March  17,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
247 
growth  are  alike  influenced  by  stored  matter,  and  the  activity  of  this  is 
promoted  by  warmth  and  moisture. 
The  tree  (f)  shown  in  fig.  53  is  intended  to  indicate  what  is  meant  by 
hard  pruning,  and  leaving  nothing  but  essential  parts.  The  shoots  (r)  are  cut 
back  a  few  buds  nearer  the  base  than  in  the  other  tree,  and  all  the  weak 
growths  (s)  shortened  to  a  bud  at  their  base,  even  the  spur  (t)  is  cut  back. 
It  is  the  pruning  for  shape  system,  and  !  am  not  by  any  means  certain  as 
to  whether  it  is  not  the  best  for  trees  that  have  not  been  recently  moved, 
and  must  suffer  a  large  reduction  of  roots  in  transplantation,  especially 
when  on  free  stocks.  That  is  another  phase  of  the  subject,  for  the 
stronger  the  tree  the  more  roots  it  loses,  and  the  greater  need  for  the 
curtailment  of  the  branches.  In  order,  therefore,  to  arrive  at  any  clear 
deduction  the  systems  must  be  carried  out  on  similar  trees  under  an 
identity  of  conditions,  so  that  the  results  cannot  possibly  be  questioned. 
For  those  reasons  three  trees  have  been  selected  as  near  as  may  be  alike 
for  illustrating  the  points  in  respect  of  pruning  before  mentioned,  and 
there  remains  l)ut  one  more,  namely — 
3,  Not  Shortening  the  Shoots  in  the  Season  op  Planting. — 
In  this  case,  leaving  A  (page  207)  and  p  in  the  present  sketch,  just  as 
they  are  at  root  and  top,  there  are  a  few  considerations  that  must  have 
attention.  If  the  tree  has  a  large  top  and  few  and  short  roots,  it  will  pro¬ 
bably  swell  the  buds  and  even  produce  a  little  growth  ;  yet  there  it  ends, 
and  the  probability  is  that  it  will  die  or  linger  on,  not  making  any  top 
growth  of  consequence  until  headed  hard  back  another  season,  or,  under 
the  most  favouring  circumstances,  take  two  years  to  recover.  On  the  other 
hand,  a  young  tree  with  shorter  growths  and  a  good  system  of  roots, 
as  often  seen  on  dwarfing  stocks,  the  balance  is  not  so  greatly  dis¬ 
turbed,  and  there  is  the  less  necessity  for  close  shortening.  For  the 
purpose  of  illustration,  neither  strong  nor  weak  examples  are  chosen, 
but  good  average  typical  trees,  such  as  are  raised  l)y  experienced 
nurserymen  for  supplying  to  their  customers.  We,  therefore,  start  fair 
with  all  the  trees,  and  thence  proceed  to  results,  which  will  be  shown  in 
future  issues.  — G.  Abbey. 
,  (To  be  continued.) 
LONDON’S  OPEN  SPACES. 
IV. — Battersea  Park  and  Kennington  Park. 
One  important  metropolitan  improvement  always  to  be  remembered 
to  the  credit  of  the  poor  Metropolitan  Board  of  AVorks  was  the  conversion 
of  the  dreary  wilderness  of  Battersea  Fields  into  a  lovely  park.  Formerly 
the  resort  of  the  riff-raff  of  the  town,  it  is  now  quite  a  fashionable  centre, 
while  its  once  aristocratic  neighbour,  Ranelagb  Gardens,  has  faded  into 
bricks  and  mortar.  The  picture  of  Battersea  Fields  forty  years  ago  is 
anything  but  inviting.  A  flat  and  unbroken  waste  of  some  300  acres,  ‘  it 
was  a  sort  of  ‘no  man’s  land,’  on  which  ruffianism  claimed  to  riot  uncon¬ 
trolled  by  any  other  authority  than  its  own  will.”  The  Sunday  scenes 
were  a  scandal  even  in  none  too  fastidious  times,  and  the  pugilistic 
encounters,  dog  fights,  and  other  barbarous  exhibitions  were  abolished  by 
magisterial  order  in  1852. 
Many  duels  were  fought  in  the  fields,  the  most  famous  of  these  being 
the  encounter  between  the  Duke  of  Wellington  and  the  young  Earl  of 
Winchilsea  only  eight  years  before  the  Queen  came  to  the  throne.  The 
Duke  was  Premier  at  the  time,  and  with  his  characteristic  impetuosity 
thus  chose  to  resent  an  attack  on  him  for  his  support  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  emancipation  schemes.  A  letter  in  the  “  Standard  ”  newspaper 
(then  but  two  years  old)  spoke  of  Wellington’s  “  invidious  designs  for  the 
infringement  of  our  liberties  and  the  introduction  of  popery  into  every 
department  of  the  State.”  The  laboured  phrases  of  the  youthful  Earl’s 
letter  seem  to  sober-minded  people  of  to-day  small  provocation  for  an 
“  affair  of  honour.”  The  ducal  Hotspur,  however,  insisted  on  the 
encounter,  and  on  March  21st,  1829,  the  two  noblemen  faced  each  other  on 
Battersea  Fields.  The  Duke  won  the  toss,  giving  him  the  right  of  firing 
first,  and,  fortunately,  missed  his  man.  Then  the  Earl  discharged  his 
pistol  in  the  air,  and  offered  a  tardy’  retraction  and  apology’.  On  the 
edge  of  Battersea  Fields  stood  the  Red  House  Tavern,  familiar  to  every 
reader  of  “  Sketches  by  Boz.”  It  was  equally  famous  for  its  pigeon 
shooting  and  for  acting  as  the  winning-post  of  many  a  lusty  boat  race. 
