November  6,  1S02. 
JOURNAL  CF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
425 
Botanic  Gardens. 
(  Continued  from  page  406.) 
The  Royal  Botanic  Garden.  Edinburgh,  is  the  next  largest 
to  that  of  Kew,  established  in  1670  as  a  physic  garden,  and 
consisted  of  a  portion  of  the  Royal  Garden  around  Holyrood 
Palace,  and  was  occupied  by  two  eminent  Edinburgh 
physicians,  namely  Andrew  Balfour  and  Robert  Sibbald. 
James  Sutherland  was  appointed  to  the  “care  of  the 
garden  it  was  stocked  with  plants  from  the  private  garden 
of  Dr.  Andrew  Balfour,  who  had  for  years  been  collecting 
medicinal  plants,  and  also  from  the  garden  at  Livingstone, 
in  West  Lothian,  the  Laird  of  which.  Patrick  Murray,  was 
much  interested  in  the  growing  of  useful  plants.  In  1676 
the  same  physicians  acquired  from  the  Town  Council  of 
Edinburgh  a  lease  of  the  garden  of  Trinity  Hospital,  for 
the  purpose  of  another  physic  garden,  and  appointed  the 
same  James  Sutherland  to  be  its  superintendent  also.  This 
was  known  as  the  Town’s  Botanic  Garden. 
About  1702  (just  200  years  ago)  another  Botanic  Garden 
was  established  in  Edinburgh,  close  to  the  College  buildings  ; 
this  was  known  as  the  College  Garden,  this  also  was  placed 
in  charge  of  James  Sutherland.  Thus  we  see  that  there  were 
three  botanic  or  physic  gardens.  Sutherland  from  the  first 
gave  instructions  to  the  students  of  medicine  in  the  Royal 
Garden,  and  received  a  Royal  Warrant  appointing  him 
botanist-  to  the  King  in  Scotland,  and  empowering  him  to 
set  up  a  profession  of  botany  in  this  garden.  The  Town 
Council  also  appointed  him  to  lecture  on  botany  in  the  town’s 
college,  now  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  We  learn  that 
there  were  between  two  and  three  thousand  plants  in  cultiva¬ 
tion  there  (jointly  in  the  three  gardens  it  is  supposed) ;  these 
were  the  foundations  of  the  present  Botanic  Garden,  which  at 
present  consists  of  fifty-seven  acres,  but  the  present  site  is 
not  that  of  either  of  those  gardens  mentioned,  for  in  1820  a 
new  piece  of  land  was  purchased,  and  by  1823  all  the  plants 
had  been  removed  to  it. 
When  Sutherland  resigned  a  portion  of  his  charge,  a 
new  ciu-ator  being  appointed,  split  the  gardens  as  it  were  ; 
but  after  about  twmnty-five  years  they  were  reunited  under 
one  keeper  and  regius  professor.  They  have  at  Edinburgh 
a  good  collection  of  alpine  and  herbaceous  plants,  trees  and 
shrubs,  and  many  plant  houses  for  Ferns,  Orchids,  insec¬ 
tivorous,  economic  and  other  interesting  groups  of  plants. 
The  regius  keeper  (Professor  Balfour)  from  time  to  time 
gives  lectures  in  the  gardens,  which  are  free  to  the  gardeners. 
For  about  fifty  years  the  regius  keeper  and  professor  of 
botany  in  the  university  having  been  held  by  the  same 
person,  it  has  become  the  custom  that  the  students  of  the 
university  to  come  to  t lie  garden  for  instruction.  The 
gardens  are  open  from  8  a.m.  week-days  and  11  a.m.  on 
Sundays  until  sunset.  The  plant  houses  are  open  from 
1  p.m.  until  5.30,  or  until  sunset  if  this  be  earlier.  The 
museum  is  also  open  on  Sundays.  The  herbarium  from 
10  a.m.  until  6  p.m.  except  Saturdays,  when  this  closes  at 
1  jo.  m. 
Glasnevin. 
The  Royal  Botanic  Garden  at  Glasnevin,  Dublin,  consists 
of  about  thirty-one  acres,  and  was  established  about  1798. 
It  was  then  divided  into  the  Linnean  garden  for  the  scientific 
botanist  who  studies  the  plants  systematically,  the  Cattle 
garden,  the  Hay  garden,  the  Esculent  or  Vegetable  garden, 
the  Dyers’  garden,  and  Irish  garden.  It  is  further  stated  the 
professor  gives  lectures  on  the  Cattle  and  Hay  gardens  for 
the  instruction  of  farmers,  their  servants  and  labouring  men, 
all  of  whom  are  admitted  to  the  lecture  free.  Also  separate 
lectures  were  given  in  those  days  for  dyers’  instruction  and 
for  extending  practical  knowledge.  It  was  provided  with 
money  for  its  maintenance  from  the  Imperial  Parliament 
and  the  Dublin  Royal  Society.  Dr.  Wade  was  the  first 
professor,  and  Mr.  John  Underwood  was  recommended  to 
the  Dublin  Royal  Society  by  the  late  Mr.  Curtis,  Editor  of 
the  “  Flora  Londoniensis,”  “  Botanical  Magazine,”  &c.,  as 
a  fit  person  to  conduct  the  practical  part.  Mr.  Speaker  Foster 
(afterwards  Lord  Oriel),  was  the  prime  mover  in  its  estab¬ 
lishment,  and  continued  to  take  a  great  interest  during  his 
lifetime. 
