May  17,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
423 
operative  choked  drains  or  grown  up  ditches,  can  liberate  the  pent-up 
water,  as  required,  from  most  if  not  all  the  lower  land.  This  would 
unquestionably  improve  it,  though  doubtless  provision  would  be  made 
for  aquatic  and  bog  plants,  as  could  be  made  most  easily.  This  fine 
water  supply  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  features  of  the  property,  if  the 
land  through  which  it  finds  its  way  as  best  it  can  should  be  converted 
into  a  garden.  The  water  courses  and  fences  have  been  woefully 
neglected. 
The  Suggested  School. 
At  the  top  of  the  proposed  garden  is  the  comparatively  new  Caxton 
Convalescent  Home,  established  for  the  benefit  of  sick  printers.  It 
seems  it  has  not  been  popular  with  them,  as  the  “  comps  ”  wish  to 
be  near  the  sea.  In  connection  with  a  well  equipped  garden  it  would 
with  additions  make  a  fine  School  of  Horticulture,  and  it  is  to  be 
supposed  that  before  purchasing  the  building  the  County  Councils 
would  satisfy  themselves  scientifically,  through  the  agency  of  the 
professors  at  the  Wye  College,  that  the  land  which  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  has  on  offer  is  suitable  for  the  object  in  view,  and 
this  w<  uld  also  be  satisfactory  to  the  Fellows.  The  college,  it  is 
presumed,  would  contribute  annually  for  the  educational  use  of  the 
garden. 
It  is  not  in  the  least  to  be  understood  that  the  foregoing  remarks 
are  intended  to  imply  that  the  Limpsfield  site  is  the  best  obtainable  for  a 
“  new  Chiswick  ;  ”  nor  are  they  penned  with  the  object  of  either  com¬ 
bating  or  supporting  any  other  views,  for  the  visit  was  planned  before 
other  views  were  published.  The  observations  simply  represent  the 
convictions  of  one  who  earnestly  hopes  that  no  mistake  will  be  made 
in  choosing  a  site  for  a  “  new  Chiswick,”  wherever  such  site  may 
be. — One  op  the  Trio. 
I  HAVE  read  with  much  interest  the  various  reports  which  have 
appeared  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  on  the  Limpsfield  site  for  the 
proposed  New  Chiswick,  and,  as  I  presume  that  before  long  the  Fellows 
will  be  asked  to  decide  definitely  for  or  against  this  site,  I  shall  be 
very  much  obliged  if  you  can  find  room  for  this  letter  in  your  next 
issue. 
Whatever  the  merits  or  d^meiits  of  this  site  may  be — and  to  some 
extent  the  differences  of  opinion  are  doubtless  due  to  the  fact  that  even 
heavy  and  wet  land  looks  much  more  promising  in  May  than  it  does  in 
winter — the  fact  remains  that  it  is  nearly  three  miles  from  a  railway 
station,  with  bad  approaches. 
Even  supposing  the  soil  were  all  that  is  claimed  for  it,  it  must 
be  obvious  that  to  transform  a  heavy  arable  and  pasture  farm  into  a 
garden,  where  horticulture  of  every  kind  shall  be  carried  on  in  a 
manner  worthy  of  our  national  society,  would  entail  an  enormous 
outlay  of  capital.  In  addition  to  this  transformation  of  arable  and 
pasture  land  into  a  garden,  houses  heated  in  the  most  approved 
manner  must  be  built  in  which  plants  of  all  kinds  may  be  grown  ; 
also  vineries.  Peach  and  Fig  houses,  &c.,  &c.,  must  be  erected  and 
afterwards  maintained  at  an  annual  cost  compared  with  which  the 
expense  of  Chiswick  is  insignificant. 
Those  who  favour  the  scheme  are  doubtless  prepared  to  admit  all 
this,  but  I  venture  to  think  that  the  Fellows  generally  are  unwilling 
to  see  all  the  existing  funds  applied  to  such  a  purpose,  together 
with  a  further  sum  vastly  exceeding  the  present  resources  of  the 
Society,  and  which  can  only  be  raised  by  voluntary  donations.  Before 
sanctioning  so  great  an  outlay  we  ought  very  closely  to  understand 
what  advantages  would  accrue  to  the  Fellows,  also  what  (if  any)  would 
be  the  gain  to  horticulture  generally. 
