300 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 7, 1899 
from a bed of Turnips, and close by some Onions 
were calling out loudly about the havoc a mole had 
made amongst them—their roots all loosened from 
the good firm ground they were growing in. 
• Evidently, the master does not care about Onions, 
or he certainly would put a trap to prevent this,' was 
the last I heard from them." 
• I guess there will be some grumbling from the 
boy this morning,’ a newly-planted Cauliflower 
exclaimed; ‘ I have been the only one the slugs 
have left all down this row for three nights running, 
and now I suppose they will be re-planted once more. 
Why on earth the master cannot order soot and 
lime sprinkled about, I can't imagine.' 
‘ Oh dear, dear,’ cried an Espalier Apple tree, * I 
shall not have a leaf left soon with these wretched 
caterpillars, they have eaten them nearly all away, 
and it is an utter impossibility for any Apple tree to 
produce good fruit, when it can only take in C 0 2 in 
such limited quantities. If the master would only 
spend half-an-hour for a few mornings in picking off 
and killing them, there would not be many left.’ 
" I returned to the flower garden, hoping for a 
little peace. But no ! 
‘The mildew gets worse and woise among us,'I 
heard a Tea Rose call across to a hybrid perpetual; 
* I suppose it has attacked you, too. I pine and 
ache ior some sulphur, but I shall have to pine in 
vain.’ 
' I have not only mildew, but green fly too,’ was 
the reply, * and no insecticide has been used this 
season upon us. A mixture of soft soap, methylated 
spirit, and terebene would soon put me right.’ 
“Just near I heard some Gaillardias and Pinks 
complaining bitterly about their leaves having been 
nearly all eaten by rabbits. 
" In despair I passed on to the greenhouses and 
vinery, but I can assure you I did not stay long, for 
the Vines were crying out about the red spider they 
are infested with, the Tomatos about the woodlice, 
the Plumbagos about thrip, the Cinerarias, Ver¬ 
benas, Roses, and several other things about green 
fly, the Stephanotis about mealy bug, the Azaleas 
about scale, and so on, and so on, and all of them, 
except the Tomatos, ended their murmuring by say¬ 
ing ‘ And " Gishurst Compound ” would soon put us 
all right.’ 
" Placing my fingers to my ears, I fled to the 
wood, and there I rambled about till I thought it 
was breakfast time. Now, I have given you a full 
and true account why I did not enjoy my walk in 
your garden.— Solanaceae. 
--a-- 
NOTICE OF BOOK. 
The Chrysanthemum. By H. J. Jones, Chrys¬ 
anthemum Specialist, Ryecroft Nurseries, 
Lewisham. London : Biggs & Son, 139—140, 
Salisbury Court, Fleet Street, E C. Price 2d. 
This may be described as a pamphlet of thirty- 
one pages, rather than a book, being one of a series 
upon various popular flowers, intended to meet the 
wants of the growing class of amateurs. Mr. Jones 
is perfectly at home in speaking of the Chrysanth¬ 
emum, his favourite flower. He gives a brief and in¬ 
teresting history oi the introduction and growth of 
the queen of autumn flowers in this country ; and 
follows this up by short chapters or articles on pre¬ 
paring plants to produce cuttings, the period of 
propagation, the best form of cutting and method of 
propagation, suitable compost for inserting the cut¬ 
tings, first re-potting, when to place the plants in the 
frames, soils for other pottings, late spring and early 
summer treatment, compost for final potting, sum¬ 
mer quarters, and other information, which cannot 
be otherwise than just the information that the 
amateur wants, and which is very opportune for the 
beginner making a start to gain experience in the 
raising and flowering of this all-absorbing subject. 
Mr. Jones makes a bold attempt at getting rid of 
the common expression of "taking the buds," using 
the term, " retaining the buds," instead. This is a 
common sense way of dealing with the matter, but 
might have been extended so as to explain what is 
meant by the “ pinching of the plants,” which takes 
place at an earlier date than that at which the buds 
for flowering are retained. Speaking generally, 
however, very few technicalities are used, and the 
less the better, seeing that plain English is as good 
or better than any other for the purpose. 
