January  19,  1899.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER,  "43 
Nelson'  said  what  England  expected,  and  One  greater  than  he  askid 
of  old,  What  is  required  of  thee,  0  man  ?  ’’ — Kobt.  Fenn, 
Sulhampsteal ,  near  Reading. 
[In  recognition  of  the  long  connection  of  our  octogenarian  con¬ 
tributor  with  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  yclept  in  its  youthful  days 
the  Cottage  Gardener,  and  of  his  services  to  horticulture,  especially  as 
the  pioneer  in  the  improvement  of  the  Potato  by  the  art  of  cross- 
fertilisation,  we  assign  this  h’s  latest,  but  we  hope  not  the  last,  of 
his  “  compositions  ”  the  prominent  position  to  which,  all  things 
considered,  we  think  it  is  entitled.  As  we  like  to  afford  a  momentary 
pleasure  to  the  verdant  old  evergreen,  with  his  good  heart,  clear  head, 
and  busy  hand,  we  have  prepared  one  or  two  of  those  “  long  drawn- 
out  sentences  ”  of  the  present  day  for  his  special  delectation,  in  the 
liope  that  he  will  enjoy  them,  even  if  the  style  is  such  that  ought 
not  to  be  followed,  but  eschewed,  and  this  being  so  it  shall  be  changed 
forthwith. 
The  photograph  received  cannot  be  reproduced.  For  this  we  are 
«orry.  The  light  at  the  moment  did  not  permit  of  the  characteristic 
features  of  the  plants  being  brought  out  with  sufficient  distinctness 
for  clear  transference.  All  the  same,  the  original  shows  a  dense  miss 
of  luxuriant  foliage  from  the  ground  to  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  a 
fine  setting  for  the  emergent  blooms.  The  remarkable  point,  however, 
to  be  noted  is  that  the  bold  leaves  hanging  over  the  pots  were  produced 
in  1897.  Though  in  perfect  health  when  photographed,  they  were 
a  year  and  nine  months  old.  Th's  fact  at  once  affords  conclusive 
-evidence  of  the  best  cultural  attention,  and  of  the  complete  mastery 
■obtained  over  the  destructive  rust  fungus. 
It  is  important  to  remember  that  the  “rust”  was  prevented,  not 
destroyed.  Over  and  over  again  we  have  advised  the  same  action 
that  Mr.  Fenn  has  taken  with  such  gratifying  success.  We  have 
before  stated,  and  state  once  more,  that  we  have  seen  Roses,  Vines, 
Honeysuckles,  and  other  plants  virulently  infested  with  mildew  at 
♦Sulhampstead,  also  Potatoes,  reeking  with  disease;  then  on  sub¬ 
sequent  visits  found  nothing  but  greenness,  cleanness,  and  health, 
except  in  the  case  of  half  rows  of  Potatoes  left  untreated. 
In  the  combat  between  Fungus  and  Fenn  the  former  bad  to 
•succumb  to  the  early  and  systematic  measures  resorted  to,  as 
described,  for  preventing  the  enemy  faking  possession  of  the  plants. 
'J  hi-i  is  the  safe  and  sure  course  for  mastering  insidious  fungoid 
pest.«.  We  wish  still  much  longer  life  to  the  victor,  and  thank 
him  for  showing  the  way,  also  for  affording  conclusive  evidence 
-of  his  success  in  combating  fungoid  fees.  The  sub-title  of  the 
■above  heading  is  ours.] 
LONDON  GARDENS  OVER  FIFTY  YEARS. 
No.  2. 
The  memorable  year  that  witnessed  the  uprising  of  this  Journal 
and  of  some  other  periodicals  I  need  not  name,  wffiich  have  largely 
benefited  the  world,  was,  by  way  of  contrast,  marked  politically  by 
the  downfall  or  dislodgement  of  many  organisations  which  people 
thought  likely  to  endure  for  aye.  It  is  imperfectly  represented  by  pic¬ 
torial  designs,  so  those  who  never  saw  it  can  form  but  a  poor,  idea  of 
the  London  of  1848,  as  it  appears  in  the  recollection  of  old  stagers  like 
myself.  One  change  that  strikes  us  particularly  is  that  there  seemed 
to  be,  fifty  years  since,  a  well  defined  boundary  between  the  town  and 
its  suburbs,  now  these  have  been  absorbed  into  the  metropolis. 
