890 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 16, 1901. 
depict natural scenes, features, or objects. Flower 
s udie^ have certainly had their full share of attention, 
while garden scenes and rural views form the subject 
of many other efforts. There are a great many 
lessons to be gleaned from a study of these pictures. 
For example we can see beauty in negligence when it 
is represented by a winding, untrimmed path, strewn 
with the brown leaves of autumn, and fringed on 
either side with grasses ard Ferns, as shown in Miss 
C Hurnall's picture entitled “ A path through the 
wood.” Another pretty painting is that of " The 
Black Pony," a shaggy animal busy sniffing and 
eating in a garden of Daffodils. The scene of 
Ruthwell Mill," in Dumfrieshire, shows what live¬ 
liness and attractiveness can be added to a little 
quiet stream by the formation of a small waterfall. 
Again in “Noontide,” by Margaret A. Heath, one 
feels quite interested in a great gaping sand 
"quarry" because of the presence of some pictur¬ 
esque goats and tufted green shrubs. Animal life 
and forms should always be in landscape scenery. 
As showing the effect of desolate grandeur, G. 
Horton's picture entitled “ On the coast—Brittany," 
is a splendid effort. A view of "A Sussex Hayfield " 
by M. Freeman Kempson is not particularly inspir¬ 
ing ; the effect lacks the gayness of the typical hay- 
field. "The Cloisters, St. Helens, Norwich,” by E. 
M. Percival, shows a fine old fashioned garden 
within the cloister courtyard, planted with tall 
Hollyhocks, Bellflowers, and blue Veronicas. M. 
D. Hurst’s " Cotswold Village’’ has its proverbial 
pump, a warbling brook over which a rustic bridge 
is stretched, the latter bearing a pretty Gloucester 
maid. What the artist’s conception of a beautiful 
garden should be, is conveyed in Helen Thorney- 
croft’s picture, which she names as " My Garden," 
this being a study in free and untrammeled grace, 
enriched with masses of sky blue, glowing crimson 
and lighter blue-white sbad-s to represent the gradu¬ 
ally waning colours that appear toward the apex of 
tall growing flower spikes An archway of Crimson 
Rambler Roses at the end of the walk, and round 
headed, dark green trees that bank up the flower, 
is Miss Thorneycroft s invention of a pretty garden. 
There are many other exceedingly interesting pic¬ 
tures. The seasons, that is, Springtime, Summer¬ 
time, Autumn, and Winter, are symbolised on canvas 
more than once by different artists. 
One of the loveliest scenes of any, shows a view 
in St. James’s Park—" Rus in Urbe," by Dorothy 
Grover. Londoners need not talk of not knowing 
what natural landscape effect is, so long as such 
views are present to their gaze. " Sunset on the 
Exe’’ is glorious; while “ The Home of the Swans, 
Ugbrooke Park ” is peaceful and ideally beautiful. 
Besides these types of pictures there are such others 
as paintings of the “ Lady Beatrice Butler," "Earl 
Roberts, K.G.,” the " Arrival cf Lord Roberts at 
Southampton,’’ “Sea gullf, St. Ives,” “ A storm on 
the northern coast,” “ Ruthwell Mill, Dumfrieshire,” 
and others of striking interest, all of which are 
charmingly executed. The exhibition remains open 
for some time,and to all lovers of pictures in London 
and neighbourhood, a very pleasant couple of hours 
could be enjoyed by a visit to tbeie galleries. Besides 
the exhib tion of pictures there is also a section 
devoted to handicrafts, -which contains some very 
valuable fine art needle work, sculptures, carvings 
and paneling. 
“JOURNEYMEN.” 
This is an excellent dis:ussion, and it will server 
good purpose, if it only attracts journeymen to read 
The Gardening World regularly. Mr. T. S. 
Dick sayk he certainly does not agree with me on 
some points. I hope he agrees with me on one point, 
viz , that it is impossible to learn as much in six 
months in a large place, as one can in twelve months 
in a small place. 
I dare say some of the places in which one has to 
work, both inside and outside, are not very desirable 
from the journeyman's point of view, although 8o 
per cent, of them (in Scotland at least) are of that 
sort. Now it must be in some of these places that 
Mr. Dick had to serve under the “nervous head 
gardeners,” who wanted to keep their places tidy 
whether they had sufficient men to do so or not. I 
think when he gets a head gardener’s place, he will 
find that he must take an interest in all departments, 
inside and outside, and see to the watering, digging 
and the planting of “ Curly Kale.” 
