March  3,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
197 
Then,  again,  take  Ehododendrons  of  the  roseum  and  pictum  types, 
also  the  charming  white  Cunninghami  and  others.  How  useful  are  dwarf 
bushes  of  these  for  forcing  where  cut  flowers  are  much  in  demand  ! 
They  may  be  bought  easily  enough,  it  is  true,  well  set  with  buds  ;  but 
expense  is  often  a  grave  consideration,  and  in  such  cases  the  gardener 
must  depend  on  his  own  resources,  though  at  the  same  time  he  is  expected 
to  have  the  flowers.  It  cannot  be  done  without  care,  and  that  care  bestowed 
not  only  while  in  bloom,  but  afterwards  when  young  growth  begins. 
These  Rhododendrons  are  of  a  hardy,  accommodating  nature,  and  suitable 
varieties  may  be  forced  several  times  over  if  a  season  of  rest  is  given 
between.  In  some  districts  the  soil  is  naturally  suited  for  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons,  and  they  will  thrive  in  any  position  in  the  gardens.  In  others 
such  is  not  the  case,  and  it  is  worth  the  trouble  to  prepare  a  bed  for  the 
reception  of  the  plants  after  forcing  by  mixing  peat  and  leaf  mould  with 
the  ordinary  soil.  Plants,  however,  must  not  be  discarded  directly  the 
flowering  is  over,  but  gradually  inured  to  cooler  temperature  till  they  may 
safely  be  removed  outdoors. 
Azalea  mollis  cannot  be  induced  to  throw  up  a  wealth  of  buds  in 
after  seasons  similar  to  that  with  which  they  are  furnished  when  pur¬ 
chased  ;  still,  they  will  subsequently  produce  sufficient  to  merit  their 
being  forced  again  and  3’et  again  with  proper  rest  between  ;  but  it  is  only 
when  they  receive  attention  due  to  them  after  blooming  that  this  can  be 
expected.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  Lilacs,  Staphyleas,  and  similar 
members  of  the  forcing  section.  Plants  are  often  ready  to  do  more  for 
us  than  we  for  them,  and  all  these  well-known  plants,  the  culture  of  which 
is  A  B  C  to  all  gardeners,  asks  is  care,  and  that  care  bestowed  principally 
after  forcing. — G.  II.  H. 
There  are  several  of  these  plants  known  to  botanists,  though  it  can¬ 
not  be  said  that  they  are  very  extensively  growm.  Indeed  it  is  rare  that 
any  are  met  with  except  in  establishments  where  a  collection  of  plants 
of  botanical  interest  is  cultivated. 
Sir  Joseph  Hooker  says  of  the  genus  and  of  A.  Wrayi  (fig.  31), 
“  The  genus  Arisaema  is  a  remarkable  one  amongst  Aroids  for  its  wide 
range  in  latitude  from  the  tropics  to  far  into  the  north  temperate  zone' ;  and, 
as  might  be  expected  from  this,  the  elevation  it  attains  is  equally  remark¬ 
able,  from  the  low-lying  equatorial  regions  of  the  ifalayan- Archipelago 
to  an  elevation  of  12,000  feet  in  the  Himalaya.  And  what  is  very  singular 
in  a  genus  of  so  wide  a  distribution,  there  are  no  sectional  groups  of  it 
more  characteristic  of  the  colder  than  of  the  hotter  regions,  or  vice  versa. 
The  nearest  ally  of  A.  Wrayi  is  the  Javanese  and  Sumatran  A.  filiforme, 
Blume.  A.  Wrayi  itself  is  a  native  of  Perak,  where  it  w'as  discovered  by 
Mr.  L.  Wray,  who,  in  1884,  sent  herbarium  specimens  to  Kerv  from 
Birch’s  Hill  with  the  note  that  the  flowers  are  pale  lilac  and  white, 
whereas  in  the  cultivated  plant  they  are  pale  green.  In  1888  the  same 
excellent  correspondent  sent  living  tubers  to  Kew  which  flowered  in 
.lanuary,  1889,  and  from  one  of  these  the  accompanying  figure  w'as  made.” 
