October 28, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
139 
TRINITY ROAD NURSERIES. 
Possibly some of our readers are unacquainted with 
the name of Mr. Robert Neal, the proprietor or 
head of the nursery firm trading under this name. 
The firm is a brisk one, employing many hands and 
with some twenty-five to thirty acres of nursery 
land, besides a very complete and compact area of 
glasshouses. The nursery lies close to the breezy 
Wandsworth Common, and about seven minutes 
walk from the railway station of that name. Then 
from Clapham Junction, to which anyone in London 
or surrounding counties can find their way, the 
distance is one mile. Arriving there on a business 
inspection seme weeks ago, we found everything very 
satisfactory. The cleanliness of the nursery grounds 
was a marked feature. Another point of merit, in 
our estimation, was that no land is left unfilled. 
Even in breadths of shrubs all of a k.nd, be they 
Cupressus or Aucuba, Daisybush or Weigelia, when 
one plant has been sold and'lifted its place is not 
left vacant simply because there are no more of its 
kind to occupy the spot. Any other plant if it is 
at all suitable, is put in, and so from evidence of this 
sort one concludes that there are business men at the 
head of affairs, and that having opportunities they 
do not waste them. So if care is taken in having 
the ground occupied and kept clean, is it difficult to 
suppose that the plants, or stock, whatever it maybe, 
is also cared for, I mean in reference to pruning, 
training, budding or grafting, selecting, and in 
transplanting, according as they require such opera¬ 
tions ? The whole stock is in excellent condition. 
There is little that can be said relative to the shrubs. 
All that the ordinary gardener ever wants is there, 
some in greater, some in lesser quantity. Hardy 
Bamboos seem to hold tbeir own even where the 
shelter is scanty. Olearia Haastii, so useful for 
massing on sunny slopes, or for planting as speci¬ 
mens in the dressed grounds, is largely patronised. 
Bright shrubs such as the Golden Privet, Cornus 
mas variegata, variegated Acersand Hollies, together 
with the purple-leaved Prunus Pissardi and Berberis 
vulgaris purpurea, Pine and Fir trees in a few of the 
more select varieties, all find a place. 
Fruit trees are seen m many forms. Espalier 
trained Apples and Pears, also the bush, pyramidal 
and standard forms are in sufficient numbers to give 
one a satisfactory choice. Apricots, Plums, Peaches 
and Cherries are trained for walls, and the well- 
furnished stout wooded plants bespoke of care and 
timely attention in laying the foundation of the 
trees. 
Climbing plants are represented in Wistaria 
sinensis, the shoots of some of which were being 
layered for an increase of the number. Jesamines, 
Magnolias, Crataegus Pyracantha, Clematis, Plum- 
bagocapensis (in the open), Honeysuckles (Lonicera), 
Ceanothus, and other things suitable for drapiDg 
purposes, were all noted and admired. There is a 
full collection of coloured Thorns. Roses in the 
open, like the Roses in pots, were splendid samples 
of their kind. 
The dry weather had been against successful bud¬ 
ding, but most of what were seen at Trinity Road 
Nurseries were firm and set. Annuals are an exten¬ 
sive category; so likewise with ornamental grasses 
and half hardy ornamental plants for sub-tropical 
bedding. 
Vegetables form an additional feature, and the 
greatest care is taken to grow good produce and to 
preserve it clean and true. 
Coming to the glass department, almost the first 
house that one enters displays a batch of improved 
single flowered Petunias. They do not equal the 
double varieties, but for size, brilliance,and substance 
wa cannot recall having seen any finer blooms than 
those produced by Mr. Neal’s strain. Ericas, when 
well grown, have a charm for nearly everybody, and 
they have the secret of how to grow them at Trinity 
Road. Young Clematises in pots provide plants of 
which anyone might be proud, and from the fact of 
their being in pots they are fit for planting at any 
time. Foliage plants of- the popular enumeration 
such as Dracaena indivisa, beautiful little plants in 
4 in. or 5 in. pots; Pandanus Veitchii, Ficuselastica, 
Aspidistras, with some lovely decorative plants of 
Cyperus alternifolius variegatus, Acalypha in varie¬ 
ties, Grevillea robusta, and so on, are all specially 
attended to. 
