JOT'ENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ JannaiT 4. 1872. 



the Victoria Docks, and Mr. E. Fish followed soon after with 

 ail admirable article cnlitletl " Importaiice of an Interest in 

 Gardening and Natural History to the Young." If that paper 

 hapiienod to escape the eye of anyone interested in the im- 

 prov.nu'ut of children, let "me fitate that Mr. Fish's remarks 

 are to Ijc found in the number of our Journal for July '27th. 



But yet the other matter I was alluding to, I mean another 

 Bcheme for tlie good of poor cliildren. It seems that Mr. 

 Euskiii, England's great art critic, who has aho-wn in liis 

 writing how marvellously pliant and powerful is the English 

 huiguage, has given a small space of ground for a play-place. 

 Our forefathers would have called it a pleystow, or' plestor, 

 locHs luiluruin, for the poor children in one of the densely- 

 peopled parts of London. It is but a small space, but when it 

 had been cleared of rubbish in came the London children and, 

 with as keen enjoyment as our rural ones, mounted the sea- 

 saws, and held on at the swings ; and we ai-e told that gi-adu- 

 ally the tone of the children was improved ; the maimers, bad 

 indeed at first, grew better. The presence of ladies among them 

 began to tell. Miss Hill says, "We took them flowers, acornt?, 

 seaweed, pictures, beads, all marvellous new things to be seen 

 and handed round. We taught them games, and they played 

 them. Many an houi- have I spent teaching them to make 

 dai.sy-chauis, or to thread beads. Our ground was in one of 

 the worst courts of the neighbourhood, and the dirtiest, wildest 

 children flocked in without restriction. Now, gi'adually, in- 

 stead of destroying all that comes in their way, they actually 

 dehght to watch and water our five trees which we have planted, 

 and our creepers. The civihsing influence has partly been 

 from the fact that the children are withdi'awn from the 

 terrible influence of the streets and courts, and partly from 

 the fact that they are gi-aduaUy placed amongst pretty things 

 that want care." Miss HUl goes on to state that they have 

 one annual gathering, on May-day, and a Maypole, and many 

 friends are there to meet about four hundred cliildren. 



Here, surely, is a blessed work. Here are " sweetness and 

 light " for poor things brought up in the midst of filthiness 

 and darkness. Would that there were many such playgrounds 

 scattered over London. The Parks are too far for many. 

 Childien must play. John Wesley, good man as he was, made 

 yet a great mistake in his arranging each hour's work for each 

 day in his institution for children, and yet not to aUow a play 

 hour. This may be excused in him, for he was a childless man. 

 Children must play. Last summer I saw ragged urchins 

 playing horses in St. James's Park, and if such have no whole- 

 some play they become precocious, impish, little things, look- 

 ing upon all people as their natural enemies, full of thief's 

 slang, mocking in gesture, and filthy in converse. Whence aU 

 the wUd ideas of the Communists? from the fact of their 

 working all then' days in town workshops, shut out from the 

 pure air of heaven, and from the sight of tree and flower. 

 If we cannot take the town children to i)lay in the country, 

 then the n.xt best thing is to provide, as Mr. Euskin has, 

 play-places for them in the town. He has done a patriotic 

 act, and a christian act as well. 



As to gardeners and gardening, and I hope gardeners are 

 prospering, man's first trade is among his best still, so far 

 as enjoyment goes, if there be in a gardener a true and loyal 

 love for his profession. I have sometimes thought when 

 passing through show tents of beautiful flowers, and fruit, 

 and vegetables, that there is a higher aspect in regard to tak- 

 ing prizes, which is, perhaps, too often forgotten. Not alone 

 is there a wholesome rivalry, not alone do prizes keep men 

 up to the mark, and striving beyond their present mark, but 

 think of the patience needed to obtain a prize. Think of the 

 care and forethought, as well as pains and patience ; and all 

 these improve and raise a man's character. Look at that 

 prize flower; it grew not like the Buttercups, without any tend- 

 ing. Look at those Grapes, amazing in .size of bunch and 

 berry, and rich and beautifiil in colour. TMiik of the hom-s 

 out of bed in the cold frosty nights that the gardener had, 

 and the skill he has shown, aud if sho^vn, the skill he is 

 possessed of. In regai-d to prize birds it is the same. No 

 idle, no imskiUed man takes the cup and the money. What 

 patience a breeder has ! what management in crossing ! what 

 disappointments, often at the produce being so different to 

 what was hoped for ! 



Now, all this patience, <S:c., is good for people ; their minds 

 are thus benefited and disciplined. Besides, how such things 

 keep evn thoughts out of mind, aud evU feelings out of the 

 heart ! The unoccupied man whose mind and heart are faUow 

 IS the one most open to evil. Then, also, if care, aud pams, 



and skill not always issue in success, let the unsuccessful 

 remember that a law of compensation runs through Nature. 

