284 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 25, 1908. 
In Praise of Hock Gardens. 
of much unexplained failure of Sweet 
Peas. The pamphlet mentions no method 
of relieving attacked roots, but in this 
case again gas lime or vaporite applied 
when the land is bare should prove 
efficient. 
Sowing- and Planting Out. 
It is not yet too late to sow seeds, but 
they should now go in as soon as possible. 
In most districts, also, early steps should 
be taken to place in their permanent 
quarters any plants raised in pots or 
boxes. When the plants are already in 
the ground much good can be done by 
frequently hoeing the surface and thus 
keeping it loose. 
Sticking. 
Many Sweet Peas will now be requir¬ 
ing their supports, and no delay should 
be made in supplying this want. There 
is nothing better than the ordinary Pea 
sticks, but in some districts these are 
inconvenient, expensive, or unobtainable. 
Of substitutes, the best is wire netting. 
This year’s Sweet Pea Annual contains 
a description of the use of this material 
on a large scale at Messrs. Bath’s Floral 
Farms at Wisbech. Creosoted Deal 
posts are used, xo ft. apart, and are driven 
firmly into the ground 18 inches deep. 
The netting is nailed to these supports 
and is stretched as taut as possible. 
Tanned netting may be used in place of 
wire netting. As a rule when these sup¬ 
ports are used the plants need some twigs 
to start them on before they are able to 
take hold of the netting. 
Thinning Out. 
The commonest fault in growing Sweet 
Peas is to grow them too thickly. At 
this time of year this fault can be 
remedied and the plants thinned out to 
a minimum of six inches apart. Where 
they are grown very well the plants can 
be grown eighteen inches apart and will 
yet fill the row, but if only moderate cul¬ 
ture is given them this of course will be 
loo much. In ordinary circumstances 
eight inches will be about right. 
G. F. Drayson. 
Fruit was very rare in England in the 
reign of King Henry VII. Apples, were 
then not less than one or two shillings 
each; a red Rose, two shillings; and a 
man and woman received eight shillings 
and fourpence for a small quantity of 
Strawberries. Cabbage, Carrots, etc., 
were introduced about the year 1547. 
Previous to this period. Queen Catharine 
of Arragon, first consort of Henry VIII., 
when she wanted a salad, was compelled 
to send to Holland or Flanders .on pur¬ 
pose. About this time, Apricots, Goose¬ 
berries, Pippins, and Artichokes were first 
cultivated. Th,e Currant tree came from 
Zante, and was planted in England, A.D. 
x<n.3- Cos Lettuces were brought from 
the island of Cos, near Rhodes, in the 
Mediterranean. The Pear, the Peach, 
the Apricot, and the Quince, were respec¬ 
tively brought into Europe from Epirus, 
Carthage, Armenia, and Syria, and by de¬ 
grees into England. Cherries are of very 
ancient date with us, being conveyed into 
Britain from Rome, A.D. 55. Melons 
were originally brought from Armenia. 
Rock gardens, rather than the word 
“ rockery,” describes best the sort of struc¬ 
ture which the 'writer has in view. Too 
frequently the novice reverses the propor¬ 
tion of rock and soil, if the latter word is 
used, and what should be a garden be¬ 
comes a depository of dead and dying 
plants, and a few specimens of the 
hardiest of Sedums. A rock garden on 
the other hand, should have large 
plateaus—or pockets—of goodly depth of 
decent soils suited to the little denizens 
which are committed to the special basin 
prepared for them, the stones forming the 
iimits of the boundaries of any one special 
species. Irregularity adds to the charm of 
the terraces in which it may be built, and 
the smaller the space at command the 
more can be made of it than in any other 
form of gardening, for on the slope of the 
rock garden more flowers can find a habi¬ 
tation than upon the level of the garden 
bed. 
A Hobby for Elderly People. 
A rock garden, moreover, is a thing 
which adapts itself not only to limited 
space, but to limited means, or even to 
limited health. While it would be im¬ 
possible as advancing years cripple one 
with rheumatism, or during convalescence 
after the influenza fiend, when digging is 
a toil, it is yet possible to pursue the 
favourite hobby by preparing one at a 
time the pockets of the rock garden. In 
the case of those whose strength is always 
indifferent, Sedums, Saxifrages, bulbs and. 
