50 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
January  21,  1897. 
for  sowing.  Being  moist,  as  it  should  be  when  used,  no  water  will 
be  needed  until  root  action  has  commenced.  Sturdy,  short-jointed 
growth  follows,  the  plant*  shortly  attaining  sufficient  roots  for 
transferring  to  single  pots.  These  may  be  3  or  4-inch  pot*.  Use 
less  leaf  soil  in  the  compost,  which  should  now  be  pressed  more 
firmly  round  the  roots. 
At  this  stage  a  light  position  becomes  still  more  important. 
The  plants  mu*t  have  as  much  light  as  possible,  with  their  tops 
near  the  glass  so  far  as  this  can  be  done  without  withdrawing  the 
roots  from  the  influence  of  the  necessary  heat.  In  the  month  of 
March  there  is  not  much  difficulty  in  securing  a  proper  tempera¬ 
ture  on  warm,  light  shelves  in  a  heated  structure.  The  advice 
chiefly  pertains  to  an  earlier  date,  when  more  care  and  attention 
is  needed  to  secure  the  well-being  of  the  plants. — E.  D.  S. 
HORTICULTURAL  HISTORY  NOTES. 
Memories  of  Old  Chiswick. 
Frobably  the  name  of  Chiswick  is  now  to  most  gardeners 
principally  associated  with  recollections  of  the  gardens  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  there  situate,  though,  in  fact,  they 
are  at  Turnham  Green  but  in  the  Chiswick  parish.  To  enter 
fully  upon  their  history  and  present  state  would  occupy  too 
much  space  ;  it  would  be  also  beside  my  purpose,  and  prove 
perhaps  somewhat  dry  reading.  Concerning  their  origin  and 
early  history,  however,  a  little  may  be  said,  since  the  place  is 
intimately  connected  with  horticulturists  who  linked  the  Georgian 
and  the  Victorian  period,  and  formerly  were  workers  or  learners 
there.  It  was  a  great  change  the  removal  from  the  small 
experimental  garden  on  the  border  of  Kensington  to  the 
extensive  ground  which  the  Society  has  had  under  its  charge 
for  nearly  seventy-four  years.  A  commencement  was  made  in 
1822,  but  two  years  elapsed  before  the  ground  was  properly  laid 
out,  when  of  the  available  space  about  17  acres  were  devoted  to 
fruit  and  vegetables,  and  14  acre*  to  flowers,  ornamental  trees,  or 
shrubs.  From  the  beginning  the  fruit  department  was  one  of  the 
chief  features  of  the  gardens. 
Loudon,  surveying  the  place  subsequently  as  a  friendly  critic, 
objected  to  the  formation  of  the  arboretum  in  one  large  clump  ;  he 
would  have  preferred  if  this  had  been  carried  all  round  the  circum¬ 
ference  of  the  gardens,  its  monotony  broken  by  occasional  flower 
beds.  Also,  he  disapproved  of  the  scattering  of  the  houses  and 
conservatories  over  the  ground*,  considering  it  better  to  have  these 
as  a  group  or  a  chain  in  the  central  area.  Then,  in  the  original 
plan  of  the  gardens,  the  communications  between  the  different 
portions  were  not  made  convenient  to  workers  and  visitors.  Some 
of  Loudon’*  hints  were  taken  advantage  of  during  after  alterations. 
The  illustrious  President  of  the  Society  (T.  A  Knight,  Esq.),  well 
remembered  by  his  numerous  writings  on  horticulture  and  kindred 
topics,  took  an  active  part  in  the  arrangement  and  administration 
of  the  Chiswick  garden,  being  ably  supported  by  Mr.  Joseph  Sabine, 
then  the  Hon.  Secretary.  Another  individual,  for  many  years 
associated  with  the  fruit  department,  and  who  entered  upon  his 
duties  in  1827,  stands  high  on  the  record  ;  this  was  Mr.  Thompson, 
a  man  possessed  of  a  knowledge  of  fruits  and  of  a  skill  in  their 
cultivation  which  few  have  equalled.  Trial  grounds  were  set  apart 
for  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  Cherries,  and  one  for  general  fruits  ; 
especial  attention  was  also  given  to  varieties  of  the  Strawberry. 
