268 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  1,  1897. 
SPRING  SCENES, 
“  Spring’s  Delights  ”  are  seen  everywhere  now  in  fields,  lanes, 
on  banks,  and  in  woodlands,  as  in  gardens.  For  some  time  past  I 
have  been  watching  a  Pyrus  japonica  on  a  wall.  At  first  there 
seemed  no  sign  of  life,  then  a  slight  swelling  of  the  buds,  which 
increased  perceptibly,  and  now  a  blaze  of  scarlet.  It  was  an  old 
tree,  open  to  the  public  view,  and  beautified  a  wall  that  perhaps 
would  otherwise  have  been  bare.  It  was  a  happy  inspiration  that 
guided  the  hand  which  planted  it.  In  the  shrubberies  Pyrus 
malus  flonbundus  and  others  are  covered  with  their  wealth  of 
blossoms,  and  one  notices  here  and  there  the  telling  flowers  of  some 
of  the  earliest  Rhododendrons,  such  as  fulgens  and  Nobleanum. 
“What  is  that  which  smells  so  sweetly?”  was  asked  the  other 
day  when  walking  round  a  garden.  Soon  we  learnt,  and  I  may  say 
that  the  Daphne  Meztreum  is  without  a  rival  at  this  time  of  the 
year  for  its  delicious  odour.  There  they  were,  large  bushes,  both 
white  and  pink,  and  a  mass  of  bloom — surely  one  of  the  most 
charming  of  Spring’s  pictures. 
Recently  there  appeared  in  these  pages  a  brief  note  on  the 
“  London  ”  Almond  trees,  as  the  writer  aptly  termed  them,  for 
they  seem  peculiarly  at  home  amid  the  outside  show  of  the  modern 
builder.  Everywhere  in  the  suburbs  of  the  metropolis  one  sees 
them,  where  they  form  the  brightest  of  spring  scenes.  One  might 
go  on  enumerating  the  flowering  shrubs  and  trees  that  are  and  soon 
will  be  features  in  the  garden,  but  we  have  other  scenes  to  note. 
Everyone  is  thinking  of  Daffodils  just  now,  and  here  we  mark 
the  hold  which  these  flowers  have  during  the  past  few  years  taken 
on  public  favour.  I  do  not  wish  to  assume  that  the  nodding 
Daffodil  has  not  always  been  popular  to  a  certain  degree,  and  I 
remember  how  in  the  orchard  adjoining  an  old  farm  house  we  used 
to  watch  the  yellow  flowers  unfold  with  pleasure,  intermingled 
with  some  anxiety  that  they  would  be  out  for  the  Easter  decorations. 
Under  the  shade  of  orchard  trees  seems  to  be  the  true  home  of 
the  double  Daffodil,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  a  site 
where  they  look  more  charming.  The  clumps  referred  to  were  not 
cultivated  ;  they  grew  themselves,  yet  their  non-appearance  at  this 
time  of  the  year  would  have  been  the  talk  of  the  country  side. 
When  they  were  planted  no  one  knew,  nor  took  the  trouble  to 
inquire,  so  far  as  I  am  aware.  It  would,  however,  be  interesting 
to  learn  how  these  showy  flowers  in  the  first  place  got  spread  about, 
as  we  are  told  they  were  first  brought  by  the  hardy  seamen  who 
came  from  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  to  barter  for  tin  and 
soft  metals  with  the  rude  inhabitants  of  the  Scilly  Isles  and  Corn¬ 
wall.  Assuming  this  to  be  so,  when  they  first  brought  their  bulbs 
little  did  they  think  of  the  foundation  they  were  laying  of  the 
gigantic  industry  that  was  to  follow  centuries  after. 
Hybridisers  have  brought  their  art  to  bear  on  the  Narcissi,  and 
the  enthusiastic  grower  who  would  ride  his  hobby  to  the  latest 
introductions  has  to  reluctantly  tighten  the  rein  when  he  sees 
them  priced  at  2  or  3  guineas  per  bulb.  This  brings  us  /o 
the  commercial  aspect  of  bulb  growing,  and  when  such  an  expert 
as  Mr.  F.  W.  Burbidge  recommends  it  as  a  means  of  pulling  the 
British  farmer  out  of  the  quagmire  of  agricultural  depression — 
well,  we  begin  to  think  there  must  be  something  in  it.  It  seems 
feasible,  too,  for  why  should  not  English  land  grow  bulbs  as  well 
as  that  of  Holland  ?  One  hundred  thousand  pounds  is  a  large  sum 
to  pay  the  Dutchmen  annually  for  bulbs,0  and  in  these  days  it  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  that  home  productions  should  be  encouraged. 
