November 20, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
181 
The Alexandra Palace on Muswell Hill is now the 
centre of a thickly populated district, so that when 
it reopens it should have a better chance of success 
than when flower shows were last held in it. To the 
south of it Hornsey has a population of 8o,ooo; 
while Wood Green and Tottenham have more than 
ioo.ooo. 
Torquay Chrysanthemum Show was held on the 
24th ult., and proved a record with regard to the way 
in which it was attended. No less than £75 was 
taken as entrance money. Each exhibition held by 
the society has been an advance on the previous one, 
and the two zealous officers, Dr. Ramsay, and Mr. 
F. C. Smale may congratulate themselves upon the 
success which has attended their efforts. 
Jackson-Harmsworth Polar Expedition.--At a 
meeting of the Linnean Society of London on 
November 4th, Mr. F. G. Jackson, leader of the 
Jackson-Harmsworth Polar Expedition, exhibited a 
series of lantern-slides, illustrating some zoological 
observations of the expedition, the most notewortny 
being views of the hibernaculum of the polar bear 
and of the breeding haunts in Franz Josef Land of 
the Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea), the eggs of 
which were also shown, A discussion followed in 
which Messrs. Hartiug, H. Saunders, H. O. Forbes, 
H. Elwes, A. Trevor-Battye, the Rev. F. A. Walker, 
and Dr. Murie took part. Mr. H. Fisher, botanist 
to the expedition, brought for exhibition a collection 
of plants made by him in Franz Josef Land, the con¬ 
sideration of which was deferred for want of time. 
English and French Aesthetics —M. Ch. Albert 
has been writing on this subject to our contemporary, 
Nord-Horticole, and frequently quotes Mr. C. Harman 
Payne, to corroborate his opinions. The latter is 
also a contributor to the November number of our 
contemporary. Mr. C. Harman Payne is convinced 
that the recognised methods of procedure by the 
existing school have assured the success of the 
Chrysanthemum, and it justifies his opinion in 
declaring to the people of this country the particulars 
of taste that we should not recognise. Touching 
this latter point M. Albert says that the truth is that 
in England, America, France, and the entire world, 
the method of exhibiting Chrysanthemums with 
tubes is contrary to the laws of nature, to those of 
Aesthetics, and of good common sense. It is quite 
artificial, conventional, of a nature to lead many 
people into error who have the interest to be in¬ 
structed upon the absolute value of the flowers that 
they know. In other respects he has nothing against 
the methods of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society. 
The Rose in History, Poetry, and Commerce was the 
title of a paper read by Mr. G. Love, of the Barton 
Nurseries at a recent meeting of the Torquay District 
Gardeners' Association. The chair was filled by the 
President, Dr. Hamilton Ramsay, and there was a 
capital attendance. Mr. Love said that the first 
record of the Rose as a cultivated plant dated back 
2,000 years. It originated in central or western 
Asia. The Greeks held it in great esteem, employing 
it in their religious ceremonies, dedicated it to the 
gods, and invested it with supernatural qualities. 
Theophrastus was amongst the earliest writers upon 
the Rose. Herodotus spoke of the gardens of 
Midas, "wherein the Roses grow of themselves, and 
there have as many as sixty petals apiece.” Sappho, 
Anacreon, and other Greek poets sang of it, but it 
was not until the Romans took it up that it assumed 
its proper place in the economy of cultivated plants. 
Columella was the first to mention about the Rose 
being budded on briers, for he said :—“ They (the 
Roses) should be budded on bushes with laterals left 
a foot long.” Pliny advised the plants being kept a 
foot apart, well hoed, and planted deeper than 
Vines, but not so deep as corn. Like Theophrastus, 
Pliny believed in the gcod results of pruning by fire. 
The latter author spoke of obtaining early Roses by 
filling a trench round the plants with hot water when 
the buds were about to break. With the fall of 
Rome the Rose became neglected, but with the 
Renaissance of learning in the 16th century came 
again into prominence. The National Rose Society 
had fixed the date of its introduction to Britain in 
1596. The first Rose nursery upon anything like a 
large scale was established in the vicinity of Paris in 
1815 by M. Vibert. Mr. Love quoted snatches of 
poetry upon the Rose from Sappho, Anacreon, 
Chaucer, Spencer, Shakespeare, Moore, and Burns. 
