THE GARDENING WORLD. January 30, 1909 
- Gardening - 
Its Charm and Mystery. 
It is the uncertainty and mystery about 
all gardening efforts that I think make 
this hobby so fascinating. There are 
some hobbies that are so fixed in their 
results that one practically knows the end 
from the beginning. Not so with garden¬ 
ing ; man tills the soil and sows the seed, 
plants and prunes the trees, but the re¬ 
sult is altogether in the dark. 
Mark how the enthusiastic gardener, 
first thing in the morning goes down his 
garden and looks round (in growing time, 
of course) to see the results of the night’s 
work, for night is a great growing time. 
The Rose exhibitor hurries in the morn¬ 
ing to see if the particular Rose he hoped 
for is just fit, only to find it blown, and 
may be, before he has time to think his 
regret, he finds one advanced enough of 
another variety to take its place, for 
which he had not dared to hope. Again, 
the rosarian has pruned a certain Rose 
bush in the spring, and looked for good 
results, but, to his chagrin, it sends up 
two good shoots, but both without a bud. 
He forgets that tree for the time being, 
and turns his attention elsewhere, and 
some days later is astonished to find a 
good shoot coming right from the base of 
the bush; it comes up, and in course of 
time, a splendid bloom is his reward, 
most welcome because least expected. 
A man buys seed of a certain flower, 
he sows it, it comes up much as hither¬ 
to, but he is surprised one day in the 
flowering season to find that amongst 
them are several beautiful strains of 
flower quite new to him, and may be to 
the world of gardening, a mystery he 
mav understancl if he will carefully study 
Nature. What could not be written of 
Orchids in this respect, roots bought some¬ 
times for a mere trifle, and yet return¬ 
ing, through the medium of their unique 
blossoms, their purchase money a thou¬ 
sandfold ? 
It is the speculation entailed in gar¬ 
dening that makes it so fascinating a 
hobby: there is no certainty about it, 
but many surprises. It is to my mind 
the hobby of hobbies, healthful, useful, 
interesting, and full of a glorious uncer¬ 
tainty that always keeps one on the tip¬ 
toe of "interested expectancy. 
What gardener is there who has un¬ 
fastened a bundle of new Rose trees in 
the) autumn, and has not seen within 
that bundle hopes and great expectations 
for next summer? Or, again, another 
who orders a lot of herbaceous stuff for a 
new border, and not having grown them 
before, see how he criticises some of the 
ugly roots rather disdainfully. But, and 
I have experienced these things myself, 
is it this very dubiousness and uncer¬ 
tainty that adds such a piquancy to one’s 
feelings when the results are seen ? Some 
things may fail, but Nature is generally 
very bountiful, and exceeds in produc¬ 
tion and results our highest expectation. 
A mystery indeed, and therein lies the 
garden’s charm. 
A. D. C. 
LITERARY NOTE. 
Trees and Shrubs. 
The great and growing interest taken 
in gardens and gardening, private and 
public parks and open spaces, a know¬ 
ledge ot botany, and a love of the coun¬ 
try, is one of the pleasantest signs of the- 
times. To all those interested, the issue 
of a new and highly important serial 
work by Messrs. J. M. Dent and Co. will 
be especially welcome. In 11 Trees and 
Shrubs of the British Isles, Native and 
Acclimatised,'’ the authors, Messrs. C. S. 
Cooper, F.R.H.S., and W. Percival Wes¬ 
tell, F.L.S., have produced a work which 
will enable the reader to identify not only 
the trees and shrubby plants that help to 
make this country so beautiful, but also 
the more common cultivated trees and 
shrubs that have become acclimatised 
among us. Over 550 species will be dealt 
with under the headings of flowers, in¬ 
florescence, fruit, foliage, mode of 
growth and winter buds, whilst a great 
deal of useful information will be given 
as to planting, soil, situation, seed sow¬ 
ing, transplanting, insect and fungoid 
pests, popular names, medicinal virtues, 
etc. There will be a detailed glossary 
of over 350 botanical terms with deriva¬ 
tions of all words used, as well as lists 
of Latin and Greek roots used in floral 
nomenclature, and Latin, English, na¬ 
tural order, and colour indices. The 
fine series of illustrations (16 in colour 
and 70 in black and white) will be a 
special feature. 
-- 
Stenoglottis fimbriata and iongifolia. 