Again,  we  think  how  all  the  metropolitan  suburban  lines  that 
carry  yearly  their  millions  of  passengers  on  pleasure  and  business  bent 
have  seized  upon  land  that  was  formerly  fields  or  gardens,  and  such 
facilities  for  travelling  by  train,  and  by  tram  also,  have  brought  up  in 
every  direction  crops  of  houses  where  all  was  open  ground  surrounding 
villages,  in  the  early  Victorian  period.  Yet,  even  in  the  reign  of 
George  III.  citizens  had  begun  to  migrate  to  the  suburbs,  for  Cowper 
mentions  the  villas  which,  like  an  Indian’s  belt,  encomp.assed  London, 
and  he  regards  them  as  an  indication,  not  merely  of  a  love  for  fresh 
air,  but  of  a  desire  to  possess  a  garden.  Certainly  no  small  number  of 
these  mansions,  with  extensive  gardens  and  shrubberies,  of  which 
Clapham  and  Kensington  gave  examples,  occupied  by  well-to-do 
lovers  of  flowers  and  fruit,  did  much  for  the  promotion  of  horticul¬ 
ture.  They  have  vanished,  but  the  impress  of  their  work  abides. 
Great  indeed  has  been  the  revolution  in-  domestic  gardening  during 
the  last  half  century.  The  change  is  marked  not  only  by  the  increased 
number  of  ornamental  plants  cultivated,  but  by  the  improvement  of 
methods.  One  cannot  help  admiring  the  patience  and  hopefulness 
with  wi!i/;h  people  watched  over  the  plants  of  city  gardens,  expecting 
tlie^  .<iive  in  the  ordinary  soil  of  London,  unaided  by  natural  or 
artificial  manure.  The  poet  just  mentioned,  referring  to  the  London 
gardens  he  had  seen,  and  which  were  often  so  airless  that  he  calls  them 
“  wells,”  names  Nightshade  and  Valerian  amongst  the  plants  that 
were  doomed  to  a  -city  life.  I  never  saw  any  Nightshade  species  grow¬ 
ing  in  an  old  Lond  ui  garden,  appropriate  though  it  might  be  to  the 
g’ooiu  of  the  metropolis,  except  Solanum  nigrum  as  a  weed.  But  I  will 
not  say  it  is  unlikelj".  Some  may  have  had  the  Woody  Nightshade 
on  a  garden  fence,  for  the  plant  used  to  thrive  in  hedges  just  outside 
London.  About  the  Valerian,  no  doubt  people  did  cultivate  V.  hortensis 
and  pyrenaica,  with  their  respective  flowers  of  red  and  white,  hardy 
perennials,  which  required  no  particular  care.  There  was  no  telling, 
however,  what  plants  yLU  might  come  upon  growing  amid  smoky 
surroundings.  We  remember  a  scene  in-  “  Martin  Chuzzlewit,”  where 
Dickens  pictures  the  dingy  room  of  Mr.  Mould,  the  undertaker.  One 
thing  remarkable  was  that  the  Scarlet  Runners  of  the  small  garden, 
lit  ujo  by  stray  gleams  of  sunshine,  sent  in  through  the  window  a 
strange  lurid  light. 
The  same  author,  doubtless  from  personal  observation,  has  also 
depicted  gardens,  then  not  unusually  found  attached  to  a  London 
house,  where  the  inmates  had  no  time  or  taste  for  floriculture.  We 
may  discover  one  like  it  yet,  with  its  solitary  tree,  two  or  three 
perhaps,  which  put  forth  leaves  feebly  in  autumn,  he  says,  when  other 
trees  shed  theirs,  and  linger  on  year  after  year,  crackled  and  smoke- 
dried.  The  ground  around  these  is  like  a  piece  of  unreclaimed  land, 
strewn  with  tins,  crockery,  hampers,  and  rubbish.  Possibly  a  few 
remnants  of  Box  indicate  that  an  attempt  had  once  been  made  at  a 
border,  and  some  stunted  “  everbrowns  ”  are  scattered  about,  while 
even  weeds  seem  to  shun  a  spot  where  nobody  walks  from  choice. 
We  may  have  seen  such  in  Central  London  or  in  some  suburb,  but 
such  mockeries  of  gardens  are  rarer  now. 