At  first,  a  good  deal  of  forcing  was  carried  out  here,  with  Pines, 
Peaches,  Figs,  and  other  things,  but  subsequently  this  was  con¬ 
sidered  neither  profitable  nor  instructive,  and  it  became  at  last  a 
minor  item  in  the  annual  work.  Proving  and  testing  Vines  has 
been  carried  out  regularly  from  the  beginning,  not  merely  to  the 
benefit  of  gardener*,  but  to  that  of  the  public  also.  When  Mush¬ 
rooms,  again,  were  little  cultivated  generally,  various  useful  experi¬ 
ments  in  growing  them  were  made  at  Chiswick.  Valuable  infor¬ 
mation  concerning  manures  has  been  published  in  past  years,  from 
the  results  of  trials  here,  by  which  both  agriculture  and  horticulture 
have  been  gainers  ;  one  of  the  Society’s  supporters,  who  took  much 
interest  in  these,  was  Professor  Solly. 
From  almost  every  part  of  the  world  seeds  and  slips  arrived  at 
the  Society’s  gardens,  these  being  obtained  by  an  admirable  system  of 
exchange,  and  by  correspondence  with  establi»hments  or  individuals. 
After  experimental  cultivation  new  and  valuable  species  were 
distributed  to  members,  and  then  gradually  spread  over  our  islands. 
Collectors  were  employed  whose  researches  have  left  an  abiding 
memorial  in  the  plants  they  procured.  We  may  recall  the  names 
of  Hartweg,  who  explored  Mexico  and  adjacent  countries  ;  of 
Fortune,  who  visited  China  ;  and  of  Douglas,  who  introduced  more 
than  200  species,  chiefly  hardy.  Amongst  these  are  Riles 
sanguineam,  Berberis  aquifolium,  Mimulus  moschatus,  a  number  of 
Conifers,  and  many  good  annuals,  such  as  Nemophila  insignis.  One 
thing  that  attracted  the  notice  of  visitors  thirty  or  forty  years  ago 
was  the  display  of  climbing  plants,  the  growth  of  which  was 
managed  here  so  as  to  closely  imitate  Nature  in  a  manner  which 
had  been  previously  unknown  about  gardens.  At  the  commence¬ 
ment  of  Her  Majesty’s  reign  the  principal  conservatory  was  built 
from  the  designs  of  Alfred  Ainger,  Esq.,  the  internal  arrangement 
being  then  somewhat  novel.  It  has  since  furnished  hints  to  the 
erectors  of  similar  houses. 
Let  us,  however,  pass  on  to  Chiswick  itself,  which  was  notable 
for  its  gardens  and  orchard*  a  good  while  before  the  Society  added 
to  its  renown.  Originally,  they  say,  just  a  fishing  village.  This 
seems  laughable  now,  yet  there  wa»  a  time  when  the  fishery  of  the 
Upper  Thames  was  important.  There  is  a  popular  idea  that  the 
name  of  it  was  once  Cheesewick,  because  a  fair  for  cheese  was 
held  on  the  Mall.  Really  it  is  Saxon,  and  refers  to  the  sandy 
undersoil  upon  which  the  village  rests.  The  gravel  and  sand 
render  drainage,  except  for  surface  water,  unnecessary.  About 
this  is  a  good  loam,  not  too  stiff  for  vegetable  crops,  nor  too  light 
for  most  fruit  trees.  Primitive  Chiswick  had  no  roads,  but  when 
these  were  opened  up  the  eligible  nature  of  the  place  led  to  its 
being  selected  for  market  gardens  and  orchards,  many  of  which 
have  now  been  transformed.  The  way  in  which  houses  were 
built  about  new  Chiswick  upon  Cabbage  fields  and  Asparagus  beds, 
with  no  proper  foundations,  and  in  defiance  of  all  hygienic  rules, 
I  myself  have  witnessed.  The  air  of  the  neighbourhood  cannot 
but  be  pure  since  it  is  changed  four  times  daily  by  the  tidal  rise 
and  fall,  yet  the  position  of  Chiswick  gives  it  much  heat  in  summer, 
while  the  winter  and  spring  frosts  are  apt  to  be  severe. 
