October 30, 189?. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
various sizes are healthy and clean, the foliage glitter¬ 
ing in the autumn sunshine. Golden Privet and 
Golden Elder are largely grown and very conspicu¬ 
ous shrubs, often used for planting in masses. Many 
species of Spiraea are grown ; also many varieties of 
Kobinia Pseudacacia. The Portugal Laurel dees 
well and maintains a fine dark green colour. Weep¬ 
ing trees are represented by many species grafted 
standard high and making fine heads. Rhododen¬ 
drons of the best hybrid and hardy sorts are kept in 
stock. 
Before leaving the nursery we had the pleasure of 
meeting that veteran florist Mr. George Goodall, who 
is still hale and hearty, though now well over 70 
years of age. He came to the neighbouring Pink- 
hill Nurseries in 1853 and has been in the neighbour¬ 
hood ever since. He is now foreman to Mr. John 
Downie in the Beechill Nursery, and has been so for 
a long time. The nursery under his care gives him 
great credit, every part of it being well filled and in 
admirable condition. 
-- 
NOTES FROM KIRN. 
Kirn, like Dunoon, is rapidly passing from a primi¬ 
tive to an up-to-date condition ; indeed, this cannot 
be otherwise, for both places lie in the wake of the 
splendid service of steamers which abound on the 
Firth of Clyde. Moreover, both places ccme under 
the jurisdiction of one board of commissioners ; and, 
as a consequence, in the near future it will be some¬ 
what difficult to distinguish a line of demarcation 
between them. Kirn possesses a goodly proportion 
of pretty villas, which are chiefly occupied by Glas¬ 
gow and Greenock merchants and manufacturers. 
It is then an altogether different place from that 
which once prevailed, and which its Gaelic name of 
Cam implies, namely “ heap of stones.” Stones, 
however, still abound—every house is built of them ; 
which fact gives solidity and strength to every 
structure so unlike and so superior to those jerry- 
built brick-boxes which disgrace our suburbs. 
But substantiality—in itself—will never quite 
compensate for the artistic blending of brick and 
stone ; for badly built, though many of our domiciles 
are, there is yet a tone, a colour, and a character 
about them, which these northern dwellings sadly 
lack. For permanent residence, then, give me for 
preference the sunny south, the pretty villa, the 
gable roof, the red brick, the coloured creepers fes¬ 
tooning the walls, and all the other floral adjuncts of 
a well-ordered home and its appurtenances. 
On a sunny day-, however, the little town of Kirn 
looks interesting and impressive ; but, like Dunoon, 
its weather is capricious. When it rains it rains, and 
no mistake abcut it ; although the converse also 
ought to be that v'hen it shines it shines, and smiling 
is the scene. 
At “ Annfield ” House, Mr. Cameron, the gar¬ 
dener, was good enough to show me round. He 
possesses a good miscellaneous collection of plants, 
and the customary Scotch herbaceous border; but 
his strong point is Ferns, of which he grows a large 
number. In addition to a collection of greenhouse 
Adiantums, the British one—A-. Capillus-Veneris— 
finds a place. Mr. Cameron possesses some varie¬ 
ties of Scolopendrium vulgare, Asplenium adiantum 
nigrum, and a grand case of Trichomares radicans, 
the beautiful Killarney Fern. Outside there is a bold 
bit of rockery with running water, on which luxu¬ 
riate Osmunda regalis, Athyrium Felix-foemina, 
Lastrea pseudo-mas cristata, Struthiopteris ger- 
manica, Aspidium aculeatum, and a splendid form 
of this with fronds about 4 ft. long, and broad in pro¬ 
portion. These do not exhaust the list by any 
means, but merely serve to show that a rcckery with 
a stream as an adjunct is the proper place to grow 
our British Ferns. 
