January 13, 1900 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
316 
BUCKLEBURY COMMON. 
(i Concluded from p 283.) 
Kingsley speaks with enthusiasm of the heaths and 
moors round his house, and Phil Robinson devoted 
an article to “ My Kentish Heath.” 
There is, no doubt, that commons cr heaths in 
autumn are ” wonders of Nature,” especially to 
" those who can contemplate Heather apart from 
grouse,” and who are otherwise aesthetically satisfied 
with the "purple and gold” which that season 
generally affords. In November and December, 
however, the royal colours have been replaced by 
others of more sombre tone—less bright, but not less 
beautiful to those who can fully grasp the signifi¬ 
cance of Nature’s woods. Bucklebury Common, too, 
by reason of its extent, possesses a variety of soils; 
is, in fact, a valuable adjunct to the gardener, as well 
as a happy hunting ground for the botanist. Peat, 
loam, sand, chalk, gravel, sphagnum, &c., testify to 
its utility in respect to gardens, while the large 
number of fine trees bespeak it as an admirable re¬ 
creation ground for the arboriculturist. The Scotch 
Fir (Pinus sylvestris) occurs in groups as well as in 
fine specimens, while in one instance the symmetry 
of the foliage extends well down to the base of the 
bole. The mere presence of Pines, apart from their 
effect on the landscape, always implies to me a 
salubrious influence. Moreover, there is a mystery 
and a melody in the " voices of the Pines.” It was 
under the Pines that the fauns and the nymphs 
foregathered, and the reeds were played. The Pine, 
according to tradition, is a sacred tree ; for Cybele, 
“ mother of the Gods,” has it for her cognisance, and 
Bacchus, according to the same beautiful myth, is 
reported to have tipped his thyrsus with its fruit. 
The specimen Pine referred to, however, is on the 
edge of the common in thegrounds of Spring Cottage, 
the comfortable-looking residence of Mr. Maskelyne, 
of conjuring notoriety. Here, also, are some magni¬ 
ficent Beeches (Fagus sylvatica), two of which we 
measured. These went 13 ft. 6 in., and 14 ft. re¬ 
spectively round their boles at 4 ft. from the ground. 
Moreover, their trunks are smooth and massive, and 
they possess enormous heads about 80 ft. in height, 
which must, in the leafy months, be mountains of 
umbrageous delight. 
Spring Cottage is so-called from a spring (natural 
not mysterious) on the premises, which " never runs 
dry ”—a valuable acquisition in droughty times. 
Thence we rambled on towards Bradfield, in the 
vicinity of which is an Oak avenue about a mile and 
a half long. Something like 500 trees have been 
collected together in double rows, the outer rows 
being smaller in size and stature—evidently an after¬ 
thought. A dozen or so of these handsome trees 
were tried with the tape, and, without going into 
details, I may say that they varied from 11 ft. 6 in. 
to 20 ft. in girth. Presumably all those which were 
measured were planted at the same time, hence the 
variation would probably be due to local causes, and 
the natural tendency of all seedlings to vary. How¬ 
ever, the avenue, as a whole, is remarkably beauti¬ 
ful, even if it be not historical, for I have been un¬ 
able to trace any reference to it in Murray’s or Wal- 
ford’s guides to Berkshire. 
The Oak is generally considered to be pre-eminent 
on account of its size, robustness, noble aspect, and 
other qualities; and whether viewed in spring, 
summer, autumn, or winter, is worthy of being en¬ 
titled the ” monarch of the woods.” On the day in 
question it was seen to great advantage, for its leaf¬ 
less branches, set off against a soft blue sky and a 
warm sunny flood of light, exhibited a picture of 
free development which could not be discerned in 
summer time. The Oak also appears to be tenacious 
of existence, for there is one near Nuttage Gate— 
another part of the common—which was struck by 
lightning about twenty years ago. This is still hale, 
and measures nearly 23ft.in circumference. By thebye, 
the term Berkshire (Barkshire, Leyland), is by some 
derived from a certaia dis -barked Oak, at which the 
inhabitants of the forest district used to meet to 
consult on matters of public interest—a far-fetched 
derivation surely. The Saxons called it Berroc- 
scyre, which Asser Menevensis traces back -to 
” Berroc,” a certain wood in which the Box grew 
plentifully. 