It  is  distinct  and  rather  attractive,  and  is  evidently  well  adapted  to 
culture  in  pots.  The  spathes  are  neat  in  shape,  and  of  moderate  size  ;  the 
soft  shade  of  green,  the  white  centre,  and  the  long  slender  green  spadix 
impart  a  very  graceful  appearance  to  the  plant  The  leaves  are  divided 
into  five  to  nine  narrow  leaflets,  about  8  inches  long  each,  the  leafstalks 
and  scape  being  green  and  white,  dotted  with  red,  giving  a  very  peculiar 
effect.  The  plant,  like  most  of  its  relatives,  requires  a  warm  house,  a 
light  open  soil,  abundance  of  w'ater  when  in  growth  and  flower,  and  a 
period  of  rest. 
CORDON  GOOSEBERRIES. 
I  AM  a  staunch  believer  in  the  method  of  cultivating  Gooseberries 
as  cordons  and  multiple  cordons  on  walls.  The  engraving  on  page  149 
shows  an  extremely  fine  picture  of  trees  grown  in  this  way.  Splendid 
opportunities  are  offered  in  all  gardens  where  newly  planted  wall  trees 
are  put  in  to  fill  up  the  spaces  between  the  permanent  trees,  even  if 
only  for  a  few  years,  with  Gooseberry  cordons.  This  is  a  capital  plan  of 
utilising  wall  space,  no  crop  giving  more  satisfaction  than  Gooseberries 
either  for  early  picking  for  tarts,  or  for  use  as  dessert  when  ripe.  It 
is  surprising  how  much  earlier  the  fruit  is  ready  for  use  from  trees 
growing  against  walls,  especially  with  an  eastern  aspect,  as  compared 
with  bush  grown’  trees  in  the  open.  A  similar  difference,  too,  is 
apparent  with  ripe  fruit.  When  allowed  to  hang  upon  the  trees  till 
fully  ripe  the  flavour  of  such  sorts  as  Crown  Bob,  Whinham’s  Industry, 
and  Warrington  is  wonderfully  improved. 
To  obtain  the  best  return  in  a  short  time  the  multiple  cordon  is 
better  than  the  orthodox  tree  of  one  braneh.  Those  with  half  a  dozen 
branches  do  not  require  more  than  15  inches  of  wall  space,  especially  if 
they  are  closely  summer  pruned,  as  they  should  be,  admitting  light  and 
air  freely.  Abundance  of  water  at  the  roots  during  dry  weather  is  a 
decided  help  in  promoting  a  luxuriant  growth,  encouraging  the  swelling 
of  the  fruit  and  warding  off  attacks  of  red  spider,  which  are  partial  to 
Gooseberi’y  leaves.  The  vigorous  upright  growing  kinds,  like  the  old 
Champagne,  for  example,  are  preferred,  as  they  sooner  fill  the  allotted 
space.  When  the  right  number  of  branches  has  been  secured  the  leading 
shoots  do  not  require  hard  pruning,  simply  removing  the  point  of  each 
to  induce  a  full  complement  of  eyes  to  push  into  growth,  and  thus  furnish 
the  branches  thoroughly  with  fruit  spurs.  Vigorous  syringing  of  the 
branches  in  the  evening  after  a  hot  day  is  beneficial  to  the  trees,  cleanses 
the  fruit  from  dust,  and  does  much  to  keep  down  the  spread  ’of  insect 
pests. — E.  M. 
LONDON’S  OPEN  SPACES. 
HI.— Hampstead  Heath,  Rarliament  Hill,  Waterlow  Pare. 