A  catalogue  of  the  plants  grown  in  this  garden  was 
published  in  1801  and  1802  ;  the  collection  was  very  large, 
and  there  were  then  five  plant  houses.  We  need  not  here 
go  into  all  details  respecting  the  history  of  the  garden.  In 
1838  Mr.  (afterwards  Dr.)  David  Moore  was  appointed 
director,  and  after  his  death  in  1879  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  Mr.  F.  W.  Moore,  the  present  director.  They  have  at 
the  present  time  eight  large  plant  houses,  herbaceous  ground 
and  tree  and  shrub  departments,  and  also  the  experimental 
department,  with  agricultural  plants,  oil  plants,  kitchen 
garden  plants,  dyers’  plants,  gi'asses,  fibre  plants,  and  pot 
herbs.  Then  there  is  the  ornamental  flower  ground  depart¬ 
ment,  a  lake  or  water  garden,  a  botanical  museum, 
herbarium,  and  library. — Albert  Hoskino. 
Renewal  of  Old  Fruit  Trees. 
( Concluded  from  page  407.) 
With  old  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apricots  it  is  far  best 
to  destroy  them  outright  and  start  with  young  trees.  In  all 
good  gardens  a  reserve  of  young  free  trees  is  maintained, 
so  that  a  gap  can  be  filled  at  once  by  a  vigorous,  healthy 
subject  of  three  to  five  years’  growth,  which  itself  is  all  the 
better  for  the  check  it  receives  in  removal. 
In  the  Society’s  Journal,  vol.  xxv.,  p.  363,  a  wonderful 
drawing  is  given  of  a  large  trained  Pear  tree  which  was  so 
successfully  renovated  by  rooting  the  lower  branches  that 
the  main  and  original  stem  could  be  dispensed  with.  In 
other  words,  the  tree  first  had  one,  then  three  sources  of 
nutriment,  and  finally  two. 
In  all  cases  new  soil  should  be  introduced  to  the  roots. 
Good,  sound,  turfy  loam  is  better  than  heavily  manured  soil ; 
and  if  stimulant  be  necessary  it  is  best  supplied  as  a  toil 
dressing. 
There  is  yet  another  way  of  dealing  with  old  overgrown 
pyramid  trees.  After  two  years  of  free  growth,  as  before 
named,  the  resulting  shoots  can  be  tied  into  a  frame,  and 
made  to  assume  a  set  form  ;  thus  treated  they  fruit  freely, 
and  the  branches  being  secured  the  fruit  is  not  bruised  by 
the  winds. 
It  should  be  mentioned  that  where  large  trees  are  headed 
back  the  new  shoots  are  very  strong,  and  must  be  duly 
nailed  in  or  otherwise  secured ;  and  if  a  second  lateral 
growth  should  be  formed  from  the  lower  eyes,  it  should  be 
pinched  at  the  third  leaf  to  encourage  fruit  buds  to  form. 
Very  old  Figs  often  get  bare  below,  and  far  too  crowded 
at  the  top  of  the  wall.  These  should  have  the  large  coarse 
boughs  cut  away  at  the  base,  and  the  best  of  the  resulting 
new  shoots  be  nailed  into  the  wall. 
It  is  a  great  mistake  to  let  Figs  carry  too  much  wood,  and 
they  more  often  suffer  from  over-manuring  than  the  reverse. 
In  fact,  where  they  root  into  the  vegetable  borders  it  is 
as  well  to  make  a  trench  2ft  wide  and  3ft  deep,  and  fill  this 
with  liroken  bricks,  porous  stone,  loam,  and  old  mortar 
rubbish.  The  roots  revel  in  this  material,  and  the  trees  lay 
up  good,  hard,  sound,  fruitful  wood. 
Though  the  Grape  scarcely  comes  under  notice  in  this 
paper,  old  Vines  can  be  safely  cut  back,  where  the  precau¬ 
tion  of  leading  up  one  or  two  long  rods  from  the  base  of  the 
cane  has  been  previously  taken.  But  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  in  such  cases  that  the  borders  often  get  into  a  bad 
state,  or  that  the  roots  go  searching  for  nourishment  in 
positions  too  far  from  the  surface,  so  that  the  wisest  economy 
may  be  to  make  entirely  new  borders  and  start  with  fresh 
Vines. 
In  a  small  garden  half  the  vinery  should  be  taken  in  hand 
at  a  time,  but  where  several  vineries  are  in  use,  one  house 
can  be  renewed  in  a  season. 
All  small  fruits,  such  as  Gooseberries.  Currants,  and 
Raspberries,  so  soon  bear  fruit  that  old  unsightly  bushes  are 
best  destroyed  to  make  room  for  new  ones.  It  may  be  as 
well  to  say  that  Strawberries  are  of  but  little  use  after  three 
years,  and  new  beds  should  be  made  annually,  so  as  to  keep 
up  a  regular  series. 
Where  old  trees  are  to  be  grafted,  the  stems  should  be 
prepared  in  February  and  the  new  grafts  be  inserted  by 
the  end  of  March.  "As  the  shoots  swell  very  rapidly,  the 
junctions  of  scion  and  stock  must  be  carefully  watched,  or 
the' tying  material  may  cut  into  the  new  growth,  causing  it 
to  be  a  harbour  for  insects  and  making  it  liable  to  snap  off. 
and  so  losing  a  season.  The  scions  should  be  cut  in  February 
and  be  laid  in  the  ground  half  their  length  deep,  in  a  shady 
'place  until  wanted  for  use. 
*  Paper  read  on  January  23.  1102,  by  George  Bunvako,  V.M.H.,  at  the 
meeting  of  the  EoyaVUorticultural  Society. 