Primroses, will keep the rockery, always 
charming with very little attention, while 
the stooping is reduced to a minimum; 
and for the enthusiastic gardener, tender 
nurslings and rare alpines can be cos- 
setted and tempted to establish themselves 
in the sheltered crannies of suitable soils. 
Rock Plants from Seed. 
It is, however, not to those to whom 
“expense is no object,” but to the flower 
lover whose leisure and whose purse are 
both somewhat curtailed that the writer 
would commend the rock garden, whose 
denizens may, if necessary, be raised en¬ 
tirely from seed, such, for instance, as 
Alyssums, Aubrietias, Primroses, Ionop- 
sidium acaule, Arabises, Polyanthuses, 
Forget-me-nots, Tagetes, and a score of 
others. 
The person of limited means, however, 
remarks: “Ah, yes. It is not only the 
stocking of the rock garden, but its build¬ 
ing—more especially in a town where 
small gardens and a love of flowers do most 
abound — which has to be considered. 
Why, even the cheapest burrs work out 
at eight to ten shillings a load without 
cartage, and if the rockery is to be the 
feature of the tiny garden, a load would 
not go far towards it, and we must be 
content to continue the little perennial 
border, though it does take a lot of work 
to keep the whole length looking well.” 
Retorts from Gas Works. 
It is to the town dweller, however, that 
the following hint will most appeal, for 
it is to him that the broken retorts of the 
gas-works, in their soft red tints, and con¬ 
venient sizes, are accessible; probably if 
he is a customer he can have them for the 
fetching, or, at any rate, for the veriest 
trifle, and although the trend is to value 
more highly what one has to pay for, it 
cannot be denied that the soft tints of the 
retorts are far better as a background, and 
far more artistic into the bargain, than 
the spoilt bricks sold as “burrs” for 
rockwork purposes. “Where did you get 
such lovely stones ? ” the writer has been 
asked more than once by a casual visitor. 
Hints on Planting. 
For the rock garden it need hardly be 
said an open sunny position is most tc 
be desired, but, if this is impossible, there 
are still flowers which will bloom in the 
shade—Primroses, Auriculas, Irises, etc. 
among them. In front of the first, oi 
ground-work terrace, a large space for t 
mass of low growing flowers may be left, 
while the following rock plants will dc 
well in ordinary soil:—Pinks of varioa. 
kinds ; Wallflowers ; Fritillaria Meleagri.;: 
Campanulas of various colours and kinds 
Veronica prostrata, which has such pretq 
foliage and looks green and charming al 
the year; Sun Roses; Sedums; Saxi 
frages; Iris stylosa; Narcissus nanus (tin) 
miniature Daffodils three inches high 
which flower in the open in February, ant 
make a charming spring “pocket’’ 
Snowdrops, Chionodoxas, Crocuses, whic! 
come, too, among the early flowering trea 
sures for the rock garden; Muscar 
azureus (requiring deep sandy loam soil 
giving a brilliant colour which is not t 
be equalled; Heathers that flourish i: 
sandy soil, and a sunny position; Viola 
preferring soil which is clayey or heavy 
tall Foxglove and dwarf Phlox, whic 
add grace and charm to the environmen 
of a rock garden built near an old wall 
which old wall itself may be furnishe 
quickly with Wallflowers and Snap 
dragons, planted in turfs of grass, an 
leaving them to do their own seeding late 
among the smaller interstices. 
D. Gedling. 
-f+4- 
Prize Money Dispute. 
The Leeds Paxton Society were recent! 
sued by an exhibitor at one of their shov 
for the sum of £3 IS - 6d., being th 
amount of prize money which had bee 
awarded to him at the show for an e: 
hibit of Cauliflowers, but which tf 
society withheld on the ground that tl 
exhibit had been disqualified on tl 
ground that the produce shown had m 
been grown by the plaintiff. A clause 
the rules of the society was that if at 
matters arise not dealt with in these rul 
.the committee have full power to de. 
with same, their decision to be fina 1 
Counsel for the defence raised a leg. 
point, urging that this rule put the ca: 
outside his Honour’s jurisdiction. Tl 
plaintiff had had his trial—before tl 
committee. His Honour upheld the 0 
jection, and a verdict was given for tl 
defendants. 
