JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  23,  1904 
53() 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
Mp.  W.  Sydenham’s  Special  Lines. 
The  t'anio  of  Tal^\^•o^th  is  spreading  fast,  and  at  certain 
seasons  of  tlie  vear  it  becomes  a  veritable  Mecca  to  winch  all 
roads  lead,  bnt  the  pigs  for  Avbich  it  has  so  long  been  noted 
ai’e  no  longer  the  greatest  attraction,  although,  I  believe,  they 
are  still  as  good  as  of  yore— the  pride  of  pkce  innst  now  be  given 
to  the  Violas,  Pansies,  antinnn-flowering  Chrysanthemnms, 
and  other  hardv  flowers.  Mr.  Mb  Sydenham  is  the  magician 
whose  energy  and  skill  have  raised  his  favourite  flowers  to  so 
high  a  pinnacle  of  fame  that  they  are  sought  after  from  every 
quarter  of  the  globe.  , .  ,  . 
Not  till  recently  have  I  had  the  pleasure  of  inspecting  his 
nnique  collection  of  hardy  flowers,  for  although  I  have  often 
been  in  the  neighbonrhood.  my  visits  have  been  too  fleeting  to 
attempt  to  see  what  I  knew  would  take  hours  to  accomplish 
satisfactorily.  I  have,  therefore,  previomsly  managed  to  look  in 
at  the  won'dronsly  fine  Calceolarias  of  the  llev.  Win.  Mac- 
Gregor,  which  his  gardener,  Mr.  G.  Higginson,  always  grows 
so  well,  and  then  rush  off  to  catch  my  train.  The  opportunity, 
however,  came  a  short  time  ago,  and  on  a  gloriously  fine  day 
I  reached  the  home  of  Queen  Viola,  where  she  is  cherished,  and 
tended,  and  so  improved  that  there  is  no  gainsaying  the  fact 
that  age  only  adds  to  her  charms,  for  she  shines  with  the 
reflected  glory  of  her  bright  and  dainty  children.  With  the 
“  Viola  King'”  as  iiiy  guide,  we  stepped  out  briskly  toward  the 
many  brilliant  patches  of  colour  ahead,  which  appeared  like  a 
mighty  multicoloured  mantle  spread  over  the  rising  ground. 
The  sight  in  the  distance  was  imposing ;  the  inspection  at  close 
quarters  delightful,  yet  bewildering,  in  consequence  of  the 
variety  and  combinations  of  colour.  How  could  it  be  otherwise!' 
for  around  me  in  beds  of  uniform  size  was  the  cream  of  the 
world’s  Violas — 400  beds,  each  bed  containing  1,000  plants  in 
flower.  If  by  chance  there  can  be  anyone  interested  in  garden¬ 
ing  ivho  does  not  fully  recogni.se  the  value  of  Violas  for  spring 
and  summer  bedding,  the  .sight  I  saw  would,  I  think,  convince 
them. 
One  noticeable  feature  was  the  great  improvement  in  regard 
to  colour  which  the  new  varieties  have  over  older  ones.  Another, 
the  sturdy,  compact  growth  of  those  specially  recommended  for 
bedding.  I  shall  only  attempt  to  enumerate  a  few  varieties 
which  caught  my  eye  and  suited  my  own  particular  taste,  but 
there  were  ho.sts  of  others  equally  good.  The  names  of  those 
I  give  I  made  a  special  note  of,  but  all  the  varieties  grown  are 
so  accurately  described  in  Mr.  Sydenham’s  catalogue  that  I 
am  sure  all  intending  purchasers  may  ab.solute]y  rely  upon  his 
published  descriptions. 
Abbess,  an  improved  Countess  of  Kintore ;  Councillor 
Waters,  crimson  purple;  Heliotrope,  white  centre;  Jackdaw, 
])urple,  large  yellow  eye ;  John  Quarton,  liglit  mauve  ;  Alagni- 
ficent,  blue,  flowers  large,  probably  the  best  blue  bedder ;  Mrs. 
Chichester,  flaked  or  marbled  purple  on  white  ground,  good  for 
exhibition  and  wonderfully  striking  when  grown  in  a  mass. 
