340 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  10, 1895. 
Summer  flowers  were  certainly  almost  gone,  though  here  and 
there  were  noticed  beds  of  Heliotrope,  still  gay  and  sweet ;  clumps 
of  Nicotiana  affinis,  Begonias,  not  yet  over  ;  Abutilon  Thomp*oni, 
still  bright ;  and  annuals  of  many  kinds  flowering  in  profusion,  all 
the  result  of  the  almost  unprecedented  sunshine  of  September. 
Turning  to  the  autumn  flowers,  the  early  blooming  Chrysanthemums 
were  very  gay,  having  taken  the  place  of  earlier  occupants  of  many 
of  the  flower  beds  ;  for  this  purpose  they  are  indeed  useful,  and 
assist  in  prolonging  the  display  over  a  much  longer  period  than 
would  otherwise  be  the  case.  At  Dulwich  long  stretches  of  green 
turf  and  wooded  glades,  noticeable  in  other  parks,  are  conspicuous 
by  their  absence,  and  being  cultivated  throughout,  in  fact,  quite  in 
garden  style,  a  large  display  of  flowers  is  seen  to  advantage.  Being 
of  recent  plantation,  the  trees  and  shrubs  on  the  mounds  are  yet 
small,  so  that  Dahlias  and  perennial  Asters  dotted  amongst  them 
give  the  idea  of  flowers  everywhere,  while  in  several  more 
sequestered  positions  the  modest  flowers  of  tie  Autumn  Crocus 
were  seen  peeping  out  of  the  grass. 
Towering  up  above  the  bushes  were  to  be  seen  the  giant  heads 
of  Helianthus  Soleil  d’Or,  certainly  not  elegant,  but  showy  and 
effective.  On  beds  close  by  were  noticed  a  few  straggling  Boses — 
the  last  of  the  summer — of  varieties  Mrs.  John  Laing  and  La 
France,  which  the  able  superintendent,  Mr.  Bailey,  asserted  had 
been  a  mass  of  bloom  throughout  the  whole  of  the  summer. 
Dulwich  is  certainly  not  the  place  to  see  carpet  bedding,  as  the 
only  one  is  a  unique  arrangement,  being  a  fac-simile  of  the  coat  of 
arms  of  the  famous  Dulwich  College,  and  has  this  year  been  the 
centre  of  much  attraction.  As  already  stated.  Dahlias  were  a 
feature  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  and  were  composed  entirely  of 
Cactus,  single  and  Pompon  varieties.  These  are  planted  in  clumps 
at  conspicuous  points,  their  brightness  and  variety  of  colours  making 
them  most  effective.  In  choosing  the  kinds  Mr.  Bailey  has  done 
well  to  secure  those  which  throw  their  flowers  well  above  the 
foliage,  as  the  blooms  of  many  varieties  are  so  hidden  in  a  mass  of 
leaves  that  it  is  a  puzzle  to  find  them. 
Amongst  others  the  brilliant  flowers  of  the  old  Juarezi  shone 
out  conspicuously,  while  the  rich  yellow  blooms  of  William  Pearce 
were  no  less  effective,  Mrs.  Hawkins  sending  up  a  profusion  of 
sulphur  coloured  flowers  looked  charming,  as  also  did  the  dazzling 
brightness  of  Fire  King.  Included  in  the  collection  are  Sir  Trevor 
Lawrence,  light  scarlet ;  Empress  of  India,  rich  crimson  ;  King  of 
the  Cactus,  reddish  crimson  ;  Beauty  of  Brentwood,  purple,  and 
many  others.  Turning  to  the  Pompon  section,  so  much  admired 
by  ail  Dahlia  lovers,  were  noticed  Brilliant,  rightly  named  from  its 
bright  scarlet  flowers  ;  Little  Prince,  a  crimson  tipped  with  white  ; 
Catherine,  yellow  ;  Cupid,  white  and  rose  ;  Isabel,  orange  scarlet ; 
Golden  Gem,  golden  yellow  ;  and  Crimson  Beauty,  whose  bright 
crimson  hue  is  responsible  for  its  name.  The  selection  at  Dulwich 
is  doubtless 'a  good  one,  and  mixed  indiscriminately  together  with¬ 
out  any  attempts  at  classification  they  looked  all  the  more  showy 
and  effective. 
