that such a giant was 
intended to furnish attraction for a large party of 
little ones. Happily the supply of Spruce Firs 
may easily be found equal to any demand, and 
there is land enough in the kingdom now lying 
useless that might not unprofitably grow myriads 
of Christmas-trees for the delectation of millions 
of little ones at Christmastide. How much of 
interest would attach to the ultimate destination 
of these numerous branches of Laurel and other 
greenery ! Perchance some decorate a superb 
church ; others, perhaps, adorn a paupers’ dining 
hall, and whilst again some will add a seasonable 
aspect to a refreshment bar, others will be found 
adorning a religious love feast or a Good Templar 
Lodge. Who grows these loads of shrubs, and 
whether for profit or for private gratification it will 
indeed be hard to say. Certainly Laurels must 
indeed have immense recuperative power if they 
can oft give up so much growth. 
-- 
Tomatos and Insects.— “A curious statement, 
deserving the examination of botanists at home! 
comes from Cape Colony, where (says The 
Colonies and India ) it is alleged that insects 
are observed to shun lands on which Tomatos 
are grown ; and the culture of the Lycopersicum 
esculentum is accordingly recommended in all 
cases where it is possible to grow it—under fruit- 
trees, for instance, since the Tomato will thrive 
in the shade of other trees, which few other 
plants will do—for the sake of the virtues 
attributed to it as a prophylactic against the 
inroads of insect pests. The popularity of the 
Tomato as an esculent is sufficiently great to 
repay the trouble of planting on a large scale, 
even if its supposed virtues prove to be a myth ; 
and any surplus supplies might easily be pre! 
served in tins and shipped to this country. It 
will be interesting to know whether the Tomato 
has been observed to exercise any such effect on 
nsects elsewhere—in Canada, for instance, where 
the fruit is so popular—or whether it is only in 
warmer climates, like that of the Cape, that its 
peculiar powers are brought into play. Much 
the same power was once attributed, we believe, 
to the common Broad Bean, but we are afraid 
this plant does not ‘live up to’ its character.” 
lit up by the winter sun against a background of 
cloud, the fine spray showing myriads of tiny 
branches, a beautiful network of nature’s execu¬ 
tion is seen in singular beauty, and offers a 
pleasing rccompence for the absence of foliage. 
Of this, for the time of year, we have plenty in 
evergreen shrubs and, not least, in the deep 
green Scotch and Douglas Firs, and in the many 
other conifers with which most good gardens are 
enriched. Really few would care to live in an 
eternal surrounding of greenery in which there 
was no change, no variety, but all was of one 
monotonous heavy hue. Firs, with their dense 
shade and darkening tints, seem cool and fresh 
in summer, but in winter in the sombre light 
of the short days, they are the reverse of cheerful, 
though compensating by granting much accept¬ 
able shelter. But the charm and beauty that 
deciduous trees give even in winter far more 
than compensate for any apparent lack of use¬ 
fulness in that season through absence of 
leafage. We should not see, for instance, in 
periods of hoarfrost or, perchance, of snowfall, 
such wondrous silvery tracery, such fairylike 
structures of hoar and wood as the trees then 
give to us. But anywhere deciduous trees, 
especially the noble spreading Oaks, the lofty 
Elms, and the grand Beeches, are magnificent, 
and not least when their huge limbs are rocked 
and swayed in the storm. Happily then their 
leafless condition is their safeguard and strength. 
Were they then clothed as in summer how many 
might fall prostrate. 
Grape-Geowing at Longleat.— Mr. G. Open, 
The Stalls, Longleat, Warminster, requests us to 
publish the following statement“ In your 
issue for November 1st, p. 134, a correspon¬ 
dent . states that ‘ Mr. Taylor planned and 
superintended the erection of the large range of 
vineries.’ Mr. Taylor deserves all credit for 
the growing of the vines, but he had nothing to 
do with either the planning or superintending the 
erection of the structure. This was done by Mr. 
Buckenham, the resident clerk of works, who was 
instructed early in 1869 to design the vineries, 
subject to the approval of Mr. Meredith, of 
Garston, who never made a single alteration in 
the plans. The work was carried out by the 
estate workmen under the immediate superintend¬ 
ence of Mr. Buckenham, who also designed and 
erected the three ranges of forcing-houses in 
1864. There is also an error as to the dimensions 
of the vineries, the exact length is 216 ft 2 ins 
the width 31 ft 6 ins. The trellis is not curvi¬ 
linear, but straight. The vines were planted in 
1870.” [Our correspondent had not, we feel sure, 
the slightest intention of saying anything to 
the prejudice of Mr. Buckenham. He” was 
doubtless unaware of the facts as now stated.] 
Deciduous Teees. "Whatsoever of winter 
beauty there may be seen in deciduous trees 
certainly is now very prominent. All are leafless 
and in the dull winter light, or especially when 
The National Aueicula, and Carnation 
AND PlCOTEE SOCIETIES (SOUTHERN SECTIONS). 
—The Honorary Secretary, Mr. Douglas, informs 
us that arrangements have been made with the 
Council of the Royal Horticultural Society, to hold 
the next Exibitions of these Societies at South 
Kensington as before, the Auricula Show on 
April 21st, and the Carnation and Picotee Show 
on July 28th. The 21st of April is not a com¬ 
mittee day of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
and an effort was made to fix the Exhibition for 
April 28th, but failed, owing to that date having 
been previously appropriated by the Council of 
the Royal Botanical Society of Manchester. A 
meeting of the committee of both Societies will 
be held, by permission, in the Conservatory, at 
South Kensington, on Tuesday, January i3fch, 
immediately aftei the various committees have 
completed their work. The principal business will 
be to pass the rules for Exhibitors, and to arrange 
and sanction the printing of the schedules for 1885. 
