560 
December  28,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE 
dread  consequences  of  their  bravery,  but  extend  our  sympathy  in  a 
practical  manner  to  our  mourning  sisters  and  the  helpless  children 
dependent  on  them,  each  of  us  in  his  own  way  imparting  succour  in 
dire  distress,  and  giving  help  in  time  of  need.  Then  shall  we  not 
the  less,  but  the  more,  derive  pleasure  from  the  health- giving,  food- 
producing,  beauty-providing  pursuit  of  gardening ;  then  will  the  old 
year  pass  the  more  happily  with  us,  and  the  new  open,  we  would  fain 
hope,  the  more  encouragingly  and  satisfactorily. 
With  us,  journalistically  speaking,  the  year  is  gliding  smoothly 
away.  It  is  passing  amidst  feelings  of  friendliness  with  the  con¬ 
ductors  of  our  respected  contemporaries  at  home  or  abroad.  Each 
with  its  contingent  is  worthily  doing  its  duty  within  the  respective 
“spheres  of  influence,”  and  all  form  a  great  army  engaged  in  wresting 
from  the  soil  all  the  bounteous  stores  of  goodness  that  it  can  be  made 
to  yield  by  the  great  twin  power  of  knowledge  with  industry.  The 
ranks  are  swelling  yearly,  and  a  greater  number  of  homes  are 
consequently  being  made  brighter  and  better  than  before. 
We  rejoice  in  the  share  that  we  are  enabled  to  take  in  this  crusade 
of  peace ;  of  the  world  wide  constituency  that  we  are  glad  to  command ; 
of  the  trusty  old  friends  who  have  travelled  with  us  for  many  years, 
and  of  the  young  adherents  that  are  each  year  enrolled.  We  rejoice 
also  in  the  many  searchers  for  information,  for  this  shows  earnest¬ 
ness  and  activity — qualities  which  are  essential  to  success.  And 
certainly  not  less  proud  are  we  of  our  long  roll  of  imparters  of 
knowledge  in  gardening.  In  and  by  their  varied  acquirements,  the 
result  of  years  of  successful  work,  we  think  we  possess  the  means 
of  meeting  the  requirements  of  amateurs  and  gardeners  alike,  and  of 
aiding  in  doubts  and  difficulties  as  they  arise. 
Moreover,  besides  the  veterans,  young  men  of  marked  ability  and 
great  promise  are  always  coming  along  and  finding  a  welcome  ;  some 
have  evidently  come  to  stay,  though  others,  as  is  the  way  of  the 
world,  being  prone  to  take  long  rests  or  faint  by  the  way.  This  giveg 
variety,  and  variety  is  the  charm  of  the  garden  ;  and  a  reflex  of  this 
or  of  many  gardens,  and  the  work  done  in  them,  is,  we  may  fairly 
say,  our  literary  garden,  the  Journal  of  Horticulture. 
W  e  dwell  not  on  the  events  of  the  passing  year — its  gains  and  its 
losses  in  gardening — or  moralise  on  the  future.  This  will  be  done  by 
the  most  versatile  amateur  living — the  indefatigable  octogenarian — 
“D.,  Heal,”  in  the  early  days  of  1900,  which  we  think  he  regards  as 
the  opening  of  the  new  century.  We  are  content  to  refer  to  the 
present — its  association  and  engendered  thoughts  ;  to  acknowledge 
many  kindly  greetings,  and  register  the  hope,  if  briefly  yet  earnestly, 
that  with  all  our  friends  —  amateurs  and  gardeners,  writers  and 
readers,  old  and  young — the  old  year  of  1899  will  pass  pleasantly  and 
peacefully  away. 
FRENCH  BEANS  IN  POTS. 
French  Beans  are  easily  cultivated  in  pots  in  a  light  position  in 
a  heated  structure,  and  later  in  the  season  in  a  greenhouse  or  frame. 
'I hat  popular  variety,  Canadian  Wonder,  forces  very  well;  but  the 
earliest  plants  should  be  raised  from  seeds  of  the  best  standard  early 
forcing  varieties,  these  consisting  of  Osborn’s  Earlv  Forcing,  Sutton’s 
Forcing,  Prolific  Negro,  Sion  House,  and  Ne  Plus  Ultra. 
