250 
JOCRNAL  OF  HORTTOULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GiiRDENER. 
September  10  1H98. 
tributors,  when  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  will  do  well 
to  procure  a  supply  and  give  the  plants  a  fair  trial,  and  if  they  grow 
them  as  well  as  the  Chiswick  Superintendent,  then  we  are  convinced 
that  they  will  conclude  that  they  have  found  an  acquisition,  and  it 
will  not  be  the  first  that  has  emanated  from  the  gardens  of  Burford 
Lbdge  .-—ZiNGARi. 
THE  WEATHER  AND  CROPS. 
Only  a  short  time  since  we  were  lamenting  on  the  absence  of 
rain  and  its  effects  on  languishing  crops,  and  what  a  change  has 
taken  place  in  both !  During  the  first  five  days  of  the  present 
month  we  had  inches  of  rain,  the  heaviest  fall  we  have 
experienced  during  the  year.  All  green  vegetables  seem  to  be 
growing  by  leaps  and  bounds,  prompted,  no  doubt,  by  the  natural 
warmth  of  the  soil  derived  from  the  long-con tinned  drought  and 
great  summer  heat.  In  autumn  Cauliflowers,  Savoys,  Brussels 
Sprouts,  and  Broccoli  one  can  almost  see  their  advancement  from 
day  to  day,  while  seeds  of  Lettuces,  Endives,  Carrots,  and  Spinach, 
which  have  been  sown  at  various  times  without  result,  are  now 
vegetating  in  all  directions,  many  too  late  to  be  useful,  because  if 
left  in  the  ground  there  will  be  such  a  quantity  that  no  practical 
use  can  be  made  of  them  in  late  autumn. 
Fortunately  the  rain  came  in  time  to  save  the  winter  Turnip 
and  Spinach  crops.  These  were  kept  alive  by  evening  waterings 
of  the  drills,  the  ground  in  its  preparation  being  well  rolled,  an  ' 
advantage  the  value  of  which  is  strictly  exemplified  in  continuous 
drought,  such  as  that  we  have  known  only  too  well  this  season. 
Notwithstanding  the  remarkable  growth  in  vegetables,  these  must 
necessarily  be  late  in  maturing  this  winter,  in  our  case  Brussels 
Sprouts  particularly  so.  I  have  not  had  this  crop  so  late  in  growth 
for  several  seasons  ;  indeed,  I  do  not  remember  having  such  an 
unsatisfactory  bed  since  I  have  had  a  responsible  charge,  and  the 
rapid  growth  now  made  will  not  be  favourable  should  a  severe 
winter  follow.  I  never  sow  Brussels  Sprouts  under  glass,  and  have 
never  yet  found  it  necessary  to  do  so,  bpt  those  who  did  so  this  year 
and  got  their  plants  established  early  outdoors  have  the  advantage 
over  those  who  depended  on  later  sowing  and  planting. 
This  of  course  applies  to  those  who,  like  myself,  are  dependent 
on  a  short  water  supply.  Where  this  coaid  be  given  in  the 
needful  quantity,  no  complaint  can  be  found  with  the  state 
of  the  plants  at  the  present  time ,  and  the  same  remark  apples  to 
districts  where  there  has  been  an  ample  rain  to  sustain  all  plant 
growth.  This,  I  believe,  has  been  the  case  within  twenty-four 
miles  from  where  I  write  ;  thunderstorms  were  frequent  during  the 
summer,  but  they  brought  rain  only  to  those  situated  near  the  hills, 
which  it  appears  attract  the  storms.  Disease  is  now  appearing  in 
the  Potato  haulms  of  the  later  sorts,  and  where  the  tubers  are  not 
fully  developed  supertubering  will  be  certain  to  follow  the  altered 
conditions  of  the  soil. 
In  the  fruit  garden  much  good  must  be  derived  from  the  copious 
rain  of  the  past  week  both  to  trees  and  Strawberries,  the  ground 
being  dry  to  such  a  great  depth.  Buds  and  crowns  now  preparing 
for  next  year’s  work  will  be  considerably  strengthened,  and  this, 
together  with  the  ripened  state  of  the  growth,  must  result  in 
abundant  blossom  next  spring.  With  us  Raspberries  are  the  greatest 
sufferers,  the  growth  in  cane  being  much  shorter  and  less  vigorous 
than  usual.  Peaches  seem  to  have  revelled  in  the  hot  summer 
weather.  The  supply  in  local  markets  has  been  so  abundant  that 
prices  have  been  lower  than  for  several  years  past  for  indoor-grown 
fruit,  and  the  result  of  the  year  will  be  a  stimulus,  no  doubt,  to 
greater  effort  on  Peach  culture.  Figs,  too,  have  been  splendid 
on  open  walls  and  the  prospect  is  good  for  another  year,  the  growth 
being  good  and  well  matured. 
