±<Jo 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
October  31, 1895. 
about  where  Ely  Place  and  Hatton  Garden  are  now.  In  his  letter 
to  Lord  Bnrghley,  Gerarde  wrote,  “I  have  added  from  forreine 
places  all  the  varietie  of  herbes  and  floures  that  I  might  in  any 
way  obtaine.  I  have  laboured  with  the  soil  to  make  it  fit  for 
plants — what  my  success  hath  beene  I  leave  to  the  report  of  them 
that  have  seen  your  lordship’s  gardens  and  the  little  plot  of  myne 
owne  especiall  care  and  husbandry.”  Lord  Burghley’s  garden 
referred  to  is  now  occupied  partly  by  Burghley  and  Cecil  Streets, 
Strand. 
But  Gerrard,  as  his  name  was  spelt  in  the  lease  dated  1604, 
obtained  another  garden  under  specially  favourable  conditions  in 
recognition  of  his  “singular  and  approved  art,  skill,  and  ministrie 
in  planting  and  preserving  of  plants,  hearbes,  flowers,  and  fruit  of 
all  kinds.”  This  garden  of  two  acres  adjoined  Somerset  House, 
Strand,  and  was  secured  from  “Anne,  Queen  of  England,  for  the 
sum  of  five  shillings  by  way  of  a  fine,  and  at  an  annual  rent  of 
four  pence,  for  the  term  of  the  Queen’s  life  and  for  21  years.” 
This  was  2d.  an  acre.  What  a  marvellous  change  has  been  wrought 
since  then.  Could  the  two  acres  of  land  be  now  obtained  for  2d. 
an  inch  ? 
It  may  be  presumed  that  Gerarde  would  thus  grow  his  precious 
plants  in  the  Strand  garden,  but  not  for  long,  as  he  died  about 
five  years  after  the  lease  was  signed  ;  still  he  might  have  continued 
enough  to  disprove  the  ancient  fallacy,  which  he  cites  as  follows : — 
“  Bauhine  saith  that  he  heard  the  use  of  t'oese  roots  was  forbidden 
in  Bourgoundy  for  that  they  were  perswaded  the  too  frequent  use 
of  them  caused  the  leprosie.”  After  Gerardo’s  death  there  was 
prejudice  enough  against  them  in  England,  and  the  best  that  a 
learned  committee  of  investigators  could  say  about  Potatoes  was 
that  they  might  possibly  become  useful  as  food  for  awine.  Truly^ 
as  Mr.  Sutton  observed,  the  portrait  of  John  Gerarde,  who  was  in 
his  fifty-third  year  when  it  was  taken  (see  fig.  64)  “  suggests  many 
thoughts.” 
The  progress  made  by  the  plant  has  indeed  been  remarkable. 
The  lecturer  traced  this  progress,,  showing  on  the  screen  many 
original  forms  as  introduced  from  their  native  habitats,  describing 
their  characteristics,  and  noting  the  experiments  that  have  been 
made  with  different  species  from  time  to  time  during  recent  years, 
but  without  anything  substantial  accruing.  Even  the  Coast  plant, 
Solanum  Maglia,  from  which  much  was  hoped  in  strengthening 
the  race  and  imparting  innate  disease-resisting  power  to  varieties, 
has  so  far  failed. 
After  applying  pollen  from  cultivated  varieties  to  hundreds  of 
Maglia  flowers  only  two  seedlings  were  raised,  and  one  of  them 
died  from  inanition.  The  other,  though  a  marked  improvement 
on  the  type,  is  the  reverse  of  disease-proof,  and  in  other  respects 
much  inferior  to  our  best  established  varieties.  It  seems  clear, 
then,  that  going  back  to  Nature  is  not  the  nearest  way  to  improve 
our  Potatoes  ;  still,  it  is  not  the  less  desirable  that  those  who  have 
the  means  should  test  the  various  propositions  that  are  advanced 
from  time  to  time  for  the  purpose  of  eliciting  information  in  the 
public  interest. 
In  contrast  with  the  ancient  types  came  examples  of  the 
modern  forms  of  Potatoes.  To  adopt  the  simile  of  a  writer  last 
week  in  a  reference  to  fruit,  the  change  was  as  if  from  barbarism 
to  civilisat  on  at  a  bound,  for  now  were  displayed  splendid 
examples  of  the  Reading  introductions,  chiefly  raised  by  the  late 
Mr.  Clarke  of  Magnum  Bouum  fame,  but  two  by  Mr.  Robert  Fann. 
Ten  varieties  were  shown  —  namely,  Sutton’s  Al,  Harbinger, 
Ringleader,  Windsor  Castle,  Supreme,  Triumph,  Early  Regent, 
Satisfaction,  Magnum  Bonum,  and  the  Sutton’s  Plourbail.  These 
were  triumphs  of  Art  over  Nature,  and  formed  a  fitting  finale  to  the 
utilitarian  part  of  the  proceedings. 
But  the  lecturer  had  an  interesting  addendum,  previously 
alluded  to.  A  Tomato  and  Potato  alliance  was  thrown  on  the 
creen.  A  tuber  was  planted  in  a  pot  on  March  22ad,  and  when 
from  4  to  5  inches  high  the  plant  was  cut  off  half  an  inch  from 
the  level  of  the  soil,  and  a  graft  of  a  Tomato  plant  introduced  on 
May  8th.  The  result  of  this  has  been  that  the  Potato,  nourished 
by  the  Tomato  plant  above  ground,  produced  a  crop  of  Potatoes 
in  the  pot,  as  was  seen  in  the  picture ;  and  also  the  plant  above 
ground  produced  a  fairly  good  crop  of  Tomatoes,  nourished  by  the 
Potato  roots  in  the  pot. 
