January  2,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
15 
made :  “  Your  investigations  into  the  applications  of  chemistry 
to  the  cultivation  of  crops  and  the  feeding  of  live  stock  have  been 
of  the  highest  possible  importance  to  the  practical  agriculturist, 
and  the  sincere  thanks  of  the  agricultural  community  at  large  are 
due  and  are  hereby  tendered  to  you  for  the  scientific  skill  and 
indefatigable  industry  which  you  have  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
conduct  of  the  Rothamsted  researches.” 
The  death  is  reported  from  America  of  Mr.  Charles  C.  Knott, 
superintendent  of  the  Public  Gardens  at  St.  John,  N.B.  He  was 
born  on  October  5,  1854,  at  Streatham,  London,  England.  He 
worked  with  his  father  until  he  was  sixteen,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  a  sister  of  Ambrose  Bassett,  under  George  Barker, 
then  head  gardener  there.  Tw’o  years  later  he  took  charge  of  a 
range  of  houses  at  Clarendon  Nurseries,  in  the  West  End  of 
London,  where  he  soon  became  foreman.  In  1875  he  went  to 
America.  Mr.  Knott  leaves  a  widow  and  four  children. 
A  Worcestershire  Village  and  Its  Gardens. 
Mr.  Bygrave,  whose  little  daughter  and  the  flowers  she  loves 
were  figured  in  our  la.st  issue  for  December,  1901,  page  586,  sends 
the  following  interesting  letter  from  his  home  in  the  gardens  of 
Rous  Lench  Court,  near  Evesham  ;  — 
“  I  send  you  a  few  notes  of  local  interest,  but  I  feel  it 
requires  a  more  adept  pen  than  mine  to  do  justice  to  this 
wealthy  and  ever-interesting  locality.  I  believe  Rous  Lench 
shares  the  honour  of  being  one  of  the  prettiest  villages  in  Eng¬ 
land.  It  certainly  is  a  model  village.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Chafy,  who 
is  both  Rector  and  Lord  of  the  Manor,  encourages  thrift  by  pro¬ 
viding  good  cottages  with  gardens  and  cheap  holdings.  The 
industry  of  Rous  Lench  is  certainly  handicapped,  being  so  far 
from  the  station — seven  miles  from  Evesham,  and  five  to  six 
miles  from  any  other,  with  bad  roads. 
Allotment  Gardens  and  Their  Owners. 
“  One  of  the  most  striking  features  to  stoangers  is  the  nnml)er 
of  allotment  holders,  who  get  their  living  almost,  if  not  entirely, 
from  their  holdings.  The  cottagers  ai'e  thrifty  and  self-support¬ 
ing  in  a  very  creditable  manner.  Their  chief  meat  is  home-fed 
and  cured  bacon — on  the  true  Wiltshire  principle  ;  also  vegetables 
and  fruit  from  their  gardens  ;  fruit  for  cider  from  the  trees  which 
are  planted  amongst  the  hedges  that  surround  the  fields;  home¬ 
brewed  beer  ;  honey  from  skeps  and  bar-framed  hives ;  eggs  from 
home-reared  poultry,  and  Birmingham  takes  the  surplus.  [And 
yet,  with  all  this,  people  flock  to  the  towns! — Ed.]  The  staple 
crop  of  the  allotment  holders,  where  the  ground  suits  it,  is 
Asparagus.  This  is  planted  3ft  to  4ft  apart  and  1ft  apart  in  the 
rows.  These  are  ridged  up  in  the  autumn  and  forked  down  again 
in  the  spring.  Soot  and  fish-manure  are  the  most  common 
manures  given,  and  these  are  applied  so  soon  after  cutting  is 
finished  as  possible.  Tomatoes  are  planted  by  the  thousand. 
Early  Evesham  and  Early  Ruby  are  the  varieties  most  generally 
grown.  Peas  are  largely  grown  by  the  farmers,  and  many  have 
already  sown  for  the  first  crop.  Every  class  of  vegetable  is 
grown,  for  whatever  will  pay  is  not  despised. 
Fruit  Culture,  &c. 
“  It  needs  no  pen  to  utter  the  praises  of  the  suitability  of  the 
soil  of  Worcestershire  for  fruit  culture,  especially  stone  fruit. 
