July  21,  1S9H. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
47 
-  Phormium  Hookeri. — A  specimen  of  this  New  Zealand  plant 
is  at  present  bearing  two  fine  spikes  of  flowers  in  the  temperate  house  at 
Kow.  Grown  in  pots  it  makes  a  useful  plant  for  decorative  purposes, 
but  planted  out  in  a  cool  house  it  is  seen  to  much  better  advantage.  The 
plant  at  Kew  is  growing  in  light  loam,  and  looks  perfectly  happy.  The 
Sedge-like  leaves  are  leathery  and  glossy  ;  the  largest  are  7  feet  in 
length  by  3  inches  in  width,  and  arch  gracefully.  The  flower  spikes  are 
7g  feet  long,  stout  and  purple,  with  a  slight  glaucous  covering.  The 
flowers  are  produced  in  flattened  branches,  at  intervals  of  a  few  inches, 
on  opposite  sides  of  the  upper  part  of  the  stem.  On  each  of  the  side 
branches  there  are  twenty  or  more  flowers.  They  are  tubular,  2  inches  in 
length,  with  short  purple  stalks.  The  outsid"  segments  are  yellow  with 
a  slight  tinge  of  red  on  the  outer  side,  the  inner  being  green.  From  the 
mouth  of  the  perianth  the  stamens,  which  are  purple,  with  golden  anthers, 
protrude  about  half  an  inch,  the  contrast  between  the  whole  being  very 
striking.  Near  this  plant  a  specimen  of  the  variegated  form  of  P.  tenax 
is  to  be  seen  producing  leaves  8  to  9  feet  in  length,  and  a  flower  spike 
10  feet  high.  Whether  in  or  out  of  flower  Phormiums  are  striking  objects, 
and  are  well  worthy  a  place  a  cool  greenhouse. — D.  K. 
-  Blighted  Plum  Trees.— It  cannot  be  said  that  the  early 
promise  of  a  prolific  fruit  season  has  been  fulfilled  to  the  expectations  of 
growers  generally  ;  and  though  in  some  places  treec  are  well  laden,  in 
others  there  are  complaints  as  to  the  scarcity  of  the  crops.  For  the 
abundance  of  insect  and  aphides  pests  the  season  is  remarkable,  though 
here  again  the  way  in  which  they  are  confined  to  localities  is  singular. 
In  some  districts  the  condition  of  Plums  and  Damsons  is  pitiable,  owing 
to  the  multitude  of  aphides  that  infest  and  spoil  the  foliage.  In  many 
orchards  the  leaves  are  curled  and  wrinkled  by  attacks  of  these  pests  ; 
much  of  the  fruit  has  fallen,  and  it  is  only  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
remainder  will  be  undersized  and  of  second-class  quality.  The  welfare 
of  the  trees  must  also  suffer,  as  under  such  conditions  it  is  impossible  for 
the  growth  to  be  strong  and  vigorous.  In  other  neighbourhoods  a  much 
better  state  of  affairs  exists.  Trees  are  in  a  clean  healthy  state,  and  well 
laden  with  fruit.  Probably  this  irregular  distribution  will  have  its  effect 
in  keeping  prices  up,  and  those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  have  good 
crops  will  be  the  gainers.  The  other  day  I  visited  two  plantations  a  few 
miles  apart.  In  the  one  trees  of  Victoria,  Green  Gage,  Pond’s  Seedling, 
and  other  varieties  were  showing  good  crops,  and  the  foliage  clean  and 
healthy.  In  the  other  most  of  the  fruit  had  fallen,  and  the  crippled  and 
infested  foliage  told  its  own  story  of  the  disastrous  effect  of  the  plague 
of  aphides. — Kentish  Man. 
SHAKESPEARE  AS  GARDENER. 
Is  gardening  study  enough  for  a  gardener?  Is  there  within  its  limits 
an  all-embracing,  all-nourishing  pabulum,  sufficient  for  his  every  intel¬ 
lectual  need  ?  There  is  an  element  of  the  paradoxical,  perhaps  even  of 
the  grotesque,  in  such  a  question.  What  should  a  gardener  study,  it  may 
be  asked,  if  not  gardening  ?  Horticulture,  as  applied  to  the  management 
of  great  gardens  is,  it  might  be  urged,  so  many-sided,  that  a  man  must 
have  an  omnivorous  appetite  for  knowledge  who  cannot  satisfy  himself 
with  it.  On  the  other  hand,  the  groove  danger  is  a  very  real  one,  and 
mental  vivacity  is  frequently  sacrificed  on  the  altar  of  restriction. 
