THK GARDENING WORLD. 
September 29 , 1900 . 
75 
insignea (which might give way for something better), 
Crinum Moorei, Campanula isophylla Mayii, a 
splendid new variety raised at Edmonton ; Abelia 
chinensis, Streptosolen Jamesonii, Cestrum elegans, 
Tuberoses and Primula floribunda. 
The staging of the plants is on the massing 
principle, all of a genus is kept by itself, or at best 
only two kinds of plants are put together and this 
is simply for contrast and effect. The houses have 
stages 3 ft. high and broad, all around the house 
which is cruciform in shape. The central parts are 
only a few inches raised from the ground and two 
large beds on the right and left from the centre are 
permanently planted with Acacias, Daturas, Strepto- 
solens, &c. This is the best form of house for 
purely show purposes. 
—e*- 
APPLE MRS. PHILLIMORE. 
The fruit of this new Apple is somewhat smaller 
than Cox’s Pomona though similar in shape, being 
oblate, more or less distinctly five angled on the top, 
and of a rich crimson-red on the exposed side. It 
will thus be seen to take largely after the character 
of Cox s Pomona, which was one of the parents, the 
other being Gladstone. The flesh is soft or tender, 
brisk, and aromatic, the flavour resembling that of 
American Mother. Cox’s Pomona is a handsome 
Apple, but only a moderate cropper, and in this 
respect Mrs. Phillimore is a great advance upon it, 
inasmuch as the tree is short jointed and bears 
heavily. It is a dessert variety of the first quality, 
and comes into use during the winter months from 
November onwards. It was raised by that veteran 
of horticulture, Mr. Charles Ross, of Wellford Park, 
Newbury, who has made himself notable as a raiser 
of Apples for some years past. On November 7th 
last, he brought a dish of it before the members 
of the R.H.S. Fruit and Vegetable when that body 
accorded it an Award of Merit. The stock of the 
variety has been acquired by Messrs. George Bun- 
yard & Co., Maidstone, to whom we are obliged for 
this opportunity of placing an illustration of it before 
our readers. 
LANGLEE, GALASHIELS, N.B. 
For choice of situation, this place is superb, occupy¬ 
ing, as it does, a fine, southern exposure, and shel¬ 
tered most beautifully on all other sides. On the 
north, the picturesque Langlee Hill rises abruptly 
behind the house, and stretches from east to west, 
like a strong, defending arm ; while on either side, it 
is finely belted by substantial trees. The place is 
modern, having been built by the late James Dal- 
rymple, Esq., in 1857, and has been in the tenancy 
of Dr. and Mrs. Murray for a good many years. 
No attempt is made around the house at floral 
decoration, a preference being given to a beautiful 
sweep of pretty lawn, adorned here and there by 
pretty shrubs, of which we noted some fine Cedars, 
Cupressus lawsoniana, pretty Limes and sturdy Oaks. 
The place is within a mile or so of Galashiels yet is 
most pleasantly secluded from that busy little town. 
From the park in front of the house, a most lovely 
lookout is got of a fine stretch of the Valley of the 
Tweed, the ground on which this place stands being 
the highest point on the Melrose-Galashiels 
road, which runs past the lodge gates, while 
on the other side of the road it dips away 
down to the valley, where the Gala and Tweed 
join hands almost immediately in front of the house, 
and glide in serpentine fashion, away on past 
Melrose. On the other side of the river, rises the 
finely-wooded slopes of Abbotsford, the top of which 
historical building can be seen peeping out from 
amongst the trees. The writer can recall with 
pleasure the beautiful picture presented to the eye ia 
his many walks up this road in early spring or late 
autumn, while living in this neighbourhood, the 
beautiful tints of the trees on the fine hill on the one 
hand, and the fine sweep of the strata with " Tweed’s 
silver stream" gliding through it, is certainly a 
sight to be treasured. 
Passing from the house to the garden, we cross a 
neatly-kept piece of grass bordered round by fine 
shrubs and come to a neat range of glass, which 
stands on slightly elevated ground. The first house 
entered from this side is a lengthy lean-to green¬ 
house in which was a fine show of Fuchsias, regal 
and zonal Pelargoniums, Begonias—single and 
double—some fine Gladioli in pots, and a host of the 
usual greenhouse decorative plants. Next, we enter 
a fine little vinery, carrying a good crop ; then we 
come to span-roofed, intermediate house, with a 
bright assortment of useful things for house decora¬ 
tion. Again, we enter another vinery, with fine 
bunches of Hamburgh, &c., while underneath the 
Vines were some fine Ferns. Next, we find our¬ 
selves in a very nice stove, similar in size to the 
greenhouse, and which completes the range. Here 
we found a fine, healthy lot of plants, amongst 
which we noted some good Palms of serviceable size, 
viz., Cocos weddeliana, Kentias, &c., some fine 
Eucharis giandiflora, Ardisia crenulata, Anthuriums, 
Pandanus, Dracaenas, &c. Some nice Ferns 
amongst these, with good bits of Bougainvillea, 
Allamanda and Clerodendron on the roof, make the 
house very attractive. At the back of this range are 
the offices and frame ground; and here, also, is a 
very useful propagating pit, in which were a 
promising lot of Melons, Cucumbers, &c., and the 
remnant of what had been a fine lot of Gloxinias, 
and which were still showing some fine blooms, were 
stood on the stage below. 
