314 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  A  YD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
October  2,  1902. 
Afternoon. 
Rest. — But  the  rest  is  not  enjoyed  unless  the  morning 
and  quite  the  early  part  of  it  has  been  filled  with  good 
useful  work.  Idlers  have  no  right  to  an  afternoon.  I  only 
wish  that  all  of  us  could  put  away  our  work  and  cares  with 
the  morning  toil.  To  some  of  us  afternoon  only  comes  very 
late  in  life  ;  to  some  of  us  never.  A  perfect  type  of  after¬ 
noon  comes  in  with  St.  Michael ;  such  a  sweet  calm,  such 
a  peaceful,  restful  feeling  in  the  air.  There  is  none  of  the 
alertness  of  spring,  no  biting,  cutting  east  winds  ;  rather 
the  soft,  damp  breezes  of  the  west,  the  morning  mists  that 
hang  long  and  close  in  early.  If  there  is  a  touch  of  frost 
it  soon  fades  away  ;  the  days  are  rainless,  indeed,  rather 
too  rainless  for  these  poor  town  folk  with  their  depleted 
reservoirs.  The  dew  is  thick  on  grass  and  hedge,  and 
glistens  in  the  mellow  light.  The  scents  of  autumn  cannot 
be  described  by  the  word  “  sweet,”  they  are  aromatic,  and 
appeal  to  the  senses  far  more  than  do  mere  sweetnesses. 
It  is  said  that  only  those  of  noble  birth  can  detect  the 
scent  of  the  dying  Strawberry  leaf,  but  a  very  plebeian  can 
enjoy  the  scents  of  the  autumn .  garden  and  field.  I  am 
always  so  glad  to  welcome  the  pungent  Chrysanthemum,  the 
late  Mignonette,  the  homely  Turnip,  and,  above  all,  the 
slightly  acrid  smell  of  burning  weeds  and  rubbish.  We  have 
not  reached  that  point  where  decay  becomes  apparent,  it 
is  only  afternoon  yet.  The  lawns  are  green,  the  flower 
borders  intensely  bright  and  gay  with  all  vivid  colours. 
As  the  season  wanes  the  colours  deepen.  There  are  flaming 
reds,  gorgeous  crimsons,  brilliant  purples,  burning  ambers, 
golden  yellows,  and  warm,  rich  browns.  I  must  not  forget 
the  jet  black  of  the  Elder  and  the  purple-black  of  the  Sloe. 
For  wonderful  shades  of  colours,  commend  me  to  the  Fungi 
tribe  as  found  in  deep  woods,  and  do  not  forget  the  little 
white  deliciously  flavoured  “buttons”  of  the  field.  Talk  of 
Mushrooms  from  beds !  Well,  if  you  have  nothing  better 
be  content ;  but  get  up  with  me  in  the  uncertain  twilight, 
and  let  us  gather  fresh  from  their  grassy  bed,  soaking  in 
dew,  the  little  natural-born  Mushrooms.  If  you  are  honest 
you  will  say  which  has  the  better  flavour  cooked. 
I  do  not  know  any  pursuit  so  alluring  as  the 
pursuit  of  the  Mushroom.  You  have  so  many  surprises 
and  so  many  disappointments,  and  there  is  such  a  feeling  of 
satisfaction  when  you  have  filled  your  basket.  I  wager  you 
come  home  with  an  enormous  appetite,  and  also  with  very 
wet  boots!  Never  mind,  they  will  dry,  and  you  have  filled 
your  lungs  with  good,  fresh  air,  and  exercised  your  muscles 
(especially  those  in  the  small  of  the  back).  Ought  I  to  say  a 
word  about  caution?  I  do  not  know.  If  you  have  not  the 
gift  to  distinguish  the  real  from  the  false  I  cannot  put  it 
into  you. 
Now  is- the  time  for  the  Red  Admirals,  the  Tortoiseshells, 
the  Peacock,  the  Painted  Lady — they  are  all  dressed  in 
autumnal  tints,  and  so  harmonise  with  giant  Sunflowers, 
the  Dahlia,  and  the  “Daisy  of  St.  Michael.”  How  that 
Daisy  has  become  legion !  In  my  younger  days  it  was  such 
an  undecided  mauve,  and  generally  imperfect  in  shape  ; 
now  you  are  met  with  improved  varieties  on  every  hand. 
