60 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 26, 1896. 
Dietzsch (1710-1769), represents an old and striking 
style of plant-portraiture. 
Of nineteenth century artists, specimens of whose 
work is shown, Walter Hood Fitch was born in 
Glasgow in 1817, and died at Kew in 1892. His 
most important botanical work was in connection 
with the "Botanical Magazine” and Hooker’s 
" leones Plantarum,” both of which he illustrated 
for more than forty years. Of Mrs. Withers, to 
whom is due the beautiful sketch of a Columbine, 
we know nothing, and the same applies to the 
Chinese artist who produced the two elegant draw¬ 
ings of Chrysanthemums. Worthington Smith is 
still with us, and much in evidence in the Botanical 
Gallery, of which his illustrations of British 
Basidiomycetes form a conspicuous ornament, 
besides affording valuable help to students of a group 
of plants which it is impossible to keep in anything 
approaching to a natural condition. 
In our remarks we have had to refer again and 
again to Sir Joseph Banks, to whom botany, and 
especially the Botanical Department of the British 
Museum, owe an unmeasurable debt of gratitude. 
It is appropriate to find him, represented by the 
beautiful statue by Chantrey, as sitting between the 
two cases in which the drawings are shown, his head 
inclined towards the one containing the work of the 
two Bauers .—Natural Science. 
- -- 
THE SWANLEY NURSERIES. 
If a bird's eye view of the county of Kent 
were taken, certainly one of the spots that 
would be the most conspicuous by reason of its 
brilliancy of colouring would be the Swanley Nur¬ 
series, which may be designated as the headquarters 
of the world-renowned firm of Messrs. H. Cannell 
& Sons. True, it is, they have other establishments 
of much larger size, but it is at Swanley that by far 
the greater portion of the glass is located. Within 
an area of some seventeen acres is enclosed a 
store of floral beauty from which supplies are drawn 
by ardent cultivators in all parts of the known world. 
Not only is the home trade of the firm of huge 
dimensions, but the export business carried on with 
British dependencies, as well as foreign countries is 
immense. 
Naturally enough a visit to such an establishment 
to anyone who possesses a knowledge of horticulture 
is at all times interesting and instructive. None 
know better than the Messrs. Cannell of the craze 
of the public for novelties and improvements upon 
existing forms of favourite plants, and none are more 
conspicuously in the vanguard of progress. 
Well for us was it that the degree of physical tire 
largely depends upon the state of the mind, for at 
Swanley there is so much to see, and in our own 
case such little time to see it in, that we could not 
stay to dwell upon their glories of one phase of 
floriculture before another claimed our attention. 
The glass-houses are some thirty-eight in number. 
They are with two or three exceptions, homo¬ 
geneous in character, being of span-roofed construc¬ 
tion, about a 100 ft. in length, and fitted with the 
latest ventilating and heating apparatus. Apropos of 
heating we may remark here that the Messrs. Cannell 
were the first to practice that admirable method of 
running a row of pipes round the eaves of the house, 
instead of having all the piping, as is usually the case, 
close to the ground. The result of this is that the 
houses so treated are as free from drip as it is possible 
to get them, and those gardeners who are plagued with 
houses in which drip is prevalent will be well aware 
what a great boon this is. 
Tuberous Begonias are a great feature at Swanley. 
Many thousands of seedlings are raised each year, the 
best of them selected and saved, and the remainder 
weeded out and thrown away. We were too late in 
the season to see the pot plants in all their beauty. 
Something else besides mere show has to be thought 
about, for seed saving is after all the real business of 
the season We found the plants arranged in batches 
according to their colour. We noticed twenty-four 
distinct lots varying from pure white to rich yellow 
and deepest crimson, with many intermediate shades. 
Even although thus far advanced in their career the 
plants did not exhibit that great ” legginess,” to use 
a gardeners' phrase, that one might have expected. 
We learnt from our courteous guide that quite as 
much attention is paid to dwarfness and sturdiness 
of habit as to the size and form of the flower. This 
is as it should be. 
