June  16, 190  k 
JOURNAI.  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
507 
I 
i 
Bedding  Plants. 
Extensive  &  excellent  stock  of  strong^ 
well-ripened  Plants  of  all  leading  varic- 
tieSf  ready  for  immediate  planting. 
PRICES  VERY  MODERATE. 
^u-cu/tuy  tcc 
Dicksons 
Catalogue  Post  Free. 
Nurseries 
Chester 
ORCHIDS. 
CLEAN  HEALTHY  PLANTS  AT  LOW  PRICES 
Always  worth  a  visit  of  inspection. 
Kindly  send  for  Catalogue, 
NEW  LIST  NOW  READY. 
JAMES  CYPHER  &  SONS, 
Exotic  Nurseries,  CHELTENHAM. 
NEW  FLOWERS  9  TO  lOnNS 
STRAIN 
IN  CIRCUMFERENCE. 
“  Out  of  a  dozen  different  strains  that  we 
have,  yours  are  FAll  AND  AWAY  THE 
PI  AMT  BEST.”— G.  C.  Lyo\s,  Superintendent  of 
UlAN  I  Parks  and  Gardens,  Hastings  Corporation. 
PANSY. 
1/-,  2/6  and  5/-  per  packet  wich  full 
cultural  directions. 
L.  H,  DENNIS  &  Co.,  65,  Long  Acre,  London,  W,C. 
rX  VIEW  OF  COMINO  SEASON, 
JL  communications  invited  from  neighbourhoods  iu 
which  MUSHROOMS  grow  freely.— Address,  “J.,”  Box 
980,  Smiths’  Advertising  Agency,  100,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C. 
TO  CLEAR  STOCK.— DAHLIAS,  CACTUS 
and  POMS,  named,  strong,  from  pot<,  with  soil,  2/- 
doz  ;  GERANIUMS,  named,  from  pots,  Zonals,  Ivys  and 
Col.,  1/9  doz.free.— T.  SUTCLIFFE,  F.R.H.S.,  Burscough 
Bridge,  Lancs. 
Begonias  a  speciality.— Large,  erect- 
flowering  Singles,  for  bedding,  2/6,  2/-  dozen  ;  18/-, 
20/-  100.  Doubles  same  price  for  cash.  List  free.— JOHN 
WELLS,  Begonia  Nursery,  Ryarsh,  Mailing,  Kent. 
PRIMULAS!  PRIMULAS!  PRIMULAS! 
S4th  Year  of  Distribution. 
Williams’s  and  all  the  best  strains  of  sinensis  fimbriata, 
also  obconica  grandiflora,  grandiilora  alba  and  stellata. 
CINERARIA,  finest  strain  and  stellata,  1/6  per  dozen,  10/- 
100.  Double  White  Primulas,  6d.  each.  Carriage  and 
Package  Free  for  Cash  with  Order. 
JOHN  STEVENS,  The  Nur.^^eries,  COVENTRY. 
BLACKMORE  &  LANGDON’S  BEGONIAS. 
Awarded  6  Gold  Medals,  1903.  List  Free.  Seed, 
double,  2/6  and  6/-  per  packet;  single,  !/•,  2/6  and  6/-.— 
Twerton  Hill  Nursery,  Bath. 
100,000 
SPRING  SOWN  PLANTS 
9  Fidler’s  Early  Eclipse  Cabbage, 
3/-  per  1000  ;  Drumhead  Savoy,  3/- ;  Sutton’s  Giant  Drum¬ 
head  Cabbage,  3/-;  Dalkeith  Brussels,  3/-;  Johnson’s 
Exhibition  Brussels,  3/-  ;  Early  Eclipse  Cauliflower,  4 '-  ; 
Ea{Iy  Erfurt,  4/6;  V.A  G.  Cauliflower,  3/6.  1000  of  the 
above  sorts,  mixed,  packed  and  carriage  paid  on  receipt 
of  6/-  Postal  Order. 
W.  HORNE  &  SONS.  Cliffe,  Rochester,  Kent. 
Begonias. — Testimonials,  repeat  orders,  and 
recommendations  prove  our  strain  to  be  the  best  up 
to  date  in  existence.  Tubers  and  Plants.  See  the  “Best 
Catalogue,”  free.  —  B.  R.  DAVlS  &  SONS,  Yeovil 
Nurseries,  Yeovil,  Somerset. 
PROTECT  Y"OUR  FRUIT.— TANNED 
GARDEN  NETTING,  25  by  8  yards,  50  by  4  yards, 
100  by  2  yards,  8/-  each.  Prompt  delivery.  Only  best 
quality  supplied. — L.  WREN  <fe  SUNS,  Net  IMerchants, 
139,  High  Street,  Lowestoft. 
COTTAGE  GARDENING  ;  being  an  Essay  to 
which  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  awarded  Mr. 
