828 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 19, 1895. 
DEATH OF MR. WM. THOMSON OF 
CLOVENFORDS. 
With deep regret, which will be shared in by all 
who knew him, we have to record the death on 
Saturday morning last of Mr. William Thomson, of 
the Tweed Vineyard, Clovenfords, near Galashiels, 
in his eighty-first year. Until the third inst. he had 
been in excellent health, vigorous in body and mind, 
with eyesight still good and his hearing only slightly 
dulled, but on that day when taking his usual walk 
to the Manse at Caddonfoot, a little hamlet near to 
Clovenfords on the banks of the Galawater, when he 
accidentally tripped and fell. Although not in any 
way bruised or hurt, his system sustained a shock 
which brought on a chill, and that developed into 
pneumonia and jaundice, with the fatal result we 
now record, and thus has passed from amongst us 
one of Scotland’s greatest gardeners, a man of world¬ 
wide renown, whom to know was to honour for his 
great skill as a horticulturist, his wide range of 
knowledge, and high moral character. 
As we learn from an appreciative notice of his 
career in The Scotsman, Mr. Thomson’s ancestors 
were located for generations in the Border county 
of Roxburgh, where Mr. Thomson was born in 1814, 
but his father having been sent by Sir Waller Scott 
as land steward on the estate of Maclaine of Loch- 
buie in 1816, the family were brought up in the 
Island of Mull, where his brother, Mr. David 
Thomson, of Drumlanrig, was born in 1824. In the 
Island of Mull, Mr. William Thomson served his 
apprenticeship as a gardener under Mr. Wilson, 
afterwards wood manager on the Penrhyn estates in 
North Wales. Leaving his island home, Mr. 
Thomson acquired experience in his profession, 
like all young gardeners of his time, in serving as a 
journeyman and foreman in various good gardens in 
Scotland, ultimately being employed in the latter 
capacity under the late Mr. Andrew Turnbull at 
Bothwell Castle, the seat of the Earl of Home, in 
Lanarkshire. This place was then one of the most 
famed in Scotland as a school lor horticulture, and 
especially for the cultivation of hard-wooded green¬ 
house plants, the collection of Cape Heaths being 
one of the very finest in this country, and remained 
so until the death of Mr. Turnbull, about a decade 
ago. Young Thomson reaped the full advantage 
of serving under such a distinguished horticulturist 
as Mr. Turnbull, and when he had completed his 
service at Bothwell Castle he was appointed gar¬ 
dener to the Hon. Mr. Byng, at Wrotham Park, 
near Barnet, about the year 1839. There he 
remained for sixteen years, and acquired great 
experience as a horticulturist as well as a contributor 
to horticultural literature, then in its infancy. 
During that period he was well known at the great 
horticultural shows, then in the hey-day of their 
fame in and around London, taking an active part 
as an exhibitor and a judge, and acquiring consider¬ 
able reputation as an authority on Grapes and their 
successful cultivation. On the retirement of Mr. 
Charles M'lntosh, the famed author of the “ Book 
of the Garden,” from the charge of the Duke of 
Buccleuch’s gardens at Dalkeith Palace, in 1855, Mr. 
Thomson was appointed his successor, and in that 
prominent position in the gardening world he fully 
maintained his skill and reputation as a leading 
horticulturist of the time. As editor for some years 
of the Scottish Gardener, he did much to stimulate 
a taste .for gardening among the community, and 
especially among his professional brethren, on his 
favourite topic, the cultivation of the Grape vine. 
While at Dalkeith he also wrote "A Practical 
Treatise on the Cultivation of the Grape Vine,” 
which has run through several editions and still 
remains a standard work on vine culture. 
Always a keen and successful competitor at the 
shows of the Edinburgh Horticultural Society and 
of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, 
where he won many prizes for the excellence of his 
exhibits, he turned his attention to the raising of 
new varieties of fruits and flowers, and in the latter 
years of his career at Dalkeith he was successful in 
raising the two well-known varieties of white grapes, 
the Duke of Buccleuch, a large, luscious, golden- 
berried variety, much relished by those who prefer a 
mild-flavoured, juicy grape; and the Duchess of 
Buccleuch, a handsome bunched variety, with 
smallish golden berries of the richest flavour. He 
also raised two other seedling grapes which 
appeared in commerce while he was at Dalkeith— 
viz,, Golden Champion and White Lady Downs— 
but neither is much grown at the present time. Mr. 