At  the  same  time  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  English  agricul¬ 
turist  follows  the  track  of  his  fathers,  and  is  loth  to  depart  from  it, 
even  though  his  banking  account  may  be  at  a  low  ebb.  Moreover, 
he  knows  nothing  of  bulb  culture,  and  must  be  taught  ere  he  could 
make  it  a  success.  The  question  is  well  worth  consideration,  and 
perhaps  the  future  may  find  us  exporting  instead  of  importing 
bulbs.  Let  us  hope  so. 
Thoughts  of  utility  have  caused  me  to  digress,  so  to  return 
with  yet  another  word  about  the  beauty  of  the  bulb  family. 
Hyacinths  in  the  beds  are  pushing  their  showy  spikes,  and  when 
planted  in  masses  form  one  of  Spring’s  most  chastely  painted 
pictures.  They  lack,  however,  the  gracefulness  of  the  Daffodil,  or 
the  elegance  of  form  noticeable  in  the  Dutch  Tulips.  “  Plant 
bulbs  in  the  grass,”  say  able  writers  on  the  subject ;  and  here  is  a 
scene  :  A  breadth  of  sward,  undulating  in  surface  and  interspersed 
by  trees  and  shrubs.  In  the  glades  and  on  sunny  slopes  were  first 
the  Snowdrops,  then  the  Crocuses,  and  now  the  Daffodils,  with 
Chionodoxas  and  others  of  elegant  character.  Plant  bulbs  in  the 
garden  borders,  on  the  flower  beds — anywhere  ;  but  it  is  when  we 
see  them  under  the  above  conditions  that  we  appreciate  the  force 
of  the  advice  aforementioned. 
*  Do  not  the  importations  exceed  twice  the  amount  named?  We  think 
so,  and  are  glad  to  know  that  Narcissi  bulbs  are  largely  exported  from  England, 
also.  Snowdrops,  the  demand  for  these  often  exceeding  the  supply*. 
Yet  another  picture — this  time  Polyanthuses,  so  showy  at  spring 
time.  “Two  things  are  necessary,”  said  a  successful  grower  of  the 
Polyanthus  to  the  writer.  “  Firstly,  a  good  strain  ;  secondly,  strong 
plants.”  There  is  the  whole  thing  in  a  nutshell  ;  and  perhaps  the 
reason  why  Polyanthuses  have  lost  some  of  their  popularity  as 
bedding  plants  is  because  the  importance  of  these  points  has  been.  * * 
overlooked.  A  good  strain  means  large  distinct  flowers  on  stout 
footstalks,  and  it  can  only  be  obtained  by  careful  watching  and 
saving  seeds  from  the  best  forms.  That  reminds  us  that  Polyanthuses 
should  be  raised  from  seeds  sown  in  cold  frames  at  this  time  of  the 
year  in  preference  to  the  ancient  custom  of  splitting  the  old  plants 
in  the  early  summer.  They  have  then  a  long  season  of  growth 
before  them,  and  are  large  and  sturdy  at  the  time  of  planting.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  speak  too  highly  of  a  good  display  of 
Polyanthuses,  such,  for  instance,  as  that  which  may  annually  be 
seen  at  Hampton  Court.  Ardent  growers  also  speak  well  of  them 
as  pot  plants  for  decoration,  and  if  taken  up  and  potted,  supplying 
abundance  of  water,  they  will  not  suffer  to  any  extent.  Of  the 
Primrose  family  the  blue  form  seems  to  be  all  the  rage  now,  and  a 
daily  paper  spoke  of  it  as  being  the  chief  feature  of  a  recent  Drill 
Hall  show.  Blue,  forsooth  !  The  other  day  I  saw  plants  of  it 
varying  in  shade  to  the  deepest  purple,  and  not  a  small  proportion 
of  the  flowers  were  perfectly  white.  I  would  like  to  hear  the 
opinion  of  other  growers  as  to  whether  the  “  blue  ”  Primrose  keeps 
to  its  true  form,  or  whether  its  tendency  is  generally  to  turn  white 
with  here  and  there  intermediate  shades  of  blue. 
