60 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  18,  1896. 
the  exception,  then,  I  repeat,  we  are  past  redemption.  Call  on  your 
imagination,  “Argus,”  and  picture,  on  lines  parallel  to  the  original 
conception  (the  original  article)  a  vessel  yawling  about  ready  to  founder  ; 
why  even  the  rats  would  desert  her,  and  small  blame  to  them.  There 
is  always  danger  of  a  narrow  construction  being  placed  on  a  broad 
subject  when  derived  from  a  single  opinion.  The  discussion  has  now 
entered  on  broader  and  more  liberal  lines. 
We  may  now  reason  from  what  we  know,  and  not  from  “facts  which 
darna  be  disputed  for,  as  in  this  case,  facts  which  will  neither  take 
shape  nor  form  (though  it  is  not  too  late  for  them  to  do  so,  if  “A 
Scottish  Gardener  ”  so  wills  it)  may  be  but  ghosts,  which  it  is  necessary 
to  lay  in  the  interests  of  public  peace  ;  but  to  “dispute”  with  them  is 
impossible,  for  there  is  nothing  tangible  to  dispute  with.  Isolated  cases 
of  misdemeanour  prove  nothing  where  so  large  an  area  is  called  into 
question. — Vespa.  _ 
May  I  ask  “  Scottish  Gardener  ”  (page  574),  how  many  cottagers 
would  exhibit  at  flower  shows  if  no  money  prizes  were  given  ?  In  many 
country  shows  the  cottagers’  division  has  more  entries  than  all  the  other 
divisions  put  together.  At  a  show  in  the  Swansea  Valley,  in  which 
I  take  an  interest,  in  1895  the  cottagers’  entries  were  over  500  in  number, 
out  of  about  1800,  the  other  divisions  being  the  open,  amateurs,  farmers 
and  specials. 
Many  of  the  cottagers  exhibit  first  class  produce,  buying  the 
best  seeds  of  specialities  in  vegetables  from  various  seedsmen.  One  man 
I  know  paid  between  £3  and  £4  for  seeds  in  one  year.  This  he 
could  not  possibly  do,  unless  he  expected  to  have  part  of  it  returned 
in  prize  money.  Certificates  would  not  pay  his  seedsmen’s  bills. — 
Welsh  Gardener, 
EXHAUSTED  VINES. 
I  should  be  much  obliged  if  some  reader  of  the  Journal  would 
give  me  advice  respecting  some  old  Vines — Black  Hamburghs — many 
of  the  laterals  of  which  are  very  little  larger  than  a  good  Wheat  straw. 
The  bunches  and  berries  are  very  red  and  shrivelled.  I  should  say  they 
have  been  planted  at  least  twenty  years  or  more.  Some  attempt  has 
been  made  at  renovation  by  those  previously  in  charge,  but  with  very 
Door  results.  The  roots  are  in  an  outside  border.  I  am  told  they  have 
been  cropped  very  heavily,  bunches  on  every  lateral  as  far  as  possible, 
sometimes  two.  Is  it  any  use  one  trying  to  bring  them  round  ?  This 
year  they  have  been  tried  with  a  light  crop,  with  the  results  mentioned 
previously. — H. 
[Our  correspondent  is  a  young  head  gardener,  and  finds  himself  in 
the  difficulty  of  not  knowing  what  to  do  for  the  best  under  the  circum¬ 
stances  described.  He  thinks  there  must  be  older  members  of  the  craft 
who  have  experienced  difficulties  of  the  same  nature,  and  who  will  be 
willing  to  give  him  advice,  for  which  he  will  be  grateful.  We  shall 
readily  publish  information  that  may  be  of  service  to  him  and  to  others 
on  the  subject  of  his  note  ] 
ROATH  PARK,  CARDIFF. 
Londoners,  as  a  rule,  pride  themselves  on  their  parks  and  open 
spaces,  and  considering  the  beauty  of  the  majority  of  them  and  the 
undoubted  utility  of  all,  one  may  Bay  they  are  justified  in  so  doing. 
Few  persons  living  in  our  great  metropolis  care  to  think  of  London 
without  its  lungs,  and  probably  no  one  censures  the  London  County 
Council  for  the  money  it  has  laid  out  in  the  purchase  of  new  and  the 
improvement  of  old  sites  and  in  their  maintenance.  But  London  is  not 
by  any  means  alone  in  possessing  handsome  parks  and  gardens  ;  on  the 
contrary,  most  of  the  large  cities  and  towns  of  England  have  at  least  one, 
and  generally  more  places  where  the  inhabitants  can  enjoy  the  sight  of 
green  grass,  beautiful  flowers,  stately  trees,  picturesque  expanses  of  water, 
and  the  invigorating  spectacles  of  our  great  national  gameB  for  nothing, 
or  rather  comparatively  nothing,  as  though  the  cost  must  be  provided 
for  through  the  rates  the  charge  is  usually  so  infinitesimally  small  as  to 
be  totally  unworthy  of  the  notice  of  broad-minded  Englishmen,  who  with 
ease  grasp  the  benefits  derived  from  their  possession.  From  a  health¬ 
giving  point  of  view  the  value  of  parks  and  gardens  to  the  population  of 
large  towns  is  not  readily  perceptible,  but  everyone  knows  it  must  be 
simply  enormous. 
