242 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
DYSON’S LANE 
NURSERY. 
It is now well known that Ferns constitute the lead¬ 
ing feature at the Dyson’s Lane Nurseries of Mr. 
H. B. May, at Upper Edmonton. Year by year, 
however, the nurseries keep extending ; house after 
house is added to those already existing, and fresh 
features in the way of plants are added to the general 
stock or old ones extended. Amongst these certain 
classes of flowering plants and fine foliaged subjects 
not only receive attention, but are grown to the best 
advantage. Plants merely of scientific interest find 
no house-room here. 
Fine Foliaged Plants. 
Not far from the entrance of the oldest branch of 
the nursery is a houseful of Crotons of all the lead¬ 
ing varieties and in excellent condition. The same 
is repeated in another house, and batches may be 
seen distributed in other houses. We can only note 
a few of the finest of them here. The graceful 
character of Johannis is well shown by being 
suspended in pots from the roof of the house. The 
long narrow leaves are of a deep green with a broad 
golden yellow midrib generally otherwise blotched 
with yellow, and occasionally the whole leaf is 
yellow. Majesticum has leaves 12 in. to 16 in. long, 
of a deep bronzy olive 'green with a crimson midrib 
banded on either side with yellow. The leaves of 
Musaicum are more nearly of the width of those of 
Veitchi, and of a deep green with much yellow 
suffused with red and having a bright red midrib 
and secondary nerves. Those of Weismanni are 
linear, 12 in. to 16 in. long. A sport from it has a 
broad yellow band along the centre, with a narrow 
white midrib, netted with yellow on a deep green 
ground and having red petioles. The leaves of 
Massangeana are 12 in. to 14 in. long, creamy 
yellow, blotched with green and having a red mid¬ 
rib and lateral nerves. A handsome variety is Etna, 
with narrowly obovate leaves richly netted with 
crimson veins and marbled with olive green, and 
often showing a mixture of yellow and salmon along 
the nerves. The leaves of Rex are about a foot long, 
ascending or slightly arching with a red midrib, 
netted with yellow and bronzy red beneath. Baron 
James de Rothschild is well known for its broad, 
obovate crimson leaves blotched with a deep bronzy 
green. Voluta is notable for its short leaves curled 
backwards forming a ring, and yellow with oblong 
green blotches between the ribs. Another old but 
very handsome kind is Undulatum.much marked with 
bronzy crimson. The number of really fine kinds 
might easily be doubled, but the above furnishes a 
great amount of variety both as to form and colour. 
Palms are also very extensively grown, and, 
although the species are not numerous, the quantity 
of a kind is considerable. Some of the Kentias are 
amongst the most popular of Palms at the present 
day, and K. Forsteriana and K. Belmoreana receive 
a large share of attention. We noted four houses at 
least in which those two were very conspicuous. 
Latania borbonica, Corypha australis, and others of 
that class were also well cared for. Cocos Wedel- 
liana may be noted, of various sizes from the seed¬ 
ling stage onwards. Ficus elastica is grown in great 
quantity, but we were particularly struck with a lot 
of the variegated variety in fine condition, and occu¬ 
pying a house 100 ft. long. We have never seen 
Reineckea carnea variegata more finely coloured. 
The same may be said of Cyperus alternifolius 
variegatus. In the same house are many finely- 
coloured plants of Maranta arundinacea. variegata, 
also known as Phrynium variegatum. A graceful, 
grass-like plant is Carex japonica variegata. 
Ferns. 
These are as a matter of fact fine-foliaged plants, as 
in the case of the foregoing, but they are so exten¬ 
sively and so well grown here as to call for special 
notice. Fern-lovers make many a pilgrimage to this 
collection. The more useful decorative varieties are 
grown in great numbers, sometimes by the house¬ 
ful, while the number of species is very considerable. 