Mr. Farquhar, although not an exhibitor, is all the 
same a great enthusiast with the Chrysanthemum, 
and grows a large collection with remarkable 
success. Unfortunately his plants have suffered this 
season bj' the terrible storm which visited the 
" Gala ” district in the month of June. Some of the 
plants we saw had their flowering stems clean 
snapped over by the force of the hailstones, while 
glass was smashed in all directions. 
The kitchen garden is a cosy square of a full acre 
in extent, and one could imagine that, in close 
weather especially, it would be a little too " cosy ” so 
well surrounded is it with bushy trees and good 
walls. Although Mr. Farquhar confesses to a lack 
of quality owing to the wetness of the season, his 
fruit and other crops have all given an average good 
return. Plums, Pears, and Apricots on walls are all 
good ; Apples, on bush and standard trees, good ; and 
all small fruits a good crop. A practice carried 
out here by Mr. Farquhar, and which makes his 
flower borders all the more interesting, is that the 
"massing” system is adopted to a fair extent. 
Borders of from four to six feet broad run all round 
the vegetable quarters. The one on the east side is 
devoted to bulbs, and we can remember how gay a 
sight it was, and we understand still is, in the 
spring and early summer months. Another border 
on the south is well taken up with tree Paeonies and 
other things in keeping with them. On the west are 
large patches of early flowering Chrysanthemums 
and Carnations, while the double borders on either 
side of the intersecting walk are filled with a good 
collection of herbaceous plants, interspersed with a 
fine lot of half-hardy and other annuals. 
Just one word in connection with one of the 
vegetable crops, and which may prove useful to some 
of our younger men in charge of such. The ground 
here is a stiff clay and to get a good Carrot crop was 
a difficult matter. Mr. F. tried the plan of " punch¬ 
ing ” his ground for this crop with an ordinary 
paiiing " stobb,” and then filling up the holes with 
sand, and sowing over the top of this. This he has 
continued to do now for about twenty years on the 
same ground and lifts an excellent crop of clean 
Carrots as the result. 
As this is the great "Sweet Pea” year I cannot 
help but remark, in closing, on a very fine white 
perennial species which we have seldom seen in any 
other neighbourhood, and which we found here 
nearly covering a fine rustic arbour. We cannot give 
it a name but we grew it for many years ourselves 
and it was always much admired. It is of robust 
growth and throws up a grand truss of pure white 
flowers set up like a Gladiolus on a strong flower 
stalk. Can our worthy Editor tell us anything 
about it ? — Richard. 
[It is Lathyrus platyphyllus albus, generally 
termed L latifolius albus in gardens. — Ed.] 
- - 
CACTI AND OTHER SUCCULENTS. 
Though one cannot expect the average cultivator of 
plants, who generally has to devote his always 
limited space to subjects which provide a quick and 
sure return of flowers, to throw heart and soul into 
the growing of cactaceous plants as a quiet means of 
recreation, it is at the same time still within the 
scope of reasonable desire to expect that these 
remarkable plants should arouse far larger sympathy. 
We know that many of them are as monotonous as 
the dreary deserts whereon they grow wild, but 
others again have charms and beauties which can 
occupy the attention of enthusiasts for hours on end. 
So strange are they that at a show of Cacti and 
succulents, made by Messrs. Cannell & Sons, of 
Swanley, in the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, at a 
recent date, some of the visitors would hardly credit 
the statement that they were plants! Of course, 
this may seem strange to us, but the " Rock of 
Ages ” Cactus (Cereus peruvianus monstrosus) is 
scarcely plant-like; it is remarkably well named. It 
is like a shapeless mass of brownish, rounded rock, 
and not much like a living organism at all. Then 
the Old Man Cactus is surely a very funny vegetable 
production, clothed over as it is, with long, coarse, 
white hairs. The Grizzly Bear Cactus (Opuntia 
ursinus) takes after the same character. One of the 
most handsome succulents for general use is Echivera 
(Cotyledon) metallica. When fully developed, its 
large, shell-like, lustrous and coppery leaves are 
indeed beautiful. Sempervivum tabulaeforme is a 
strangely-shaped species, in much request by park 
superintendents for edging their raised beds with, 
for which it is useful, being flat and round. One 
does not see it often in flower, but when grown in 
small pots, as the Messrs. Cannell do, it throws up 
a graceful, creamy panicle. Dasylirion planifolia 
may hardly be included among Cacti, but it arranges 
harmoniously with them. Crassula profusa, with its 
fleshy, boat-shaped leaves, has the appearance of 
having had these latter strung to the stems in the 
same manner as Beech seeds or corals are placed on 
strings. Cereus peruvianus, with its eight-angled 
stems, contrasts greatly with C. Brumanni, which is 
erect, is about 2J ins. in diameter and bears long 
brown spines. Euphorbia grandidens branches like 
Apple Mrs. Phillimore, 