Some Wellingtonias (Sequoia gigantea) near here 
are worthy of notice, as the,y average 50 ft. in 
height, and are well furnished with leaves. Spruce 
Fir as well as Scotch Fir are much in evidence; 
while a curious Birch tree—6 ft. 3 in. in girth—with 
Beech-like habit attracted our attention. Other 
trees and shrubs abound on or about Bucklebury 
Common, and even F'erns are well represented, ten 
species coming under our notice. The cork-barked 
Elm (Ulmus suberosa) would give another reason (?) 
for the county name, if it did not exist in larger 
quantities in other places. Anyhow, twigs were 
secured as a souvenir. Much more might be added, 
but I think sufficient has been said to indicate the 
nature of the vegetation, the diversity of the scenery 
—for Berkshire is well watered and wooded—the 
salubrity of the climate and the beauty of Buckle¬ 
bury Common.—C. B. G , Acton, W. 
THE HISTORY OF GARDENS. 
(Continued from p. 278.) 
Persian gardens seem to have changed but little 
from the days when Xenophon wrote descriptive 
treatises upon their stateliness. They are regarded 
as having been square or oblong in shape, generally 
surrounded by a mud wall (substantial, of course, 
and not such as we of to-day might picture) over 
which tall trees cast their shadows. Within the 
walls the gardens were thickly planted with lofty 
pyramidal Cypresses and graceful Elms, knotty Ash 
trees, dark funeral Pines, Oaks, Sweet Myrtles, and 
Maples. These trees were planted so that straight 
views only were obtained, that is, vistas. They thus 
formed numerous and long alleys, very little care 
being expended upon the adjacent groups of shrubs, 
no neat lawn patches or beds being evident. Water 
canals and coursing streams, above which mounting 
terraces were raised, all combined to form a typical 
ancient Persian garden. Shade and the sound of 
purling waters are, or were, favourite items of the 
Persian in his garden. 
Plutarch's accounts of Greek husbandry with 
those of the Plinys and Epicurus, and several 
other writers of classical times, throw but scant 
light on the forms, arrangement, and the classes of 
plants, shrubs or trees then used in Greek gardens. 
To describe them as Olive groves or orchards would 
seem to be a very accurate summary. Accounts 
prove that the Academy at Athens was planted 
around with groves of the Olive, Plane, and Elm 
trees, which, however, were cut down during the 
siege of Athens, by Sulla. But Greece, with all her 
history, seems to have tended to her military or 
artistic wealth than to the noticing of domestic 
luxury as represented by gardens. 
Passing on to notice Roman gardens, Mr. Sieve- 
king took an early reference of Livy’s (b.c. 534), in 
which that well-known historian mentions the gar¬ 
dens of one Tarquinius Superbus. Old Cato, the 
Censor of Rome at that period, had issued an in¬ 
junction for each Roman citizen to cultivate flowers 
in his enclosure as a source of elegance and moral 
culture, so that we can reasonably conclude minor 
gardens were common even then. In these far back 
times gardens of magnificence were to be found as 
well as the little plots belonging in right to each 
citizen. 
In various parts of the country surrounding old 
Rome these gardens are recorded to have been laid, 
the most famous of which were those of Sallust, 
Ludovisi, and the Berberini gardens. Pliny, the 
Consul, had a garden at Laurentine villa on the 
Tiber, and also at his Tusculan villa, now Frascati, 
which are so fully detailed in his letters that learned 
archaeologists have essayed to reconstruct the plan 
of them. 
But far more interesting than written descriptions 
of Pliny’s gardens are those now unearthed by the 
excavations at Pompeii. These are said to show the 
plan and design of the inner city gardens at Pom¬ 
peii. The trellises, pergolas, statuary, and fountains 
are so strikingly perfect that Horace Walpole ex¬ 
pressed his opinion that " nothing is wanting but a 
parterre to make a garden in the reign of Trajan 
serve for the description of one in the reign of King 
William III.” An illustration of this " Inner Gar¬ 
den ” was shown upon the screen, representing every 
feature to perfection. A peculiar feature of Roman 
gardens was the " mount,” which was raised, it Is 
supposed, to give a commanding view of the sur¬ 
rounding country. The old time monks used to have 
oratories in spaces which may be termed gardens, in 
which also were fountains, &c. The Abbey of 
Icolmkill, founded in the Hebrides half-a-thousand 
years after Christ’s birth, is known to have had a 
garden for the cultivation of vegetables, fruits, herbs, 
and roots. To the monks, as is well known,horticulture 
and many of our arts and sciences owe a deal, for it 
was they who preserved them for succeeding genera¬ 
tions, while those of their own day fought and slew. 
