440 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
March 14th, 1885. 
Tie JtMATEIM’ §AIBEN. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
While the weather is gentle and mild, no fires will 
be needed, but should it change, it will be necessary to 
exercise much care to keep frost out, and in ventilating, 
as March winds are often very cutting, and unless air is 
given cautiously, much harm will result to the plants. 
These will now dry fast, and should be looked over 
frequently to see that they do not suffer from want of 
water, which, when the ball is dry, ought to be given 
in sufficient quantity to wet it thoroughly through, 
and especially is this important in the case of hard- 
wooded subjects, such as Heaths, Epacris, and Azaleas, 
to make sure of which being properly soaked, it is a 
good plan to water them a second time, filling the 
pots as full as they will hold, when they should stand 
without more till they become dry again. Treated in 
this way plants cannot fail to be healthy, as the soil 
they are in remains sweet and good, thus favouring 
root-action and a corresponding free growth of the 
top. 
Soft-wooded things like Cinerarias, Pelargoniums, 
Spiraeas, Calceolarias, and others of that class that are 
now flowering, or growing freely, can hardly be kept 
too wet, especially if they are pot-bound, and the 
drainage is free, as the more limited the soil the 
greater the quantity of water they want. One of the 
showiest and best plants for amateurs, as mentioned 
in our last, is the Imantophyllum miniatum, which 
has fine, dark, thick, narrow leaves, about 18 ins. 
long, and sends up magnificent heads of large Lily¬ 
like flowers of a bright orange-scarlet, which last a 
long time in perfection. Gladiolus Col villi is so 
lovely that no greenhouse should be without it, as it 
is very early, and affords great variety in the lovely 
colouring of their petals, and there is a pure white 
kind, The Bride, which, as well as the others, is 
valuable for cutting, and all form charming pot-plants. 
As the bulbs are small, they should be potted, six or 
so in a 7-in. pot, the soil most suitable being fibry 
loam, in which the bulbs should be just buried, and 
have but little water till they come well into leaf. 
Gladiolus byzantinus is also a fine thing for pot 
culture, and the tall kinds, seedlings of G. Breneh- 
leyensis and G. gandavensis also make a fine show. 
BEDS AND BORDERS. 
The pruning of Roses ought now to be no longer 
delayed, as every day’s growth at the ends of the 
shoots weakens the back buds, which require all the 
sap now to make them push strongly. To prune 
Roses properly some little knowledge of sorts is 
required, as Teas only need a little shortening back 
of the large shoots and a thinning out or cutting away 
of the weaker, and the climbing sorts, such as 
Marechal Niel, Gloire de Dijon, Solfaterre, and the 
Banksians, must not be cut in at all, but simply thinned 
nd have as many of the best shoots laid in or left 
as breast-wood as there is room for, when they will 
send out flowers along their entire length and make a 
magnificent show. Perpetuals, either standards or 
dwarfs, may, as a rule.be pruned back to two or three 
buds, and the weak shoots cut out, that the others 
may be left regular with plenty of room to send out 
the young growths. If the plants are dug between or 
around, the ground should only be just pricked over 
or broken up shallow, or the roots will be injured, and 
to give these every chance it is better to top-dress 
with rotten dung or droppings of stable manure, 
either of which may be hidden by sprinkling a little 
soil over and leaving it to be washed down by the 
rain. 
Herbaceous plants of all kinds will now be starting 
in the borders, and in cases where they have become 
large, or are spreading too far, may be divided or 
reduced, and the pieces taken off transplanted else¬ 
where, as at this season they can be moved with 
perfect safety and soon get strong hold again. The 
best way is to cut the crowns right through with a 
sharp spade and dig the portion up bodily, leaving 
the other to grow on again where it stands, but, to 
give this part every encouragement, the hole made 
by the side should be filled in with rich soil, and this 
pressed firm to the roots. For making a fine display 
there are few things equal to Gladiolus, and, though 
the named kinds of these are dear, seedlings almost 
equally good may be had cheap, as plenty are offered 
at about 20s. per 100. Brenchleyensis, that grand old 
sort which sends up brilliant spikes of scarlet flowers, 
may be had for even less, and with care in planting 
and storing when once purchased the stock may soon 
be increased, as they form other corms at the side. 