A  temperature  of  60°  to  70°  will  suit  these  Beans  best.  Eight- 
inch  pots  may  be  moderately  drained,  and  half  filled  with  n  compost 
of  equal  parts  loam  and  manure  pressed  moderately  firmly.  Eight 
seeds  are  sufficient  for  each  pot,  placing  them  2  inches  apart  and 
half  an  inch  deep.  Moist  soil  ought  to  be  used,  but  a  slight  sprinkling 
may  be  given  after  the  seed  is  sown,  which  will  suffice  until  germi¬ 
nation  has  taken  place  ;  then  give  a  moderate  supply,  more  as  the 
plants  advance,  and  afterwards  always  maintain  the  soil  moist.  In  a 
tew  weeks  a  top-dressing  may  be  given  of  equal  parts  of  soil  and 
manure,  and  the  plants  should  be  supported  with  twigs  or  small 
sprays,  as  the  growth  is  tender  and  likely  to  fall  about.  Stimulants 
consisting  of  weak  liquid  manure  and  sprinklings  of  artificials  may  be 
applied  when  the  pots  become  full  of  roots. 
Good  culture  and  attention  to  watering  causes  the  plants  to  be 
prolific,  and  prevents  red  spider  infesting  the  foliage — the  greatest 
drawback  to  forcing  Beans.  Dispense  with  all  plants  as  soon  as  they 
cease  to  be  prolific,  maintaining  a  continuous  supply  by  successive 
sowings.  The  Beans  will  not  do  well  in  the  shade,  therefore  should 
be  kept  as  near  the  glass  as  possible. — E.  Barrow. 
AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
DISTINCTIVE  GARDENING. 
( Concluded,  from  page  517.) 
In  the  creation  of  features  totally  opposed  to  local  natural 
surroundings  costly  mistakes  are  not  infrequently  made,  and  the  more 
expensive  they  are  the  farther  from  redemption.  In  one  particular 
place,  where  a  large  amount  of  money  was  expended  by  a  wealthy 
merchant,  some  of  the  results  are  particularly  incongruous,  and  the 
whole  generally  unsatisfactory.  The  visitor  is  told  that  so  many 
thousands  of  pounds  were  spent  on  laying  out  the  grounds,  and 
marvels  at  the  outlay  which  has  produced  little  more  than  a  sham. 
Distinctive  features  are,  of  a  truth,  not  wanting,  but  without  coherence 
giving  a  jarring  sensation,  “  like  sweet  bells  jangled  out  of  tune.” 
Here  and  there,  certainly,  the  keynote  of  harmony  is  felt  to  have 
been  touched,  but  as  quickly  lost  in  the  puerile,  if  not  the  grotesque. 
A  costly  work  of  this  kind  may  be  summed  up  as  one 
“Whose  incoherent  style,  like  sick  men’s  dreams, 
Varies  all  shapes  and  mixes  all  extremes.” 
How  utterly  useless  it  seems  for  gardeners,  as  students  of  Nature, 
to  even  attempt  the  reproduction  of  Nature’s  handiwork,  which  is  “  Too 
great  for  haste,  too  high'  for  rivalry.”  Infinitely  more  satisfactory 
is  it,  if  less  ambitious,  to  develop  rather  than  to  destroy  such  distinc¬ 
tive  features  as  pnsent  themselves  for  the  purpose.  One  may,  of 
course,  go  so  far  as  to  quote,  “  Nature  unadorned  is  adorned  the  most,” 
but  that  seldom  goes  far  enough  to  cover  the  garden  artist’s  wurk. 
Even  on  the  largest  scale,  even  to  the  stupendous  one  of  creation,  man 
seems  somehow  to  be  an  indispensable  part  of  the  great  natural  plan 
— the  factor  to  finish  the  work,  but  as  minister,  not  as  master. 
Directions  are  not  wanting  for  his  guidance,  delicately  traced,  truly, 
but  sufficiently  clear  for  those  who  live  in  silent  communion  with  her 
visible  forms. 
