September  23,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
297 
PEAR  GANSEL’S  BERGAMOT. 
If  “  Fruitman  ”  will  take  the  trouble  to  inquire  he  will  find  that 
many  good  gardeners  entertain  the  opinion  that  this  is  one  of  the  best 
of  Pears.  It  is  unquestionably  a  variety  of  great  excellence,  the  fruit 
being  of  imposing  appearance  and  sidendid  quality.  Some  Pears  have 
become  so  popular  that  there  is  a  slight  danger  of  the  merits  of  some 
good  old  varieties  being  overlooked.  We  would  not  that  this  were  one  of 
them,  for  where  a  good  position  against  a  wall  can  be  afforded  Gansel’s 
Bergamot  will  occupy  it  worthily.  The  following  notes  on  this  Pear  by 
the  author  of  the  “Fruit  ]\Ianual”  may  be  appropriately  introduced 
here  “  The  tree  is  a  shy  bearer  during  the  first  period  of  its  growth, 
but  when  it  becomes  aged  it  produces  more  abundantly,  though  the  fruit 
is  of  smaller  size.  To  increase  its  fruitfulness,  it  has  been  recommended 
to  impregnate  the  flowers  with  the  pollen  of  some  other  variety,  such  as 
the  Autumn  Bergamot.  It  is  generally  believed  that  this  variety  was 
raised  from  seed  of  the  Autumn  Bergamot  by  Lieut.-General  Gansel 
at  his  seat,  Donneland  Park,  near 
Colchester,  in  1768,  and  this 
rests  upon  a  communication  to 
that  effect  from  !Mr.  David  Jebb 
of  W orcester,  nephew  of  General 
Gansel,  to  ilr.  Williams  of  Pit- 
maston.  Wr.  Bindley  says,  ‘  The 
Bonne  Rouge  of  the  French  is 
evidently  of  the  same  sort,  and 
the  name  must  have  been  given 
it  after  its  having  been  received 
from  that  country.’  I  am  unwill¬ 
ing  that  any  doubt  should  arise 
as  to  this  esteemed  favourite 
being  a  native  fruit ;  but  when  I 
find,  by  the  manuscript  catalogue 
of  the  Bromi)ton  Park  Nursery, 
that  both  the  Bonne  Rouge  and 
Brocas  Bergamot,  which  are 
acknowledged  synonyms  of  Gan¬ 
sel’s  Bergamot,  were  cnltivated 
there  in  1753,  1  am  inclined  to 
doubt  the  correctness  of  the 
above  statement,  and  as  this 
catalogue  is  the  earliest  I  have 
been  able  to  procure  of  that 
nursery,  it  is  possible  that  it  was 
growing  there  at  a  much  earlier 
period  under  both  of  these  names. 
It  is  a  dessert  Pear  of  the  highest 
merit ;  ripe  during  October  and 
November.  To  have  this  delicious  fruit  in  perfection  it  is  necessary 
the  tree  should  be  planted  against  a  south-east  wall.”  The  engraving 
(fig.  45)  represents  a  fruit  of  Gansel’s  Bergamot. 
NOTES  FROM  COOMBE  M^OOD  NURSERY. 
Calling  in  here  the  other  day  to  get  a  shrub  named  I  was  induced 
to  take  a  walk  round,  little  expecting  so  late  in  the  season  to  find  any¬ 
thing  of  special  interest.  Really  there  were  so  many  objects  of  interest 
that  I  found  it  hard  to  tear  myself  away.  In  the  lower  part  of  the 
grounds  a  pond  contains  many  of  Marliac’s  new  and  beautiful  Nymphteas, 
with  which  ^Ir.  Hudson  has  made  us  familiar.  Around  the  pond  is 
planted  a  garden  of  Bamboos,  and  there  are  in  it  thirty  varieties.  It 
will  be  most  interesting  in  a  year  or  two.  Conspicuous,  however, 
are  two  large  plants  of  the  new  Pampas  Grass,  Gyneriuui  Rendatleri, 
the  plumes  showing  a  dense  reddish  tinge  that  gives  it  an  attractive 
appearance. 
Hardy  He.'Vths. 
These  are  a  remarkable  feature,  the  variety  is  so  great,  and  so  many 
display  such  beauty.  On  the  morning  of  my  visit.  Erica  vulgaris  alba 
had  been  hard  cut  to  furnish  hundreds  of  sprigs  of  white  Heather  for  the 
Drury  Lane  Theatre  management,  each  first-nighter  at  the  representation 
of  the  new  play,  “  White  Heather,”  being  with  their  programmes  pre¬ 
sented  with  a  sprig.  E.  vulgaris  carnea  (pink)  and  E.  v.  Alporti  (deep 
red),  in  full  bloom,  were  also  very  beautiful.  E.  polifolia  and  alba  erecta, 
also  atro-purpureum,  flowers  deep  magenta,  were  blooming  profusely.  The 
variety  is,  however,  great,  and  gives  beauty  at  this  season  of  the  year  that 
cannot  be  over-estimated. 