I must thank Mr. DLk for letting us know the 
chief "grievances,” viz., the bothies, the pay and 
that " Pet. r Green” gets the same pay as “John 
Experience." Well; I know that most bothies are 
only fairly comfortable, but I would not like to say 
that the head gardener can make it a palace ; as for 
the pay, the head gardener Has very little to do with 
it. 
In most places the “ Laird ” allows a certain sum 
and if you are not pleased with it off you go. The 
proposition to give “ John Experience ” the is. more 
a week is very good, although I have known in some 
cases " Peter Green ” to be the better man ! I have 
never known ill-feeling to exist between gardeners.— 
F. Ross, Strathtyrum Gardens, St. Andrew's, N.B. 
I hope you will allow me space for a few words on 
the important argument appearing in The Garden¬ 
ing World. I, a journeyman from the north, must 
say the keeping of a diary is a grand thing. Every 
young gardener I have come across keeps his diary. 
There are five of us in the bothy here, and each, 
from the apprentice upwards, keeps his diary, and 
has the day's work written down in it before takiDg 
supper. 
I also say with T. S. Dick, the " great lot ” that 
could be done by the bosses is a wide question. I 
have seen some poor chaps packed into a den at the 
back of the garden wall. One end of their trunk 
had to be the chair, and the other end the table. 
Nothing for the bothy fire but peats, and being 
taken from the moss as they were required, just like 
a sponge full of water. 
Perhaps my brother gardeners from the south have 
never had to put up with this sort of grievance. I have 
put up with some of theSi myself, to a certain extent ; 
but with a little silent contentment got over it all 
right, and very glad to say, am very comfortable 
at present.— Wullie, Leckmilm Gardens,Ross-shire,N.B. 
-- 
SWEET PEAS 
Should be sown now, if they are wanted for early 
bloom, or the exhibition table. Sow in 32-size pots, 
placing about seven seeds in a pot, using a rich com¬ 
post, consisting of loam, leafsoil and sand with a 
little bone meal added. Place the pots on a shelf 
near the glass, in a cool greenhouse, keeping them in 
the same position until the plants are about 4 in. in 
height; then place a few twigs around them. 
Pieces of a birch broom answer the purpose 
admirably, supporting the plants until they are 
planted out and the final stakes put to them. The 
plants can then be put in a cold frame until suffi¬ 
ciently advanced for planting out. It will be found 
to pay for the extra time and trouble if a trench is 
dug in the garden, the c Id soil removed, and some 
rich loam substituted, placing the plants about 3 ft. 
from each other giving them a good watering, and 
when they need watering again give water with a 
little manure added, this helping the plants both in 
growth and colour immensely. Another important 
item is to keep the seed pods from maturing, as 
that takes away a lot of strength from the plant, 
which cannot be spared if the plants are to keep 
up a succession of bloom until the autumn frosts 
se t in — H. Fleming, Wexham Park Gardens, Slough. 
-—I—- 
DWARF COCKSCOMBS. 
How often one sees this beautiful annual grown, 
perhaps with good combs but “leggy.” No doubt 
a great deal depends on the strain one gets, for it is 
a job to get a good dwarf variety. A great fault is 
in the growing, for often " for want of room, per¬ 
haps/' the plants are placed too far from the glass 
and of course get drawn. The best way to get nice 
dwarf plants is by propagating. Sow the seed in 
pans in some good compost and place in heat. When 
the seedlings are large enough to handle, pot them 
into "tnumbpots” and later into 48’s in good loam, 
leafsoil and sand. When the combs begin to show 
is the time to propagate. Select the finest plants and 
cut them off to the desired length (you can cut them 
off as short as you like) and put them into 6o's, 
filled with loam, cocosnut fibre and silver sand. 
Dibble one in a pot, water them and place in a pro¬ 
pagating case in a nice heat, and keep close and well 
shaded till rooted. Then put them iuto 48’s with 
loam, plenty of leafsoil, sind and a little artificial 
manure. If well looked after and the plants not 
allowed to get at ail dry you have good plants suit¬ 
able either tor greenhouse decoration or exhibition 
purposes.— R. Maybury, Silver Medalist, Wolverhamp¬ 
ton Horticultural Club, Red Hill Lodge, Compton, 
Wolverhampton. 
