March  27,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
267 
NOVELTIES  AND  SPECIALITIES  FOR  1902- 
Antirrhinum  Yellow  Queen,  a  grand  little  Snapdragon 
for  bedding,  forming  compact  bushes  covered  with  bright 
yellow  flowers  ;  height  15in.  Per  packet,  6d.  and  1/-. 
Aquilegia,  Barr's  Giant  Rose  and  White,  a  very  beauti¬ 
ful  strain,  saved  at  DI  ITON  HILL  N urseries.  Per  pkt. ,  2/6. 
Aster  sinensis,  a  lovely  single  Aster  from  China,  with 
large  handsome  flower-i  of  a  delicate  pa  e  mauve,  with 
bronzy  yellow  disc,  bushy  branching  habit ;  height  15in. 
Per  packet,  rfl.  and  1/-. 
Celosia  Thompson!  magniflca,  a  splendid  new  strain, 
nroducing  numerous  elegant  feathery  flower  plumes  of  most 
brilliant  colours— golden-yellow,  fiery  scarlet,  orange,  blood- 
red,  (fee.  ;  grand  for  pots  and  bedding  ;  ht.  ‘iift.  Per  pkt,  2/6. 
Delphinium,  Barr's  Magnificent  varieties,  mixed, saved 
at  the  DI  I'TO  V  HI  LL  Nurseries.  Per  packet,  1/6  and  2/6. 
Lathyrus,  Beautiful  New  Hybrids,  mixed,  very  flue  forms 
of  the  KVEHL  CSTINO  PEA.  Per  packet,  1/-.  1  6,  and  2/0. 
Lupinus  arboreus  Snow  Queen,  a  lovely  white  Tree 
Lupin,  and  a  good  novelty.  Per  packet,  6d.  and  1/-. 
Mignonette  Nineteen  Hundred,  forming  spreading  bushes, 
•covered  with  an  enormous  quantity  of  .'symmetrical  little 
.golden  yellow  flower  heads  ;  heiaht,  1ft.  Per  packet,  1/-. 
Poppy,  Oriental,  Mixed,  new  varieties,  stately  hardy, 
perennials,  with  large,  handsome,  gorgeously  coloured 
flower.-i.  Per  pa<  ket,  6d.  and  1/-. 
Stock,  East  Lothian,  Snowdrift,  an  extra  fine  strain, 
forming  dwarf,  bushy  plants,  covered  with  large  trusses  nf 
snowy  white  flowers  ;  height,  ift.  Per  packet,  1/6  and  2/6. 
Barrs’  Seed  Guide  contains  a  select  list  of  ths  best  Vege¬ 
tables  and  the  most  beautiful  Plowers  for  Garden  and 
'Greenhouse.  It  is  full  of  Practical  Hints,  and  will  be  found 
invaluable  to  Gardeners  Amateurs,  and  Exhibitors.  SENT 
FREE  ON  APPLICATION. 
&  SORTS, 
II,  12,  &  13,  KING  STREET,  COVENT  CARDEN,  LONDON 
Nurseries  :  Ditton  Hill,  near  Surbiton,  Surrey. 
Dobbie’s  Phloxes. 
These  extremely  be.utiful  Hardy  Flowers  should  have  a 
place  in  every  Gaiahn. 
SUPERB  EXHIBITION  VARIETIES. 
19  for  6/-.  50  for  22/6.  lOo  for  40/-. 
URAND  BORDER  VARIETIES. 
12  for  4/-.  5'i  for  14/-.  lOOffor  26/-. 
NEW  DWARF  BORDER  PHLOXES. 
Splendid  Trusses.  18  to  2  '  inches  hij:h.  No  stakes  required. 
12  for  5/-.  60  for  18/-.  100  for  3=//-. 
OUR  SELECTION,  CARRIAGE  PAID. 
Dobbie’s  Dahlias. 
Unsurj  assed  anywhere.  All  sections  grown. 
CUTTINGS  NO'W  READY. 
OUR  SELECTION,  ANY  CLASS. 
12  for  1/10.  25  for  3/4.  50  for  5/10.  100  for  10/6. 
ALL  POST  FREE. 
Dobbie’s  Violas. 
These  charming  flowers  should  he  I'lanted  Noio. 
BORDER  OR  BEDDING  VARIETIES. 
12  in  6  varieties.  2/-.  100  in  12  or  moie  soits,  12/6. 
1000  in  25  varieties.  £5. 
EXHIBITION  VARIETIES. 
12  first-rate  .sorts,  2/6.  50  for  10/-.  100  or  2"'/-. 
Our  tSelection.  Carriage  Paid. 
DOBBIE  &  Co., 
The  Royal  Florists, 
pli 
W; 
ECKFORD’8  .  . 
GIANT  SWEET  PEAS. 
The  purity  and  stamina  of  these  Home-Groxvn 
Stooics  are  so  conserved  by  special  methods  of  culture, 
that  the  seeds  possess  phenomenal  strength  and 
vitality. 
Twelve  Giant  varieties,  quite  distinct,  splendid 
for  Exhibition,  2  ^  post  free. 
The  following  splendid  novelties  for  1'  0?  are  sup- 
lied  in  1/  packets — ''Lord  Rosebery”  (Rosy 
agenta  Self);  “Joanie  Gordon”  (Bright  Rose 
shaded  Cream);  ‘'Gracie  Greenwood”  (Cream- 
shaded  Pink,  edged  deep  Pink). 
The  above  i  varieties  and  3  novelties  (15  in  all) 
when  ordered  together,  fy  post  free. 
Send  lor  a  Catalogue  wiih  full  description  free. 