Flowering  Shrubs. 
A  tall,  pyramidal  plant,  having  long  shoots  of  pendulous  form,  laden 
with  small  magenta-coloured  Pea-like  flowers,  and  forming  a  rery  elegant 
object,  was  Desmodium  pendulifolium.  How  pretty  a  shrub  was  this, 
thus  blooming  so  profusely,  so  late  in  the  autumn  !  Quite  an  allied  shrub 
was  Lespedeza  bicolor,  also  of  pendulous  habit,  having  slightly  paler 
flowei’s.  The  well-known  Rose  Acacia,  Robinia  hispida,  though  blooming 
late,  was  also  very  gay.  It  is  a  beautiful  flowering  shi’ub  too  seldom 
seen.  Perhaps  it  suffers  from  the  bad  name  Tree  Acacias  have  with 
gardeners.  What  a  singularly  noble  shrub  was  Clerodendron  tricho- 
tomum,  just  then  in  full  bloom!  The  specimen  was  about  12  feet 
in  height  and  1 5  feet  through  at  the  base.  A  huge  round  leafy  head 
covered  with  small  white  flowers,  and  in  great  abundance,  bract-like  seed 
vessels  of  a  reddish  colour.  Each  pod  later  opens  and  reveals  seeds  of  a 
deep  purple  hue.  This  is  a  robust  growing  shrub,  and  makes  a  most 
attractive  object. 
But  the  varieties  of  Hibiscus,  of  which  there  were  several,  attracted 
special  notice.  The  three  best  then  blooming  profusely  were  11.  albus, 
flowers  quite  white  and  large  ;  Bleu  Celeste,  flowers  of  an  unusually  rich 
blue  for  such  hardy  shrubs,  and  most  floriferous  and  singularly  beautiful ; 
H.  single  Painted  Lady,  flowers  white,  with  deep  maroon  blotches  at  the 
base  of  each  petal.  It  is  not  possible  to  conceive  of  any  hardy  shrub 
blooming  so  abundantly  or  effectively  at  this  time  of  the  year  as  this 
Painted  Lady  does.  It  is  a  shrub  for  universal  planting.  We  may 
indeed  prize,  as  we  well  do,  the  flowers  that  bloom  in  the  spring  ;  but 
shrubs  that  bloom  in  the  autumn,  as  these  do  here  mentioned,  have  a 
value  as  objects  of  beauty  that  cannot  be  over-estimated. 
Roses  in  Pots. 
These  were  legion,  and  stood  in  the  open  in  large  pots,  or  in  smaller 
ones.  Teas  especially,  in  the  cool  houses  ;  there  seemed  to  be  enough  to 
satisfy  all  the  kingdom’s  requirements.  How  beautiful  in  the  beds  were 
the  many  garden  Roses,  especially  the  Hybrid  Chinas  and  Cluster  Roses. 
In  all  directions  were  the  plants  carrying  beautiful  flowers.  The  young 
Teas  in  pots  seem  now  to  be  in  great  request  for  spring  planting,  in  pre¬ 
ference  to  risking  them  outdoors  through  the  winter,  or,  if  preferable, 
potted,  they  bloom  profusely  under  glass  for  a  long  season.  When,  as 
here,  it  is  seen  what  Roses  have  developed  into,  ample  evidence  is  furnished 
of  the  great  need  there  is  in  horticulture  for  specialists,  for  it  seems 
impossible  for  any  one  person  to  have  a  complete  knowledge  of 
everything. 
Foliage  Shrubs. 
A  very  effective  shrub  was  Cornus  brachypoda  variegata.  This  had 
very  striking  silvery  leafage.  The  Golden  Catalpa  gave  rich  leafage  and 
colouration  from  cut-back  stocks,  as,  indeed,  that  is  the  way  in  gardens  to 
bring  out  the  great  beauty  of  many  foliage  shrubs.  Cornus  atropurpureus 
treated  in  this  way  is  very  effective  ;  so,  too,  is  the  Golden  Elder.  The 
purple  Cornus  edged  with  the  golden  dwarf  Cornus  Spathei  makes  a  very 
effective  mass.  The  Golden  Hop  tree,  Ptelia  trifoliata  aurea,  is  very 
effective.  Singularly  pretty,  as  furnishing  long  shoots  clothed  with  leaves 
of  cream  flushed  red,  was  Acer  palmatum  tricolor.  Such  shoots  would  be 
invaluable  for  vase  decoration.  A  most  attractive  Elder,  Sambucus 
plumosus  serratifolia  aurea,  had  very  large,  handsome  serrated  leafage  of  a 
rich  colour.  Alnus  imperialis,  giving  beautiful  cut  leafage,  and  Acer 
colchicum  nigrum  very  attractive  effects  when  shoots  are  cut  back  in 
the  spring.  However,  there  are  many  shrubs  that  thus  treated  prove 
e.xceedingly  effective. 
Fig.  45.— Pear  Gansel’s  Bergamot. 
