42S 
JOURKAL  OP  nORTIGULTURP  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  19,  1898. 
their  positions,  or  when  small  plants  are  required,  they  can  be  raised 
from  cuttings,  also  by  grafting  and  inarching.  Cuttings  of  young  shoots 
when  the  base  close  to  the  old  wood  is  getting  firm,  inserted  in  silver 
sand,  kept  close  and  moist  in  a  cool  frame  for  ten  days,  then  plunged  in 
gentle  bottom  heat,  emit  roots.  When  two  years  clean  stemmed  seedlings 
from  1\.  ponticum  or  any  other  varieties  are  established  in  pots,  they  may 
be  side  grafted  with  scions  of  desired  varieties  in  August  or  September, 
keeping  them  close,  moist,  and  shaded  in  a  pit,  not  cutting  down  the 
stocks  till  the  union  is  eflfected.  Saddle  grafting  also  answers  in  heat  in 
the  spring.  Inarching  may  be  done  at  any  time  during  the  summer. 
This  is  a  sure  method  of  increase  where  stocks  can  be  conveniently 
arranged  for  the  operation. 
HARDY  FLOWERS  IN  OTHER  GARDENS. 
Those  who  are  content  to  admire  their  own  gardens  without  seeing 
those  of  others  lose  much.  Such  is  human  nature  that  we  are  apt  to 
think  our  own  fiowers  perfect  of  their  kind,  and  thus  fall  into  the  error 
of  resting  content  with  what  we  have  without  striving  to  master  more 
perfectly  their  wants  and  ways.  We  miss,  too,  the  actual  observation 
of  new  flow  ers  we  hear  of  but  have  not  seen,  and  are  not  only  prevented 
from  cultivating  plants  of  great  beauty,  but  are  often  led  to  grow 
flowers  which  we  would  not  have  procured  had  we  seen  them  in  bloom. 
■\Ve  see  happier  combinations  and  better  effects  than  we  have  thought 
of,  and  thus  our  gardens  are  less  perfect  than  we  can  make  them. 
Not  least  is  the  loss  of  the  acquaintanceship  of  other  flower  lovers, 
men  and  women  of  various  stations  in  life,  but  all  imbued  with  thd  taste 
for  fiow'ers  in  which  we  can  find  a  common  meeting  ground.  It  is 
unfortunate  that  gardeners  are,  by  reason  of  the  pressure  of  w  ork  in 
sjuing,  prevented  from  more  frequent  exercise  of  the  privilege  of  seeing 
other  places,  and  thus  of  acquainting  themselves  with  the  rich  supply  of 
early  flowers ;  but  the  owners  of  gardens  might  more  frequently  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  of  seeing  gardens  other  than  their  own  in 
the  sweet  springtime  or  in  early  summer.  This  much  by  way  ,of  intro¬ 
duction  to  a  few  notes  on  gardens  recently  seen  and  tlie  flowers  they 
contain. 
First  must  come  the  Royal  Botanical  Gardens  of  Edinburgh,  of  the 
rich  collection  of  plants  in  w'hich  I  have  before  spoken.  Mid-April  is  too 
early  to  see  these  at  their  best,  so  much  later  are  flow  ers  there  than 
further  south.  Thus  the  reference  to  this  garden  must  at  present  be 
briefer  than  it  deserve.*,  and  is  rendered  still  less  worthy  because  of 
the  incessant  rain  which  fell  during  my  stay. 
Many  changes  have  been  made  in  these  gardens  of  late,  and  still 
others  are  in  progress  under  the  directions  of  Professor  Bayley  Balfour. 
Changes  are  not  always  improvements,  but  the  alterations  lately  ma  e 
show  that  the  Edinburgh  gardens  are  increasingly  becoming  more  worthy 
of  the  Scottish  capital,  ami  that  they  will  afford  still  greater  inducements 
for  a  visit  from  those  interested  in  plant  life.  The  hitherto  inadequate 
houses  have  been  improved  and  largely  added  to  •,  the  arrangement  of 
hardy  plants  for  the  study  of  botany  has  been  remodelled  ;  the  rock 
garden,  so  jjrominent  and  attractive  a  feature,  has  been  taken  in  hand  ; 
and,  in  brief,  a  general  overhaul  has  been,  and  still  is,  in  progress,  which 
cannot  fail  to  add  to  the  value  of  the  institution.  In  the  beds  in  front  of 
the  houses  but  few  plants  were  in  flower.  Several  Doronicums,  such  as 
caucasicum,  austriacum,  and  Ilarpur  Crewe,  were  in  bloom,  their  golden 
flowers  lighting  up  the  places  where  they  grew  despite  the  general  gloom 
caused  by  the  constant  downpour.  Here  also  was  observed  a  neat  little 
Valerian  coming  into  bloom,  which  from  its  dwarf  and  neat  habit  looked 
as  if  it  might  be'an  acquisition.  It  was  Valeriana  tripteris  (Linnxus),  a 
European  species  which  I  may'  have  seen  before,  but  of  which  1  have  no 
recollection.  It  is  about  9  inches  high. 
