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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Augnut 12, lese. 



thus become a small farmer, or he must have no more than can 

 be managed without breakiuR in on his usual avocation. When 

 days or weeks are wanted, there generally springs up a feeling 

 of dissatisfaction, as the man might he the most useful to his 

 general employer just at those times when he would wish the 

 most to be on his own holding. Granting, too, that when a 

 man reaches his home uud is refreshed, he will work with a 

 zest for himself and family, snob as he could hardly be ex- 

 pected to do in such long hours for an employer, and more 

 especially if the garden or the allotment furnish employment 

 different from that of the day ; still, the feeling is apt to arise, 

 that the man who is extra industrious for long hours night and 

 morning is not in the best position for putting forth due phy- 

 sical energy during the day. As a general principle, very long 

 hours of labours are a mistake. A great amount of work may 

 thus be gone through in a short time when the practice is re- 

 sorted to but seldom ; but where it becomes a matter of custom, 

 as in the hay and corn harvest, the advantages are veiy proble- 

 matical. When, in an emergency, we have had two or three 

 hours extra labour and paid for it, we always found that if long 

 continued the advantage ceased. The human machine, like 

 other machines, can only with advantage do a certain amount of 

 work. Hence, in relation to the case in hand, we have known 

 an allotment of a quarter of an acre prove of great value to a 

 man and his family, but it ceased to be an advantage when he 

 had half an acre or more, as then he had either to hire labour, 

 or lose time himself, and that led to unpleasantness between 

 him and his rtgular employer. 



IVho in an aiiiaUur yardener ! This question, apparently a 

 simple one, is frequently a cause of much unpleasantness in 

 country horticultural societies. It is well in all such cases 

 that the outlines of classes should be clear and distinct, so as 

 to prevent all dispute. The holders of the smaller allotments, 

 and of cottage gardens, generally compete together as cottagers, 

 in whatever occupation they may be employed during the day ; 

 but in places where gentlemen's large gardens abound, it is 

 found desirable that the labourers in these gardens should 

 compete by themselves, and not with other day labourers, as 

 many of these garden labourers from long practice may well be 

 looked on as gardeners, and, therefore, as having greater ad- 

 vantages than other labourers. Mechanics and artisans also 

 sometimes form a separate class, as they are presumed to have 

 greater means at their command than the agricultural labourer. 

 Very often all these compete together under the name of cot- 

 tagers, and it will at once be apparent not quite on equal terms, 

 but if in one class, the judges can look at nothing but the 

 merits of each case. The di.^putes on this, however, are seldom 

 so keen as about the amateur class. This is partly owing to 

 the fact, that our great metropolitan societies chiefly recognise 

 two classes, nurserymen or tradesmen, who cultivate for sale, 

 and amateurs, including gentlemen and gentlemen's gardeners. 

 In most country shows there are the classes for nurserymen, 

 gentlemen and gentlemen's gardeners, amateurs, and cottagers, 

 and it is this amatenrship that creates the difficulty. Not 

 long ago, some gardeners who exhibited successfully as gentle- 

 men's gardeners were very mnch annoyed because their superior 

 productions were disqualified from taking a prize in the amateur 

 class. It would be well, then, if a broad deliverance were given 

 on the subject, and then exhibitors and judges would never 

 come into unpleasant collision. Were we to define the term 

 amateur as generally understood, we should say that an 

 amateur was a person having a taste for a particular art or 

 science, yet not professing nor being dependant for a liveli- 

 hood upon it. In this general definition our large societies 

 include all who have gardens and gardeners, from noblemen to 

 bankers and wealthy tradesmen. Eat when in the country 

 societies there is a distinct class for all the above, and a se- 

 parate class for amateurs, we are forced to add something to 

 the above definition as applied to gardening, and our opinion 

 is, that under such circumstances a man, however fond he may 

 be of gardening, ceases to be a mere amateur when he employs 

 another person comtanthi to assist him in his favourite pursuit. 

 So long as he lives by other means, makes gardening a hobby, 

 does the work himself, or merely obtains occasional assistance, 

 he is an amateur; but when he employs a man constantly, no 

 matter whether he calls him labourer or gardener, then he 

 changes the class in which he must exhibit. We ourselves 

 should be iuclined to keep so much to the general definition as 

 given above, as to take out of the amateur class the man who 

 made a marketable affair of his hobby. According to country 

 practice, he would then cease to be an amateur. We either 

 want to do away with this class, or have a more defined nomen- 



clature, and we propose for consideration that ^rbere each dis- 

 tinct classes exist, an amateur shall be a person who pro- 

 secutes gardening chiefly for his own enjoyment, and withont 

 any except occasional help. When he employs a man con- 

 stantly, ho must compete with other gentlemen and their gar- 

 deners. We shall be glad if our readers will state their opinions. 



