January  14,  19C4. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
25 
Experimental  Gardening  at  Inyerewe  House, 
Ross -shire. 
The  assiduous  labours  of  Osgood  H.  Mackenzie,  Esq.,  F.R.H.S., 
Inverewe,  in  experimental  horticulture  are  well  known.  Few 
proprietors  have  engaged  the  zeal  in  a  work  so  promi-sing  of  good  ; 
and  though  the  climate  in  this  part  of  Scotland  mu.st  be  mild, 
and  therefore  very  materially  assist,  the  honour  is  not  the  less 
great,  for  the  strenuous  efforts  yearly  put  forth  by  this  gentle¬ 
man  to  promote  horticulture  in  general.  It  is  quite  unnecessary 
for  me  to  recapitulate  anything  that  has  already  been  stated 
regarding  the  acclimatising  achievements  arrived  at  by  Mr. 
Mackenzie,  for  that  I  eventuate  will  be  the  common  property 
of  every  British  gardener  who  takes  an  interest  in  the  matter. 
For  the  benefit  of  those  who,  however,  may  not  know  all  that 
has  been  achieved,  it  may  be  said  that  Inverewe  Gardens  are  prac¬ 
tically  uncovered  conservatories ;  that  is,  consisting  of  plants 
usually  grown  under  glass,  grown  immensely  better  in  the  open, 
or  at  any  rate  better  than  generally  seen.  Mr.  Mackenzie’s 
“  Notes  ”  for  the  last  tw'o  years  are  now  before  the  public,  and 
though  both  years  have  been  anything  but  conducive  to  the 
interests  of  horticulture,  on  the  whole  matters  appear  to  have 
gone  on  very  satisfactorily  at  Inverewe  House.  The  only  matter 
of  any  importance  was  the  death  of  some  Cistus  crispus,  some 
large  Veronicas  Andersoni,  a  large  plant  of  Erica  australis  (the 
latter  owing  to  being  removed),  and  some  damage  to  one  of  the 
large  Dicksonia  Tree  Ferns. 
In  February  of  1902,  though  snow  lay  on  the  ground  nearly 
all  the  month,  the  beautiful  Hamamelis  Zuccariniana  flowered 
profusely.  Later  Azalea  Vaseyi  and  Andromeda  formosa  were  in 
fine  bloom.  Abutilon  vitifolium,  bushes  of  six  to  eight  feet 
high,  from  seed  from  the  late  Mr.  Thompson,  Ipswich,  blossomed 
profusely.  Kalmia  latifolia  flowered  for  the  first  time  in  1902, 
as  did  also  the  eight  new  crosses  of  Azaleas  raised  by  Van 
Houtte,  viz.,  indica  x  mollis,  and  made  a  dazzling  show  in  June 
of  that  year.  They  are  as  hardy  as  ponticum  there.  Cydonia 
Columbia  and  Desfontainea  spinosa  also  bloom  well. 
On  New  Year’s  Day  last  year  the  famous  Tulloch  variety  of 
Rhododendron  Nobleanum  was  in  a  blaze  in  the  garden,  and  in 
March  R.  ciliatum  was  also  covered  with  bloom.  Notwithstand¬ 
ing  the  prevalent  storms  of  wind  and  rain  which  took  place 
during  the  year,  the  five  species  of  Eucalyptus  grown  there 
suffered  no  material  harm. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Scots  Pines  gave  unmistakable  evidence 
of  their  susceptible  proneness  to  injury  from  gales  by  land  or  sea. 
A  plant  of  Crinodendron  Hookeriana,  seven  feet,  peerless  even 
in  Lord  Annesley’s  celebrated  gardens.  County  Down,  was  a 
feature  of  great  attraction  last  year ;  the  plant  was  literally 
covered  with  flowers.  Rhododendron  racemosum,  Kalmia  rubra. 
Erica  arborea,  Deutzia  corymbiflora,  D.  discolor  purpurea,  were 
also  very  attractive.  Mutisia  decurrens  has  stood  two  winters 
and  flowered  well  the  following  seasons.  Two  species  of  Metro- 
sideros,  one  of  which  is  the  famous  Rata  of  New  Zealand,  sur¬ 
vived  several  winters.  The  Rata  has  not,  however,  flowered  yet. 
Leptospermum  scoparium,  the  New  Zealand  Tea  Bush,  seems  to 
be  quite  hardy  at  Inverew’e. 