For  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes  there  would  appear  to  have  been 
too  much  sunshine  for  putting  on  the  jet  black  colour  so  desirable, 
and  the  same  remark  applies  to  Madresfield  Court.  But  few  stands 
at  the  several  shows  I  have  attended  exhibited  their  true  colour, 
while  white  Grapes,  which  the  season  should  have  suited  as 
regards  colour,  have  not  been  commented  on  favourably  in  the 
reports  of  various  shows,  at  least  only  in  a  few  cases.  This  has 
reference  to  Muscat  of  Alexandria  more  than  other  kinds  of 
Grapes. 
In  the  pleasure  grounds  there  is  quite  a  transformation  scene  ; 
the  grass,  a  short  time  since  so  brown  and  bare,  is  now  changed  to  ( 
a  beautiful  spring-like  green,  and  the  demand  on  the  mowing 
machine  will  be  heavier  than  it  has  been  all  the  summer.  Newly 
planted  shrubs  and  trees  which  have  survived  the  summer  are  now 
looking  much  better,  and  there  is  an  effort  to  make  an  autumnal 
growth.  Some  shrubs  planted  two  years  since,  surviving  the 
severe  winter  of  1894-05,  have  succumbed  to  the  influence  of  the 
past  summer,  and  there  will  be  many  blanks  to  fill  this  coming  j 
■winter .  Veitch’s  Virginian  Creeper,  which  has  for  some  few  years  been  ‘ 
a  feature  of  the  house,  is  again  a  glorious  sight  in  point  of  colour,, 
especially  on  the  west  front,  which  is  completely  furnished  with  a 
very  dense  mass  of  foliage.  It  is  strange  that  with  so  much 
sunshine  this  should  be  later  in  colouring  than  usual,  but  it  was  so. 
Berry-bearing  trees  of  all  kinds  have  a  remarkable  crop  fast 
ripening. — W.  S.,  Wilts. 
A  HARDY  PLA.NTSMAN  IN  IRELAND. 
{Continued  from  page  207.) 
St.  Stephen’s  Green. 
After  seeing  Lord  Ardilaun’s  beaatifvil  demesne,  it  seemed  that  it 
would  be  only  a  fitting  thing  that  I  should  be  taken  to  one  of  the  many 
evidences  of  His  Lordship’s  munificence,  so  we  soon  found  ourselves  in 
the  pretty  town  park  known  as  St.  Stephen’s  Green,  which  was  converted 
from  private  grounds  belonging  to  the  owners  of  the  adjoining  houses 
into  a  public  garden.  “  K.,  Duhlinf  has  already  written  of  this  garden 
in  the  Journal,  but  a  few  words  about  it  from  one  who  saw  it  for  the- 
first  time  may  not  be  unwelcome. 
Of  no  great  extent,  but  beautifully  laid  out,  and  combining  within 
its  boundaries  trees  and  shrubs  and  flowers,  a  lake,  a  cascade,  fountains, 
and  a  recreation  ground,  it  is  one  of  those  boons  to  dwellers  in  cities 
which  are  of  inestimable  value.  It  cost  Lord  Ardilaun  considerably 
upwards  of  £20,000  in  money,  and,  as  I  was  told  His  Lordship  was  the 
principal  designer,  it  must  have  cost  him  much  time  and  thought  to 
secure  such  admirable  results.  The  park  seems  to  be  well  kept  and  to 
be  greatly  appreciated.  The  flower  beds  were  bright  and  attractive,  and 
the  herbaceous  borders  are  evidently  well  cared  for  and  planted  with  a- 
number  of  the  most  suitable  plants,  Irises,  Pfeonies,  Pentstemons, 
Violas,  Phloxes,  and  others  being  largely  represented.  One  pretty  little 
object  we  saw  was  Lathyrus  Drummondi  rambling  through  the  branches 
of  a  tree.  It  seems  a  little  ungracious  to  criticise  adversely  anything  in 
this  bright  and  well-kept  garden,  but  the  bit  of  ribbon-like  and  panel 
gardening  near  the  front  of  the  herbaceous  border  would  be  better 
omitted  another  season. 
