380 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  3,  1900. 
and  several  farrows  in  each  field  are  full  of  water.  So  completely 
water-log’ged  are  these  two  fields  that  the  grass  has  assumed  a  rusty 
brown  colour,  due  to  excess  of  stagnant  water,  and  both  fields,  but 
•especially  No.  323,  are  covered  in  places  by  a  growth  of  rushes,  also 
due  to  being  water-logged.  The  only  portion  of  field  No.  323  where  the 
grass  is  fairly  good  is  marked  “C  ”  on  the  plan — about  three-quarters 
of  an  acre.  The  remaining  two  fields  (Nos.  343  and  344)  are  only 
suitable  for  Wheat,  and  then  only  in  a  hot  dry  season.  On  No.  343  is 
a  very  thin  plant  of  Wheat,  and  its  thinness  is  due  probably  to  the  wet 
weather  of  January  last.  No.  344  is  a  Wheat  stubble,  exceedingly 
foul,  and  with  a  very  scanty  plant  of  Clover.  Even  if  these  two  fields 
were  likely  to  prove  good  garden  soil,  they  are  too  far  removed  from 
the  best  portion  of  the  land  at  the  top  of  the  hill  to  be  conveniently 
tilled.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  elevation  of  the  land  is  such  that  the 
grass  fields  form  a  natural  basin  or  reservoir,  where  the  water  from 
the  surrounding  hills  collects,  and,  having  no  outlet,  becomes  stagnant 
and  sour.  From  my  knowledge  of  the  value  of  land  in  other  counties, 
I  am  confident  that  for  agricultural  purposes  all  the  fields  comprised 
in  the  50  acres,  with  the  exception  of  the  Hop  garden  and  the  upper 
portion  of  No.  311,  would  be  dear  at  anything  over  £35  per  acre. 
I  understand  the  scheme  has  recently  been  modified,  in  so  far  that 
it  is  not  now  proposed  that  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  should 
purchase  the  Caxton  Home,  or  attempt  the  formation  of  any  horticul¬ 
tural  school.  Were  it  otherwise,  I  should  think  the  £3500  named  as 
its  price  quite  £1000  too  much,  whatever  it  may  have  cost  to  build.  I 
have  only  seen  two  sites.  Oxted  is  one  I  feel  bound  to  oppose  most 
strongly,  whether  as  a  member  of  the  council  or  as  an  ordinary  Fellow, 
and  1  feel  sure  that  any  expert  authorities,  such  as  the  agricultural  pro¬ 
fessors  at  Cirencester  or  Downton,  would  agree  with  the  opinion  I  have 
given  above,  as  would  also  any  market  gardener  who  cultivated  for 
profit.  If  samples  of  soil  are  to  be  taken  for  analysis,  I  would  suggest 
that  someone  conversant  with  the  methods  usually  followed  be  employed 
to  take  the  samples.  Very  few  fields  are  alike  in  all  parts,  and  three 
or  four  samples  from  each  field  would  be  needed  to  obtain  any  reliable 
■data.  Those  accustomed  to  soil  analysis  would  take  samples  from  the 
most  dissimilar  portions  of  each  field,  as  by  this  means  only  can  a  true 
estimate  be  obtained.  But  whatever  the  result  of  the  analysis  may  be, 
the  natural  formation  of  the  land  at  the  toot  of  the  hills,  especially  of 
the  meadows,  at  Oxted  is  such  that  it  can  never  become  garden  soil — 
of  even  fair  quality. 
I  do  not  wish  for  a  moment  to  place  any  hindrance  in  the  way  of 
the  council  in  carrying  out  well-considered  schemes,  and  rather  than 
do  so  in  the  present  instance  would  readily  resign  my  seat.  In  fact, 
such  a  course  seems  inevitable  if  the  council  adheres  to  the  resolutions 
passed  on  Tuesday  last,  unless  I  propose  an  amendment  at  the  meeting 
to  be  held  on  the  25th  inst.,  which  I  should  be  very  unwilling  to  do. 
