160 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
with  “bewis.”  That  the  latter  were  trained  over  the  walks 
appears  in  another  canto  of  the  poem,  “  The  King’s  Quhair,” 
where  is  mentioned 
The  grene  bewis  bent 
Tbrou  guhom  and  under  first  fortunyt  me, 
My  hertis  hele  and  my  contort  to  be. 
Illuminated  manuscripts,  on  the  other  hand,  show  that 
the  rails  of  Chaucer  may  have  been  of  plain  wood,  with  the 
cross  pieces  inserted  diamond  fashion,  trellises  in  fact.  In 
the  Gardens  of  January  and  of  Arviragus  there  is  the  very 
marked  difference  that  both  were  at  a  distance  from  their 
respective  dwellings,  and,  not  improbably,  the  poet  had  in 
his  mind  this  class  of  gardens,  as  rented  by  the  citizens  of 
London,  a  kind  of  occupation  which  seems  to  have  continued, 
if  not  in  London,  at  least  in  other  centres,  till  the  present 
day.  A  lease  still  exists,  dated  1375,  of  a  garden  situate  in 
Tower  Yard,  &c.,  “between  the  Garden  which  Geoffry 
Puppe  holds  on  the  North  side,  and  the  Garden  which 
William  Lamburne  holds  on  the  South.”  January’s  garden 
was  “walled  with  stone,”  and  in  addition  to  the  usual  bench 
of  turves,  mention  is  made  of  a  well  or  fountain  shaded  by  a 
Bay  Laurel. 
In  the  Assembly  of  Foules  a  garden  of  altogether  different 
stamp  is  described,  being  similar  to  that  mentioned  in  “  The 
Romaunt  of  the  Rose,”  and  by  Bishop  Douglas  and  others  of 
the  old  poets.  This  garden  would  appear  to  have  formed 
a  portion  of  a  walled-in  park  where  trees  were  abundant.  A 
river  flowed  close  by  the  garden,  and  cold  streams  swarming 
with  fishes,  and  fed  from  a  fountain,  meandered  through  its 
midst.  In  “  The  Romaunt  of  the  Rose  ”  the  banks  of  the 
stream  are  clothed  with  grass  powdered  with  various 
flowers — the  Violet,  Periwinkle,  and  others.  There,  too,  the. 
trees  of  the  garden  are  full  of  blossom,  and  peopled  by  sing¬ 
ing  birds  continually  making  melody.  Among  the  trees, 
which  in  more  than  one  instance  are  noted  as  being  planted 
in  rows  at  equal  distances  apart,  and  with  their  boughs  so 
closely  interlaced  as  to  intercept  every  ray  of  the  sun, 
rabbits  were  at  pla.y,  and  deer  of  various  kinds  made  them¬ 
selves  at  home.  There  were  also  squirrels  and  “  bestes  small 
of  gentle  kind  ”  in  plenty.  A  Flemish  illumination  shows 
just  such  a  garden  with  its  outer  walls  embattled,  its 
fountain,  round  which  men  and  women  sit,  one  of  the 
number  playing  a  musical  instrument ;  its  little  stream  of 
water ;  its  trees,  on  which  many  birds  are  perched  ;  and 
its  flower  beds,  railed,  and  within  one  of  which  is  a  little 
tree  with  a  wire  protector,  not  impossibly  an  indication  of 
the  near  proximity  of  rabbits  and  other  gentle  “  bestes  ”  ! 
The  last  type  of  garden  noted  by  Chaucer  is  of  quite  a 
lowly  nature.  One  which  belonged  to  a  carpenter  is  simply 
mentioned  ;  the  other,  more  fully  described,  to  a  poor  widow, 
who  kept  a  dairy  of  a  few  cows,  with  pigs  and  poultry.  The 
latter  had  obviously  the  run  of  the  garden,  which  was  cut  off 
from  the  unenclosed  country  around  by  means  of  a  dry  ditch, 
inside  which  was  a  “  dead  ”  hedge  of  sticks.  Till  quite  a  late 
period  this  method  of  fencing  continued  in  use  in  small 
gardens  ;  but  in  Chaucer’s  time,  and  long  afterwards,  many 
large  gardens  possessed  no  other  means  of  protection  beyond 
a  ditch,  not,  however,  always  innocent  of  water,  and  a  mound 
of  soil  surmounted  by  a  hedge  of  dry  sticks.  In  the  Rolls  of 
Ely  for  1372  is  an  entry  of  6s.  8d.,  pdd  for  four  c.an  loads  >  f 
thorns  for  tliis  very  purpose. 
