246 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 15, 1S00. 
MR. JOHN BAXTER. 
The veteran horticulturist who is just retiring from 
active service, after having faithfully served for the 
long period of forty-one years on the estate of Colonel 
McCall, Daldowie, Broomhouse, Glasgow, was born 
in Dunblane, Perthshire, in 1836. He was educated 
Mr. John Baxter. 
at the parish school of his native town, and even in 
those days the education meted out to the rising 
generation of Scotchmen, was of no mean order— 
thanks to the initiative and foresight of John Knox. 
When only thirteen years of age, Mr. John Baxter 
was set to gardening in the gardens of Keir, 
Dunblane, belonging to Sir William Maxwell, where 
he remained for a period of seven years. That 
seems a long period for a young man to remain in 
one place, but it was the custom in those days to 
serve as journeyman for a period after having 
completed an apprenticeship. His next move was 
to the Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, where he stayed 
for two years, at the remuneration of ns. a week, 
which apprentices no w would expect while serving 
two or three years. When twenty-one years of age 
he went to the gardens at Keith Hall, the seat of the 
Earl of Kfntore, in the capacity of foreman in the 
glass house' Two years later he was appointed 
head gardener at Daldowie, where all his most 
important life work has been carried out. 
Florists' flowers were his great favourites, and 
many of the more popular in their day were taken 
up in turn by Mr. Baxter. Verbenas, Dahlias, 
Hollyhocks, Antirrhinums, Roses, and Violas, 
claimed his attention most; and both by Mr. Baxter 
and other cultivators these subjects were brought to 
great perfection in Scotland. He was a raiser as 
well as a cultivator of Violas, for the advancementof 
which he laboured for the long period of twenty-five 
years. But to him it Was a labour of’love, and every 
fresh victory but fired his enthusiasm. Other 
particulars concerning him may be found on p. 212. 
The accompanying portrait will give an idea of Mr. 
Baxter a few years ago. We wish him health and 
strength to enj oy his well earned rest in retirement 
at Uddingston. 
THE NARCISSUS. 
Among the favoured spots where the Narcissus can 
be seen in its full beauty is that of Montreux, in 
Switzerland, where the bulbs grow on the side of the 
mountains towards the Lake of Geneva. All the 
meadows are covered with the flowers of Narcissus 
pceticus. Nothing equals the sight of these glittering 
fields when the sun touches the spring flowers in their 
freshness. The newspapers each year invite the 
proprietors of these meadows to furnish some of the 
flowers to the "committee’ instituted for the Nar¬ 
cissus holiday or fete. Hundreds of thousands of 
fljwe-s a e then sent to Montreux and serve to 
decorate the carriages of the knights of the cortege 
who celebrate the glory of the Poet's Narcissus and 
the triumph of spring. The long-lived species, so 
abundant on all the hills of Avant, has given birth to 
numerous garden varieties. Mr. Baker, of Kew, 
admirably classified the Narcissi some years ago. 
A GOOD WASH FOR SCALE. 
For scale on large trees outside, the most applicable 
remedy is a wash. The following is a very good 
wash for scale on orchard trees. It is called 
"Resin Wash,” and it must be applied before the 
buds break in the spring. It is composed of the 
following ingredients : — 
Resin.. .. .. .. 24 lbs. 
Caustic soda .. .. 4—6 lbs. 
Fish oil . 3 pints or 
(Soft soap ,. .. .. 4$ lbs ) 
100 gallons of water. 
Use 98 per cent, pure caustic soda. To prepare 
this wash, first crush the resin small ready for use, 
and put into the " mixer,” ” copper,” or whatever it 
is, about two and half quarts of water for every 
pound of resin to be used. Add to the water the 
caustic soda, and then the fish oil or soft soap. Boil 
this well, and then add the resin and stir till it is all 
dissolved. Keep the mixture boiling until clear and 
dark brown in colour. Then add water to make it 
up to 100 gallons, and spray the trees while still 
about 100—120 0 Fahr. Should it be requisite to 
keep a stock solution add enough water to the con¬ 
centrated liquid to make twenty-five gallons, and keep 
in a closed vessel, diluting it with three gallons of 
warm soft water to one gallon of the stock solution 
when required for use. This wash is not only effec¬ 
tual against scale, but on account of its caustic pro¬ 
perties in killing American Blight, various lichens 
and mosses growing on the trees.— C. J. G. 
ABUTILONS 
Make excellent greenhouse plants if well grown and 
should be more cultivated than they are considering 
their easy management. Tops of old plants put in 
from now onwards quickly form roots if placed in a 
case and a little bottom heat afforded, potting off 
when fit into 3-in. and 4-in. pots, using as a compost, 
loam, peat and leaf soil, the former slightly pre¬ 
dominating with some sharp river sand added. 
They can be had in bloom throughout the year by 
rooting cuttings at intervals, or by pinching and 
treating similar to the Bouvardia. They can also 
be raised from seed, and the hybrids we now have 
are far in advance of what they were some twenty 
years ago. The colours include white, orange, 
purple, red, rose, yellow and crimson. Abutilons 
also do well planted out and given wall or pillar 
treatment, spurring them in similarly to the Vine 
when pruning takes place. Boule de Neige (white) 
is a capital one for this. There are also several 
varieties having beautiful ornamental foliage, and 
which are often used for summer bedding, Tbomp- 
sonii being one of the best for this. Two kinds are 
quite hardy in Devon, vexillarium with small 
mottled foliage and small flowers red and yellow, 
and vitifolium with porcelain-blue flowers and 
lightish coloured foliage of good size. The green¬ 
house varieties should be carefully watered during 
winter. A. Savitzii with white and greea foliage is 
good for the greenhouse. — J. Mayne, Bicton. 