To have the plants in bloom early no time should be 
lost in planting, and it is a good plan to put more in 
later on to keep up a succession. 
The way Gladiolus look best is in clumps of three, 
the bulbs or corms being put in triangularly, at about 
6 ins. apart, or they may be dotted singly among 
dwarf Roses, or other low-growing plants, in which 
positions they raise their bold heads and make a fine 
show. The right depth to plant is about 4 ins., the 
soil most suitable being that which is rich and sharp, 
and if not the latter, the bulbs should be covered with 
sand, which will drain off the water from them and 
keep them more healthy. 
With the beds and borders in trim, attention should 
be directed to the walks and lawn, as well as verges or 
edgings, that they may be put in proper order, the 
first-named of which, if weedy, discoloured, or uneven, 
had better be broken up, and re-surfaced with fine 
binding gravel, and if this is then rolled down, after 
rain, it will soon become firm, and look fresh and well 
for the season. To have a lawn or grass verges in 
good condition, they must not only be level, but free 
from weeds, which are a great disfigurement, especially 
such as Plaintain, Dandelion or Daisies, all of which 
may soon be destroyed or eradicated by wetting their 
crowns with vitriolic acid, or spudding them out. The 
first method is the quickest and easiest, and will 
therefore commend itself, but the use of the acid 
requires care to keep it from the clothes, which it 
burns where it touches. The way to apply it to the 
weeds is to carry it in a wide-mouthed bottle, sus¬ 
pended by the neck with a piece of wire, when, by 
having a stick in the right hand, it may be dipped 
rapidly into the acid, and then on to the weed, till the 
whole are doctored, soon after which they will turn 
black and die away altogether. 
To put the grass-plots or verges right where they 
are unlevel, the turf must be cut and raised where the 
depressions are, and have soil put under, and hills 
lowered by taking some of the earth away, or ramming 
them when in a soft wet state, at which time the high 
parts will press down, after which a few heavy rollings 
will put a good face on the whole. In cases where 
the grass is thin, some fresh seed should be sown, 
but before doing this it is necessary to give the 
surface a raking to break up the soil, and again, after 
the seed is on to harrow or cover it in. The proper 
seeds to get are the lawn mixtures, which nurserymen 
select and sell for the purpose, as they are a blending 
of fine grasses, and small-growing clover, which make 
a close bottom and look well all the year round. 
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GARDEN. 
The buds of Vines will now be swelling fast, and 
should have every encouragement afforded them by 
syringing the rods with tepid water every afternoon, 
on sunny days, shutting up early, at the same time 
that the solar heat may be made use of for raising the 
temperature and helping to keep it up during the night. 
If the outside border is not already mulched over, it 
ought to be done at once, nothing being better for the 
purpose than horse droppings, or short fresh manure, 
the juices of which will be washed down by the rains 
and feed and nourish the roots. 
To afford a chance of a crop of fruit on Peaches 
and Apricots on open walls, it will be necessary to 
protect the trees, as otherwise, in the early state the 
blossoms now are, they are almost sure to be cut off 
by frost, or destroyed by the cold rains dashing against 
them. To prevent this, it is a good plan to put a 
board to act as a coping at the top of the wall, from 
the front of which board, old fishing net, two or three 
times thick, may be strained and let down, and made 
fast to stakes in the ground, in which way an 
excellent shelter is formed. If less open material than 
net be used, it must not be left on by day, as the 
partial exclusion of light, sun and air, tends much to 
weaken the flowers. As Strawberries make their fresh 
annual roots from the stems just below the crowns, it 
is always advisable, at this season, to draw some soil 
up round the plants so as to cover these parts, which 
may be done quickly with a hoe, after which the 
spaces between the rows should be mulched with half- 
rotten manure. 