Thomson remained also for sixteen years at Dal¬ 
keith, leaving there in 1871, when he established the 
Tweed Vineyard at Clovenfords, the fame of which 
has spread far and wide among grape growers. 
In latter years he was assisted by his sons in the 
business at Clovenfords, (one of whom, the eldest, 
William, died in July, 1893), where besides the 
growing of grapes on a large scale, a fine business 
has been created in orchids and other high-class 
plants, as well as in an excellent Vine and Plant 
manure, to which much of Mr. Thomson's success 
as a grape grower is attributed. Since he estab¬ 
lished himself at Clovenfords, Mr. Thomson has 
created around him quite a little town of industry, 
where formerly there was a mere hamlet, with the 
usual country inn and blacksmith, and joiner s shop 
of the neighbourhood. He has all along taken a keen 
interest in horticultural affairs, and was a regular 
attendant at the shows of the Royal Caledonian 
Horticultural Society, where his well known robust 
figure with white hat was always a centre of rally to 
a crowd of his gardening friends and the general 
horticultural public. He is survived by his youngest 
son, Mr. John Thompson, and two daughters, one of 
whom has been for some years an invalid, and great 
sympathy is felt for their loss in horticultural 
circles. 
--*•- 
A SECRETARIAL DILEMMA. 
I fully endorse ” R. D.’s” sensible remarks and 
practical suggestions (p. 309), regarding the intro¬ 
duction of young foliage plants as a ground work for 
hiding the pots and other hideous things so often 
used and exposed to view in the arranging of large 
specimen plants. It is but too true as ” R. D.” 
states that a grand effect is often utterly spoilt by 
these unsightly objects, whereas if dwarf plants 
were used as a setting, what now so much offends 
the eye would be hidden in a natural way. I com¬ 
mend the Western secretary for his pains in seeking 
out new ideas for making his show attractive and 
pleasing to the public taste. I have for years past 
visited the principal shows in the United Kingdom 
annually, and have got sick of the sight of the same 
huge and worn-out specimens (especially of foliage 
plants), shown year after year, and in many cases 
exactly in the same position. As regards flowering 
plants the case is a little different. Here we certainly 
see a little change, as to get them fit for the various 
exhibitions depends more upon circumstances than is 
the case with foliage plants, which may be said to be 
always ready. 
” R. D.’s ” second idea is also a good one, and, if 
carried out, would give many a gardener a chance of 
exhibiting who has not the time to train specimens, 
and, at the same time, would enable the public to get 
an idea of the natural habits of the various objects 
exhibited. I am ignorant of the time at which the 
particular show referred to is held, but in May or 
June a good display of hardy Rhododendrons would 
form a grand feature if planted out, as they have 
them at Manchester. Hardy Ferns in pots are not 
always so much encouraged as they deserve to be ; 
and at the autumn show much more might be made 
of hardy trees and shrubs flowering or pictorial 
leaved. Fruiting Vines and other fruit trees in 
pots when well done always form a most interesting 
feature, but require a good prize to bring them out. 
Dinner table decorations for ten or twelve persons 
are always attractive, especially to the fair sex, and 
a tent devoted to these and classes of cut flowers for 
personal adornment would, I feel sure.be attractive and 
interesting anywhere. One of the grandest features, 
to my way of thinking, that has ever been introduced 
into horticultural exhibitions is the classes for groups 
arranged for effect, and the glorious examples that 
have been seen about the country must have inspired 
and encouraged many a brother to try his hand at 
home in the development of new ideas and the im¬ 
provement of decorative work, no doubt, with satis¬ 
faction alike to himself and his employer. How 
often do we see exposed to one's full gaze, the un¬ 
tidy underneath part of the stages where cut flowers, 
fruit, and vegetables, are exhibited ; a green drapery 
is the best colour, I think, and now being so cheap 
could easily be procured to remedy this unsightli¬ 
ness, and would help to show off the exhibits to 
greater advantage.— Rusticus. 