KlTCnES OABDEN. 



The work has been to a great extent a repetition of that of 

 previous weeks — planting Greens, itc, in every piece of vacant 

 gronnd, the showers being a great advantage, as the ground 

 where hard-cropped is exceedingly dry. Cleared the stools of 

 Celery, removing every incipient sucker, tyingup previonsly 

 to earthing-up the earliest. Though not allowed to be dry, 

 owing to mulching, the bulk of the Celery has not grown 

 very vigorously, but it is now pushing rapidly in the cooler 

 days and longer nights. The worst of the dry season is now 

 past, and we may now be tolerably certain of having enough of 

 moisture. We took up a lot of the last of the autumn-sown 

 Onions, and exposed the root ends to the sun before housing. 

 We expect that our spring Onions will yet grow considerably, 

 though they made no progress in the dry weather. A few tops 

 are acquiring a yellowish lingo. Could we have flooded the 

 beds six weeks ago, the crcp would have been splendid ; as it 

 is, it will be good. Cauliflowers we never bad finer ; a few only 

 of the earliest had greenish, loose, flowery beads, and the canse 

 was wholly unknown to us, as all were treated alike. At the 

 present season there is often apt to be a glut, and sometimes 

 a short interval between the successions ; this can be prevented 

 by taking up some of the plants when the heads are firm and 

 not fully swelled, removing all the leaves, except a few small 

 ones round the head, and cutting the stems so as to leave or 

 8 inches below the heads, and inserting the stems upright in 

 damp sand in a dark place. In this way the late Mr. Crockett, 

 of Kaith, used to keep Cauliflower during most of the winter. 

 Even now this is a much better plan than taking up the plants, 

 and either hanging them up or laying them in " by the heels." 



FKUIT GARDEN. 



Continued summer-pruning wall trees, dwarfs, and standards. 

 The fruit of the Apple where at all thick falls considerably, 

 though we think a good crop will be left. We find that the 

 roots are not so moist as we could wish, but as yet we have not 

 ventured on watering them, and we trust they will soon have 

 enough rain water. Our Raspberries, though bearing freely, 

 have suffered from last summer's drought, as the canes were 

 much smaller than usual, and some died away. We never wish 

 to pass such another summer as that of 18C8 in a garden, and 

 feel powerless from the want of water. Even some hardy trees 

 show the effects of the parching, though in general the foliage 

 of forest trees has been line, especially of all deep-rooting trees, 

 as the Oak. 



Besides attending to I'each houses, vineries, and especially 

 orchard houses, with water, we have potted a number of Straw- 

 hcrrij plants for forcinii. A few details may be useful for begin- 

 ners. 1st, Of pots, we prefer what are called 40's and 32's 

 — that is, 5 or Ginch pots, to larger pots, which are apt to 

 encourage too luxuriant growth. These pots, if new. should 

 be soaked, and then allowed to dry before using them. All old 

 pots should be well washed and dried before being used. 2nd, 

 The soil should be loamy rather than sandy, and enriched with 

 about one-sixth part of rotten dung that has been well aired 

 and sweetened before mixing. 3rd, At potting the crown of the 

 plant should be little below the rim of the pot. as it may be 

 expected to sink a little, ■ith. The soil should be made very 

 firm. The fingers will not make it firm enough — a small stick 

 will be necessary to beat it round the plants. Bear in mind it 

 can scarcely be made too firm, oth. When the plants are 

 potted the pots should be set on a hard bottom, and the plants 

 exposed to all the snn possible. If they flag a little under the 

 sun a slight syringing over the foliage will be better than 

 shading. As soon as the roots begin to reach the sides of the 

 pots rich top-dressings and manure-waterings may be freely 

 given. Daring a showery autumn a sprinkling of soot on the 

 surface will be advantageous, or any other rich manure ; but 

 if good guano is used, a very small pinch of it between the 

 fingers will be enough for a pot. 



OKXAJIBSTAL DEPARTITENT. 



Here we have been very busy ; potting, fresh-arranging, keep- 

 ing lawns and walks in order, and trimming and trainiug plants 

 in flower beds, though we generally allow the plants to assome 

 their natural mode of growth. Pegging down, besides the time 

 and labour involved, is often prejudicial to the plants when prac- 



