508 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 23, 1873. 



long as we are more than lodgers at Kensington for rooms and 

 space for committee and otlier meetings and shows, we shall 

 never have, what the country is in want of, a free and inde- 

 pendent purely horticultural Society ; and that the only way 

 to make a reaUy successful national Society is to bring in 

 Fellows all over the country by reduction of the subscription 

 to a guinea. 



It has been said, upon seemingly good authority, that the 

 new Council is negotiating with H.M. Commissioners for the 

 admission of Exhibition visitors, if not for giving up the lease; 

 or in the language which was lately fashionable, is trying its 

 hand at " selling the Society to the Commissioners." I doubt 

 any body of gentlemen so soon doing that for which they so 

 loudly condemned the late Council, and which they were placed 

 in office to jireveut. — Geosge F. Wilson. 



BELGIAN HORTICULTURE.— No. 5. 



M. LOUIS VA^" HOUTTE'S XUHSEE1. 



As well as memory enables me I will venture an outline 

 description of the last and greatest trade establishment visited 

 a little more than a year ago. I think I may well call it the 

 " last," as being the last visited and the last to describe, and 

 if I am correctly informed it is the latest-established of the 

 principal nursery businesses in Belgium ; and certainly, so far 

 as I saw, is not only the greatest, but larger than all the 

 others put together — i.e., than the four previously described. 

 It is, in fact, a monument of perseverance, ability, and enter- 

 prise of the energetic head whose name and fame as a hor- 

 ticulturist is a household word in all civilised nations. This 

 is no mere figure of speech, as M. Van Houtte's business con- 

 nections reach not only to every nation in Europe, but also to 

 North and South America, China, and Japan. This sounds, 

 perhaps, rather grand, and readers may possibly imagine the 

 place grand too — a place of imposing approach and noble 

 entrance, a place where some grand external is provided to 

 represent its internal importance ; a place where glass struc- 

 tures call up crystal palaces ornate with domes and minarets 

 glistening in the sun, and attractive by elaborate ornamental 

 architectural appendages telling us "how rich it is." But no. 

 Think of nothing of the kind. It is not common for a 

 healthy- minded man to parade his wealth, or a thoroughly 

 able man to proclaim his knowledge from the house-tops. 

 Well, at Van Houtte's there is no dazzling show — no fang- 

 dangs. There are no palaces of glass, nothing, in this 

 respect, out of the ordinary way except, perhaps, one like a 

 railway tunnel and another like a hand-light highly magnified. 

 Yet it men of great acquirements do not revel in display they 

 work in every legitimate way to achieve success with indomi- 

 table perseverance, and with skilful planning take care, above 

 all things, that what they have for the world the world shall 

 know about. " Of what use," said a successful florist to me, 

 " is my having this good thing if the world does not know 

 about it ? — it is my duty to let all know." He was then a small 

 gardener, he is now fast rising to be a large and esteemed 

 nurseryman. But the simple making known is not enough. 

 There must be honesty and faithfulness governing all, or suc- 

 C'.'ss will be flickering and transient. It is necessary, to realise 

 substantial and lasting fame, to do as did Hugh Miller's stone- 

 mason, who " put his conscience into every stone that he laid." 

 "And what," I ventured to ask M. Van Houtte, "what is 

 your governing principle in conducting so large a business?" 

 "My plan, Mr. Wright, is this: I do the best lean for my 

 friends abroad, and the best I can for my friends at home and 

 my men in my nursery, and when I do the best I can for all 

 these I do the best for myself." That is a liberal, honourable, 

 and right principle and such as our best firms at home act 

 upon or they would not have become great as they are. Having 

 no idea that the distance from here was two miles we — self and 

 protcffc — rushed through the cab line intending to find our 

 rendezvous on foot in about ten minutes. But lauding in the 

 middle of the street and taking our bearings we were the next 

 moment in a state of siege, fourteen or fifteen men in blouses 

 — commissionaires — clustering round us, assailing us with such 

 incomprehensible jabber that my friend could only answer by 

 a fit of laughter. This was the signal for losing his bag and a 

 dozen fellows wrangling over it like a pack of hounds at a fox. 

