May 11, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
685 
Tomatos are grown under glass. The earliest 
ones, a batch of Sutton’s Earliest of All, are just 
now ripening their fruit. The plants are grown two 
in a io-in. pot, and from the quantity of fruit they 
carry it is very evident that it is not necessary to 
give Tomatos very large pots to do them well. 
Needless to say the plants are treated liberally with 
regard to supplies of liquid manure, "Thompson’s 
Vine and Plant Manure’’ being Mr. McLeod’s 
favourite, as it is so much safer to use than many 
others now upon the market. Vast numbers of 
Strawberries are forced year by year, over 4,000 
plants being thus treated. La Grosse Sucrse and 
Laxton's Noble are the two varieties which find 
most favour for forcing purposes at Dover House. 
In the kitchen and fruit gardens everything 
vegetable gardens is a feature that is but seldom seen 
in gardens. The plants are neatly staked, the stakes 
being about 4 ft. in height and are allowed to grow 
to within about 8 or 10 ins. of the top when they are 
stopped, this causing them to throw out strong 
laterals, and to flower freely right from the 
bottom. In the kitchen garden things are well for¬ 
ward for the late season. Peas on a south border 
are just commencing to flower, while Asparagus is 
throwing up well. A patch of spring Cabbage, 
Ellam's Early, that has stood the winter apparently 
unharmed, is deserving of mention as being by far 
the best that we have seen this year, when almost 
everything has been cut down. To keep the flower 
garden in order it is evident that a vast amount of 
labour and trouble is necessary, for almost every 
of its rarity. We trust the example set at Dover 
House of studying the comforts of the young men 
employed in the garden will before long find many 
followers, for that an improvement in this direction 
is urgently needed it is impossible to deny. 
-- 
CATTLEYA HARDYANA. 
The recent sale of the late Mr. Owen’s Orchids at 
Selwood, Rotherham, shows the high estimation in 
which this supposed natural hybrid and its varieties 
is held by the public. The great size of the flowers 
and their extraordinary beauty is no doubt respon¬ 
sible for this evidence of public favour, but the 
comparative scarcity of this type must also be taken 
into consideration. The accompanying illustration 
appeared to be full of promise for the future. 
Apples, Pears, and Cherries are here, as in many 
other places, carrying great quantities of bloom. 
Each year the wall trees are unloosed from their 
ties and the walls white-washed. It may easily be 
imagined to what great advantage the delicate green 
of the foliage appears against the white surface of 
the wall. Strawberries are showing well for bloom, 
although it will not be possible to gather fruit from 
the open ground on May 15th of this year, as Mr. 
McLeod informed us was done two seasons ago. The 
plants are grown for two years only. The fruit for 
dessert purposes is obtained from plants of one 
year’s growth, the plants being saved for the pro¬ 
duction of fruit the following year to be used for 
preserving purposes. In planting, three are placed 
together, instead of one as usually seen. 
The hedges of Sweet Peas which run along the 
edges of the walks in many parts of the fruit and 
shrubbery has a margin, some 3 ft. or thereabouts 
in width, which has to be filled with bedding plants. 
Signs of the damage done by the frost are apparent 
on all hands, although, curiously enough, it seems 
that the older shrubs have suffered most, the younger 
ones with very few exceptions appearing to have 
escaped scot-free. 
Mr. McLeod’s horticultural enthusiasm has not 
only borne fruit in the way of the successful culture 
of flowers, fruit and vegetables, but it has also been 
turned to excellent account in increasing the comfort 
of the young men under his direction. The bothy in 
which they are lodged is indeed a model of cleanli¬ 
ness, one of its special features being a bath-room 
fitted with hot and cold water taps in the most 
approved style. Needless to say this is a luxury to 
which it is given to but very few young gardeners to 
enjoy, and the presence of such a convenience in a 
bothy becomes all the more remarkable on account 
shows the typical form or original importation that 
was made, but within the past few years a number 
of others equally, if not more, beautiful than the 
type have been imported and favoured with special 
names. Twelve plants, including several varieties, 
were sold at the sale, and in the aggregate fetched 
£519 17s., or an average of £43 6s. sd. each. The 
rich crimson-purple of the lamina and the large 
white eye spots or blotches are telling features. The 
parents are supposed to be C.labiata Dowiana aurea 
and C. 1 . Warscewiczii, otherwise better known as 
C. gigas, and amongst those which have been 
recently imported some of them show the golden or 
orange colour of C. 1 . Dowiana aurea in a marked 
degree, and in fact more extensively than the parent, 
thus reducing the crimson-purple area considerably. 
C. Hardyana and its varieties are evidently much 
hardier and more easy to cultivate than C. 1 . 
Dowiana or its golden variety. 