Tradition  has  it  that  Caesar  crossed  the  Thames  50  yards  west  of  this 
spot  in  pursuit  of  the  flying  Britons,  the  reason  being  that  there  existed 
here  till  very  recently  a  natural  ford  in  a  shoal  of  gravel  not  3  feet  deep, 
and  broad  enough  for  ten  men  to  walk  abreast. 
Happily,  at  the  time  the  great  outcry  was  raised  against  Battersea 
Fields  the  demand  for  lungs  for  the  swiftly  growing  metropolis  was 
arousing  public  interest.  The  Red  House,  with  its  shooting  grounds,  was 
purchased  in  addition,  making  a  total  acreage  of  185.  The  Metroimlitan 
Board  of  AVorks  in  a  few  years  converted  the  wilderness  into  gardens  of 
surpassing  beauty.  For  the  land  a  sum  of  £246,500  was  paid,  and 
altogether  £65,500  was  spent  on  the  laying  out  and  improvements.  Nowit 
is  so  rich  in  trees,  shrul>s,  and  flowers  that  many  claim  Battersea  Park  to 
bo  no  insignificant  rival  to  Kew  Gardens.  Its  Palm  trees  alone  would 
make  it  famous.  In  the  acclimatisation  garden  are  wondrous  Aloes, 
giant  Cacti,  and  gorgeous  growths  of  the  tropics  in  strange  neighbourliness 
to  flora  of  the  Alps.  The  lake  of  Battersea,  too,  is  a  vastly  popular 
pilgrimage.  It  winds  round  beautifully  wooded  islets  and  under  rustic 
bridges,  its  waters  bearing  many  rare  and  curious  species  of  water  fowl. 
The  great  avenue  of  the  park  is  the  modern  rival  to  Rotten  Row,  but 
beauty  no  longer  mounts  her  horse  but  rides  in  bloomers  on  a  bicycle.  On 
some  days  the  votaries  of  the  wheel  may  be  counted  in  hundreds,  and  all 
lady  riders  have  made  their  earlier  runs  on  its  smooth  roadway.  Battersea 
also  has  cricketing  records,  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  wielders  of  the 
willow  here  being  .Tohn  Burns.  The  local  member  is,  it  will  not  surprise 
many  people  to  learn,  a  “  desperate  slogger.” 
Kennington  Park,  which  stretches  for  some  distance  along  the  old 
Roman  road,  near  the  Oval,  was  known  as  Kennington  Common  until  a 
comparatively  few  years  ago.  It  was  then  an  unlovely  waste,  practically 
grassles's,  and  decorated  with  nothing  better  than  broken  kettles,  dead 
cats,  and  other  domestic  flotsam.  Round  it  ran  some  tumble-down 
wooden  rails,  which  were  not  sufficient  to  keep  donkeys  from  straying 
there.  Field  preachers  and  political  orators  also  made  it  one  of  the  chief 
scenes  of  their  performances.  It  consisted  of  about  20  acres.  Suddenly 
it  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  respectability,  and,  thanks  to  an  annual  vote  of 
£1800  by  the  Government,  clothed  itself  around  with  elegant  iron  railings, 
its  area  being  at  tbe  same  time  cut  up  by  gravel  walks  and  flower  beds  and 
shrubberies.  It  also  engaged  a  beadle  to  look  after  it.  And  so  it  became 
a  park,  and  a  considerable  ornament  to  the  neighbourhood. 
In  “A  Tour  Round  London”  in  1774,  the  author  describes  it  as  “a 
small  spot  of  ground  on  the  road  to  Camberwell,  and  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  London.  Upon  this  spot  is  erected  the  gallows  for  the  county 
of  Surrey,  but  few  have  suffered  here  of  late  years.  Such  of  the  Scotch 
rebels  as  were  tried  by  the  Special  Commission  in  1746  and  ordered  for 
execution  suffe  ed  at  this  place,  amongst  whom  were  those  who  com¬ 
manded  the  regiment  raised  at  Manchester  for  the  service  of  the  ‘  Pre¬ 
tender.’  ”  Among  those  here  executed  were  Sir  .Tohn  AVedderburn,  John 
Hamilton,  Andrew  AVood,  Alex.  Leith,  Towneley,  and  Fletcher,  and 
Captain  James  (“  Jemmy  ”)  Dawson,  over  whose  body,  as  soon  as  the 
headsman’s  axe  had  done  its  terrible  work,  a  young  lady,  who  was 
attached  to  him  tenderly,  threw  herself  in  a  swoon  and  died  literally  of  a 
broken  heart.  The  event  forms  the  subject  of  one  of  Shenstone’s  ballads. 
