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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  8,  1903, 
Pear,  Marie  Benoist. 
An  excellent  dessert  Pear,  ripe  during  January  and  February. 
Our  figure  represents  a  medium-sized  fruit,  but  it  attains  a  very  large 
size  at  times.  The  flesh  is  white,  juicy,  sweet,  and  melting,  slightly 
perfumed.  The  tree  grows  well  and  bears  freely. 
Mr.  Chamberlain’s  New  Garden. 
During  the  recess  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  been  busily  engaged 
in  planning  some  new'  features  to  his  garden  at  Highbury,  and 
although  the  planting  will  not  be  completed  for  a  considerable 
time,  the  various  beds  have  been  cut  out,  and  some  idea  can  be 
gained  of  what  the  addition  will  be  like  when  it  is  finished. 
As  is  the  case  with  all  his  ornamental  gardens,  the  late  Colonial 
Secretary  is  hi.s  own  designer,  and  carrying  the  whole  idea  in  his 
mind’.s  eye  he  disdains  to  use  a  plan,  but,  apportioning  so  much 
time  every  day  to  the  work,  he  is  at  the  garden  giving  instruc¬ 
tions  and  directing  the  operations. 
For  the  purpo.se  of  the  construction  of  this  new  garden  a  piece 
of  ground  about  an  acre  and  a  balf  in  extent  has  been  taken  from 
the  park.  After  planning  the  beds  so  that  no  other  garden 
should  be  shut  out  of  sight  from  the  main  drive,  the  work  was 
commenced  with  the  introduction  of  a  patch  of  Bamboos  in  some¬ 
thing  like  two  dozen  varieties. 
Then  a  certain  portion  has  already  been  planted  with  all 
varieties  of  Roses,  such  as  Bourbon,  Chinese,  and  Polyantha,  in 
variety,  Hybrid  Perpetuals,  Hybrid  Teas,  Damask,  Provence, 
the  Old  Moss,  the  Crimson  Rambler,  and  varieties  of  pillar  Roses, 
whilst  alongside  there  is  a  long  ridge  of  Rosa  rugosa,  pink  and 
white,  and  clusters  of  Penzance  Briars. 
All  the  groundw'ork  is  of  natural  grass.  There  will  be  a  net¬ 
work  of  beds  varying  in  size  from  vei*y  small  to  50ft  by  10ft  in 
every  conceivable  shape.  Commencing  near  the  lodge  there  is  a 
winding  walk  which  will  command  a  view  of  every  detail  of  the 
garden.  The  garden  will  be  planted  with  flowering  shrubs  and 
trees,  ornamental  foliage  in  all  shades,  hardy  perennials  in  masses, 
and  annuals  also  in  masses. 
The  new  gai'den  is  really  a  continuation  of  the  rock  Alpine  and 
Italian  gardens,  all  of  which  are,  by  the  way,  ina.sses  of  flower 
and  looking  bright  and  gay  despite  the  dull  sun.  Adjoining  these 
gardens,  and  before  the  new  one  is  reached,  is  a  Dutch  garden, 
which  is  surrounded  by  a  Holly  hedge.  One  of  the  sections 
of  this  plot  is  confined  to  Xarci.ssi,  all  choice  varieties.  The 
second  is  for  bulFs,  and  the  other  section  is  devoted  to  the  culti¬ 
vating  of  all  the  best  and  choicest  species  of  Iris.  The  paths  are 
of  a  terra-cotta  pattern  of  red  brick  substance,  specially  selected. 
Its  appearance  is  very  quaint,  and,  like  all  the  other  gardens, 
it  has  been  laid  oirt  entirely  from  tlie  master’s  designs  by  his  head 
gardener  Mr.  Deacon,  Mr.  Chamberlain’s  practice  being  to  never 
leave  the  ground  until  the  plot  is  ready  for  planting.  In  con¬ 
cluding  its  notice  the  London  “Evening  News”  observes  that 
only  two  or  three  of  the  beds  of  the  new  large  garden  have  as  yet 
been  planted,  but  it  is  easy  to  see  that  both  in  design  and  colour 
it  will  be  a  magnificent  addition  to  the  park. 
The  Elm. 
Some  writers  think  that  the  Elm  (Ulmus  campestris)  is  not 
a  native  of  this  country,  but  they  have  no  reasonable  grounds 
on  which  to  found  such  an  opinion.  The  name  Ellm  is  Anglo- 
Saxon,  and  appears  to  be  derived  from  a  root-word  indicating 
height  and  strength.  As  corroborative  evidence,  justly  cited 
by  Dr.  Hunter,  are  nearly  forty  places  in  England,  mostly  men¬ 
tioned  in  Dome-sday  Book,  which  have  their  names  compounded 
with  the  name  of  Elm. 
Whenever  any  plant  has  associated  with  the  times  of  its  leafing 
or  flowering  the  .seasons  for  performing  garden  operations,  that 
is  a  certain  indication  that  the  plant  was  in  England,  as  lawyers 
say,  “  before  the  memory  of  man  runneth  to  the  contrary.” 