The  glass  houses  for  propagating  and  preserving  the  bedding  plants 
are  skilfully  concealed  from  view  by  a  mound  planted  with  trees  and 
shrubs.  The  lake,  fed  from  the  cascade,  is  spanned  by  a  bridge,  the 
well-worn  copestone  of  which  shows  how  many  take  advantage  of  it  to 
lean  over  and  admire  the  lake  and  the  water  fowl  or  look  for  the  eels 
which  come  to  be  fed.  Taken  altogether,  St.  Stephen’s  Green  is  a  public 
garden  creditable  in  the  highest  degree  to  the  capital  of  Ireland,  and 
still  more  to  Lord  Ardilaun,  who,  with  that  want  of  ostentation  which  is 
one  of  his  characteristics,  opened  it  without  any  ceremony  except  simply 
unlocking  the  gates  and  throwing  them  open  to  the  public. 
The  Alexandra  College  Garden. 
During  that  day  I  had  seen  a  botanic  garden,  a  palatial  demesne,  and 
a  public  garden,  and  I  was  now  to  see  what  I  was  told  was  a  city  garden 
formed  of  three  small  back  gardens  thrown  into  one.  The  attraction  did 
not  seem  a  powerful  one,  for  too  often  not  only  city  but  town  gardens 
are  associated  with  the  idea  of  unhappy  plants  and  miserable  turf  with 
perhaps  the  addition  of  a  few  broken  brickbats  and  bottles  which  have 
found  their  way  from  adjoining  dwellings.  I  was,  however,  for  the  day 
in  the  hands  of  my  guide,  and  had  before  heard  something  about  the 
garden  I  was  to  see,  in  addition  to  having  seen  some  exceedingly  credit¬ 
able  examples  of  gardening  under  difficulties  amid  the  brick  and  mortar 
of  city  houses.  So  a  few  minutes  found  us  in  Earlsfort  Terrace,  at  the 
door  of  the  Alexandra  Ladies’  College,  where  a  short  parley  gained  us 
admission  to  the  garden.  It  is,  as  was  told  me,  three  back  gardens — 
none  of  which  was  large  —  thrown  into  one;  but  the  improvements 
which  have  been  made  by  Miss  White,  the  lady  principal,  have  made  it 
a  bright,  an  interesting,  and  exceedingly  pretty  little  place.  There  is  a 
neat  little  Water  Lily  pool  at  one  corner  of  the  well-kept  lawn,  and 
forming  a  feature  quite  new  to  a  garden  such  as  this. 
There  is  a  number  of  good  herbaceous  plants  in  borders  by  the 
walls,  and  there  is  a  little  greenhouse,  with  its  less  hardy  occupants. 
With  the  exception  of  the  Water  Lilies  there  is  nothing  very  special  in 
this,  some  will  say.  That  is  true  ;  but  the  charm  and  the  unique 
character  of  the  garden  do  not  consist  in  these  alone.  They  are  due 
principally  to  the  manner  in  which  the  surroundings  of  the  garden  are 
treated. 
One  of  the  walls  has  been  converted  into  a  wall  garden  by  means  of 
“pockets”  of  stone  cemented  to  the  wall,  filled  with  soil,  and  planted 
with  Pinks,  Stonecrops  and  Antirrhinums,  and  other  plants  which  will 
live  in  dry  positions.  The  straight  line  of  the  top  of  a  boundary  wall 
is  broken  by  its  being  planted  with  Irises,  and  a  rustic  archway  of 
wood  in  front  of  the  arched  doorway  of  the  gymnasium,  and  which  is 
being  covered  with  creepers,  vastly  improves  its  appearance.  Portions 
of  the  walls  which  formerly  divided  the  garden  have  been  left  next  the 
house,  and  when  covered  with  climbers  look  very  picturesque.  Nor  is 
this  all,  ior  a  little  pergola  of  wood,  and  a  rustic  fence  to  screen 
the  sunk  area,  have  been  erected,  and  the  creeping  plants  on  these 
are  great  improvements  to  the  garden.  Even  the  sloping  bank  behind 
the  rustic  fence  is  planted  with  bulbs  to  give  it  its  touch  of  beauty 
in  spring. 
It  is  hardly  likely  that  Miss  White  has  exhausted  the  improvements 
dictated  by  her  artistic  tastes,  but  even  should  nothing  more  be  done,, 
this  city  garden  may  well  be  said  to  be  an  attractive  one.  Pretty  it 