Amongst  autumn  flowers  I  know  of  none  more  pleasing  than 
the  simple  and  unassuming  perennial  Asters,  which  may  be  now 
obtained  in  such  variety  as  to  add  no  small  share  of  beauty  to  the 
herbaceous  border.  At  Dulwich  they  are  in  themselves  a  feature, 
as  here  there  and  everywhere  their  star-like  flowers  were  noticed 
peeping  out.  The  kinds  are  many,  varying  in  size  and  shades  of 
colour.  A.  Chapmani,  discolor,  Lindleyanus,  versicolor,  cordifolius, 
dumosus,  and  polyphyllus,  were  conspicuous.  Hardy,  floriferous, 
and  readily  increased,  too  much  praise  cannot  well  be  accorded  to 
these  simple  gems  of  the  autumn.  On  several  large  bushes  of 
Rosa  rugosa  the  bright  yellow  seed  pods  seemed  to  complete  the 
season  of  beauty  that  their  showy  flowers  commenced  early  in  the 
summer.  The  future  is  also  being  provided  for,  as  some  5000 
Carnations  have  been  this  season  layered,  whilst  Yiolas  and 
Pentstemons  are  being  propagated  by  the  thousand. 
Spring,  summer,  and  autumn,  Dulwich  always  appears  gay,  first 
with  the  bulbous  plants  and  Alpines,  then  the  summer  bedding, 
followed  by  the  flowers  of  the  fading  year.  It  is  hard  to  say 
which  one  likes  most,  as  each  has  its  own  particular  charms  ;  but 
the  last  mentioned,  and  the  last  to  flower,  do  not  receive  the  least 
share  of  admiration  from — Wanderer. 
SUPPORTING  FRUIT  TREES— LIQUID  MANURE. 
It  may  seem  somewhat  of  a  misnomer  to  write,  at  this  season 
of  the  year,  about  watering  to  any  great  extent  some  of  the  many 
plants  and  crops  growing  in  the  open  air,  but  our  climate — pro¬ 
verbial  for  its  capriciousness — has  this  year  supplied  such  a  con¬ 
tinuous  succession  of  bright  sunny  days,  as  to  render  England,  for 
the  time  being,  a  second  Africa  in  brightness.  Under  these 
circumstances  special  attention  ought  to  be  given  to  watering  in 
every  department  of  gardens,  so  that  we  may  derive  full  benefit  | 
from  the  welcome  sunshine,  instead  of  allowing  it  to  act  injuriously 
on  trees  and  crops. 
Some  of  the  first  things  to  require  attention  in  this  direction  are 
fruit  trees  on  walls.  No  matter  whether  they  be  Pears,  Plums, 
Peaches,  Cherries,  or  Apples,  undue  dryness  at  the  roots  will 
largely  influence  the  character,  if  not  the  quantity  of  next  year’a 
crop.  At  the  present  juncture,  when  buds  are  passing  through  the 
last  stage  of  maturity,  it  is  obvious  that  a  check  in  any  way  must 
have  disastrous  results.  True,  we  have  had  rain,  and  may  have 
more,  and  this  thought  will  perhaps  prevent  many  from  resorting  to 
artificial  watering.  It  should,  however,  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  watering  depend  to  a  great  extent  upon 
the  time  at  which  the  operation  is  performed.  Especially  is  this  so 
now,  just  before  the  fall  of  the  leaf.  Where  abundance  of  liquid 
manure  is  at  command  it  should  by  all  means  be  used  in  a  dilute 
state  for  the  fruit  trees,  as  such  heavy  crops  have  this  year  been 
produced,  that  unless  high  feeding  is  resorted  to  good  crops  can 
scarcely  be  expected  next  year. 
