June 24, 1899. 
683 
the gardening world. 
HALE FARM NURSERIES. 
It takes very little explanation at any time to direct 
the reader to where these nurseries are situated ; and 
at this time after the successes by the Messrs. T. S. 
Ware, Ltd.; Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, at 
the Temple Show, no time or space need at all be 
wasted with redundant directions. Being out 
Tottenham way, recently, we made it a point to go 
to Hale Farm ; and in the perambulations around 
the acres of herbaceous and alpine stock the few 
notes I made are here presented. There on a sunny 
rockbank was the blue Lithospermum prostratum 
basking all its blossomed stems in the sun. Dode- 
catheon splendidum had to cheer itself in the shade. 
The pretty crimson-purple neat little flowers are 
exceedingly cheery, planted in masses. Geum 
miniatum and G. coccineum plenum, in their bright- 
• ness, make praise seem foolish when applied to them. 
We shall not praise it then but just ask all who are 
in search of’ a fiery, crimson-orange herbaceous 
plant useful for beds, borders, or as cut blooms, to 
secure half-3-dozen Geum coccineum plenum. Then 
there are Thermopsis montana, resembling a dwarf 
Lupine; Polemonium humile, dwarf, graceful and 
light blue ; Cypripedium Calceolus, so interesting, 
.withal pretty, and perfectly hardy ; the larger form 
of Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum multiflorum 
giganteum; Alstroemerias in great variety, a genus 
of hardy Lily plants becqming daily more popular ; 
Heuchera coccinen grandiflora, with tall spikes of 
coral red, H. c. rosea, a distinct plant with rosy- 
pink flowers; and Hemerocallis, in the various 
varieties, filled a large amount of space. Anemone 
palmata alba is jusf like a " Gowan.” The beautiful 
Ononis rotundifolia is suitable for banks.and exposed 
places. 
Eremurus elwesianus fhrows up a spike 8 ft. or 
, 3 ft- high, forming a dense pinky mass of loDg, 
lasting flowers. E. himalaicus is dwarfer than the 
former, and white in colour. These plants do best 
when planted in September. Then we have Lilium 
rubellum, a beautiful dwarf Lily. Primula japonica, 
P. j. lilacina, hosts of Globe flowers, Aquilegias, 
Pinks, Carnations, Violas, Lupines, Potentillas! 
Saxifragas, and so on, cgyer large tracts of ground. 
Delphiniums are likewise in mighty force at Hale 
Farm. 
Irises are represented by one of the finest collec¬ 
tions extant. The German Irises made the greater 
show; and .to see rolling plains of great blue waves 
got from the massing of Iris Mdme. Chereau, 
having a white centre and pale lavender edge; I. 
asiatica, purple-bjue, very large and as lovely as 
large; I. paljida Mandrgljscae, having purple-violet 
blooms with flowing petals; I. Gracchus, bright 
yellow sepals and, streaked purple petals ; aDd I. 
Mrs. Reuthe, of a creamy-white, with reticulated 
lavender edges, makes one long to grow and live 
amongst them. Pyrethrums swung in large 
" swatches '' of rose, carmine,cream, white,or crimson. 
Paeonies are largely cultivated, indeed,'to the extent 
of about three acres. Here also are Centaurea 
montana alba, C. Cyanus, Everlasting Peas, Pink, 
Her Majesty, so sweetly white and fragrant; Funkia 
aurea variegata, Cytisus scoparius andreanus, 
Gentiana verna, Lilium davuricum, the type of the 
section ; and after this we might write a line of 
etceteras, and at that, would nipt have embraced all 
the worthy plants seen at these nurseries, the more 
prominent of which we have tabulated.— J. H. D. 
— ■ « f« — 
NOTICE OF- BOOK. 
An Encyclopaedia of -Gardening, a Dictionary 
of Cultivated. Plants, &c. By T. W. Sanders, 
F.R.H.S., Editor of "Amateur Gardening." 
Third Edition. Price, 3s. 6d. London : W. 
H. & L. Collingridge, 148 & 149, Aldersgate 
Street, E.C., 1899. 
