352 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  8,  IHJ. 
SEASONABLE  HINTS  ON  FLORIST  FLOWERS. 
This  season  of  the  year  is,  or  ought  to  be,  a  busy  one  with  the  florist, 
but  as  it  varies  in  its  character  from  year  to  year,  so  do  the  operations  of 
the  florist  vary  ;  and  what  can  be  more  different  than  the  September  of 
this  year  and  that  of  last  1  September  of  1896  was  the  most  enjoyable 
of  months,  fair  weather  was  the  rale,  and  unpleasant  weather  the 
exception.  This  year,  on  the  contrary,  the  month  has  been  most 
unpleasant ;  up  to  this  date,  the  25th,  we  have  had  close  upon  6  inches 
of  rain,  while  the  equinoctial  gales  have  come  true  to  their  time,  and 
have  desolated  our  gardens. 
The  delightful  description  given  by  the  Poet  Laureate  of  the  autumn 
garden,  in  “  In  Veronica’s  Garden,”  was  charmingly  realised  last  year, 
but  is  altogether  beside  the  mark  in  the  present  season,  and  yet  it  was  to 
be  expected,  and  was  wished  for.  In  many  places  on  our  chalk  hills 
water  was  deficient,  and  even  now,  notwithstanding  the  large  amount  of 
rain  we  have  bad,  it  has  not  as  yet  reached  the  springs,  and  all  opera¬ 
tions  in  the  garden  have  been  nearly  suspended  ;  weeds  are  growing 
apace,  and  there  is  no  possibility  of  mastering  them  in  these  drenching 
rains,  and  hence  many  of  the  operations  of  the  florist  flowers  are 
retarded. 
Atjbiculas, 
It  will  now  be  time  to  move  these  into  their  winter  quarters.  I 
think  that  the  cool,  rainy  weather  of  the  last  month  has  suited  them. 
My  own  small  collection  looks  very  well,  and  I  have  fewer  autumn 
blooms  than  usual.  Those  who  wish  to  add  to  their  collections  had 
better  do  so  now.  It  will  be  necessary  to  see  that  the  frames  or  pits 
where  they  are  to  be  wintered  are  drip  proof,  for  there  is  nothing  more 
injurious  to  the  welfare  of  the  Auricula  than  wet,  especially  that  pro¬ 
ceeding  from  a  drip.  Should  there  be  any  aphides  on  the  plants  it  is 
better  to  give  them  a  slight  fumigating  with  tobacco  paper.  The  pots 
should  also  be  clear  of  any  weeds,  and  a  gentle  stirring  of  the  surface 
soil  will  ba  desirable.  Growers  must  not  alarmed  at  seeing  the  larger 
outer  leaves  of  their  plants  dying  off,  for  this  must  take  place  in  the 
natural  course  of  things  ;  and  although  I  have  said  that  damp  ought  to 
be  carefully  guarded  against,  I  would  not  allow  the  soil  in  the  pots  to 
become  too  dry.  During  frosty  weather  we  want  to  have  them  com¬ 
paratively  dry,  and  not  even  dust  dry,  and  so  many  growers  now  use  a 
little  heat  in  their  pits  or  houses  that  there  is  less  fear  from  injury  from 
frost,  and  therefore  less  need  of  over-carefulness  about  the  moisture  of 
the  soil. 
CAEXATIONS  and  PiCOTiSES. 
In  one  respect  the  rainy  time  that  we  have  had  lately  has  been  in 
favour  of  the  grower,  as  no  watering  has  been  necessary  ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  has  led  to  very  lishy  growths  in  the  layers,  which  are 
very  gross  and  succulent,  so  that  when  they  are  potted  for  the  winter 
great  care  will  have  to  be  taken  that  they  do  not  damp  off.  It  is  always 
advisable  when  it  is  possible  to  put  the  layers  singly  in  pots,  or  at  any 
rate  not  more  than  a  pair  in  one  pot,  but  the  former  plan  is  to  be  pre¬ 
ferred  ;  they  ought  to  be  put  in  a  frame,  kept  close  for  a  few  days,  and 
then  be  given  all  the  air  possible  night  and  day,  taking  care  that  they 
get  no  rain.  Where  they  have  been  flowered  in  large  pots  the  growth  of 
course  has  not  been  so  strong,  and  there  is  less  fear  of  damp  ;  but  that 
this  is  the  most  desirable  way  for  choice  florist  varieties  there  can  be  no 
doubt,  but  the  border  and  fancy  kinds  have  come  so  much  into  favour 
that  pot  culture  does  not  increase,  the  trouble  and  expense  involved  in 
it  being  of  course  much  greater.  Some  growers  plant  their  beds  in  the 
autumn,  and  where  this  is  the  case  it  should  be  done  at  once ;  but  I 
never  recommend  it,  as  a  severe  winter  is  pretty  sure  to  cause  great  loss, 
and  I  have  seen  a  number  of  plants  of  even  the  old  Clove  killed  outright 
by  severe  frost,  so  I  say  it  is  in  every  way  better  to  winter  them  in  small 
pots.  Of  course  water  will  only  be  sparingly  applied  during  the  winter 
months,  but  they  must  never  be  allowed  to  become  dost  dry,  though 
damp  must  be  rigidly  guarded  against, 
Gladioltts. 
