August 14, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
797 
GLASGOW PARKS AND THEIR 
SUPERINTENDENT. 
No city in the empire, probably, is so well supplied with 
parks and open spaces for the health and recreation 
oi its inhabitants as Glasgow. The Bailie, for the 
4th inst., gives a concise history of the parks and the 
dates of their acquisition, the oldest being Glasgow 
Green, which dates back to 1662. The greater 
number of the parks, however, have been acquired 
during the Victorian Era, say during the period from 
1852 to 1897. The most receDt addition is Tollcross 
Park, of eighty-two acres, which has been added to the 
list this year. The late Mr. Duncan M'Lellan whose 
death we recorded less than three months ago, was 
chiefly instrumental in laying out a large number of 
the parks, but since his installation as superintendent, 
Mr. James Whitton has laid out several of the newer 
parks and is still hard at work, his wide experience 
of west country climate enabling him to be very 
successful. A full page portrait of him appears in 
The Bailie, together with a concise history of his 
career both in private establishments and as superin¬ 
tendent of parks at Glasgow. Mr. Whitton is 
nothing if not up-to-date. At present he proposes 
the construction of a lake for boating and skating, a 
ground for volunteer reviews, a golf course, fields for 
general sports and a " ride ” or “ Rottenrow ” for the 
city equestrians. London and the authorities that be 
will have to look to their laurels, if they must not be 
outdone by Glasgow. 
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THE AMBURY. 
This disease is peculiar to Cabbage worts, being due 
to the attacks of a fungus named Plasmodiophora 
Brasslcae, the spores of which infest the rcots of all 
the Cabbage tribe, including Turnips, thus causing 
clubbing. Now there are but few of those who culti¬ 
vate this class of plant, to however small an 
extent, who are not mere or less troubled with it at 
times. The repeated glowing of the same kind of 
crop for a number of years in succession, favours the 
multiplication of the fungus by affording it food 
which meets its natural requirements. Where there 
is ample space to frequently change the Cabbage 
worts on to fresh ground, this disease will not give 
the ’cultivator any great deal of trouble, as a rule. 
Many remedies have from time to time been advo¬ 
cated. I have previously to this called attention to 
the use of red lead, but not from personal experience. 
On this occasion I do so, for having to grow a crop 
of Cauliflowers on a piece of ground badly infested 
with it, I thought I would give this remedy a fair 
trial. So I resolved to pot up the young plants in a 
compost with red lead in it, the proportion being 4 
ozs. of red lead to a bushel of soil. This was thor¬ 
oughly well m>'xed, and when the plants were well 
established I planted them out without breaking the 
balls. The previous crop was Turnips, almost 
worthless owing to ambury ; so I submit this was a 
fair test of the merits of the remedy. The result has 
been most gratifying, for having now used up most 
of the crop of Cauliflower, and having carefully 
examined every plant, I have not found the slightest 
evidence of the presence of the ambury.— W. B. G. 
COMPLAINT OF A TOMATO PLANT. 
Oh dear ! dear ! what a sad fate it is to belong to 
an amateur gardener," cried a Tomato plant growing 
in a pot in a greenhouse. 
“ Grumbling again," replied a neighbouring plant. 
“ Now what is the matter ? ” 
11 The usual thiDg, I am hungry and thirsty." 
" But I am not, why should you be ? ” 
" I wonder how many times I have told you that it 
makes a great difference growing in a border where 
you have plenty of moisture." 
"Yes, I have nothing to complain of. I am very 
happy, and I heard our mistress tell a friend yester¬ 
day, how pleased she was with me, and that the 
seed from which I was grown, was her own saving.’ 1 
“Ah! that accounts for the extra attention you 
receive. I, unfortunately came from Sutton’s. How 
well I remember my poor mother saying she hoped 
none of her fruit would be saved for seed, and sold to 
amateur gardeners. She was a magnificent plant 
herself, and 15 lbs. of Tomatos were cut from her. 