In  another  lied  was  Tulipa  Schrenki,  referred  by  the  Kew  Index  to 
T.  Gesneriana.  Of  dwarf  habit,  large  size,  and  bright  colour,  this  Tulip 
is  worthy  of  note.  It  was  too  early  to  see  much  in  flower  among  the 
shrubs,  but  in  a  short  time  a  magnificent  effect  would  be  produced  by  the 
Khododendrons.  A  few  were  in  bloom,  and  I  took  a  note  of  a  pretty 
white  one  of  dwarfish  habit — R.  anthopogon  (Bon)— as  of  value  for  small 
gardens,  or  in  places  where  dwarf  shrubs  are  sought  after.  The  rock 
garden  has  for  many  years  been  well  known  as  possessing  a  very  fine 
collection  of  Alpine  flowers.  Its  construction  has  been  often  criticised, 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  many  rock  gardens  more  pictures(]ue  in  effect  are  as 
suitable  for  the  welfare  of  the  plants,  which  is,  of  course,  the  principal 
thing  required  in  such  an  establishment. 
Among  the  plants  in  flower  were  several  Drabas.  It  may  be  said 
of  these  that  there  is  much  contusion  in  the  nomenclature,  and  little 
difference  between  several  of  the  so-called  species.  The  yellow  Drabas 
seen  were  very  effective,  and  a  note  was  taken  of  two  white  species  — 
D.  stellata  and  D.  fladnizensis,  as  being  as  good  as  any  of  the  colour  in 
bloom.  Alyssum  Wierzbecki,  a  white  Madwort,  was  also  in  flower.  Much 
prettier,  however,  was  the  ffivourite  little  Candytuft — Iberis  saxatilis, 
whose  dwarf,  somewhat  trailing  habit,  and  heads  of  white  flowers  make 
it  of  much  value.  This  is  the  plant  I  have  always  known  by  the  above 
name,  and  not  apparently  one  mentioned  by  a  contemporary,  as  dri  view 
in  the  Alpine  house  at  Kew,  which  differs  from  the  [ilant  usually  known 
as  I.  saxatilis.  Is  not  the  Kew  plant  one  known  as  Little  Gem,  a  variety 
of  I.  sempervirens  ? 
Nothing  gave  me  more  pleasure  than  several  clumps  of  Narcissus 
cyclamineus.  On  one  of  these  I  saw  iiuite  a  dozen  of  the  fine  yellow- 
coloured  quaint  flowers  on  healthy  plants.  Erythronium  grandiflorum 
was  only  in  bud.  There  is  a  large  collection  of  Saxifrages,  of  many 
species  and  forms.  S.  Boydi  was  very  bright  with  its  yellow  flowers,  and 
deserving  of  mention  is  8.  Salomoni.  a  new  hybrid  Rockfoil,  with  white 
flowers,  much  resembling  those  of  S.  Boydi  alba,  but  with  different  foliage. 
This  is,  to  all  appearance,  a  plant  worth  growing. 
A  special  feature  is  the  large  collection  of  Primula  species.  Remark¬ 
ably  fine  were  the  trusses  on  some  of  the  plants  of  the  beautiful  pure 
white  P.  viscosa  nivalis.  These  were  finer  than  any  I  have  seen  this 
season,  and  formed  a  delightfully  attractive  object.  The  typical  P.  viscosa 
was  also  seen  with  P.  v.  decora,  P.  pubescens,  P.  venusta,  P.  obovata, 
P.  frondosa,  and  many  others,  including  the  blue  Primrose,  now  so 
popular.  Even  earlier  than  with  us  in  the  south  was  Trillium  sessile  and 
Anemone  patens,  the  flowers  of  the  latter  being  of  especially  good  size. 
In  the  pond  one  could  see  flowers  of  the  well-known  Aponogeton 
distachyon,  and  by  its  margin  several  bog-loving  Primulas  and  Helonias 
bullata,  the  latter  being  in  splendid  condition — finer,  indeed,  than  I  have 
seen  it  anywhere  else.  At  this  stage,  however,  the  rain  became  too  much 
for  me,  and  only  time  remained  before  another  appointment  for  a  run 
through  the  new  houses,  which  are  admirably  adapted  for  theif  purpose, 
and  contain  some  splendidly  grown  and  attractive  plants.  Later  in  the 
season  I  hope  to  visit  the  Edinburgh  Royal  Botanical  Gardens  under 
more  favourable  conditions.— S.  Aknott. 
(To  be  continued.) 
AUTUMN  VERSUS  SPRING  DIGGING. 
