354 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  26,  1899, 
took  his  first  patent  for  improvements  in  horticultural  buildings,  and 
soon  after  a  second  for  his  plan  of  warming  conservatories  by  hot 
water,  next  the  nursery  turned  into  a  factory.  After  a  while  the 
business  was  removed  to  the  present  position  lower  down  in  the 
King’s  Road,  where  was  once  Moore’s  nursery,  joining  that  of  Davey. 
During  1845  Mr.  J.  Weeks  built,  on  the  ground  of  the  original 
Dursery,  the  structure  fronting  the  King’s  Road,  and  other  houses,  now, 
with  additions,  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Bull.  The  fame  of  his  establish¬ 
ment  is  almost  world-wide,  and  many  countries  have  contributed  to 
his  show  of  new  and  rare  plants,  especially  California  and  the  far 
West.  This  nursery  has  had  a  series  of  successes.  We  might  take  a 
sample  from  1870,  when  at  the  International  Exhibition  of  Brussels 
Mr.  Bull  received  three  gold  medals  and  five  silver  or  silver-gilt,  and 
his  new  Palm,  Pritchardia  grandis,  and  his  Dracaena  Goldieana,  were 
reckoned  amongst  the  gems  of  the  display.  It  was  the  same  year  he 
introduced  a  beautiful  variety  of  Lilium  auratum,  with  blooms  over  a 
foot  in  diameter,  of  various  tints  of  rid.  Then,  the  year  following,  he 
showed  the  variety  L.  neilgherrense,  a  magnificent  and  fragrant  species, 
having  large  and  numerous  flowers. 
We  pass  on  to  the  establishment  of  Messrs.  Yeitch  &  Sons, 
Limited,  who  are  now  owners  of  the  Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  in 
West  Chelsea.  Our  mention  of  them  last  does  not  imply  any 
inferiority,  for  the  establishment  is  an  important  one,  and  it  has  a 
very  memorable  history.  The  name  it  first  had  was  the  “Chelsea 
Botanical  Nursery,”  attributed  to  Mr.  Knight,  by  whom  it  was 
commenced  as  far  back  as  1808.  Previously  he  had  been  head 
gardener  to  a  gentleman  at  Clapham,  and  some  plants  from  his 
houses  helped  to  start  the  nuisery.  Nearly  every  year  witnessed  an 
increase  in  his  buildings  and  stock;  after  1845  a  nephew,  Mr.  Perry, 
was  associated  with  him.  Conifers  were  a  leading  item,  and  also 
American  ornamental  shrubs ;  then  a  large  trade  was  done  m  fruit 
trees.  A  glazed  passage,  connecting  the  Fulham  Road  entrance  with 
the  old  frontage,  was  an  improvement  of  1850.  Shortly  after,  Gray 
and  Ormson  built  an  aquarium,  which  was  the  first  of  that  size  and 
make.  The  square  of  the  tank  exhibited  the  Yictoria  Regia,  one  end 
being  reserved  for  species  of  Nelumbium,  Papyrus,  and  tall  aquatic 
plants,  the  other  held  various  Nymphteas. 
This  nursery  was  taken  by  the  Messrs.  Veitch  in  1853,  and  the 
firm  has  made  a  unique  record  duriug  these  forty-six  years.  Though 
a  branch  nursery,  which  Mr.  Knight  had  at  Battersea,  called  Brook- 
lands,  was  given  up,  the  firm  has  taken  additional  land  elsewhere. 
Fruit  trees  are  cultivated  on  the  ground  in  Peterborough  Lane,  Fulham, 
also  near  Coombe  Wood  is  a  nursery  for  hardy  trees  and  shrubs.  Two 
spaces,  still  larger,  at  Slough  and  Feltham,  are  devoted  to  raising  out¬ 
door  trees  and  plants,  also  others,  in  houses,  which  will  not  thrive  near 
the  smoke  of  London. — J.  R.  S.  C. 
VIOLETS  AT  BOWDEN  HILL. 
In  most  gardens  Yiolets  suffered  much  from  the  heat  and  drought 
of  the  past  summer,  and  m  one  instance  that  has  come  under  my 
notice  they  have  failed  so  badly  that  it  means  a  very  serious  loss 
to  their  owner,  who  largely  depends  upon  them  for  his  livelihood. 
