August 8th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
777 
COLLIERS’ GARDENS AT 
SWINTON. 
In my former note on a collier’s garden (see p. 727) 
I said the influence of the Messrs. Tyldesley among 
the colliers in this district is great, and I had reason 
for saying so. How powerful that influence is, is readily 
seen when you get among these lovers of plants and 
flowers. Question any of their propositions, or tell 
them they have a plant wrongly named, and Mr. 
Tyldesley is at once quoted as an authority. As you 
walk through their cottage gardens, or peep into their 
greenhouses (home made one’s) or their frames, you 
will see Ferns, among other things. Ask, “ "What 
have you here ?” and you will get a name, not, per¬ 
haps, pronounced in the orthodox manner, but in such 
a way that you can understand what they mean, and 
in all probability you will be told also that “ it is a 
piece I had from Bill Tyldesley,” and the fact of its 
coming from Mr. Tyldesley adds a certain high-class 
were managed would put many a man to the blush 
who calls himself a gardener ; they had plenty of air 
and were not drawn up. Up the rafters and over the 
roof of the houses were Boses growing, and on the 
stages Fuchsias and Pelargoniums also coming on for 
autumn showing. Dahlias were all planted out, 
staked, the shades ready, and the ground mulched. 
Bed and other Cabbages were carefully attended to. 
French Marigolds and Stocks, Gooseberries and herba¬ 
ceous and Alpine plants were not overlooked; and 
had you seen the owner as he came from the pit, ere 
he had had his tea, or “ baggin,” or taken off his 
pit flannel, how carefully he looked to his pets, you 
would have said, “ That man is a real gardener.” At 
Holyrood School they have a gardening society, and the 
Bev. Mr. Dearden gives every encouragement to these 
parishioners of his, and good shows they have generally. 
Among other prizes are some for the neatest kept gar¬ 
dens, and it is a real pleasure in passing the gardens 
Formerly he had a florist’s nursery at Pendleton, but 
being crowded out he took upon cheap rent one 
or two acres' of land, built himself a house, and 
put up some glass. Outdoors and in it is just 
fitted for the class of trade in the district. The 
ground is laid out in beds filled chiefly with flower¬ 
ing plants, such as Boses, Pinks, Carnations, 
various Lilies, &c. 
The various beds are edged with different sorts of 
mossy Saxifrages, particularly we noticed good long 
rows of S. crustata, which was novel and had a 
good effect. Numerous plants, native and exotic, 
are grown here to meet the demand for them 
among the working men who study botany. The 
houses were full of a general collection of plants, 
including several kinds of Cape Pelargoniums. The 
roofs of the houses have a steep pitch, and are well 
clothed with Tea Boses or Noisettes for early flowering, 
and I heard that it was no uncommon thing to cut 
value to the plant in their estimation. As a further 
illustration of the hold the Messrs. Tyldesley have 
on these little amateur gardeners, I may mention that 
two well-known men, whose services are often in 
nquest at various flower and vegetable shows, and who 
are known to be good practical men of extensive 
experience, some time ago made an award to certain 
exhibits which one or two exhibitors disputed the justice 
of, and they would not be satisfied until they had 
consulted the younger Tyldesley. To him, on asking 
why the judges had so awarded the prizes, an explan¬ 
ation was given which satisfied him, and that was 
sufficient for the disputants, one of whom observed, 
“ I’ll tak kere an’ liken ’im next tame.” 
One garden we saw lately contained three green¬ 
houses and some frames, and in the latter were some 
good Giant Bocca Onions, raised from seeds sown 
in the spring, as also some Leeks, and grand stuff 
they were, but I had better not mention the grower’s 
name, as I may perhaps be called upon to pass 
another opinion upon them. In other gardens I 
caught a glance of some Asters and other things 
being grown for a show, and the way these things 
of the competitors to note their various tastes and ideas 
of what a garden should be. I am not certain which 
pleased me most, the front gardens or the well¬ 
decorated windows. Would that there were more of 
such pretty sights to be seen in every town and 
village, for it is a well-attested fact that these garden 
lovers are the tradesmen’s best customers. I was 
lately passing a nursery at Old Lane, Swinton, belong¬ 
ing to Mr. Pearson, who commenced it about three 
years ago, and as I had never been in it, and saw a 
notice board inviting any one to walk in, I embraced 
the opportunity, and, while speaking to the proprietor, 
his foreman came up with two or three colliers, just 
from the pit, who were inquiring for one or two Bose- 
trees which would be suitable for showing in two or 
three months’ time, and these hard-working fellows 
were ready to pay five shillings each for plants to grow 
in their windows or frames, on the chance of winning 
a prize perhaps not equal in amount to the sum they 
paid. 
While mentioning this nursery I may as well add a 
few words about what I saw in it. Mr. Pearson seems 
to be just the right man in the right place here. 
over a thousand blooms a day last spring. That 
such a place as this was required, is evident by the 
fact that another house 80 ft. long is about to be 
erected to grow Ferns. 
Leaving here, I looked into a garden in which 
Celery was being grown for exhibition, and I found 
the grower busy with a tin can in his hand watering 
his plants with some liquor out of a bucket; what it 
was I did not inquire, but I noticed he was careful 
that not a drop touched the foliage or got into 
the heart, but carefully poured round so as to reach 
the fibrous roots ; the season is not favourable 
for Celery, being hot and dry, therefore it is not so 
large as I have seen it in other years. Great pains are 
taken with Celery here ; the colliers don’t simply dig 
a trench and put in green rank manure, set out the 
plants and leave them, they like to heavily manure 
the ground and turn it over by deep digging two or 
three times ; in fact they prepare their ground during 
winter, and when planting time comes the whole. is 
rich and in good condition for the roots to work in. 
Many useful hints may be obtained from cottagers in 
garden matters.— N. J. D. 