The distinction between first and second "crown 
buds ” is explained in the article on " late spring and 
early summer treatment." Those varieties which 
are inclined to produce flowers rather early for the 
November shows should have their points pinched 
out during the third week in April, and they will 
produce the second crown bud some time between 
the middle and end of August, and this is to be 
retained. Late varieties, on the contrary, should 
have their tips removed in the first week of April, 
and that will give them sufficient time to develop 
their second " crown bud ” in company with the 
earlier ones. 
Similar but more detailed information on this 
subject is given under the heading of " stopping and 
timing the buds.” This, of course, is the attitude 
taken up by the grower at the time when the proper 
buds for expanding in November make their appear¬ 
ance in August or the beginning of September; but 
the process of timing the buds is actually effected in 
April and May. This chapter is, however, a sort of 
retrospect, and explains the matter by giving reasons 
for each respective operation. In the matter of feed¬ 
ing, many easily procurable stimulants are men¬ 
tioned, and the grower is advised to use moderation in 
their application. The information vouchsafed is 
perfectly reliable, and quite in keeping with the pre¬ 
sent knowledge of the subject. Selections of the 
best of all the types are given at the end. 
THE SHEEN NURSERIES. 
There is no more charming spot in Richmond and 
its environs than the Gorse besprinkled Sheen 
Common, which in all its native wildness and 
ruggedness has hitherto defied alike the jerry-builder 
and the Fiats of county councils. The country here¬ 
abouts, although sheltered from cold winds, is open, 
and, taking it altogether, Mr. J. Russell may be con¬ 
gratulated on having obtained such a favourable 
spot for nursery work. The nursery, which com¬ 
prises about twenty-four acres, is situated at the 
western end of the common, and is, roughly speak¬ 
ing, triangular in shape, the apex of the triangle 
pointing northwards. 
The soil is almost an ideal one for nursery work. 
It is a deep, yellow, sandy loam, not too light to 
afford plenty of food to the plants entrusted to it, 
but light enough to be worked during almost all 
weathers. During our visit we had many oppor¬ 
tunities of noting how splendidly the various stocks 
of trees and shrubs lifted from it—plenty of fibrous 
roots, and clean upper-growth. The nursery itself 
was at one time practically a fruit farm or orchard, 
for when Mr. Russell took possession of it there 
were great numbers of fruit trees, chiefly Apples, 
Pears and Plums. Many of these remain, although 
many have also been removed from time to time. The 
fruit tress at present to be seen act as wind-breaks 
and shields for some of the more tender shrubs that 
are planted around them, and therefore are not, 
after all, very much in the way. The crop of fruit, 
also, is a consideration, for we were informed that in 
1895 no fewer than 6,000 bushels were picked from 
these trees. 
A wonderfully comprehensive collection of orna¬ 
mental trees and shrubs is grown in the Sheen Nur¬ 
series, and despite the proximity to the metropolis 
the vigour with which some of the tenderest subjects 
grow is quite remarkable. This is particularly the 
case with some of the choice Conifers which usually 
have an unequivocal objection to London smoke. 
Of the graceful Cedrus Deodara we have never seen 
finer stock, for all the plants, both big and little, 
were in the rudest of health. The Mount Atlas 
Cedar, C. atlantica, was also to be seen in excellent 
condition. There has been a great run this year on 
its fine variety, C. a. glauca, the bright silvery foliage 
of which is a most conspicuous and beautiful object 
during the dull months, and prices have accordingly 
gone up. The pretty and distinct Cryptomeria 
japonica is also exceedingly happy here, and the 
quaint old, Monkey Puzzle, Araucaria imbricata is 
fully as contented. Of both of these Mr. Russell 
has great store. 
The bright green of the Douglas Fir, Abies 
Douglasii, in a huge " drift ” attracted our attention. 
This grand Conifer is quite as remarkable for its 
handsome and stately presence as it is for its quick¬ 
ness of growth, and it can only be said to have 
one failing, and that is, that in windy positions, 
its leaders being brittle, are apt to come to 
grief. Such Cypresses as Cupressus goveniana, C. 
lambertiana, and C. macrocarpa are always in 
demand, although the beautiful C. lawsoniana is un¬ 
deniably the favourite. There are many handsome 
varieties of Lawson’s Cypress, and of these C.l. lutea 
is one of the very best. It has bright yellow foliage 
which stands the vicissitudes of weather nearly as 
well as the type. C. 1 . Allumii, C. 1 . Fraserii, C. 1 . 
erecta viridis, and C. 1 . gracilis are other notable 
forms. 