Unless  in  one  garden  we  have  all  branches  of  horticulture  carried 
out  on  a  scale  almost  regardless  of  expense,  what  hope  is  there  that 
students  would  be  likely  to  choose  the  New  Chiswick  as  a  school  for 
gardening,  rather  than  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunities  already 
afforded  by  a  course  of  training  at  Kew,  or  in  gardens  such  as 
Frogmore,  Sandringham,  Gunnersbury,  Syon  House,  and  many  others ; 
or  by  employment  in  Messrs.  Rivers’,  Messrs.  Bunyard’s,  and  Messrs. 
Pearson’s  nurseries  f  ir  the  culture  of  fruit  under  glass  or  in  the  open  ; 
at  Messrs.  Veitch’s,  Messrs.  Sanders’,  Messrs.  Bull’s,  and  elsewhere  for 
Orchids,  &C.;  at  Messrs.  Paul’s,  Messrs.  Turner’s,  Messrs.  Cant’s,  and 
elsewhere  for  Roses,  &c.,  Messrs.  Kelway’s  for  herbaceous  plants, 
&c.,  &o. 
The  value  of  the  Chiswick  trials  of  veeretables  has  already  been 
discussed  sufficiently  to  show  that  such  work  is  far  more  completely  done 
in  the  trial  grounds  of  the  large  seed  houses.  What  material  advantages, 
then,  can  result  from  this  vast  outlay  of  capital  and  money  required  for 
the  annual  up-keep  ? 
But  there  is  another  point  which  the  Fellows  will  readily  grasp, 
and  have  perhaps  already  seen — viz.,  that  with  the  establishment  of  a 
new  Chiswick  at  the  cost  which  the  Limpsfield  site  must  necessarily 
entail,  all  hope  of  a  National  Hall  of  Horticulture  disappears,  at  least 
so  far  as  the  present  generation  of  horticulturists  is  concerned.  If  the 
Society  appeals  to  the  country  to  finance  the  Limpsfield  scheme,  it 
cannot  again  appeal  for  funds  to  acquire  a  new  hall  and  headquarters 
of  the  Society. 
Now  that  it  has  been  shown  by  so  many  writers  that  Chiswick  can 
be  made  to  answer  all  the  actual  requirements  of  the  Society  so  far  as 
a  garden  is  concerned,  the  council  will  earn  the  most  unqualified 
approval  and  gratitude  of  the  Fellows  were  they  generously  to  forego 
their  New  Chiswick  proposals — at  least  until  such  time  as  it  has  been 
proved  impossible  to  raise  the  money  required  for  a  Horticultural  Hall. 
But  the  most  important  factor  in  the  case  is  that,  judging  from  his 
letter  in  last  Saturday’s  “  Gardeners’  Chronic'e,”  it  appears  not 
unreasonable  to  hope  that  Baron  Schroder  may  again  be  willing  to 
lend  his  aid,  which  would  at  once  go  far  to  insure  the  success  of  any 
well  devised  scheme  for  acquiring  a  new  hall.  If  the  Baron’s  letter 
may  bear  this  interpretation,  can  we  sanction  a  scheme  which  would 
deprive  the  Society  and  horticulture  generally  of  what  is  universally 
admitted  to  be  the  fittest  way  of  celebrating  the  centenary  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  ? 
The  thanks  of  all  horticulturists  are  due  to  Baron  Schroder  for 
coming  forward  at  a  time  when  his  counsel  and  support  were  never  more 
welcome. — Arthur  W.  Sutton. 
- - - 
Notes  on  Figs. 
The  first  crop  fruit  of  early  forced  trees  in  pots  has,  or  soon  will  have, 
all  been  gathered,  when  the  loose  portion  of  previous  mulching  should  be 
removed  and  a  fresh  supply  of  well  decomposed  manure  or  rich  compost 
applied,  which  will  encourage  root  action  and  aid  the  trees  to  perfect 
the  second  crop.  In  this  they  may  be  assisted  by  top-dressings  of 
chemical  manure,  applying  a  little  over  the  mulching  at  intervals  of  a 
fortnight  or  three  weeks.  If  the  trees  have  become  infested  with  red 
spider  or  scale  thoroughly  cleanse  them  by  means  of  an  insecticide  and 
a  stiffish  brush.  The  syringe  should  be  used  freely  twice  a  day  to  keep 
red  spider  in  subjection,  always  using  clear  soft  water,  as  that 
containing  lime  or  iron  is  liable  to  cause  a  deposit  on  the  fruit  that 
greatly  detracts  from  the  appearance.  Water  and  liquid  manure  will 
be  required  liberally  at  the  roots,  not  allowing  them  to  lack  moisture 
or  giving  it  excessively,  yet  the  supplies  must  be  adequate  and  well 
sustained.  It  is  advisable  to  leave  the  second  crop  fruit  low  down  on 
the  growths,  and  keep  the  points  of  the  shoots  free  and  well  exposed 
to  light. 