The  widow’s  garden,  just  as  in  the  north  of  England  and 
in  Scotland  to  this  day,  was  termed  a  “yerd.”  “Wortes” 
are  the  only  vegetable  mentioned  as  being  cultivated  in  this 
yard  ;  but  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  poor,  who  lived  mainly 
on  vegetable  products,  found  much  of  their  food  on  unculti¬ 
vated  ground.  Thus  “  Griseldes,”  who,  with  her  father,  lived 
in  the  same  building  with  their  oxen,  and  who  had  a  few 
sheep  “  on  the  feld,”  seems  to  have  existed  on  the  “  wortes 
and  other  herbis  ”  which  she  brought  home  daily,  and  which 
she  chopped  up  and  boiled  for  her  “lyving.”  The  widow 
was  rather  better  off ;  but  her  garden  would  doubtless  be  a 
poorly  furnished  one.  and  possibly  was  largely  occupied  with 
medicinal  herbs,  such  as  are  mentioned  by  Dame  Pertelot. 
Some  editions  of  Chaucer  name  the  Elder  as  being  cultivated 
for  its  fruit  ;  but  the  word  is  no  doubt  wrong,  and  “  Elebore,” 
February  20,  19021 
which,  like  the  others  named,  is  a  purgative,  the  correct 
one.  In  the  same  way,  the  Dogwood,  which  has  a  long  tram, 
of  commentators  on  its  side,  is  supposed  to  have  b^^n  grown 
in  the  dame’s  yard  under  the  name  of  “  Gaytre  ;  but  tlris- 
is  as  little  a  purgative  as  the  Elder,  and  not  unlikely  the 
word  is  one  of  the  existing  mistakes  of  Adam  the  ^Scrivener, 
so  sadly  berated  by  Chaucer  for  his  carelessness.  ‘  Gladyn, 
a  medicinal  plant  of  great  repute,  would  meet  the  case,  and 
thus  we  find  this  little  garden  devoid  of  all  vegetation  save  a. 
few  physic  herbs  and  some  vegetables  for  pottage.  B. 
The  Horticultural  Hall. 
As  a  headline  on  schoolroom  writing  books  one  lUrty  see  the- 
motto,  “A  work  well  begun  is  half  done.”  Applying  this  to- 
the  long  discus.sed  Hall  scheme  to  he  raised  iii  a  central  part 
of  London  for  the  exhibitions  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
and  the  numerous  other  “Nationals”  centred  in  the  great 
metropolis,  we  may  surely  say  that  steps  are  now  well  along  the 
way  that  will  lead  up  to  that  much-needed  edifice  frequently 
referred  to  as  The  Horticultural  Hall.  B,y  our  report  of  the 
procedings  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  at  its  aniiiml 
general  meeting,  .held  in  the  cold  and  draughty  Drill  Hall  of  the 
London  Scottish  Volunteers  in  Westminster,  last  week,  it  was 
stated  that  a  strong  committee,  consisting  of  Baron  Schroder  ^ 
chairman,  Rev.  W.  Wilks  as  secretary,  and  Earl  IJchester  Sir 
Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart..  Dr.  Masters,  Harry  J.  \  eitch.  Esq., 
N.  N.  Sherwood,  Esq.,  and  H.  B.  May,  Esq.,  as  its  members,  had 
been  engaged  for  some  months  past  in  considering  sites  (five 
in  all)  for  a  horticultural  hall  in  the  interests  of  the  Royal  Horti- 
cultural  Society.  There  is  no  longer  any  question  of  a  new 
garden  being  secured  as  a  means  of  cele;brating  the  Centenary 
of  the  Society ;  the  annual  general  meeting  last  week  at  West¬ 
minster  pledged  itself  to  support  the  Council  in  their  efforts  to 
found  a  hall  su  table  in  every  respect  for  the  needs  of  Horti¬ 
culture  in  the  capital  of  England,  and  the  Fellows  will  shortly 
again  assemble  to  discuss  a  number  of  vitally  important  points 
in  this  great  undertaking  which,  in  full  confidence,  we  may  say 
is  now'  on  the  way  to  completion. 