Buddlea  Colvilli  flowered  last  summer.  Notospartium  Car- 
michaeliae,  Carpentearea,  Eucryphia,  Berberidop.sis  corallina, 
Enkianthus  japonicus,  aro  also  among  the  many  rare  exotics  in 
this  garden.  Mr.  Mackenzie  is  not  content  wdth  a  plant  only 
merely  living;  he  must  have  them  to  grow  in  full  robustness, 
and  to  attain  to  this  perfection  every  effort  is  made  to  get  at 
the  secret.  Heuchera  sanguinea  and  the  beautiful  Mitraria 
coccinea  did  not  succeed  until  he  removed  them  from  the  garden 
to  a  raw  peaty  soil  or  a  shrubbery,  in  a  part  of  the  grounds  called 
“  Japan.”  Here  in  a  short  time  they  grew  into  a  state  of  robust¬ 
ness  beyond  expectation.  The  Mitraria  grew  into  a  nice  shrub, 
and  was  profusely  covered  with  its  delightful  scarlet  flowers. 
Mr.  Mackenzie  refers  to  the  gardens  of  Sir  Thomas  Hanbury, 
at  La  Mortola,  in  the  Riviera,  and  Lord  Annesley’s,  in  Ireland, 
as  tw’o  places  one  ought  to  see  ere  dying. — D.  C. 
P.S. — It  would  bo  very  interesting  to  hear  what  is  being  done 
by  others  in  this  way  throughout  the  British  Isles. 
Book  Notices, 
The  Rose  Garden.' 
“The  Rose  Garden,”  by  Mr.  William  Paul,  is  not  only  his 
masterpiece,  but  it  is  a  chef  d’oeuvre  among  gardening  books  of 
all  time.  Long  after  its  author  has  departed  this  life  “The 
Rose  Garden  ”  will  be  quoted  and  drawn  upon  wherever  Roses 
are  deeply  loved  and  studied. 
The  tenth  and  latest  edition  a^jpeared  about  the  middle  of 
last  year,  fifty-five  years  from  the  date  of  the  first  edition.  It 
*  “The  Rose  Garden,”  by  \Villi:iin  Paul,  I'.L.S.,  Tenth  edition.  London  : 
simi'kiii;  Mar.shall,  Il.aniilton,  Kent&  Co.  1903. 
is  carefully  and  tlmroughly  revised,  and  the  lists  and  descrip¬ 
tions  of  the  numerous  varietal  introductions  since  the  ninth 
edition  have  been  brought  up-to-date. 
To  the  older  rosarians  there  is  no  need  to  formally  introduce 
the  book;  but  so  increasingly  popular  is  the  Rose  that  the 
recruits  to  the  ranks  of  its  adorers  may  number  a  few  who  are 
less  enlightened  in  this  connection.  And  for  them  we  would 
briefly  explain  that  the  work  is  arranged  in  two  divisions;  the 
first  including  chapters  that  very  fully  trace  the  history  of  the 
species  of  Rosa,  and  Roses  in  general,  as  well  as  detailing  the 
formation  of  ro.series  and  the  culture  of  the  plants.  Tlie  second 
division  furnishes  a  careful  classification  of  all  the  approved 
Ro.se.s  known,  with  their  characters  fully  described.  Nor  is 
hybridisation  and  the  raising  of  seedlings  overlooked.  The  size 
of  the  book  is  12in  deep  by  lOin  broad,  and  the  pages  amount 
to  382,  including  the  index.  Thus  the  work  is  of  very  consider¬ 
able  proportions.  There  are  twenty-one  coloured  plates,  and  an 
equal  number  of  full-page  engravings,  in  the  present  edition, 
together  with  eighty  smaller  woodcuts. 
To  dip  into  the  history  of  the  Queen  of  Flowers  need  not 
long  delay  us.  It  was  Sappho;  we  learn,  who,  nearly  2,000 
years  ago,  bestowed  the  title  we  have  just  used;  and  it  was  the 
custom  of  the  Greeks,  and  the  Romans  after  them,  to  decorate 
both  their  houses  and  persons  with  the  fragrant  blossoms, 
“especially  at  their  Bacchanalian  feasts,  believing  the  Roses 
preserved  them  from  the  intoxicating  influences  of  wine.”  Tins 
choice  of  Roses  must  have  continued  down  to  the  last  of  the 
Roman  Emperors,  for  Tarquin  the  Proud  is  here  mentioned. 