It  is  not  a  matter  for  surprise  that  the  enthusiastic  hand  when 
taking  grip  of  a  pliant  subject  should  press  matters  to  extremes  ; 
much  in  the  way  of  the  elephant  requisitioned  to  place  upright  a 
huge  Palm  storm-tossed  out  of  the  perpendicular,  whose  elephantine 
mightiness,  not  satisfied  with  having  accomplished  that,  deliberately 
pushed  it  over  on  the  other  side.  Some  of  the  happiest  conceptions  of 
the  picturesque  freedom  of  wild  gardening  seem  within  measurable 
distance  of  being  toppled  ov  r  by  the  introduction  of  our  coarser  native 
plants — weeds  in  fact.  All  are  beautiful,  in  a  way,  it  is  admitted, 
even  to  a  luxuriant  growth  of  Nettles,  which  rank,  indeed,  but  little 
lower  than  many  aggressive  plants  of  that  ilk,  some  of  the  wildest  of 
wild  gardeners  have  been  introducing  as  distinctive  features.  “Wild 
d’  ye  call  it,’  said  a  critic  when  viewing  a  specimen  of  the  extreme 
type,  “  I  calls  it  downright  savage ;  none  o’  that  for  me.” 
From  the  broad  highway  of  general  routine  diverge  many  pleasant 
bypaths  into  the  kingdom  of  interest  and  beauty.  The  casual  caller  to 
a  large  garden  expects  to  see  grand  Grapes,  various  vegetables  in  per¬ 
fection  ;  everything  which  tends  to  that  high  tone  distinguishing  good 
gardening.  He  sees  and  is  satisfied,  pleased  in  fact,  but  it  is  the 
unexpected  features  which  please  the  most  and  leave,  if  possible,  a 
more  lasting  impressio-.  At  what  small  cost,  too,  is  a  veritable 
eyesore  converted  into  a  thing  of  beauty,  carrying  as  well  on  the  face 
of  it  heaps  of  suggestions,  endless  possibilities.  Ever  and  anon 
“  our  Journal  ”  tells  the  tale  of  some  new  departure  begotten  of  a 
lesourceful  mind.  An  example  is  furnished  by  “  N.  E.,  Northumber¬ 
land ,”  who  tells  on  page  494  of  Miss  Willmott’s  happy  thought  and 
his  own  labour  of  love  in  converting  a  “  low-lying,  boggy  sort  of 
swamp”  into  a  home  for  Iris  Kaempferi.  This  article  (which  is  worth 
re-reading  by  those  interested)  concludes  with  “  We  are  adding  other 
features,  such  as  Primula  japonica,  P.  rosea.  .  .  .  Bamboos,  and 
what  has  hitherto  been  an  eyesore  into  a  place  of  interest  and 
beauty.”  No  better  illustration  of  this  side  of  our  subject  presents 
itself  at  the  moment,  and  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  in  the  whole 
domain  of  distinctive  gardening  a  better  one  could  be  found. 
“  How  are  the  mighty  fallen”  was  the  thought  when  on  visiting 
a  friend  a  few  years  since,  he  said,  “  My  Lord  has  gone  in  for  mar¬ 
keting.”  Condolences  followed  ;  they  were  neither  grateful  nor 
comforting;  wholly  unnecessary  in  fact.  Our  friend  had  merely 
bowed  under  the  ill  wind  of  depression,  then  sweeping  our  land,  which 
might  have  easily  broken  the  spirit  of  a  less  adaptable  man,  and  found 
fresh  fields  to  conquer  in  catering  for  the  market.  Still  the  same  air 
of  smartness  about  the  man  and  his  methods  which  had  formerly 
distinguished  him  when  competing  for  •*  the  cup,”  and  now  enabled 
him  to  capture  top  prices  with  the  best  produce.  “  Rather  tame  sort 
of  work,  isn’t  it  ?  ”  was  the  question  put  to  him.  “  Not  a  bit,”  was 
the  reply,  “  come  and  have  a  look  at  the  span-roofed  stove.”  “  What ! 
Your  grand  plant  stove,  roped  to  the  apex  with  Telegraph  Cucumbers.” 
How,  indeed,  are  the  mighty - .  “No,  my  dear  fellow,  that 
1  Cucumber  is  a  distinct  one  of  my  own  raising,  a  cross  between  such  a 
