312 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 12, 1895. 
THE HOLY THORN OF 
GLASTONBURY. 
I was informed, a few days ago, by Mr. George Nichol¬ 
son, the Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens at 
Kew, that this precocious Thorn, which is said to 
blossom every year on Christmas Day, and of which 
there are specimens at Kew, did actually blossom at 
the Christmas season, though for two or three years, 
at least, it had not done so much before the ordinary 
Hawthorn of the hedgerow. It is interesting that 
the plant should have, as it were, surrendered for a 
time this peculiarity of unusual precocity, and then 
displayed it again. When I resided in the Denmark 
Road, Ealing Dean, I had a plant of this Thorn 
sent me from Glastonbury. It reached me at the 
end of November, it was duly planted in the 
open, and it certainly bloomed about Christmas. I 
grew it for several years afterwards, but it then budded 
and blossomed in spring, about or a little before the 
usual time at which the common form flowers, and it 
did not again bloom at Christmas. I eventually gave 
it away, thinking that transplanting in autumn and 
a change in position might induce it to revive its 
precocious character, but I never heard of its doing 
so. But that this particular Thorn does abound at 
Glastonbury, where it blossoms at mid-winter, there 
can be no doubt. 
A Curious Tradition. 
The old tradition respecting the Glastonbury Haw¬ 
thorn sets forth that Joseph of Arimathea once 
visited Glastonbury, and there preached the Gospel 
to the inhabitants, who had never heard the good 
news before. On his arrival he felt fatigued, as he 
had walked with feeble steps up a toilsome hill,which 
still bears the Dame Weary-all-hill. It is a steep 
hill to climb, and it is not to be wondered at that 
Joseph should have felt fired. Here he planted his 
Hawthorn staff firmly in the ground, where it at 
once took root and grew into a flourishing tree, 
bearing buds and flowers even in the depth of 
winter. 
It is said that the fact of blooming at Christmas 
rendered its blossoms of so much value to Christian 
nations, who saw in their production miraculous 
testimony to the birth of Christ, that the Bristol 
merchants exported them as things of price to 
foreign lands. The original tree had two trunks 
until the time of Queen Elizabeth, when a Puritan 
—so the record goes—cut down one of them and 
left the other, which was about the girth of an 
ordinary man. The reputation which the Glaston¬ 
bury Thorn still retained, notwithstanding the 
change in religion, may be estimated by the fact 
that it is stated on good authority that King James 
and his Queen, and other persons of distinction, 
gave large sums for small cuttings from the original 
tree. 
Precocity the Result of Natural Conditions. 
Respecting this and similar superstitions, Sir 
Thomas Browne, in his "Vulgar Errors,” tells us : 
" Strange effects are naturally taken for miracles by 
weaker heads, and artificially improved to that 
apprehension by wiser. Certainly many precocious 
trees, and such as spring in the winter, may be found 
in England, Most trees sprout in the fall of the leaf, 
or autumn, and, if not kept back by cold and out¬ 
ward causes, would leaf about the Solstice (or say 
New Year). Now, if it happen that any be so 
strongly constituted as to make this good against 
the power of winter, they may produce their leaves 
or blossoms at that season, and perform that in 
some singles, which is observable in old kinds, as in 
Ivy, which blossoms and bears at least twice a year, 
and once in the.winter; as also itt Furze, which 
flowereth in that season.” In addition to the plants 
named by Sir Thomas Browne as flourishing in 
winter, I may name that beautiful form of the 
Allspice known as Chimonanthus fragrans, which, 
'midst frost and snow, furnishes bunches of 
deliciously fragrant flowers on Christmas Day, the 
blossoms of this winter-loviDg bush being pro¬ 
duced in bunches. But it needs the protection of a 
wall to be able to do this. Also the yellow Jasminum 
nudiflorum, which is in bloom all the winter; the 
common Laurustinus; while Forsythia suspensa 
and viridissima are in blossom in the open before 
winter leaves us. 
What is the Glastonbury Thorn ? 