We can only give but a cursory glance at the more 
prominent in this notice. The new variegated 
varieties of Pteris are particularly noteworthy. They 
have mostly been raised from Victoriae, having a 
silvery mid-rib to the pinnae, with branches of the 
same colour running half-way to the margin. It 
varies somewhat from spores, by which it can be 
raised in quantity. P. regina cristata has silvery 
pinnae, with green forking veins running to the 
margin, and terminating in green crests. It is grace¬ 
ful and handsome. In the case of P. nivalis, the 
green is mostly confined to the margin, the rest 
being silvery white. Large numbers of them are 
still in a small state. Another very pretty Fern is 
P. tremula variegata, with a silvery white mid-rib 
and branches running almost to the margin. The 
old Pteris argyreia is also grown in quantity, and in 
fine form. There is a houseful of P. cretica and P. 
c. cristata, both very bold and effective plants, and 
also very durable when placed in a dry atmosphere. 
A finer and more interesting feature, however, is 
presented by two or three houses fully occupied by 
the bushy, erect, compact, and bold-looking P. c. 
nobilis. The varieties of P. serrulata, especially 
P. s. compacta, are grown extensively in 48 and 32- 
size pots. 
As might naturally be expected much space is 
devoted to Adiantum cuneatum and its varieties in a 
number of houses running parallel with one another 
in such a way as to resemble a single house with 
numerous span ridges. A uniform temperature is 
thereby secured, and the field of finely cut foliage 
that can be seen at once is very pleasing. Some of 
the finer varieties of the species are A. cuneatum 
gracillima, A. c. Weigandi, A. c. Pacotti, and others. 
Here too are A. rubellum, A. Capillus-Veneris 
Mariesi, having bold foliage, but perhaps surpassed 
in this respect by A. Fergusoni, the fronds of which 
are so massive at the ends of the pinnae as almost to 
appear tasselled. A. amabile is another good sort, 
and the list might be considerably extended. 
Numerous species and varieties of Nephrolepis 
are also conspicuous features in some of the houses, 
including N. rufescens tripinnatifida, N. cordifolia 
compacta, N. Duflii, N. recurvata, N. davallioides, 
and several fine varieties such as N. d. furcans, N. d. 
multiceps, and N. d. plumosa, of which we must say 
something on a future occasion, as space forbids a 
description of their beautiful forms here. 
Goniophlebium subauriculatum is grown to 
great advantage as a basket plant. The same 
may be said of the numerous Davallias grown 
here, including such fine subjects as - D. 
Tyermanni, D. Griffithi, D. elegans, and its 
remarkable variety D. e. polydactyla. The Stag's 
Horn, Platycerium alcicorne, also P. grande, and the 
Elk’s Horn, P. Stemmaria, with its remarkable 
barren fronds, are grown in cork baskets or pockets, 
suspended from the pillars of the house. Aspleniums 
in numerous species are scattered through several 
houses in quantity. Pretty and varied are A. erectum, 
A. alatum, A. Baptisti, A. cicutarium, and A. Hemi- 
onitis, with its palmate and leathery leaves. Closely 
similar in general appearance to the last named is 
Doryopteris ludens. Asplenium Baptisti is notable 
for its great amount of variation. Acrostichum 
drynarioides and Aglaomorpha Meyenianum are 
also bold and characteristic looking Ferns. 
Flowering Plants. 
More than one house is occupied with winter¬ 
flowering Carnations. At the entrance of one of 
them is a fine lot of Winter Cheer, dwarf, bushy, 
and full of buds and scarlet flowers. Miss Jolliffe, 
being a well-known and popular sort, is grown in 
quantity. Alegatiere is one of the best scarlet 
dwarf-habited sorts. The pure white flowers of La 
Neige are very choice at this season of the year. A 
free-flowering, crimson and sweet-scented variety is 
Mrs. A. Hemsley. A houseful of Camellias, 
planted out some years ago, has done remarkably 
well. The variety grown is the old Alba plena, 
mostly planted in brick built boxes above the level 
of the ground. The plants are laden with flowers 
and buds. Another house is filled with white- 
flowered Indian Azaleas, chiefly Fielder's White. 
Poinsettias, including the type and also the white- 
bracted variety, together with a fine lot of Euphorbia 
jacquiniaeflora, make a grand display in another 
house. Near by this is a houseful of double 
Chinese Primulas in several varieties, all in excellent 
form, either in full bloom or approaching that stage. 