Aias ! the fruit of which I was an ovule, was saved 
for seed, and last January when our mistress wrote 
to Sutton’s for some of their ‘ Perfection,' I with my 
sisters was sent.” 
“ Well, how did she treat you at first ? ’ 
“ Oh, not badly at all, we were sown in a pan of 
nice loamy soil, covered with a clean piece of glass, 
and put in a warm greenhouse. We were soon tired 
of being in the dark, and showed ourselves in a few 
days. We grew rapidly, and just when we were get¬ 
ting in each others' way, she kindly potted each of 
us in a 60. Three weeks from that period, my trou¬ 
bles began. I had filled the pot I was in with roots, 
but although I pushed them through the drainage 
hole, not the slightest notice did she take. 1 She was 
so busy she did not know which way to turn,' I 
heard her often say; consequently we suffered. At 
last one wet day, she turned her attention to us. She 
put us in large pots, but oh ! how wet and dirty they 
were, she seemed to think far more of wiping the 
outside than the in. She put very few crocks for 
drainage ; I know, I, personally have only one piece, 
so you can perhaps now understand my constant 
state of thirst. The soil she used was wet, and she 
did not pot us firmly, knowing of course nothing of 
capillarity ; it was also far too rich to start with. 
After beiDg starved so long, we, or rather I, (for I 
sh.mld only answer for myself) greedily took in all 
the nourishment I could. Of course I grew tall and 
lanky, and my first bloom did not appear as low 
down the stem as she wished. I have now set three 
bunches of fruit, but I am afraid that is all I can do, 
and the question is, will they ever swell and ripen, 
when I have neither enough to eat nor drink." 
“ But she certainly waters you every day, for I hear 
her." 
“ My dear Challenger, I don't deny that she does, 
but I get no benefit, for it drains away as fast as she 
gives it. In an hour afterwards I am ss dry as 
before." 
“ I had some nitrate of soda yesterday, did she not 
give you any ? " 
“ Unhappily no, although I was famishing for it. 
I heard her say to herself, ' Oh, I shan’t waste any 
on Sutton’s plants, they are not my saving.’ My leaves 
curled up with suppressed merriment as 1 thought 
what Sutton's people would say if they could see the 
way I had been treated." 
“ Well,I must say it is rather hard lines not to have 
given you any nitrate ; I had also potash and phos¬ 
phorus last week.” 
“ Oh ! don’t tell me of all the good things you get, 
no wonder you do well, and that she is proud of you. 
Fortunate one ! growing in a deep moist border, and 
all your leaves left." 
“ Why, you don’t mean to say that yours are 
gone ?” 
“ She has cut ofi the greater part, said they shaded 
the fruit, so I am not only deprived of nourishment 
at the root, but I cannot take as much C 0 2 as I 
require from the air." 
“ Poor thing, I really am extremely sorry for you, 
I had no idea you had such good reasons fer grumb¬ 
ling. But we must be quiet now, for here comes 
our mistress with the watering can."— Solanaceae. 
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ARDEN 1NG MiSCELLANY. 
DELPHINIUM BELLADONNA. 
In spite of all the recent improvements amongst 
Delphiniums, this still holds a prominent position on 
account of its pleasing bright sky-blue flowers. 
Large or well established plants throw up stems 
about 3j ft. or 4 ft., but young ones are much 
dwarfer, and flower equally freely. There is a large 
bed of young plants in the Montague Nursery, 
Tottenham, where Mr. F. Gifford grows it for the 
sake of cut flowers, which are highly esteemed 
amongst his customers, who ask for them again and 
again. The variety first flowers in May. The large 
bed or plantation here was planted as small, single 
crowns in March. The first flowering was in May, 
after which the stems were cut down. The whole 
bed was in full bloom for the second time at the end 
of June. Some of the plants were cut over, and will 
bloom for the third time, thus keeping up a succes¬ 
sion till October. The variety can be recommended 
as a good border plant, or for beds, or for the pur¬ 
pose of cut flowers, according to the requirements of 
the establishment. 
