332 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 20, 1900. 
World for several years past. Some few years ago 
Mr. Main, the courteous gardener, called on me, 
and although I am far removed from bim, I then 
promised to give him a call the first chance I had. 
On a fine Saturday morning, starting with a view 
to spend Sunday at Exmouth with my friends, I 
resolved to fulfil my promise, and in due course 
found myself at Crediton Station, ashing how far it 
was to Shobroke. Being told a mile and a half, I 
must say, and the rest. As I plodded on the road, I 
viewed the fine crops of roots and fat cattle (or on 
the way to be fat), as in these fat pasturages the 
cattle do not show more bones than flesh. 
When a cart came to give the weary wanderer a 
lift, and when he stopped I found myself in front of 
Mr. Main’s door. Finding him at home, and after 
having a chat for a few minutes, Mrs. Main invited 
me to refresh the inward man, and here I must say 
no more on this point, or Mr. M. may have more 
callers than is profitable for his pocket, so kindly was 
I treated. 
We went then and had a look at the kitchen 
garden, and from the lodge to the kitchen garden 
door are low sloping banks of shrubs kept in this way 
to associite with the surroundings. Outside the 
garden is a slip where many useful shrubs and 
common vegetables are grown. 
The kitchen garden is not large, but every inch 
cropped to the best. The soil is good, and on the 
side of a hill facing the sun. 
An Apricot wall first caught my eye. Here was to 
be seen a fine lot of trees in the best of health. I 
noticed a glass coping over it. This induced me to 
ask Mr. Main's opinion on this, and found he was a 
strong believer in its usefulness, remarking that 
when he took charge here they could not grow this 
fruit. 
After some time, and tryiDg some experiments to 
convince the owner of its usefulness, then the frames 
of a coping came, and in a short time it was put up. 
I was told that after doing the root medium well, and 
adding the coping, there has never been a season 
when the crop has been nil. 
On a low wall, 18 in. high, where is to be seen an 
enormous crop of Tomato Perfection, so much so 
that the fruit rested on the ground, Mr. M. 
believes in putting out strong plants in spring. 
It was evident that good vegetables as well as 
hardy fruit were grown in this place when you looked 
at the tall rows of Runner Beans, id ft. to 18 ft. 
high, with pods of the most handsome type. 
Carrots and roots were in strong force, with grand 
breadths of Cauliflower, adjoining which were rows 
of enormous Leeks. 
In one of the sheds I was shown a big lot of Excel¬ 
sior Onioo, that fat bulb type, these show men 
grow. You can speak of them by the pound better 
than by the ounce. It was not a few fine bulbs, but 
the whole lot. The shape was more flat than the 
general type of Ailsa Craig, although one often 
sees two types of Craig come out of the same head 
of seed. Although the major portion were some¬ 
what flat there were a few globular, and three or 
four like a cocoanut. 
Before speaking of Apples (a strong leature here) 
I must not omit to mention some grand bunches of 
Golden Queen Grapes in the vinery. As seen here 
this was golden, and it has a good name here, and 
deservedly, the berries being large, even, and of 
grand colour. 
Adjoining this was a cold Peach house (lean-to), 
with a sharp pitch. In this the trees showed signs of 
having given grand crops. Many had been cleared, 
although there remained some to tell the tale of 
good cropping, large fruit, and healthy foliage, with 
no spider on them. 
I was surprised to be shown large fruit of a Peach 
with the flesh blood-red and orange, deep flesh, 
flavour fairly good, name Red Dragon. This was 
quite a novelty to me, not having seen it before. 
At the back of the houses facing north, on a wall 
14 ft. or more high, were trained Plums, Victoria 
and Pond's Seedling. This [last was coming near 
the ripening stage, and I never remember seeiDg 
such a grand crop of this handsome Plum before. 
The greater portion of the Victorias had been 
gathered. 
