54 
THE GARDEN lNQ WORLD 
January 23, 190c 
Garder? Design. 
Some Historical 
Examples 
of the Ancient Art. 
Mr. Thomas H. Mawson, A.R.I.B.A., 
gave the first of his series of lectures 
on Garden Design at the meeting of 
the Royal Horticultural Society* Vin¬ 
cent Square, on Tuesday, September 
1st. This preface lecture defined the 
broad ethical principles of garden de¬ 
sign as gathered from great historical 
examples of ancient art found in the 
ruins, relics, and plans of Egypt, 
Babylon and Greece. The lecturer 
said that it was always his principle in 
studying anything and everything in 
the shape of visual effects, whether 
of a constructive character or artistic, 
to take into consideration the age, the 
racial instincts, the religion, the per¬ 
vading customs, and the environment 
generally of the designers or producers 
of the work that obtained at the res¬ 
pective periods, to which their work was 
always relative. For example, the gar¬ 
dens' of Egypt cannot ba transported 
and compared side by side with those of 
other clime's. Here all gardens must 
be wholly artificial ; of this our know¬ 
ledge assures us by one glance at the 
configuration of that domain of fierce 
sunlight and drought, which otherwise 
must remain a sterile expanse of sand 
except for irrigation by the Nile. As 
we enter the garden we are impressed, 
as well as soothed and charmed with 
this inset enclosure of cool water, foli¬ 
age and fruitfulndss. Doubtless every¬ 
thing therein wore an aspect of tran¬ 
quility and dignity, in complete keep¬ 
ing with the surrounding impressive¬ 
ness of temples and palaces. From 
hieroglyphic designs it is apparent that 
there was a singular witchery in these 
Egyptian gardens, with their effective 
contrasts of broad lights and shadow- 
play (a lost art to-day is the science of 
shadows), the combination of walls, 
masonry, columned gateways, canals 
of water, avenues of erect date palms, 
and, as a central object, a capacious 
rest-house. An intended impression of 
mysticism and awe accorded well with 
the peculiar mysticism of their na¬ 
tional beliefs as represented by the oft- 
recurring Sphinx and other deities. 
The proud gardens of Babylon are 
fitting successors to the impressive ones 
of Egypt. The hanging gardens of 
Babylon are one of the wonders of the 
world. “Builded” indeed, they must 
have been a most striking, stupendous, 
and even refreshing sight, towering 
aloft, tier on tier of gardens, upon 
columned arches, with freshness in the 
shape of fountains, flowers and verdure, 
interspersed—a triumph of the genius 
of architecture and art, reared on high 
above, and in the midst of this 
Euphrates-girt stronghold, and upon 
the otherwise flat nlain of Dura. 
The lecturer then referred to the 
Judah gardens, especially to those of 
the time of Solomon, which, with our 
conceived ideas of Eden, form a 
striking contrast to Babylon and Egypt 
’—being formed more after the magnifi¬ 
cence of nature than after the wonder- 
loving, proud pattern of man’s design. 
Horticulture and garden design are 
nowhere free from extravagances. 
There is ever the danger of .infection by 
monstrosities, by the curious, the quaint 
and the rare; wifli hybrids, sports and 
phantasies. If an Eden-like beauty is 
to be preserved the natural grace of 
each plant, or in the case of a tree its 
habit of growth, is, generally speaking, 
most to be desired. Restfulness is the 
truest ideal for a garden, and to this, 
design and planting should be sub¬ 
servient. The majority of gardens are 
unrestful. 
-- 
R.H.S. 
The next fortnightly exhibition of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, of flowers, 
plants, etc., will be held, as usual, at the 
Society’s headquarters, Westminster, on 
January 26th, from 1 to 5 p.m. At 3 
o’clock Mir. W. D. Scott Moncrieff will 
lecture on “A Method of Using Domestic 
Sewage in Horticulture.” 
“ The Horticultural Directory.” 
The fiftieth edition of this useful hand¬ 
book has now come to hand, and the fact 
of its being in its jubilee year should 
prove that it was a book that was wanted. 
It contains the names and addresses of 
the various nurserymen, seedsmen, and 
florists scattered throughout the length 
and breadth of the land, together with 
the addresses of all the principal private 
establishments in Great Britain and Ire¬ 
land, together with the names of the pro¬ 
prietor and gardener and the post town. 
An alphabetical list of gardeners also en¬ 
ables the reader to find the county in 
which any particular garden* may be 
located. There are also lists of botanical, 
horticultural and floral societies, together 
with the parks, gardens and open spaces 
under the charge of H.M. Office of 
Works, as well as those under the London 
County Council. There is also much 
useful information to be gleaned in the 
chapter on useful garden receipts. 