 I often have seen this in my beautiful Elms in the park near 

 me. I love to see theu' giant arms stretching out at right 

 angles to their trunks. How noble they are ! how handsome 

 they make the trees I but they grow heavier and heavier, and 

 some windy day in full leaf the great outstretched arms fall to 

 the ground, and the tree stands a maimed giant. But a few 

 years and tufts shoot aromid the great scar on the stem, aud 

 a few more years aud graceful branchlets have grown out, aud 

 the tree is again beautiful. This law of compensation rung 

 through Nature, and an honest man, even ha%-ing failed, finds 

 yet a blessuig follows in some unlooked-for way, perhaps. 



In regard to reports of poultry shows, I think an unreason- 

 ing and unreasonable complaint is often made about their not 

 entering enough into details. But it is after aU a narrow sub- 

 ject ; the field is not large, and extraneous matters, special, 

 perhaps, to the place where the show is held, being introduced 

 can alone make variety and make an article readable, and what 

 is not readable is not worth the cost of printer's ink. 



An objection I remember was once made — indeed, more than 

 once, against those writers who prefer using a nom de plume 

 instead of theii' patronymic, and we were told that we were 

 ashamed of our names. " Not a bit of it," say I. At the 

 same time I think this, that it would be well that a writer 

 should adopt a designation which gives an idea, if not of who 

 he is, yet of what position ho holds. Hence, I object to mere 

 initifds, which do not even give the sex of the writer. Those 

 who receive numerous letters from strangers frequently get 

 some from those who only sign with the initial letter of theu' 

 christian names. These are sadly puzzling. Thus, I receive 

 a letter in a good bold hand stating that the writer will call 

 upon me, and this letter, say, bears the signature, " J. Smith." 

 Is it John Smith or Julia Smith ? " that's the question." Is 

 it to be a study guest or a drawing-room one ? Then, suppose 

 the letter requests an answer, is it to be addressed Jolin 

 Smith, Esq., or Mrs. Smith, or Miss Smith? The hand- 

 writing alone is not sufficient, for now ladies write so much 

 hke gentlemen, only, not unfrequently, much better. So, I 

 think, initial writing is always wrong, private or public. 

 Ladies are the greatest offenders in letters ; so if a woman is 

 named Susannah or Eerenhappuch, I hope she will write it 

 in full — it is her godmother's fault, not hers, that she was 

 not named Edith, or Ada, or Ethel, or Uke angel-sounding 

 names. So I venture to hope, that if any lady or gentleman 

 is burning to attack or praise me in these columns, they will 

 not adopt merely initials. Of course, those who have long 

 written under initials it is too late to mend. Yet if " Y'. B. A. Z." 

 had written under " Countet SrEOEON," we should have at- 

 tached great weight to any remedy he had proposed for fowl- 

 disorders. 



Something has during last year been said about poulti-y 

 prizes for the working classes. I hope the subject will not 

 wholly drop out of sight. As a life-long pigeon-fancier let me 

 notice, that as Antwerps, the real working homing Carrier, 

 have come to the front, and taken a place at our shows, and 

 people have deUghted to gaze upon a pen of birds with a notice 

 on then- pen of their performances, so I think the other real 

 bird of the air, as wonderful for his performances in the air as 

 the Antwerp, will also come to the front, and appear at our 

 shows — I mean the high-flying Tumbler ; his aerial gymnastics 

 are marvellous, and he is as worthy a bird as the Antwerp. I 

 should hke to see cages of such birds shown, good in feather 

 and form, with truthful accounts of the hours they have flown. 

 I beUeve in Birmingham an effort is being made in this direc- 

 tion, aud pretty and useful birds under the name of Eosewings, 

 Eedbreasts, WTiitesides, <Sc., have been exhibited ; but as Ihave 

 never seen any of them I cannot speak from personal observa- 

 tion. Probably the Muffs wUl be reduced to mere grouse- 

 feathering, and the Tumbler form, in its dapperness, be at- 

 tained — better still if the legs were quite clean. The clear 

 coral legs and feet, as also the pearl eye, best suit the pretty 

 Tumbler form. May, then, flying Tumblers, most interesting 

 birds as they are, become more general favourites. 



Another kind of show is growing in popularity — I mean Cat 

 shows ; and lo ! it is discovered that not ladies, maiden ladies 

 only, but some gentlemen love and admire cats ! Who knows 

 but, as the cat is beconmig an animal of points and properties, 

 that choice breeds will be kept in aviary-Uke buildings, and 

 anxious visitors will appear, asking for permission to visit 

 " feUaries ?" Well, poor puss has had many a stone thi'own at 

 her, and it is fair there should be a tui'n in her favour. She 