Chiswick  began  to  appear  prominent  amongst  London  suburbs 
when  Lord  Burlington,  well  known  in  connection  with  a  Piccadilly 
mansion,  acquired  a  large  extent  of  land  there,  built  a  residence, 
and  laid  out  gardens.  Kent,  the  pioneer  of  landscape  gardeners, 
according  to  some,  was  employed  by  his  lordship,  and  the  Italian 
style  was  followed  with  some  variations.  We  cannot  walk  about 
the  grounds  now  and  not  be  arrested  at  nearly  every  step  by  trees 
which  tell  of  planting  carried  out  early  'n  the  Georgian  era.  There 
was  once  an  avenue  of  six  Cedais  of  Lebanon,  but  one  has  perished  ; 
the  five  remaining  must  be  about  80  feet  high,  and  spread  out 
handsomely.  Near  them,  at  a  more  recent  date,  have  been  planted 
some  Deodars,  which  are  already  of  good  size,  Other  Cedars 
flourish  in  another  part,  near  what  used  to  be  called  the  Poet’s 
Corner,  in  proximity  to  which  are  fine  Evergreen  Oaks.  Adjacent 
are  masses  of  Rhododendrons,  many  of  age,  and  some  have  extended 
themselves  largely  by  layering.  Numerous  are  the  venerable 
Hollies  and  Tews ;  of  the  latter  tree  there  is  a  splendid  double 
hedge  which  screens  Napoleon’s  Walk.  Not  far  from  this  are  two 
Portugal  Laurels,  the  unusual  proportions  of  which  attract  notice, 
but  in  fact  it  is  an  assemblage  of  the  species  through  layering,  and 
the  Bay  ground  near  has  always  had  a  repute  for  its  varieties  of 
that  group.  There  are  some  handsome  Magnolias  and  deciduous 
Cypresses  ;  also  amongst  the  older  trees  we  notice  specimens  of  the 
Hornbeam,  Birch,  Wych  Elm,  Plane,  Oak,  and  Lime. 
The  Lime  avenue,  indeed,  has  been  a  permanent  link  between 
the  Society’s  gardens  and  Chiswick  House,  since  it.  conducts 
visitors  to  both,  and  throughout  the  history  of  the  gardens  the 
Dukes  of  Devonshire  have  cheerfully  allowed  the  public  at 
specified  times  to  admire  the  beauties  of  the  private  demesne 
adjacent.  It  was  in  the  grounds  of  the  Horticultural  Society  that 
Paxton  formed  his  acquaintance  with  his  ducal  patron,  which  was 
thereafter  to  prove  so  full  of  results.  It  was  about  the  middle  of 
the  present  century  that  this  Duke  planned  and  carried  out  an 
entire  re-arrangement  of  the  flower  garden*  at  Chiswick,  also 
erecting  a  new  range  of  hothouses.  He  made  large  addition  to 
that  part  of  the  shrubberies  that  was  devoted  to  the  Pine  tribe. 
A  reduction  was  carried  out  in  the  number  of  beds  containing 
mixed  herbaceous  plants,  and  the  system  adopted  of  filling  most 
of  the  beds  with  one  species  each.  The  Pansy  and  its  allies  were 
favourites  here  formerly,  and  a  considerable  show  of  them  used  to 
be  made  in  the  early  months.  To  the  Camellia  and  Fuchsia 
special  prominence  has  been  given,  indoors  and  out  ;  Pelargoniums 
also  have  been  much  studied  at  (Chiswick. 
At  Corney,  above  Chiswick,  is  a  garden  belonging  to  the  Devon¬ 
shire  estate,  which  has  some  notable  specimens  of  Pinus  pinea,  the 
seeds  of  which  were  brought  from  Mount  Etna  by  one  of  the 
Dukes.  There  are  several  remarkable  Thorns  and  large  Portugal 
Laurels,  specimens  of  Liquidamber  styraciflua,  and  Tulip  Trees 
which  could  hardly  be  matched  anywhere.  Higher  up  still,  at  the 
Grove,  on  the  lawn  there  were  (and  I  hope  yet  remain)  some 
Spanish  Chestnuts  of  unusual  height  and  age  :  several  of  these 
varied  in  girth  from  24  to  27  feet. 
The  Bagleys,  princes  amongst  suburban  market  gardeners,  had 
at  one  time  much  ground  about  Chiswick,  so,  too,  had  Jessop  and 
Mills.  Extensive,  again,  were  once  the  orchards  belonging  to 
Dancer,  who  raised  splendid  crops  of  Apples  and  Plums.  The 
locality  was  not  suited  for  most  Pears,  and  Strawberries  were 
never  grown  so  largely  about  Chiswick  as  at  Fulham. — J.  R.  S.  C. 