W.  Eqebton  Hubbard’s  Prize,  February  16th,  1870.  By 
E.  W.  Badger.  Third  Edition.  Price  3d. ;  post  free,  8io. 
—Office  :  12.  Mitre  Court  Chambers.  Fleet  St.,  E.C. 
No,  1251.— VOL.  XLVIIL,  Third  Series 
CLIBRtNS 
PURE  WOOD  CHARCOAL,  Specially  prepared 
for  Horticultural  use.  Extract  from  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture:  “Charcoal  is  invaluable  as  a  manurial  agent; 
each  little  piece  is  a  pantry  full  of  the  good  things  of  this 
life.  There  is  no  cultivated  plant  which  is  not  benefited  by 
having  Charcoal  applied  to  the  soil  in  which  it  is  rooted.” 
Apply  for  Pamphlet  and  prices  to  the  Manufacturers— 
HIRST,  BROOKE  &  HIRST.  Ltd.,  I.eeds. 
Choice  Plants, 
A  FEW  only  of  th^  many  sjiecial  line^  contaired 
incur  bew  Catalogue  are  noted  below.  We 
make  a  feature  of  ihe  choice.st  varieties  of  both 
iudoor  and  outdoor  |  lant-i.  Send  for  List. 
ACACIA  PUBESCENS.  the  rarest  and  most 
beautiful  of  the  Acacias;  sweetly  scented, 
2/6  to  7/6  each. 
BEGONIAS,  Rex  Varieties,  the  finest  col¬ 
lection  in  ihe  country;  out  selection  of 
choice  sorls.  9/-.  12/-  and  18/-  per  doz. 
CALLA  ELLIOTTIANA,  the  lovely  golden- 
flowered  Calla,  foliage  spotted  white  ;  flower¬ 
ing  size,  7/6  each. 
,,  PENTLANDII,  irtsnse  deep  yellow  spathes, 
(lark  green  foliage  ;  flowering  size,  7/6  and 
10/6  eacli. 
,,  TAYLORII,  a  hybrid  raised  by  oursrlves; 
the  spathe  i(  a  lovely  primrose  yellow; 
flowering  size,  7/6  each. 
CARNATIONS, Malmaison  vars  .theflnesc 
colltctiou  in  the  kingdom  ;  our  selection  of 
choice  sorts  in  5-in'  pots,  throwing  up  for 
bloom,  18/  per  doz.' 
CELOSIA  PYRAMIDALIS,  our  famous  strain; 
strong,  sturdy  plants  iu  pots,  red  and  yellow, 
6/-  per  doz. 
DRAC>£NA  DOUCETTII.  Of  this  rare  and 
beautiful  variety  we  hold  an  exceptionally 
fine  stock  ;  fine  plants  from  7/6  to  42/-  each. 
KALANCHOE  FLAMMEA,  a  highly  decora¬ 
tive  cool-house  plant,  producing  large  heads 
of  orange- red  flowers ;  plants,  showing  flower, 
1/-  to  2/6  each. 
KENTIA  SANDERIANA,  a  new,  distinct  and 
very  beautiful  Palm,  highly  ornamental,  3/6 
NEPHROLEPIS  PIERSONII,  the  loveliest  of 
all  the  Nephrolepis  ;  each  separate  pinna  is 
subdivided,  so  as  to  foim  a  perfect  miniature 
frond,  giving  tlie  plant  a  very  beautiful  and 
ornamental  appearance  ;  strong  plants  2/6  to 
5/-  eacli.  For  other  new  vaiieties  of  Nephro- 
leois  .see  our  list. 
PRiryiULA  KEWENSIS,  anew  hybrid  Primula 
producing  yellow  flowers  in  whoils  on  long 
spikes,  good  grower  and  free  ;  2/6  to  5/-  e-a  h. 
PHYLLOCACTUS  “GERMAN  EM¬ 
PRESS,”  A.M.  R.II.S.,  a  lovely  blush 
pink  variety,  remarkably  fies  ami  lasting; 
sl  rong  plants,  2/6  and  3/6  each. 
VERBENA  MISS  WILMOTT,  lovely  pink 
flowejs  with  a  white  ctiiire;  strong  plants, 
(/-  doz. 
CHOICE  OUTDOOR  PLANTS. 
ARABIS  ALBIDA,  fl.  pi.,  “Snowdrift,” 
lovely  double  white  flowers,  closely  resem¬ 
bling  a  double  white  Stock,  exceptionally 
hardv  and  free  :  in  pots.  2/J  tier  doz. 
AUBRIETIA  CAMPBELLI,  Improved,  a 
charming  violet-coloured  variety,  6d.  each, 
4/6  per  doz. 
AUBRIETIA  “  DR.  MULES,”  intense  deep 
violet  purple,  the  richest  coloured  of  all  the 
Aubrietias,  tid.  each,  Gs.  per  doz. 
,,  LEICHTLINI,  criinscn  rose  flowers,  very 
beautiful,  4d  each,  3/6  per  doz. 
