Reminiscences of Fifty Years of Gardening 



By John Shore. 



M}' reminiscence of fifty-two years of gardening dates 

 back to the daj- I started out to serve an apprenticeship 

 of four years (March 22, 1862). Previous to that date 

 I worked in a garden (Doning House) before and after 

 my school hours, and in this garden was forined my first 

 love for, in what became my vocation — gardening. 



From that garden I have carried in my mind's eye 

 something I have never seen duplicated. It was this — • 

 there were two borders about two hun(h'ed feet long lin- 

 ing a five-foot walk of the same length. The beds were 

 laid out in parallelogram shape five feet wide and ten 

 feet long, all edged with boxwood, clipped to perfection, 

 six inches high. These beds were filled with annuals 

 and perennials of low form. When the day of beauty 

 of any of tliese beds was past, there was alwavs a sup- 

 ply from cold frames to replant them. Here is where 

 the skill of the artist came in, keeping up the supply to 

 replant for immediate effect. 



I will n>i\v turn back to March 22. 1862. on which dav 



JOHN SHORE, 



.\ gardener fur more than lialf a century. 



I went to Shankill Castle, bound to the gardens and not 

 to the gardeiier. Previous to my going to Shankill I 

 went to Woodstock, the seat of Colonel and Lady Louise 

 Tighe, she, who buckled Wellington's shoes the night 

 before the battle of Waterloo, and he, whom the horti- 

 cultural world mourned at his death. It was the most 

 up-to-date place at that time in Ireland, and I went with 

 the idea of serving my apprenticeship there. 



The first question asked me by Mr. McDonald, who 

 was in charge of this estate, was "Do you understand 

 botany?" My reply was, "No, not much." 



The next question was. "Are you honest?" and before 

 I had time to answer this, he said, "There are more ways 

 of being dishonest than by putting your hand into a man's 

 pocket and stealing his money." 



The third question was, "^^'hat do you know about 

 geometry?" and again before I had time to answer he 

 said, "I hope you are not like the man, who, when asked 

 the same question, replied he did but that he had left 

 his geometry at home." 



His final question was, "What are parallel lines?" He 

 gave me an opportunity to reply "that they were lines 

 produced ever so far on the same plane, but which never 

 met," to which he responded, "These are the lines which 

 you will have to follow if you come here to learn." — Oh ! 

 what a v\'orld of meaning these questions have since had 

 for me in going through life ! 



I did not go to W'oodstock, although there were ten 

 pounds paid down as an apprentice fee. My brother, 

 now at Cornell LIniversity, took my place. I at the time 

 thought J\Ir. McDonald was too strict, and I was not 

 mistaken, for I have had just cause in after years to 

 know that I was right in my judgment of the man. 



I started at Shankill Castle, paying down ten pounds, 

 and I received the magnificent fee of six shilling per 

 week for the first year, seven, eight and nine shillings 

 for the three succeeding years. On this sum I had to 

 board and clothe myself with bothy privilege of milk and 

 vegetables. Two years were supposed to be given up to 

 outside work and tv^'o years to inside work. At six 

 o'clock a. m. we started out with scythe to mow the lawn 

 and mowed until eight o'clock. The lawns were swept 

 with birch brooms after each mowing. 



I might say that an apprentice has to begin at the 

 manure heap and work his way up ; and I find that the 

 gardener has to stick to the manure heap all the days of 

 his life : this I mean in the broad sense. 



The glass at Shankill Castle consisted of peach, 

 cucumber and melon houses, grapery, stove and fern 

 houses, double glazed, citrus house for lemons, oranges 

 and shaddock and conservatory. 



Carnations in pots were mostly of the true variety ; 

 outdoor and garden varieties were propagated by layer- 

 ing. Ribbon bedding was greatly in vogue with scarlet 

 flowered and silver-leaved geraniums ; calceolarias, yel- 

 low and bronze ; and verbenas, white, scarlet and purple. 

 Roses were largely of the H. P. class budded on dog- 

 briar. In July and August the briar was gathered from 

 the 'demesne (or estate), and in the month of October 

 cut back to the required height and planted in rows. 



In 1867 I entered Downy, Laird and Langs nurseries 

 at Edinburgh. Fruit trees were largely grown here, 

 also shrubs and some conifers. The greenhouses were 

 for stove, greenhouse and bedding plants. Pansies were 

 a particular feature of this establishment. 



Thomas Methbins, at Leith Walk, was noted for hard- 

 wooded plants, such as Erica and Epacris. Pelargoniums 

 were largely grown as specimen plants. It was not an 

 unusual thing to see a whole house of them as you would 

 a house of 'mums today. Dahlias were largely grown for 

 show plants, single stem, propagated from cuttings. 



Chrysanthemums were grown from my earliest recol- 

 lections of plants, five and six shoots to the plant, trained 

 perpendicular. In those days IMaudsly Castle was noted 

 for fine grapes and tree ferns, pelargoniums and liliums. 

 I remember seeing here L. Auratum grown in twelve- 

 inch pots, six bulbs, pot half filled with soil, but earthed 

 up as they grew. These were for exhibition. I fancy 

 I can see them as I write this, they were so grand. 



Broxmouth (one of the Duke of Roxburgh's places) 

 was noted for fine grapes, especially Muscats, of which 