Red  spider  also  was  responsible  for  much  injury. 
At  Bowden  Hill,  Chippenham,  the  residence  of  H.  J.  Harris, 
Esq.,  however,  the  \  iolets  never  looked  better  than  they  do  this 
season,  and  already  many  bunches  of  well-developed  flowers  have 
been  gathered.  Mr.  W.  Penton,  the  able  gardener  in  charge  of 
these  gardens,  is  invariably  successful  with  Violets,  both  single  and 
double  varieties,  annually  filling  a  range  of  pits  and  numerous 
trames  with  the  latter.  Such  a  grand  stock  of  plants  as  he  has 
lifted  and  stored  this  season  are  almost  certain  to  produce  abundance 
of  extra  fine  blooms.  The  single  varieties,  including  the  old  Czar, 
Princess  of  Y  ales,  and  others,  have  dark  green  leaves,  and  the 
blooms  are  borne  on  stalks  4  inches  to  8  inches  iu  length. 
Tim  soil  at  Bowden  Hill  is  very  sandy,  but  to  all  appearances 
retains  its  moisture  better  than  heavier  clayey  land.  For  Violets  it 
is  freely  dressed  with  half-decayed  horse  manure,  and  in  addition  a 
liberal  surfacing  of  ashes  and  charred  refuse  from  a  slow  fire,  which 
is  kept  almost  constantly  burning,  is  also  forked  in.  Where  it  is 
employed  the  plants  lift  much  the  most  satisfactorily,  the  roots 
clinging  to  it  tenaciously.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  doubles 
have  been  planted  on  the  same  breadth  of  ground  for  five  years  in 
succession. 
Both  singles  and  doubles  are  planted  out  as  early  in  April  as 
possible.  The  old  plants  are  all  dug  up,  pulled  to  pieces,  and  only 
well  rooted  young  crowns  replanted.  The  singles  placed  18  inches 
apart  last  April  now  touch  each  other.  Runners  are  kept  picked  off, 
all  except  Princess  of  Wales,  as  in  this  case  runners  produce  flowers 
freely  in  the  spring.  Mastering  such  large  quantities  of  Yiolets  on 
a  sandy  soil  would  be  a  great  undertaking,  and  the  plants  have 
succeeded  admirably  without  it ;  surface  hoeing,  however,  was  freely 
resorted  to. — Rambler. 
THOUGHTS  ON  EXHIBITING  GRAPES. 
We  have  had  several  able  reports  and  criticisms  on  the  Shrewsbury 
Show,  many  of  which  have  borne  particular  reference  to  the  Grape 
classes.  I  propose  now  to  give  some  thoughts  and  ideas  of  one  who 
was  absent.  First,  I  say  that  iu  a  summer  show,  where  as  many  as 
six  varieties  of  Grapes  are  required,  a  week’s  notice  is  too  long.  In 
the  case  of  plants  and  many  fruits  it  is  different ;  they  do  not  change 
so  much  in  a  week,  and  two  or  three  collections  of  plants  more  or 
less  in  a  big  class  would  make  a  considerable  difference  in  the  space. 
But  space  taken  up  by  Grapes,  which  on  an  average  is  a  square  foot 
for  each  bunch,  is  so  easily  calculated  that  I  think  there  should  be  an 
endeavour  made  to  give  growers  three  days  longer  to  decide. 
Some  varieties  of  black  Grapes  colour  rapidly — notably  Alnwick 
Seedling,  a  very  telling  sort  in  a  large  collection,  which  sometimes 
colours  perfectly  in  a  week  from  the  time  the  first  tinge  is  seen  ; 
indeed,  if  it  does  not  colour  in  a  fortnight  it  will  not  colour  perfectly 
at  all.  On  the  day  of  entry  my  Alnwick  Seedling  was  nor  half 
coloured,  but  on  the  day  of  the  show  it  was  a  perfect  blue  black,  not 
fully  swol  en,  perhaps,  or  perfectly  ripe,  but  very  handsome.  Had  I 
entered  1  must  have  shown  either  this  variety  or  Canon  Hall,  and  as 
I  interpreted  the  schedule,  the  latter  variety  would  not  be  counted 
distinct  from  the  several  aliases  of  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  although  to 
berry  it  is  nearly  double  the  size,  and  is  a  fortnight  earlier.  It  was 
decided  not  to  enter. 