Mrs.  W.  Greenwood,  canary  yellow;  Mrs.  W.  Sydenham, 
deep  yellow,  grand  for  bedding ;  Queen  of  Stripes,  orange  and 
coi)per,  most  attractive  ;  Rose  Noble,  the  richest  orange  yellow 
I  have  ever  seen,  grand  for  exhibition ;  Snowdrop,  a  beautiful 
pure  white;  and  Sunbeam,  rayless  cream  yellow,  edged  lilac. 
Too  much  space  would  be  taken  were  I  to  attempt  to  describe 
many  of  the  best  Pan.sies  noticed.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the 
collection  includes  the  very  best  show  varieties  in  cultivation. 
Those  who  have  only  a  hazy  idea  of  the  difference  between  a 
Pan.sy  and  Viola  should  send  to  Mr.  Sydenham  for  his  special 
leaflet  on  the  subject.  They  will  then  see  the  distinctions 
clearly  defined,  and  an  amusing  iilu.stration  of  the  process  of 
evolution. 
Another  great  feature  of  the  Tamwoith  establishment  is  the 
enormous  quantities  of  early-flowering  Chrysanthemums 
grown.  They  have  been  taken  in  hand  in  earnest,  with  the 
result  that  by  careful  hybridisation  many  neAV  varieties  of 
sterling  merit  are  sent  out  each  year.  No  less  than  5,000  seed¬ 
lings  are  being  grown  this  season.  These,  together  Avith  the 
huge  number  of  standard  varieties,  will  provide  a  feast  indeed 
on  September  24,  Avhich  is  to  be  the  Chrysanthemum  feast-dav 
at  TaniAvorth. 
Michaelmas  Daisies,  which  have  become,  so  popular  during 
Hie  last  feAv  years,  are  also  groAvn  in  quantity,  and  the  collection 
rs  one  of  the  most  perfect  in  England,  every  neAv  variety  of 
merit  being  tested  beside  older  ones. 
motto  of  the  guiding  spirit  at  Tamworth  is 
Everything  the  be.st  at  moderate  prices,”  and  Mr.  Sydenham 
IS  proving  clearly  what  can  be  done  vitli  various  species  of 
hardy  flowers  Avhen  taken  in  hand  by  an  enthusiast  v'ho  has 
enei’gy,  brains,  and  definite  ideals  at  ivluch  to  aim  during  the 
process  of  evolution. 
Mr.  "W .  Sydenham  is  doing  a  great  work  in  this  direction, 
ami  from  the  heart  of  his  emporium  lines  of  interest  radiate  to 
temote  corners  of  the  earth,  spreading  throughout  their  course 
the  beneficent  blessings  of  enthusiasm  for  theAieautiful. 
The  Culture  and  Uses  ol  Sarracenias. 
The  remarkably  fine  collection  of  these  plants  that  was  .staged 
by  Mr.  A.  ,T.  A.  IBruce,  of  The  Nurseries,  Chorlton-cum-Hardy, 
near  Manchester,  at  the  recent  Temple  Show,  will  be  fresh 
in  the  minds  of  very  many  of  our  readers ;  and  Mr.  Bruce,  at 
■  our  instigation,  has"^  furni.shed  us  with  the  following  notes  on 
their  culture ; — 
1.  The  Sort  of  House  They  Require. — They  may  be  grov  n 
with  the  greatest  success  in  the  stove  or  greenhouse ;  in  either 
case  they  must  haim  the  most  sunny  place  to  bring  out  the 
colours  of  the  pitchers.  Let  them  be  raised  upon  inverted  pots 
as  near  the  glass  as  possible.  We  have  grown  them  in  a  tem¬ 
perature  of  GOdeg  to  70deg,  in  the  full  sumshine,  until  the 
pitcliers  are  matured,  when  a  shading  of  limewash  is  put  on  the 
glass ;  or  the  plants  are  removed  to  a  cooler  house  among,st  other 
lilants,  where  the  pitchers  will  remain  bright  and  fresh  for  a 
long  time. 