These  notes  would  be  incomplete  without  a  word  about  Wall¬ 
flowers,  now  so  beautiful  in  the  gardens,  and  so  eagerly  sought  after 
by  flower  vendors.  What  spring  flower  is  more  popular  in  London 
streets  or  more  plentiful  in  Covent  Garden  Market?  The  very 
name  is  applicable,  as  Cheiranthus  is  derived  from  cheir,  the  hand,, 
and  anthos,  a  flower,  according  to  Johnson’s  Dictionary,  in  reference 
to  the  custom  of  carrying  the  Wallflower  in  the  hand  for  a  nosegay. 
Many  market  gardeners  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  metropolis 
grow  large  areas  of  Wallflowers  for  sale  every  year,  and  as  the  cost 
of  production  is  light  no  doubt  the  returns  are  satisfactory.  The 
mild  winter  has  been  favourable  for  the  plants,  and  one  particularly" 
floriferous  form  sent  out  by  Messrs.  Sutton  of  Reading  has  been  in 
bloom  for  some  time  past. 
Failures  often  result  from  too  generous  treatment.  A  gardener1 
lost  all  his  Wallflowers  during  a  severe  winter  except  a  few  that  he 
had  planted  in  an  unmanured  corner  of  a  ploughed  field.  He  was 
observant,  and  learnt  his  lesson.  Next  season  the  stock  was  trans¬ 
planted  from  the  seed  bed  to  the  hardest  and  most  exposed  piece^ 
of  ground  he  could  find.  The  result  was  sturdy  plants,  that  not 
only  withstood  frost,  but  produced  an  abundance  of  flowers,  and 
never  after  did  he  have  reason  to  complain  of  failures  with  Wall¬ 
flowers.  As  the  time  of  seed-sowing  is  not  far  distant  perhaps  the 
hint  may  be  acceptable. — G.  H.  H. 
THE  LATE  DR.  HOGG. 
I  regret  that  I  was  unable  to  be  present  at  R.H.S.  on  Tuesday  last 
to  join  in  the  general  expression  of  sorrow  at  the  loss  of  our  head 
authority  on  fruit,  as  so  well  expressed  by  Mr.  Wilks.  Allow  me,  there¬ 
fore,  to  do  so  now,  and  to  say  further  that  I  have  a  keen  remembrance  of 
many  kindnesses  from  our  “  good  old  Doctor,”  especially  when  I  first 
emerged,  as  it  were,  from  the  chrysalis  state  in  the  provinces  to  the 
Fruit  Committee.— George  Bunyard. 
It  was  with  feelings  of  the  most  profound  regret  that  we  saw  the 
notice  of  the  death  of  the  venerable  and  respected  chief,  Dr.  Hogg. 
Especially  was  his  los9  felt  by  us  when  we  know  the  very  high  esteem 
in  which  our  poor  father  held  the  Doctor,  while  we  have  recently  been 
the  recipients  of  his  best  wishes  for  our  prosperity.  On  the  part  of  the 
horticultural  world  we  feel  that  a  loss  has  been  sustained  that  will  never 
be  made  good.  To  all  the  members  of  the  Hogg  family  we  wish  to 
convey  feelings  of  our  deep  regret. — W.  and  E.  Laxton. 
Permit  me  to  add  my  expression  of  appreciation  and  esteem  over 
the  finished  work  and  noble  character  of  our  leading  pomologist,  since 
the  death  of  the  late  Mr.  Robert  Thompson  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  of  Chiswick.  In  much,  perhaps  most,  of  their  best  work  these 
two  great  authorities  worked  as  one  man  for  the  advancement  of  the 
art  and  science  of  horticulture.  Those  of  us  who  have  entered  into 
their  labours,  to  ever  such  a  small  extent,  can  appreciate  in  a  small 
measure  the  enormous  difficulties  these  pioneers  in  fruit  culture  and 
fruit  classification  had  to  meet  and  to  vanquish.  Neither  was  able  to 
finish  his  work.  But  Mr.  Thompson  and  Dr.  Hogg  made  it  easier  for 
all  true  workers  in  this  promising  field  to  achieve  greater  victories,  win 
more  solid  profits,  and  enjoy  more  satisfying  pleasures  in  the  near  future 
than  have  been  possible  in  the  past.  Dr.  Hogg’s  “  Fruit  Manual,”  in 
various  editions,  fed  the  fire  of  my  ambition  to  keep  as  nearly  as  I  could 
be  abreast  of  his  knowledge  and  industry  in  matters  relating  to  fruit 