These small though pretty Orchids are 
now flowering freely where they receive 
the attention and requirements necessary. 
As the flowers expand so the leaves will 
ripen, and this is assign to gradually with¬ 
hold water, and to admit as much air and 
light as possible within reason, and so 
ripen the tubers for another year. When 
the flowers are all cut away they will last 
from four to six weeks when well grown. 
The pots should be placed on a shelf ex¬ 
posed to all the light and air possible in a 
temperature, rarely lower than 55 degs. ; 
here they may remain during the winter 
with very little attention, the moisture of 
other plants growing in the house oft- 
times supplying sufficient without much 
water being supplied. In the spring take 
out the now starting tubers, and place 
them in shallow pans and small pots, 
using a compost of fibrous loam, clean 
oak leaves, silver sand, and a little peat, 
with ample drainage. Grow in a tem¬ 
perature of 65 degs., using the syringe fre¬ 
quently to supply a sufficiency of atmo¬ 
spheric moisture, and as the foliage 
makes headway supply an abundance of 
water. Feed with diluted cow manure as 
the pots fill with roots. Plenty of light 
and air are essential, and sunlight in 
moderation are the chief requirements to 
success during the growing season. 
Debutant. 
Growing Popularity of Gardening. 
The past year has been remarkable for 
the great increase in gardens, and for the 
evident growth of flower culture. Those 
whose business it is to take note of such 
developments have been struck with the 
evidences of a boom in horticulture, com¬ 
ments Edward Owen Greening in the 
“ Standard.” 
TRADE NOTICE, 
Combined Catalogue, Blotter and Diary. 
From Messrs. Joseph Bentley, Li, 
Chemical Works, Barrow-on-Humt 
Hull, we have received a copy of tbr 
combined catalogue, blotter and dial 
In this there is printed the various inse't 
cides and other preparations which tl - 
have made for use in gardens, orcha s 
and fields. Then follows the calen< : 
and diary, and between every two she 1 
is another of blotting paper. The cc - 
bination will be handy to those requirij 
a book for memoranda and other p- 
ticulars ready to hand on their de . 
Post office information will also prove uj- 
ful to those who have much writing to >. 
Tree Planting. 
According to a report recently issi: 
of experiments made at the Duke : 
Bedford’s Woburn fruit farms, it is bet r 
in planting fruit trees to be careless th 
careful for the following reasons1 • 
long series of experiments have proi. 
that a transplanted tree grows very- me 
in the same way as a seed. It is who 
a mistake to suppose, as everyone 1; 
previously supposed, that great care > 
preserve the small rootlets is requisi 
as in any case these sensitive tips ;• 
damaged/ The tree does not take up w 
the old way of growing, but practica 
starts afresh, and depends for vitality. 
the new roots which it forms. It was d - 
covered by a pure accident that cert; 
“carelessly planted trees ”, grew, vr 
much better than those about which mu', 
trouble had been taken, and the sub 
quent experiments may be said, to prc 
conclusively that if you want a tree ■ 
grow well you must ram and hamrv 
and pound the earth in with the utmi 
force. If you bruise the roots, so mu 
the better; it will 'stimulate them to se 
out new rootlets. The report sugge 
two other rather unorthodox conclusion 
(1) The laborious and expensive busim 
of trenching the ground for fruit tre 
often does more harm than good; (2) 
you have not planted your trees ear! 
it is as well to plant them in the fr 
week of March as in December. J 
Salvia argentea. 
This is by far the most beautiful of t- 
hardy Salvias, and forms a very intere 
ing and effective plant for an herbacec- 
border, or for planting on a sunny, wc- 
drained rockery. This splendid pk- 
grows about 3 ft. in height, and is of 1 
free branching. habit, producing num- 
ous sprays of snow-white flowers in Ju‘ 
and July-. The foliage is very pretty a l 
distinct, being broad cordate in shape at 
covered with a silvery-white tomentum - 
the specific name suggests. It is of ea 
culture, and does well in ordinary we- 
drained soil. Water freely during t? 
summer. 
Langport. W. Glover. 
3STRLJCTION OF VERMIN. - 
Most gardens are pestered with RATS and Ml < 
e effort should be made at this time of the yearn 
minate them before seeds are sown. Danysz v ijs 
t rate stuff for killing these vermin. Single tube‘ , 
inhos 5/-. Post free from—DA.NYSZ VIRUS LI . 
