August  31,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
183 
The  shortcomings  of  the  season  are,  needless  to  say,  looked  for 
among  the  fruit  producers.  What  matter  if  beds  and  borders  are 
ablaze  with  a  wealth  and  beauty  of  bloom,  and  seldom  has  a  finer  dis¬ 
play  been  in  evidence,  or  the  supply  of  vegetables  good  and  abundant, 
which  it  is,  fruit  crops  are  the  standard  by  which  the  merits  and 
demerits  of  the  gardening  year  are  guaged.  Granted  that  it  is  so, 
then,  I  fear,  the  character  of  1899  in  the  Green  Isle  will  be  shady,  for 
although  small  fruits  generally  have  been  plentiful,  Apples  and  Pears 
are  in  many  places  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  Particularly  is  this 
the  case  farther  inland  where  spring  frosts  nipped  “  the  darling  buds 
of  May.”  Disappointments  and  consolations  in  the  garden,  neverthe¬ 
less,  go  hand  in  hand.  Cut  flowers  being  in  great  demand,  we  rejoice 
at  present  in  quantity  and  quality,  which  leaves  little  to  be  desired. 
Sunflowers  of  perennial  and  annual  kinds,  the  warm  glow  of  thousands 
of  Montbretias  en  masse,  and  a  host  of  things  attractive  and  useful 
enliven  the  garden. 
Just  now  we  are  exultant  over  a  goodly  patch  of  Lobelia  cardinalis 
fulgens,  the  talier  spikes  of  which  have  exceeded  5  feet  in  height.  They 
form  a  glorious  bit  of  dazzling  colour,  unique  in  its  way,  and  with  the 
intense  blue  of  Salvia  patens  we  have  two  colours  unrivalled  in  the 
wealth  of  Flora.  These  bits  of  brightness  give  colour  to  the  creed  that 
self  colours  are  the  most  satisfying.  Sweet  Peas  are,  and  have  been 
fjr  a  long  time,  charming.  How  infinitely  superior  are  the  newer 
named  varieties,  and  sown  thinly  in  pots,  afterwards  planted  out  as 
single  clumps  through  the  borders,  they  are  grateful  and  comforting 
for  decorative  purposes  the  season  through  !  Could  our  hybridisers 
invest  them  with  the  singular  beauty  of  Lord  Anson’s  Pea  by  trans¬ 
ferring  that  bit  of  heaven’s  blue  to  the  Sweet  Pea  proper,  there  would, 
one  thinks,  be  little  more  to  accomplish  in  that  direction.  At  present 
one  is  neither  happy  without  a  few  patches  cf  Lord  Anson’s  Pea  nor 
with  it,  its  beauty  being  of  the  briefest  duration,  owing  to  its  seeding 
propensity  being  undisturbed  by  cutting,  for  which,  indeed,  it  does  not 
commend  itself. 
Gladioli,  hybrids  of  gandavensis,  have  been  in  flower  since  the 
middle  of  July,  and  these,  with  a  mixture  of  Lemoine’s  varieties 
amongst  them,  are  duly  appreciated  for  all  purposes.  These  were 
planted  late  in  March,  and  then  were  not  moving,  and  for  some  time 
after  coming  through  did  not  look  quite  happy,  which  tempted  a  trial 
of  nitrate  of  soda  upon  them.  The  effect  of  the  nitrate  is,  perhaps, 
more  noticeable  now  than  previously  in  stout  stems,  dark  vigorous 
fo'iage,  and  many  spikes  which  have  escaped  the  flower-basket  measure 
30  inches  from  the  first  flower  which  opened  to  the  last  which  lingers. 
Nothing  could  be  more  useful,  and  with  a  goodly  planting,  the  season 
extends  from  midsummer  till  winter  is  upon  us.  Some  beds  of 
G.  Colvillei  and  its  white  variety  have  not  done  well,  the  foliage  dying 
prematurely  ;  on  examination  the  newly  formed  corms  are  found  to 
be  diseased,  although  the  magnifier  reveals  no  form  of  animal  life. 
This  is  disappointing,  for  as  a  piermanent  plant  this  pretty  Gladiolus 
has  come  to  be  regarded  as  indispensable  From  a  small  packet  of 
seeds  were  raised  and  planted  out  sixty  single  Dahlias  which,  whea 
staked,  were  reduced  to  two  growths  on  each  plant ;  these  now  coming 
into  bloom,  are  charming  in  variety  and  brightness  of  colour,  and  the 
idea  prevails  that  for  cutting  purposes  this  method  of  annually  raising 
a  collection  from  seed  has  much  to  commend  it. 