In  reading  such  a  book  as  Canon  Ellacombe’s  riant  Lore  and  Garden 
Craft  of  Shakespeare ,*  one  of  the  most  impressive  thoughts  is  the  universality 
of  knowledge  possessed  by  the  matchless  writer.  We  have  been  told  of 
the  amazing  circle  of  technical  subjects  of  which  Shakespeare  had  intimate 
knowledge.  He  was  familiar  with  every  trade  and  every  profession.  Not 
so  very  long  ago,  but  just  long  enough  to  forget  the  order,  I  read  a  string 
of  the  parts  in  his  wonderful  repertory.  He  was,  I  remember,  a  lawyer,  a 
chemist,  a  doctor,  an  astronomer,  and  a  whole  host  of  other  things,  and  his 
knowledge  was  not  a  casual  and  unreliable  smattering,  it  was  invariably 
sound  and  often  profound.  “Gardener1'  was  not,  I  think,  included  in  the 
list,  yet  no  one  reading  the  good  Canon’s  delightful  volume  can  doubt  that 
Shakespeare  was,  in  knowledge  and  sympathy,  a  true  gardener.  How  did 
the  Bard  acquire  these  varied  intellectual  resources  ?  By  inspiration  ? 
By  intuition?  Impossible  to  believe  it.  He  equipped  himself  hy  enormous 
labour.  As  Mr.  Gosse  remarks  in  Modem  English  Literature,  “  the  old 
notion  that  William  Shakespeare  was  an  untaught  genius,  warbling  his 
wood-notes  wild,  has  long  been  discarded.  We  now  perceive  that  he  was 
‘  made  ’  not  less  than  ‘  born.’  ” 
My  object  in  presenting  this  aspect  of  a  man  whose  very  greatness 
appals,  is  to  show  that  the  humblest  worker  has  as  deep  and  living  an 
interest  in  a  book  like  this  as  any  college-equipped  student.  There  are 
people  whose  whole  lives  are  devoted  to  the  study  of  Shakespeare.  They 
have,  many  of  them,  means  and  leisure,  so  that  there  is  nothing  between 
them  and  their  desire.  But  not  a  man  of  them,  however  favoured  by 
fortune,  can  learn  a  richer  and  nobler  lesson  than  the  young  gardener 
who,  by  a  little  self-denial,  provides  himself  with  the  means  of  communing, 
*  The  Plant  Lore  and  Garden  Craft  of  Shakespeare,  by  Henry  N.  Ellacombe, 
M.A.  Edward  Arnold,  price  10s.  6d 
through  the  medium  of  his  own  calling,  with  the  mightiest  genius  that  has 
arisen  to  intrepret  and  instruct  mankind. 
Resisting  the  almost  overpowering  impulse  to  cull  blossoms  from  this 
garden  of  sweet  and  opulent  wisdom,  I  pay  the  tribute  which  must  spring 
from  the  heart  of  every  learner  to  the  good  Canon  tor  a  great  work  greatly 
done,  and  bespeak  for  his  volume  the  careful  and  reverent  study  which  it 
so  well  deserves. — W.  P.  W. 
GROWING  CARNATIONS. 
Those  who  cultivate  Carnations  have  at  present  their  attention 
engaged  by  two  matters,  the  one  to  secure  large  blooms,  which  are  al  ways 
the  clearest  or  most  brilliant  in  colouring,  the  other  the  production  ot 
stock  for  another  year.  Let  us  first  discuss  the  former  of  these,  and  after¬ 
wards  the  latter.  The  complaint  this  year  is  not  uncommon  that  outdoor 
plants  wintered  badly  ;  still  there  must  be  many  that  have  done  better 
than  the  generality,  and  where  these  are  producing  flowering  stems  too 
profusely  it  is  safe  to  reduce  the  number  to  four  or  more,  according 
to  the  strength  of  the  plant,  but  not  exceeding  eight  in  all.  We  are 
slow  to  learn  that  quantity  and  quality  are  antagonistic.  Reducing 
the  number  of  stems  and  thinning  the  grass  contribute  to  quality,  but 
it  is  only  by  removing  superabundant  buds,  most  of  which,  judged  by 
the  above  standard,  are  worthless,  that  the  desired  effect  is  obtained. 
Possibly  to  those  who  have  not  attempted  disbudding,  the  process 
where  the  number  of  plants  cultivated  is  large  may  appear  one  of  some 
magnitude,  and  not  to  be  lightly  undertaken.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  an 
hour  spent  among  the  plants  will  see  several  hundreds  relieved.  The 
easiest,  and  also  the  best  method,  is  to  take  each  bud  to  be  removed 
between  the  finger  and  thumb,  and  pull  it  out,  not  break  it  off. 