Passing through house after house of seedling 
Begonias, we came to a fine batch of Balsams in 6-in. 
pots. For conservatory decoration these easily 
grown plants are well nigh indispensible, and some 
of the Swanley shades of yellow, purple, and rose, 
together with the not less lovely pure white form, 
are among the best we have ever seen. 
Achimenes receive a full share of attention, as 
indeed their undoubted merits entitle them to. If 
several batches are grown they may be had in flower 
all through July, August, and September. Mauve 
Queen, which exhibits a lovely shade of mauve is a 
truly magnificent variety. The flowers are large, 
and produced in great profusion and the plants are 
dwarfer and sturdier in habit than the majority of 
varieties. Firefly, with its fiery crimson flowers is 
another first class form. 
Those of our readers who have seen the various 
exhibits of Cannas made from time to time by the 
Messrs Cannell at the Westminster Drill Hall, and 
other places, know to what sta'e of perfection the 
culture at Swanley has attained, when such huge 
trusses of flowers are produced by plants growing in 
comparatively small pots. At the time of our visit 
one of the houses literally blazed with the colour 
produced by a fine batch of plants in small 32-size 
pots. Of the numerous fine varieties here displayed 
we have only space to mention one or two of the 
creme de la creme . Paul Bruant is a deep crimson ; 
Souvenir de Ant. Crozy exhibits a rich shade of 
orange scarlet, banded with gold, the segments being 
of unsual size and substance; Aurora is a deep 
orange scarlet; and Chas. Headerson a charming 
buff-yellow, flushed towards the centre of the seg¬ 
ments with rose. 
The collection of Cockscombs is certainly one of 
the most notable features of the establishment, and 
is probably utiique in the whole of the United King¬ 
dom. In addition to the old crimson purple form 
some wondrous novelties have been introduced. 
Numerous shades of yellow, buff, orange, rose, rose- 
purple, and magenta were displayed, many of the 
combs which were of large size being crossed and 
recrossed with zigzag lines of bright gold in addition 
to the blaze of the ground colour. The plants were 
accommodated in six inch pots and were 
charactised throughout by extreme dwarfness in 
habit. 
Cactaceous plants have a long span-roofed house 
fully 150 feet in length devoted to their peculiar 
requirements, and a fine representative collection is 
gathered together, although very few of the speci¬ 
mens are as yet of any great size. Still, the plants 
throughout are clean and healthy, and doing well. 
A little group of Stapelias, several of which were in 
flower, attracted our attention including the 
curiously blotched S. bufonis. The foetid and un¬ 
pleasant odour exhaled by these flowers has caused 
the name of “ Stinkpots ” to be applied to them, and 
not inaptly. S. tsomoensis bears dull purple 
flowers not unlike the appearance of meat in the 
first stages of putrefaction. So close indeed is the 
resemblance that even the flies are deceived, for Mr. 
H. Cannell, sen., assured us that he had seen them 
laying their eggs upon it. 
Passing from the Cactus house into a large roomy 
structure we were greeted with the sight of a superb 
batch of Vallota purpurea bearing numerous large 
fine flowers, the fiery scarlet of which seemed 
strangely at variance with the specific title of 
purpurea. 
Leaving the houses Mr. Cannell led us round the 
outdoor domain, in which there was not a corner 
but what had its occupant. First of all, however, 
we must make mention of a charmiDg little rockery 
in which numbers of Alpine subjects, including some 
of the more suitable succulent plants, have been 
established. By the side of this is a series of water 
tanks devoted to the accommodation of various 
Nymphaeas and other aquatics. This little corner 
Mr. Cannell whimsically calls his “ Norfolk Broads.” 
Although of small extent they certainly make up in 
interest what they lack in their size. Hard by is a 
pretty little summer house with creepers bowered 
o'er. Here it is that Mr. Cannell dispenses hospi¬ 
tality to occasional visitors, and we can assure our 
readers that on a hot summer's day the cool breeze 
and the drowsy hum of the bees gathering their fill of 
honey from the flowers that surround us on all sides 
have a soothing, nay, an almost soporific effect. 
But to pass on ; Chrysanthemums are largely 
grown, some 6,000 plants being flowered in pots each 
year. All the best and leading varieties are included. 