But  for  the  importance  of  the  matter  at  issue,  I  would  sincerely 
apologise  for  presuming  to  occupy  the  time  of  the  council  with  this 
letter,  the  writing  of  which  at  best  is  a  most  unpleasant  duty.  I  am 
aware  that  as  the  option  to  purchase  is  for  a  limited  time  only,  and  a 
general  meeting  is  summoned  for  the  25th  inst.,  the  council  is  placed 
in  a  somewhat  difficult  position.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
centenary  of  the  society  we  are  proposing  to  celebrate  by  a  scheme 
which  is  to  be  permanent  in  character,  I  would  suggest  that  two  duly 
qualified  and  experienced  land  agents  or  surveyors  be  appointed 
immediately  to  examine  the  50  acres  at  Oxted,  and  rep^rt  upon  the 
fitness  or  otherwise  of  the  soil  for  the  purposes  of  a  Model  Garden  of 
Horticulture.  The  surveyor  should  also  be  instructed  to  determine  the 
actual  value  of  the  land  for  agricultural  or  horticultural  purposes,  as  it 
is  obvious  that  the  fancy  prices  obtainable  for  building  sites  on  the 
crest  of  the  hill  are  no  guide  whatever  to  the  value  of  the  50  acres  in 
question,  all  of  which  lie  below  the  hill  top,  and  afford  no  site  for 
building,  unless  it  be  for  a  modern  farmhouse,  to  take  the  place  of  the 
primitive  and  more  or  less  dilapidated  buildings  and  cottages  now 
standing.  The  following  land  agents  and  surveyors  are  men  of  wide 
experience,  and  of  high  standing  in  their  profession  ; — Messrs.  Rawlence 
and  Sqnarey,  15,  Great  George  Street,  Westminster,  S.W. ;  and  Messrs. 
Glutton,  9,  Whitehall  Place,  S.W. 
It  may  be  technically  correct  to  say  that  at  the  annual  meeting,  the 
Fellows,  by  adopting  the  report,  committed  the  society  to  the  formation 
of  a  new  garden  as  the  best  means  of  celebrating  the  centenary,  but  if 
so,  I  am  confident  that  few,  if  any,  of  those  present  thought  for  a 
moment  their  vote  would  have  this  result.  I  very  much  doubt  whether 
many  Fellows  could  be  found  who  considered  the  purchase  and  laying 
out  of  new  gardens  the  fittest  and  most  useful  way  of  celebrating  so 
important  an  event.  There  has  been  very  little  time  at  recent  council 
meetings  for  the  discussion  of  the  “  new  gardens,”  and  perhaps  this  is 
why  the  council  as  a  body  are  entirely  in  ignorance  as  to  how  these 
gardens,  if  obtained,  would  be  worked  or  organised.  If  the  new 
gardens  were  managed  on  similar  lines  to  the  present  gardens,  where 
the  work  consists  chi^flyof  trials  of  at  least  doubtful  utility,  and  the 
cultivation  of  large  quantities  of  Grapes  and  other  fruits  which  are 
marketed,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  result  would  not  be  worth 
the  outlay.  The  present  Chiswick  Garden  costs  £1400  a  year  to 
maintain,  and  the  new  one  would,  of  course,  cost  double  or  treble  this 
amount.  I  venture  to  think  that  no  adequate  results  could  be  obtained 
from  the  new  gardens  unless  placed  under  an  experienced  director  equal 
in  techrical  horticultural  knowledge  to  Mr.  Jas.  Hudson,  Mr.  Owen 
Thomas,  or  Mr.  G.  Wj^thes — men  who,  though  loyal  to  any  expressed 
wish  of  the  council,  would  be  sufficiently  independent  to  initiate  and 
carry  out  work  which  it  is  impossible  for  the  council  itself  to  find  time 
even  to  suggest.  It  may  be  objected  that  these  are  matters  of  detail, 
but,  unless  the  Fellows  are  assured  that  the  council  are  prepared  to 
organise  the  new  gardens  on  a  totally  different  system  to  that  at  present 
adopted,  it  is  very  unlikely  their  support  can  be  secured.  Supposing 
that  instead  of  the  garden  it  was  desired  to  celebrate  the  centenary  by 
providing  a  larere  horticultural  hall,  with  committee  rooms,  offices,  &c., 
would  not  the  £3000  or  £4000  a  year,  which  the  new  gardens  must  in 
any  case  cost  to  maintain,  provide  the  interest  for  the  capital  which 
might  be  borrowed  for  erecting  the  hall  ? 
(1)  I  cannot  think  that  the  purchase  of  a  new  garden  is  the  best 
means  of  celebrating  the  centenary  of  the  society ;  and  (2)  that  if  any 
new  gardens  were  considered  necessary  by  the  Fellows,  the  Oxted  site 
is  one  which,  in  my  opinion,  is  extremely  unsuitable,  and  certain  to 
involve  the  society  in  a  very  large  outlay,  for  which  there  will  be  no 
adequate  return  ;  (3)  and  further  that  as  the  centenary  will  not  take 
place  until  1904,  it  is  unwise  to  decide  so  hurriedly  on  any  site  at  the 
present  time. —  (“The  Gardeners’  Chronicle.”) 
- - - 
TI(e  Promise  of  Spring. 
