10 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
January  4,  1£00. 
GREETINGS  AND  GRUMBLINGS. 
“In  the  dark  and  trying  hour;  in  the  breaking  forth  of  power,” 
comes  another  year.  Brave  sons  of  the  empire — soldiers  of  the 
Queen  !  Is  there  any  fellow  feeling,  apart  from  that  of  country,  kith, 
and  kin,  engendered  by  what  is  essentially  peaceful  work?  Peaceful 
work  ?  “  There  is  no  peace  for  a  gardener,”  said  one  of  the  craft 
lately.  That  is  so ;  and  where  there  is  no  peace  then  is  there  perpetual 
warfare  to  uphold  the  suzerainty  of  the  gardener’s  empire,  and  that  is 
so.  “I’m  killing  ’em  by  millions,”  he  continued,  “and  still  they 
come.”  Sufficient  here  to  “stagger  humanity,”  or,  at  least,  to  startle 
that  portion  of  it  who,  drawing  so  largely  upon  the  gardening  world 
for  their  necessities  and  luxuries,  know  not  the  great  natural  forces 
in  continual  and  combined  array  against  the  man  of  peace  (?) 
They  do  not  know,  and  it  all  looks  so  easy.  “  You  just  dig  and 
sow,  and  plant,  and  hoe,  to  gather  up  the  fruits  and  flowers  in  their 
due  season.”  Would  that  some  who  think  so  lightly  of  gardening 
could  gain  a  little  insight;  gather  a  little  wisdom  by  reading  the 
war  correspondence  gleaned  from  one  year’s  pages  only  of  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture.  It  would  be  to  the  mutual  advantage  of  master  (or 
mistress)  and  man  if  a  little  better  undersffinding  did  exist  on  these 
matters;  for  what  is  not  understood  is  always  liable  to  be  misunder¬ 
stood,  and,  what  is  more,  often  is.  Unfortunately  gardeners  as  a  rule 
seem  to  be  the  woist  men  in  the  world  to  give  simple  explanations  of 
plain  truths.  “  It’s  not  a  bit  o’  good  argufying,  just  grin  and  bear  it,” 
was  the  precept  of  a  past  master  ;  one  who  had  unconsciously  adapted 
to  his  wants  and  woes  the  old  French  motto,  Qai  s'excuse,  s’accuse. 
Silence  is  not  always  golden. 
If  some  men  seek  safety  in  silence,  others  in  making  rash  state¬ 
ments  find  them  recoil  to  their  own  detrimeqt.  “  Well,  sir,  you  see 
they  breeds  nine  times  every  hour,  and  has  nine  at  a  time.”  Such  was 
the  actual  conclusion,  but  not  the  final  one,  of  an  argument  between 
another  worthy  man  and  his  master  anent  that  most  insidious  of  bugs 
and  beasties,  the  mealy  bug.  Facts  and  figures  should  clinch  an 
argument.  They  did  not,  however,  in  this  case,  in  spite  of  the 
remarkably  precise  birth  rate  statistics  in  point  of  time  and  numbers. 
Ic  was  regarded  as  a  subterfuge  to  conceal  sins  of  omission,  and  worse 
still,  repeated  by  “  the  master  ”  to  his  friends  over  the  dinner  table, 
by  one  of  whom  the  writer  was  interrogated  upon  the  matter,  without 
much  further  enlightenment,  may  be  added.  A  wider  disseminated 
knowledge  of  these  visible  and  invisible  foes  might,  one  thinks,  often 
bring  more  sympathy  and  less  blame  to  the  man  who  is  fighting  them 
year  in  and  year  out.  True,  it  will  sometimes  be  heard  in  the  garden¬ 
ing  ranks,  “  My  master,”  or  “  my  mistress  ”  (generally  “  my 
mistress”),  “knows  too  much.”  But  that’s  another  grumble  and 
another  tale. 
“  A  happy  new  year  to  you.”  No  heartier  exchange  of  the  old 
familiar  greeting  is  given  than  amongst  the  rank  and  file  of  gardeners. 
Such  a  grip  has  just  been  given  to  our  hand  by  an  old  friend — so 
vigorous,  so  squeezeful,  as  to  place  that  opinion  beyond  question,  and 
accompanying  the  well  worn  wish  so  heartily,  almost  painfully, 
impressed  was  the  hope  that  our  “  Mum  ”  cuttings  were  making  a 
good  start.  Ah!  well,  that’s  another  tale,  too.  There  is  a  good  deal 
of  human  nature  in  gardening,  and  we  know  he  wants  to  beat  us  at 
the  show,  and  although  that  is  still  in  the  dim  and  distant  future,  he 
is  looking  ahead.  He  knows,  as  all  real  gardeners  know,  a  good 
start  means  a  good  finish,  provided,  of  course,  the  end  is  never  lost 
sight  of.  Is  there  a  gardener,  may  we  ask,  now  looking  over  the 
new  year’s  number  of  “our  Journal”  who,  in  turning  over  a  new 
leaf,  is  not  looking  ahead  ? 
