560 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 6, 1898. 
it supplied by Tew subscribers, for there are 
thousands of gardeners or those who love 
gardening in the kingdom who contribute 
nothing. The addition of one thousand 
new subscribers of five shillings each would 
prove just now an enormous help, and yet 
this large number is after all but a few of 
the vast number of gardeners who, as we 
have before observed, subscribe nothing. 
The matter is one of really serious impor¬ 
tance. It renders the active co-operation 
of all friends of the fund needful, and under 
no circumstances must we allow our 
cherished institution to recede in its blessed 
usefulness. 
ur Metropolitan Parks. —We strongly 
hope that the London ratepayers, whose 
cupidity is being so viciously appealed to 
in relation to the expenditure of the London 
County Council on the public parks and 
gardens under the control of that body, will 
refuse to be caught by such discreditable 
arguments. We very much doubt whether 
any form of municipal expenditure returns 
to those who bear the cost so much of 
delightful enjoyment, so healthful and so 
pure in effect, as does that which is laid 
out on our open spaces. Let it be said for 
the London County Council that it has 
done wonders in striving to render the 
parks beautiful as well as enjoyable. 
We have very little as horticulturists to 
do with other matters municipally, but we 
have very strong sympathy with every 
effort, public or private, which tends to 
make gardening not only popular, but also 
productive of the greatest enjoyment. 
Emphatically may it be said of our vocation 
in relation to its application in all urban 
parks and gardens that it does more than 
anything else to promote the greatest 
happiness of the greatest number. We 
have never yet found the human being, 
rich or poor, young or old, insens'ble to 
the beauty of flowers or who did not derive 
from them exceeding pleasure. 
The London County Council does well 
to regard that instructive taste in humanity 
in the way it does, and thus, not lavishly 
but earnestly, cater to gratify it. Lon¬ 
doners have now a wealth of beautiful 
parks and gardens, places of resort which 
they appreciate and enjoy. It 4 s well it 
should be so, and it would be sad were it 
not so. Happily there is no prospect that 
it will ever be otherwise. 
^he Horse Chestnut. —Although this 
^ noble tree has been with us now some 
260 years, for it was reputably introduced 
here in 1629 from Asia, yet does it ever 
present itself as a refreshing object of 
beauty, and even has, in a limited sense, its 
day of worship and special adoration. That 
may be news to some, but still who has not 
heard of Chestnut Sunday, that one day of 
the year when thousands of lovers of the 
beautiful in trees flock from the metropolis 
and surrounding districts to Bushey Park, 
there to see the famous Chestnut avenue, 
some mile or more in length, broad, noble, 
and at the present moment a perfect mass 
of flower ? 
Rarely has the Chestnut been seen 
under brighter conditions than is the case 
this season. The trees have suffered 
nothing from drought as their roots have 
gone too deep into the soil, whilst the long 
spell of fine weather lias enabled the flower 
spikes to present all their beauty in the 
most perfect form. Possibly the Horse 
Chestnut, as a flowering tree, suffers some¬ 
what because it is so very common. That 
may be so, but all the same it must be 
admitted that whether seen singly or in 
groups noble trees in full bloom are objects 
that cannot well be rivalled. 
There is a grandeur about the dimensions, 
contour, and leafage of the Chestnut that 
leaves nothing to be desired. Even the 
individual flowers, though small, are sur¬ 
passingly beautiful, and it is only because 
presented in such remarkable abundance 
that they fail to secure that admiration 
their structure merits. One of the 
peculiarities of the species is the singular 
varieties which result from seed-raised 
trees, variations in form of tree, of foliage, 
of spike, and other features, although 
general features remain the same. We 
have sometimes thought that were the finest 
variations selected for seed production and 
followed up, in time even the grand Horse 
Chestnut might be much improved. 
Mummer Bedding. —Whilst we have a 
good deal of sympathy with the efforts 
that have been made in various directions 
to cool the old fervour for tender bedding 
plants in favour of hardy subjects per¬ 
manently planted, we cannot ignore the 
fact that there is still a very strong liking 
for these summer displays, especially that 
they give the rein to much decorative taste, 
that they admit of many varied mixtures 
and effects, and that they enable a wealth 
of plants to be employed in our gardens 
that otherwise would in them hardly find 
places. Moreover, they create considerable 
employment which might not otherwise be 
furnished. 
In any case, not only is the summer 
bedding season at hand, but we see one very 
side the usual preparations for the work 
being made. For that work gardeners are 
anxiously hoping for rain, for the soil is still 
very dry, and especially is it so where hardy 
plants have been employed to furnish spring 
displays of foliage and of flowers. The 
introduction of the richly coloured and 
truly beautiful forms of the tuberous 
Begonia—so suitable for out-door bedding 
— so far from helping to check the bedding 
taste, has rather given it a new fillip, or 
in many cases created for it new desires. 
After all it is very doubtful whether many 
of the elder race of gardeners will live to 
see the extirpation of the bedding-out sys¬ 
tem, and if reduced in extent and brought 
more into harmony with prevailing tastes, 
we do not know that anyone is very anxious 
for its extinction. It has done good service 
. to gardening, and it will do more. Flowers, 
or otherwise colour in our gardens we must 
have, and bedding plants give us that de¬ 
sideratum so far in the best way. 