A  FLOOD  of  sunshine  has  recently  been  poured  upon  the  land,  and 
to  its  quickening  influence  vegetation  has  responded  in  a  way  which 
should  make  our  heirts  glad.  The  dark,  cold  days  of  winfi  r,  and  the 
biting  winds  of  early  spring,  are  forgotten  as  the  eye  rests  upon  the 
verdant  pastures,  or  the  gay  flowers  and  advancing  crops  in  our 
gardens.  Such  signs  of  activity  have  been  watched  and  waited  for  by 
young  and  old  in  our  island  hom“,  but,  perhaps,  by  none  so  anxiously 
as  those  gardeners  who  have  to  provide  an  unfailing  supply  of  flowers, 
fruits,  and  vegetables.  The  long  delayed  supply  of  flowers  from  the 
open  air  has  caused  many  to  be  at  their  wit’s  end  to  satisfy  require¬ 
ments,  as  the  glass  houses  are  at  this  season  largely  occupied  with 
plants  intended  for  the  flower  garden  in  summer ;  and  with  a  good 
collection  of  herbaceous  and  flowering  trees  one  can  generally  rely 
upon  getting  large  quantities  of  flowers  in  the  open  air  by  the  middle 
or  end  of  March,  yet  this  year  many  gardens  were  a'most  flowerless 
then.  Fresh  green  vegetables  have  also  been  extremely  scarce  ;  the 
early  Broccoli  we:e  in  many  instances  ruined,  and  the  later  ones 
presented  a  sorry  appearance,  and  seemed  rather  to  grow  less  each  day 
than  to  advance  to  maturity.  All  is,  however,  now  changed  ;  early 
Cabbages  are  growing  apace,  and  what  Borecole  still  remain  begin  to 
grow  with  the  fresh  greenery  of  spring. 
We  have  now  entered  upon  a  critical  season  in  the  gardener’s  year; 
his  hopes  and  fears  during  the  next  few  weeks  will  be  largely 
influenced  by  the  state  of  the  weither,  and  it  is  in  connection  with 
hardy  fruits  that  we  are,  to  the  greatest  extent,  dependent  upon  the 
weather  samples  which  are  meted  out  to  us.  Just  now  the  promise 
looks  particularly  bright,  as  fruit  trees  are  either  ladened  with  blossom, 
or  are  showing  a  wonderful  abundance  of  swelling  flower  buds. 
Seldom  have  I  seen  trees  look  so  uniformly  promising,  and  as  the 
late  spring  has  retarded  the  opening  of  the  flow'ers,  we  may  at  least 
hope  to  be  spared  from  ruthless  frosts  in  May,  or  that  they  will  not 
occur  at  that  critical  time  when  the  blossoms  are  fully  expanded. 
During  mv  limited  travels  in  the  Midlands  recently  1  saw  several 
fruit  plantations  which  looked  extremely  promising,  the  Apple  trees 
especially  so,  as  the  leaves  were  just  unfolding  and  displaying  a  wealth 
of  plump  flower  buds.  It  is  also  encouraging  to  note  that  a  cons  der- 
able  amount  of  ptlanting  has  been  done,  and  the  young  trees  show  signs 
of  careful  attention,  in  marked  contrast  to  many  old  orchards  met 
with.  In  the  young  plantations  the  thinning  of  the  branches  has  been 
judiciously  carried  out,  and  there  are  evidences  in  many  directions 
that  the  sound  knowledge,  which  has  been  disseminated  in  many  ways, 
is  being  acted  upon.  As  one  who  has  long  been  interested  in  fruit 
culture,  these  signs  of  improvement  were  especially  welcome  to  me. 
This  season  should  be  a  noted  one  for  Gooseberries,  as  all  the  bushes  I 
have  yet  seen  were  loaded  with  embryo  fruits.  Peaches,  Apricots,  and 
Nectarines,  on  south  and  west  walls,  have  also  set  well,  even  in  cases 
where  no  protection  has  been  given,  but  those  on  east  walls  seem  to 
have  suffered  severely  from  the  cold  winds.  The  soil  has,  up  till  now, 
kept  uniformly  moist,  and  I  am  convinced  that  it  has  greatly 
favoured  a  good  set,  as  dryness  at  the  root  during  the  blossoming  time 
is  frequently  the  cause  of  a  scanty  crop,  although  it  is  invariably 
attributed  to  frost. 
It  is  wonderful  how  quickly  the  soil  has  dried  of  late,  and  this  has 
afforded  excellent  opportunities  for  keeping  the  hoe  going  in  all 
departments  of  the  garden,  so  as  to  take  full  advantage  of  sunshine  by 
allowing  it  free  access  to  the  soil,  where  its  warmth  will  help  forward 
the  progress  already  made.  Gardens  generally  are  now  free  from 
weeds,  trim  and  neat,  so  that,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the 