The  harvesting  of  these  corms  is  a  matter  of  some  considerable 
importance,  and  this  year  as  there  has  been  so  much  rain  in  September 
it  is  most  probable  the  corms  will  be  full  of  moisture,  and  therefore  it 
will  not  be  well  to  lift  them  until  they  are  well  matured.  If  we  have, 
as  it  is  earnestly  hoped  for  now,  a  dry  October,  it  will  materially 
contribute  to  their  ripening.  It  is  better  when  they  are  taken  up  to 
dry  them  off  in  a  cool  greenhouse  from  which  frost  is  excluded.  They 
should  be  carefully  labelled,  so  as  to  keep  the  sorts  distinct.  Those  who 
wish  to  increase  their  stock  will  keep  all  the  spawn  or  small  bulbs  which 
in  more  or  less  quantity  cluster  round  the  old  ones  ;  these  should  be  put 
by  in  small  paper  bags,  with  a  little  dry  sand.  The  corms  should  be 
carefully  cleaned,  the  flowering  stems  being  cut  off  close,  and  placed  in 
paper  bags  or  on  open  shelves ;  the  latter  is  by  far  the  preferable  plan,  as 
when  in  bags  they  are  apt  to  stimulate  root  action,  which  is  injurious 
to  their  future  welfare. 
Pansies. 
This  has  been  another  disastrous  season  for  growers  in  Southern 
England,  the  hot,  dry  weather  we  have  experienced  being  just  what 
they  do  not  like,  and  consequently  most  of  us  have  had  to  deplore 
many  losses  ;  the  cooler  and  moister  climate  of  the  North  and  of  Scotland 
suited  them  far  better. 
Ranunculus. 
Nothing  can  be  done  with  these  tubers,  the  culture  of  which  has  gone 
BO  much  out  of  fashion  in  these  days,  except  examining  them  carefully  to 
see  that  there  is  no  mould,  and  that  the  mice  are  not  committing  depre¬ 
dations  among  them. 
Roses. 
This  is  a  busy  time  for  the  Rose  grower  ;  he  has  now  to  determine 
what  changes  he  will  make  in  his  beds,  what  plants  he  will  discard, 
and  what  new  ones  he  will  introduce.  Any  time  during  October  is  good 
for  these  operations,  and  the  recommendations  given  by  the  National 
Rose  Society’s  Committee,  and  their  hints  on  planting,  must  be  sufficient 
in  order  to  insure  this  important  operation  being  well  done.  I  fear  we 
must  look  forward  with  some  anxiety  with  regard  to  the  future  well¬ 
being  of  our  Roses.  We  have  had  so  much  rain  during  the  last  two 
months,  with  a  comparatively  high  temperature,  that  Roses  have  kept 
on  growing  most  vigorously,  consequently  we  have  a  great  quantity  of 
sappy  wood  on  our  plants,  and  should  we  have  more  wet,  and  followed 
by  hard  frost,  the  destruction  amongst  our  plants  will  be  very  great ; 
a  dry  October  with  plenty  of  sunlight  will,  of  course,  alter  all  this. 
The  moisture  has  been  pretty  general  throughout  the  country,  and 
therefore  growers  in  all  parts  will  have  to  take  heed,  and  when  one  reads 
that  in  Hampshire  8  inches  of  rain  has  fallen  during  the  month  of 
September,  we  can  well  understand  that  Rose  growers  in  that  county 
must  be  anxiously  looking  out  for  dry  weather.  Where  there  is  space 
for  BO  doing,  nothing  can  be  so  effective  as  quantities  of  the  same 
variety  of  Rose  being  grouped  together,  and  beds  of  dwarf  Hybrid 
Perpetuals,  such  as  Mrs.  John  Laing,  Camille  de  Rohan,  Madame  G.  Luizet, 
and  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  are  very  effective,  nor  will  the  space  be  grudged 
to  Lord  Penzance’s  Hybrid  Sweet  Briars,  and  those  which  are  now  called 
garden  Roses.  The  single  white  Polyantha  ought  to  be  included 
wherever  room  can  be  given  to  it ;  it  is  a  most  rampant  and  floriferous 
grower,  and  anyone  who  has  seen  such  plants  as  those  of  Mr.  T.  W. 
Girdlestone  at  Sunningdale  will  never  grudge  it  a  place. 
Tulips. 
