January 20, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
329 
taking more pains. So that these certainly are 
reasons why the younger trees bear cleaner fruits 
and are healthier in branch, root, and stock. Their 
youth also helps them. You must scrape the moss 
and lichen off and then wash the branches all over 
with freshly slaked lime. This may afterwards 
require to be cleared off with clean water. Secure 
the advice of an expert as to whether it would not 
be better to cut back the main branches of the older 
trees and have them grafted with superior kinds. 
Hollyhocks —Jas Chisholm : A sowing can be 
made now in shallow pans, placing these in a tem¬ 
perature of 6o° to 65°, covering them over and keep¬ 
ing close. When the seedlings begin to appear 
gradually inure them to a freer and freer atmosphere. 
Finally prick them out 4 in. apart in boxes, and 
later on either into pots or into frames. They like a 
goodly supply of water at all times. Above all 
things, however, guard against coddling them at any 
stage after germination. Through too much nursing 
the disease so dire among them a few years ago was 
stated to have been brought on. 
Standard Roses — D. McKenzie, Ratlio : Stan¬ 
dard Roses are grafted or budded upon the Common 
Brier. A rich, well-worked soil and topdressings, 
liquid waterings, mulchings, &c., all are required to 
sustain the full vigour of fine specimens. Stout and 
neat supports mu t be given to the stems and a 
somewhat protected position chosen when planting. 
A good plant can be got for is. 6d. The summer’s 
growth of the heads of standards should be well 
thinned out in autumn, leaving the harder and mo’e 
exact pruoiDg till the spring. Budded H.P. varieties 
of strong growth usually succeed as standards. 
-•3—- 
THE SPANISH CHESTNUT IN GREEN¬ 
WICH PARK. 
Than the Royal Park at Greenwich few in this 
country surpass it for beauty, certainly none for the 
historical association connected with it or for the 
grand old timber scattered over the fully 200 acres 
that are contained within its walls. 
Spanish or sweet Chestnuts were wisely chosen by 
Charles II. or his advisers as being most suitab’e 
for the deep gravelly soil, of which most parts of the 
park are composed,a fact that is clearly brought home 
to us by the many prodigious specimens of the tree 
that confront one at every point from Blackheath 
Gate to the Royal Observatory, and from there to 
Vanbrugh Castle, and downwards towards the Royal 
Naval College. 
Possibly the finest specimens may be seen from 
Blackheath entrance, one of which is truthfully re¬ 
produced from a photograph taken by Mr. H.T. Pot¬ 
ter, of the Rcan School, Greenwich. Miss Airey, 
daughter of the late Sir George Airey, who, as 
astronomer Royal resided long in the park, has pointed 
out to me a semicircle of large Chestnuts which, possi¬ 
bly fifty years ago, were the sole occupants of that 
portion of the park immediately within Blackheath 
entrance, but which are now partly lost sight of by 
younger trees of recent introduction. 
The stems of many of these are from 20 ft to 30 ft. 
in girth, and each contains from 150 ft. to fully 200 ft. 
of timber, with curious spirally arranged bark and 
immense protuberances near the base. 
Generally speakiDg, from their great age and un¬ 
healthy surroundings, the older trees are not in what 
might be considered a very satisfactory condition, 
disease arising from wind-broken limbs and poverty 
of soil having told somewhat severely on these aged 
and gnarled monarchs of the forest. That the 
Spanish Chestnut will not be the tree of the future 
in the park I am welt convinced, for with vastly 
changed atmospherical conditions the Plane, Acacia, 
and Ailantus will be found far more suitable for 
withstanding the deleterious effects of the smoke and 
chemical fumes to which, at the present day, Green¬ 
wich and its neighbourhood are almost constantly 
subjected. But we need not lose heart or suppose 
that our grand old park will ever become denuded 
of timber, for happily the list of trees which can 
succeed under very adverse circumstances is by 
no means a short one. Gradually, but surely, many of 
our finest English trees are being driven further and 
further back from the great metropolis, and such 
species as positively flourished, say, at Lambeth a 
century ago, are now, through impurity of the atmos¬ 
phere, quite unfitted for cultivation.— A. D. Webster. 
BRITISH FERNS AT CHRISTMAS. 
The Christmas of 1899 was ushered in, in this dis¬ 
trict, with some trepidation. The morning broke 
cool and comparatively clear, although there was 
some tremor in the clouds overhead. The fog, 
however, had lifted daring the night, so that when 
Phoebus ’gan to rise and display his charms on the 
horizon of our vision, we had great expectations of 
his potency and power. We were not disappointed 
ultimately, for he subsequently' shone forth with 
great ardour and persistency as if to make amends 
for past delinquencies. It is true there was a littleice 
here and there, and a great deal of filth everywhere, 
the result of fog deposits, which, unfortunately, the 
liquid brilliance of our solar orb only tended to 
intensify. Still, we were thankful for such a gracious 
act on the part of our loved luminary ; for, doubt¬ 
less, the dullest and dirtiest weather conditions of 
all our year ranges round the period of the winder 
solstice, a period when the days are shortest, and 
the sun appears to stand still. 
But, what has all this to do with the subject of 
my theme? Only this, that among hardy plants, 
which are cultivated under glass, I know of no better 
material for the ordinary amateur to take up for the 
decoration of his greenhouse than the numerous and 
beautiful varieties of our native Ferns. They also 
appear to me to be adequate to foul conditions, as 
they are particularly suitable for amateur work, and 
are, moreover, practically unrivalled as ornamental 
foliage plants. They require no artificial heat; in 
fact, they are better without it; although, in my own 
case I deem it desirable to give a little portable hot 
water stove full play when the weather partakes of a 
severe character. The object, however, is not for 
fear of the Ferns, but rather to induce a buoyant 
condition of the atmosphere, and to preserve the 
colour and characteristics of the plants as long as 
possible. The contrast, in consequence, between 
those outside and those under glass protection is 
simply marvellous ! In the one case they have 
disappeared either altogether, or are so utterly 
demoralised —so tattered and torn and tumbled—as 
to be but the merest remnants of their former selves; 
whereas in the other case, even the hardy ferns still 
persist and exhibit a beauty of outline and a delicacy 
of cutting, which their sisters of exposure have 
parted with two months ago. This, however, may 
be partly due to economy of procedure ; for, like the 
domestic piece of furniture that did duty as “a bed 
by night ” and " a chest of drawers by day,” I adopt 
my roller blinds to winter work. And thus they 
form— 
A shade umbrageous when old Sol's sublime, 
And pert proiectives ’gainst the frost and rime. 
But as it is desirable in the interests of the plants, 
to remove the sooty and greasy deposits, as often as 
possible, which the fogs invariably leave behind 
them; so on this occasion the application of water 
and friction produced such a transformation in the 
crystalline covering, that quite a flood of light was 
admitted, the result being an illumination of the 
Fern contents. 
Amongst those which are specially attractive are 
the Polypodies, both in baskets and pots, a wild 
Welsh find, alter the manner of Polypodium vulgare 
var. acutum, being especially verdant; P. v. var. 
cambricum also occupies a basket, and is self-recom¬ 
mending on account of its cuttings and beautiful 
plumose character. Other varieties of the “many- 
footed ” species of old walls and tree stumps, which 
call for remark, are cristatum, semilacerum, and 
elegantissimum, all of which exhibit elegance even in 
iheir nomenclature. 
The Polystichums, too, are evergreen plants of 
much merit, and are also very fertile in varieties. 
They make good decorative subjects, and sometimes 
attain large proportions. There is one here with a 
A Spanish Chestnut at Greenwich Park, 