11 Ericht Bank’’was next visited, and here Mr. 
Spears presides for the present, over the garden, 
which, with the mansion, is unfortunately in the 
auctioneer’s hands. There are, however, some 
notable things here in the plant line. Cordyline 
australis on ihe terrace, although severely mauled by 
the winter of 1895-6, is taking a new lease of life ; 
Camellia japonica does well and flowers freely in its 
season; Phormium tenax, P. t. Veitchii, Gunnera 
scabra, Fatsia papyrifera, Latania borbonica, 
Chamaerops Fortunei, Dicksonia australis, and D. 
squarrosa, besides some tender Conifers, are all 
doing satisfactorily and therefore bespeak the 
salubrity of the position as favourable to vegetation 
The Pampas grass (Gyrerium argenteum), however, 
is only just now beginning to unsheath its silvery 
panicles of graceful flowers, which rather shows the 
lateness of the Scottish season—while Lilium gigan- 
teum is full of fruit, about 8 ft. high, and looking 
wonderfully well and vigorous. It is evidently quite 
at home, for Mr. Spears says this season is no 
exception to the general rule. 
The flower beds and borders, too, are worth 
noting ; a particularly simple yet happy combination 
of the former took my attention, and was in the form 
of a large oval bed planted with tuberous Begonias, 
interblended with Dactylis glomerata elegantissima, 
and edged with Viola Bullion. The turf was soft 
and green—reminding one of the Emerald Isle—not 
because the garden-hose or water-barrow had been in 
requisition, but in consequence of the too great 
attentions of Jupiter Pluvius. 
Water is a sine qua non— no estate can do without 
it—so that:— 
" A copious rainfall, now and then, 
A blessing is to garden men ; 
But, when too much is in the shoot 
A Scotsman e’en will ' gang aboot 
C. B. G., Acton, W. 
-- 4 -- 
THE PROGRESS OF VEGETABLE CUL¬ 
TIVATION DURING QUEEN VICTORIA’S 
REIGN. 
(Continued from p. 124J. 
The Brassicas.—Cabbage. 
First and foremost in point of general ultility comes 
tbe Cabbage. Although our forefathers had not so 
long a list of names to select from as gardeners now 
have, there were several good Cabbages in 1837. 
Chief among these were Early Battersea, Early 
York, Large York, Emperor, Sugarloaf, &c., names 
which still retain a place in all seed lists, and are 
certainly valuable for spring sowing. It is reason¬ 
able to suppose that the crops of those days suffered 
from “ bolters,” and with none but these and similar 
sorts to grow the probability is that an even bed of 
Spring Cabbage would be the exception, as these 
sorts are peculiarly liable to bolt. Of late years 
much has been done to avoid this tendency, and we 
now have such Cabbages as Ellam’s Early, Early 
Offenham, Imperial, and our own Flower of Spring 
and Early April, which when obtained true to Dame 
may be relied upon in any season to form solid hearts 
without bolting. 
Tbe improvement in the Cabbage has been entirely 
due to selection. The advent of the Nonpareil was 
a distinct gain to horticulture. Amongst others, 
Shaw, of Newbury, did much to make this Cabbage 
popular, and as it is one of the best for spring sow¬ 
ing, it will be long before it ceases to be grown. 
Enfield Market is popular where a large growing 
kind is required. Almost every market-gardening 
district has its own particular selection, as seen in 
The Rainham, Higham, Evesham, East Ham, and 
Fulham varieties. 
Rapid strides have been made in the improvement 
of early Cabbages for summer use, and although 
many of the earliest are of Continental origin we on 
this side can claim no inconsiderable amount of 
credit on account of the careful selection given to 
them. Earliest of All, Empress, and their kindred 
types are Cabbages which we could not now well do 
without, but on account of their tendency to bolt 
they must give place for August sowing to the sorts 
previously named. 
The Hardy Green Colewort was introduced in 
1852, and a selection from it, Rosette Colewort, 
appeared a few years later. These are very impor¬ 
tant crops for consumption towards - the end of the 
year, and are delicious in flavour. 
Red Cabbages have been so far improved that in¬ 
stead of relyiDg on an August sowing for heads to use 
the following summer and autumn they can now be 
obtained in the same year by sowing in spring. 
Savoy Cabbages, on account of the limited period 
in which they are required for use, have not had so 
much attention devoted to them, although it is now 
possible by the use of recently introduced early and 
later kinds to extend the supply from August to 
April if required. 
