450 
March 18, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
and the buds swelling up on all other fruit 
trees. Finer and plumper buds we have 
rarely seen, and so far there is every indica¬ 
tion of a very early bloom, and a grand 
crop of fruit. That is the optimistic aspect 
of the weather effects in gardens. What 
about the other aspects ? How long will 
this superb weather last ? How soon may 
it be succeeded by cold biting winds, 
snowstorms, hail, frost and all other sorts 
of climatic evils. It is true these may not 
come, but if they do not, then we shall 
have a truly marvellous spring, one of the 
earliest and most genial on record. 
It is too much to hope, remembering 
past experiences, that things will assume 
so roseate an aspect. For that reason, 
whilst appreciating fully the delicious 
nature of the weather, we could wish that 
this bright sunshine had come a little later, 
that, in fact, it were the weather of April 
rather than of March. Whilst it is difficult 
to avoid fearing harm, we will all the same 
hope for the best. It will indeed be a mis¬ 
fortune if such splendid promise as is now 
seen be marred by untoward weather later. 
ipf arly Spring Flowers.— With such a 
mild open time as we are now having 
there should be in gardens many more of 
purely hardy flowers in bloom than are 
now, or for the past few weeks have been 
seen. Only last week we passed one of 
the most famous of hardy plant nurseries 
by rail, where a full view of every part was 
to be had, yet not a single flower was 
visible, though possibly some few incon¬ 
spicuous things in sheltered places may 
have been in bloom. But even if we take 
ordinary gardens, the comparative dearth 
of what may be called Lent flowers is very 
marked. Now and then paragraphs are 
published respecting what flowers seem 
unseasonable in bloom, but these are only 
found in highly-favoured localities and 
many could hardly be termed flowers. 
It is not every one, alas, far too few, who 
can command such surroundings as Mr. 
G. F. Wilson has in his delightful gardens 
at Weybridge and Wisley, and our 
reference is rather to ordinary gardens, 
where flower borders and beds show only 
the very fewest of hardy flowers. Few as 
we have, what would be our bloom but for 
such bulbs as Snowdrops,' Crocuses, 
Squills, etc., or of one or two of the very 
earliest Irises, although these are most rare 
in ordinary gardens. Of real hardy 
perennials, Hepaticas, only too sparsely 
grown, yellow Aconites, Helleborus colchi- 
cus and its varieties, a few very early 
Primroses, far too few, these seem to com¬ 
prise the chief, if not almost all, of the 
hardy flowers met with. Sometimes we 
see the pretty but not striking reddish blue 
flowers of the Pulmonaria. 
Of shrubs almost the only ones in bloom 
are the naked Jasmine and the still less 
conspicuous but fragrant Chimonanthus. 
Some of our readers perhaps may think 
after all that our list of early spring 
flowers is a fair one. So it may be, but 
after all their is room for many more. 
Even now there are few such bright clusters 
of bloom in gardens as the Coltsfoot give 
to us on the railway banks as the train 
dashes hastily by. 
J^own Trees. —Were all streets of the 
^ width of the Thames Embankment, 
or Portland Place, it would be not at all 
difficult to find ample room for tree heads, 
as well as for roots. The roots spread in 
all directions; they penetrate into the 
deeply moved road foundations, and cluster 
about sewers or drains. They spread be¬ 
neath pavements, into forecourts, and lick 
the walls of houses. It matters not where 
they penetrate to so long as they are out of 
sight, and do not stop up drains. But this 
is not the case with the heads ; these must 
be seen, and the stronger they grow, es¬ 
pecially in narrow streets, the more obvious 
they are. Thus it is that all about the 
London suburbs, where local tastes or 
enterprise has planted trees, the heads 
have become too large, and darken win¬ 
dows, shutting out sunshine and air, and 
collecting dust, sewer gas or other evils, 
that it is found needful every year or two 
at the most to hard cut back their heads ; 
and when this is done, as is generally the 
case early in the winter, very hideous 
objects these poor hacked, mutilated trees 
are for some three or four months. 
