268 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 22, 1900. 
the country, fruits, flowers, and vegetables are grown 
in the kitchen garden, the flowers being confined to 
borders alongside the paths. Mr. Airdrie is making 
a speciality of Pentstemons and various other hardy 
plants of a useful character for furnishing cut flowers. 
Late flowering Phloxes are grown in great quantity 
and variety. Carnations are favourites, and are 
planted rather extensively. Sweet Williams are 
being improved by selection, there being numerous 
fine varieties scattered about the borders, of a choice 
character with regularly defined zones of colour. 
Antirrhinums, Shirley Poppies, Iceland Poppies, and 
Michaelmas Daisies are also favourites. 
Something like i,ooo Chrysanthemums in pots 
were then standing about on the walks, 700 of these 
being intended for big specimen blooms, and the rest 
as bushes for conservatory and house decoration. 
All the buds were set, well formed, and full of 
promise in spite of the backward season which had 
been experiened. Cactus Dahlias are also well cared 
for ; and large beds are set apart for the cultivation' 
of Lily of the Valley. Roses are very popular at 
Larbert House, for they were practically, planted 
everywhere in suitable positions round the borders 
and also outside the garden proper. Teas, hybrid 
Teas, and hybrid Perpetuals do well on the soil here. 
In the vegetable quarters we noted a new Savoy 
on trial and named Wee Curly. The stems were 
very dwarf, so that the foliage everywhere touched 
the ground, the inner and younger leaves being 
bright green, the outer ones darker green, and all 
remarkably curled or blistered. Mr. Airdrie con¬ 
siders Austin's Superb as one of the finest early 
Cabbages grown. Austin's Express is, however, a 
trifle earlier in coming into use. We shall no doubt 
hear of all these again. Onions, raised under glass 
early in the year and later on planted out, have not 
given the usual satisfaction this year, owing to the 
cold, wet season ; but those sown in the usual way 
for small, good keeping bulbs were satisfactory 
enough 
Fruit trees are grown on the high walls of the 
garden, and amongst them we noted Williams' Bon 
Chretien and Beurre Diel, bearing a fine crop of 
large fruits. A heavy crop was also borne by Beurre 
d'Aremberg. Jargonelle Pear also does well in 
Scotland, but the fruits ripen and get gathered in 
August. Pond's Seedling Plum carried a fine crop 
of handsome size. 
-. 1 . — 
BEECHHILL NURSERY. 
At the end of the second week of September we had 
a run through the nurseries of Mr. John Downie, 
Beechhill, Murrayfield, Midlothian, pleasantly situ¬ 
ated on the southern slope of the bill overlooking 
the rich agricultural strath drained by the Water of 
Leith. Leaving out of count the area planted with 
fruit trees, the older portion of the nursery is limited 
in extent, but is crammed with a great variety of 
useful subjects, including a rich collection of Coni¬ 
fers, and hardy evergeen and deciduous trees and 
shrubs, as well as herbaceous ..subjects and florists' 
flowers. 
The Glass Houses 
are also well stocked at all times with useful sub¬ 
jects. The first house entered contained a well 
grown collection of Bouvardias in bloom. The three 
double varieties are all very serviceable and last a 
long time in presentable condition. Alfred Neuner 
is white; President Garfield, pink; and Hogarth, 
rosy red. The last named is the newest of the 
doubles, and very handsome in its way. Single 
varieties are more numerous, and though fairly well 
known, have not been superseded. President Cleve¬ 
land is scarlet, Humboldti corymbiflora, pure white, 
very fragrant and of large size; Vulcan, much 
smaller, but glowing red ; Priory Beauty, pink ; 
Elegans, soft rosy scarlet; and candidissima, rather 
small, but with white flowers. A batch of these 
plants in a moderately warm greenhouse have a 
wonderfully brightening effect during the dull 
autumn months. A collection of the more useful 
Heaths is also grown at Beechhill. Erica cerinth- 
oides coronata, with a hairy scarlet corolla; E. 
mammosa major, with large rosy flowers ; and E. 
bowieana, white, were in bloom ; while the summer 
' flowering species had passed that stage. Thegrace- 
fuPand floriferous E. Caffra (white) and E. gracilis 
(rose are now in season. 
