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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER,  September  12,  1901. 
Scabbed  Potatoes. 
In  reference  to  the  inquiries  about  the  scabbing  of  Potatoes,  I  have 
seen  it  very  often,  but  mostly  in  a  warm  sunny  season  and  on  light 
sandy  soil,  and  it  occurs  to  me  that  it  arises  from  the  soil  being 
so  hot  that  it  blisters  the  skin  of  the  Potato  when  it  is  in  a  tender 
state.  At  the  same  time  I  am  told  that  if  lime  is  applied  to  the 
soil  the  Potatoes  are  sure  to  be  scabbed.  Scabbed  Potatoes  are 
generally  very  dry  and  good,  and  they  are  always  drier  in  a 
dry  warm  season  than  in  one  the  reverse.  There  is  a  little  blight 
to  be  seen  in  this  county,  which  is  famous  for  Potatoes.  It  is  of 
importance  to  raise  new  varieties  from  seed,  and  to  abandon  the  old 
sorts,  as  they  are  more  liable  to  blight  than  those  reoently  raised  from 
seed. — A.,  Ormiston,  N.B. 
Seedling  Briers. 
Last  autumn  I  obtained  a  few  hundreds  of  seedling  Briers,  strong 
plants,  for  budding  this  season.  They  were  planted  in  rich  ground  and 
grew  freely,  but  I  cannot  say  that  they  have  proved  a  very  satisfactory 
investment  so  far.  Perhaps  those  who  have  grown  them  on  a  larger 
scale  will  be  able  to  tell  me  whether  it  is  usual  for  them  to  have 
such  a  very  short  crooked  space  between  the  roots  and  the  collar  of 
the  plant  as  mine  have.  It  is  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  room 
has  been  found  to  insert  a  bud  at  all  in  the  main  stock ;  and  when 
this  is  done,  so  crooked  and  knotty  is  the  stem,  that  many  of  the 
buds  have  failed  to  unite  on  account  of  the  uneven  surface  on  which 
the  plate  of  the  bud  rests.  Altogether  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a  trouble¬ 
some  and  fidgetty  stock  to  bud  compared  with  the  Manetti ;  and  unless 
the  future  growth  of  the  bud  makes  up  in  a  marked  manner  for  the 
extra  trouble  in  budding,  I  shall  most  certainly  stick  to  the  Manetti  for 
dwarf  Roses,  even  if  seedling  Briers  can  be  obtained  at  Is.  6d.  a 
hundred. — R.  W. 
Strawberry  Notes. 
The  Strawberry  crop  has  been  very  bad  with  us  this  season, 
owing  to  the  very  hot  and  dry  weather  experienced  during  the  time 
when  fruits  were  swelling  and  ripening.  The  rainfall  has  been  below 
the  average,  indeed,  there  has  not  been  enough  at  one  time  to  reach 
the  roots,  all  through  the  late  spring  and  summer  ;  what  there  has 
been  was  dried  out  again  directly.  Although  heavy  storms  and  much  rain 
has  fallen  all  round,  it  has  not  yet  been  our  turn,  and  we  still  badly 
need  a  good  soaking  rain.  Strawberries  suffered  much,  the  plants 
lying  flat  on  the  soil  day  after  day,  especially  varieties  with  large 
foliage,  such  as  Royal  Sovereign  and  Sir  Joseph  Paxton.  Early  sorts 
did  best,  but  midseason  as  well  as  later  ones  dried  up  instead  of 
ripening.  The  fruit  was  a  long  time  ripening,  contained  very  little 
juice,  and  not  at  all  its  natural  flavour,  the  only  variety  that  did  well 
being  Hericart  de  Thury.  Our  soil  is  rather  light,  and  this  Strawberry 
does  better  than  stronger-growing  varieties,  especially  in  a  dry  summer. 
It  is  a  favourite  of  mine;  although  an  old  one,  and  not  one  of  the  most 
profitable,  it  is  one  of  the  best  for  a  gentleman’s  garden.  The  fruit  is 
rather  small,  but  a  beautiful  bright  colour,  and  one  of  the  best  for 
preserving.  I  consider  it  one  of  the  best  flavoured  Strawberries.  It 
ripens  just  a  little  before  Royal  Sovereign.  The  latter  does  well  here, 
it  is  a  serviceable  variety,  producing  large  fruit,  very  firm,  consequently 
good  for  travelling  long  distances.  It  is  a  good  variety  for  forcing. 