ZONAL PELARGONIUMS FOR WINTER 
FLOWERING. 
Now is the time to propagate these plants for winter 
flowering. Those having a greenhouse that they can 
keep at a temperature of 6o° through the wint-r 
would do well to try them. Cuttings placed in 
sandy soil in 3-in. pots, three[or four cuttings placed 
round the side of the pot, will root in a short time. 
Place them in a temperature of 6o Q ; water through a 
rose. When rooted repot singly into 3-in. pots, in a 
compost of one part loam, two parts leaf-mould, 
adding sand to make it porous and a little soot, and 
some plant food such as Clay’s Fertiliser. Give 
them a cooler atmosphere ; after growth has started 
pinch out the tops. When the pots have become 
full of roots, repot into 5-in. and 6-in. pots, using a 
stronger compost and adding bones to make it 
sweeter. Pot firmly to induce sturdy growth. When 
all fear of frost is away place them in a frame 
giving plenty of air. Pinch and pick off the flcwer 
buds up to near the end of September. By that 
time they should be nice, dwarf, compact plants. 
They should be housed about the end of September, 
and fumigated to keep clear of green-fly. Watering 
will have to be carefully done to avoid damping, and 
feeding will have to be resorted to, when the pots 
become filled with roots. They make a splendid 
array with their green healthy foliage and the 
striking colours of their flowers.— M. 
»l »- 
ARBUTUS UNEDO. 
The Strawberry tree, as this plant is often called, 
on account of the slight resemblance of the fruit to 
the Strawberry, is a native of the shores of the 
Mediterranean and west of Ireland. Its principal 
claim to the attention of gardeners of this country 
is the time of its flowering, which is from November 
to the middle of January, when it makes a gorgeous 
display of its almost pure white panicles of flowers. 
In some places fruit is never seen on it. This is, I 
believe, owing to the absence of irisects at this time 
of the year. The fruit is quite as attractive as the 
flowers ; the colour is reddish-yellow, size about an 
inch in diameter, covered with warty tubers, which 
give it a very fascinating appearance. A good sized 
plant grown in a tub is quite an ideal ornameDt for 
outdoor decoration in summer, and few plants, if 
any, are found more useful for winter flowering in 
any cool greenhouse where there is abundance of 
head room for it. Cuttings taken at this 
season root nicely before spring in a cool house. 
The plants ought to be grown in soil containing a 
liberal quantity of peat and sand. One only wants 
to visit a place where this grand and noteworthy 
plant is grown and you will consider it one of the 
best of useful winter-flowering plants. The plant is 
rather scarce, but I think it can be supplied by 
Methven & Sons, Edinburgh.— T. S. Dick, Castlemilk, 
Lockerbie. 
A BOTANICAL ALBUM. 
Young gardeners who have the ill or good fortune 
to be “far from the madding crowd” and want 
something to interest and to employ their spare 
hours with, should try their hand at photography. 
To begin in a small way a camera is not essential. 
All that is needed is a half-plate printing frame, a 
piece of clear glass to fit the frame, a packet of half¬ 
plate POP., two or three dishes of same size, and 
some chemicals for toning and fixing. A solution 
can be bought which performs the toning and fixing 
simultaneously. Having fitted the glass in the 
frame arrange on it the leaves or flowers, and place 
a piece of printing paper in contact with them. 
Close the frame in the usual way, and expose to day¬ 
light until the white of the paper has turned to a 
deep black. When these prints are toned and fixed 
the imprint of the leaves will show as a white out¬ 
line on a black ground. In order to have the leaf 
black on a white ground use the print next to the 
glass of the frame, and place over it a piece of 
P O P. as before. Fof the printing da) light is 
necessary, but the subsequent operations can be 
conducted by lamp-light. It is a pleasant occupa¬ 
tion for the winter evenings, and forms a suitable in¬ 
troduction to higher branches of photography. 
Dried wild flowers collected during summer would 
supply plenty of excellent material.— Lux. 
[Accompanying the above were half a dozen prints 
illustrating the leaves of various plants, including 
Ferns. Those showing the leaves in white outline 