The plan of the kitchen and fruit garden of the 
Abbey of St. Gall, Lake Constance, which was also 
shown to illustrate the lecture, depicted fruit trees 
twining around the graves of the friars and about 
the monuments. A physic garden was also included. 
The monks were bound by their vows to live upon 
pulse, vegetables, and fruit gathered by themselves 
from these gardens, so that one cannot but conclude 
that these gardens would both be most economically 
planted and properly cultivated. Gardens in the 
early part of the Norman Dynasty were scarcely 
different from what we now term orchards. Fruit 
trees and esculents were rather rare in England till 
a century or two ago. 
(To be continued.) 
NOTICE OF BOOK. 
Anne Pratt’s Flowering Plants, Grasses, 
Sedges, and Ferns of Great Britain, with 
their allies the Clubmosses, Pepperworts, and 
Horsetails. Edited and revised by Edward 
Step, F.L.S. With 315 coloured plates. 
Frederick Warne & Co., 15, Bedford Street, 
Strand, London. 
Popular books on British plants generally stop short 
at the notice or description of the showy or interest¬ 
ing species only. The work under notice runs to 
four volumes, with about 1,100 pages of text, and 
315 beautiful, coloured plates, illustrating 1,525 
species of British plants. The pretty, as well as the 
uninteresting plants, that is, from the standpoint of 
the general public, are included. For the specialist 
the meanest, smallest, or least conspicuous of our 
native plants may be as interesting as the showiest. 
In any case we here get a general history of them, 
and the handsomely coloured illustrations serve to 
help the non-botanical reader where the English text 
fails to give a clear idea of any particular plant that 
may be under notice. The whole book for this new 
edition has been completely revised, set in larger 
type, with the English and Latin names in 
black letters, and two new coloured plants added. 
The book will be completed in thirty-six parts at is. 
each, or is. 2d. by post. 
Opening the book at random we note that seven 
species of Bluebottle or Cornflower are figured 
together on one plate. To many of those un¬ 
acquainted with the flowers outside their own im¬ 
mediate district the number of British Centaureas 
may surprise them, and the differences in the form 
and habit of the plants will be no less surprising 
than the colour of the flowers, which range through 
various shades of purple to one of the handsomest 
blues in nature, and yellow. We are wont to look 
upon the garden varieties of the Cornflower as if 
they were of recent origin, but Gerarde speaks of its 
being often sown in gardens, and by "cunning look¬ 
ing to doth oftentimes become of other colours, and 
also double.” With all their beauty, however, we 
consider the wild form as lovely as any. 
Many quotations are taken from the poets when 
they refer to flowers in their writings. Folklore 
supplies a great amount of information concerning 
the beliefs and ideas held by our forefathers relating 
to the wild plants known to them, and apart from the 
interest of the story this information shows what a 
vast stride has been made in the knowledge and natural 
history of these flowers since their day. There are 
a great many really beautiful and interesting plants 
that are so rare or widely scattered over the British 
Isles that only the most diligent or persevering of 
botanists can hope to see a tithe of them in their 
native habitats, but a good general idea of them can 
be got from the descriptions and coloured plates in 
this work, which is the next best thing to seeing or 
possessing them. The forms of the different species 
can also be compared at a glance, so that an infinite 
deal of labour is saved that would be necessary to 
make out the identity of any particular one that 
might be in hand. Even to those who only know 
the Daisy will find here an interesting history of it 
from the day of Chaucer down to our own, includ¬ 
ing ancient and recent popular names. 
•3- - 
Lilium Harrisii, when grown in pots, often loses 
many leaves from the attack of a fungoid disease. 
Can anyone explain it and give cures ? 
