June 10, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
645 
Gardening is tbe purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
Edited by J. FRASER. F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , JUNE loth, 1899. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS 
Tuesday, June 13th.—R.H S. Meeting at Drill Hall, with a 
Vegetable Competition for the ‘‘Sherwood" Cup; and 
Committees at 12 noon. Cambridge Show. 
Wednesday, June 14th.—Opening of the 3 days' Rose Show 
and Gala, at York; the Royal Cornwall Horticultural 
Society’s Show at Launceston. 
Thursday. June 15th.—Meeting of the Linnean Society 
at Burlington House, W. 
Friday, June 16th.—Opening of 3 days’ Show and Congress at 
Stuttgart, Germany. 
Wlora of Kent*.— This flora has been 
in hand for many years, and made its 
appearance about the middle of last month. 
Many workers have lent a helping hand, 
but Mr. F. J. Hanbury himself, who is an 
acute and laborious botanist, has been at 
work upon the book since 1872. A large 
number of books have been consulted for 
previous records, for although many local 
floras existed there had been no flora for the 
county as a whole, notwithstanding its 
importance amongst the various counties of 
Britain. At one time it was in contempla¬ 
tion to include the cryptogamic flora of the 
county in the book ; but we think the 
abandonment of the idea was well and wisely 
done. The present work runs to 444 pages 
and is of handy size for reference or to 
carry about with field workers if so inclined. 
Moreover, those botanists who take up the 
subject of flowering plants rarely study the 
cryptogams as well, so that a combination of 
the two principal divisions of the vegetable 
kingdom would have been unnecessarily 
cumbersome, besides being uselessly expen¬ 
sive for the requirements of the majority of 
students or collectors. 
In looking over the pages we find a vast 
amount of information gathered together, 
though the old records are very predomi¬ 
nant. Old records, however, have their 
uses as showing that such wild plants 
existed in certain localities, it may be 
altered and disturbed by drainage, or built 
over by the extension of London, and other 
large towns. From a botanical point of view 
this is serious, because the “brick-and- 
mortar king ” has a habit of planting his 
foot in secluded and rural spots, usually 
very rich in the native flora, which is thus 
destined to disappear, it may be for 
ever The records are also fairly full, 
judging from our experience of the flora of 
Kent, in the places where we have at vari¬ 
ous times tapped it. We see no mention, 
however, of Ranunculus parviflorus from 
Boxley Hill, where we picked it up. 
Several aliens in tbe vicinity of Plumstead 
and Crossness were more abundant about 
1895 an d 1896 than the records would seem 
to infer, as for instance Ambrosia artemisiae- 
folia, which was very flourishing at Cross¬ 
ness at that time ; as well as Neslia pani- 
culata and Xanthium spinosum, the latter 
on the point of flowering in September. 
Aster Tripolium, as well as its white- 
flowered and rayless varieties, are remark¬ 
ably plentiful and vigorous at Crossness. 
* Flora of Kent. By Frederick Janson Han¬ 
bury, F.LS., and (Rev.) Edward Sbearburn 
Marshall, M.A., F.L.S., vicar of Milford, Surrey. 
With two maps. London; Frederick J. Hanbury, 
37, Lombard Street, E.C., i8gg. 
The above may not be interesting plants 
to many gardeners, but none except those 
who have studied the subject can imagine 
how many of the British plants are culti¬ 
vated and minister to the sentiment, 
pleasure and use of thousands. Only two 
places are recorded for the Hoary Stock, 
from which the fine strains of the inter¬ 
mediate and other Stocks have been derived 
by hybridisation. Further round the coast 
to the west the localities for this interest¬ 
ing plant are more numerous in Sussex than 
in Kent. Mr. Hanbury considers the Wall¬ 
flower has more claim to be considered a 
native, and with that we agree, having'seen 
it as yellow as a Buttfercup in many places 
from Kent and the Isle of Wight, as far north 
as Stirlingshire, upon rocks, old walls, ruins, 
&c., where it has reverted to the original 
yellow, if it was not so when it first found 
a footing. The common Columbine appears 
to be more plentiful in Kent than in any 
other county, and was recorded as early as 
1666. It seems that it was quoted under 
the name of Aquilegia caerulea many years 
ago, though a Rocky Mountain species now 
claims that name in gardens. The annual 
Larkspur (Delphinium Ajacis) has also 
been picked up in a large number of places 
in Kent, but it is so sporadic in its appear¬ 
ance as a field weed that it cannot be con¬ 
sidered native. The story here recorded of 
the planting of Paeonia corallina by the old 
herbalist Gerard, and then discovering it as 
by accident, is a bit of pawky humour ; but 
we hope modern botanists are more scrupu¬ 
lous in their regard to actual facts. The 
sowing or scattering of seeds by botanists of 
no small repute has also come under our 
notice. The scarcity of the London Rocket 
at the present day is rather a curious fact, 
thought it sprung up in abundance all over 
London after the great fire. 
