January 20, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
831 
LIBONIAS. 
The above are valuable flowering plants for the 
greenhouse during -winter and early spring, where a 
day temperature can be maintained about 50° while 
no harm will be done if the glass registers 10° or 
12 0 less of a cold night. In fact to cut matters short 
they thrive and bloom abundantly in company with 
Salvias, Eupatoriums, and Coronillas, cultural notes 
of which have recently appeared from my pen in 
The Gardening World, and like the other plants 
named they must be grown on during spring and 
summer so as to get the wood, or rather growth (as 
they are not over robust), well ripened by October, 
or very little bloom will show itself. 
Nice little plants in 5-in. pots from cuttings put in 
early in February can be had in flower under the 
year with judicious treatment, and placing the 
cuttings in a slight bottom heat, potting them off into 
thumb pots before too crowded, and pinching out 
the leading shoot as soon as established. By keeping 
them on a shelf or near the glass in a vinery at work, 
they soon make headway. As soon as the pots are 
filled with roots the strongest plants should be 
placed in 5J in. size, the weaker going into 4I in., 
using loam, leaf soil, and enough sand to keep the 
same porous, returning them to the same position 
until you can see a fresh start has been made, when 
cooler quarters will do for them. Ours are usually 
put into cold frames early in May, and kept here 
for two months or so, when they get placed outdoors 
with a view of ripening the growths, which should be 
studded with flower buds hy housing time or the end 
of October. Early in the new year the successful 
grower will be rewarded with useful little plants, 
with tube-like flowers of orange-red and yellow. 
L. penrhosiensis has the larger foliage and 
flowers, but I prefer L. floribunda, which is a taller 
grower with us, though both are well worth cultiva¬ 
ting. Old plants can be served the same as 
Solanums, Coronillas, &c., by being cut down after 
flowering, repotting them and growing them into 
larger plants for several years. Only the shoots 
that appear taking the lead need be stopped. The 
newly struck plants should be pinched twice. 
Feeding should take place as soon as the pots are 
full of roots.— J. Mayne, Bicton. 
-- 
PARISH COUNCILS AND FOOTPATH 
PRESERVATION. 
By John Miller. 
One of the many expressions which is fast becom¬ 
ing obsolete, is that which speaks of the public road 
as the “ King's Highway.” The phrase was origin¬ 
ally both beautiful and suggestive. It did not signify 
that the road was in the ownership of the King ; but 
it signified that the sovereign, as protector of the 
commerce of his subjects, was empowered to make 
regulations for the traffic. A *■ highway ” once 
opened is the indispensable property of the people, 
and no better illustration can be given of the right of 
the public to the possession of the highway than the 
words Shakespeare puts in the mouth of the unfortu¬ 
nate Richard II:— 
“ I'll be buried in the ' King’s highway.’ 
Somewhere of common trade, where subjects’ 
Feet may hourly trample on their sovereign’s 
head.” 
Perhaps there is no subject that affects the con¬ 
venience, and very often the welfare and happiness 
of dwellers in rural districts, more than the preserva¬ 
tion of footpaths for public use. One has but to 
reflect what the country would be without them to 
appreciate them : the discomfort of having only the 
dusty road to walk on in the heat of summer, all 
access to cool and shady woods having been barred 
by the time worn, but empty threat, •' trespassers will 
be prosecuted.” 
The act which has just come into force, making a 
parish councillor’s term of office three years instead 
of one, as provided by the Local Government Act of 
1894, is a very welcome one. The parish council has 
vested in it many important powers with reference to 
the preservation of our national footpaths. Under 
the Act of 1894 it is the duty of the district council, 
whether they are the highways’ authority or not 
(sec. 26 (1) ), to protect all public rights of way ; but 
it would appear that the legislature felt that in many 
cases the parish council would be more vigilant to 
detect any obstruction than the district council 
which governs a much larger area, and power was 
therefore given to the parish council to investigate 
such matters, and no part can be legally closed or 
diverted without the consent of the parish council. 
Now that parish councillors will have to serve three 
years instead of one, there is every reason to believe 
they will be able to make themselves acquainted with 
their powers on this subject, and prevent any further 
encroachment by land grabbers. 
CULTIVATION OF CARROTS. 
I read with interest in your issue of January 6th 
the article on the preparation of ground for Carrots 
and Onions (p. 300). 
A good many gardeners and others have the idea 
that Carrots require a special bed composed of sand, 
leaf-mould, &c. I have undoubtedly grown excellent 
Carrots in beds so prepared, but for a general crop 
or for market purposes the method is too expensive. 
Good Carrots can be grown in any ordinary garden 
soil, dug or trenched in the usual way, but the piece 
of ground selected should be old Strawberry ground. 
Most gardeners allow their Strawberry plants to re¬ 
main three or four years. Herein then lies the 
secret for a successful crop of Carrots. The Straw¬ 
berry ground having been trenched in winter, some 
good farmyard manure should at that time be put in 
the bottom of each trench. 
At sowing time, March or April, fork in a good 
sprinkling of soot, and tread the soil firmly. 
Sprinkle a little more soot and stir the surface well 
with a rake, again tread the surface firm, and sow in 
the usual way, but not too thickly. Partly thin the 
plants while quite small and be careful not to loosen 
the soil around those that are to remain ; finally thin 
to about six inches apart. Fourteen inches between 
the rows will be found a suitable distance for large 
growing sorts. 
Your readers will find the above a thoroughly re¬ 
liable system for the successful cultivation of Carrots. 
The Strawberries leave in the soil all that is required 
to produce heavy Carrot crops. If the soil is rich, 
having been well manured for the Strawberry crop, 
no manure is needed. If, on the other hand, the soil 
is very heavy, some wood ashes forked in with the 
soot in spring will be found beneficial.— Walter Grant. 
