September  12, 1901.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
243 
that  mostly  meet  the  public  vision  are  bold  masses  of  the  best  and 
most  showy  herbaceous  perennial  and  annual  plants.  Few  of  the 
London  parks  can  boast  of  having  a  fruitful  orchard  as  one  of  their 
features,  jet  here  at  Ravenscourt,  tons  of  Pears  are  gathered  every 
year  from  a  plantation  of  old  trees  running  along  the  eastern  limit.  I 
had  the  privilege  of  tasting  some  splendid  fruits  of  the  common  and 
well-known  old  Hessle.  There  are  a  number  of  very  good  varieties 
included  in  the  collection.  The  fruit  is  stored  for  a  time,  and  after¬ 
wards  disposed  of,  by  sale  I  believe. 
Before  concluding  these  notes  attention  will  be  called  to  some  of 
the  beddiDg  combinations,  also  to  a  botanic  garden  for  the  use  of 
Garden  (oh,  dear  !)  you  set  about  seeking  out  the  superintendent  of 
the  park  to  inform  him  of  your  enterprise  and  request.  Tben,  but 
not  till  then,  has  he  the  power  to  unlock  the  gate  for  you.  It  is  thus 
that  our  authorities  stimulate  the  love  for,  and  study  of,  botany. 
And  now  for  a  line  or  two  about  the  bedding.  One  of  the  prettiest 
little  beds  was  a  round  one  filled  with  Coleus  VerschafiEelti,  red ;  and 
above  this  Fuchsia  gracilis  variegata.  The  gracefulness  and  light 
colouring  of  the  latter  contrasted  beautifully,  though  if  the  Fuchsias 
had  been  taller  the  effect  would  have  been  better  still.  A  noble  bed 
of  the  yellow-flowered  Canna  Comte  de  Bouchard  furnished  a  handsome 
feature  in  a  corner  of  one  of  the  large,  smooth  lawns.  Acalypha 
SCROLL  BED  IN'  RAVENSCOURT  PARK. 
students.  The  latter  feature  was  inau  .urate  1  by  the  London  County 
Council  in  some  of  its  parks — if  not  all — a  few  years  ago.  Here, 
again,  however,  the  red  tape  binds  up  the  keys  of  the  gate  that  leads 
through  to  this  garden,  which  might  otherwise  be  a  useful  one,  but 
at  present  it  is  not  ;  it  more  resembles  a  cemetery.  The  beds  are 
all  there,  and  the  plants  carefully  named  and  arranged  according  to 
their  Natural  Orders  ;  everything,  in  fact,  is  first-rate;  but,  bless  my 
heart !  the  garden  is  under  lock  and  key  (“  By  Order”),  and  if  you  or 
I,  or  anybody  else,  wished  to  get  in  there  and  learn  the  names  of 
garden  and  medicinal  plants  (if  nothing  more),  we  would  be  bound  to 
write  to  the  head  of  some  Parks  Department  or  other,  who  in  turn 
would  authorise  someone  else  to  consider  and  execute  the  reply  ;  and 
eventually,  armed  with  your  Ticket  of  Admission  to  the  Botanic 
musaica  above  Chlorophytum  variegatum,  as  may  be  imagined,  wa-* 
also  most  pleasing,  while  other  fine  contrasts  are  furnished  by  pitting 
such  as  yellow  Celosia  pyramidalis  against  an  under  colour  of  Alter- 
nanthera  major  or  A.  amoena,  or  red  Celosias  against  the  yellow 
Alternanthera.  Begonia  Corbeille  de  Feu  (“Ball  of  Fire  )  by  itseU 
was  very  fine.  Abutilon  Thompsoni  and  Iresine  Lindeni,  of  course, 
always  come  out  effectively.  Throughout  the  grounds  there  are 
numerous  clumps  of  five  to  seven  single-stemmed  Rhus  typhinas,  and 
here  and  there  Phyllostachys,  Privet,  Cedars,  Birches,  and  other 
beautiful  arboreal  or  arborescent  subjects.  Scroll  beds  (see  illustration), 
and  some  neat  carpet  beds  on  the  verdant  and  smoothly  snaven 
lawns,  add  yet  other  features  of  interest  and  brightness  to  this,  one  oi 
London’s  most  lovely  parks. — W.  W. 