My  Holly  tree  is  more  than  “  well  set  ”  with  berries,  on  the 
north  side,  and  the  last  year’s  berries  lingered  till  mid 
August.  I  suppose  the  birds  had  better  and  juicier  fruit. 
One  funny  part  I  noticed  was  that  they  freely  ate  of  the 
bright  coloured  Victoria  Plum,  but  left  the  more  luscious 
Green  Gage  severely  alone.  How  was  that?  Did  other 
people  notice  the  same  fact? 
Talking  of  Plums,  which  are  my  “  perk,”  I  had  only  about 
lOst  of  Green  Gages  to  sell,  as  against  40  last  year ;  and  of 
a  little  rose-coloured  Plum  15lb,  as  against  20st.  It  has 
made  a  difference  to  my  pocket.  We  have  eaten  our  last 
Apple  pie,  that  is,  of  Apples  of  home  production.  I  cannot 
ut  Pears  into  a  pie,  nor  yet  into  mince-meat.  This  has 
een  a  Pear  year  here,  and  so  I  indulge  the  family  with 
stewed  Pears,  treated  with  Elder  fruit  syrup.  I  give  this 
recipe  gratis.  The  only  difficulty  I  find  is  that  we  cannot 
cook  enough  Pears  for  our  needs.  There  is  a  great  call  on 
the  stock.  I  wish  it  were  all  afternoon.  That  sounds  as 
though  I  were  idle  ;  but  no,  only  tired.  I  should  like  to 
lay  down  my  burden,  as  all  Nature  is  doing,  and  rest.  You 
grow  while  you  sleep,  and  wake  with  fresh  vigour.  I  should 
like  to  kepp  a  year  of  Sabbaths;  I  think  my  work  would  be 
better  afterwards. 
Even  down  here  in  the  heart  of  the  sweet  country  we 
are  beginning  to  have  city  notions  and  losing  somewhat  of 
our  calm.  I  know  there  are  people  who  think  our  life 
lethargic,  but  because  ours  is  different  they  cannot  gauge 
it,  and  I  fancy  we  have  as  much  to  show  at  the  end  of  the 
year  as  the  bustling  town  dweller.  At  any  rate,  we  oftener 
see  the  sun  rise,  and  have  done  a  good  day’s  work  before 
office  or  shop  is  opened.  We  can  afford  to  rest  with  the 
set  of  sun,  and  to  take  an  occasional  holiday  in  the  after¬ 
noon  of  the  year. — The  Missus. 
Odd  Rotes. 
Flowers  for  Church  Decoration. 
Flowers  are  never  out  of  place  in  beautifying  a  church  or  a 
chapel,  except  when  the  use  of  them  is  overdone,  or  inartist ically 
carried  out.  Using  too  many,  or  huddling  them  together,  is  bound 
to  have  a  bad  effect,  and  by  no  means  should  it  be  countenanced. 
Glaring  colours  are  out  of  place,  though  in  harvest  festivals 
the  use  of  bright  colours,  such  as  red  and  yellow,  may  be  employed 
in  various  arrangements  with  telling  effect.  Among  the  flowers 
available  are  Cactus  and  Pompon  Dahlias,  late-blooming  forms 
of  Helianthus,  Pyrethrum  uliginosum,  Salvias,  White,  mauve, 
yellow,  and  white  Chrysanthemums. 
Plants  for  Church  Decoration. 
Among  foliage  plants,  Palms,  such  as  the  Kentias,  and  various 
forms  of  Adiantums  among  Ferns,  are  extremely  useful.  No 
better  flowering  plants  in  pots  can  be  used  than  white  Chrys¬ 
anthemums, '  chief  of  which  at  the  present  season  is  Madame  C. 
Desgranges.  It  is  dwarf  in  habit,  and  specially  chaste  and  pure 
in  colour. 
Expensive  Bulbs. 