“Jerry”  Abershaw,  the  notorious  highwayman,  was  hanged  here,  his 
body  being  afterwards  hung  in  chains  on  AA'^imbledon  Common.  St.  Mark’s 
Church  now  stands  on  the  pla  e  of  execution.  On  April  10th,  1848,  the 
great  Chartist  demonstration  took  place  on  Kennington  Common.  Alx)ut 
50,000  assembled,  under  the  leadership  of  Feargus  O’Connor  and  Ernest 
Jones.  Timid  people  hid  their  spoons  in  waterbutts,  and  talked  of  the 
Kennington  revolution  ;  but  the  fizzle  of  the  movement  is  matter  of 
history. 
During  the  last  century  Kennington  Common  was,  at  holiday  times, 
an  epitome  of  “  Bartlemy  Fair,”  with  booths,  tents,  caravans,  and  scaffolds, 
surmounted  by  flags.  It  had  also  one  peculiarity,  for,  as  we  learn  from 
“Merrie  England  in  the  Olden  Time,”  it  was  a  favourite  place  for  merry 
andrews  and  other  buffooneries  in  open  rivalry  and  competition  with  field 
preachers  and  ranters.  It  was  here  that  Mr.  Mawworm  encountered  the 
brickbats  of  his  congregation,  and  had  his  “  pious  tail  ”  illuminated  with 
the  squibs  and  crackers  of  the  unregenerate.  George  Whitefield  preached 
there  frequently  in  1739,  often  to  50,000  people  at  one  time,  while 
audiences  of  30,000  were  quite  common.  On  June  24th,  the  same  year, 
Chas  Wesley  preached  there,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was  under  a 
prohibition  not  to  preach  anywhere  until  he  had  been  before  the  Arch¬ 
bishop  of  Canterbury  and  accounted  for  his  “  irregularities.” — (“  Lloyd’s 
News).” 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
An  “  Old  Boy’s  ”  Recruit. 
I  HAVE  read  with  great  interest  the  contribution  by  “An  Old  Boy” 
on  page  226,  and  trust  his  remarks  will  be  the  means  of  waking  up  young 
men  who  are  able  and  desirous  of  making  use  of  the  “  Domain  ”  columns 
in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture.  An  opportunity  like  this  has  not  been 
previously  afforded,  and  we  ought  to  make  the  page  the  success  it  ought 
to  be  as  the  work  of  young  gardeners. 
I  have  not  hitherto  contributed  to  the  “  Domain,”  having  left  the 
space  to  be  filled  by  others,  but  lately  there  has  been  a  marked  falling  off, 
and  I  hope  that  the  article  contributed  by  “  An  Old  Boy  ”  will  be  the 
means  of  stirring  us  up  to  fill  its  column  to  overflowing.  Probably  some 
young  men  have,  like  myself,  sought  fresh  fields  and  pastures  new  in  their 
upward  flight  in  gardening.  In  such  case  I  wish  for  them  every  success 
in  their  new  surroundings. 
Changing  situations  is  essential  to  all  probationers.  Some  of  us  look 
forward  to  a  departure,  not  unmixed  with  regret,  at  leaving  scenes  and 
faces  which  have  become  familiar.  Our  chiefs  often  look  upon  a  change 
as  a  necessary  evil  to  be  borne  periodically,  and  very  raw  recruits  some¬ 
times  have  to  be  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  their  respective  positions. 
This  I  know  to  be  one  of  the  troubles  common  to  head  gardeners,  and  yet 
they  would  not  seek  to  deter  any  of  their  staff  from  making  a  beneficial 
change. 
I  trust  we  shall  again  hear  from  “  An  Old  Boy  ”  in  the  near  future  ; 
his  contributions  are  always  interesting  and  acceptable  ;  his  advice  is  such 
as  might  safely  be  followed  by  all  bothyites,  myself  amongst  the  number, 
and  I  tender  my  thanks  for  the  kindly  interest  he  has  shown  towards  us. 
— F.  L.  T.,  Burwood. 
Sequel  to  “An 'Old  Boy’s”  Homily. 
Surely  everyone  loves  pleasant  pictures — for  their  beauty,  for  their 
story,  for  both.  Some  picture  scenes  seem  like  finger  posts  guiding  us 
to  ideal  lives,  as  our  model.L  Here  before  me  is  pourtrayed  in  group — a 
patriarchal  sage  instilling  wisdom  to  a  cluster  of  eager, young  folk  who 
nestle  around  him.  In  his  right  hand  he  holds  an  hour  glass,  his  knees 
support  an  open  book,  and  one  almost  sees  the  long  grey  locks  quivering, 
and  the  shaky  upraised  left  hand  clinch  for  emphasis  to  his  expcsitions. 