1900.  Cold,  wet,  peevish,  puling  last-born  of  Father  Time  !  Who 
can  discern  in  thy  puckered  lineaments  what  thou  shalt  do  for  us 
or  against  us  ?  Why  such  perfervid  greetings,  dynamic  hand¬ 
shakings,  at  the  advent  of  one  of  whom  little  more  can  be  said 
(and  that  is  always  safe  to  say  of  most  infants),  that  it’s  like  its 
father  ?  “  Like  begets  like.”  A  few  inches  more  or  less  in  the 
rainguage  ;  a  few  degrees  up  or  down  on  the  thermometer !  The 
veriest  trifles  in  the  solemn  march  of  time,  in  the  sublime  economy 
of  Nature. 
“  How  like  eternity  doth  Nature  seem 
To  life  of  man.  that  short  and  fitful  dream.” 
Much  they  mean,  we  know,  in  garden  work ;  but  somehow  those 
who  have  conquered  in  one  direction  are  best  braced  to  fight  in 
another,  to  the  end  that  unkindly  elements  are  robbed  of  much  of 
their  severity.  There  is  so  much  uncertainty  about  these  new  years, 
with  corres[)ondiug  anxiety,  that  one  almost  wonders  why  gardeners, 
of  all  men,  should  hail  their  birth  with  acclamation.  “  We  live  in 
hope,”  is  a  common  saying.  It  might  go  farther  by  saying  we  live 
on  hope,  and  true  it  is  that  without  uncertainty  there  would  be  no 
hope,  for  it  is  the  legitimate  offspring  of  it,  and]^  possibly,  no  living. 
What  a  tame  thing  gardening  would  be  if  returns  were  always 
reduced  to  the  dead  level  of  exact  ratio  to  outlay  !  “  Actions  are  ours, 
events  are  God’s.” 
In  endeavouring  to  forecaste  the  horoscope  of  this  new  gift  of  time 
any  startling  horticultural  developments  can  scarcely  he  expected, 
although  the  craving  for  something  fresh  remains  unabated.  True, 
man’s  ingenuity  and  Nature’s  compatability  are  not  yet  exhausted,  if 
ever  they  will  be,  and  many  novelties  will,  of  course,  appear  with  a 
flourish  of  trumpets,  and  eventually  disappear  in  silence  to  swell  that 
great  crop  in  the  land  of  the  long-forgotten.  A  big  trophy  for 
Grapes,  or  something  or  other,  is  in  contemplation  to  spur  men  on  to 
deeds  of  derring-do.  The  100-guinea  challenge  cup,  shield,  or  vase,  is 
a  grand  idea — at  first  sight ;  yet,  somehow,  the  more  one  reflects 
upon  it  the  more  it  seems  to  resolve  itself  into  what  an  Irish  friend 
calls  a  powerful  weakness.  Many,  most  of  course,  believe  in  it,  but, 
like  some  precious  relic  upon  which  the  eyes  of  the  faithful  may  gaze 
but  at  rare  intervals,  it  will  of  necessity  he  enshrined  in  some 
sanctuary,  therefore,  to  most  intents  and  purposes,  be  non  est.  There 
is  just  the  wish,  no  more,  that  these  honours  and  glories  could  be 
embodied  in  a  more  practical  form.  It  is  the  wishing  season,  and 
having  unselfishly  lavished  good  wishes  abroad  among  our  fellow-men, 
we  may,  each  and  all,  in  the  quiet  irioments  of  self-communion,  come 
nearer  home  in  these  concluding  apostrophic  lines — 
“Build  thee  more  atatf-ly  mansions,  oh  my  soul ! 
As  the  swift  seasons  roll. 
Let  each  new  temple,  nobler  than  the  last, 
Shut  thee  from  heaven  by  a  dome  more  vast.” 
— A.  N.  Oldhead. 
HARDY  BORDER  FLOWERS. 
Antholyza  paniculata. 