President  is  a  good  old  standard  variety;  it  grows  very  freely, 
produces  heavy  crops  of  large  fruit,  and  is  very  sweet — too  much  so  to 
suit  some  people’s  taste.  The  well  known  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  does  not 
do  so  well  in  our  rather  light  soil  as  it  does  in  soil  of  a  heavier  nature, 
but  fruits  well,  and  is  one  of  the  best  midseason  varieties.  Noble 
absolutely  refuses  to  grow ;  there  are  so  many  better  varieties  that  will, 
so  its  loss  is  not  much  oonsequence.  Empress  of  India  and  Lord 
Suffield  are  good  flavoured  Strawberries ;  they  do  not  grow  very  well, 
however,  and  are  shy  fruiters,  so  I  have  discarded  them.  Gunton  Park, 
another  of  Mr.  Allan’s  raising,  is  a  very  good  Strawberry.  In  some 
lists  it  is  called  an  early  sort,  but  I  find  it  rather  a  late  one,  having 
gathered  fruit  as  late  as  August.  The  fruit  is  a  beautiful  dark  red, 
rather  large,  sometimes  uneven  ;  flavour  is  very  good,  and  it  remains  a 
long  time  in  good  condition.  Monarch  does  not  do  very  well;  it 
produces  large  fruit,  but  very  few  of  them.  Leader  and  Latest  of  All 
are  included  in  our  collection,  but  have  not  grown  them  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  say  much  about  them.  Waterloo  is  a  very  distinct 
Strawberry,  both  in  colour,  shape,  and  flavour ;  it  is  a  very  good  late 
kind ;  I  have  gathered  fruit  as  late  as  the  first  week  in  September  from 
a  bed  on  the  north  side  of  a  wall.  The  fruit  is  very  dark  red,  and  of  a 
rather  acid  flavour,  but  it  is  a  useful  one  t  i  grow  where  late  Strawberries 
are  appreciated. — J.  S.  U. 
Hyacinths  iij  Glasses. 
Probably  there  is  nothing  original  in  my  way  of  growing  Hyaoinths, 
yet  as  I  do  not  know  of  anyone  using  it,  exoept  on  my  recommendation, 
it  may  be  worth  sending  to  you.  It  is  this  :  The  ordinary  glasses  which 
are  used  for  growing  Hyaoinths  in  water  are  filled  with  rotten  dung  and 
leaf  mould,  and  about  an  inch  of  soil  on  the  top,  in  whioh  is  planted  the 
bulb.  There  is  no  drainage.  The  advantages  I  think  are,  equal  vigour  with 
those  in  pots,  but  better  than  in  pots,  having  less  evaporation  from  the 
soil,  and  thus  more  healthful  for  dwelling-house,  and  requiring  less 
attention  in  watering ;  the  wire  supports  are  available  if  required, 
neater  in  appearance.  I  have  tried  the  plan  for  five  or  six  years  with 
good  results.  Last  season  the  best  spikes  of  flower  were  got  this  way 
as  it  happened,  though  those  in  pots  were  about  equal.  —  H.  T. 
Ravenscourt  Park,  London. 
Save  Richmond  Park,  the  one  named  above  is  the  most  westerly 
situated  of  London  public  parks,  and  can  be  seen  by  anyone  travelling 
from  the  City  outward  on  the  District  Railway  to  Ealing  or  Ivew.  The 
railway  bridge  spans  the  park  near  its  southern  extremity,  and  being 
high  above  it,  the  traveller  obtains  a  delightful  bird’s-eye  view  of  one 
of  the  prettiest  parts  of  this  recreation  ground.  With  commendable 
taste,  Mr.  Gingell,  the  superintendent  here,  has  clothed  the  arches  of 
the  railway  bridge  with  Ivy,  so  that  in  place  of  being  an  eyesore,  the 
spans  are  really  an  architectural  adornment.  Readers  who  are 
unacquainted  with  the  exact  location,  and  who  have  visited  the 
gar.  ens  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  at  Chiswick,  will  picture 
its  position  when  we  say  that  it  is  within  twenty  minutes’  walk 
north-east  from  the  latter  place. 
