76S 
THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
*;♦ ♦ ♦ . .. 
t DAFFODILS IN THE GRASS AT t 
t DALHOUSIE CASTLE. I 
Daffodils never appear to greater advan¬ 
tage than when naturalised in grass, and 
there is no doubt that this is the most artis¬ 
tic way of treating them. WherQ space is 
ample, the larger the masses the more ef¬ 
fective are they, but it does not follow by 
any means that effective arrangements can¬ 
not be secured in more restricted areas' nor 
should even the possessor of a villa garden 
despair of having at least a few odd corners 
and suchlike spots utilised in this way. Col¬ 
lections in beds are, of course, very fine. 
Many kinds have been tried for 
naturalising here, and appended is a list 
of the varieties which Mr. Pirie, Mr. 
Cowan’s head gardener (who is also an 
enthusiastic grower as well as raiSer of 
narcissi, and some of whose seedlings are 
very fine indeed), has found to adapt them¬ 
selves best to naturalising, and they are so 
inexpensive as to he within the reach of all. 
Of course, some of the kinds mentioned may 
not suit all soils and situations (for ex¬ 
ample, Horsfieldi has failed to establish 
OCTOBtt 11, 13n 
~ aiwT a poriion < * 
cprr(^pondang to the depth 
bulb has been removed, is readv for » 
tion therein. By means of this'imp!., 
Mr. Pine has found that one man <r- 
hol^ can keep four men at work pla,' - • 
Ihe following are the daffodils (. ‘ 
most , useful for naturalising in the • 
at Dalhousie Castle: - - ^ 
Trumpet Tarieties.—Alice Knight D \ 
of Bedford, Emperor, Eraprcbs (i|..rv 
Leiden, Golden Spur, Horstieldi’ J. H M 
Camm, Madame de Graaff, Madame Pini> 
Mrs. Thompson, Obvallaris, Qiicon of s-jL 
Scoticus, Victoria, and William 
Incomparabilis varieties.—Bcaiitv. C 1 
Backhouse, Frank Miles, Gloria’Mm 
Gwyther, Lucifer, Queen Sophia arpi " 
AVatkin. 
Barri varieties.—Conspicuns. FinT.r.rK 
Flora Wilson, and Mrs. C. Bowley. 
A COLLECTION OF CHOICE DAFFODILS AT DALHOUSIE CASTLE, 
and it is the only way in which it is advis¬ 
able to grow some of the newer and choicer 
kinds until their properties for naturalising 
are tested; but such arrangements are al¬ 
ways more or less formal, and do not pre¬ 
sent such pleasing effects as when they are 
planted in their natural setting. 
At Dalhousie Castle, the residence of 
C. W. Cowan, Esq., who is one of the most 
enthusiastic and extensive cultivators of 
the plant in the ooimtry, and where the 
accompanying photograph was taken last 
spring, daffodils have been naturalised on a 
very extensive scale, and some very fine 
effects have been obtained. Dalhousie 
Castle stands on the right bank of the river 
Esk, and the soil is a rather heavy loam, 
which, judging from the way the plants 
thrive, seems to suit their requirements 
very well, while the situation is an ex¬ 
tremely suitable one for effective treat¬ 
ment. 
Growing in the Walled Garden. 
itself in Princes Street Gardens, Edin¬ 
burgh), and, on the other hand, there may 
be varieties which do not succeed at Dal¬ 
housie which might grow very well else¬ 
where ; but the numiber of varieties which 
Mr. Pirie has found to do well at Dalhousie 
is large*enough to meet almost any case. 
In the planting of the bulbs some oare is 
necessary. Lifting the turf in patches, and 
laying the bulbs underneath it, does not 
give them a fair chance, more especially in 
the case of large bulbs. Making holes with 
an iron rod is also objectionable, as it 
compacts the soil too much round the bulb, 
and does not leave a kindly medium for 
the roots to penetrate. The implement 
which Mr. Pirie has found to give by far 
the best results is Barr’s bulb planter. By 
means of this implement a circular hole is 
cut out of the turf to the desired depth, 
the plug of soil contained within the cutter 
being released in the operation of forming 
Leedsi varieties,—Albatross, 
estminster, Katherine Sp 
in Maid, Seagull, M aterwitch, a 
Other good b'* 
d the double daffod^, A 
jnius plenus. A. 
Edinburgh . _ _ _ 
Fig:s.-With very 
ops of ripe tigs ^ ^ must 
g and maturation of the 
tention. Early trees nrotecti<^^ 
ould soon be P'f^Xne at d'i 
e pruning must be done ai s 
tie pruning is 
wn the shoots, heavy «'^®PP^*’ced. 
nching, grossnces is a®® ^ the ^ 
id paint the houses, wa^ .ji 
so wash the walla 
lur where scale or ® ^ Wart^^ ^ 
oublesome. - F. Joedas, 
