Augusts,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
119 
RIVERS’ 
FRUIT  TREES, 
Roses,  Vines, 
FIGS,  ORANGES, 
AND 
Orchard-House  Trees. 
A  LARGE  AND  SELECT  STOCK 
ALWAYS  ON  VIEW. 
ILLUSTRATED  AND  DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE, 
Post  Free,  3d. 
TH0MASRIVERS  &  SON, 
SAWBRIDGE  WORTH,  HERTS.' 
HARLOW  STATION.  G.E.R. 
CUTBUSH’S  CELEBRATED 
MUSHROOM  SPAWN 
THE  FINEST  PROCURABLE. 
ONCE  USED,  ALWAYS  USED. 
Many  Hundreds  of  Testimonials. 
Per  Bushel,  6/-,  packing  included. 
WM.  CDTBDSH  &  SON, 
Hiehgate  Nurseries,  LONDON,  N., 
ani  BARNET,  HERTS. 
THIRTY  GOLD,  SILVER- GILT,  and  SILVER 
MEDALS  for 
BEGONIA  "SET 
The  Largest  and  Best  Collection  in  Existence. 
Send  for  CATALOGUE  before  ordering. 
B.  R.  DAVIS  &  SONS,  Nurseries,  YEOVIL,  SOB. 
BLUSH  MALMAISON. 
Layers  Ready  the  Early  Part  of  September. 
About  20,000  of  the  above  ;  also  a  quantity  of 
CERMAttlA  (YELLOW)  CARNATION  LAYERS  : 
PmcFs  f  Rlllsh  Malmaison  ..  18  -  per  100;  £7  10/-  1000. 
(  Germania  Carnation  15/-  ,,  £6  ,,  ! 
BELL  &  SiELDOK,  Castel  Nursery,  GUERNSEY 
THOMSON’S 
VINE,  PLANT,  AND 
VEGETABLE  MANURE 
SPLENDID  FOR  ALL  PURPOSES. 
This  Valuable  Manure  is  yearly  growing  in 
Public  favour. 
LARGELY  USED  AT  HOME  AND  ABROAD. 
Sold  by  all  Seedsmen. 
London  Agent— Mr.  J.  George,  14,  Redgrave  Road,  Putney 
Agent  for  CDannel  Islands— Mr.  J.  H.  PARSONS,  Market 
Place,  Guernsey. 
Sole  Makers— 
WM.  THOMSON  &  SONS,  Ltd.. 
Tweed  Vineyard,  Clovenfords,  Galashiels,  N.B. 
ALSO  ^rice  Lists  and  Testimonials  on  applic  ition. 
THOMSON’S  SPECIAL  CHRYSANTHEMUM  MANURE. 
ESTABLISHED  1832. 
No  connection  with  any  other  firm  of  a  similar  name. 
CATALOGUE  for  1901 
—  OF  — 
DUTCH, 
CAPE,  AND  EXOTIC 
BULBS 
(With  CULTURAL  DIRECTIONS', 
Is  NOW  READY,  and  will  be  sent  Post  Free  on 
application  to  themselves  direct  at  OVER  VEEN, 
HAARLEM,  HOLLAND,  or  to  their  General 
Agents— 
Messrs.  MERTENS  &  CO., 
3,  CROSS  LANE,  LONDON,  E.C. 
CARNATIONS. 
The  unoer noted  are  Two  Exceptionally  Fine  New 
Varieties,  suitable  either  tor  pots  or  outside. 
DUCHESS  OF  ROXBURGHE. 
Primrose  ground,  striped  with  a  lovely  shade  of  terra 
cotta  and  heliotrope.  (See  illustration  in  Journal 
of  Horticulture,  July  26th,  1901.)  Per  dozen,  21/-. 
SIR  R.  WALD  IE- GRIFFITH. 
A  grand  novelty  of  a  perfectly  unique  shade  of  colour, 
being  a  rich  orange-scarlet  with  a  sheen  of  amber  ; 
Clove-scented.  Per  dozen,  40/-. 
MALMAISONS  AND  MANY  OTHER  VARIETIES. 
Descriptive  Cultural  Catalogue  on  application. 
LAING~&  MATHER, 
KELSO  -  ON  -  TWEED, 
THURSDAY.  AUGUST  8,  1901. 
Experimental  Gardening. 
Ir-  VSecjJl  0\V  much  are  indebted  to  expert- 
ment  for  the  remarkable  develop- 
ments  of  this  age  is  an  open 
t  question,  but  there  is  no  gain- 
saying  the  fact  that  it  has  played 
_  ft  very  important  part  in  the  advance 
of  horticulture.  The  term,  in  its 
simple  meaning,  is  often  misunderstood, 
T  for,  governed  as  we  are  to  a  certain  extent 
by  forces  over  which  we  have  little  or  no  control, 
every  operation  we  undertake,  every  seed  we  sow, 
or  plant  we  cultivate  is,  in  a  measure,  an  experi¬ 
ment,  and  it  is  the  lessons  learned  in  simple,  every¬ 
day  matters  that  have  led  on  to  much  greater 
things.  We  sow  seeds,  but  have  no  guarantee 
that  they  will  germinate  and  form  plants.  We  do 
not  know  for  certain  that  the  cuttings  we  insert 
will  strike  root,  but  from  past  experience  we  can 
make  ourselves  reasonably  sure  of  it,  if  the  necessary 
conditions  are  favourable,  therefore  these  and  other 
commonplace  operations  cease  to  be  experiments  as 
the  term  is  generally  understood. 
But  experiment  has  a  fascination  for  almost 
every  gardener,  and  though  perhaps  they  would 
unwillingly  admit  it,  there  are  few  who  do  not  like 
to  leave  the  beaten  track  of  custom  and  try  methods 
of  their  own  devising  for  the  sake  of  finding  some¬ 
thing  out,  or  making  a  saving  in  the  way  of  time 
and  labour.  Scores,  yea  hundreds,  of  experiments 
are  conducted  on  a  public  or  quite  private  scale 
during  the  course  of  a  season,  the  majority  of 
which,  perhaps,  are  known  to  none  except  the 
persons  who  try  them.  But  it  is  this  mystic 
spirit  running  through  the  gardening  fraternity 
that  is  at  work.  In  some  cases  it  rests  apparently 
unseen,  in  others  it  bubbles  forth  at  intervals,  and 
in  others  again  it  is  a  hobby,  sometimes  amounting 
to  a  craze.  Some  experiment  in  one  direction, 
some  in  another,  but  in  all  cases  they  are,  and 
have  been,  men,  not  content  with  accepting  things 
as  they  are,  but  always  probiDg  beneath  the  surface 
of  the  actual  with  the  hope  of  drawing  a  prize 
from  the  lottery  box  of  the  unseen.  How  much 
we  owe  to  the  spirit  of  inquisitiveness  the  annals 
EEADERS  are  requested  to  send  Notices  of  Gardening 
Appointments  or  Notes  of  Horticultural  Interest, 
Intimations  of  Meetings,  Queries,  and  all  Articles  for 
Publication,  officially  to  ‘  THE  EDITOR,”  at 
12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.,  and  to  no  other  person  and  to  no  other 
address 
No.  1102.— Vol.  XLIIL,  Third  Series.  ..  -.H7.1  ' 