Potato  spraying  appears  to  be  now  generally  practised  through  the 
length  and  breadth  of  Ireland,  but  whether  sufficient  persistence  has 
obtained  in  redressing  the  haulm  after  washings  by  rain  at  the  most 
critical  period  remains  to  be  seen.  The  thought  arises  whether  it  is 
possible  by  the  addition  of  some  tenacious  ingredient  to  the  spraying 
solution  to  enhance  its  staying  powers  in  showery  weather.  However 
that  may  be,  it  is  gratifying  to  note  the  practical  recognition  now  given 
to  spraying  as  a  blight  preventive.  So  much  depends  upon  autumn 
weather  respecting  this  important  crop  that  any  present  estimate  of  it 
would,  to  some  extent,  be  premature.  Summer  supplies  are  as  yet 
plentiful,  good,  and  cheap.  Complaints  of  lodged  corn  are  common, 
and  harvesting,  except  in  a  few  favoured  localities,  has  scarcely 
commenced.  Fine  breadths  of  field  Turnips,  although  a  little  on  the 
late  side,  have  been  noticed  in  different  localities,  and  the  Mangold  crop 
appears  to  be  very  promising.  Graziers  are  to  be  congratulated  upon 
heavy  crops  of  after  grass,  and  the  increasing  sale  of  chemical  manures, 
largely  manufactured  in  Dublin,  includes  the  use  of  superphosphate 
upon  grass  lands  to  their  decided  advantage.  For  several  years  the 
benefits  derived  from  its  use  upon  old  pastures  could  not  escape  notice. 
By  applying  it  in  early  spring  at  the  rate  of  6  cwts.  per  acre  weedy 
and  mossy  growths  give  way  to  a  sweet,  nutritious  herbage,  in  which 
the  Trefoils  play  a  prominent  part. 
On  some  grass  farms  has  lately  appeared  a  labour-saving  implement 
which  seems  likely,  as  its  merits  become  more  generally  known,  to 
become  a  mechanical  necessity.  This  is  the  Thistle  cutter,  a  single 
horse  machine,  which,  without  cutting  the  grass,  sweeps  off  with  its 
revolving  cutters  not  only  Thistles,  but  Docks,  Ragweed,  and  others 
of  that  ilk.  Old-fashioned  folk  do  not  take  kindly  to  novelties,  but 
one  who  was  tempted  to  Bee  this  machine  at  work  says  it  is  “  a 
clipper.” — K.,  Dublin. 
LONDON  GARDENS  OVER  FIFTY  YEARS. 
No.  12. 
Probably  the  mention  of  Wandsworth  does  to  most  South  Lon¬ 
doners  call  Clapham  to  the  mind.  The  two  suburbs  have  ever  been 
closely  linked  together.  Clapham,  indeed,  by  old  repute  stands  tip-top 
amongst  the  Surrey  suburbs  of  London,  surpassing  even  Brixton  andi 
Norwood  ;  happy,  too,  in  the  possession  of  its  extensive  common, 
supposed  to  be  the  stretch  of  wild  heath  land  referred  to  in  our  early 
history,  when  King  Allectus,  with  an  army  of  Franks  and  Britons, 
met  the  Roman  General  Asclepiodotus,  and  after  a  fierce  fight  was 
utterly  routed.  Unlucky  Wandsworth  has  had  its  common  sadly 
mutilated,  and  narrowly  escaped  losing  it  altogether,  but  Sir  Henry 
Peek  appeared  as  rescuer.  Regarded  from  an  artistic  and  horticul¬ 
tural  point  of  view,  Clapham  Common  is  not,  perhaps,  all  we  might 
wish.  It  has  kept  some  natural  beauties,  certainly,  and  has  many 
good  scattered  trees  planted  in  an  irregular  fashion  along  a  network  of 
roads  and  cross  paths.  Upon  the  south  side  the  planting  was  partly 
carried  out  on  the  principle  of  placing  several  of  the  same  species  in  a 
clump  for  effect.  Some  patches  of  the  primitive  F urze  yet  remain ;  very 
liable  to  be  set  on  fire  during  dry  years.  The  ponds  of  Clapham 
Common  yielded  several  curious  aquatic  plants,  but  I  cannot  encourage 
the  collector  to  seek  for  them  now. 
Streets  and  terraces  were  springing  up  about  Clapham  fifty  years 
ago,  but  there  yet  remained  a  large  residue  of  those  mansions  and 
gardens  for  which  the  suburb  was  famous.  It  was  here  the  City 
merchant  had  a  lawn,  with  spreading  Cedars  or  leafy  Sycamores, 
beneath  which  his  friends  could  sit  in  converse  and  enjoy  the  air. 