Two  of  our  illustrations  this  week  represent  views  in  the  park,  and 
beyond  referring  to  them,  we  have  little  need  for  further  notice,  they 
explain  themselves  so  well.  Tnousands  of  the  residents  in  the 
neighbourhood,  which  includes  part  of  Chiswick,  Turnham  Green, 
Shepherd’s  Bush,  and  Hammersmith,  enjoy  the  shady  Elm  tree 
avenues  in  this  park  and  the  beauty  ot  the  flowers  throughout  the 
long  summer,  while  on  certain  evenings,  and  always  on  Sundays,  the 
London  County  Council  furnish  a  splendid  band.  This  park  is 
supervised  by  the  above  named  Council. 
In  the  centre  of  the  grounds,  a  building,  which  was  formerly  a 
private  residence  before  the  area  had  passed  under  public  control,  has 
been  converted  into  a  quaintly  handsome  library,  with  news  rooms  and 
the  offices  that  usually  accompany  a  public  place  such  as  this. 
Covered  with  Ivy,  Roses,  and  Ampelopsis,  and  surrounded  by  borders 
of  hardy  plants,  this  must  surely  appeal  to  all  of  those  inclined  to  the 
indulgence  in  sentimental  reveries  as  Utopian  in  its  several  aspects. 
Here  are  the  tools  of  knowledge  amassed  and  offered  to  whosoever 
will,  and  the  characteristic  dinginess  that  almost  consistently  accom¬ 
panies  libraries  and  their  entourage  is  found  as  a  most  delightful 
exception  at  Ravenscourt  Park. 
The  total  area  amounts  roughly  to  34  acres,  which  have  been 
modelled  on  true  public  park  plans.  The  paths  are  wide,  smooth,  and 
convenient.  Mr.  Gingell  has  arranged  tennis  and  croquet  courts,  and 
only  last  spring  he  finished  a  large  and  well  placed  bowling  green,  for 
the  game  of  bowls,  like  that  of  golf,  is  annually  becoming  more 
popular.  Then,  again,  the  aspect  of  the  grounds  has  been  materially 
improved  by  Ahe  judicious  arrangement  of  suitable  shrubs,  whose 
merits,  either  in  the  points  of  colour  or  beauty  of  form,  are  generally 
commended. 
In  one  portion  of  the  contour  the  depression  was  so  accented  as 
to  constitute  a  grave  scenic  defect,  while  rendering  that  special  portion 
of  the  park  useless  for  purposes  of  recreation.  The  superintendent  set 
about  filling  up  the  hollow,  extensive  though  it  was.  The  results, 
w/.en  he  had  done,  were  most  satisfactory,  for,  not  resting  at  merely 
levelling  the  “  toom,”  he  persevered  till  an  approvable  elevation  had 
been  raised,  and  that  piece  of  ground  now  forms  a  comparatively  high 
point  of  vantage,  and  is  adorned  with  shrubs.  Ferns,  and  hardy  plants. 
Here  and  there,  as  I  have  already  stated,  groups  of  shrubs,  mostly 
with  bright  hued  foliage,  have  been  planted.  It  is  Mr.  Gingell’s 
purpose  to  gradually  introduce  midsummer  flowering  shrubs,  as  well 
as  spring  and  autumn  bloomers  ;  for  of  the  spring  decorative  shrubs 
he  thinks  there  are  sufficient  already.  What  is  required  is  some 
others,  in  variety,  to  carry  on  the  display  throughout  tne  season.  Of 
course  park  superintendents  have  largely  to  act  under  the  direction  of 
the  various  committees  and  councils  that  just  now  and  then  insist  on 
displaying — red  tape  !  Therefore,  patience  is  a  very  necessary  virtue 
with  our  friends  who  manage  the  public  parks. 
Amongst  the  shrubs  in  the  belts  skirting  the  park  are  Olearia 
Haasti,  Prunus  Pissardi,  Aucubas,  Mezereons,  Mock  Orange,  Golden 
Privet,  Hibiscus,  Acers  in  variety,  Lilacs,  Laburnums,  Cratasgus, 
Cytisus,  Ailanthus,  Phyllostachys,  Arundinarias,  Rhus  typhina,  and 
other  fine  subjects.  All  are  well  cared  for.  In  front  of  those  borders 