In the vegetable department a busy time is opening 
as all late kinds of Potatos ought to be planted at 
once, for, in ordinary seasons, much depends in 
getting them in early, as then there is a greater 
chance of their escaping disease, which generally 
shows itself towards the end of July, and if the 
haulm and tubers are not at that time in a forward 
state, the crop is seldom much good. Myatt’s, and 
other early kinds, are best out of the ground till 
April, when, the earth being so much warmer, they 
come up stronger and make a more rapid growth. 
The seeds to get in now, if not already done, are 
Onions, Parsnips, Spinach, Milan Turnips, Short-horn 
Carrot, Radishes, a small bed of Snow’s Broccoli, Early 
London Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, and a border or 
row of Parsley. 
— o—■ ■ - —c — 
MR. B. S. WILLIAMS. 
We have to-day the pleasure of presenting our 
readers with the portrait of Mr. B. S. Williams, of 
the Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway, 
whose fame as a cultivator and exhibitor of Orchids 
and oilier plants, combined with the great success he 
has achieved in his business as a nurseryman and 
seedsman, has for years past rendered his name as 
“ familiar as household words ” throughout the horti¬ 
cultural world. As an exhibitor—a constant exhibitor 
—of plants of the highest merit, for over forty years, 
at the leading Shows in this country, and at most of 
the international exhibitions on the Continent, as a 
sound writer on the cultivation of stove and green¬ 
house plants, orchids, and ferns, and as an enthusiastic 
supporter of every movement that has for its object 
the advancement of the art of gardening, it can 
honestly be said, to Mr. Williams’s honour, that few 
other men can show such a record of splendid services 
rendered to horticulture, whilst for his thorough good 
nature, and genial bonhomie he is universally respected 
and esteemed. 
Mr. Williams came of a good gardening stock, being 
the fourth son of Mr. James Williams, of Hoddesden, 
who now in his eighty-ninth year is still hale and 
hearty, and still gardener in the service which he 
entered sixty-eight years ago. The subject of these 
remarks was born on the 2nd of March, 1824, and 
leaving school at the age of fourteen years, commenced 
that gardening career, which all will hope he may 
continue for many years to come, under his father in 
the famous garden of Mr. John Warner. At seventeen 
years of age Mr. Williams left the garden at Hoddesden 
for another situation, which he retained for some six 
years, and it was while in this service, and at the age 
of twenty years, that he entered the competitive arena, 
his first favourite—as has been that of many a famous 
florist—being the Pansy. After a short term subse¬ 
quently in the nursery of Messrs. Adam Paul & Son, 
at Cheshunt, Mr. Williams returned to Hoddesden, 
and again under his father had charge of the fruit 
and vegetable gardens. He subsequently entered the 
service of Mr. C. B. Warner as Orchid grower, in 
which position he proved such an adept cultivator 
that he was soon able to make his appearance as an 
exhibitor at Chiswick and Regent’s Park, in the palmy 
days of those famous places. For several years Mi - . 
Williams continued in Mr. C. B. Warner’s employ¬ 
ment, and each year added something to his reputation 
as a skilful plantsman. In 1856 he commenced 
business as a nurseryman in the Seven Sisters Road, 
Holloway, and some five or six years afterwards 
removed to his present position at the foot of Highgate 
Hill , then an open spot, but now entirely surrounded 
with bricks and mortar. 
Mr. Williams first became a writer on the culti¬ 
vation of plants in 1851, when Dr. Bindley, recognizing 
his skill as a grower, induced him to contribute a 
series of articles on “ Orchids for the Million ” to The 
Gardener's Chronicle, and which was the foundation 
of The Orchid Grower’s Manual, published in 1842, 
by Messrs. Chapman and Hall. Subsequently Mr. 
Williams undertook the publication of his own works, 
and edition followed edition, until of “ The Manual ” 
the fifth was called for a year or two ago, and the sixth 
is in the press. His Choice Stove and Greenhouse 
Flants in two volumes, one devoted to flowering and 