ECKFOROS  .  . 
umrivalled  culinary  peas. 
Nothing  on  the  rarrket  like  them  for  Flavour  and 
Cropping  capacity,  Enormous  yields  under  favourable 
conditions.  Collections  for  5  months  continuous 
supply  (see  page  Catalogue). 
A  Booklet  on  “  How  to  grow,  and  when  to 
sow  Culinary  Peas”  free  with  each  order. 
GENUINE  ONLY 
direct  from  Wem, 
Awarded  no  less 
than  60  Gold  & 
Sliver  Medals* 
ECKFORD’S 
PURE  VEGETABLE  SEEDS. 
Resu  ts  treon  all  quarters  prove  them  to  be 
unequalled  lor  purity,  vigour,  and  yield.  They  are 
beyond  all  doubt  absolotely  the  cheapest  and  best 
ever  offered  to  the  public.  Collection  for  months’ 
supy  y,  i/'/s,  Pi  '-,  42/-,  1 ' 
carnage  paid.  Other  collections,  2/9i  5/*  ana  7/6 
post  Iree, 
CHOICcST  flower  seeds. 
No  expense  or  pains  are  spared  to  ensure  the 
highest  merit  in  these  pure  and  selected  stocks.  Th^ 
are  far  above  the  average  in  quality. 
ECKFORD’S  ILLUSTRATED  CATALOGUE 
(with  valuable  Cultural  Notes)  should  be  in  the  hand 
of  every  Gardener  (Amateur  and  Professional)  and 
is  sent  r  R  Lk  of  receipt  of  postcard. 
Address  — 
HENRY  ECKFORD, 
Seed  Grower,  WEM,  SALOP. 
TO  THE  TRADE! 
WHOLESALE  SEED  CATALOGUE 
,  'We  have  now  published  our  Wholesale  Catalogue  of 
VEGETABLE  and  FLOWER  SEEDS, 
Containing  also  the  best  Novelties  of  the  Season,  all  the 
recent  improved  varieties  of  Sweet  Peas  ;  also  List  of  over 
150  varieties  choice  P’ern  spores.  May  be  had  on  Appli¬ 
cation.  Any  of  our  Customer.-^  not  having  received  one  by 
post  will  oblige  by  letting  us  know,  when  another  shall  at 
once  he  posted. 
WATKINS  &SINIPS0N,  Seed  Merchants, 
2,  Tavistock  Street,  Covent  C arden,  London,  W.C. 
Seed  &  Trial  Grounds— Feltham  &  Twickenham,  Middlesex 
Dicksons 
/  HARDILY -GROWN  \ 
FOREST,  FRUIT, 
AND  ALL  OTHER 
TREES& PLANTS 
EVERGREENS, 
ROSES,  &c. 
Stocks  quite  Unequalled  for 
‘QUALITY,’  ‘VARIETY,’  &  ‘  EXTBHT.’ 
Priced  Catalogues  Post  Free. 
\ _  Nubbebibs  800  Aorbb.  / 
Chester 
Jfltti[iral  flf  gijrtii[iiItui[C. 
THURSDAY.  MARCH  27,  1902. 
Spring  Gardening  250  Years  Ago. 
AM  employing  the  number 
“  250  ”  with  a  certain  amount 
of  elasticity,  and  it  points, 
therefore,  not  to  a  particular 
year,  but  rather  indicates  a 
^  period — the  middle  of  the  seven¬ 
teenth  century.  People  who 
imagine  it  is  only  in  these  present 
days  that  gardening  has  ever  thriven 
may  look  for  a  very  bald  statement,  but  if 
it  23roves  so  the  blame  must  fall  on  the 
portrayer  of  the  time,  and  not  the  period 
itself.  Nor  must  we  be  led  astray  by  the 
thought  that  the  date  suggests  the  Crom¬ 
wellian  supremacy,  when  gardening  might 
not  unnaturally  be  thought  to  be  at  a  low 
ebb.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  just  during 
this  period  that  both  Agriculture  and  Horti¬ 
culture  took  astroDgergripof  the  Englishmans 
mind  than  at  any  time  previously. 
The  fruit-growing  habit  was  more  largely 
formed  all  over  the  Island,  and  the  production 
of  the  florist  flower  man  as  a  distinct  type 
was  evolved.  We  may  not  say  there  was  the 
same  amount  of  material  to  work  on  in 
gardens,  but  taking  into  consideration  the 
fact  that  gardens  at  this  time  were  small  in 
extent  compared  to  those  of  to  day,  it  will 
not  be  amiss  to  conclude  that  as  well  the 
Cavalier  and  his  dainty  Diana,  as  the  Round- 
head  w  ith  his  demure  Priscilla,  found  a  good 
selection  of  charming  flowers  to  beautify  the 
parterre  by  the  east  ■window  and  the 
“  Bordures  ”  that  cut  off  their  close-clipped 
hedges  from  the  straight-lined  walks  of  their 
gardens. 
It  would  be  a  remarkable  coincidence  that 
we  know  much  more  of  the  florist  of  250 
years  ago  that:  of  any  other  class  of  gardeners, 
if  it  had  not  happened  that  this  has  always 
been  the  case.  The  florist,  from  tlie  manner 
he  employs  his  floral  affections,  is  a  little  bit 
EADERS  are  requested  to  send  notices  of  Gardening 
Appointments  or  Notes  of  Horticultural  Interest, 
intimations  of  Meetings,  Queries,  and  all  Articles  for 
Publicatiou,  officially  to  “  THE  EDITOR  at 
12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.,  and  to  no  otner  person  and  to  no  other 
address. 
No.  1185. — Vdu.  XLIV.,  Third  Series. 