Encyclopaedias are usually bulky and costly, so that 
few buy them except those whose profession makes 
it almost necessary to procure the same. Amongst 
amateurs, as opposed to professionals, there are 
some who would go to the expense of an encyclo¬ 
paedia of gardening to minister to their pursuit of a 
hobby ; but some of the encyclopaedias are so much 
Greek to many who are not well versed in horticul¬ 
tural and botanical literature, especially the latter. 
To meet the requirements of this class, by no means 
a small one, Mr. T. W. Sanders has got together an 
encyclopaedia of cultivated, that is garden plants, to 
the exclusion of those that are merely of scientific 
interest. Phis, at once, reduces the great bulk of 
matter that goes to swell the volume of those 
d.ctionaries or encyclopaedias of plants, which can 
make any pretensions to being exhaustive of their 
subject. The result is a book of some 442 pages of 
closely printed matter, including an addendum, and 
of handy size for frequent handling and reference. 
Its utility may be gleaned from the fact that it is 
now in its third edition. 
The arrangement is entirely alphabetical, so that 
every name it includes can readily be found. Large 
numbers of English names are given, many Of them 
not being either popular or common, and in some 
cases not English, so that there is difficulty in using 
a single epithet that would apply to all. The 
English names are usually followed by the botanical 
one, or vice versa, for the botanical names are 
essential to the finding of any name which the 
reader may have seen or picked up from various 
sources. These names are followed by information 
such as readers may desire to know concerning their 
uses, history, classification in the natural orders, or 
cultural requirements. All the more useful garden 
plants are furnished with details concerning potting, 
watering, temperature, compost required, propaga¬ 
tion, &c. Information is supplied concerning the 
more important species in cultivation; but no 
attempt is made to describe species so that the 
botanically inclined could identify the plants coming 
under their notice. To do that, of course, would 
involve going back to the style of the larger and 
more expensive encyclopaedias, which it was the 
author’s intention to avoid. 
It is stated that there are six species of Frankenia 
in cultivation, and there may have been at one time 
or other; but we confess never having seen any 
of them except Frankenia laevis, the British species, 
which might be more frequently used for carpeting 
the ground in bedding arrangements, and on 
rockeries. A useful amount of information is given 
under Seakale, but an equal amount is given under 
Crambe, the botanical Dame. This might have been 
avoided on the score of space, by a simple reference 
to the other of any one of the names. The book 
does not lose anything, however, by this. We 
should have liked that more of the specific- names 
had been given, as for instance in " Calystegia 
(double Chinese Bindweed, Dahurian Bindweed).” 
There are several species of Calystegia, and the 
English names above given apply only to C. pubes- 
cens. Occasionally we find a Scotch name such as 
Gowan (Daisy) and Water Gowan (Caltha), but the 
word ought to have been qualified by an adjective 
when applied to Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum. 
These are small matters, however, for the author 
has got together a large number of English and other 
names that may be used by amateurs who object to 
to the botanical names. The printing is very clear 
and the namhs most easy to find, which is highly 
commendable in any book of reference. 
-M*.-- 
FRUIT GROWING IN KENT. 
(Continued, from p. 668.J 
The Kent. System of tenure as between 
Landlord and Tenant.— The rule about Mid-Kent 
is for the landlord,to pay for such permanent trees 
as the tenant elects to plant. Some landlords also 
further allow a sum for planting and staking. 
Having first arranged with the agent or steward, the 
tenant is bound to plant, protect, and keep in order 
all such permanent trees. But if the tenant makes 
a plantation, he furnishes all the bushes, canes, and 
plants necessary at his own expense, and at the expir¬ 
ation of the tenancy he has no claim on the landlord 
for his outlay. This is a simple matter, and has 
worked well when the tenancy is fourteen years or 
more; but if a tenant dies, or leaves before the 
expiration of his lease, the bushes are valued to the 
incoming tenant as tenant right; or the landlord 
pays for them, and gets the sum from the new tenant, 
or should he be unable to pay, an extra rent is 
charged to cover the landlord’s outlay. The passing 
of the Market Gardeners' Act, 1895. placed tenants 
who have planted in the past on a firmer footing, 
as under it the outgoing tenant can claim compen¬ 
sation for his outlay (before 1895) ; which is assessed 
by valuation if tenant and landlord are unable to 
agree as to terms. 