The  Elm  is  one  of  those  guide  plants  accepted  by  gardeners  in 
the  olden  time,  and  they  had  this  rhymed  kalendarial  warning  : 
When  Elm  leaves  are  as  big  as  a  shilling 
Plant  Kidney  Beans  if  to  plant  ’em  you’re  willi  ig. 
AVlien  Elm  leaves  are  as  big  as  a  penny 
You  must  plant  Kidney  Bems  if  you  mean  to  havr-any. 
Nor  were  our  countrymen  the  earliest  to  deduct  indications 
from  those  leaves,  for  Virgil  wrote  that 
Each  trembling  leaf  vith  some  light  vision  teems. 
Miller  states  that  “  Queen  Elizabeth  is  said  to  have  planted 
an  Elm  with  her  own  hand  at  Chelsea.  It  went  by  her  name, 
and  I  remember  it  a  stately  flourishing  tree,  except  that  the 
top  was  decayed.  It  stood  at  the  upper  end  of  Church  Lane',  and 
marked  the  boundary  of  the  parish  on  the  north  side.  It  was 
felled  on  November  11,  1745,  and  sold  for  a  guinea  to  Sir  Hans 
Sloane,  Bart.,  lord  of  the  manor.  It  was  13ft  in  circumference 
at  the  bottom,  and^  110ft  high.”  But  Gilpin  tells  of  one  far 
larger  that  was  felled  in  1674  on  Sir  Walter  Bagot’s  Staffoixl- 
shire  estate.  Two  men  were  five  days  in  felling  it.  It  was  120ft 
high,  the  stool  47ft  in  circumference;  160  naves  for  wheels,  and 
8,660ft  of  boards  were  cut  from  it,  aird  the  whole  tree  was  com¬ 
puted  to  weigh  ninety-seven  tons. 
No  tree  is  better  adapted  for  the  formation  of  an  avenue, 
and  not  one  is  more  used  for  the  purpose.  The  most  .striking 
example  we  remember  is  that  at  Strathfieldsaye,  a  mile  in 
length.  The  fitness  of  Elms  for  avenues  arises  from  their 
branches  crossing  at  a  pleasing  angle,  growing  pendant  in-age, 
and  far  above  the  heads  of  the  passers  beneath.  Gilpin  truly 
observes  that  no  tree  is  better  adapted  to  receive  grand 
masses  of  light,  nor  is  its  foliage,  shadowing  as  it  is,  heavy  in 
effect.  Its  leaves  are  small,  commonly  hang  loosely,  and  the 
forms  picturesque.  It  is  the  first  tree  that  salutes  the  spring 
with  its  light  and  cheerful  green,  a  tint  contrasting  agreeably 
with  that  of  the  Oak,  the  early  leaf  of  which  has  usually  an 
olive  cast.  In  autumn,  also  the  yellow  leaf  of  the  Elm  mixes 
as  kindly  witHi  the  orange  of  the  Beech,  the  ochre  of  the  Oak, 
and  other  hues  of  the  fading  wood. 
It  was  of  the  common  Elm  that  Hood  .sang . 
Theltall  abounding  Elm  tliat  grows 
In  hedgerows  up  and  down, 
In  field  and  homestead,  grove  and  park. 
And  in  the  peopled  town  ; 
With  colonies  of  noisy  rooks 
lhat  nestle  in  its  crown. 
These  lines  are  faithfully  descriptive  of  this  Elm,  for  as  a 
park,  hedgerow,  and  homestead  tree  it  is  very  familiar,  and  few 
trees  are  more  imposing.  It  is  also  true  that  the  rooks  have  a 
great  pai'tiality  to  the  Elm,  and  it  is  of  its  twigs  principally  that 
they  build  their  nests.  It  is  not,  however,  a  tree  well  adapted 
to  the  “  peopled  town.”  In  the  country  it  is  maje.stic  as  the 
avenue  noticed,  and  the  grand  trees  at  Windsor  and  other 
places  attest;  but  in  smoky  towns  Elms  are  seldom  long-lived, 
and  furthermore  their  peculiarity  of  suddenJj'^  parting  rvith 
limbs  in  storm  or  in  calm  render  them  unsafe.  It  is  a  singular 
fact,  and  not  clearly  accounted  for,  that  in  calm,  still,  sultry 
days  the  huge  branches  are  prone  to  fall  with  a  crash  without 
a  note  of  warning.  On  that  account  it  is  not  suitable  for  towns, 
nor  yet  for  village  greens  where  “  men  do  congregate.”  The 
Plane  is  the  tree  of  trees  for  towns,  and  for  village  greens  the 
Chestnut  is  of  free  growth,  and  affords  luxurious  shade.  Who 
can  think  of  planting  village  trees  without  calling  to  mind  the 