2.  What  to  Grow'  Them  In. — The  best  compo.st  is  fibry  peat, 
broken  in  lumps  the  size  of  a  small  hen’s  egg,  to  w'hich  is  added 
one-fourth  of  fresh  sphagnum,  one-eighth  of  clean  crocks  and 
charcoal,  broken  to  the  size  of  peas,  and  a  good  sprinkling  of 
coarse  silver  or  river  sand.  In  potting,  imt  two  inches  of  clean 
crocks  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot,  keep  the  plant  rai.sed  up 
similarly  to  an  orchid,  and  roundecl  off  and  finislied  ivith  a  thin 
layer  of  sphagnum  to  give  the  aiipearance  of  a  little  mound. 
"  3.  Watering. — This  is  a  special  feature  in  their  successful 
cultivation.  As  they  are  naturally  found  in  swampy  places,  it 
is  evident  they  must  have  an  abundance  of  Avater  in  an  artificial 
state  of  cultivation,  and  they  must  be  drenched  every  day 
during  the  groAving  season,  and  every  other  day  or  so  during 
their  season  of  re.st. 
4.  Repotting, — This  must  be  done  regularly  once  a  year, 
as  it  is  the  most  essential  particular  in  their  successful  cultiva¬ 
tion.  In  the  case  of  S.  Drummondi  and  D.  alba,  I  find  the  early 
autumn  is  the  best  time,  as  they  usually  throw  up  their  largest 
pitchers  in  September  and  October ;  all  the  rest  of  the  species 
I  repot  in  early  spring,  just  before  active  groAvth  commences. 
They  may,  hoAvever,  be  potted  or  divided  at  any  time  of  the 
year,  as  I  never  found  them  to  suffer  in  the  least  from  the 
operation.  But  it  must  be  observed  at  the  annual  potting  that 
the  roots  be  shaken  entirely  out  of  the  compo.st,  as  if  this  be  not 
done  success  aauII  not  be  the  result,  as  fresh  compost  once  a 
year  is  ab.solutely  nece.ssary,  OAving  to  the  great  amount  of  Avater 
they  require,  and  its  not  being  pos.sible,  in  artificial  pot  culture, 
to  carry  off  the  foul  water  or  mud  as  in  their  natural  habitats. 
The  compost,  therefore,  cannot  fail  to  become  sour,  and  must  be 
changed,  or  they  never  do  satisfactorily.  Attention  to  this  parti¬ 
cular  is  the  secret  to  their  successful  cultivation. 
Propagation  is  readily  effected  by  cutting  off  the  suckers 
AA'ith  roots  attached.  These  are  freely  nroduced  round  the 
sides  of  the  jAots. 
Sarracenias  as  Fur¬ 
nishing  Subjects. — 
When  pitchers  are 
once  matured  they  aauII 
stand  the  dry  atmo¬ 
sphere  of  a  room 
better  than  most  plants 
that  are  commonly 
used  for  the  purpose, 
provided  the  i-oots  are 
well  supplied  with 
Avater.  It  is  hard  to 
imagine  anything  more 
uncommon,  or  more 
unique  in  beauty,  than 
one  or  tAA’o  varieties  in 
a  room.  As  floAA-ering 
plants,  the  floAA’ers  re¬ 
mind  one  of  the  CroAA'ii 
Imperials ;  the  flava 
type  all  liave  veIloA\- 
floAA'ers.  In  the  case  of 
f .  F  ildesi,  and  flava 
ornata,  the  floAvers  de¬ 
velop  into  handsome 
proportions,  coiqur  a 
deep,  rich  yellovA',  last¬ 
ing  some  ten  days  in 
good  condition.  In 
h  y  b  r  i  d  i  sing  the.se 
flowers,  it  is  A'ery  in¬ 
teresting  to  observe 
when  the  floAAers  are 
full  open  the  upper 
portion  of  the  floAA'er 
stalk  bending  dow'ii, 
forming  a  loop,  but 
Avhen  the  floAser  i.s 
Vallisneria  spiralis  ifemale  iilanf)  fructified  the  floAA'er 
