day 2, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
379 
NOTES ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN THIS ISSUE. 
Ornamental Borecoles. 
The genus Brassica is more commonly associated with the 
chen°garden than with the flower garden, but it is ques- 
nable if this predominance in favour of the “ Kale pot ” is 
ogether justifiable. 
Last Monday (April 20th), on the invitation of Mr. William 
ant, the able gardener at Fernliall, Broughty Ferry, I paid a 
it to the shrine of Bassica oleracea acephala multicolor 
•ieo-ata. I advisedly write “ the shrine ” of this gorgeous 
iter decorative subject, for in no other garden of my ac- 
rintance have the variegated Kales been so admirably and 
consecutively enshrined in regal beauty winter by winter 
over twenty years. 
Regular travellers on the railway between 
mdee and Broughty Ferry are used to the 
lliant annual display of colour flashed to 
sir retina as the train passes Mr. Grant’s cot- 
;e ; but the casual passenger, especially if in 
lv April, is simply amazed at the wealth of 
mty presented bv the flower (Kale) beds. 
’hotograph No. 1 shows Mr. Grant’s cottage 
1 one of his Kale beds. Exquisitely cut, 
sected, feathered, frilled, and curled, these 
ms alone are a marvel of art. The colour 
ige is equally as remarkable, exhibiting 
ay shade of lilac, rose, magenta, violet, 
rple, and pure white, with just generally 
)ugh green on their frilled and curled edges 
enhance their harmonies. 
3 hotos No. 2 and No. 3 show beds in the 
ms and flower garden surrounding Fernhall 
nsion, the suburban residence of R. B. 
irp, Esq. 
Perhaps it is here that Mr. Grant’s endea- 
irs show to greatest advantage, the green 
ms and background of sombre winter shrub- 
y showing out more intensely the brilliant 
ouring of the Kales. 
rhere are many other very interesting beds 
this veritable winter garden, for even the 
their neighbours, with a fair complement of chlorophyll. So 
interesting is this, Mr. Editor, that I send you a few samples, 
so that you may substantiate my statement. No doubt the 
normal green summer leaves have stored an ample reserve of 
elaborated food materials in the thick, fleshy stem, but that 
this should be ample for the entire spring growth and the ripen¬ 
ing of a seed crop is, to say the least, very unusual. 
One caution to would-be cultivators of these coloured Kales : 
be sure you get the best possible strain of seeds, and do your 
seedsman the favour to intensify results by planting in a com¬ 
paratively poor soil for the summer growth. 
Mr. Grant certainly deserves the thanks of all lovers of the 
“ garden beautiful ” for his unwearied devotion to advance and 
lb beds are decorated in a novel fashion, 
ndsome little plants of golden Retinospora, 
uja, Aucuba, and other shrubs fill what is 
tally bare space, while the bulbs are under ground, so that 
bed is unfurnished from October to May. 
Now a word on the culture of these variegated Kales. It 
Amply simplicity simplified. Sow the seeds in the kitchen 
•den just how and when you sow the winter Broccoli. Trans- 
■nt into any spare quarter of ground, just as you would 
nmer Cabbages, and then forget all about them till October, 
rhrough the summer they will look like a mongrel strain of 
nmon green curled Kale ; do not be despondent. When 
tober comes j t ou will have the transformation scene. 
Clear out the summer bedding plants, and set about trans¬ 
uding your Kales. 
Select those plants showing most colour, pull away the bulk 
the green summer leaves, and plant down so as to well cover 
y bare stem. Do not hesitate to plant very deep if you have 
tall stemmed plant you want to reduce to a lower level, 
range the colours judiciously, and be careful to add quite a 
rd of whites, as these show up the colours to advantage. 
Stome’s Albino strain, Mr. Grant, says, is a marvel cf por¬ 
tion in whites, coming 95 to 99 per cent, absolutely perfect, 
i, what is very remarkable, these white varieties are, if pos- 
le, even more hardy than the coloured forms; neither frost 
' wet seems to affect them. 
Another curious feature which will appeal to the scientific 
tid is that quite 15 per cent, of this strain of whites are strict 
nnos-—perfectly white, without a trace of green; and yet, 
h this complete chlorosis, they are as robust and hardy as 
Ornamental Kales in the Flower Garden at Fernhall. 
enhance a real system of winter decoration in the flower garden, 
and anyone who sees him at home, and catches a. whiff of his 
enthusiasm, will readily admit that every virtue has its own 
reward. Gowrie. 
[We quite substantiate our correspondent’s statement about 
the beautiful white appearance of the spring foliage of these 
Kales. At first we marvelled how it was possible that they 
could exist with such a lack of chlorophyll, until we remem¬ 
bered that “ Kale runts ” store a great amount of reserve mate¬ 
rial. The development of the green summer leaves also ex¬ 
plains to the student and physiologist, or even to the careful 
observer, how it is possible for the stems to store up reserve 
material for the production of such a quantity of beautiful 
foliage in the spring, and also prepare for the production and 
maturation of seed. One of the accompanying illustrations 
represents photograph No. 3, as alluded to by our corre¬ 
spondent, and which is a view in the flower garden,. Femliall, 
Broughty Ferry. The other photograph, showing two indivi¬ 
dual specimens of Kale, was taken at the office by our artist. 
The leaves were drooping somewhat before the photograph was 
taken ; otherwise they should have been more nearly upright. 
The finely-cut one had pale purple foliage, and seemed to be a 
purple variety of Ragged Jack. The other was a white variety, 
namely, Albino. Some of the leaves were beautifully laced 
with green, as shown in the picture. The first-named photo¬ 
graph was taken by David Ireland, Esq., Douglas Terrace, 
Broughty Ferry.— Ed.] 