But  enormous  efforts  will  require  to  be  made.  Every 
gardener  and  every  society  in  the  kingdom  will,  we  most  earnestly 
trust,  take  the  matter  to  heart,  and  do  that  which  everyone, 
wheresoever  or  howsoever  placed,  can  do  to-  assist  the  great' 
money-rais  ng  effort  that  will  be  necessary.  Providing  that  fb®" 
site  which  is  now'  engaging  the  attention  of  the  above-named 
committee  commends  itself  to  the  majority  of  the  Fellow's,  what 
steps  w'ill  follow?  The  Press  is  the  chief  medium  wdiereby  the- 
many  questions  pertaining  to  the  scheme  can  be  briefly  discus^d' 
prioi'  to  the  eventful  date  of  the  next  general  meeting,  in  which 
the  matter  will  be  brought  forward.  D.scussion  seems  to  us  to' 
be  very  necessary  (1)  as  a  saver  of  time ;  (2)  because  it 
shou’d  g  ve  a  large  number  of  suggestions,  some  of  which  may¬ 
be  important ;  and  (3)  it  will  train  those  most  interested  m  hhe- 
needs  of  the  case,  and  give  everyone  due  time  to  fhin'k.  whichi 
cannot  be  the  case  if  Fellows  assemble  at  a  meeting  and  endeavour 
to  debate  on  a  subject  so  pregnant  with  onerous  responsibilities. 
Before  concluding  tliis  cursory  descant,  it  seems  to  us  apposite 
to  recall  some  of  the  suggestions  made  in  the  Journal  of 
Horficulfure,  December  17,  1896,  pages  576  and  577,  in  reference- 
to  this  same  subject  by  Mr.  James  L.  Wood,  of  Oakleigh  Park,. 
Whetstone.  Briefly  summarised,  Mr.  Wood’s  propositions  come 
under  three  ma  n  heads — (1)  the  promotion  and  formation  of  a- 
horticultural  hall ;  (2)  the  establishment ;  and  (3)  revenue.  These- 
three  heads  w-ere  sectioned  out  to  thirty-eight  clauses,  the- 
majority  cf  w'hich  have  little  applicability  now  ;  but  the  followd'ng 
suggestions  appear  still  to  be  valuable.  That  ;  Rose  and  other- 
floral  festivals  be  held  all  over  the  kingdom  (would  not  Shrews¬ 
bury,  Wolverhampton,  and  Hanley  help  greatly?),  and  that  the- 
horticultural  Press  open  its  columns  for  subscriptions;  every 
society  remitting  £50  to  be  represented  by  Life  Governors  (in- 
connection  with  the  annual  and  other  business  of  the  R.H.S. 
appertaining  to  horticulture) ;  every  soc'.ety  remitt.ng  £25  to 
have  an  Associate  elected  as  its  representative,  and  who  would’ 
have  a  vo  ce  and  vote  in  deciding  the  plans  for  a  hall.  The 
General  Council  to  be  further  stren^hened  by  the  admission  of 
bead  gardeners  at  half  the  qualification  fee  for  Lffe  Governors - 
viz.,  £25.  That  the  Livery  Companies  of  the  City  of  London 
be  approached,  and  their  assistance  solicited.  By  these  means  a 
thoroughly  representative  constitution,  and  one  that  should  ensure 
the  keenest  interest  of  provincial  forces,  would  be  ensured,  and 
all  interests  would  have  a  fair  consideration.  It  has  been 
variously  estimated  that  a  hall  and  ground  bought  would  cost 
from  £80,000  to  £12(),000,  which  can  be  raised  if  we  all  try. 