With  regard  to  layering,  the  practice  of  putting  down  the  grass  at 
the  earliest  moment  after  it  has  arrived  at  a  condition  fit  to  manipulate, 
is  spreading.  Early  layering  is  in  fact  one  of  the  little  items  in  the  total 
that  go  far  to  make  Carnation  culture  a  success.  It  must  of  course  be 
followed  by  early  planting,  which  is  as  important  as  the  other.  Layering 
itself  is  to  the  initiated  so  simple  an  operation  that  any  remarks  on  the 
subject  may  be  considered  as  almost  superfluous.  But  my  experience 
goes  to  show  many  young  gardeners  to  be  not  only  inefficient,  but  some¬ 
times  ignorant  altogether  of  details.  Like  all  matters  connected  with 
gardening,  a  little  sound  judgment  is  invaluable.  The  more  mature 
growths  will  be  first  put  down,  the  immature  left  to  the  last  or  to  another 
occasion.  There  will  be  scope  for  some  discretion  as  to  the  addition  of 
material  to  influence  rooting.  For  example,  if  the  garden  soil  is  light 
and  open  in  texture,  early  layers  will  succeed  perfectly  in  that.  Very 
late  layers,  when  time  is  all-important,  on  the  other  hand,  root  more 
rapidly,  and  form  a  cluster  of  rootlets  more  certainly  wnen  equal  parts 
of  fine  peat  and  sand  are  employed  as  a  rooting  medium. 
These,  however,  are  both  extremes.  Sometimes  one  notices  the  base  of 
the  plants  surrounded  by  mounds  of  soil,  into  which  the  layers  are  pegged. 
It  is  a  method  of  which  I  do  not  approve,  and  where  the  young  shoots 
are  so  far  up  the  stems  as  to  require  means  being  taken  to  bring  them 
and  the  soil  closely  together,  I  find  it  much  the  better  way  to  firmly  peg 
down  the  whole  plant,  and  thus  bring  all  tbe  “  grass  ”  close  to  the  soil. 
As  a  rule  all  such  plants  are  thus  pegged  down  previous  to  staking.  Then 
there  are  varieties,  of  which  Ketton  Rose  is  an  example,  where  the  layers 
are  easily  pulled  away  from  the  stem  when  being  pegged  down.  Clumsy 
operators  invariably  destroy  a  number  of  layers  in  this  way,  and  even 
those  who  are  clever  manipulators  not  infrequently  cause  losses. 
By  following  the  under-noted  method  these  losses  are  avoided.  When 
the  slit  has  been  made  which  produces  the  tongue,  before  pressing  the 
last  named  into  the  soil  with  a  peg,  which  is  the  great  cause  of  loss,  take 
the  layer  between  finger  and  thumb,  and  with  a  double  movement  press 
it  gently  upwards  against  the  parent  stem,  while  drawing  the  tongue 
towards  the  soil,  into  which  it  is  fastened  by  the  peg.  By  the  same 
method  the  growths  of  some  varieties  may  be  safely  brought  down  several 
inches,  but  in  this  case  in  order  to  be  sure  that  the  shoot  is  not  torn  off 
the  stem,  a  kind  of  fulcrum  is  formed  by  placing  a  finger  of  the  left 
hand  underneath  it  while  the  tongue  is  being  pegged  into  position.  The 
result  in  this  example  is  that  the  shoots  start  slightly  upwards  and 
outwards,  and  arch  over  the  finger,  going  thence  straight  down  to  the 
soil.  When  layering  always  arch  the  shoots  connecting  the  plant  with 
the  layer. 
I  may  be  permitted  to  add  that  last  year  I  planted  the  great  majority 
of  our  Carnations  on  beds  raised  above  the  surface.  For  some  years  this 
has  been  my  practice  with  yellow  and  yellow  ground  sorts.  I  am  glad  to 
say  it  suits  all  others  equally  well.  The  beds  are  raised  by  making  the 
alleys  between  each  somewhat  wider  than  usual,  and  with  the  material 
the  beds  are  raised  a  few  inches.  Some  2  inches  of  light  material  and 
sand  are  also  added,  and  a  bed  holding  four  lines  of  plants  and  raised 
about  8  inches  above  the  level  is  the  result.  The  invariable  fear  of  those 
who  have  seen  the  beds  has  been  that  the  plants  would  be  dried  up.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  by  giving  a  greater  depth  of  fertile  and  especially  friable 
soil  its  moisture- holding  capacity  has  been  increased.  Above  all,  the 
plants  have  thriven,  and  the  terrible  scourge  that  has  done  so  much 
harm  to  Carnations  in  all  parts  of  the  country  has  been  kept  at  bay. 
Of  course,  I  am  not  quite  satisfied  that  these  raised  beds  are  every¬ 
thing  they  might  be,  and  1  hope  to  improve  somewhat  on  those  for  the 
current  year’s  planting.  The  principle,  however,  is  a  right  one, 
and  I  am  certain  no  one  who  is  troubled  with  disease  in  Carnations 
during  the  winter  and  spring  months  need  hesitate  to  adopt  it. — 
R.  P.  Brotherston. 