Plum  trees  are  planted  by  the  acre,  till  they  resemble  a  large 
Avood.  Strawberries  are  being  planted  more  extensively  ;  Goose¬ 
berries  and  Black  Currants  are  staple  crops,  and  generally  make 
good  prices.  Gillyflowers  (Carnations)  among.st  flowers  are  the 
most  commonly  grown.  These  are  soAvn  in  March,  and,  with 
proper  thinning  become  sturdy  plants  before  the  winter  sets  in. 
We  are  not  so  forward  with  our  produce  in  the  market  in  the 
spring  as  those  more  favourably  situated  nearer  Evesham,  being 
nearly  a  fortnight  later. 
“  The  church  and  churchyard  are  both  pretty  and  interesting. 
The  churchyard  was  once  a  feeding  ground  for  animals,  rough 
and  turbulent;  now  a  place  worthy  of  the  name  ‘God’s  acre.’ 
The  graves  are  kept  uniform  in  shape ;  the  grass  closely  shaven ; 
the  walks  regularly  rolled  and  weeded.  Spring  and  summer 
bedding  plants  enliven  the  borders,  especially  prepared  for  their 
reception.  Many  of  the  tombstones  are  covered  with  climbing 
Roses.  Roses,  neatly  trained,  adorn  the  walls  of  the  sacred 
building.  Shrubs,  artistically  planted,  are  dotted  about  the 
churchyard ;  also  some  fine  clumps  of  the  Pampas  Grass.  The 
shrubs  are  grand  specimens;  they  are  thickly  feathered  down  to 
the  ground,  with  golden  and  dense  green  foliage.  On  each  side 
of  the  church  door  are  a  pair  of  Thuia  aurea,  while  an  avenue  of 
Cupressus  Lawsoniana  erecta  viridis  leads  from  the  entrance  to 
the  Park.  Others  are  Cupressus  Lawsoniana  aurea,  Retinospora 
plumosa,  Abies  Nordmanniana,  Irish  and  Chinese  Junipers,  Arau¬ 
caria  imbricaba,  Thuia  gigantea,  a  fine  specimen  of  Cryptomeria 
elegans,  and  not  forgetting  a  grand  old  Yew. 
“  The  Court  and  gardens  are  full  of  historic  interest,  and  their 
voice  will  no  doubt  be  heard  another  day.  Suffice  it  to  say,  the 
gardens  are  formed  of  ten  terraces,  bordered  with  wonderful  \cw 
hedges,  clipped  into  various  shapes  and  forms.  The  gai'dens  are 
unique.  The  views  are  scenic  and  majestic,  and  once  seen,  leave 
an  impression  never  forgotten.  From  the  tower  in  the  kitchen 
garden  one  commands  a  grand  and  extensive  view,  looking  over 
the  Vale  of  Evesham  to  the  Broadway  Hills,  and  in  another  posi¬ 
tion  the  Breden  and  Malvern  Hills.  My  next-door  neighbour 
belongs  to  a  nonagenarian  family — herself  nearing  ninety.  She 
was  born  in  the  cottage  which  she  now  inhabits,  and  it  was  only 
by  mistake  she  let  herself  be  led  away  to  sleep  out  of  it  the  only 
one  night  in  her  life.” — Wm.  Bygkave. 
Edinburgh  City  Gardens. 
Overhearing  two  of  my  fraternal  friends  recently  discuss¬ 
ing  the  merits  of  the  alterations  effected  in  the  arrangement 
of  East  Prince’s  Street  Gardens,  I  became  interested  in  the 
matter,  and  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  the  first  oppor¬ 
tunity  presented  for  the  inspection  of  the  same.  The 
weather  on  the  day  of  my  visit  was  admittedly  seasonable 
but  far  from  being  pleasant ;  with  incessant  showers  ol 
sleet,  driven  by  a  chilling  east  wind,  making  most  mortals 
seek  the  shelter  of  some  kindly  roof.  Still,  such  incon¬ 
veniences  must  be  tolerated. 