 It was only by the expressive interpretation of a stout walking- 

 stick that the bag was recovered, when we took refuge in an 

 " estaminet " (having learned what that meant) and holding- 

 up two fingers and uttering the solitary word " cognac," when 

 about two thimblefuls were put before us, and we were entitled 



to " rest and be thankful." The next step was to write the 

 address of M. Van Houtte by way of seeking direction, but 

 they could make nothing of it. Deciding that their education 

 was in fault the same words were printed in round characters, 

 which resulted to our mutual satisfaction, and a guide was at 

 once procured. 



After walking about half an hour with nothing at all in- 

 viting on either side we turned into what looked like a bye- 

 lane to the left, we came to a group of tall Poplars through 

 which the glass shimmered, and this we found to be Van 

 Houtte's celebrated nursery. Judging it by comparison with 

 our great home establishments — as Veitch's, Williams's, the 

 "Pine Apple," &c., first impressions were not favourable. 

 There was no semblance of attempt made to strike the mind 

 and give effect at once, but, what was to us of more moment, 

 there was a porter at the gate who could speak English. 

 Before leaving home I was repeatedly told by friends, who- 

 thought they knew all about it, " Oh ! when you get there you 

 will find almost everybody able to understand you." Never 

 was a greater mistake. Certainly there is plenty — too much — 

 of the "vulgar" tongue on the quay at Antwerp. In first- 

 class hotels and at railway stations a" one language" traveller 

 has no difficulty, but out of these not one person in five hun- 

 dred can understand you or you him. It is as well just to 

 mention this fact for the information of gardeners, like myself, 

 who have not quite reached the degree of professors of lan- 

 guages, and who may venture from home a wee. At the left 

 of the entrance to the nursery is the porter's lodge, and on 

 the right the spacious and comfortable-looking residence of 

 the proprietor. Awaiting an answer to " the Dr.'s " kind 

 letter I was taking stock of the immediate surroundings. I 

 could see on my left a vast array of glass houses, or more 

 properly, perhaps, brick pits, for nearly all have brick sides, 

 are span roofed, and have slightly sunken pathways. They 

 are erected for use and not ornament. The outer walls ara 

 coated with ship-tar and for years together need no repairs as 

 to painting. Over these the English and Belgian flags were 

 flying, it being about the time of the volunteer fetes, and a 

 " royal nursery " minus the " royal flags," at such a time, 

 would have been a misnomer. On the right is arranged a 

 long line of buildings as offices, printing house, packing 

 shfds, etc. Straight ahead is the nursery with a group of 

 choice Conifers at the entrance, standing hke sentries or the 

 advanced guard of the greater army beyond. In the line of 

 vision is the bulb warehouse. Above wire — hues of wire from 

 all directions converging into a corner of the dwelling, which 

 at this point resembles nothing so much as a telegraph ter- 

 minus, which I suppose it is, M. Van Houtte being able to 

 communicate to any part of his establishment without leaving 

 his bureau or even, I beheve, his chair. Not that he is indolent 

 as— as will be clearly seen^few men work harder than he. 

 But the answer comes that M. Van Houtte will see me in an 

 hour, and meanwhile an English-speaking guide is provided to 

 conduct us through the houses. It was a rush through from 

 house to house, a glance at everything yet seeing nothing. At 

 length, wilh watch in hand, the guide intimated that it was- 

 within two minutes of M. Van Houtte's time, and to the 

 second, perhaps, the door opened and the renowned horticul 

 turist stepped out with tottering step to welcome us. It was 

 not, however, a tottering welcome but, on the contrary, so 

 robust as not only to make a man at home in a minute but to 

 startle him by its earnestness. 



" Mr. Wright I have heard of you, and am glad to see you. 

 Come into my house. All good gardeners are welcome here. 

 Let us refresh and talk ; then you dine with us, you sleep with 

 us, you go into my nursery and house when you like, you have 

 all you want. My son, who speaks English like you, will 

 attend to you, and I go and attend to my business. You stay 

 as long as you like, you and your friend," and then with definite 

 emphasis, "you stay a month." That was enough and to 

 spare, for instead of a month I could only afford a twentieth 

 part, or a day and a half. 



What I saw during this short visit I will attempt to narrate. 

 But first I should like to describe the man and his mode of 

 business. Pen-and-ink sketches of those who are not strangers 

 in name have in someway a relish to most people. We hear 

 of them, we read about them, we almost seem to know them, 

 yet we have never seen them. "What sort of a man is he? 

 Is he old, young, genial, communicative, or what is he?" is a 

 very common query relative to representative men who, by 

 their position, works, and ways have made themselves moi'O 

 than private individuals. 



