July  19,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
49 
Apples, 
“We  look  like  having  some  Apples  this  year,”  was  the  remark 
made  to  me  the  other  day  by  a  grower  for  market,  and  appearances 
are  certainly  in  favour  of  it.  In  orchards  and  plantations  trees  are 
promising  well  for  heavy  crops,  and  if  the  codlin  moth  caterpillar  is 
merciful  fine  fruit  ought  to  be  the  remit.  This  pest  has  caused  much 
devastation  during  recent  years  by  boring  the  fruit  and  causing  it  to 
fall  prematurely,  but  the  recent  rains  are  much  in  favour  of  the  crop. 
One  thing  at  a  time,  however,  must  be  the  fruit  grower’s  motto,  and 
after  the  fruit  that  is  now  ripening  has  been  disposed  of  he  will  have 
more  leisure  to  discuss  the  crops  of  Apples,  Plums,  Damsons,  and 
J80  on. — H.  H. 
- <«♦»» - 
london  Gardens  Over  Fifty  Years— No.  23. 
Town  Gardening. 
We  believe  the  remark  to  be  true  that  those  persons  who  possess  a 
love  for  flowers,  or  for  Nature,  are  not  radically  bad  and  vicious.  This 
leads  us  to  a  rather  encouraging  view  of  the  majority  of  our  workers 
who  reside  in  populous  London  suburbs,  since  we  see  abundant  evidence 
that  they  love  and  admire  flowers  ;  their  windows,  their  back  or  front 
gardens — often  sadly  small — testify  to  the  fact.  No  doubt  pessimistic 
people  will  tell  you  this  is  mere  imitativeness ;  they  copy  each  other’s 
ways.  To  some  extent  that  may  operate,  but  generally  there  is  a 
higher  influence  behind  their  actions.  Anyhow,  it  is  well  to  cultivate 
or  encourage  a  healthful  taste,  especially  amongst  the  young,  and  one 
method  of  doing  this  is  to  give  prizes  for  successful  culture  of  plants. 
At  some  schools,  elementary  or  other,  seeds  and  plants  are  distributed 
in  April  or  May  to  children  promising  to  make  good  use  of  them.  In 
addition,  the  last  few  years  have  withessed  the  starting  of  floral 
societies.  Erch  juvenile  membe'-  pays  a  trifle  and  receives  some 
packets  of  seeds  or  some  rooted  cuttings;  towards  autumn  a  show  is 
held  to  exhibit  the  results,  either  as  cut  flowers  or  plants  in  pots. 
Sometimes  they  cannot  be  moved  for  exhibition,  as  when  a  boy  at 
uninviting  Shadwell  t  jok  a  prize  for  a  Fuchsia  4  feet  high  trained  on 
lattice-work  outside  his  bedroom  window;  also  ingenious  devices  with 
Ivy  or  other  creepers  attached  to  v'alls  have  to  be  judged  where  they 
are  growing,  if  awarded  prizes  or  commendation. 
Allotment  gardens  are  not  uncommon  about  some  London  suburbs. 
They  have  various  advantages,  of  course  some  drawbacks ;  the  law  of 
fneum  and  tuum,  for  instance,  is  not  observed  strictly.  A  man  excuses 
himself  when  he  filches  a  fine  Cabbage  or  Lettuce  from  his  neighbour’s 
plot  with  the  excuse  that  persons  will  very  likely  take  plants  from  his 
own  garden  if  they  have  the  opportunity.  On  the  other  hand  those 
working  such  plots  can  be,  and  are,  often  helpful  to  their  neighbours 
by  the  interchange  of  seeds  and  plants,  or  by  giving  information, 
Bromley  by  Bow. 