Simply an early flowering form of our common 
Hawthorn—Crataegus Oxyacantha. How or where 
it gained this property of blooming early I cannot 
say, but this I do know, that a change in the condi¬ 
tions of growth or surrounding circumstances has a 
remarkable effect upon individuals in the vegetable 
kingdom, modifying them in a remarkable manner, 
and in some such matter the Glastonbury Thorn 
was probably developed. 
The Historical Associations of the Hawthorn. 
It has many, and Miss Strickland tells us that when 
Richard III. was slain at Redmore, and his body 
plundered, a soldier hid the crown in a Hawthorn 
bush. It was soon found, and carried to Lord 
Stanley, who placed it on the head of his son-in- 
law, saluting him by the title of Henry VII. In 
memory of this circumstance the House of Tudor 
assumed the device of a crown in a bush of fruited 
Hawthorn. This is thought to be the origin of the 
saying, " Cleave to the crown though it hang on a 
bush.”— R. D. 
-- 
HOW TO GROW TOMATOS 
FOR PROFIT. 
The time is once again drawing near when prepara¬ 
tions will have to be made for the cultivation of this 
beautiful fruit. People are repeatedly saying that 
Tomatos have had their day, and that not nearly so 
many are used now as formerly, forgetting the vast 
numbers of beginners in their culture that are every 
season becoming more plentiful. The demand in 
the market for a smooth, highly-coloured Tomato of 
good flavour will always be brisk. "Prelude'’ has 
again stood the severe test of a very bad season 
admirably, Challenger coming in a good second. I 
have seen this season plants of the former variety 
bearing from ten to twelve pounds each of fine 
marketable fruit. Heavy cropping, smooth varieties 
are difficult to obtain, but these two sorts I have 
mentioned I can confidently recommend. Large, 
coarse fruits, even if they are of a smooth appear¬ 
ance, do not command any great sale. 
As it is useless to expect good results from the 
culture of inferior varieties, the choosing of a good 
reliable sort is essential to success in Tomato 
culture. The next point upon which I would like to 
lay stress is that of the sowing of the seed. I would 
recommend sowing for a main crop not later than 
from the middle of March to the beginning of April. 
Many seasons’ experience have convinced me that 
if you want plants bearing trusses of fruit right 
from the bottom that you must not sow too early. 
I know of many growers that have already sown 
their seed, some of the plants being even now up; 
but to my mind the present weather is anything but 
conducive to good growth. 
These plants, together with the necessity for a 
good position to grow the plants in, are the main 
features of successful Tomato growing. I prefer 
the single rod system of training, all laterals being 
kept well in check. Plant widely apait and firmly, 
and if the foliage is healthy, instead of cutting and 
hacking every leaf, choose those which are near the 
flower truss, give them an upward jerk, thus remov¬ 
ing them completely. Avoid damp by judicious 
watering, ventilating, firing, etc. Never be niggardly 
in the use of the last. Avoid all stimulants as 
poison until the plants have reached a good size. 
Tomatos are very excitable subjects, and the least 
drop of stimulant acts upon them in pretty much 
the same way as whiskey does on a young lad that 
has ne’er tasted. Deal the manure water out in 
small quantities, using judgment in its application, 
when the result will be entirely satisfactory.— J. G. 
Pettinger, Strawberry Dale Nursery, Harrogate. 
THE PUBLIC PARK 
OF GHENT. 
The site of the public park of Ghent occupies a 
surface of about 75 acres or thereby. The land 
formed the glacis of the citadelle of Ghent, con¬ 
structed in 1822, after the plan of the Dutch officer Gey 
Van Pittius and approved of by the Duke of Welling¬ 
ton. It had been planted with trees and shrubs, but 
that plantation, done without care and without 
technical knowledge, was for some length of time a 
waste, when the Belgian government ceded it to the 
town in 1871. Its form is that of an irregular 
polygon. It was very difficult to form a plan con¬ 
jointly from the very origin, the land having only 
been put at the disposition of the architects succes¬ 
sively. M. Ed. Pynaert while describing the public 
park in the Revue de L'Horticultural Beige, says that 
the greatest part of the park has been laid out by 
our colleague, M. H. J. Van Hulle, who was at that 
period inspector of plantations of the town of Ghent. 