Gardeners will hardly recognise the 
White Water Lily under the name of 
Castalia speciosa, though that name was 
given it many years ago by an eminent 
British botanist. The Nymphaea of 
Linnaeus is the Yellow Water Lily, so that 
the mistake that has been perpetuated for 
so many years is rather remarkable. The 
origin of Lepidium Draba as a naturalised 
British plant is interesting. It was intro¬ 
duced at Ramsgate with the bedding-straw 
of invalid troops disembarked there after 
the Walcheren Expedition, and has been 
spreading through Kent, Surrey and 
Middlesex ever since, so that it is now 
quite naturalised. The Lizard Orchis is 
the most remarkable British species, and 
such being the case it is interesting to find 
it recorded for so many places in Kent. 
The author states, however, that it is verg¬ 
ing on extinction, so great has been its 
persecution by various collectors. It is to 
be regretted that the locality of the recent 
find of this species, recorded by us a short 
time ago, was made public. The same 
applies to many other of our rare species, 
the localities for which should not be too 
exactly defined by those who are in the 
secret. Much interesting information is 
given in relation to the geological formation 
of the different parts of Kent, all of which 
show that the county is well adapted for 
the growth of a rich and very varied flora, 
as indeed the records amply demonstrate in 
Mr. Hanbury’s “ Flora of Kent.” 
-**«—— 
Small Market Gardeners.—Mr. W. H. Gibson, 
Camptown, a large farmer in East Lothian, N.B., 
has enrolled himself among the ranks of “ small ” 
market gardeners, for only a day or two ago he put 
a large number of bedding-plants up to auction 
His neighbours, it is said, criticised his innovation 
somewhat freely. The market men (gardeners) 
were rather pleased at the low prices he secured for 
his plants. 
Mr. Robert Cannell, whose photograph appeared 
in the supplement of our last week’s issue, is the 
second son of Mr. Henry Cannell, and not tbe 
eldest, as he was inadvertently stated to be. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The next fruit and 
floral meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
will be held on Tuesday, June 13th, in the Drill 
Hall, James Street, Westminster, 1 — 5 p.m. A lec¬ 
ture on “ Rock Gardens, Ponds, and Rivulets in 
Gardens ” will be given by Mr. F. W. Meyer at 
3 o’clock. 
Hints from Holland.—Our readers may recall to 
mind the note we inserted early in May about atrip 
for Essex farmers to go to Holland and see how 
things were done there. They have been and here 
are a few of the impressions brought home. Mr. T. 
S. Dymond was the conductor on behalf of the 
Essex Technical Instruction Committee. First, 
that the Dutch are very careful not to have land 
lying waste ; second, that their analysis stations are 
worth the copying ; third, that the condition of the 
labourers in Holland is better than in England. 
Scottish Horticultural Association —The above 
association eDj’oyed their annual outing a week last 
Saturday, May 27th, by a visit in brakes to The 
Glen, Innerleithen, Peebles. The party, numbering 
about sixty, were met by Mr. McIntyre, head gar¬ 
dener to Sir Charles Tennant. The weather was 
all that could be desired, and The Glen is such a 
well-known place that the conclusion follows of a 
day well spent, and not a few hints gathered from 
the ramble among, and inspection of, a stock of 
plants in all departments known to be second to 
none. 
Sunflowers for Seed.—A fine story of foresight and 
determined application, even amid the gloomy pre¬ 
dictions of many friends, comes to us from Russia. 
Nearly sixty years ago a farmer of that vast land 
conceived the idea of extracting the oil from the 
seeds of sunflowers. The idea was as a fairy-cloud 
to his neighbours, yet now he or his sons can look 
proudly to 7,000,00c acres of land waving with the 
yellow Sunflower. Two kinds are grown—one with 
small seeds for crushing and giving oil, and another 
with larger seeds, which the poor people consume 
in large quantities. 
L iliums.—Mr. W. Watson, of Kew, has a very in¬ 
teresting article on Lilies, written in dialogue style, 
in the June number of The Boys' Own Paper. He 
explains that Lilies (true) are found in all parts of 
the northern hemisphere, and that in South America, 
Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa there are 
no true Lilies. He enlarged on the importance of 
keeping newly-imported Lilies, generally bought at 
auction rooms, carefully plunged in damp sand or 
covered with cocoanut fibre for a period until the 
plumpness has returned to the bulbs, whence they 
may be potted. It is from want of care after buying 
imported bulbs that so many of them die off. 
The Cities’ Breathing Spots. —There is a great 
difference noticeable in the growth of modern cities 
as compared with the old ones. To-day we are 
profiting from past experience and would not now 
think of building the ugly, close and smoky cities or 
towns which at one time were all that we had. It is 
a question if we could have healthy communities 
now-a-days under the old conditions. It is 
absolutely necessary to have open spaces where the 
aged may sit still and rest, and the youth or children 
romp and gain strength, and also to give a change of 
scene to those hard-worked men of all occupations, 
kept so constantly engaged at high pressure. 
Epping Forest—On June 1st the Duke and 
Duchess of Connaught dedicated, for public use, an 
additional twenty-eight acres of woodland to Epping 
Forest, at the part overlooking Enfield and the valley 
of the Lea. Mr. E. N. Buxton is the donor of the 
land, a gentleman, who, with his [brother, recently 
presented the Corporation of London with the 
forest land known as Highams Park. Yardley Hill 
js tbe name of the newly-added gift. In the 
presentation address to their Royal Highnesses it 
was brought out that £330,000 had been spent by 
the Corporation already in connection with the 
forest, and an annual outlay of £4,000 was required 
for its maintenance. The opening ceremony was 
witnessed by a large multitude. 