-- 
MEMORIAL TREES. 
I think it would be well for the public at large if 
the planting of these became more general than it is 
On several grounds, for instance, so far at least as 
the trees themselves are concerned, the first cost as 
compared with artificial memorials of any kind 
would be most trifling, and the charge for mainten¬ 
ance almost nil. The ground they may be destined 
to occupy would possibly in some instances be a 
somewhat costly item, my idea being that 
sufficient space being allowed for the full develop, 
ment of each tree with a margin beyond, so that to 
whatever proportions they may attain there will be 
space for a good view of them from all sides whether 
planted singly or in groups. One other considera¬ 
tion is their great durability. We have, for instance, 
Oaks and Yews some six and eight hundred years of 
age. Then again, the space of ground they would 
cover would endure for ages as open spaces to the 
community, which might otherwise become con¬ 
gested centres of population. They would be a 
powerful reminder to coming generations of the men 
and byegone scenes in both political, religious and 
social spheres, which their planting was designed to 
commemorate. 
There is a large Oak in Holwood Park, Keston, 
under which Pitt and Wilberforce sat and discussed 
the coming Bill for the Emancipation of the Slaves 
in our colonies. True, a stone seat has been placed 
there with an inscription testifying to the fact, but, 
unlike the tree, it cannot be said to be a thing of 
beauty and a joy for ever. I was pleased when 
passing under it recently that some care is taken 
with a view to its preservation; and it bids fair to 
last for many a decade to perpetuate the triumph of 
the anti-slavery movement; and although its days 
far outnumber those of the stone seat, it may yet 
present a respectable appearance when the latter has 
succumbed to the influences of time and climate. 
In this instance the tree was already there when the 
event took place, which to some extent it may be 
said to commemorate; and again, although a public 
footpath passes under the tree, it stands on private 
property. I think that this or any other tree with a 
similar history attached to it, ought on public 
grounds to be preserved, and that when private 
property on which they stand changes hands, steps 
should be taken to secure them and the ground on 
which they stand to the public. In the event of 
their ultimately decaying, or before, young ones 
should be planted near the spot to take their place. 
Both national and local benefactors might well 
have their memories kept green in this simple way, 
and by this simple method something would be done 
towards making the neighbourhood a wholesome and 
better place to live in than it otherwise would be for 
those who come after us. Though when planting a 
sapling or seed your right hand may not know what 
the left is doing; that power which works in secret 
will openly reward the memory of the departed ones, 
who committed their one talent to the mantle of 
Mother Earth. The grateful remembrances of 
unborn generations which will seek shelter from both 
sun and rain beneath the umbrageous shades of the 
giants which have grown up from the small 
beginnings will bless the memory of the men or 
women to whose honour they were planted, and con¬ 
template with either joy or sadness the events of 
which the trees under which they may be resting 
were planted to commemorate. — IF. B. G. 
■» «p 
WHEN DOES THE FURZE BLOOM? 
From the number of authorities quoted by “ C. B. G.” 
in his endeavours to illuminate the above question, 
none seem to record the month of April at all speci¬ 
ally as the inaugural flowering advent of the Furze. 
With us, in the south-east of Scotland, this is the re¬ 
awakening period. The plants' growing—clinging 
rather—in precarious rootholds on the top of dry 
stone dykes, of the sunken fence style—a bank at 
the back—are generally the earliest members to re¬ 
spond to the spring showers and sunshine. Out on 
the open hillsides, and wherever there are a few 
scattered subjects, the “pyramids of bloom” begin 
to glow forth, and continue to do so, more or less, 
during the summer months. — Roxburghshire. 
When replying to “ Sigma ” (p. 311) “ Alex. 
Wright " may be to some extent right when he says 
that Epping Forest is not far enough removed from 
the contaminating breath of London, but if he comes 
over here he will find some flowers on the Furze on 
Putney Heath. He should also remember that some 
parts of Epping Forest have a high elevation above 
sea level. It may interest “ Sigma” to know that I 
have seen a good sprinkling of blossom on the Furze 
bushes in Epping Forest at elevations between 200 
ft. and 250 ft., and that, too, on Boxing Day not long 
ago. He may even at present find some blossom on 
bushes well exposed to the sun (when there is any), 
but in places sheltered from cutting winds. “ C. B. 
Green” quotes an authority for saying that the 
yellow Gorse was still in full bloom in October in 
North Wales. Was that early or late ? I venture 
to say it was early, because the flowers are produced 
on the young shoots just made up during the previous 
summer. The October flowers are thus anticipating 
spring.— Quo. 
A SEPTEMBER VISIT TO SHOBROKE 
PARK, nr. EXETER. 
Some may think this a somewhat stale notice, 
seeiog several months have elapsed since I saw the 
place. This is true. All the same the facts remain, 
and when I say that as a working gardener (I do not 
know any gentleman gardeners, I have been forty 
years trying to find them, and all in vain), having my 
time fully occupied, I could not spare time to pen 
them at that season. Now the evenings are longer I 
will devote an hour to pen a few lines on this inter¬ 
esting place from some garden points of view. 
Shobroke Park belongs to that type of place that 
makes gardening known in some degree. Added to 
this it is one of those fine old English establishments 
that English people may be proud of. Here can be 
seen the work of many an owner who has cherished 
a love for arboriculture, and a place that has not 
been disfigured by ruthlessly cutting down good or¬ 
namental timber to raise £ s. d. 
In the park is to be seen some very fine timber. 
The boles are straight and clean, the ground being 
much broken, many good views can be had of the 
beautiful country, as this part of Devon is noted for 
its scenery and delightful lanes. 
I had heard of this place many times through 
black and white, when I look over the report of the 
Exeter shows in the columns of The Gardening 