Crotons have always been a strong feature here 
and are much used in decorative work. A hand¬ 
some new variety, with large red, yellow and crim¬ 
son leavei, is that named Baronesse Alfonso de 
Rothschild. The large, oblong, red, yellow and 
olive leaves of Reedii are also very handsome. The 
number of varieties is too great to enumerate here ; 
suffice to say all the best types are represented. The 
white flowers of Jasminum nitidum consist of seven 
to nine long, starry segments. The leaves are also 
well developed, with large, ovate leaflets. A rare 
plant is Leea rockrosiana, which has its stems and 
leaf stalks spotted and marked like those of an 
Amorphophallus. The leaves are made up of nine 
large, oblong, wavy leaflets. 
Standing about in boxes in the open air were 
quantities of Lily of the Valley, but whether early 
or late, we shall not presume to say, for it is practi¬ 
cally flowered all the year round. The firm uses 
something like 30,000 retarded crowns and 100,000 
of the ordinary crowns, and the demand is kept up 
for this sweet-scented subject in the form of cut 
flowers and otherwise. Some retarded crowns were 
3 in. to 6 in. high and stood in the open air, where 
they come on more strongly and better at that period. 
Ferns are represented by a collection of all the 
most useful for decorative work and in private estab¬ 
lishments. What are termed Japanese balls have 
also found their way here, and consist of Davallias 
grown on rafter and made up into various fanciful 
forms. Some of these fanciful compositions had 
found their way to this country previous to 1886, for 
we have seen them at Normanhurst, brought there 
by the late Lady Brassey from Japan. They also 
made their appearance in the west at the Paris 
Exhibition of 1889, but now come regularly to our 
shores as an article of commerce. 
Numerous Dracaenas are grcwn, including the 
newer forms that turn up from time to time. For 
instance, Victoria is a golden-edged form of D. 
Lindeni. D. pendula is also a broad leaved form, 
and Princess of Wales has moderately broad leaves, 
bordered with a wide white margin. Those of the 
Sirdar are broad and short, with a red edge. Nar¬ 
row leaved varieties are also favourites, including 
Distinction, having red edges ; Lady Morley, bronzy 
and red edges; and Duchess of York, green, with a 
rosy-red edge. Other good varieties are also well 
cared for. A curious and pretty Palm in this house 
was that named Kentia sanderiana, having long, 
Darrow pinnae, which give the plant a graceful 
appearance. The plant is curious in producing side 
shoots. 
The Palm houses are well stocked with useful 
subjects, such as the universally grown Kentias, in 
many sizes. The same may be said of Livistonas, 
Cocos weddeliana and others indispensable in all 
furnishing and decorative work. Acalypha sander¬ 
iana needs no description now as most gardeners are 
familiar with it. The greenhouse was gay as well 
as perfumed with Lilies, the most powerfully scented 
being L. auratum and L. a. rubro-vittatum, with its 
broad red band down the middle. The most hand¬ 
somely coloured form of L. speciosum is L. s. 
Melpomene. The large panicles of Hydrangea pani- 
culata grandiflora show that it is well treated as a 
pot plant for conservatory work. Another green¬ 
house contained Aralias, Passionflowers and all 
sorts of conservatory climbers. Besides those Lilies 
already noted, a batch of L. longiflorum plunged in 
the open air was 12 in. high and showing flower 
buds. The cool atmosphere of this northern district 
had developed a rich parple tint on the stems. The 
Lily house was likewise full of bulbs in various 
stages of growth. The general collection of bulbs 
was likewise in the open air. ‘ 
Ivies in quantity and variety were grown in pots 
behind a north wall. The frames were full of Genistas, 
tuberous Begonias and other flowers. Two perpetual 
flowering and fruiting Strawberries were also note¬ 
worthy. We refer to Oregon and St. Joseph. The 
former is the better of the two, the fruit being of 
good flavour for the past season, and in this respect 
superior to St. Joseph, which was fair but distinctly 
behind Old plants of Oregon carried seven bunches 
of flowers and fruit. While speaking of tuberous 
Begonias in frames, we may also state that seven 
large beds of seedlings were grown in the open air, 
and flowered splendidly, the colours being rich and 
varied, the flowers large and abundant, while the 
growth left nothing to be desired. 
Trees and Shrubs. 
The collections here are replete in variety, all kinds 
suitable for town planting and for the parks and 
shrubberies of private establishments beiDg grown. 
