April 9, 1994. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
311 
Ornamental Trees and Shrubs are held in very high esteem 
by the Duke of Norfolk. At his residence at Arundel he has 
made them a feature of his grounds. They are largely planted 
on the grass, as lie likes to see flowering shrubs best when spring¬ 
ing out of green turf. 
° * * * 
Royal Botanic Societa'. —The second of the monthly meet¬ 
ings organised by the Royal Botanic Society will be held in 
their gardens on Wednesday, the 13tli inst. Besides the floral 
exhibits, there will also be a demonstration of motor lawn 
mowers at work, also' edge-cutting and other machines. 
* * 14- 
Death of Mr. P. McCabe. —We very much regret to learn 
of the death of Mr. Patrick McCabe, head gardener to R. H. 
Mackworth Praed, Esq., Rotherwas Park, Hereford, on the 22nd 
ult. Mr. McCabe had been gardener for many years at Rotherwas, 
and was amongst the earliest readers of The Gardening World. 
He was also a frequent correspondent during that long period. 
* * 14- 
Fire in a Hothouse. —At 2 o’clock on the morning of March 
27th Constable Archibald, on duty in Holburn Street, Aberdeen, 
noticed the reflection of fire in the direction of Hardgat-e, and 
noticed that the hothouse of Mr. Alex. Duncan, market gar¬ 
dener, 21, Broomhill Road, was on fire. The fire brigade was 
summoned, and the fire quickly extinguished. The wooden 
structure was greatly damaged. 
*14 14- 
Flowers at Calderstones Park. —A meeting of the Calder- 
stones Committee was held at the Town Hall on the 28tli ult., 
when Councillor A. A. Paton, the chairman, reported that there 
was already an attractive show of flowers at the Calderstones 
Estate, and it was decided to throw the park, ornamental 
grounds, and conservatories open during the Easter holidays, in 
order to give the public an opportunity of inspecting the estate. 
* * * 
Another New Potato.— Among those who are devoting 
attention to the raising of special Potatos that shall be disease- 
resisting and in other ways perfect are Messrs. Bradley Bros., 
the Nurseries, Bardney, who have already achieved success in 
specialist work. Among other varieties (new and old) we 
noticed a fine new tuber named the Lindum. This- is a pretty 
Potato, round, clean, and with extremely shallow eyes, a robust 
growing variety, a heavy cropper, and is believed by its pro¬ 
ducers to be almost, if not entirely, disease resisting. The firm 
have already refused an offer of £20 for one pound for delivery 
this autumn, but of course the stock is limited, and they are not 
anxious to sell, as this variety is one of those that have come, to 
stay. 
* * * 
A Wonderful Pear Orchard. —Perhaps the largest collection 
of Pears in one orchard to be found in Australia may be seen in 
the outskirts of Hobart. At Albert Park, Moonah, Dr. Benja- 
field’s property, the trees were breaking down with fruit. There 
are some 3,000 trees, of 20 different varieties. The orchard is 
now 17 years old, and this season it bore its first really good 
crop. Each row is nearly half a mile long, and it was a won¬ 
derful sight to see the branches hanging down to the ground 
with the weight of fruit upon them. It was estimated that a 
measured acre could be taken which would turn off 1,000 
bushels. Some of the varieties grown are Williams’ Bon 
Chretien, Vicar of Winkfield, Beurre Bose, Beurre Capiaumont, 
Beurre Diel, Chaumontel, Marie Louise d’Uccle, Beurre 
d’Amanlis, Pitmaston Duchess, and Winter Cole. The gather¬ 
ing of these Pears for the London market commenced in the 
last week of February. 