Here  he  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of  raising  early  Strawberries  and 
Peas,  while  his  houses  afforded  him  abundance  of  Grapes  and  Pino 
Apples  to  distribute  as  presents.  His  borders  showed  a  singular 
mingling  of  the  old  style  flowers  and  the  newest  exotics  of  that  day. 
But  the  railways  tempted  him  to  go  farther  off,  away  from  the  London 
fogs  and  noise  to  rural  retreats,  where  land  could  be  bought  cheaply. 
Yet  there  are  still,  of  course,  many  houses  about  Clapham  with  gardens 
attached  of  moderate  dimensions,  in  which  the  space  is  turned  to 
better  account  than  it  was  in  the  ampler  ge-dcnc  of  a  bygcr.c. 
generation.  I  can  recollect  when  a  boy  being  taken  into  Clapham/ 
greenhouses  which  were  thought  remarkable  then,  but  in  which  there 
was  waste  of  room,  uncertain  temperature,  harbour  for  insects,  and 
other  defects  we  do  not  find  in  the  improved  modern  conservatories. 
Gardeners  and  the  general  public  used  to  visit  Henry  Groom’s 
nursery  at  Clapham  during  May,  while  his  was  the  principal  establish¬ 
ment  there,  as  he  was  famous  for  displays  of  flowering  bulbs.  He  had 
over  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  Tulips  sometimes,  which  was  thought 
an  astonishing  number  forty  or  fifty  years  ago.  Groom  had  been  at 
Walworth,  the  “  village  of  bulbs,”  before  1843,  when  he  moved 
farther  out,  to  escape  the  London  smoke.  He  styled  himself  “  florist 
to  the  Queen  and  the  King  of  Saxony,”  and  I  believe  his  nursery  also 
bore  the  title  of  the  Claremont  Nursery.  One  of  his  specialities  was 
the  autumn  Lilium  lancifolium  album.  I  have  been  unable  to 
discover  the  date  of  his  decease.  The  Clapham  Road  Nursery  was  for 
many  years  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Boyce,  who  informed  me  it  was 
founded  by  Attlee  about  1840,  though  the  statement  has  been  made 
that  it  was  at  first  a  branch  of  Randal’s,  who  was  early  in  this- 
century  a  well-known  nurseryman  at  Brixton.  When  I  visited  it  the 
ground  was  nearly  all  covered  with  glass,  and  Mr.  Boyce  then  gave 
much  attention  to  soft-wooded  flowering  plants  ;  he  had  been  com¬ 
mended  for  his  Azaleas,  Primulas,  an  1  Pelargoniums. 
According  to  our  “Directory”  the  present  occupier  is  Mr.  Ollis, 
and  this  also  records  Mr.  Fischer,  of  High  Street,  as  the  other  njursery- 
man  of  present  day  Clapham.  Another  old  nursery  I  remember  was 
called  the  Rose  Nursery,  once  famous  for  its  Roses  in  pots  and  its 
Cape  Heaths.  Before  leaving  this  suburb,  I  note  that  the  expanse  of 
Clapham  Park  was  the  biggest  piece  of  land  the  builders  had  to  deal 
with  here,  about  250  acres,  at  first  called  Bleak  Hill  Farm,  belonging 
to  the  Bowyers.  They  leased  the  greater  part  to  Mr.  Thomas  Cubitt 
in  1825.  He  built  upon  the  land,  but  certainly  improved  the  outlook 
by  the  formation  of  good  roads  and  extensive  tree  planting. 
At  Tooting,  not  far  off,  there  was  a  nursery,  however,  which 
existed  many  years,  that  might  be  deemed  to  occupy  a  more  important 
position  than  any  of  those  adjacent.  This  was  the  establishment  of 
Messrs.  Rollisson  (Loudon  spells  the  name  Ronaldson  in  his  “Encyclo¬ 
paedia  of  Gardening,”) ;  it  is  said  to  haye  been  started  labout  1780. 
In  its  early  days  it  was  celebrated  for  Cape  and  American 
plants,  and  a  large  stock  kept  of  ornamental  shrubs  and 
trees,  suitable  for  town  or  country.  During  this  century  the 
firm  erected  houses  for  Orchids,  and  other  stove  plants.  In  1851 
and  1852  the  collection  of  Pitcher  Plants  proved  a  great  attraction, 
the  firm  having  obtained  several  rare  and  new  species  of  Nepenthes, 
with  several  allied  species  of  similar  habit.  Messrs.  Rollisson  brought 
over  the  N.gymnaphora  of  Blume,  a  handsome  speciesfrom  Java,  having 
smallish  leaves,  but  cups  4  inches  long,  of  white  and  purple.  Indeed, 
their  collectors  sent  home  a  choice  assortment  from  many  countries 