A  very  noticeable  feature  of  these  gardens  is  the  great 
care  which  is  taken  to  have  everything  in  the  best  possible 
order — walks  clean,  verges  nicely  kept,  and  borders  with 
their  shrubby  occupants  fresh  and  flourishing.  Many  of 
these  last-named  are  at  present  being  renovated,  the  older 
and  unsightly  plants  being  replaced  with  fresh  everareen 
and  flowering  shrubs.  Noticeable  among  these  are  Laurels, 
Aucubas,  Oval  Privet,  Hollies  green  and  vanegated, 
Spiraeas,  &c.  Passing  mention  may  here  be  made  of  Olearia 
Haasti,  which,  as  an  evergreen  flowering  shrub,  is 
unrivalled  on  account  of  its  adaptability  for  town  planting. 
It  grows  in  almost  any  situation,  and  in  summer  is  beauti- 
ful  sight  when  covered  with  flower.  The  special  feature  oi 
which  I  wish  to  write  a  little  on  this  occasion  is  the  great 
improvement  Mr.  J.  W.  McHattie,  the  city  head  gardenei, 
has  wrought  in  the  remodelling  the  portion  surrounding  the 
Scott  Monument  in  the  East  Gardens.  ,  ,  .  ,  ,  i 
Recognising  that  ribbon  borders  bedded  in  much  tne 
same  fashion  every  season  become  monotonous  and  unin¬ 
teresting  even  to  their  most  ardent  admirer,  and  as  it  weie 
impossible  under  the  old  arrangement  to  provide  different 
floral  effects  each  season,  Mr.  McHattie  wisely  decided  on  a 
change.  By  removing  the  walk  which  ran  in  direct  line 
with  the  monument  between  Hvo  lines  of  Elm  trees,  beyond 
the  second  line,  a  fine  oblong  vreen  was  thus  available  next 
to  the  street.  On  this  Mr.  McHattie  has  laid  out  three  lines 
of  beds,  in  shape  oblong  and  circular  alternating,  the  centre 
line  being  of  slightly  larger  dimensions.  These  beds  are  so 
placed  that  artistic  summer  bedding  may  be  indulged  in, 
and  Mr.  McHattie  will,  no  doubt,  do  his  best  to  bring  Edin¬ 
burgh’s  public  garden  into  line  with  the  fine  display  given 
yearly  in  the  large  London  parks.  The  roof  garden  of  the 
Waverley  Market  is  also  to  receive  Mr.  McHattie  s  atten¬ 
tion  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  there  also  his  genius 
will ’make  itself  evident.  In  conclusion,  the  least  that  can 
be  said  of  Mr.  McHattie’s  work  is  that  he  ought  to  recede 
the  hearty  support  of  the  public  in  his  endeavour  to  bring 
about  a  change  that  may  be  appreciated.— Scotia. 
Hoar  Frost. 
In  the  phenomena  of  the  season,  hoar  frost  is  prominent 
that  white,  feathery  clothing  which  fairy  lingers  seem  to  liave 
scattered,  so  silently  and  lightly,  over  even  the  minutest  blade 
of  grass.  It  is  so  beautiful  that  we  incline  to  wish  it  Avere  more 
permanent.  Yet  it  is  no  more  tlian  the  frozen  vapour  of  the  air 
dissolved  by  the  sun’s  earliest  beams,  and  rarely  occurring  more 
than  three  or  four  days  successively.  So  short  is  their  succes¬ 
sion,  that  it  is  a  common  saying  in  some  couiitiy  districts,  “  Hoar 
frost  and  gipsies  never  stay  nine  days  in  a  place.”  It  has  been 
well  said  that  at  such  times  silence  and  purity,  as  a  mantle,  are 
thrown  over  the  earth,  and  this  simile  was  suggested  by  the 
colour  of  the  frozen  particles,  and  the  entire  absence  of  wind 
when  they  are  formed.  Hoar  frost  is  nothing  but  frozen  dew. 
Warm  air  holds  more  moisture  than  cold  air  will  ;  cqn.seiiueiitly, 
when  cooled  at  night,  the  air  deposits  some  of  its  moisture.  The 
moisture  so  deposited  is  dew  ;  but  if  the  cold  is  sevc'ri'-  enough 
the  moisture  L'eezos  as  it  is  deposited,  and  then  is  called  a  hoar, 
or  rime,  frost. 