“ Beautiful Flowers and How to Grow 
Them.” 
The above work, which is coming out 
in numbers, is proceeding, having now 
reached Part VI. Part III. shows White 
Lilies forming a long line between Roses. 
It also has a beautiful coloured picture 
of Lachenalias grown in a basket. Part 
IV. contains a natural and handsome col¬ 
oured picture of brown and yellow Wall¬ 
flowers. The text deals with hardy her¬ 
baceous plants, while the flowers illus¬ 
trated show that the season is advancing. 
Part V. is also devoted to hardy herbace¬ 
ous plants, such as everyone can grow, 
and there are coloured pictures of Gail- 
lardias and Michaelmas Daisies, Asters, 
Phloxes and Sweet Peas, Foxgloves and 
Poppies, Pyrethrums, Lupins, Delphin¬ 
iums and Columbines. In this number 
there are, therefore, six coloured plates, 
besides”an inset which is also a coloured 
illustration. Part VI. is devoted to rock¬ 
ery plants and greenhouse and hothouse 
flowers. - The work will be completed in 
seventeen parts at is. each, and is being 
published bv T. C. and E. C. Jack, Lon¬ 
don and Edinburgh. 
Electrification of the Soil. 
Although it is too early to make a ig- 
matic statement, said Sir Oliver L ge 
recently, it may be that the electrific. on 
of crops does the same sort of woilas 
the sunshine. 
Van Helmont, in the 17th cen t. 
planted a Willow tree weighing 5 lb., d, 
after watering it daily for two y r S 
found that its weight had increase to 
169 lb., while the soil in which it as 
planted had lost only 2 oz. 
Chlorophyll. 
The greenness of plants is due tc re 
action of light, and is caused by re 
presence of chlorophyll, which has re 
power, in light, of splitting up cart ir 
acid into oxygen and carbon, the 1; er 
the plant keeping and elaborating to 
starch, while it gives off the former. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution. 
The 69th annual general meetin of 
the members and subscribers of this i :i- 
tution will be held at “Simpso 
Strand, London, on January 21st, at 45 
p.m., for the purpose of receiving th e- 
port of the committee for the year 1 8, 
electing officers for the year 1909, anc .li¬ 
the ejection of 18 annuitants on the fu 5. 
The chair will be taken by Mr. Harr J. 
Veitch, F.L.S., V.M.H. The poll wi! >e 
at three o’clock, and close at four o’cl c. 
The annual friendly supper will be t : 1 , 
also at Simpson’s, at 6 p.m., when Mr. 
J. Jefferies, of Cirencester, will presid 
Yellow Stripe in Daffodils. 
This subject was dealt with by Mr. I. 
R. Darlington, F.R.H.S., who deliv d 
a lecture at one of the meetings of le 
Royal Horticultural Society last y r, 
and this appears in their Journal, le 
says yellow stripe in mild cases-.si rs 
the veins of the leaves turning slig .y 
yellow, and if this is all that takes p :e 
the bulbs suffer little or no injury. le 
does hot think that it is produced by iy 
specific form of fungoid disease, but it 
it may be due to a variety of ca is 
which act upon the health of the pla;, 
thus causing weakness. The ailm t. 
whatever it is, appears to be of comp 1- 
tively recent origin, and judging f n 
the absence of a fungus and the var y 
of opinions expressed it may be me y 
a case whether the bulbs have sufferel n 
health from some fault or other in cii- 
vation. If such is the case, it would'e 
brought about by leavine them too 1 fr 
in the same soil until the bulbs it 
crowded and the soil exhausted, 0 it 
might be by the over-rapid propaga ; n 
of the bulbs for the sake of stock. e 
remedy would, of course, be to rev 
this order of treatment, to give the bus 
a change of soil and a different loca v 
every few years, and to restrain from y 
attempt at too rapid propagation of <? 
bulbs by artificial means. The lectrr 
summarises his conclusions and amor>t 
them he showed that bulbs showing Ijj 
low stripe in the leaves one year miit 
become quite healthy in the follow p 
and, in his opinion, it was not infecti<s. 
Destruction of vermin- 
Most gardens are .pestered with RATS and ME 
Every effort should he made at this time of ihe yeirto 
exterminate them b fore seeds are sown. Danysz Aus 
is first rate stuff for killing these>vermin. Sinsle tubfW-, 
three tubes, 5/-. Post free from —DA-NYSZ YIRUS 
52, Leaden hall Street (Box 138;, London, E.O, 