-*t-- 
Mr. C. Bowers, late of Barwick House Gardens, 
Yeovil, has been engaged as gardener to Sir Edward 
A. Medlycott-Ven.Milborne Port, Sherborne,Dorset. 
Death of a well-known Pansy Grower — Growers of 
the Pansy throughout the country will hear with 
regret of the death of Mr. William Fraser, of Lin¬ 
lithgow, which took place on the 19th of April, at 
the early age of 29 years. Mr. Fraser was well known 
in the North, both as a successful competitor and as a 
raiser of seedlings. Several of his varieties take a 
leading place in exhibition stands. Much sympathy 
is felt for Mrs. Fraser and her four young children 
in their sad bereavement. 
The National Co-operative Flower Show at the 
Crystal Palace will this year, for the first time, be a 
two days’ show, arrangements having been made for 
the exhibition to open at midday, on Friday, August 
18th, and close on Saturday evening. Subject to 
this alteration and a re-arrangement of a few details 
consequent thereon, the general arrangements will be 
the same as in previous years. 
Technical Education in Cornwall.—At a recent meet¬ 
ing of the East Penrith Agricultural Association it 
was resolved to apply to the Technical Instruction 
Committee of the Cornwall County Council to consi¬ 
der the advisability of introducing a series of lectures 
on horticulture, with demonstrations on cottage 
garden work. The whole question has now been 
passed on to the Executive Committee for Agricul¬ 
ture, for their further consideration and report. 
The Kew Cbservatory.—A London Correspndent of 
a Plymouth contemporary writes:—"The new 
superintendent of the Kew Observatory is most 
highly spoken of. Mr. Charles Chree is a young 
man, but a very ripe scholar, and his intellectual 
equipment is precisely what he needs for his post. 
He is one of the best mathematicians turned out by 
Cambridge within the last ten years. He is not a 
merely mechanical student, for he has been conduct¬ 
ing a series of independent investigations of which, it 
is said, Lord Kelvin thinks very highly, and there is 
no better judge than Lord Kelvin. Kew Observatory 
ought to produce good work under so young, ener¬ 
getic, and learned a superintendent. 
The Drought.—The urgent need for water in many 
country districts for the purposes of irrigating the 
land has led Mr. J. C. Merryweather, head of the 
well-known firm of fire engine manufacturers, to 
send us particulars respecting the use of fire engines 
for watering crops, shrubs, &c. It is not generally 
known how suitable a fire engine is for such work, 
being capable, as it is, of pumping water through 
long lines of light, portable and flexible hose piping, 
by means of which, with suitable nozzles, either a 
heavy shower or a fine spray can be used on any 
part of an estate in a very short space of time. The 
present drought offers a good opportunity for the 
trial of this method of irrigation and Messrs. Merry- 
weather inform us that they are ready to advise 
farmers and land owners on the subject, and will 
undertake to lend the necessary machines, &c., at a 
few hours’ notice. Many estates now maintain ex¬ 
cellent fire engines both of the " Brigade ” and 
“ Squire's ” pattern, and these might also be brought 
into service for irrigating purposes. 
Reading and District Gardeners' Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Association —The fortnightly meeting of this 
association, being the last of the spring session, was 
held at the “ British Workman ” on Monday evening, 
and was well attended, Mr. Thomas Bowie presided. 
The subject for theevening’s discussion, " Daflodils,” 
was introduced and ably dealt with by Mr. F. 
Tufnail. He described the Daffodil as one of the 
most beautiful flowers they possessed, and referred 
to its great value for various decorative purposes. 
He also gave a list of the most useful varieties 
pointing out the peculiarities of the various forms, 
and proceeded to deal with their cultural require¬ 
ments. The lecture was illustrated by diagrams, 
and gave rise to considerable discussion through 
which much useful information was disseminated. 
Earliness of the Season.—Mr. W. N. White, of 
Covent Garden, writing on the 2nd inst., says : —" It 
may be of interest to some of your readers, compar¬ 
ing one season with another, to hear that we have to¬ 
day received from the growers of Saltash, Cornwall, 
our first consignment of Strawberries grown in the 
open, being the earliest on record. The first consign¬ 
ment last year only reached this market on June 4, 
and some years we have known it to be June 10 and 
12 before they came forward. We consider the 
season to be five weeks earlier than ordinary. We 
also yesterday received the first large supply of 
French Cherries in flats, which we notice did not 
come forward last year until May 16.” In another 
column a correspondent records the gathering of a 
peck of Peas in Devonshire last week. 
How matters stand in Cornwall.—The weather in 
Cornwall during the past week has been simply per¬ 
fect to the on-lookers and lovers of the beautiful in 
nature. The cool breezes and the fresh verdant 
tints would give a finishing touch to the Utopian 
picture could we but spare the just growlings and 
grumblings of the market gardener. Fruit has made 
rapid progress. Strawberries and Gooseberries are 
being freely picked and sent to market in large 
quantities, but unless the weather changes, general 
and later crops of Strawberries will be injured to an 
alarming extent. At present the demand from the 
London market both for Strawberries and Goose¬ 
berries is greater than the supply, and good prices 
are consequently obtained. Other fruits are doing 
remarkably well so far. Peas are being gathered, 
and a very good sample they prove to be. Potato 
crops seem in excellent condition—well skinned and 
of good quality. The Currant trees also promise 
well, but like Gooseberries, the fruit appears but 
small, as could only be expected. The Grapes cut 
and sent to market are exceptionally fine, and are 
realising no less than 4s. 6d. a pound. As our cor¬ 
respondent despatched this information, rain began 
to fall for the first time for two months. 
