^farcli  !»,  J8!»0. 
181 
JO  URN  A  L  O  F  jm  R  TTCUL  77  /  R 
Tmmlxir  none  abides  in  the  llosh,  but  now  they  are  heard  and 
remembered  through  their  works  with  feelings  of  tliank fulness. 
Donald  Ddaton. 
Donald  Heaton  entered  the  list  of  contributors  exactly  a  month 
subsequent  to  the  i)aper’8  inception,  which  then  necessitated  a  double 
number  (sixteen  pages  insteid  of  eight)  “without  extra  charge.”  His 
task  was  “The  Week’s  Window  and  (ireenhouso  Gardening,”  in  which 
he  secured  his  readers’  confidence  by  bestowing  [irai.se  where  credit  was 
due.  “'I’he  cottager,”  he  says,  “  who  can  manage  to  grow  half  a  dozen 
of  ]X)t  plants  in  his  window — llower  them  well  in  summer,  and  keep 
them  safe  through  the  winter — may  be  said  to  be  so  far  a  good 
gardener.”  'I’his  encomium  from  such  a  source  was  music  to  the 
cottager’s  ears,  which  ho  knew  or  learned  how  to  tingle  so  as  to 
awaken  and  maintain  interest,  'fhere  does  not  appear,  in  his  first 
article  devoted  to  “Window  Plants”  anything  of  the  botanist,  the 
geographer,  the  hybridiser,  or  the  experimenter —no,  not  even  so  much 
as  that  of  the  great  gardener;  but  it  teems  with  cogent  reasons  for 
avoiding  this  and  doing  that. 
In  his  next  contribution  the  habiliments  of  orthodoxy  are  dis¬ 
carded,  and  Mr.  Heaton  apfiears  in  his  true  racy  character.  He  tells 
a  tale  about  “  a  hobby-horse  ”  which,  “  if  fresh,  is  almost  as  difficult  to 
manage  at  first  as  an  Arab  steed  fresh  from  grass — the  restlessness  at 
starting  is  much  the  same  with  both,  and  each  requires  some  time  and 
management  before  ho  can  bo  made  to  take  to  the  road  straight  for 
ward.  Hut  you  will  probably  ask — What  has  that  to  do  with 
gardening  and  pot  plants?  Very  little  I  own.  The  subject,  however, 
that  is,  giving  directions  in  gardening  to  new  beginners,  is  one  of  my 
hobbies,  and  in  starting  with  it  fresh  last  week  it  would  take  any 
direction  but  the  straightforward  course.” 
d'o  name  Donald  Heaton  amid  gardeners  draws  forth  meeds  of 
firaise,  hence  his  portrait  will  bo  peculiarly  acceptable.  Who  has 
not  profited  by  his  writings  ?  His  forte  was  flowers — in  the  garden, 
window,  and  glass  house.  Who  did  not  know,  or  had  not  heanl 
of,  the  canny  Scot,  with  his  “hobbies”  in  giving  directions  to 
beginners,  with  rare  talent  of  criticism,  with  genius  adapted  to 
increasing  and  improving  plants  and  flowers,  and  with  great  power  of 
invective  exercised  to  inculcate  .sound  principles,  and  to  lead  from 
“  rule  of  thumb”  into  a  better  system  of  procedure  ? 
Wo  have  given  a  brief  retrospect  of  the  departmental  writers  that 
illumined  the  first  volume  of  the  (Jotkuje  dardener.  None  of  those 
now  to  be  considered  had,  so  far  as  wo  know,  any  part  therein,  and  we 
shall  take  them  in  the  order  of  utility  recognised  by  the  founder  of 
the  paper — namely,  fruit  and  forcing  garden,  kitchen  garden,  flower 
garden,  florists’  flowers,  greenhouse  and  window  garden,  not  however 
separating  their  work  in  other  departments  from  that  in  which  they 
shone  brightest. 
Houicur  Iloim,  LL.f). 
In  a  very  valuable  monograph  of  “  The  Garden  Pea  and  its 
Varietie.s,”  Dr.,  then  Mr.,  Hogg,  adverts  to  the  size  of  seedsmen’s 
catalogues,  and  asks,  “  Have  they  done  so  to  the  same  extent  in 
utility  ?”  Of  course  this  refers  to  varieties  of  Peas,  which  then 
(January  20th,  1854),  as  now,  were  so  multiplied  in  name  as  to  lead 
to  “  nothing  but  confusion,  disappointment,  and  annoyance.”  The 
monograph,  illustrated  by  outline  representations  of  the  many  varie¬ 
ties  regarded  as  distinct,  is  a  masterpiece  of  erudition,  yet  so  plain  in 
style  and  simjde  in  words  as  to  be  easily  comprehended. 
Of  Dr.  Hogg’s  contributions  on  fruit  culture  it  io  needless  to  make 
any  remark,  they  are  too  well  known.  His  contemporaries  who  worked 
with  him  knew  his  worth,  but  [wsterity  will  estimate  him  by  the 
work  he  did  and  the  legacy  he  left  to  pomologists  in  “  fl'he  Fruit 
Manual.”  It  remains  a  memorial  of  one  “head  and  shoulders  above 
his  fellows”  in  fruit  classification,  description,  and  knowledge. 
Tiio.mas  Kiveks. 