Now  as  to  the  idea  of  using  plants  as  decorations  between  and 
around  the  Grape  stands.  Two  or  three  writers  have  given  a  favour¬ 
able  account  of  it,  and  wish  to  see  it  carried  still  further.  They  will, 
of  course,  say  that  those  who  have  not  seen  are  not  competent  to  judge 
of  the  effect.  Well,  then,  I  have  a  practical  objection.  The  prizes 
are  offered  primarily  for  the  highest  culture  in  Grapes,  and  in  a  case 
of  very  close  competition  it  is  conceivable  that  this  object  may  be 
defeated.  Suppose,  for  example,  with  my  Grapes  I  gain  fifty  points, 
and  my  nearest  opponent  gains  forty-eight  points  for  his  Grapes  and 
six  for  his  decorations,  while  my  decorations  are  only  credited  with 
three  points,  he  would  beat  me  by  one  point,  and  gain  the  coveted 
position  simply  because  he  had,  or  was  ablfe  to  beg,  borrow,  or  buy  a 
few  eighteenpeuny  table  plauts  slightly  better  than  mine,  and  high 
culture  in  the  fruit  would  be  out  of  the  running. 
I  have  my  ideas,  too,  in  the  matter  of  taste,  but  will  not  intrude 
them  on  your  readers,  except  to  say  that  the  champions  of  the 
so-called  decorations  of  the  Grape  stands  ought  by  the  same  logic  to 
turn  their  attention  to  the  plants  and  flowers.  Say,  for  instance,  that 
they  insist  on  Mr.  Cypher's  hardwocded  Heaths  and  Orchids  being 
decorated  with  Grapes  and  Apples.  If  these  were  neatly  tied  on  they 
would  claim  a  large  amount  of  attention.  1  hope  my  suggestions  are 
not  too  late  for  the  Committee  to  take  this  hint  into  their  serious 
consideration  when  compiling  their  next  schedule.  If  this  is  found 
to  answer,  the  idea  might  be  extended  still  further,  and  make  what  the 
confectioners  call  a  “  macedoine,”  and  I,  in  my  vulgarity,  term  a 
hotch-potch  all  round.  Although  not  at  the  show,  I  followed  up  the 
reports  very  closely,  and  saw  the  photo  of  the  prize  collection  in  the 
Journal.  What  an  insult  was  given  to  the  splendid  example  of 
Muscats  there  depicted.  Painting  the  Lily  would  be  a  laudable  act 
compared  with  it.  _ 
After  this  little  grumble  I  wish  to  highly  congratulate  the  Shrop¬ 
shire  Society  and  its  Committee  on  their  well  deserved  and  splendid 
successes,  and  to  thank  them  to  the  best  of  my  ability  for  the  great 
stimulus  they  have  given  to  horticulture.  There  has  been  a  tendency 
of  late  years  for  the  public  to  worship  bulk  at  the  expense  of  quality, 
and  this  has  been  reflected  too  much  at  our  shows  ;  happily  one  society 
at  least  is  attempting  to  give  each  its  proper  value.  The  idea  of 
judging  by  points  and  publicly  exhibiting  them  is  a  good  one,  as  it 
imposes  a  necessary  check  on  even  the  best  judges,  who  though  *they 
can  generally  tell  at  a  glance  which  exhibit  is  of  the  highest  merit,  do 
sometimes  make  a  mistake.  This  is  corrected  in  point  judging  by 
forcing  them  to  place  a  value  on  every  item  separately. 
There  are  two  other  varieties  of  Grape  equal  in  quality  to  Muscat- 
of  Alexandria,  and  I  should  like  to  see  them  given  an  equal  number 
of  possible  points.  These  are  Black  Hamburgh  and  Madresfield  Court, 
neither  of  which  to  my  mind  has  yet  been  cultivated  to  perfection. 
I  have  seen  many  bunches  of  Muscat  of  Alexandria  as  near  perfection 
as  I  think  it  possible  to  get  them — in  fact,  two  or  three  times  I  have 
seen  a  house  of  this  variety  nearly  reach  that  point.  But  not  so  with 
the  two  other  varieties  mentioned,  although,  as  some  of  your  older 
readers  are  aware,  I  have  seen  some  good  ones.— Y^m.  Taylor. 