That is the roughest part, to-day as the trees planted 
upon the slope of the fortifications have taken a 
certain shape, the visitors to the park are unanimous 
in recognizing the art and the science which have 
presided in the choice of the divers subjects selected 
and permitted to make rapid headway, and a 
beautiful decorative effect at little expense. 
Happy transformations have since been made in 
the less uneven part. The most important consists 
in the excavating and management of a piece of 
water of irregular outline, having a surface of more 
than 6,000 yards. It has been established under con¬ 
ditions relatively not very burdensome, in a natural 
depression of the soil; its level is from two yards 
less elevated than that of another piece of water 
known under the name of the swan pond. That is 
fed by the water coming from the reservoirs of the 
general town supply, or taken directly from the 
Escaut. Fortunately being situated upon the high 
grounds of Mount Saint Pierre, the culminating 
point of the town separating the basin of the Lys 
from that of the Escaut, the ponds of the park 
are assured against a scarcity of water, thanks to 
that latter mode of supply. It is that which has 
suggested to the communal administration the happy 
idea of relying upon the two pieces of w ater. The 
swan pond falls into the lower pond by a beautiful 
cascade (of which a beautiful illustration is given in 
the January number of our contemporary), giving a 
fall of water almost fifteen yards in width. The 
masses of rock which extend on either side of that 
cascade lose themselves in the verd ure. Above that very 
decorative mass, a bridge fifteen yards wide is thrown. 
A photogravure of that work of art is also repro¬ 
duced ; the structure, both the arch and appendages, 
consists of cement. It was executed after the system 
of Monnier by MM. Picha Brothers & Co., of 
Ghent. That very elegant construction is of recog¬ 
nised solidity, inasmuch as the arch has only a thick¬ 
ness of 3J in.; the bridge has undergone the proof 
of the passage of a carriage charged with 10,000 
kilogrammes (about ten tons). The approaches were 
entrusted to M. A. Detreeuw, of Brussels. They 
have been conceived with taste and sobriety; the work 
is marked out with black lines to represent large and 
massive stones. 
The park of Ghent grows more handsome and 
transforms itself every year, thanks to the efforts of 
two principal officials, the alderman, M. Octave Bru- 
neel, and the inspector of plantations. M. Henri 
Moerman. Unfortunately, the local resources do 
not permit of immediately realising the projects 
elaborated by the administration. It is hoped that 
the town will soon be able to complete its work in 
demolishing the barracks of the old citadel estab¬ 
lished in the middle of the park upon a space of 
thirteen acres, and which forms an islet more 
spirited than picturesque. The barracks gone, the 
park can be finished, and it counts for certain 
amongst the most beautiful parks of Europe. A fact 
will prove to what extent it is popular. Hardly a 
planting season passes duriDg which particulars do 
not come of species of rare plants or of new intro¬ 
duction to put at the disposal of the communal 
authority. It is Dr. Burggraeve, an old communal 
councillor, who has taken the initiative in these 
gifts of trees, and his example has already found 
numerous imitators. 
CUPRESSUS NUTKAENSIS LUTEA. 
There are now several golden Conifers in cultiva¬ 
tion, of which Retinospora plumosa aurea and 
Cupressus Lawsonianus luteus are perhaps the most 
common. Less common in collections are Retino¬ 
spora obtusa aurea, R. o. gracilis aurea, R. pisifera 
aurea, R. filifera aurea, and R. filicoides tetragona 
aurea. There are also some golden Junipers. One 
of the most recent golden Conifers to be put into 
commerce is Cupressus nutkaensis lutea. Notwith¬ 
standing that it was raised some ten or twelve years 
ago it is only beginning to come before the public. 
The older plants are, however, of good size, say 
from 5 ft. to 9 ft. high. In habit and vigour of 
growth it is equal to the type, though, as might 
naturally be expected, it may not grow so rapidly. 
Golden Conifers seldom do. The habit of C. 
nutkaensis and its general appearance is so different 
from C. Lawsonianus that the two are worth grow¬ 
ing for the sake of the different hues alone. The 
branches and twigs of the former are much stouter 
and this gives to its golden variety a robust appear¬ 
ance well shown in the accompanying illustration^ 