The major portion of the leaves of Fraxinus excel¬ 
sior alba variegata were white last autumn; we 
rarely, indeed, see white variegation carried to such 
an extent. Another variety of the common Ash 
named acubaefolia, grown in the form of standards, 
had broad elliptic leaflets blotched like an Aucuba. 
Both are suitable for planting on lawns and in 
pleasure grounds. Clethra alnifolia flowers even as 
late as November. Weeping trees are grown in 
considerable variety, many of them being popular 
and well known. Salix rrutabilis has oblong, silky 
leaves and is comparatively little known. A planta¬ 
tion of Olearia Haastii, only 12 in. high, was flower¬ 
ing very profusely. Rhus Cotinus atropurpureus is 
more handsome than the typical smoke plant; and 
quite of another kind is R. glabra laciniata, with its 
much cut leaves. The Beech was represented by 
the cut-leaved and Oak-leaved varieties. Quercus 
pedunculata pectinata is also finely cut; and the 
leaves cf the golden Birch are in their best colour in 
spring. The collection of Maples (Acer) is also very 
extensive, and few trees are more handsome when in 
good form. Caraganas, Privets, Cotoneasters, 
Willows, Aucubas, the large-leaved Acer macro- 
phylla, green and golden Poplars are grown in great 
variety and largely in the form of standards as 
street trees, &c. Rhododendrons, both R. ponticum 
and its varieties and hybrids are grown in bulk. 
White Thorns and Yews are stocked in quantities 
for hedge planting. The same may be said of 
Planes, that is, Sycamores, Larches and other kinds 
of nursery stock. 
Fruit trees in the form of standards, dwarfs and 
pyramids are also a feature of the nursery, and fruit 
well. In passing through the grounds we also noted 
a collection of the large flowering Gladioli, particu¬ 
larly of the gandavensis type. Herbaceous and tree 
Paeonies are grown in great variety and are produc¬ 
tive of fine effects in their season. 
Conifers. 
All the choice trees and sbrubs of this order that are 
hardy and suitable for the adornment of gardens, 
parks, pleasure grounds, &c., find their way here, 
where they are set out in orderly arrangement and at 
all times kept tidy and clean. There is a general 
collection of Cupressus, including nice young trees 
of C. nutkaensis aurea, C. lawsoniana erecta viridis, 
C. 1. Allumi, C. 1. lutea, C. 1. aurea and many others. 
The last named grows much more freely than C. 1. 
lutea, and therefore a finer thing. Retinosporas are 
represented by neat specimens of R. plumosa aurea, 
R. filifera, R. f. aurea, with golden branches and 
twigs resembling whipcord. The golden Junipers 
are also handsome and include such as Juniperus 
japonica variegata aurea, with bright yellow patches, 
and J. chinensis aurea, with more wholly golden 
shoots and branches. At all times Cedrus atlantica 
glauca is a very handsome tree, which seems to 
stand the smoke and fog of towns much better than 
the ordinary green form. All the best of the 
Thuyas may also be found here. Other choice 
things are Abies Pinsapo glauca, with glaucous 
foliage; Abies polita, with stiff leaves; A. kosteriana 
glauca, of a beautiful silvery-blue; and A. excelsa 
Remonti, noted for its conical outline and dense 
habit. A. pungens glauca is popular for its neat 
habit, and silvery-blue, stiff leaves. A. orientalis is 
characterised by the shortness of its leaves, and the 
twiggy appearance of the shoots. The above, by no 
means, exhaust the lists of fine, useful, decorative 
subjects ; and a journey to the nursery would well 
repay the visitor. 
— »l« — 
LAST N.C S. SHOW OF THE CENTURY. 
He would be a most unphilosophic man who, on 
visiting the National Chrysanthemum Society's 
show held at the Aquarium in the beginning of the 
month, did not pause and try to contemplate what 
quality of Chrysanthemum show one might expect 
to witness at the end of the first quarter of the 
twentieth century. 
Since about 1760 when the great Industrial 
Revolution may be said to have started, down 
through the present century, evolution in almost 
every branch of science, art, and commerce has been 
so very great that our curiosity is tuned to the 
highest point of eagerness. Inventions have over¬ 
lapped inventions; progress has overstepped pro¬ 
gress and all along the line there has been and is 
now an incessant turmoil and eager striving. We 
have all watched these last years of the nineteenth 