As might be expected, the old Alba plena is well 
represented, and A. p. grandiflora in smaller 
quantity. The latter is distinguished by its larger 
flowers, also pure white. Several other varieties 
are also white at this season of the year, but in 
spring, when the light is stronger, they may be more 
or less tinted with pink and lightly streaked with a 
darker hue. They are Marchioness of Exeter, Mrs. 
Barron, White Lady, and Princess, all with larger 
flowers than Alba plena. 
December 17, 1892. 
Close by this house are several new ones which 
have recently been built and filled. They are 
heated by the patent horizontal tubular boiler of the 
Thames Bank Iron Company, as are several other 
ranges ; and Mr. May intends to use it on all future 
occasions when putting in fresh boilers or renewing 
old ones. With his extensive experience Mr May 
should now be well able to judge of the heating 
powers of a boiler. 
ON PLANTING WOODS. 
People who care for planting should be busy now’. 
It may perhaps be the best time to say a few words 
about that interesting, but not always successful, 
work. We do not mean nurserymen's planting in 
the garden, as that may be anything. Shrub plant¬ 
ing is generally as bad as it can be from a garden or 
any other point of view ; and Conifers stuck about 
like children's toy trees we may pass by for the 
present. This note refers only to forest trees, mostly 
the coniferous trees which attract us by their beauty 
or usefulness, and the ever useful Larch. In many 
districts Oak and Ash, and what are called hard¬ 
wood trees, are plentiful enough, and so the question 
resolves itself to the planting of the hardier Pines 
and Larch. There are, of course, various ways of 
doing this, but as it is a costiy matter, and the result 
is one we have to wait long for, it is most important 
it should be done with economy and knowledge, and 
a few things steered clear of. 
It is impossible to teach this sort of thing unless 
it is gone into with some interest, but a few simple 
rules may be laid down. The first is, never to plant 
in a hurry, as due preparation will save time. If we 
were now going to plant a Larch wood, we should 
gain time by furrowing the ground and planting it 
next autumn, rather than in a hurry now, and on 
the grass. We should plough up the field when we 
could, and move it about in the summer, fence it 
with close wire rather early in autumn, and when all 
was ready write for the trees in November. We feel 
sure that we should gain a year in this way, and 
have no blanks to speak of. 
The second point is never to plant large seedlings. 
A great many English nurserymen are apt to send 
out the trees too big, and with a good deal more top 
than root. The man who sends large tops and small 
roots should be avoided. Whether we plant from 
our own home nursery or buy, it is much better to 
begin with trees not over a foot high, and often less 
than that. This week we planted a thousand Cedars 
of Lebanon, with shoots 6 in. high, and we have no 
doubt that they will take well, and in the end be 
finer and cleaner trees than if we had put them out 
at 6 ft. instead of 6 in. . When little trees begin to 
grow, the growth is clean, and the roots take hold 
of the ground in a healthy and natural way. Before 
we had much experience in this way the handsome 
topped young Scotch often took us in, and there 
were many deaths. 
Another excellent rule is never to order trees or 
disturb them till the field is ready and fenced. As 
many people buy in nurseries, they have to face 
the accidents of drying winds, long railway journeys, 
and if they are not ready when the trees come, and 
the trees have to be put in stock until the ground is 
ready to receive them, the chances of failure are in¬ 
creased. We have seen this year many thousand Larch 
lost, mainly from these causes. Have the field ready, 
and in the South of England generally, or any 
gamey or rabbity district, it is absolutely necessary 
to wire. This is best done in late summer or early 
autumn, so that we have only to telegraph or write 
for the plants if we have not them already in our 
place, and it is then a pleasure to get all hands and 
put them in at once. A field so treated will not have 
many failures. We have seen some plantations of 
Larch made, within the past five years, in this 
way at Shrubland Park, and also Clouds, in Wilt¬ 
shire, which were pleasant to see in their rapidity 
and vigour of growth, some of them growing a yard 
a year after the first few years. 
Another excellent rule is never to plant a tree you 
do not know to be hardy in your district. We are 
not speaking of experiments of ones or twos, or a few 
trees in the ugly rings one sees so often in English 
country places, but of regular plantations. There 
are so many novelties offered amongst conifers that 
it is well to be careful not to plant unless we know 
the thing will do, and not merely do, but endure our 
hardest winters. It would, for instance, be wasting 