It frequently occurs that valuers’ estimates differ 
widely, and a third man, as arbitrator, has to be 
consulted. I think in all cases a proper under¬ 
standing should be arrived at on entering into a 
tenancy, and from experience I believe nearly all 
landlords aud agents are ready to meet the wishes of 
a tenant possessing capital and energy. In order, 
however, to guard against an uniair advantage being 
taken by an improving tenant, it is customary on 
many estates for the words " under no circumstances 
shall this tenancy be considered as a market garden ” 
are inserted in most leases. In other cases where 
the tenant finds the trees and plants.it is not unusual 
for an agreement to be made whereby the tenant at 
the end of his term receives a capitalised sum equal 
to a certain number of years’ purchase on the 
increased letting value of the holdings, as then 
determined by agreement or valuation. In my 
opinion the Act would have been improved if a 
definite number of years had been fixed under which 
compensation could be claimed, as bush fruits are 
practically useless after ten to fifteen years, Plums 
begin to decline after twenty-five years, and Apples 
after sixty years ; but under a fourteen years’ lease a 
tenant should have reaped his profit on all outlay, 
except perhaps on a Cherry orchard. Undoubtedly 
the best plan is for the tenant to be a freeholder. 
Foreign Competition.— The imports of fruit from 
the continent, such as early Cherries, Gooseberries 
and Plums, &c., are variously viewed by dealers. 
Some maintain that they prepare the public to 
anticipate our British produce, others that foreign 
fruits depress the values of home produce. I 
ventured to say in 1881 that the time would come 
when the improved qualities of our home fruits, and 
the larger quantity grown would make it impossible 
for foreign growers to send and get a profit. This 
has already come to pass in Grapes, where home 
growers have ousted most of the imported Grapes, 
and as the bulk of glass-grown Vines gets larger 
year by year, we may look for still further decrease 
in the supply of foreign Grapes in our markets. One 
Covent Garden salesman sold four tons of English 
Grapes the week before Christmas, 1898. Apples 
from America, Canada, and New Zealand, although 
facilities are offered for transit in many cases, often 
fail to pay the growers, though carriers and sales¬ 
men may reap a rich harvest, and it is evident that 
growers will not continue to send here if unremun¬ 
erated for their trouble. Again the home demand 
for these fruits in such expanding countries and 
colonies gets larger year by year, and these two 
factors combined may give hope and courage to the 
home grower. In alluding to Tasmanian fruit, it 
reaches us after our own stores are exhausted, and 
thus with supplies from the Cape of Good Hope and 
California does not compete, but will merely lengthen 
the season for hard fruits. In soft fruits, the home 
growers have little to fear, as the superior quality of 
home grown Cherries, Gooseberries, and Currants 
will be always appreciated, and the Strawberry is 
practically untouched by foreign exports. 
We are often told by croakers, " Oh yes, but fruit¬ 
planting is after all, only a fad, and is sure to be 
overdone." I reply to this by stating that the 
largest planters are those who have already great 
breadths of fruit themselves, and holding as they do, 
up to r,ooo acres, must be very good judges of the 
trend of future trade. Probably owing to higher 
prices, the imports of Apples and Pears into Britain 
for 1898 show a large increase, Apples being 231,324 
bushels more than 1897, and Pears 7,059 more 
than 1897, the totals being 642,278 bushels 
of Apples, and Pears 18,951. Plums on the 
other hand, although a short crop in Great Britain, 
were 266 bushels less than 1897, the total of 338 
bushels being quite insignificant. I believe there 
was a cold spring on the Continent, so that they 
had little to send in 1898, and doubtless better 
prices obtained in their own local markets. I may 
here reiterate that it has been the opinion of many 
of our largest growers that when our acreage of fruit 
was large enough to provide for the wants of our 
population, prices, though still remunerative to the 
British grower, would fall so low that the foreign 
grower would not be able to send his fruit over at a 
profit. This has apparently come to pass in Plums 
and Grapes. In Pears, we shall always be to a great 
extent dependent on the Continent, as our acreage 
of first-class Pears is small, and, moreover, the Pear 
is not so hardy or such a regular bearer as the 
Apple. For example, two rows of pyramidal trees 