One  must  speak  of  the  Antholyzas  among  “  hardy  ”  flowers  with  some 
degree  of  reserve,  as  our  experience  of  them  planted  in  the  border  in 
this  country  is  limited.  One  has,  however,  seen  them  grown  under 
such  diverse  conditions  that  one  feels  justified  in  advising  their  more 
extended  cultivation.  Plants  of  such  fine  effect  are  none  too  plentiful, 
and  their  handsome  leaves  and  distinct  flowers  will  give  a  character  to 
the  border  in  which  they  are  grown.  They  are  bulbous  plants  from 
the  Cape,  but  those  which  belong  to  tropical  Africa  are  not  adapted 
for  the  flower  border  and  thus  need  no  notice  at  present. 
Perhaps  the  best  for  the  garden  of  hardy  flowers  is  Antholyza 
paniculata,  which  I  think  I  have  previously  had  the  pleasure  of  naming 
in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture.  It  is  a  noble  plant,  with  its  fine, 
plaited  leaves,  and  its  tall  many-flowered  spikes  with  their  bright 
red-yellow  flowers.  It  will  grow  from  3  to  4  feet  high.  It  comes  from 
the  Colony  of  Natal.  A.  aethiopica,  which  has  some  three  varieties 
•  besides  the  type,  is  also  a  fine  plant,  but  I  do  not  think  it  is  quite  as 
hardy  as  the  preceding.  It  also  has  red-yellow  blooms.  A.  caffra 
has  red  flowers,  and  narrow,  linear  leaves.  It  was  called  by  Sweet, 
Anisanthus  splendens,  and  by  Dean  Herbert,  Gladiolus  splendens. 
A.  Cunoniana  only  grows  from  1  to  foot  high,  and  has  red  flowers. 
A.  quadrangularis  has  variegated  yellow  and  red  perianths,  the  upper 
segment  being  red.  A.  spicata,  intermedia,  and  saccata  have  never 
come  under  my  observation  in  the  open  ground. 
The  Antholyzas  ought,  at  least  until  we  have  further  experience  of 
their  needs,  to  have  a  warm  sheltered  border  in  light  soil,  with  a  little 
protection  in  the  way  of  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse,  dry  leaves,  or  similar 
material  in  winter.  I  have  seen  them  as  far  north  as  Stirlingshire 
growing  vigorously,  and  without  having  had  any  winter  covering.  It 
has  been  recommended  that  they,  should  be  lifted  annually  to  remove 
the  offsets,  but  this  is  unnecessary,  as  they  grow  into  fine  clumps  if 
left  undisturbed  for  a  longer  time.  The  crowns  of  the  corms  ought  to 
be  at  least  3  inches  below  the  surface. 
Iris  Susiana. 
We  are  all  apt  to  suppose  that  gardening  is  one  of  the  exact 
sciences,  and  that  if  a  plant  does  well  with  us  under  certain  conditions 
it  ought  to  do  as  well  with  others.  But  this  is  not  the  case.  There 
are  differences  of  soil  or  climate  which  may  be  inappreciable  to  us,  but 
which  to  a  marked  degree  affect  success  or  failure  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  plant  or  plants  we  want  to  grow.  This  is  abundantly  evidenced  in 
the  remarks  on  Iris  Susiana  (fig.  2)  which  have  appeared  in  the 
Journal  of  late.  That  your  able  contributor  “  R.  P.  B.”  (page  540 
last  vol.)  has  succeeded  in  growing  and  flowering  it  most  successfully 
without  any  artificial  ripening  is  beyond  question,  but  it  is  also 
undeniable  that  others  who  have  grown  it  in  a  similar  way  have  failed. 
It  has  been  notorious  for  many  years  that  it  is  not  an  easy  plant  to 
flower.  That  this  was  the  case  long  ago  is  proved  by  the  citation  from 
Gilbert  on  page  540.  His  knowledge  has  been  confirmed  by  genera¬ 
tions  of  flower  growers  since  his  time. 
Even  yet  we  must,  I  think,  confess  that  there  is  no  “royal  road” 
by  which  we  can  secure  the  annual  flowering  of  either  I.  Susiana  or 
the  other  Oncocyclus  Irises.  I  dare  not  say  that  Rev.  H.  Ewbank’s 
method  is  sure  to  result  in  success.  This  would  be  untrue,  but  it  is 
correct  to  say  that  none  have  been  so  successful  as  he  in  flowering 
these  wonderfully  beautiful  flowers.  At  the  same  time  I  would  not 
veiiture  to  say  that  all  those  who  followed  Mr.  Ewbank’s  plan  were 
satisfied  with  the  results.  My  experience  in  my  own  and  other  gardens 
is  that  it  is  not  infallible,  although  the  principle  recommended  is  a 