GLYCERIA  SPECTABILIS,  foi.  var.,  a 
new  and  big  lily  decorative  ornamental  grass, 
gland  for  a  moist  situation,  9d.  and  ]/•  each, 
6/-  and  9/-  doz. 
LAVENDER,  “  Grappenhali  var.,”  a  new 
variety,  much  earlier  aud  more  free  inbloi  m 
than  lire  type,  gsod  grower;  strong  plants 
in  3-in.  pots  9tl.  each,  6/-  per  doz.;  extra 
ttrong,  in  5-in.  pots.  ]/-  each,  9/-  per  doz. 
ROSES,  in  6-in.  pots,  s. rong,  suitable  for  out¬ 
door  planting : — 
Blush  Rambler,  lovely  soft  blush,  very  free 
and  effective,  similar  in  habit,  Ac.,  tj 
Crimson  llambler,  3/j  to  5/-. 
Dorothy  Perkins,  lovely  shell  pink,  p  o- 
duced  in  Hue  trusses,  free  and  vigorous,  a 
lovely  r.imbler.  2/-  each. 
Mdme.  N.  Levavasseur,  the  dwarf  critn- 
sou  rambler,  grand  as  a  pot  plant  or  for 
beddinsr,  2/8  and  3/6  e.ach. 
GLEMATIS  “VILLE  DE  LYON,”  rich  ciim- 
son  tiow’ers,  deeper  round  the  margins  of  the 
sepals,  strong  and  free,  2/6  each. 
JASMIN UM  PRIMULINUM,  thenew  Jasii due 
producing  yellow  towers  much  larger  thau 
the  well-known  J.  nudiflorum  ;  strong  plants 
in  tin.  pots,  2/6  and  3/6  each. 
For  complete  descriptions  of  above  and  all  other 
Choice  Plants,  indoor  and  outdoor,  see  our 
GENERAL  CATALOGUE, 
GR.ITIS  &  POST  FREE  ON  APPLICATION. 
ALTRINCHAM  &  MANCHESTER. 
THURSDAY,  JUNE  16,  1904. 
Cockburn’s  Letters. 
iXPECTATION  lias  been  on  tiptoe 
for  some  months  in  anticipation 
of  the  appearance  of  John  Cock- 
hurn  of  Ormiston’s  ”  Letters  to 
His  Gardener,”  which  it  was 
primarily  intended  should  form  an 
item  in  the  latest  “  Miscellany  ” 
published  by  the  Scottish  History  Society.^ 
At  the  last  moment, 'however,  it  was 
decided  to  publish  it  separately,  a  fact 
that,  to  some  extent,  accounts  for  the  delay  in 
its  publication.  The  letters  number  thirty-six 
in  all,  of  which  all  except  one  were  written  to 
Charles  Bell,  gardener  at  Ormiston  House.  One 
is  dated  1727,  and  the  others  were  written 
between  1734  and  1744. 
The  writer  has  long  been  considered  a  pioneer 
of  agricultural  improvement  in  Scotland,  and 
these  letters  exhibit  him  in  the  light  also  of  a 
pioneer  horticulturist.  It  is  indeed  no  exaggera¬ 
tion  to  say  that  the  views  enunciated  on  garden 
management,  on  soil  treatment,  fruit  culture,  tree 
planting,  and  other  items,  are  quite  in  line  with 
present-day  thought,  and  a  very  long  way  ahead 
of  much  that  passes  in  numbers  of  gardens  for 
horticulture. 
He  was  hampered  by  the  unwillingness  of  his 
gardener,  and  of  other  people  whom  he  tried  to 
benefit  by  his  truly  lavish  and  unsought-for 
advice,  to  take  the  steps  he  proposed.  His  lack 
of  success  iu  getting  explicit  orders  carried  out 
is  painfully  apparent  in  almost  every  one  of  his 
letters  ;  a  reason  for  which  we  may  perhaps  find 
in  the  cause  that  made  him  pen  the  remark  that 
some  new  gardeners  would  not  refuse  to  work  in 
w'oods  or  nurseries  “as  your  two  fine  gentlemen 
did.”  This  can  refer  only  to  members  of  a  gar¬ 
deners’  lodge,  who  were  very  strictly  hound  as  to 
work  and  many  other  matters,  and  no  doubt  Bell 
himself  would  be  in  exactly  the  same  position,  and 
possibly  might 
regard 
much  of  his  master’s 
advice  as  uncalled-for  interference  with  matters 
he  ought  to  have  known  nothing  about.  At  the 
same  time,  Bell,  like  many  other  gardeners  of 
the  period,  was  a  person  of  superior  parts ;  not 
Readers  are  requested  to  send  notices  of  Gardening 
Appointments  or  Notes  of  Horticultural  Interest, 
Intimations  of  Meetings,  Queries,  and  all  Articles  for 
Publication,  tfficially  to  “THE  EDITOR,”  at 
12,  Mitre’  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
I  London,  E.C.,  and  to  no  other  person  and  to  no  other 
I  addres.x. 
I 