But  it  is  not,  however,  proposed  here  to  regard  these  things  from 
what  may  be  termed  a  hygienic  standpoint,  nor  to  pass  in  review  order 
the  parks  of  London,  but  to  go  scores  of  miles  away  from  the  modern 
Babylon  into  Wales,  and  look  with  a  horticultural  eye  on  the  doings  of 
the  powers  that  be  in  the  important  seaport  town  of  Cardiff.  Speaking 
generally,  one  cannot  with  justice  accuse  “  gallant  little  Wales  ”  of  being 
behind  in  the  matter  of  improvements,  and  probably,  of  all  its  towns, 
Cardiff  would  be  placed  well  in  the  van.  Here  is  a  town  that,  according  to 
the  last  census  returns,  had  a  population  of  nearly  129  000,  and  it  has  now 
parks,  gardens  and  commons  covering  a  space  of  upwards  of  180  acres, 
As  is  common  in  all  towns  where  there  is  much  shipping,  many  of  the 
inhabitants  belong  to  the  poorest  class,  and  live  in  houseB  having  a 
small  yard— no  stretch  of  the  imagination  can  make  it  a  garden — at 
the  back,  while  the  frontage  abuts  immediately  on  the  pavement.  Not 
that  the  town  is  entirely  composed  of  such  dwellings  as  these,  for  there 
are  wide  streets  flanked  by  splendid  shops  and  charming  private 
residences,  both  small  and  large,  Buch  as  may  be  found  in  the  environs 
of  all  towns  of  considerable  size.  It  is  not  to  these  latter  that  the  parks 
are  such  a  boon  ;  but  to  the  former,  who,  deprived  by  necessity  of 
gardens  of  their  own,  must  have  recourse  to  those  provided  by  the 
intelligence  of  a  thriving  corporation. 
The  desirability  of  doing  all  that  could  be  done  in  this  direction  in 
Cardiff  appears  to  have  been  practically  realised  only  a  very  few  years 
ago,  when  advertisements  were  inserted  in  the  customary  mediums  for  a 
superintendent  to  take  charge  of  all  the  open  spaces,  and  also  of  the 
hundreds  of  trees  planted  at  the  roadsides.  The  choice  fell  on  one 
who  may  be  designated  a  Cardiff  man,  and  who  bears  a  name  at  once 
honoured  and  respected  throughout  the  gardening  world — Pettigrew. 
Who  does  not  know  Mr.  Pettigrew  of  Cardiff  Castle,  at  least  by  repute  1 
Fewer  persons  know  his  eldest  son,  Mr.  W.  W.  Pettigrew,  though  he 
has  seen  service  in  several  gardens,  and  is  familiar  to  many  a9  an  old 
Kewite.  To  this  man,  young  in  years  but  old  in  knowledge,  was 
entrusted  the  management  of  the  existing  gardens  and  the  laying  out 
of  several  new  ones,  and  the  unanimous  verdict  is  that  the  choice  was 
an  excellent  one,  for  under  his  guidance  the  marked  and  constant 
improvement  has  been  the  source  of  much  appreciation  by  the  authori¬ 
ties,  and  of  pleasure  to  the  public  in  general.  Evidences  of  his  skill  and 
concentration  are  seen  on  every  hand,  and  the  visitor  to  Cardiff  cannot 
but  express  surprise  and  admiration  when  he  Bees  the  work  that  has 
been  and  is  being  done. 
In  a  previous  paragraph  it  was  mentioned  that  there  were  about 
180  acres  at  present  in  hand,  and  before  looking  at  some  of  tbe  principal 
in  detail  a  general  survey  may  advantageously  be  taken  to  ascertain 
how  the  space  is  allotted.  First  of  all  we  have  Roath  Park,  the  name 
at  the  head  of  these  notes,  covering  a  total  of  120  acres,  this  being  the 
chief  and  largest  park  in  the  town.  Then  there  are  the  Ely  and  Canton 
Commons,  occupying  25  and  22  acres  respectively  ;  and  in  addition  to 
these  fourteen  smaller  places,  varying  in  extent  from  half  to  3  acres 
each.  Thus  is  the  grand  total  approximately  reached  by  allowing  for 
the  fourteen  an  average  extent  of  1  acre.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  whole 
does  not  attain  to  the  size  of  more  than  one  of  the  London  parks,  but 
this  must  not  be  taken  as  a  sign  of  diminished  importance  or  utility, 
for  the  enormous  population  of  the  capital  should  be  taken  as  a  set  off 
against  the  comparatively  small  one  of  this  Welsh  seaport.  If  exact 
figures  were  obtained,  it  would  in  all  likelihood  be  found  that  the  latter 
town  was  the  better  off  in  proportion.  Whether  or  no,  matters  little 
here,  so  we  will  say  no  more  of  it.  and,  apologising  for  the  digression, 
turn  to  the  proper  aspect  of  the  subject. 
