April  ft,  189&. 
293 
* 
\ 
JOURNAL  OF  HO  RTTCCIL  TO  RE  AND  COTTA  OF 
FINEST 
LAWN  MIXTURE 
Per  Pound,  Is. ;  per  Bushel,  25s.  Carriage  Free. 
SUPERIOR  MIXTURE 
FOE 
CRICKET  GROUNDS  AND  GOLF  LINKS- 
Per  Peck,  5s.  6d.;  per  Bushel,  21s.  Carriage  Free. 
N.B.— J.  V.  &  SONS  have  the  greatest  confidence 
in  ensuring  a  successful  issue  to  those  who  sow  their 
SPECIAL  MIXTURES  OF  GRASSES  for  all  purposes. 
JAMES  VEITCH  k  SONS, 
ROYAL  SEED  ESTABLISHMENT, 
CHELSEA,  LONDON,  S.W. 
TO  GF^APE  GROWERS!! 
We  can  supply  Fine,  Well-Ripened,  Short- Jointed 
Canes  of 
BLACK  HAMBURGH, 
ALICANTE. 
GROS  COLMAN, 
MUSCATS, 
BUCKLAND 
SWEETWATER, 
AND  OTHER  VARIETIES. 
Prices  and  particulars  on  application. 
DICKSONS  Nurseries  CHESTER 
SEED  CATALOGUE 
Containing  an  unusual  amount  of  information 
as  under  : 
Medicinal  Qualities  of  certain  Vegetables. 
Very  Practical  Instructions  for  Forcing, 
Storing,  and  Preparing  for  the  Table 
various  Vegetables. 
The  Best  Sorts  of  Vegetables  and  Flowers. 
These  are  very  clearly  indicated,  and  coarse  Vegetables 
deprecated. 
CATALOGUE  containing  88  pages,  with  numerous 
Illustrations  and  Order  Sheet  Free,  on  application. 
RICHARD  SMITH  k  CO., 
Seed  Merchants  and  Nurserymen, 
WORCESTER. 
No.  823.— Yon  XXXII.,  Third  Series. 
NEW  ZONAL 
PELARGONIUMS 
( Popularly  mis-called  Geraniums ). 
Our  Set  of  10  Splendid  Novelties  for  1896,  25s. 
20  Magnificent  Varieties,  Novelties  of  1895  and 
1894,  for  21s. 
Strong  Plants  in  3-inch  Pots,  ready  for  repotting. 
DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE  FREE  ON  APPLICATION 
J.  R.  PEARSON  &  SONS, 
Chilwell  Nurseries,  NOTTS. 
BEGONIAS 
Of  the  newest  and  most  superb  type,  including  many  rare 
varieties,  Double  and  Single,  for  Conservatory  or  Bedding. 
See  B.  R.  Davis’s  DESCRIPTIVE  OATAL0GUE,  FREE.  A  Hand¬ 
some  COLOURED  PLATE  of  Six  Double  Varieties,  with  a  Copy 
of  Treatise  on  Cultivation,  free  for  Is. 
B.  R,  DAVIS,  NURSERIES,  YEOVIL,  SOMERSET. 
AGRICULTURAL  SEEDS. 
MANGOLD,.  SWEDE,  TURNIPS,  &c. 
NATURAL  GRASSES  and  GLOVERS  of  all  sorts,  or  Mixtures 
made  for  Permanent  Pastures  to  suit  any  soil. 
Wholesale  Catalogue  now  Ready,  free  by  post  on  application  to 
WATKINS  &  SIMPSON 
Seed  and  Bulb  merchants, 
EXETER  STREET,  STRAND,  LONDON,  W.C. 
CALCEOLARIAS  (HERBACEOUS). 
Fine  Strong  Plants,  fit  for  potting  into  large  60.’s,  1/6  per  dozen, 
carriage  paid. 
WILLIAM  FINLAY,  Primula  Nursery,  EARLSWOOD,  SURREY. 
MEGCITT’S  HORTICULTURAL  MANURES 
Garden  Manure. 
Lawn  Manure. 
Floral  Fertilizer. 
For  Vegetables  and  Fruit. 
Invaluable  for  fine  Green  Swards. 
Unrivalled  for  Production  of  Bloom. 
Packed  in  Tins,  Is.  3d. ;  7 lb.  Bags,  2s.  6d. ;  28  lb.  Bags,  7s.  6d. ; 
501b.  Bags,  10s.;  and  1  cwt.  Bags,  15s., Carriage  Paid. 
SAML.  MEGGITT  &  SONS,  Ltd., SUTTON  IN-ASHFIELD,  NOTTS 
250,000  PANSIES  &  VIOLAS. 
One  dozen  Very  Fine  Named  Varieties  of  each— 26  plants  in 
all,  free  by  Parcel  Post  for  6s.  One  dozen  Violas,  including 
several  recently  Introduced  varieties  of  great  merit,  post  free  for 
2s.  6(1.  100  in  60  distinct  varieties, 20S.—DOBBIE  &  CO.,  Florists 
to  the  Queen,  Rothesay. 
100  ACRES  OF  DAHLIAS. 
The  Dahlias  we  send  ont  in  one  season  are  sufficient  to  plant  100 
acres.  Onr  price  for  all  sections,  our  selection,  is  6s.  per  dozen.  In 
every  dozen  DoubleCactus  varieties  weshail  include  either  "Lady 
Penzance ”  or  "Matchless,”  and  deal  as  liberally  with  selections 
from  other  classes.  DAHLIA  CUTTINGS.— We  are  still  supply¬ 
ing  the  best  varieties  of  all  sections,  our  selection,  at  Is.  10J.  per 
doz.,  3s»  4d.  for  25,  5s.  lOd.  for  60,  10s.  6d.,  per  100,  post  free.— 
DOBBIE  &  CO.,  Florists  to  the  Queen,  Rothesay. 