Places  of  the  same  name,  but  how  different — Bromley  by  Bow  and 
Bromley  in  Kent — though  I  cannot  say  that  the  latter  is  quite  so 
charming  a  spot  as  it  was  some  forty  or  fifty  years  since.  Still  it  is 
rural  in  its  surroundings  yet ;  the  Bromley  of  Essex  was  never  that, 
being  at  its  best  simply  a  large  bare  expanse,  with  scattered  villages 
or  hamlets,  now  it  has  become  a  wilderness  of  houses  having  something 
like  70,000  inhabitants,  and  few  open  spaces  available  for  health  or 
recreation.  The  acre  and  a  half  of  land,  abutting  on  Leonard  and 
Grace  Streets,  is  part  of  it  garden,  a  portion  being  reserved  as  a 
gymnasium  and  playground.  It  is  called  Bromley  Piecreation  Ground, 
and  was  formally  opened  on  the  14th  of  April  last,  by  Mr,  Ben 
Cooper,  L.C.C.,  and  it  has  already  proved  a  great  benefit  to  the  poor 
neighbourhood.  Bow  is  not  any  better  off  for  open  spaces  than  its 
neighbour,  but  two  small  churchyards,  not  an  acre  together,  have  been 
converted  into  gardens  recently.  Years  ago  they  tried  to  raise  ea,rly 
Potatoes  in  the  viciniiy  of  Bow  and  Bromley,  though  I  do  not  think 
the  land  was  particularly  suitable.  Also  we  might  have  strolled 
thereabout  and  seen  fields  of  Mustard  and  Onions  in  summer. 
Poplar  in  the  East. 
Poplar  was  certainly  named  from  the  groves  of  Poplar  trees  which 
flourished  there  in  the  olden  time,  the  moist  soil  being  much  in  their 
favour.  Several  of  the  London  chroniclers  mention  having  seen  many 
large  trees  of  some  species  of  the  genus  ;  lately  the  district  has  been 
scant  of  trees,  but  planting  has  been  recommenced  under  the 
encouragement  of  the  Metropolitan  Public  Gardens  Association.  It 
was  not  from  the  Lime  trees  that  Limehouse  close  by  took  its  name  ; 
this  arose  fiom  an  ancient  house  in  which  the  burning  of  lime  was 
carried  on.  About  ten  years  ago  the  churchyard  of  St.  Anne’s, 
Limehouse,  a  space  of  3  acres,  was  opened  to  the  public  by  the 
Countess  of  Strafford,  and  that  of  All  Saints’,  Poplar,  of  similar  size, 
in  1893  by  Lady  Reay.  ’Tis  no  great  walk,  however,  from  this  part 
of  East  London  to  the  extensive  marshes  of  Ham  and  Hackney, 
crossed  by  the  Lea  and  numerous  cuts  or  streamlets,  not  now  the 
liome  of  fish  and  the  resort  of  wild  fowl.  Then  the  corporation  of 
West  Ham  has  been  active.  In  1898,  by  the  assistance  of  other  public 
bodies  and  individuals,  it  secured  10  acres  at  Hermit  Road,  Plaistow, 
which  is  visited  by  young  and  old  for  miles  around.  West  Ham  has 
something  bigger  still,  for  it  has  acquired  a  park  of  80  acres  north¬ 
ward,  towards  Forest  Gate,  which  has  well  arranged  flower  beds  and  a 
good  display  of  shrubs.  This  is  one  of  the  suburbs  that  has  grown 
immensely,  its  increase  during  the  half-century  being  from  19,000 
to  260,000. 
Council  Gardening. 
One  of  the  notable  spaces  of  North  London,  which  has  been  made 
over  to  the  London  County  Council,  is  Waterlow  Park,  Highgate, 
through  the  generosity  of  Sir  Sydney  Waterlow,  who  prided  himself 
on  being  a  London  apprentice.  This  was  given  ten  years  ago  ;  the 
extent  is  about  29  acres,  the  park  has  some  fine  ornamental  trees, 
also  it  has  orchards,  houses  erected  by  its  former  possessor  as  wmll, 
which  are  still  kept  going.  Hence,  the  London  County  Council 
appears  in  the  character  of  a  bestower  of  fruit.  In  1898  there  was  an 
exceptionally  good  crop,  and  more  than  a  ton  of  it  was  sent  to  various 
hospitals,  besides  about  1000  bunches  of  hothouse  Grapes.  I  suspect 
last  year  the  yield  would  be  a  smaller  one,  and  probably  in  London 
suburbs  this  will  not  be  a  good  fruit  season.  For  several  years 
Chrysanthemum  shows  have  been  held  in  Waterlow  Park,  the  public 
having  free  admission  to  view  thousands  of  plants. 
We  may  safely  say  that,  as  a  rule,  parks,  squares,  pleasure 
gardens,  and  the  like,  intended  for  the  public  benefit,  are  better 
managed  by  such  a  body  as  the  above  Council  than  by  private 
individuals.  Lately  it  has  been  argued  that  suburban  local  bodies,  if 
duly  enthusiastic,  prove  very  capable  of  taking  charge,  since  they 
understand  the  requirements  of  a  district.  There  are  various  instances, 
too,  of  such  doing  valuable  work  in  securing  open  spaces.  The 
Hackney  District  Council,  for  instance,  has  rescued  from  the  builder 
many  spaces,  large  and  small,  at  the  north  or  east  of  London. 