* 
JUDICIAL USE OF ARTIFICIAL 
MANURES. 
The old proverb, " a time to give and a time to 
withhold,” is true here. We must all admit that 
plant life cannot exist without succour, and especially 
pot plants, whose roots are restricted to pots which 
serve as their reservoir of inorganic nourishment. 
But we must also be awake to the fact that plant life 
is not always in a state to respond to our bountiful 
hand, by adding lustre to their leaf or addition to 
their floral returns. I would specially point to the 
fact, at this dormant time in plant life, that what is 
most essential to their welfare is rest, when both 
heat and water should be given with discretion and 
manures withheld altogether, because their presence 
in the soil would only add to the discomfort of the 
dormant plant and cause the compost to become 
sour, making it more difficult for the occupant to 
survive. Of course, my remarks are confined to 
r::ting pile's Wo have winter flowering stuff which 
needs a little aid, but they are in a state to absorb 
the same. Amongst some of them might be men¬ 
tioned Gardenias, Begonia Gloire de Lorraine, B. 
Gloire de Sceaux, Bouvardias, Primulas, Cyclamen, 
Pelargoniums,and the varieties of the bulb family com¬ 
ing into bloom. Small doses are by far more effectual 
than large ones while buds are swelling, but when in 
bloom it should be withheld. In all cases it should 
be given when the soil is moist.— J. Reid, The Gardens, 
Montrose, Donnybrook, Dublin. 
PAEONY GARDEN. 
Paeonies are now so numerous and so much im¬ 
proved, that in domains of any great extent a special 
garden should be made for them. There seems no 
reason why there should not be a Paeony as well as 
Rose gardens. The flowers are larger, far more 
showy, and not a few of them as sweetly fragrant as 
the Rose. It seems probable that the Paeony may 
prove a rival to the Queen of flowers. A Paeony 
garden furnished with a choice collection of specimens 
would indeed be a brilliant feature in the richest 
landscape, and those who cannot have such a garden 
might easily have a bed of Paeonies. The tree 
varieties may be planted in the centre of the bed 
with other species in gradation, finishing off with 
such elegant, cut-leaved sorts as P. tenuifolia, which 
would have a magnificent effect. Beginning .to 
flower in April, they reach their climax in May, 
though a good few of the Chinese types linger on 
through June. They can also be used with excellent 
effect to beautify the banks of lakes and streams. 
Any ordinary garden soil suits them, and may be 
planted from October to March, from 2 to 3 ft. 
apart if in beds. I recommend every private gar¬ 
dener or market gardener to grow some. Very 
little work is connected with them once they are 
planted, as the longer they remain in the one place 
undisturbed they flower much better. They embrace 
all the delicacy of colouring.—T. S. Dick, Castlemttk 
Gardens, Lockerbie, N.B. 
BEGONIA GLOIRE DE LORRAINE. 
It is but few places now that have not its few plants 
of this most popular winter flowering plant. In a 
number of private gardens it is grown extensively, 
generally where its culture is thoroughly understood. 
In some gardens it is a complete failure to get up a 
stock, for a reason I will leave to the experienced 
grower to explain. As a decorative subject it is 
second to none, either hanging in baskets or for the 
dinner table, with young pieces of Ficus repens or 
Smilax as a ground work. For a flowering plant in 
the house it will last for several weeks seldom 
requiring water. Its treatment essential after 
blooming is not a success with all. With some it is 
looked as a perpetual bloomer, and treated accord¬ 
ingly. I would surmise that after they have pro¬ 
duced bloom incessantly for eight or ten weeks, Jt is 
natural to gradually wiihhold the water, but not to 
keep them too dry, prior to cutting them down to 
within a few joints of the old growth in the early 
spring. Repotting will then be the rule. Old plants 
can be cut down earlier to produce stem cuttings, 
which we see has been the best means of propaga¬ 
tion by the late controversy in The Gardening 
World. Some of the readers of this paper may 
assist us in the successful treatment of the plants 
after blooming in this unsettled Begonia campaign.— 
Adam V. Main, Coltness Gardens, IVishaw. 
— » t »-— 
ROSE GROWING. 
On taking hold of nearly any Rose catalogue one 
finds they nearly all recommend one kind of soil for 
Roses, yellow loam or turfy loam with one-third well 
decayed manure. Of course this is the best,., 
especially for exhibition purposes; but I think it 
should be more fully explained to amateur Rose 
growers that they will grow and flower well in nearly 
any soil with a little care. If turfy loam cannot be 
got plant in the best soil you have. Poultry or pig 
manure may be used but sparingly as they are both 
strong manures. Old mortar may also be used. 
The best time to pl^nt is the end of October or 
beginning of November; they then begin to 
get root hold before the winter sets in, although 
they may be planted all through the winter 
if the weather is at all suitable. When a piece 
of ground is to be set apart for the cultivation 
of Roses the most suitable is one sheltered from 