Large  sums  of  money  are  spent  in  various  ways  nowadays, 
gardening  having  some  enthusiasts  in  its  ranks  who  can  indulge 
in  novelties  in  the  shape  of  new  bulbs  and  plants.  Of  the  former 
there  are  some  high-priced  bulbs  of  Narcissi  catalogued  at  £21, 
£20.,  10  guineas,  7  guineas,  and  5  guineas. 
Cheap  Bulbs. 
Although  the  newest  and  choicest  varieties  of  Narcissi  and 
other  bulbs  are  naturally  dear  when  first  introduced,  it  is  gratify¬ 
ing  to  know  that  by  naturally  increasing,  they  in  time  become 
plentiful  and  cheap,  losing  none  of  their  characteristics  in  the 
process  of  multiplying'.  The  varieties  of  Narcissi  are  specially 
amenable  fio  rapid  increase  by  cultivation,  hence  it  is  that  now 
there  are  quite  a  number  of  excellent  Daffodils  which  may  be  •* 
obtained  from  bulb  merchants  at  a  cheap  rate  for  extensive 
planting.  The  pages  of  the  bulb  number  and  other  numbers  of 
the  Journal  testify  to  this. 
Cinerarias. 
The  weather  has  been  excellent  for  Cinerarias,  and  they  have 
made  rapid  growth  of  foliage  and  abundant  roots.  Plants  in1 
small  pots  should  be  transferred  to  larger  before  they  become  pot- 
bound.  On  the  appearance  of  grub  in  the  leaf,  crush  the  insects. 
Green  fly  must  be  destroyed  by  nicotine  fumes,  dosing  them  when 
the  foliage  is  dry. 
Lifting  Salvias. 
Salvia  splendens  growing  outdoors  may  be  readily  lifted  and 
potted  for  blooming  in  the  greenhouse.  These  plants  make  quite 
an  effective  display  of  rich  scarlet  blooms  for  a  considerable 
period,  which  may  be  extended  when  the  colder  weather  arrives 
by  subjecting  the  plants  to  a  little  heat  under  light  conditions. — 
E.  D.  S. 
- 1  mum  $ - 
NYMPH/EA  STELLATA  AT-  GUNNERSBURY. 
The  gardens  of  Leopold  de  Rothschild,  Esq.,  at  Gunnersbufy 
House,  Acton,  Middlesex,  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  James  Hudson, 
are  famed  for  a  number  of  specialities,  including  the  wall-garden¬ 
ing,  the  fruit-growing,  the  possession  of  a  Japanese  garden  as 
a  feature,  also  specimen  scented  Pelargoniums,  Roses,  the 
“Bamboo”  collection,  and,  to  conclude  with,  the  unrivalled 
Water  Lilies.  N.  stellata.  and  N.  s.  pulcherrima  are  cultivated 
both  under  frames  such  as  that  shown  in  the  illustration  (from  a 
photograph  by  Mr.  J.  Gregory,  of  Croydon)  and  also  during 
summer  in  an  open-air  basin  specially  constructed  for  them  in  the 
recently  formed  Japanese  garden,  the  water  within  which  is 
warm,  being  conveyed  in  galvanised  lin  pipes  covered  with  felt 
and  enclosed  in  drain  pipes,  from  one  of  the  warm  houses.  The 
position  out  of  doors  is,  of  course,  sheltered,  and  the  plants  grow 
strongly,  sending  up  hosts  of  their  large  and  beautiful  lavender- 
blue  flowers.  In  the  frames  much  attention  is  accorded  in  keeping 
the  leaves,  which  form  dense  masses  of  stalks  and  blades,  free 
from  decaying  matter  and  confervse.  For  this  purpose  the  water 
is  skimmed  at  least-  once  every  day  with  a  fine-meshed  net.  If 
market  men,  or  at  least  a  few  of  them,  could  cultivate  the  Blue 
Water  Lily  with  the  same  success  as  does  Mr.  Hudson,  the  profits 
from  the  sale  of  the  dozens  of  cut  flowers  which  robust  plants  will 
produce  weekly  would,  indeed,  be  very  considerable. 