Queen’s  Wood,  Highgate,  formerly  Churchvard  Bottom  Wood,  might 
have  been  cut  up  had  not  the  Hornsey  District  Council  put  down 
£30,000  towards  the  sum  required.  This  Council,  in  conjunction  with 
other  parties,  is  now  endeavouring,  I  believe,  to  preserve  the  grounds 
of  the  Alexandra  Palace,  which  have  already  been  the  scene  of  various 
flower  shows.  At  the  annual  exhibition  of  flowers,  fruit,  and 
vegetables  held  there  last  year,  when  the  allotment  holders  of 
Highgate,  Hornsey,  and  Wood  Green  were  on  parade,  Mr.  H.  C. 
Stephens,  M.P,,  the  opener,  made  reference  to  the  Hornsey  Council, 
calling  it  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  careful  in  England.  Out 
of  the  600  exhibitors  the  great  majority  were  allotment  holders. 
Again,  in  the  parish  of  Finchley,  adjacent,  allotment  gardening  has 
been  a  success,  50  acres  of  land  being  thus  occupied, 
SouthgatA 
It  was  about  the  middle  Of  this  Century  that  entomologists  used  to 
visit  the  decidedly  rural  Southgate  ;  it  had  a  pleasant  but  small 
wood;  amongst  the  Oaks  were  to  be  found  insects  not  common  near 
London,  such  as  that  pretty  butterfly  the  purple  hairstreak.  To  any 
gardener  the  old  nursery  of  Southgate  cannot  but  be  interesting,  as 
one  of  the  very  few  remaining  which  date  from  last  century.  It  was 
commenced  by  James  Cuthbert  in  1797,  and  that  part  of  the  ground 
toward  the  High  Street  has  undergone  little  change,  though  portions 
of  the  original  nursery  have  been  built  upon.  James  Cuthbert  had 
served  his  apprenticeship  at  Hamilton  Palace,  and  came  south  to  the 
gardens  at  Luton  Hoc,  then  in  the  possession  of  the  Marquis  of  Bute. 
Having  started  this  nursery  he  cultivated  herbaceous  plants,  general 
outdoor  shrubs,  fruit  trees.  Camellias,  and  other  exotics.  I  am  told 
that  several  houses  originally  built  for  vineries  are  still  in  existence, 
and  look  as  if  they  may  see  many  years  of  the  twentieth  century. 
Some  houses  that  were  planted  with  double  white  Camellias  eighty 
years  ago  can  show  the  plants  growing  now,  aud  in  good  condition. 
The  nursery  is  at  present  carried  on  by  George  Cuthbert  and  his  sons, 
who  represent  the  fourth  generation  ot  the  family.  Only  in  May, 
1900,  the  firm  made  a  good  display  of  Azaleas  at  the  Temple  Show 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
Azaleas  and  Spiraeas. 
The  Azalea  has  to  some  extent  had  its  popularity  diminished, 
owing  to  the  advent  of  spring  flowers,  which  are  more  pleasing  to  the 
public,  though  they  may  not  have  the  grandeur  of  this  Indian  flower. 
Again,  we  have  in  the  Spiraea  a  flower  which  has  undergone  a 
revolution.  S.  japonica,  which  people  oddly  called  “  Italian  May,” 
was  grown  as  a  hardy  border  p'ant,  an<l  a  tew  were  kept  under  glass 
in  winter  ;  now  it  is  generally  recognised  as  a  useful  plant  for  window 
decoration,  and  cut  blooms  are  sought  after  from  Christmas^  till  April. 
At  first  our  nurserymen  got  a  supply  of  imported  roots,  I  ranee  and 
Holland  sending  th  m  over  during  autumn.  Mr.  Mailer  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  who  showed  how  vigorous  full-flowered  plants  could  be 
raised.  He  grew  thousands  at  Enfield  by  dividing  the  old  plants  in 
spring,  putting  them  in  an  open  sunny  situation  till  the  crowns  were 
matured,  fl’hese  were  then  potted,  and  kept  very  moist  durmg 
autumn. — J.  R.  S.  C. 