A Tree Issues from one of the windows at the top 
of the round tower of the church of St. Benedict, 
Norwich. A similar phenomenon may be seen at 
Bicknoller, in Somerset. 
The British Astronomical Weather Almanac and 
Chart. —This consists of an almanac of some thirty- 
two pages by B. G. Jenkins, F.R.A.S. It is based on 
the author’s paper on " Forecasting the Weather ” 
in the Bulletins of the Royal Academy of Sciences 
of Belgium and on Tellustria ; a method for deter¬ 
mining astronomically the variations in the tempera¬ 
ture and pressure of the atmosphere. It gives .‘he 
customary information to be found in almanacs, 
including notes for the fisherman, fowler, hunter, 
farmer, traveller, gardeners, &c. The probable 
weather for January is a sale prediction, as we are 
likely to have frost, fog and snow. In February we 
are to have snow frequently and dense fogs ; severe 
cyclonic storms in March ; and thunderstorms in the 
remaining months except September and December. 
We think it better not to antedate all these evils. 
The reminders to farmers, gardeners and others will 
be the more serviceable items of the almanac which 
is sold by R. Morgan, 65, Westow Street, Nor¬ 
wood, S.E. 
Messrs. Webb & Sons’ Root Competition.—The 
Wordsley firm offer no small encouragement to en¬ 
terprising agriculturists as well as horticulturists. 
The root competition inaugurated by them covers 
nearly the whole of Great Britain. The first prize 
of 15 guineas, open to the cultivators in the counties 
of Salop, Stafford, Montgomery, Warwick, and 
Leicester, for five acres of Swedes, this year goes to 
Mr. R. Timmis, Charnes Old Hall, Eccleshall, who 
has a grand crop of 50 tons 18 cwt. per acre. For a 
similar acreage of the same root in the counties of 
Hereford, Monmouth, Brecon, Glamorgan, Radnor, 
and Pembroke, Mr. A. Thomas Rowston, Pembroke, 
leads the way with 41 tons 16 cwt. to the acre. For 
another five acres of Swedes, in the counties of 
Oxon, Bucks., Wilts., Hants, Surrey, Worcester, and 
Gloucester, Mr. W. M. Harvey, Allington Manor, 
Bishopstoke, secures the premier award with 38 tons 
to the acre. Mr. W. Scorer, of Givendale Grange, 
Borobridge, has the best five acres of the same root 
in Yorkshire, and Mr. J.Hayton, Beck Farm.Wigton, 
holds the same position in a similar class open to 
competition from the counties of Bedford, Cam¬ 
bridge, Cornwall, Cumberland, Cheshire, Devon, 
Derby, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Herts., Huntingdon, 
Kent, Lancaster, Lincoln, Middlesex, Norfolk, Notts, 
Northampton, Northumberland, Rutland, Somerset, 
Suffolk, Sussex, Westmorland, Carnavon, Carmar¬ 
then, Cardigan, Denbigh, Flint, and Merioneth. Mr. 
Hayton has a crop averaging 56 tons 8 cwt. to the 
acre. Mr. G. Dodge, Cannon Court Farm, Fetcham, 
Leatherhead, has the premier three acres of 
Mangolds. 
■-—•*»- 
GARDEN FLOWERS IN THE OPEN. 
In looking over your issue of the other week I observed 
you were noticing the vagaries of " Jack Frost ” in 
the Thames Valley, etc., it just occurred to me how 
much favoured we have been with October weather. 
In all my experience (twenty-five years) I never saw 
tender plants so fresh and nice as they are here just 
now. Taking a turn round to-day (2nd November) I 
noticed that many of the Phloxes, Veronicas, etc., 
were sending up fresh flowering spikes. 
All our bedding plants—with the exception of 
those we had to clear off to make rcom for spring¬ 
flowering subjects—are quite fresh and blooming 
away as if summer had begun again. Dahlias, Sweet 
Peas, Verbenas, Ageratums, Begonias, Pelargoniums, 
etc., make a brave stand for life, even into " cauld 
November.” I take the liberty of sending you a few 
specimens, picked at random from various parts of 
the garden. “ Mums ” have been exceptionally happy 
this fine weather ; the pompons are well over, but 
the Japanese sorts are quite gay. We use such sorts 
as Mme. C. Desgranges and its sports G. Wermig, 
Mrs. Hawkins, and Mrs. Burrell; also Mons. G. 