Palms of all kinds fill a special house. The 
Ferns in the better known varieties of Adiantum, 
Pteris, Nephrolepis, Davallia, and Polypodium, &c., 
stretch out over many stages, or hang from the roof 
in other cases. Begonias are not ignored. 
Then out of doors one finds hundreds of bush 
Chrysanthemums, Azaleas, Ampelopsis, Ivies, and 
Roses. Vines are both to be seen indoors and out; 
in the latter case they are ripening off. The Roses 
are splendid, and promise a capital yield of blooms. 
Such varieties as Kaiserin Augusta Victoria,Souvenir 
de S. A. Prince, Bridesmaid, Catherine Mermet, 
General Shablekine, Grace Darling, and others were 
particularly strong and healihy. 
Mr. Neal also has a considerable trade in Cape, 
Dutch, and other bulbs, embracing also agricultural 
seeds, besides seeds from every section of garden 
produce. The visit to this thriving firm brought to 
my mind’s eye many similar firms throughout the 
land, striving to keep their place bright in every 
corner.— G. W. 
->».- 
NOTICE OF BOOK. 
Familiar Wild Flowers. By F. E. Hulme, 
F.L.S., F S A. Cassell & Company, Limited : 
London, Paris, New York, and Melbourne. In 
25 weekly parts. Price 6d. each. 
Some time ago we noted the re-issue of this publica¬ 
tion in a form within reach of all interested in our 
native flora. The whole of the 25 parts have now 
been completed, and as the collecting season is 
over, or almost so, those who have added the book to 
their library will be able to recommence their field 
rambles with the return of spring equipped with 
illustrations, coloured and uncoloured, of a large 
number of the more showy of our wild flowers. In 
Part XVII. the author gives a very good description 
of the habitats of the Wood Vetch (Vicia sylvatica), 
and shows that it can be familiar only in a restricted 
sense, that is, in the localities it frequents. Open 
woods in hilly districts, chiefly northern, are those it 
prefers, but we have also met with it on high, rocky 
banks on the seashore, facing the east. The Snow¬ 
drop and Snowflake, though familiar enough in 
gardens, are also very local in their occurrence, 
though often in the case of the former very abun¬ 
dant where it has long run wild. The Snowflake 
seems to be most frequent in the eastern and 
northern counties of England, but it is quite acces¬ 
sible to Londoners who frequent the upper reaches 
of the Than.es. 
The various plants with which the author deals 
are widely scattered over various parts of the coun¬ 
try, according to the nature of the habitats they fre¬ 
quent ; so that those who set themselves the task of 
searching for them in their native habitats will have 
to employ their leisure time and holidays with 
diligence in several successive years, unless, indeed, 
the collector has an unusual amount of spare time 
at command. A large percentage of them are, how¬ 
ever, to be found within easy reach of London and other 
centres, so that the rarer or more distant ones may 
added as occasion serves. The coloured illustra¬ 
tions, and the non-technical descriptions will readily 
conduce to the determination of each particular 
species, but independently of all this much pleasure, 
recreation, and knowledge can be accumulated by 
careful observation of the natural habitats and sur¬ 
roundings of the plants in the wild state, and by a 
study of the conditions conducive to their welfare. 
The woods and glens, river banks, seashore, moun¬ 
tains, and commons all have their inhabitants, which 
vary in kind and in character, according as particu¬ 
lar spots or localities furnish the means of subsist¬ 
ence, meagrely or abundantly. To dwellers in 
towns a hobby of this nature offers the pleasureable 
incentive for healthy recreation of a harmless yet 
instructive kind. 
In connection with the Field Thistle (Carduus 
acanthoides) the author revives the legend of the 
Acanthus leaf being much used in Greek and Roman 
architecture; but writers are not all agreed upon the 
plant which was so much copied by those ancient 
builders in the sculpturing of Corinthian capitals, 
&c. Some think it more likely that the Cardon or 
even the Globe Artichoke leaf was the one from 
which the patterns were copied, because more fre¬ 
quently coming under the eye of the stonecutter as 
cultivated plants in gardens. However, as doctors 
differ, the point cannot be regarded as in any way 
affecting the study of wild plants as here pro¬ 
pounded. 