* * * 
The Bournemouth Lily. —The Rev. E. Linton, M.A., recently 
gave a lecture to the. Botanical Section of the Bournemouth and 
District Society of Natural Science. He dealt with the more 
interesting wild plants to> be found by the sea, river, on culti¬ 
vated land, in the hedges, the chalky clowns, the woodlands, and 
the heath and bog, all in the immediate neighbourhood of Bourn©- 
mouth. The lecture was, in fact, on the rare and interesting 
local plants. Onei of these he mentioned, at Branksome Chine, 
is known as the Bournemouth Lily, and is, indeed, a. member of 
the Lily family—namely, Simethis bicolor. The flowers are pro¬ 
duced on a panicled scape, and are white internally and purple 
on the back, the specific name being intended to indicate the 
two colours. The important. thing about this liliaceous plant 
is that it is found nowhere else in Britain except- at Branksome 
Chine, in the vicinity of Bournemouth. Owing to altered con¬ 
ditions. of its habitat there the plant is rapidly becoming ex¬ 
tinct. When questioned about this rare plant, the lecturer said 
it was hardly likely that it could have been indigenous, because 
previous to 18C0 the district around was open heath, devoid of 
the necessary shelter. The Scotch Fir was extensively planted 
in 1801, but this failed owing to the dryness of the soil. In 1805 
large quantities of Pinus Pinaster were imported, and his belief 
is that the Lily was accidentally introduced from the Continent 
with the trees. About 1840, when the -trees had grown up and 
afforded the necessary shade, the Lily was found in some abun¬ 
dance. The spot is now for sale, and the Bournemouth Lily is 
threatened with extinction unless the ground is purchased and 
specially preserved. 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir, —I think it was a. great pity that “ W. G.” ever left his 
mother, seeing that he prefers lodgings rather than bothy, and 
always wanted the influence of a motherly landlady to- have 
his slippers warmed for him when lie conies home, and be made 
as one of the “ familee.” But how long would lie. be as one of 
the family if he happened to be a bit short and could not pay 
up ? All the while the tin -comes in you will hear the landlady’s 
voice singing, “ Our lodger’s such a nice young man,” and I 
should say he was, -considering the way that he was treated and 
being made' as -one of the family. I can also say that my life 
was as much blighted in lodgings as in bothies, if not mo-re. 
It is n-o-t every married couple that wants; lodge-rs, as “ W. G.” 
states in his new code', and which I think, like many others, 
“ a bad one.” “ W. G.” also hazily puts it that the bothy 
is the best place for those who do no-t know how to behave 
themselves- in respectable lodgings, but I have always found 
that the chaps in the bothy are quite as respectable a-s any 
other class of yo-ung men. J. W. Tyrrell. 
The late Mr. 3HL Herbs!, 
One- by -one the- “ Old Guard ” of horticulturists are- falling 
like well-ripened sheaves in the harvest field. With the 
Editor’s permission, the writer would like to lay a little chaplet 
o-f esteem and regard on the' newly-made grave of this well- 
known and highly-esteemed veteran in the ranks of horticul¬ 
ture-. My knowledge of Mr. Herbst goes much farther -back 
than I care to- remember, for it makes me- feel that-1 am getti n g; 
(if nc-t already there-) in the sere and yellow leaf myself. It 
was my privilege to- know him when he- was in the full swing 
of -business at Richmond, Surrey, and the visitor to his- nur¬ 
series never came away without having -added something to his 
previous knowledge -o-f the' -gentle art- and science- -of gardening. 
As a grower of Palms for market he was' facile princeps. It- 
was a case of Palms, Palms, Palms -everywhere-, from the 
tiniest seedlings to noble specimens, and Lily o-f the Valley lie 
also grew and flowered -superbly. I have only mentioned two 
o-f his specialities. Did space permit, other subjects w-o-uld 
deservedly merit and receive record. Shall we- not- always well 
remember him in connection with that still good and popular 
bedding plant, named in -his -honour, Irisine Herbstii ? As a 
member for many years of the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
Floral Committee his sound, practical knowledge was specially 
valuable o-n this useful b-o-dy. 
High indeed should be the praise accorded Hermann Herbst 
for the splendidly practical int-e-re-st he took until sore infirmity 
prevented it no- longer in that grand charity the- Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund. With his lifelong friend, the late Mr. A. F. 
Barron, whom he has not -been long following to the grave, he, 
with others too well known -to mention, was one -o-f the first, 
founders and members of the Executive Committee appointed 
to- direct the affairsi -o-f the' fund. May his shining example in 
listening so attentively to the acute and ever-present orphan’s 
cry cause the good work which lie carried -o-n for so long- to- be 
emulated, and that speedily, by all who can appreciate a noble 
work established in commemoration of a truly noble woman’s 
jubilee, the la-te Queen Victoria, of -ever happy and -revered 
memory. J. B. 
Chiswick. 