The National Chrysanthemum Society’s Year Book 
for 1895 .—Edited by Mr. Harman Payne, F.R.H.S. Price, is.; 
post free, is. i£d., from the Publisher of the Gardening 
World, i, Clement's Inn, Strand, W.C. 
WINDOW GARDENING.* 
The ground I have to traverse this evening is of a 
most circumscribed character, or I would rather say, 
the space to which I have to call your attention is 
scarcely on the ground at all, it can hardly be said 
to exist in the air—still, it is between heaven and 
earth, and may be described as a little space, a ledge 
projecting from a larger building, a shelf, a sill, the 
lower portion of a window casement, sometimes 3 ft. 
by 6 in., 4 ft. by 9 in., 5 ft. by 1 ft., and every other 
figure in length and width comprised in the dimen¬ 
sions I have just given. Ah, but I hear some saying, 
what of the space inside the window ? Surely we 
have more room there, and our limits are not so 
restricted as on the outer shelf. Well, truly, you 
may have a little more room for development there, 
but at best in regard to a question of space we must 
acknowledge that the enthusiastic amateur in this 
phase of the matter is necessarily cribbed, cabined 
and confined. 
Do I then say, Why have thoughts at all in this 
direction ? Why attempt that which seems so diffi¬ 
cult of attainment ? Should I then neglect the 
adornment of my windows because they are of such 
small dimensions ? Well, there are those who would 
answer these questions in such a manner that, 
although no word was uttered, one could quickly see 
that to them the idea is distasteful, the labour too 
irksome, the patience necessary is of too severe a 
nature ; in fact, there is no desire for added beauty, 
no determination to secure that which is pleasing 
and joy-inspiring, and so the subject is simply per¬ 
mitted to glide out of thought, to slip away from the 
mind, and in a very short time, that which might 
have been an attraction and charm, a mark of neat¬ 
ness and beauty, is just allowed to remain as so 
many of its fellows, a bare, unattractive, repellent 
shelf with no redeeming feature to break the 
monotony of the hard, harsh, ugly lines. 
However, I take it that you are not of that num¬ 
ber. If remission of duty has been laid at your 
door in days gone by, that neglect has been atoned 
for, sorrow has been expressed for omissions that 
have passed, a brighter and more cheering frame of 
mind has come to you, and that now and henceforth 
you will each in your sphere do all you can to add 
to the pleasure and beauty of your own dwellings, 
and by concerted action give such a charm and 
attractiveness to our towns and adjoining villages, 
that visitors may feast their eyes on the beauties you 
spread out, and their gladness causes them to send 
information to their friends that, if there is one 
place in all Devonshire where a floral display in full 
glory may be seen, and where gazing upon Nature's 
beauties may be indulged in under most pleasant 
conditions, and gratis withal, surely that place is 
Exmouth—and no other seaside town can show any¬ 
thing approaching it. 
I am led to make this suggestion inasmuch as it 
appears to me there is much room for improvement 
in this matter in the windows of the houses here. 
Whether it is that the sea has greater attractions, 
or the country lanes have a winsomeness about 
them, that is different to most other places I do not 
pretend to say ; but it does seem to me that a little 
more embellishment might be carried out, and that 
many floral displays might be attempted, nay, 
successfully accomplished, if only a thought were 
given to the matter, a little labour expended, and a 
slight cost incurred. 
I remember many years ago being taken to some 
relatives who were living not far from King's Cross 
Station, London. There were no underground 
railways, no trams, and but a very limited number 
of buses. The air in that part of London then was 
much more helpful to plant life than is the case at 
present. I remember noticing in the windows some 
flower pots in which some Auriculas were growing, 
and in their season brought fine clusters of flowers. 
As a reward for some service rendered, some portions 
were broken off and given to me. I took great care 
of them, and my Auriculas for a long time were the 
talk of my home, and among the pets of my garden. 
Some few years after, among my schoolfellows 
was one whose father was a florist, with greenhouses, 
vineries, etc., and many beds of choice Dahlias and 
Tulips. I was always willing to hurry home from 
school, accompanying my companion to his garden, 
and assisting him in light duties that devolved upon 
him. On one occasion, I remember, he very 
*A paper read by Mr. W. Swan, Bystock, at a recent meeting 
at the Withycombe Workmen's Institute, Exmouth. 