TMPORTANT  to  MUSHROOM  GROWERS. 
X  — CUTHBERT’8  specialite  mushroom  spawn. 
Always  alike ;  most  productive.  Hundreds  of  Testimonials. 
Per  Bushel,  5s. — R.  &  G.  CUTHBERT,  Seed,  Bulb,  and  Plant 
Merchants,  Southgate,  N.  Established  1797. 
Afl  Hon  DOUBLE  &  SINGLE  BEGONIA 
U UU  TUBERS,  large,  erect  flowering,  2s.  6d.  per  doz. ; 
per  100,  18?.  GLOXINIAS,  spotted  or  mixed,  per  doz.,  2s.  6d. ; 
per  100,  18s.,  post  free.  Cash  with  order.  Send  for  List,  free.— 
JOHN  WELLS,  Begonia  Nursery,  Byarsh,  Mailing,  Kent. 
MALMAISONS  (deep  pink). — The  Queen  of 
Carnations  for  cut  flowers.  Fine  plants,  clean,  and  well 
routed,  rfadyfo’-.  7-in.  pots,  12s.  to  18s.  per  doz.— CHAS.  A. 
YOUNG, F.R  H.S.,  West  Derby,  Liverpool. 
ASPARAGUS. — This  delicious  vegetable  does 
not  require  half  the  expense  usually  incurred.  For  simple 
instructions  see  SEED  LIST,  free  on  application.  Strong  roots 
from  2s.  6rt.  per  100.— RICHARD  SMITH  &  CO.,  Nurserymen 
and  Seed  Merchants,  Worcester.  t-c 
Hardy  border  and  herbaceous 
PLANTS,  &c.,  &c. — FORBES’  NEW  ILLUSTRATED 
DESCRIPTIVE  PRICED  CATALOGUE  FOR  1896.  146  Pages 
gives  all  particulars,  including  COLOUR,  HEIGHT,  SEASON 
uF  FLOWERING,  &c.,  &c.,  of  THOUSANDS  of  these  marvel¬ 
lously  varied  and  highly  popular  Flowers.  Free  on  application. 
-JOHN  FORBES,  Hawick,  Scotland. 
GARDENER. 
Jjmqmil  ofl 
THURSDAY,  APRIL  2,  1896. 
A  SPRING  REVERIE. 
THERE  are  few  things  more  discouraging  to 
those  who  seek  to  tell  of  the  beauties  of 
the  garden  in  spring  than  to  turn  to  the  pages 
of  Ruskin  or  of  Jefferies,  and  to  contrast  the 
writings  of  these  masters  of  our  English  tongue 
when  speaking  of  Nature  and  her  ways  with  our 
own  feeble  and  faltering  attempts  to  speak  of 
the  garden’s  flowers  in  fitting  words.  Thus  did 
I  think  last  night  when  after  a  vain  attempt  to 
write  to  please  myself  I  dipped  into  their  books 
and  again  and  again  read  with  delighted  thoughts 
their  glowing  words.  No,  one  must  admit  defeat ; 
but  as  Ruskin  and  Jefferies  tell  of  Nature  in 
her  wider  aspects  in  language  worthy  of  their 
theme,  there  is  nothing  out  of  place  in  speaking 
of  the  garden’s  narrow  bounds  in  less  noble 
words,  unworthy  though  they  be  of  the  beauty 
of  the  blossoms  and  leaves  they  seek  to  describe. 
The  only  consolation  is  that  to  some  the  feeble 
and  faltering  words  of  the  lover  of  flowers 
may  be  more  acceptable  than  the  infinitely  more 
eloquent  ones  of  those  who  view  the  garden 
through  the  glass  of  fashion,  or  judge  of  their 
flowers  only  by  the  “  outward  ”  eye.  Thus  with 
all  humility  do  I  essay  to  speak  of  the  flowers 
in  the  garden  in  the  witching  days  of  spring. 
The  Daffodils  perhaps  best  represent  to  us 
at  this  season  the  nobility  of  the  Lilies,  which, 
as  Ruskin  tells  us,  have  exercised  an  ennobling 
influence.  And  can  anyone  see  them  in  the 
garden  without  realising  to  some  degree  the 
thoughts  with  which  they  have  inspired  so  many 
great  writers  ?  I  saw  the  other  day  a  great 
bunch  of  the  glorious  double  Daffodil  we  flower 
growers  know  as  Telamonius.  A  mass  of  colour 
it  was,  compared  with  which  the  purest  and 
deepest  gold  would  seem  faint  and  dim.  And 
yet  these  bunched  trumpet  flowers  looked  a 
thousand  times  more  beautiful  as  they  grew 
beneath  the  cottage  garden  wall,  where  their 
great  flowers  reflected  in  their  golden  glory  the 
radiance  of  the  sun  itself,  and  mingled  so  grace¬ 
fully  with  the  long  green  leaves  which  are 
the  fitting  finish  to  the  picture.  We  see,  too, 
that  while  the  glowing  sun  has  its  radiance 
embosomed  in  these  great  double  Daffodils,  the 
lesser  light  of  Luna  has  inspired  others  with 
its  silvery  colouring. 
NO.  2479, — VOL.  XOIV.,  OLD  SERIES, 