Planted-out  trees  started  at  the  new  year  have  the  first  crop 
Figs  ripening.  Syringing  in  such  case  must  cease,  and  a  super¬ 
abundance  of  water  or  moisture  about  the  house  be  avoided.  A  little- 
air  admitted  constantly  at  the  top  of  the  house,  and  continued  until 
the  fruit  is  perfected,  with  a  free  circulation  of  warm  air  whenever  the 
weather  is  favourable,  is  necessary  for  good  finish  and  high  quality. 
The  trees,  however,  must  not  lack  water  at  the  roots,  as  this  prejudices 
the  health  of  the  foliage  and  the  second  crop  fruit,  therefore  supply 
water  to  the  border  when  the  fruit  commences  to  ripen,  especially 
where  the  trees  are  large  and  the  root  space  limited.  The  fruit  should 
be  kept  perfectly  dry,  well  exposed,  with  its  apex  as  far  as  possible  to 
the  light,  and  be  quite  ripe  before  gathering,  unless  it  is  to  be 
packed,  when  it  must  be  gathered  a  day  or  two  sooner. 
Successional  Fig  houses  require  attention  betimes  in  stopping  the 
young  shoots  at  the  fifth  or  sixth  leaf  to  induce  a  sturdy  habit  and 
growths  at  the  right  place  and  proper  length  for  furnishing  the  trees 
with  bearing  wood  evenly  in  every  part.  Crowding,  however,  must 
be  avoided  by  removing  growths  that  cannot  have  ample  room  for 
development  and  exposure  of  the  foliage  to  light  and  air,  rubbing  off 
such  shoots  early.  When  the  growths  are  sturdy  and  short-jointed, 
the  terminals  or  extending  shoots  should  not  be  stopped,  and  only  a 
judicious  number  of  the  side  shoots  be  pinched  to  form  spurs. 
Strong-growing  and  long-jointed  sappy  wood  is  best  removed,  but  if 
the  trees  produce  much  of  that  they  ought  to  be  marked  for  lifting  and 
root-pruning,  or  they  may  have  the  growth  checked  by  taking  out  a 
trench  down  to  the  drainage,  cutting  the  roots  at  about  one-third  the 
distance  from  the  stem  the  branches  cover  of  trellis.  This  will  give  a 
sudden  check,  and  the  trees  respond  by  concentrating  their  forces  on 
reproduction,  and  are  aided  in  developing  the  fruit  by  the  fibrous  root 
action  induced.  Do  not  give  so  severe  a  check  as  to  cause  the  leaves  to 
fall,  but  when  done  judiciously  summer  root-pruning  is  better  than 
winter,  as  a  year  is  gained.  Attend  to  syringing  the  trees  twice  daily, 
and  water  abundantly  at  the  roots  as  often  as  required,  employing 
weak  liquid  manure,  especially  where  the  borders  are  small. — Grower. 
- - - - 
Bacteria. — A  magazine  devoted  to  scientific  topics,  sagely  remarks- 
that  the  bacterium  has  something  else  to  do  in  the  economy  of  Nature 
than  in  originating  maladies.  It  continues  the  topic  by  noting  a 
paper  in  a  French  magazine  by  M.  Matruchot,  on  the  agency  of 
bacteria  in  forming  the  colours  of  flowers.  It  is  something  to  check 
the  microbean  craze  of  the  popular  press  in  regard  to  the  supposed 
viciousness  of  these  humble  vegetable  organisms.  It  is  true,  eays  Mr. 
Meehan,  that  they  are  operating  in  innumerable  directions — but  the 
number  that  are  associated  with  disease  are  very  few — and  even 
these  few,  if  the  animal  be  healthy,  are  digested  by  the  gastric 
juice  as  easily  as  would  be  an  oyster.  The  majority,  indeed,  are- 
essential  to  our  health  and  happiness. 