COPROSMA BAUERIANA VARIEGATA. 
W hen this plant was comparatively new to us, it was 
more sought after than at present. Some twenty- 
eight years back it was rapidly increased by our 
nurserymen, there being a demand for it for bedding- 
out arrangements. It may occasionally be found 
now in use for that purpose ; but I opine that to the 
large majority of gardeners it is fast becoming an un¬ 
known plant. I call attention to it as being for 
greenhouse decoration one of the very best varie¬ 
gated plants we have. A well grown plant with its 
shining green leaves, and decidedly marked variega¬ 
tion constitute it one of the most admirable of gr< ei- 
house shrubs ; and where from the necessities of the 
situation flowering plants are scarce during the 
winter months, this from its almost unique bright¬ 
ness will serve to enliven the place. It is just one 
of those things which those with limited space 
should secure, because it may be turned outside for 
the summer months, when flowering plants are more 
plentiful.— W. B. G. 
VERONICA HYBRIDA NEWRYENSIS. 
This is a shrubby species with a habit similar to 
that of V. ligustrifolia, but taller, much more free in 
growth, and more bushy. The flowers are of a soft 
lilac but soon fade almost white, and are produced 
in abundance towards the apex of the shoots. The 
spikes are il in to 3 in. in length. A bush of it about 
2 ft. high has been flowering for some time past at 
the south end of the rockery at Kew. 
GREVILLEA ALPESTRIS. 
The beauty of New Holland plants is often over¬ 
looked for the purpose of greenhouse decoration 
amidst the crush of soft-wooded subjects so much 
required for cut flowers. There are something like 
160 species of Grevillea, mostly from Australia. G. 
alpestris is a dwarf specif s, and highly ornamental on 
account of its bright red or scarlet and yellow flowers 
which are produced in profusion at the ends of short, 
drooping lateral shoots. The clusters are moderate 
in size though numerous, and serve to give the plant 
an elegant appearance. The species forms a dwarf, 
upright bush, flowering in May in a cool greenhouse, 
or earlier in a warmer house. The small oblong- 
lanceolate leaves are comparable to those of a 
Myrtle rather than to the better known G. robusta, 
so largely used as a foliage plant in this country. 
The latter in its native country grows to be a tree 
of some size, and G. alpestris seldom exceeds a 
yard in height, but may be flowered when only 9 in. 
to 12 in. high. A coloured plate of it is given in 
Revue de L'Horticulture Beige for July. 
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OBITUARY. 
Mr. John W. Lawrence. 
Many of our older readers will, we are sure, regret to 
learn of the passing away at Chambersbury, Pa, 
U.S.A., on July 26th, in his 66th year, of Mr. John 
W. Lawrence formerly well known in this country as 
gardener at Farnham Castle, Surrey Mr. Lawrence 
was gardener at Farnham Castle for some twenty-five 
years, and in the old South Kensington days of the 
Royal Horticultural Society was an occasional 
exhibitor of specimen Orchids, illustrating the 
highest cultivation. Many old Orchidists will 
doubtless still remember a very remarkable example 
of Dendrocbilum filiforme which he once exhibited 
in the old Council room, and the like of which we 
have not seen since. He was an excellent gardener 
and highly respected by all who knew him. 
Mr. Alfred Sutton. 
We regret to announce the death of Mr. Alfred 
Sutton of Greenlands, Reading, who died at his 
residence on Saturday morning last at the ripe age 
of 79 years. Mr. Sutton was for 50 years an active 
member of the firm of Sutton & Sons, but retired 
from the business, together with his brother Mr 
Martin Hope Sutton, the founder of the firm, who 
survives him, nine years ago when the business was 
entirely made over to their sons, the present partners, 
He was more particularly interested in the floricult- 
ural part of the work, whilst his brother devoted 
himself principally to the agricultural and seed 
growing departments. In his private life he took the 
deepest interest in all religious movements, especially 
those established for the benefit of young men. He 
was one of the founders and chief supporters of the 