It would seem as if the initial mistake 
made was in planting in these narrow 
thoroughfares at all, and especially of 
strong growing trees. Were these town 
trees restricted to Laburnums, Thorns, 
Almonds, and other very moderate growing 
and flowering trees, the beheading now so 
common would not be often needed, and 
the gain in beauty at certain times of the 
year would be considerable. It would be 
very difficult indeed for anyone to aver 
that so far our average town tree planting 
had proved to be a success. 
-- 
The Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. —We are 
requested to state that by special request of the 
chairman, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, M.P., 
the annual dinner of the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan 
F'und, arranged for Wednesday, March 22nd, is 
postponed to Wednesday, April 26th, 1893. 
Guild of Kew Gardeners. —We are requested to 
draw attention to the notice of the above society 
which appeared in our columns a few weeks ago. 
All old Kewites who have not yet sent in their names 
and address for publication in the Guild's Journal 
should do so without delay. 
The Lord of the Scilly Isles and the Flower Industry. 
—Mr. T. Dorrien-Smith, the lord of the Scilly Isles, 
says that twelve years ago the flower industry there 
was anything but remunerative. But few flowers 
were sent to the market, and the cultivation was not 
on anything like the general scale that at present 
obtains. Last year 330 tons were sent away for 
sale. Mr. Dorrien-Smith estimates that this year 
the quantity will reach quite 400 tons—182 tons were 
despatched during the month of February alone. 
The only matter the islanders have to grumble at is 
the want of proper railway rates and facilities, given 
which the flower trade could be made to pay most 
handsomely. 
Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen. — The 
prize schedule for 1893 has now been issued. There 
are 239 classes, in which 721 prizes are offered. The 
classes are open to professional gardeners, nursery¬ 
men, florists, amateurs, and the working classes, and 
embrace pot plants, cut flowers, fruit, and vegetables, 
including several special classes for Potatos. The 
fete is to be held on 17th, 18th, and 19th August, in 
the Central Park, Kittybrewster, Aberdeen, the 
place where it was held last year. 
Late Chrysanthemums. — Mr. Thomas Mackie, The 
Gardens, Abbey Bank, Arbroath, N.B., kindly sent 
us on Monday a couple of large, richly-coloured and 
beautifully fresh blooms of Chrysanthemum Mons. 
Bernard, respecting which he writes : — “ The blooms 
are from crown buds taken in September, ’92, cut 
fresh and fully developed on March 13th, ’93. They 
were grown during last season along with other Chry¬ 
santhemums and got similar treatment. I grow a large 
collection of Chrysanthemums, and have been very 
successful as a competitor at local shows, and Dun¬ 
dee Chrysanthemum Show especially, but I do not 
remember in all my experience having seen in the 
middle of March two Chrysanthemum blooms such 
as are enclosed for your inspection." 
Mr. George Hardy’s Sale of Orchids. — Orchid 
growers will be interested to know that good prices 
were realised at the thinning out sale conducted by 
Messrs. Protheroe & Morris, at Pickering Lodge, 
Temperley, last week. The highest priced lot was a 
specimen of the remarkably handsome Cattleya 
Hardyana, which commanded 105 gs., and went into 
Mr. Ashworth’s collection. Other notable lots were : 
—Cattleya Tresederiana, 2igs.; Laelia calistoglossa 
38gs.; Laelia elegans Blenheimense, 40gs. ; Cattleya 
Mossiae Hardyana, 22gs. ; Cattleya Massaiana, part 
of the Howick House plant, sogs. ; Odontoglossum 
vexillarium superbum, i2gs.; Laelia hybrida Arnold- 
iana, 66gs.; Cattleya Mendelii bella, i5gs.; Laelia 
Philbrickiana, 2ogs.; Cattleya Trianae Hardyana, 
i6gs. ; and Odontoglossum crispum, hybrid, heavily 
spotted, ngs. 