Right  away  back  to  the  time  of  the  Roman  occupation  of  Britain 
dates  the  fame  of  London’s  most  beautiful  breathing  ground,  Hampstead 
Heath.  It  was  the  old  Romans  who  opened  it  up.  Until  they  came  it 
was  a  dense  forest  that  had 
possibly  never  been  pene¬ 
trated,  but  they  cut  into  it  in 
making  the  great  military 
road  called  Watling  Street, 
now  known  as  the  Great 
North  Road.  From  their 
time  for  a  long  period  onward 
it  was  common  land,  and  each 
man  did  with  its  wood  or 
grass  what  he  desired  to  do, 
until  in  1170  the  early 
chronicler,  Fitz  -  Stephen, 
spoke  of  it  as  that  “  immense 
forest,  beautiful  with  woods 
and  groves,  full  of  the  lairs 
and  coverts  of  wild  beasts 
and  game,  stags,  bucks,  boars, 
and  wild  bulls.”  To  the 
wonderful  sporting  rights 
that  must  have  existed  at 
this  time  in  Hampstead  the 
citizens  of  London  laid  claim, 
and  kings  confirmed  that 
claim.  Henry  I.  embodied 
it  in  one  of  his  most  famous 
statutes,  and  in  charters 
granted  by  Henry  II., 
Richard  II.,  and  John  those 
rights  were  confirmed  over 
and  over  again,  and  spoken  of 
as  inalienable. 
The  worthy  citizens  ap¬ 
preciated  the  good  things 
granted  them  at  Hampstead, 
where,  to  again  quote  Fitz- 
Stephen,  many  of  them  took 
“great  delight  in  fowling 
with  merlins,  hawks,  &c.,  as 
likewise  in  hunting.”  The 
district  was  practically 
disforested  in  1218  by 
Henry  III.,  but  much  of  the 
great  Middlesex  wood  re¬ 
mained  to  shelter  its  wild 
inhabitants  for  centuries 
later.  In  later  years  it  was 
known  as  Hampstead  Wood, 
but  all  that  remains  of 
that  wondrous  “mass  of 
greenery  ”  are  the  few  copse- 
like  clumps  of  timber  and 
undergrowth  known  as  “Ken  ” 
or  “  Caen  ’’  W oods.  That 
royal  glutton  and  land-thief, 
Henry  VIII.,  was  the  first 
monarch  to  curtail  the 
citizens’  privilege  at  Hamp¬ 
stead,  and  he  issued  a 
proclamation  making  it  felony  for  any  save  at  his  command  to  hunt  or 
take  game  within  the  lands  between  “  owre  Palace  of  Westminster  ”  to 
St.  Gyles-in-the-Fields,  and  from  thence  to  Isledon  (Islington),  “  our 
Ladyc  of  the  Oke  (Gospel  Oak),  Higbgate,  Hornsey,  and  Hampstead.” 
It  was  while  hawking  on  Hampstead  Ileath  that  Henry  nearly  lost  his 
life,  for,  following  the  sport  eagerly,  he  fell  headforemost  into  a  muddy 
ditch,  and  was  nearly  suffocated  before  his  attendants  could  pull  him 
out. 
Through  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  Hampstead  Heath 
gained  a  most  unenviable  reputation  as  the  resort  of  robbers  and  high¬ 
waymen,  and  in  the  eighteenth  century  it  was  notorious.  Being  a  short 
cut,  with  several  fairly  good  roads,  it  was  much  frequented  by  merchants 
and  traders,  who  often  rode  in  strong  bodies  for  protection.  Dr.  Sibley, 
a  clergyman,  was  stopped  at  one  of  the  small  cross  roads  and  robbed  by 
a  “well  mounted  rogue,  wearing  much  silver  braid  and  of  a  convincing 
manner.”  This  was  John  Raim,  better  known  as  “  Si.xteen  Stringed 
.lack,”  who  two  years  after — November  30lb,  1774— was  hanged  at 
Tyburn.  At  his  trial  it  was  alleged  that  for  a  considerable  period  while 
Fig.  31. — Aris.ema  Wrayi. 