I  am  afraid  that,  however  these  gorgeous  and  beautiful  flowers  may 
be  in  favour  in  the  north,  I  do  not  think  that  they  have  advanced  much 
in  the  estimation  of  southern  gardeners.  About  the  20th  November  is 
generally  considered  the  best  time  in  our  southern  latitudes  for  planting 
these  ;  the  elaborate  directions  given  by  the  old  florists  will  be,  I  think, 
little  attended  to  nowadays.  As  far  as  I  am  personally  concerned  I  only 
grow  them  in  a  very  helter-skelter  sort  of  way,  although  the  effect  when 
in  flower  is  very  good,  and  this  is  what,  I  think,  is  what  is  more  looked 
for  in  these  days  than  the  beautiful,  regular  symmetry  that  used  to  mark 
the  Tulip  bed,  for  amongst  the  memories  of  early  days  are  the  magnificent 
Tulip  beds  of  Mr.  Groom,  of  Walworth,  which  were  worth  going  a  long 
distance  to  see.  I  have  said  nothing  about  Dahlias  and  Chrysanthemums, 
for  I  do  not  grow  the  former,  and  there  are  so  many  well-known  experts 
who  fill  the  pages  of  the  Journal  at  this  season  with  their  contributions 
on  everything  connected  with  this  latter  popular  autumn  flower  that  I 
feel  it  would  be  presumptuous  in  me  to  write  a  line  on  this  subject. — 
D.,  Deal. 
HIGHCLERE  CASTLE. 
Situated  in  Berkshire  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  stately  hills,  and 
yet  resting  high  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  Highclere  Castle  and  estate 
are  things  to  be  envied  of  their  noble  proprietor,  the  Earl  of  Carnarvon 
— one  of  his  many  homes,  each  beautiful,  not  to  say  princely  in 
character  ;  but  it  is  with  Highclere  that  we  have  now  to  do.  It  was  on 
one  of  the  few  fine  days  in  September  when  the  hearty  invitation  of 
that  well-known  gardener,  Mr.  W.  Pope,  to  go  and  see  the  gardens  was 
made  an  accomplished  fact.  Many  had  been  the  reports  heard  from 
competent  horticulturists  anent  the  beauty  of  the  park,  the  magnificence 
of  the  Castle,  the  varied  glimpses  of  pastoral  life,  the  quality  of  the 
vegetables  in  the  gardens,  the  splendour  of  the  trees  as  they  assumed 
their  vernal  garb  and  their  autumnal  dress,  the  interesting  old-time  flower 
garden,  the  charming  stretches  of  lake  and  river  scenery,  while  from  the 
Beacon  Hill,  a  man  of  wide  travel  attested,  was  one  of  the  finest  pano¬ 
ramic  views  in  the  United  Kingdom,  so  that  the  visitor  went  full  of 
expectation  and  returned  replete  with  realisation. 
It  was  at  an  early  hour  that  London  was  left  on  a  recent  Thursday 
morning,  and  as  the  train  rushed  along  food  for  reflection  was  found  in 
the  beauty  of  the  flowers  in  the  Langley  Nurseries  of  Messrs.  Veitch  and 
Sons,  the  shrubs  and  trees  at  the  home  of  Mr.  C.  Turner,  while  ere  the 
memory  of  these  had  faded  the  always  interesting  trial  grounds  of 
Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons  were  passed,  and  the  town  of  seeds  and  biscuits 
reached.  A  brief  stay  and  we  are  again  en  route  for  Newbury,  passing 
through  rich  pastures  and  verdure-clad  hills,  orchards  good  and  bad, 
well-stocked  gardens,  and  many  other  features  that  go  far  to  relieve  the 
tedium  of  a  long  railway  journey  in  the  early  morning.  Another  change 
at  Newbury  and  soon  we  are  on  the  last  stage  of  our  journey,  being 
taken  now  over  a  single  line  as  far  as  Highclere,  where  it  is  a  relief  to 
alight,  especially  when  it  brings  such  a  quiet,  hearty  greeting  as  that 
accorded  by  our  friend  and  guide,  Mr.  Pope. 
It  was  only  just  after  nine  when  a  start  was  made  from  the  station, 
and  ere  many  minutes  had  passed,  we  were  at  the  London  entrance  of 
Highclere  Park,  but  the  gardens  were  still  far  away.  Driving  slowly 
through  the  handsome  archway  we  came  at  once  into  a  well  timbered 
park  of  an  area  of  about  3000  acres.  The  trees  were  grand,  and  as  the 
foliage  was  just  turning  to  yellow  on  some,  bright  golden,  rich  coppery 
brown,  and  almost  white  on  others,  the  effect  was  one  of  surprising 
beauty.  A  halt  had  now  and  then  to  be  made,  here  to  catch  a  corner  of 
the  castle,  there  to  get  a  glimpse  of  a  smaller  residence  standing 