Wo  occasionally  read  of  fabulo'us  sums  having  been  spent  by 
certain  millionaires  on  flowers  for  the  decoration  of  banqueting 
halls  in  these  days,  but  nothing  can  equal  Nero’s  £30,000  spent 
in  procuring  Roses  for  one  fea.st!  All  the  chief  authors  who 
have  touched  on  the  Rose  from  the  fifth  and  sixth  centuries 
down  to  the  present  are  quoted  in  “  The  Rose  Garden.” 
Following  the  section  devoted  to  the  poetry  of  the  Rose 
come  the  practical  chapters  on  culture;  patiently,  detailedly, 
and  explicitly  written.  How  to  plant  for  effect,  either  in 
borders,  or  beds,  or  roseries,  or  dells,  or,  lastly,  on  pergolas^ — 
all  are  noted ;  and,  of  course,  Mr.  Paul  recommends  the  larger 
use  of  Roses  for  hedges.  We  think  the  pages  descriptive  of  how 
and  what  to  group  (pages  79  to  82,  also  198  to  211)  will  be  found 
well  worthy  of  very  careful  attention,  for  here  the  masterhand 
names  kinds  that  are  very  hardy,  moderately  hardy,  or  others 
that  are  barely  hardy,  as  well  as  varieties  for  heavy  soils,  for 
walls,  for  light  soils,  for  pot  culture,  and  so  on.  Lists  of 
summer  and  autumn  flowering  Roses  have  been  compiled.  The 
pot  culture  of  Roses  and  the  insect  pests  and  diseases  are 
dealt  with.  .  -i-  • 
As  with  culture  and  aiwangement,  so  with  hybridising  and 
propagating ;  the  intricacies  are  brought  forward  and  explained 
in  letterpress.  To  thoroughly  review  the  work  would  require 
much  time,  much  labour,  and  some  pages  of  the  Journal;  but 
even  in  our  brevity  we  hope  to  have*  shown  something  of  the 
contents  and  arrangement  of  the  book. 
Annual  Report  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution.* 
We  have  received,  through  Messrs.  Wesley  and  Son,  lissex 
Street,  Strand,  London,  the  Reports  of  the  Smithsonian  Institu¬ 
tion  (U.S.  National  Museum)  for  the  years  1901  and  1902.  They 
are  bulky  volumes. 
First  wo  would  bring  to.  notice  the  fact  that  this  now  great 
National  Museum,  which  every  true  American  tries  to  augment 
by  some  treasure,  great  or  small,  which  he  or  she  may  become 
possessed  of  by  travels  in  other  lands— this  magnificent  Institu¬ 
tion  owes  its  foundation  to  James  Smithson,  an  Englishman, 
who  decreed  half  a  million  dollars  to  be  used  “  for  the  increase 
and  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  men.”  The  wise  counsels  that 
prevailed  in  interpreting  the  provisions  of  this  bequest  led  to 
the  employment  of  a  portion  of  the  fund  for  founding  a  museum, 
universal  in  its  scope  and  usefulness.  (Parenthetically,  we  note 
that  Andrew  Carnegie  has  given  ten  million  dollars  for  the 
establishment  of  another  institution  on  almost  identical  lines 
tg  bear  his  name.)  ,  •  a.  c  ,  i 
In  building  up  the  Smith.sonian  collections,  otfacers  ot  tlic 
Army  and  Navy  and  of  other  branches  of  the  Government 
service,  fishermen,  fur  traders,  private  explorers,  and  such 
powerful  organisations  as  the  Hudson’s  Bay  Company  and  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Co.,  were  enlisted  in  the  cause,  and 
rendered  invaluable  assistance.  Then  the  U.S.  Government  has 
at  all  times  bestowed  grants  with  a  liberal  hand,  and  assisted 
the  men  of  science  in  other  ways.  .  . 
“  With  the  primary  object  of  increasing  the  collections  in 
anthropology,  biology,  and  geology  obtained  by  the  national 
surveys,  every  effort  is  being  made,  through  exchange,  dona¬ 
tions,  and  purchase,  and  the  encouragement  of  exploration,  to 
so  increase  its  possessions  that  the  Museum  of  the  Government 
may  in  time  contain  the  fullest  possible  representation  of  all 
*  Annual  Report  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  showing  the  operations, 
expenditures,  and  condition  of  the  Institution  from  (1)  the  year  ending  June  30, 
1901-  (2)  the  same,  for  1902.  Washington  :  Government  Pnnluig  Oftoc.  RO- 