W hen remarking on the thin Plum crop generally 
my guide added he had scarcely any in other posi¬ 
tions, although there was plenty of bloom. This 
corresponds with my own experience in my own 
gardeD, showing that the bloom on north aspects, 
being so much later, was why it escaped the frost, 
and this should induce growers to plant this fruit on 
all kinds of aspects, as many kinds will thrive on 
cold coasts and north walls. 
Apple growing is a very strong point in this garden, 
and the grand samples shown at the autumn exhibitions 
at Exeter go to show the interest displayed, as well 
as expense incurred in this fruit. One often hears re¬ 
marks made as to the bad state of the orchards in 
the west, and deservedly so. Illustrations of this 
you need not go far to see, and it is puzzling to every 
thoughtful mind why such people go on in this way 
when such grand fruit is grown hard by. Such is 
old English conservatism. 
In the kitchen are to be seen trees growing in 
almost every form that is suitable for a garden. 
Some young espaliers had big crops of fruit of the 
first size and colour. Many were grown in this form, 
and especially the large fruited kinds, as in this way 
they are not affected by the wind. 
At the back of the kitchen garden I found a large 
piece of ground devoted to the growth of Apples on 
the tree bush form. The site was well chosen, shel¬ 
tered from the cold winds in spring, and shut in by 
a big belt of high trees at a distance. 
The soil had been trenched deeply, and this is of a 
red, free loam. These were from 6 ft. to 10 ft. high, 
6 ft. to 8 ft. through, and mostly worked on the 
broad-leaved Paradise stock. Mr. Main works his 
own trees in a nursery near at hand. All trees were 
alike good, and the major portion well cropped. 
With a collection of kinds that it would be difficult 
to excel I must refrain from giving names (although 
I have them before me), as space and time will net 
permit. It occurred to me what a quantity of fruit 
would come from this space, and see the value com¬ 
pared to the miserable rubbish generally grown by 
farmers. The secret of these fine and highly 
coloured fruits is maintaining young trees. This notice 
would not be complete without mention of a very 
large hedge of Kalmia latifolia in the pleasure 
ground. Space will not allow me to add more on 
this fine place.— J. C., F., Chaid. 
-——- 
ARDEN1NG If ISCELLANY. 
PERISTROPHE SPECIOSA. 
In this we have a capitally suitable plant for the 
winter greenhouse. To all appearance it closely 
represents a species of Eranthemum or Justici a, 
belonging, of course, to the same natural order, the 
Acanthaceae. The curiously twisted mauvy-violet- 
coloured corolla suggested the name of Peristrophe, 
meaning, to turn round. The genus inhabits tem¬ 
perate parts of the world, such as in South Africa, 
Madagascar, China and the higher altitudes in the 
East Indian Islands. The culture is quite 
similar to that of other taller-growiDg, soft-wooded, 
temperate plants. Winter flowering plants yield 
nice spring cuttiDgs. These should be inserted 
singly in thumb pots, and struck in propagating 
cases. The plants should be kept pinched and 
during summer they may be grown in cool frames. 
They must carefully be seen to so as to combat any 
early attack of insect pests. 
COCOS CAMPESTRIS. 
The species of Cocos are none too numerous. We 
can have too much of a good thing, but a fair deal of 
anything which is good can well be received. The 
Cocos, as a whole, are very necessary in most 
arrangements of plants; nothing else except the 
Geonomas are at all so serviceable and necessary 
where lightness of greenery is u.ed. C. campestris 
is almost identical with C. weddeliana, being slightly 
larger in its parts. In very large, heated houses this 
Cocos when it has developed a tall stem and is 
poised in any commanding position planted out, 
lends a most distinctly tropical air to the place. 
The Cocos (Cocoa-nut trees) thrive in a loamy com¬ 
post, having some peat and sand, &c., incorporated. 
They flower seldomly from the axils of the leaves 
and from the seeds they are propagated. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM W. H. LINCOLN. 