The eenus Taxus is well represented, but the 
"sombre, crooked Yew ” has developed a variety of 
forms which are anything but sombre, and yet, 
curiously enough, the greatest shortage ir the 
market for Yews at the present time is for the type, 
T. baccata. Its very handsome golden variety, T. 
b. aurea, is in great demand also, and Mr. Russell 
has a fine stock of it for emergencies. The distinct 
habited IrishYew, I. fastigiata, is another favourite, 
and its two forms I. f. argenteo-variegata and I. f. 
aurea are equally popular. In the eyes of the 
botanist, of course, the Irish Yew is ODly a well- 
marked variety of the common T. baccata, but in 
gardens and nurseries the connection is not often 
kept up. 
Amongst the Junipers are many handsome and 
useful plants. A chief place must be accorded to 
Young’s Golden Juniper, a variety of J. chinensis, 
which itself is one of the sturdiest of them all. The 
golden form partakes largely of this sturdiness, and 
as it is a free grower and preserves its colour well it 
cannot easily be too highly recommended to the 
notice of lovers of hardy trees and shrubs. 
Hollies form a specialty with Mr. Russell, for he 
catalogues no fewer than twenty-two varieties of the 
common Ilex Aquifolium. These varieties include 
gold, silver, and green sorts, some of them being 
grown as trained standards and half standards, 
whilst others have that “ weeping ” habit so much in 
request. The Holly is a tree of many parts, for it is 
beautiful at all seasons of the year. Of the varieties 
in stock, Silver Queen is undoubtedly the best silver 
variegated one, and we were charmed with the sight 
of several fine batches of it mustering many thou¬ 
sands of plants. A most interesting feature of the 
nursery is a row of huge spherical-headed specimens 
of this variety, some 15 ft. in height, and with clean 
stems not less than 6 in. in diameter. Both Scotch 
Gold and Golden Queen are reliable golden sorts. 
In the small state the plants may be made to perform 
good service for winter decoration. I. lutescens is a 
form that is not so often met with as its merits 
would entitle it to be, for the topmost leaves of the 
shoots are wholly bright golden yellow, and the 
plant is, withal, a sturdy and contented one. Than 
the trained standards we have never seen anything 
finer, and those who go in for this sort of shrub can 
rely on being well served by the Richmond firm. 
Aucubas have been enthusiastically taken up by 
Mr. Russell of late years. Many seedlings have 
been raised and the best of these selected with the 
result that the unique collection now comprises about 
twelve distinct sorts. The pretty A. japonica vera 
is remarkable on account of its heavy crops of bright 
red berries, whilst in our estimation A. j. latimaculata, 
with its heavy mottlings of yellow, upon green is the 
Aucuba of the future. 
The common Laurel, or Cherry Laurel, Cerasus 
Lauro-cerasus, is one of the most familiar objects of 
our pleasure grounds, shrubberies, and woodlands. 
In addition to the type there are several varieties 
that claim attention, and these are C. L.-c. caucasica, 
C. L.-c. rotundifolia, and C. L.-c. latifolia. The 
last-named is specially noteworthy on account of its 
huge, deep green leaves, and its vigour and hardiness ; 
for hedge work it is unequalled. 
An extensive drift of Euonymus japonicus medio- 
pictus aureus was exceedingly bright—as it always is 
when the plant is well grown. There is no need to 
wonder at the popularity of this Euonymus for the 
filling of ornamental vases and window boxes. 
In addition to the foregoing special subjects Mr. 
Russell has great store of all sorts of ornamental and 
forest trees, Weeping Elms, Birches, Ailanthus 
glandulosa, Willows, including Salix Salmoni, S. 
coccinea, S. vitelina, and S. babylonica, Acers in 
variety, Pavias, Evergreen and deciduous Oaks, 
flowering Cherries, Pyruses almost innumerable, the 
handsome Salisburia adiantifolia, Limes, Planes, and 
a host of other subjects are all to be seen, and 
what the Richmond establishments fail to supply 
the nurseries in the other part of the country 
provide. 