The  Sawbridgeworth  nurseries  have  long  been  fanmus  for  Roses 
and  fruits.  'Ptie  first  were  un(|uestionabiy  Mr.  Rivers’  first  love, 
as  attested  by  “The  Itose  Ainateur’s  Guide,”  published  in  1837,  and 
reached  its  fourth  edition  in  1810.  This  was  solid  testimony  to  the 
value  of  the  book  as  tending  to  increase  and  improve  the  national 
flower.  Hut  fruits  were  very  dear  to  his  heart  too,  for  he  lovingly 
refers  to  trees  of  his  boyhood  days — to  I’ears,  to  Apples,  to  Nut.s,  to 
every  kind  of  fruit  in  which  youth  delights.  They  did  not  (juite 
satisfy  him,  however,  good  as  they  were;  he  longed  for,  and  set  to 
work  to  achieve  their  advancement  by  improved  methods  of  cultiva¬ 
tion  and  by  Natiire’s  plan  of  evolution — cross  fertilisation. 
Enthusiastic,  methodical, “ every  inch  a  gardener” — and  ever  as  he 
advanced  going  hand  in  hand  with  science — ho  accomplished  more 
towards  producing  new  and  better  varieties  of  fruit  in  a  lifetime  than  had 
been  effected  by  trusting  to  Nature  and  acting  upon  the  principle  of 
selection  alone  during  centuries.  In  Apples,  Apricots,  Cherries,  Cob  Nuts 
and  Filberts,  Figs,  Necfarities,  Peaches,  Pears,  Plums,  and  Straw¬ 
berries  he  left  the  impress  of  his  genius,  and  many  varieties  bear  the 
AN/)  UO'l'TAOJ^  OARDimER. 
name  in  prefix  of  their  gifteil  author,  who  accomplished  so  much, 
through  patient,  plodding,  persevering  industry. 
Mr.  Rivera  (fig.  38)  was  father  of  the  dwarfing  system®  of  fruit 
culture,  the  trees  i)eing  more  under  control  and  better  adapted  to  both 
small  gardens  and  commercial  culture.  He  was  also  the  founder  of  the 
orchard  house,  for  though  fruit  trees  had  been  grown  in  pots  anterior 
to  his  time  he  first  elevated  the  plan  into  a  definite  method,  and 
showed  the  way  to  an  “  orchard  ”  under  glass — dwarf  trees  in  a  house, 
8i)ecially  an  I  economically  constructed,  entirely  devoted  to  them. 
.1.  Royston  Peakson. 
In  the  days  of  this  contributor  Chilwell  Nurseries,  Nottingham, 
were  renowned  for  fruit  trees.  Mr.  Pearson  (fig.  37)  wrote  on  Apricots 
in  glass  sheds,  giving  an  impetus  to  glazed  projecting  copings  for 
walls.  He  also  wrote  on  orchard  houses,  advising  those  plain,  light 
and  well  ventilated,  as  opposed  to  houses  of  indifferent  material  and 
bad  construction.  Vines,  always  considered  the  queen  of  fruits  and 
most  exacting  of  the  gardener’s  skill  to  have  perfect  in  colour  and 
finish,  was  another  of  his  subjects.  Though  one  of  the  advanced  in 
science  his  efforts  were  ever  directed  to  utility — to  training  trees  in 
the  most  useful  forms,  while  scrupulously  retaining  their  symmetry 
and  beauty  ;  to  originating  varieties  of  fruits  distinct  from  and  better 
in  some  way  than  those  existing ;  to  improving  methods  of  culti¬ 
vation,  and  having  great  regard  for  stable  or  farmyard  manure, 
especially  as  a  mulch  for  fruit  trees.  In  very  clear  style  ho  descanted 
on  orchards,  had  a  strong  partiality  to  a  grassy  bed  for  standard  trees, 
and  pointed  out  that  grazing,  not  hay  eulture,  was  the  proper  method. 
Furthermore,  ho  advocated  a  dressing  of  animal  manure,  which  he 
considered  lost  little  or  nothing  by  exposure  on  the  earth’s  surface, 
and  provided  what  all  fruit  trees  needed — namely,  a  steady  supply 
of  food  derived,  as  in  Nature,  from  organic  sources.  Not  that  he 
Muis  averse  to  artificial  manures  as  supplementary  to  stable  or 
farmyard  manure,  for  he  was  strong  in  science,  though  stronger  in 
practice. 
The  Ri’.v.  C.  P.  Peach. 
The  spiritual  and  temporal  guide  of  the  inhabitants  of  Appleton- 
le-Street  was  a  light  in  pomology  and  general  horticulture,  and 
shone  brilliantly,  and,  better,  usefully  in  the  pages  of  the  Journal 
of  llorticullure  by  his  writings.  Ho  chiefly  wrote  on  fruit  culture. 
Fkj.  30. — Mr.  Donald  Heaton. 
His  instructions  with  illustrations  on  grafting  Apples  and  Pears  are 
very  interesting,  and  withal  profitable.  Experience  with  different 
varieties  of  fruits,  their  doings  under  varied  circumstances,  and  the 
influences  of  stocks,  soils,  manures,  and  modes  of  pruning,  were  items 
entering  into  his  treasured  articles.  On  Roses,  needless  to  say,  he 
was  great  ;  indeed,  no  member  of  the  vegetable  world  was  too  sniall 
or  any  too  large  for  his  great  mind,  provided  there  was  utility  in  it. 
*  We  are  well  aware  of  its  being  introduced  into  England  by  William  HI. 
but  Rivers  made  it  a  plantation  method. 