Brussels Sprouts 
Amongst Brassicas stand second only to the Cabbage, 
Broccoli and Cauliflower in importance. This plant 
139 
was well known in 1837, but since that time wonders 
have been accomplished in its improvement by 
means of selection, and we now have dwarf, medium, 
and tall varieties of great excellence. Scrymger’s 
Giant, Dalkeith, and Reading Exhibition were amoDg 
the earlier improvements, while the Dalraeny and 
Albert Sprouts first offered about 1858-9, had but a 
short-lived reputation. 
A dwarf type originating on the Continent, and 
covered with close firm buttons, has of late years 
given grand results, the best known strain being the 
Dwarf Gem. As is well known the sporting tendency 
of the Brassicas is responsible for some very peculiar 
forms, and it is, I think, not at all unlikely that a 
Brussels Sprout with red buttons may eventually 
have a place amongst our favourite vegetables. 
Broccoli 
Were represented in the earlier days by the Capes, 
Grange's AutumD, Portsmouth, Sulphur, Dwarf 
Russian, Purple Sprouting, and Knight’s Protecting. 
In 1843 that popular sort Snow's Winter White, was 
first offered, and although various and inferior strains 
have been offered under this name it is safe to say 
that in many cases the seed now sold is altogether 
superior to the original type. The following year 
Walcheren, which perhaps should be classed amongst 
the Cauliflowers, was brought to notice and has 
done good service. After this came Adam’s Early, 
Wilcove Late White, Dilcock’s Bride and White 
Sprouting. In later years Broccoli with heads of 
closer and whiter texture have appeared, including 
Leamington (still one of the best), Perfection and 
Late Queen. Great improvements have been made 
in Purple Sprouting Broccoli by selection, and it is 
now possible to grow three distinct types, tbe earliest 
of which is available for use at Christmas, the 
ordinary type following, and lastly a late selection 
of more compact growth and better coloured sprouts 
The hardiness of these strains is an important 
feature, and their popularity must continue 
In the late Broccoli it has been difficult to retain 
lateness without in some degree sacrificing colour 
and quality, but I am pleased to note that a late 
Broccoli which continues good in quality longer than 
any variety with which I am acquainted and with 
heads which are in every way equal to an Autumn 
Cauliflower is already in existence and will certainly 
become deservedly popular. By these late as well 
as the extra early selections there is now no difficulty 
in having a succession of good Broccoli and Cauli¬ 
flower throughout the year. 
Cauliflowers 
Are scarcely to be surpassed for delicacy of flavour 
when properly cooked. Three types were grown in 
*® 37 > Farly, Late, and Asiatic. These were 
followed by the Stadtholder and Walcheren, Snow¬ 
ball, Erfurt, and Autumn Giant. As Cauliflower 
seed can seldom be successfully grown in England, 
we are, of course, indebted chiefly to our Dutch, 
German, and Italian specialists for most of the 
improvements made, and with the finest types of the 
Dwarf Erfurt section, such as Snowball and First 
Crop, at one end and the early and late selections of 
the Italian Giant varieties at the other, we can 
extend the supply over a very much longer period 
than was possible sixty years ago. A head of Cauli¬ 
flower 36 in. to 38 in. in circumference of perfect 
quality was a thing unheard of in 1837, but it is by 
no means uncommon to-day. 
Kales. 
The great diversity in colour and form of this section 
of the Brassicas at the present day would surprise 
any gardener who knew only tbe few sorts existing 
at the commencement of the Victorian era. The 
hardiness of this useful vegetable has always been its 
most important feature, and it is to be hoped that 
the newer selections will retain this essential charac¬ 
teristic. 
During the fifties Mr. Turner introduced the hardy 
and most useful Cottager’s Kale, and it appears to 
increase in favour. Mention must also be made of 
the Variegated Kale, a highly ornamental plant as 
well as useful for cooking purposes In mid-winter 
the charming colours of the leaves render them 
invaluable for decorative purposes. 
The Celeries of 1837 
Were the Italian, Red, and White Solid, and Turnip- 
rooted, and although at this date there are many 
superior sorts, Celeries vary so little in character 
that there is less scope for great improvement than 
in many other garden vegetables. Much, however, 
has been done in improving the solidity and flavour, 
