January 28, 1905. 
The Gardening World 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“Still new deeds, new helps, new habits rise, that graft benevolence on charities.’’— Pope, 
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FOR 
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The following Coloured : 
Plates have appeared m 
recent numbers:— 
July 4 .—aphelandra aurantiaca 
ROEZLII. ' 
August 1.—BORONIA HETEROPHYLLA.: 
September 12.— SIX NEW DAFFODILS. 
October 3— LILIUM AURATUM PLA- 
TYPHYLLUM SHIRLEY VAR. $ 
Novembei 14.—ROSE MME. N. LEVA- $ 
VASSEUR. 
January 2 — HYBRID TEA-SCENTED ^ 
pncr TPFNF 
January 30. — TUBEROUS BEGONIA 
COUNTESS OF WARWICK. ■ 
February 27. -A FINE STRAIN OF J 
GLOXINIAS. 
April 2. — WISTARIA MULTIJUGA 
RUSSELLIANA. 
May 7 -CACTUS DAHLIA DAINTY. 
June 4. -CACTUS DAHLIA SPITFIRE. 
July 16. —ROSE LADY BATTERSEA. < 
October 1. — GEUM HELDREICHI < 
SUPERBUM 
> October 15.— ROSE HUGH DICKSON. 
Back numbers may be obtained from the !> 
publishers, price 2£d. post free. 
This week we present a Half-tone ; 
Plate of 
YUCCA FILAMENTOSA FLACCIDA. : 
Next week we shall give a Half-tone 
Plate of 
ROSE EUGENIE LAMESCH. 
The prize last week in the Readers’ c 
Competition was awarded to “ Herbert 
H. Morris,” for his article on “ Good 
fruits from old trees,” p. 52 . s 
Views and Reviews. 
A Gardener’s Year.* 
As we announced the other week, " The 
Gardener’s Year ” was first published as a 
series of articles in “ The Queen,” and now 
appears in book form. The type is of large 
size, but nevertheless the book is a fairly 
bulky one, running to 404 pages, including 
an index. The plan of it is purely that of a 
calendar, with the exception of the first 
chapter, in which Mr. Haggard gives an ac¬ 
count of his own garden at Ditchinghani 
House, Norfolk, and another garden of his 
at Kessingland Grange, Suffolk. The whole 
of the information, or most of it, relates to 
his own experiences in these two gardens, or 
occasionally what he has seen in other gar¬ 
dens and at flower shows, or other places 
where he had been looking out for novelties 
or something of interest to add to his own 
collection ; or to examine what other people 
were doing, and thereby compare notes, as 
all good gardeners should, for by that means 
many a one learns that the conceit about 
their own productions can be taken out of 
them. 
In the first chapter he describes the garden 
at Ditchinghani, past and present, including 
the various hot houses which he has built, 
in every one of which he evidently fakes 
delight in spending time, and looking after 
their welfare. The nucleus of the present 
garden and grounds has been under cultiva¬ 
tion for over 100 years, and evidently is 
still very productive, although the author 
gives hints that report or tradition says it 
was more fertile in the olden times, a point 
which leaves some little room for doubt — 
lapses of memory and the sentiment that 
clings to the past. 
The soil in this part of the country is 
evidently fairly rich oil the top, but has a 
subsoil which Mr. Haggard terms the 
primeval blue clay, and which requires a 
pickaxe to move it. Evidently he makes 
frequent acquaintance with this clay in his 
operations of making Peach, Vinery, and 
other borders, and in the numerous altera¬ 
tions and improvements which he has carried 
out on the place. Such a soil we have no 
doubt is capable of being made productive, 
* “ A Gardener’s Year.” by H. Rider Haggard. With plans 
and 25 illustrations. Longmans, Green & Co., 33, Pater¬ 
noster Row, London ; New York and Bombay. 1905. AH 
lights reserved. 12s. 6d. nett. 
as clay contains a storehouse of fertility, or, 
if originally poor, it is capable of retaining 
the elements of fertility, which may be ap¬ 
plied to it artificially, and only requires 
sufficient working: and manuring to make it 
undoubtedly a fertile soil. 
He begins the chapter about the rela¬ 
tive amount of knowledge which gardeners, 
professional and lay, may possess about the 
subject. His impression seems to be that 
the professional man is generally, if not al¬ 
ways, a specialist having his own particular 
likings in the way of fruits, flowers and vege¬ 
tables, and does those specialities well, 
whereas those things in which he is less in¬ 
terested may suffer neglect. *He looks 
askance, however, at the new head gardener 
who “ understands Orchids,” and from what 
he says of such men we take it to be that 
he refers to a gardener who is rather more 
conceited about his special knowledge than 
he ought to be. Concerning his own know¬ 
ledge of gardening he is very modest, but 
professes to be always learning, and un¬ 
doubtedly that is the best spirit in which 
to look at gardening, whether from a pro¬ 
fessional or amateur point of view. 
Speaking of specialities, we have had evi¬ 
dence for many years past that the favourite 
with Mr. Haggard is that of Orchids, though 
anyone who reads this calendar can see that 
he has several others, including Roses, 
vegetable growing, fruit culture, trees, 
shrubs, and even grass, as he has frequently 
been actively engaged improving the iawus 
on his estate. When Mason, his present 
gardener, went to Ditchinghani, he had never 
seen an Orchid any more than the owner of 
the collection here when he first commenced 
collecting and growing them. Neverthe¬ 
less, he admits having begun in a humble 
way, gradually acquiring a knowledge of 
their likings until now he thinks that both 
he and his gardener can hold their own, 
judging from the results obtained. 
Two of the specialities amongst Orchids at 
Ditchinghani are evidently Masdevallias and 
Cattleyas, of which he has a fine collection, 
and gives some photographs of them in this 
book. The picture of Masdevallia tovarer- 
sis, opposite p. 32, shows a well-grown and 
flowered plant in a basket. Cool Orchids 
also do well, judging from the photographs 
of Coelogyne cristata and Cymbidium tracy- 
anum, which have been well flowered in his 
collection. 
Tn describing his experiences with Blaoit 
Hamburgh Grapes in an old vinery, it is in¬ 
teresting to note that he came to thr "onelu- 