/ 
“A  Market  Grower”  seeks  to  found  an  argument  in  connection 
with  this  somewhat  important  matter  on  insufficient,  and  indeed  an 
unstable  basis.  How  often  has  it  not  happened  that  the  soil  has  been 
hard,  dry,  and  difficult  to  work  in  the  autumn,  and  easy  to  dig  in  the 
spring.  So  much  depends  on  the  nature  of  the  season,  and  that  is  so 
variable  that  it  is  difficult  to  draw  from  such  data  at  any  one  season 
e.xact  conclusions.  Now  the  land  in  question  is  heavy  and  difficult.  I 
had  to  work  just  such  land  in  Middlesex  for  twenty  years,  a  piece  of 
stiff  clay,  at  times  quite  heart-breaking  to  work,  and  it  was  my  sad 
experience  that,  five  seasons  out  of  six,  if  I  had  portions  dug  during  the 
winter  to  accelerate  the  work  of  sowing  and  planting  in  the  spring,  that 
rains  would  saturate  the  dug  soil,  convert  it  into  the  consistency  of 
prepared  brick  clay,  then  it  would  bake  hard,  and  sometimes  portions 
would  be  too  hard  to  be  planted  at  all. 
In  the  maiority  of  cases  I  found  it  better  to  allow  the  ground  to 
remain  untouched  till  the  spring,  as  then  if  heavy  rains  fell  during  the 
winter  the  moisture  did  not  hang  in  the  soil,  but  passed  rapidly  through 
the  holes  or  drains  made  in  it  by  worms  and  plant  roots.  ^Of  course  it 
was  needful  to  put  on  more  labour  to  get  digging  done  in  the  spring,  but 
was  the  lesser  evil  of  the  tvvo.  It  was  not  needful  for  me  to  grow  winter 
crops,  Imt  a  market  gardener  must  of  necessity  do  so  if  his  labours  are 
to  be  profitable,  and  in  such  case  it  would  be  bad  gardening  to  have 
a  large  area  of  ground  lying  bare  or  fallow  during  the  winter  when  it 
should  have  been  carrying  crops  of  Cabbages,  Winter  Greens,  Broccolis, 
Spinach,  Onions,  Turnips,  and  similar  vegetables,  or  failing  these  Eye 
and  Tares  to  cut  for  horses,  or  Winter  Oats,  or  indeed  any  description 
of  green  crop  to  dig  or  plough  in  as  a  green  manure. 
Of  course  light  porous  or  sandy  soils  present  few  difficulties,  and  may 
he  dug  almost  at  any  time  with  ease.  Taking  soils  generally,  however, 
and  especially  where  cropped  to  give  the  owner  a  livelihood,  a  greater 
consideration  inevitably  is,  under  which  conditions  will  the  soil  give  most 
profit,  and  be  the  most  productive — by  lying  entirely  fallow,  or  by  carry¬ 
ing  a  green  winter  crop  ?  Without  doubt  the  best  results  come  from 
the  latter,  that  is,  if  both  the  teachings  of  science  and  experience  go 
for  anything.  Soil  that  is  lying  absolutely  uncropped  is  assumed  to  be 
resting  and  recuperating.  That  is  an  exploded  theory.  Soil  gains 
nothing  by  resting,  but  much  by  recuperating,  and  that  can  only  be  so 
when  it  is  either  carrying  a  crop  to  be  buried  into  it  as  manure,  or  is 
recruited  by  having  a  dressing  of  manure  or  plant  food  applied. 
If,  therefore,  there  be  no  profit  resulting  from  absolutely  “resting” 
soil,  to  use  a  current  term,  there  is  no  wisdom  in  allowing  it  to  lie  entirely 
idle,  and  any  description  of  crop  sown  on  to  it  in  the  autumn  in  time  to 
enable  growth  to  be  made  prior  to  the  setting  in  of  bard  weather  is  pro¬ 
ductive  of  real  profit.  No  doubt  the  best  form  of  crop  is  one  of  Tares  ; 
but  those  of  Rye,  Oats,  Mustard,  or  Turnips  are  much  better  than  none. 
Such  a  dressing  of  manure  as  these  catch  crops  give  costs  little,  and  is 
immediately  available  for  the  succeeding  crop,  as  decomposition  is  rapid, 
the  constituents  of  the  plants  being  tender  and  sappy,  and  not  woody, 
needing  much  time  to  become  soluble  or  decomposed,  as  is  the  case  with 
dry  fibre  like  straw.  All  the  same,  it  is  surprising  how  little  relatively 
green  manuring  of  this  nature  is  practised  in  gardens  where  it  would 
prove  to  be  profitable. — A.  D.. 
French  Beans  for  Forcing. — It  is  probable  that  few  vegetables 
are  more  highly  appreciated  early  in  the  year  than  French  Beans  of 
good  quality.  Hence  any  addition, that  is  of  decided  merit  is  much 
appreciated.  A  new  variety  raised  by  Mr.  G.  Wythes  of  Syon  House 
promises  to  be  excellent.  It  is  named  Wythes’  Improved  Mohawk, 
and  as  shown  amongst  others  by  the  raiser  is  very  fine.  The  pods  are 
above  average  size,  freely  produced, 'crisp,  and  of  excellent  flavour.  It 
is  an  advance  on  the  old  Mohawk,  and  is  a  splendid  forcer.  The  habit 
of  the  plant  is  such  as  makes  it  in  every  respect  desirable  for  culture 
in  pots  or  boxes. — Observer. 