Peach  trees  growing  in  houses  or  on  walls  in  the  open  air 
ought  to  have  special  attention  given  to  prevent  dryness  at  the 
roots,  for  many  of  the  complaints  about  bud-dropping  in  spring 
would  not  be  heard  if  this  matter  was  more  regularly  attended 
to,  and  I  shall  not  be  surprised  if  complaints  are  not  unusually 
numerous  next  year.  Given  borders  abounding  in  healthy  fibrous 
roots,  it  is  surprising  how  much  water  is  needed  till  the  fall  of  leaf, 
and  even  after  that  stage  is  reached  it  is  necessary  to  examine  them 
occasionally  to  see  that  the  soil  does  not  become  too  dry  ;  but  as 
plants  are  often  placed  on  the  borders,  it  is  not  often  that  water¬ 
ing  is  required  after  the  fall  of  leaf  until  the  trees  have  been 
pruned.  Apples  and  Pears  on  dwarf  stocks  will  also  derive 
immense  benefit  from  timely  applications  of  liquid  manure,  now 
that  the  soil  and  atmosphere  is  hot  and  dry.  Quite  recently  I  saw 
remarkable  results  in  the  shape  of  grand  fruits  hanging  on  young 
standard  trees.  On  inquiry  I  found  these  had  been  freely  watered, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  were  growing  in  a  heavy 
moisture-holding  soil.  Much  valuable  sewage  from  towns,  private 
mansions,  and  adjacent  stables  is  annually  wasted  for  want  of  a 
proper  system  of  disposing  of  it  by  distribution  among  farm  and 
garden  crops. 
The  poor  hungry  soil,  in  which  vegetation  so  soon  shows  signs 
of  distress  on  the  approach  of  drought,  shows  conclusively  how 
great  is  the  need  for  improvement  in  this  direction.  In  many  of 
our  largest  and  best  managed  gardens,  how  little  provision  ii  made 
for  the  regular  distribution  of  the  liquid  manure  at  command.  Hand 
water  carts  are  generally  in  use,  and  excellent  they  are  in  innumer¬ 
able  ways  ;  but  in  addition,  every  large  garden  ought  to  possess 
horse  carts,  capable  of  holding  from  80  to  100  gallons  of  liquid,  so 
that  the  invaluable  fertiliser,  which  so  often  becomes  a  nuisance, 
may  be  carted  directly  to  orchards,  fruit  gardens,  and  vacant  ground 
in  an  expeditious  way,  and  add  in  a  large  degree  to  the  soil’s 
fertility.--D.  W. 
FLORAL  FACTS  AND  FANCIES.— 13, 
In  a  recent  article  on  the  Fuchsia,  a  contributor  to  our  Journal 
expresses  regret  that  this  flower  seems  to  have  lost  some  of  the 
popularity  it  once  possessed  ;  if  so,  I  am  inclined  to  thint  this 
may  shortly  be  regained.  Many  persons  take  hints  from  the  display 
of  flowers  made  in  the  metropolitan  parks,  and  about  several  of 
these  some  Fuchsias  of  good  height  and  growth  are  to  be  seen  this 
September,  notably  in  St.  James’  Park.  The  Fuchsia,  more 
particularly  the  scarlet  variety,  is  said  to  be  a  symbol  of  “  good 
taste,”  but  the  variegated  are  supposed  to  tell  of  “  disappointed 
ambition.”  Did  old  James  Lee,  as  the  story  goes,  discover  by 
chance  in  a  window  at  Wapping  the  first  Fuchsia  known  in  England, 
and,  buying  it  of  the  sailor’s  wife,  succeeded  soon  after  in  getting  a 
rapid  sale  for  his  young  plants  at  a  guinea  each  as  a  beautiful 
novelty  ?  Doubt  has  been  thrown  on  the  tale,  though  the  evidence 
is  tolerably  conclusive  that  the  Fuchsia  was  introduced  to  the 
public  from  Lee’s  nursery  at  Hammersmith,  which  had  a  fame  for 
specialities.  Ericas  is  another  instance  of  a  tribe  of  plants  to  which 
Lee,  old  James,  devoted  expense  and  trouble  when  they  were  little 
known  as  garden  flowers. 
Our  native  species  of  Heath  grew  freely  in  the  olden  time  on 
large  tracts  of  land,  whence  they  have  now  disappeared,  and  the 
familiar  purple  Erica  cinerea,  with  others  of  like  colour,  linked 
themselves  to  the  idea  of  “  solitude  ”  centuries  ago,  as  tenants  of 
lonely  places,  but  a  piece  of  white  Heather  is  a  token  of  “  good 
luck  ”  to  its  discoverer.  As  most  people  know,  the  Highland 
clans  each  adopted  some  floral  badge  or  token  to  aid  recognition, 
and  the  Heath  was  taken  by  the  Macdonalds  and  Macalisters, 
though  to  every  Scotsman  the  plant  is  of  interest  whenever  he 
meets  it,  because  it  reminds  him  of  the  “  land  of  brown  Heath  and 