Emblematic plants, such as the Rose, Thistle, 
Shamrock, Cornflower, and others come in for a 
due share of attention, as their beauty or interest are 
such that they could hardly be overlooked in a book 
dealing with the more conspicuous of our native 
flora. 
Part XXIV. gives an index of the English names 
applied to the plants described and illustrated in the 
body of the book, and a separate index of the 
botanical names used in each of the six series or 
volumes of the book, that is, the indexes are common 
to the whole work. Then follows a table of botani¬ 
cal orders and genera represented in the work, so 
that students of the natural sys’em may use it to 
advantage when desirous of ascertaining what plants 
have here been dealt with. The XXV. and con¬ 
cluding part is entirely devoted to a summary of the 
whole book, giving concise descriptions of each 
plant that has been illustrated. It is also a sort of 
index or rather synopsis of contents, as the page is 
mentioned on which the fuller description is given. 
The various plants described and figured follow no 
particular order in the book, but any inconvenience 
to the reader on that score is prevented by the use 
of these three indexes, which thus appeal to every 
class of readers. 
The printing is very clear throughout the book, 
whether the type used is large or small. The qual¬ 
ity of the paper used is excellent for a book issued 
at such a popular price, and would, indeed, serve for 
books of a much more costly nature. 
-"«■§«-- 
EVAPORATED VEGETABLES. 
The factory of the British Preserving Company at 
Rayne stands on a plateau about 200 feet above the 
sea, on the edge of the London clay, in the county 
of Essex, upon a gravel bed 25 ft. in thickness, 
overlaying a bed of clean, sharp sand, bearing ample 
water of exceptionally good quality, though very 
hard. In the erection of the factory great attention 
was paid to the sanitary arrangements and the com¬ 
fort of the workers, most of whom are young women. 
The main hall is about 80 ft. by 30 ft., and at one 
end is the engine and boiler room, at the other the 
kitchen or copper 100m, with store room and the 
workpeoples’ rooms beyond. On the north side runs 
an annex, in which are various bags for receipt and 
storage of the raw material and for sundry subsidiary 
processes. Outside there is a forge, a tin shop, and 
a large shed for baskets, mats, sacks, &c., which 
take much room. The most scrupulous cleanliness 
must be observed. The concreted floor of the main 
hall is channelled, and laid so that the constant 
swillings of water pass readily away. 
The main feature of the large hall (apart from the 
shafting and numerous machines connected to it by 
belting, which first catch the eye) is what is called 
the dr) iog canal. This runs along one side of the 
building, and has the appearance of an exaggerated 
wooden counter. Its internal dimension is about 
4 ft square, and throughout its length is laid a small 
tram line, along which run the waggons containing 
ten or twelve perforated zinc shelves for the prepared 
vegetables. Outside the canal runs a similar tram 
line by which the waggons, having passed through 
the canal, are returned to the end to be again filled 
and passed through. A hot blast is driven into the 
canal by a powerful fan, and rapidly takes up the 
moisture of the vegetables, so much so that at the 
further end an exhaust fan with a high number of 
revolutions is required to extract the moisture-laden 
air and expel it through an upcast shaft. 
The amount of moisture extracted from vegetables 
differs largely in various kinds, Onions being reduced 
to about one-tenth of their original weight, and other 
vegetables to a less extent. The time and the degree 
of heat required by each also largely differ, and in 
the knowledge of this lies much ofthe success of the 
process. When the vegetables leave the canal the 
slices are crisp as biscuit, and a slight re-absorption 
of atmospheric moisture must take place before they 
are ready for compressing and packing. For this 
purpose they are spread on a wooden floor, and 
here again experience is needful in order to seize 
the proper moment. It is claimed that all the 
natural and essential qualities of the vegetables are 
retained without any diminution by this process. 
Having described the most important part first, 
we will now rapidly follow the process of prepara¬ 
tion. Down the middle of the room are tables at 
which the girls stand, each with two baskets on the 
floor, one on either side. On the table or beneath it 
are the various small machines for peeling or slic¬ 
ing, most of them very ingenious. The idea of 