Grown as a bush without stopping, from late struck 
cuttings, the above comes into flower about New 
Year time. The blooms are decidedly poor in 
quality, but as flowers at this period are reckoned 
scarce, they are yet acceptable. Mr. Jones lately 
showed us a yellow sport from Etoile de Lyon which 
also blooms late and is good. More may be heard 
of it. A fine batch of late Lincolns is to be seen 
at Kew. 
LEPTOSPERMUM SCOPARIUM. 
About the qualities as greenhouse decorative plants 
of other species and varieties of Leptospermums, I 
can say nothing, but of L. scoparius I can speak 
very favourably. The plants are neat and bushy or 
can be made so by pruning, bearing numerous white 
or lilac flowers. It is a New Zealand shrub growing 
from 4 ft. to 6 ft. and bears small egg-shaped 
leaves, which it is reported are used as tea. Cool 
treatment throughout the year suits it. It likes a 
a compost of peat, loam, charcoal, and sand. Cut¬ 
tings of the young wood should be placed in a close 
frame either in August or in spring. 
MULCHING TREES AND SHRUBS, 
Where the pleasure grounds cover a well drained 
area, or where the soil is extremely dry and the 
natural drainage also, such as conveys off the under 
moisture from the ground, a mulch becomes more 
than a beneficial factor, it is necessary. At Kew 
Gardens where trees and shrubs are placed out in 
conditions which comply with the above notes, a 
very large amount of mulching is necessary. Good 
farm-yard and stable manure is used, and all the 
finer young trees and borders of shrubs are liberally 
dressed. 
CRINUMS OUT OF DOORS. 
Crinums are planted out around the Palm house at 
Kew, and they stand the winter, the crowns 
merely being protected by hay from the biting frosty 
winds. 
VIRGIN CORK ON PILLARS. 
Where pillars are suitably placed of a kind that 
allows of virgin cork being placed around them, 
this material may be made good use of. Pockets 
can be fitted up and filled with a fibrous loamy and 
peat compost. Into these pockets Nephrolepis 
Ferns, Pitcairnias, Epiphytal Orchids, and hanging 
plants can be placed, the growth of which forms a 
very neat dressing and ornamental feature to the 
house. 
IVY FOR WALLS AND FENCES. 
Few will contradict but that Ivy stands pre-eminent 
as an all-the-year-round covering for walls. For 
fences too, especially those in prominent positions, 
such as those of 2 ft. high bordering terraces which 
encircle conservatories in places, or dwelling-houses 
in other instances. Whether these are linked in 
curved, chain-like, continuous flowing lines, be¬ 
tween the numerous short posts, or are conveyed 
straight across between post and post, where Ivy 
robes them, they are perfect as an ornamental 
addition. For shady walls dark green Ivy such as 
Hedera Helii lobata major is very adaptable, while 
to lend brightness to the front walls of a villa or other 
other residence, H. H. algeriensis, or H. H. margin- 
ata aurea may be chosen. 
PINUS LONGIFOLIA. 
We may make many journeys to various gardens, 
and yet be unsuccessful in seeing a pot plant of P. 
longifolia. Even though, few plants are more inter¬ 
esting in large houses. It shows off best in large 
cool conservatories where it can be planted out. 
Plants, however, in private gardens are more or less 
entirely confined to pots, and P. longifolia, like the 
Araucaria excelsa, is excellent for the purpose of a 
corner plant among flowering batches. The leaves 
are soft and of a bright glossy green hanging down 
from the branches to over 1 ft. in length. 
THE GARDENERS’ ROYAL BENEVO¬ 
LENT INSTITUTION. 
Annual General Meeting. 
The sixty-first annual general meeting of the above 
institution was held at " Simpson’s,” 101, Strand, 
London, W.C., on Friday, January 12th, 1900, The 
chair was taken at three o’clock prompt by Harry J. 
Veitch, Esq. 
The committee in submitting their annual report for 
the year 1S99, again have the great satisfaction of 
congratulating the members and subscribers on the 