Let  us  first  of  all  glance  over  Roath  Park,  or  rather  parks,  for  it  is 
really  a  series  of  five  distinct  spaces.  As  has  been  said  the  whole  covers 
about  120  acres,  which  are  divided  as  follows  : — Recreation  ground, 
23  acres  ;  pleasure  gardens,  11  acres  ;  botanical  gardens,  15  acres  ;  lake 
section,  41  acres  ;  wild  garden,  10  acres  ;  the  remaining  space  being 
taken  up  by  the  roads  which  surround  the  parks.  By  laying  out  in  this 
manner  the  Cardiffians  have  probably  created  a  precedent,  and  one, 
moreover,  that  has  much  to  commend  it.  The  visitor  can  commence 
with  the  first  named,  and  by  crossing  the  dividing  roads  walk  right 
through  the  whole  and  out  at  the  extremity  of  the  wild  garden,  seeing 
fresh  features  of  beauty  and  interest  throughout  tbe  whole  of  the 
journey,  which  is  no  inconsiderable  one,  as  the  land  utilised  is  long  and 
very  narrow,  and  not  such  as  one  would  suppose  naturally  adapted  for 
effective  laying  out.  The  utmost  possible  advantage  has  been  taken  of 
any  natural  formation  that  would  assist  in  giving  a  pleasing  picture, 
and  the  results  attained  to  are  such  as  any  town,  large  or  small,  might 
well  be  proud  to  possess.  Truly,  gardening  is  an  art  that  doth  mend 
Nature,  and  no  better  instance  of  this  could  be  desired  than  that  of 
Roath  Park,  Cardiff. 
Those  who  are  of  a  naturally  athletic  turn  of  mind  will  probably 
turn  first  to  the  lecreation  ground,  and  in  doing  so  will  find  much  to 
amuse  and  possibly  instruct,  but  from  a  horticultural  aspect  little  can 
be  said.  Not  that  one  could  consider  its  inclusion  within  the  Park 
precincts  as  wrong  or  inappropriate  any  more  than  the  lake  section, 
which  is  the  largest  of  the  five  divisions.  Here,  again,  the  man  of 
muscle  can  find  exercise  in  boating  on  the  broad  waters,  and  without 
running  any  considerable  amount  of  danger  in  the  pastime,  while  others 
too  indolent  to  exert  themselves  to  such  an  extent  can  find  amusement 
in  feeding  the  water  fowl,  with  which  the  place  is  so  well  stocked.  The 
gardener  may,  however,  find  these  things  fatiguing,  and  long  for  some¬ 
thing  that  appeals  to  his  natural  bent.  He,  too,  will  find  plenty  of  food 
for  thought,  and  see  many  things  worthy  of  a  mental  note  for  use  in  his 
own  garden  at  a  future  time. 
An  excellent  name  is  that  of  the  “  Pleasure  Garden,”  for  here,  indeed, 
all  classes  can  spend  a  most  enjoyable  time.  There  are  comfortable  seats 
in  considerable  numbers,  and  flowers  by  the  thousand  in  their  season,  when 
one  can  sit  and  breathe  into  the  lungs  fresh  air  ladened  with  the  perfume 
of  many  flowers,  the  eyes  being  at  the  same  time  refreshed  by  the  greenness 
of  the  grass  and  the  trees  that  flourish  here  and  there.  Plants  of  a  perennial 
nature  find  a  congenial  home  in  the  broad  sweeping  borders,  while  beds 
are  devoted  to  various  modes  of  bedding.  The  latter  forms  a  particularly 
fine  feature  on  a  somewhat  steep  bank  that  rises  at  one  end  of  the 
garden.  The  slope  is  grass  covered,  and  at  intervals  on  it  are  cut  beds, 
which  were  at  the  period  of  this  visit  very  gay  with  summer  flowers. 
Though  the  visitor  could  not  actually  walk  amongst  those  particular 
beds,  he  could  enjoy  them  both  from  the  top  and  the  bottom  of  the 
bank,  and  the  planting  had  been  such  that  each  position  gave  a  fresh 
interest  and  an  additional  charm.  The  cleanliness  that  prevailed  over 
everything  was  highly  creditable,  and  such  as  is  rarely  seen  in  parks 
and  gardens  anywhere. 
Ere  many  years  have  passed  it  is  confidently  expected  that  the 
botanical  garden  will  be  an  interesting  and  a  valuable  one,  and  already 