By all accounts the art of educating Chrysanthe¬ 
mums to stand the malign influences of long sea 
voyages unhurt is carried to a high state of per¬ 
fection at Swanley. In the season vast quantities of 
plants are despatched over the sea, the last consign¬ 
ment of 400 varieties in thumb pots that had been sent 
to New Zealand, having arrived in the pink of con- 
ciiion. The plants which are to do duty in the Old 
Country are also looking well and healthy, particu¬ 
larly the bush specimens. 
As most of our readers are aware Dahlias are a 
speciality, a large area being devoted to them. With 
regard to number of varieties the collection is one of 
the richest, all sections of this showy autumn flower 
being well represented, whilst the Cactus division is 
particularly strong. By an elaborate system of 
checking, as the plants are shifted from one quarter 
to another, wrong naming is almost impossible, and 
purchasers may depend in getting each variety sent 
for true to name and character. The plants this 
year have not done so well as usual, owing to the 
difficulties they have bad to labour under in the 
shape of the almost total absence of rainfall, 
although thorough cultivation has done much to 
mitigate the ill effects of this. We were too early to 
see these extensive plantations of Dahlias in full 
bloom. That is a pleasure which we have in store 
for some future season, when we hope to accept for 
ourselves the cordial invitation offered to all by the 
Kent firm to " Come and see.” 
-- 
VEGETABLES FOR EXHIBITION. 
(Concluded from Vol. xii.p. 798). 
Carrots, Beet, and Parsnips. 
We now come to Carrots, and under the same 
htading I will include Beet and Parsnips, as their 
culture in many details are similar. To be able 
to produce these roots in their best form, special 
culture must be adopted, and that is by growing them 
in holes made with a strong stake or crowbar. In few 
gardens does sowing in the orthodox manner pro¬ 
duce these as we see them in collections of vegetables 
of the greatest merit. Therefore, trenching should 
be done in good time before seedtime to a depth of 
21 ft. ; then the soil should be forked over and holes 
made for Carrots 15 in. deep; for Beet 12 in. ; and 
Parsnips 2 ft. 6 in. or 3 ft. The width of the same 
should be in proportion to the thickness of the roots 
expected. These holes should be filled with a 
mixture of woodashes and burnt soil with a little 
lime added and sifted through a fine sieve, with the 
addition for Carrots of a little bone meal. This last 
ingredient seems to be necessary not only as an assis¬ 
tance to growth, but as a means of the roots 
becoming better coloured, which, of course, is very 
important. The seeds should be sown on the top of 
these holes thinly, and as soon as it can be distin¬ 
guished which is the strongest plant, thinning should 
take place and the plant left as near the centre of the 
hole as it is possible to discern. By having this 
preparation done, there is nothing to hinder the 
young and tender root from going straight down, and 
perfect specimens in good numbers may be expected. 
Insects, of course, have to be guarded against, and 
the Carrot fly will likely be the most troublesome. 
The remedy recommended fir the Onion fly equally 
applies to that of the Carrot ; and if vigorously 
carried out, may be the means of entirely preventing 
it; but, of course, circumstances alter cases, and very 
often no amount of attention, however great, will 
absolutely be successful. Supposing, for instance, 
we had a thunderstorm suddenly bursting over us, 
as is often the case, and every particle of whatever 
preventive we had applied was washed off the plants 
and lost, then if the sun in a few minutes time were 
to shine brilliantly, the fly, of course, would speedily 
make its appearance, as if by magic, and deposit her 
eggs on the leaves ; and the rudiments of the damage 
would be done before the gardener had even time to 
reach his plants. It will be seen then how futile 
may be our efforts even with all the science of the 
present day applied. 
The best time to sow Parsnips is as soon as the 
weather will permit in February, and the ground in 
workable order ; Carrots the first week in April . and 
Beet not before the end of that month Continuous 
hoeing between the lines is necessary not only to 
keep the ground free from weeds, but to enabl; the 
air and the action of the weather to reach the roots. 
Of varieties of Carrots nothing seems to equal the 