Death of Mrs. Edward Beck.—The death is 
announced as having taken place on the 7th inst., at 
Worton Cottage, Isleworth, of Mrs. Susanna Beck, 
relict of the late Mr. Edward Beck, the distinguished 
amateur florist of many years ago. The deceased 
lady was in her 85th year. 
A sad case of poisoning occurred at Horsey, a few 
miles from Great Yarmouth, on the 2nd inst. A 
labouring man, aged twenty-nine, took home some 
roots from his master's garden in mistake for Celery. 
He asked his wife to wash them for his tea, and 
when he bit a piece off he quickly discovered that it 
was not Celery which he was eating. He went back 
to his employer and told him what he had done. 
This gentleman gave him some mustard and water, 
which made him vomit, and suggested his seeing a 
doctor. He started for home, but fell down partly 
unconscious. His employer and a clergyman after¬ 
wards drove him to the nearest doctor, a few miles 
away, arriving at the surgery soon after nine in the 
evening, and he died shortly afterwards. It tran¬ 
spired at the inquest that the roots he took were 
those of the Monkshood, Aconitum Napellus. The 
deceased said he was in no pain, but felt he was 
losing his strength after he had bitten the root and 
swallowed a small portion of it. 
Chinese Primulas. —A box of blooms of the strain of 
Chinese Primulas grown by Messrs. B. S. Williams 
& Son, has reached us. Superb Red is the name 
given a fine sort with blooms somewhat over 2 in. 
across with much overlapping segments. The whole 
flower is dark, but the colour is more intensified to¬ 
wards the margin, and the angled eye is heavily 
shaded with crimson. The flower of Superb Blue 
is not so large, but it is wonderfully intensified in 
colour, and the eye shaded with a peculiar brown 
tint. An old strain is Alba magnifica that retains its 
characteristics well. The lobes are very numerous, 
giving the flower the appearance of depth ; and the 
whole is suffused with a very delicate shade of blush, 
contrasting well with the rich orange eye. The 
foliage of this type is very good. Meteor is about 
the richest shade of red we have seen, and is of an 
intense crimson-carmine, and calculated to show off 
well by contrast with their own or the foliage of 
other plants. A delicately-coloured semi-double in 
the box was that named Empress, the flowers of 
which were smaller than any of the single kinds, but 
nevertheless of the average size for this type, and of 
a beautiful and delicate pink colour. As the name 
would indicate, Firefly is a richly-coloured variety, 
which, for want of a better term, we might describe 
as carmine. It does not possess the fiery intensity of 
Meteor, yet it belongs to that shade of colour and is 
semi-double. 
Kirkstall Abbey Pleasure Grounds, Leeds.—We 
understand that of the thirty-seven plans submitted 
to the Leeds Corporation for the laying out of the 
grounds adjoining Kirkstall Abbey that of Messrs. J. 
Cheal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex, has been awarded 
the premium of £20. The design submitted by this 
firm has numerous fine features, and when carried 
out will render the Abbey and its grounds an attrac¬ 
tive resort. The design shows a central promenade, 
lawns for tennis and cricket, etc., a broad avenue 
skirting the river, a small lake crossed by a rustic 
bridge near the south-western corner of the grounds, 
three summer-houses, and two ornamental shelters, 
and near the entrance gates two lodges. There is 
also a fountain in the cloister, and in the grounds 
will be planted trees and shrubs. Very few flower 
beds are shown in the plan, and the firm recommend 
only two or three. The carrying out of this design 
will involve an estimated expenditure of ^3,000. 
The second premium of £10 was awarded to Mr. T. 
H. Mawson, of Windermere. 
The Carnation: its History, Properties, and Management 
with a descriptive list of the best varieties in cultivation. By 
E. S. Dodwell. Third edition, with supplementary chapter on 
the Yellow Ground. London: Gardening World Office, i, 
Clement’s Inn, Strand W.C. is. 6d ; postfree, is.7d.— [Advt. 