Grunerwald, Vicomtesse d’Avene, Harvest Home, 
Ryecroft Glory, Vice-President Hardy (this fine, but 
a little tall) and Lady Fitzwygram. This latter we 
find far surpasses Mme. Desgranges for outdoor 
work, the colour being much purer, the habit better, 
and the flowers coming up on one level make a nice 
bush. 
The enclosed samples, I think, amply demonstrate 
the mildness of the Carrick climate .—John Simons, 
Glendoune, Girvan, N.B. 
[A box of flowers accompanied the above letter 
fully substantiating what Mr. Simons says about the 
garden flowers in the west of Scotland at the above 
date. Pompon and decorative Dahlias in numerous 
varieties were beautifully fresh and fit for use for cut 
flower purposes. A bunch of Sweet Peas, with 
flowers as large as they might be in summer, and as 
lich in colour included many choice varieties, still 
deliciously fragrant. Chrysanthemums of the early- 
flowering section were fresh, including several of the 
above-mentioned varieties. Other flowers were 
Verbenas in variety, blue Ageratum, Phlox Drum- 
mondi, Gaillardias, double Ivy leaved and zonal 
Pelargoniums, and the showy Scabiosa caucasica. 
Truly the autumn months must have been mild in 
the north as well as the south of Britain.— Ed.] 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM LATIFOLIUM. 
Everyone who wants a late supply of the hardy 
Marguerites should grow this kind. I consider it a 
long way before C. uliginosum, although this is a 
popular plant. To get it good it needs to be well 
grown in good soil. It may be well watered with 
manure when showing bloom. This Chrysanthe¬ 
mum is a strong rooting plant, and needs good 
feeding. It is strong and tall growing ; nevertheless 
it pays for doing by the fine, large, handsome blooms 
it gives. They are single, large and white, with a 
bright yellow centre. We grow it at the back of our 
hardy plant border, and in this position it blooms 
for three or four months. It is readily increased by 
division, and will grow in almost any soil.—/. C., 
Chard. 
-i » - 
A VISIT TO BADANLOCH, 
Kinbrace, Sutherlands hire. 
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting 
Badanloch, a famous sporting part of the above 
county in the extreme north of Scotland, leased by 
F. S. J. B. Taylors, Esq. But the subject I wish to 
open at present is how well gardening is done in the 
north of Scotland. On entering the garden at 
Badanloch I am sure I have never seen nor had the 
pleasure of visiting a more exposed garden than the 
above, yet the marvellous appearance of everything 
induced me to pen these few remarks. 
The garden is comparatively new, the sixth crop 
being in the ground this season. But it is well 
stocked with everything that is thought suitable for 
the climate. I was shown round the gardens by Mr. 
D. Dingwall the gardener, and noted a splendid col¬ 
lection of dwarf bush Roses, including some good 
varieties that carried splendid blooms on the 
occasion of my visit, namely, La France, Baroness 
Rothschild, Captain Christy, &c. They filled a 
border 86 yards long by 12 feet wide. Another fea¬ 
ture of the garden was two borders of considerable 
length filled with border Carnations, including some 
of the best varieties, such as Duchess of Fife, Prince 
of Wales, Scarlet Princess, Mrs. Muir, Raby Castle, 
&c. 
Chrysanthemums were another class of flowers 
which got particular attention, as they bloomed 
splendidly and showed signs of good treatment. 
Madame Desgranges^and its varieties carried some 
splendid heads. 
I also noted that herbaceous plants found favour 
here, as well as half hardy annuals, the latter making 
a bright show at the time of my visit. I was also 
much astonished to see the crop of vegetables that 
Mr. Dingwall managed to gro.v here after he had 
been telling me that it was the iolh of April before 
he was able to commence sowing, and that on the 
1st of May, and afterwards the garden was covered 
with snow for over eight days. 
Anyone on reading the above may easily see that 
it is not easy for Mr. Dingwall to grow fruit to great 
advantage, although I saw some splendid cooking 
Apples on the wall trees. But I understand that 
small fruits do well, there being a considerable num¬ 
ber of nice young fruit bushes, as well as two large 
borders filled with Strawberries. They were good 
plants put in last autumn (1896), and last spring, 
namely, British Queen, Royal Sovereign, Aberdeen 
Favourite, and the Alpine Strawberry, This took 
me through the garden to a nice lawn, in front of the 
commodious lodge, and which had a splendid surface 