The  same  process  was  also  shown  reversed.  The  Tomato 
plant  was  cut  off  half  an  inch  above  the  surface,  and  the  Potato 
graft  introduced.  The  Tomato  roots  did  not  produce  Potatoes, 
but  the  Potato  plant  above  ground  produced  one  truss  of 
flowers  and  seven  berries,  and  in  order  to  extend  this  somewhat 
interesting  experiment,  the  Tomato  flowers  have  been  fertilised 
with  Potato  pollen,  and  the  Potato  flowers  with  Tomato  pollen 
for  further  experiment  next  year.  The  photographs  were  taken 
on  August  14th,  but  on  looking  at  the  plants  recently  it  was  found 
that  two  of  the  Potatoes  growing  on  Tomato  stalks  appeared 
suddenly  to  be  aware  of  the  fact  that,  although  producing  flowers 
and  berries,  they  had  not  yet  produced  tubers,  and  it  being  “  never 
too  late  to  mend,”  they  have,  as  was  seen  in  other  slides,  produced 
tubers  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves  and  stems. 
Mr.  Sutton  was  followed  with  the  closest  attention  throughout 
his  entertaining  and  attractive  discourse. 
LILIUMS  HARRISI  AND  BXIMIUM. 
The  cultivation  of  these  Liliums  has  increased  enormously  of 
late  years,  and  the  blooms  have  for  wreath  making  and  other 
decorative  purposes  superseded  those  of  many  other  flowers.  No 
doubt  those  who  live  in  the  more  favoured  parts  of  the  country 
and  can  plant  largely  outside  have  a  decided  advantage,  financially, 
over  those  who  have  to  grow  all  their  bulbs  in  pots  or  run  some 
risk  when  planted  outside. 
For  the  very  earliest  supplies  it  is  incumbent  on  cultivators  to 
pot  the  bulbs  directly  they  arrive.  To  forward  them  as  much  as 
possible  the  pots  containing  them  should  be  placed  in  frames  kept 
close  until  the  plants  appear  above  a  covering  of  2  inches  of  cocoa- 
nut  fibre  refuse.  This  covering  at  the  time  of  potting  saves  water¬ 
ing  the  plants  until  they  reach  this  stage.  The  covering  material 
should  be  removed  and  the  plants  grown  afterwards  in  a  light  but 
airy  house.  They  may  be  forwarded  considerably  between  this 
stage  and  the  time  when  the  buds  are  being  formed  by  giving  gentle 
warmth  and  plenty  of  air.  No  attempt  at  forcing  must  be 
practised  until  the  flower  buds  can  be  felt  at  the  extremity  of  the 
plants,  when  a  closer  and  more  confined  atmosphere  may  advan¬ 
tageously  be  maintained.  Such  conditions  often  mean  an  attack 
of  aphides,  but  this  must  be  overcome  by  fumigation. 
It  is  a  decided  advantage  to  have  a  good  early  batch,  becaase 
under  careful  treatment  they  push  up  again  afterwards,  and  flower 
very  well  standing  outside,  the  second  crop  of  flowers  practically 
paying  for  the  labour  of  growing  them  in  the  first  instance,  and 
any  fumigating  material  that  may  be  needed  as  well ;  in  fact, 
L.  Harrisi  will  often  flower  equally  as  profusely  the  second  time 
and  as  early  as  the  old  longiflorum  planted  outside,  or  even  grown 
in  pots  and  not  subjected  to  forcing. 
From  the  earliest  received  bulbs  a  second  batch  for  pot  culture 
should  be  preserved.  Now  how  are  these  best  preserved  for  pot 
culture  ?  We  have  tried  several  methods,  and  find  that  they  do 
not  keep  well  in  the  dry  condition  in  which  they  are  received  ; 
they  shrink,  and  do  not  thrive  so  satisfactorily  afterwards.  They 
are  best  kept  in  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse  and  placed  under  cover  in  a 
cool  shed,  or  any  northern  position  that  will  not  induce  growth. 
The  formation  of  roots,  if  possible,  must  be  avoided.  Under  cool, 
airy  conditions  in  a  shed  the  bulbs  remain  dormant  for  a  con¬ 
siderable  time,  and  the  little  moisture  the  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse 
contains  keeps  tbem  from  shrivelling,  and  no  injurious  results 
follow.  These,  when  potted  and  subjected  to  cool  treatment,  or  a 
portion  forced  as  occasion  may  require,  will  form  a  capital  suc¬ 
cession  to  those  started  early  and  gently  forced  into  flower. 
Where  these  blooms  are  needed  in  fair  quantity  for  market 
purposes,  a  large  house  divided  into  three  or  four  compartments 
may  be  devoted  to  their  culture.  One  division  after  another  may 
be  planted  as  the  others  ^  appear  above  the  soil.  The  divisions 
could  be  planted  one  after  the  other  by  retarding  on  the  principle 
advocated  for  pots,  or  two  could  be  planted  with  Harrisi  and  the 
other  two  with  L.  eximium  for  succession.  The  latter  cannot  be 
obtained  much  before  Christmas.  With  this  variety  and  Harrisi 
there  is  no  occasion  to  grow  the  old  and  poorer  variety  of  longi¬ 
florum.  This  kind,  however,  I  have  found  very  useful  for  out¬ 
side  planting. 