There  were  excuses  to  be  made  formerly  by  their  possessors,  as 
fifty  years  ago  people  had  not  the  present  facilities  for  obtaining  seeds 
or  plants  cheaply,  nor  did  they  possess  the  knowledge  on  gardening 
subjects  which  is  accessible  to  all  in  our  popular  manuals  and 
periodicals.  Another  thing  we  notice  which  tends  to  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  gardening  in  a  street  or  road,  is  that  we  often  see  now  a 
wholesome  rivalry.  Thus  Mr.  A  makes  his  little  domain  showy,  and 
this  stirs  up  Mr.  B  and  Mr.  C  on  each  side,  so  they  try  to  adorn 
their  garden  plots.  But  of  course  the  Londoner  has  always  had  to 
contend  with  cats  and  sparrows,  with  an  atmosphere,  too,  in  which 
smoke  and  fog  combine  forces.  The  limitations  of  space  have  gene¬ 
rally  been  hard  upon  the  middle-class  Londoner,  who  occupies  a  house 
of  from  s'x  to  ten  rooms.  His  allotment  of  ground  is  but  small ;  as  a 
consequence  thousands  of  gardens  have  been  formed  on  the  same 
model,  a  border  on  two  or  three  sides,  and  a  central  space  of  gravel, 
grass,  or  simply  London  clay.  Occasionally,  where  a  garden  had 
greater  depth  or  length  than  the  average  allowance,  one  or  more 
middle  beds  would  be  formed ;  these  were  mostly  planted  with  shrubs, 
the  sides  being  then  devoted  to  herbaceous  plants,  or  partly  sown 
with  annuals. 
In  1848  there  remained  some  gardens,  even  in  the  thickly  populated 
neighbourhoods,  where  Pear  and  Apple  trees  grew,  and  occasionally 
produced  fruit,  and  a  Cherry  or  Mulberry  might  be  found.  A  few 
gardens  had  the  centre  filled  with  Currant  or  Gooseberry  bushes, 
seldom  productive,  as  their  insect  foes  were  numerous  and  diligent. 
Vegetables  have  been  grown  in  the  back  gardens  of  London  streets, 
but  Potatoes  or  Cabbages  seldom ;  experimenters  were  fond  of  trying 
Peas  and  Beans,  succeeding  now  and  then  in  getting  a  small  crop. 
Rhubarb  is  an  esculent  which  has  been  raised  in  very  close  districts  of 
London. 
Scattered  on  the  margin  of  what  was  its  country  border  fifty 
years  since  w^ere  many  detached  houses,  with  sufficient  garden  ground 
b  longing  to  them  for  a  fair  show  of  flowers  and  vegetables,  often 
of  fruit  too,  and  amongst  these  we  sometimes  came  upon  one  having 
its  old  style  garden  of  Georgian  days  carefully  kept  up.  Within  the 
four-mile  radius  most  of  them  have  been  removed  to  make  room  for 
houses  of  a  different  class.  Speaking  generally,  we  may  say  that  there 
is  a  tendency  all  over  the  suburbs  to  lessen  the  gardens  allotted  to  new 
houses,  owing  to  the  increasing  value  of  land.  Large  slices  have  also 
been  taken  off  some  of  the  longer  gardens  of  the  past  generation,  for 
workshops  and  other  objects.  Then  there  are  springing  up  large  blocks 
of  workmen’s  dwellings  and  flats,  often  minus  gardens,  having  only  a 
court  or  playground.  Hence  the  importance  of  laying  out  squares  and 
old  churchyards  as  public  gardens,  and  preserving  any  vacant  spaces 
yet  left  in  proximity  to  crowded  neighbourhoods.  One  thing  rather 
surprising  is,  that  when  the  streets  and  squares  of  Belgravia  were 
built,  these  aristocratic  residences  got  but  a  small  allowance  of  garden 
ground,  the  rear  of  many  being  occupied  by  stables  and  mews.  Of 
course,  the  inhabitants  have  the  benefit  of  an  extensive  range  of  parks. 
During  the  last  twenty  years  the  erection  of  large  board  schools  has 
absorbed  some  open  spaces,  and  not  unfrequently  they  have  occupied 
the  site  of  an  old  nursery  garden,  so  that  whore  plants  used  to  be 
tended,  the  minds  of  juveniles  are  brought  now  under  cultivation,  with 
good  results,  we  hope,  though  recent  accounts  of  London  ruffianism 
seem  to  indicate  many  educational  failures.  One  of  Tom  Hood’s 
comic  designs,  illustrating  a  “  Fall  of  the  Stocks,”  reminds  us  that 
