VOL. LV.— Xo. 3,075 



SATUEDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1912. 



THE 



GARDENERS 



9 



MAGAZINE 



NOTE OF THE WEEK 



The Veg^etable Cult 



The exhibitions of vegetables that have vegetables alone. 



ciably enhanced it. At the National Ve<2;('- devrloptnl ])r()(lncts as niv s*mmi at the I*'a<I- 

 table Soeiety's exhibition at Watford, the oxliiltil ions ar*. not llio rt ^uli nn^ely of 



exhibitors were able to show that a highly- 

 attractive display can be prodneed witli 



The advance in cultural 



lu^avy inanurial applications to tlie quarters 

 in which they are grown, but roprt^cnt a 



method in which de<^j> cultivation an<l the 



been held within the past fortnight by the 

 Royal Horticultural Society and the Na- 

 +i«nni V*i(rptahlft Sociotv havc been of special 



metlKKls has been not less noteworthy than thorough working of the soil are essential 

 the improvement in the manner of prt^- <letaiLs. 



od 



Wliilc 



strenuous ciulcax oui 



(Mill at ot s l!a\ mad*' 

 to iin-iras*^ tile hulk 



which the several kinds can be brouglit to 

 the highest degree of perfection is a n 



interest as evidence of the close attention notice, and the adoption of metho<ls by 

 that is being paid at the present time to 

 the products of the kitchen garden, and of 

 the immense advances that 

 have been made within re- 

 cent years both in the im- 

 provements of the various 

 types and in cultural 

 methods. Not a few of our 

 readers will be able to call to 

 mind the time when 

 tahles were reea: 



and im|H"n\e t'lt- oi kitchen iiaiih^n. 



pnxlucts. tlios*^ \\h(taro onjiagtMl in tho.siHMl 

 trade lia\ (^ ho(Mi un l einit t nio; \\\ their efforts 



to < Ti^aic new tv^tcs and 



an<l 



m»|>ro\ o 

 thcv ha\« 



i IIM s. 



achievotl 



so 



vege- 

 ded b\^ 



many as of quite secondary 

 importance in the economy 

 of the garden, and a know- 

 ledge of their cultivation not 

 being considered one of the 



most important points in the 

 education of the gardener. 

 They will also remember that 

 when vegetables had a posi- 

 tion given them in the sche- 

 dule of some of the leading 

 societies a tent w^as specially 

 provided for their accommo- 

 dation, that they might not 

 come under the notice of 

 those who were not directly 

 interested in them. That 

 they should not have been 



■ 



given special prominence 

 was in no way surprising, for 

 with but few exceptions they 

 were staged without regard 

 to tasteful effect, and in some 

 instances in a decidedly rough 

 manner. All this has now 

 ^^J^eii changed, and the exhibi- 

 tion of vegetables, if not, as 

 yet, developed into a fine art, 

 has been so immensely im- 

 proved that when adequately 

 represented they form a fea- 

 tin-e remarkable alike foi- 

 sts interest and attractiveness. 



■ 



improvement has, indeed, been so 

 that collections of vegetables staged by cul- 

 tivators who are able to occu 

 positions in keen contests 



high 

 thai 



a 



dcLri'4'o 



it w <ml<l \u 



of SU<C(^ 



<li(h< lilt to 



<\st iniato 



No 



])la<*i' a |no])cr 

 their accornplishnumt-s. 

 class (tf vegetables of anv con- 

 siderable importaiUM^ c<uild be 

 mentioneil tliat have uo{ been 

 greatly iTn])ro\iMl. ;md there- 

 by render<Ml more valual>le hy 

 <ross fertilisation and selec- 



Not only have the 



imreased 



tion. 



several kinds b 

 in productivenass, appear- 

 ance, and quality, but some 

 have had their seasons pro- 

 longoil as the result of the 

 persistent endeavour of those 

 on gaged in the growth and 

 sale of see<ls. Not only has 

 this been the case, but by the 

 adoption of more scientific 

 methods of procedure, culti- 

 vators have now at their ser- 

 vice seeds possessing greater 

 poAvers of germination than 

 that from which past genera- 

 tions of cultivators raised 

 their crops, a fact which is 

 si^ecially brought into promi- 

 i»ence in seasons foUowing a 



which the climatic 



year m 

 conditions w 



e mifavourable 



MR. RICHARD 



ITTY 



Secretarv of the National Chrysanthemum Society. 



to the production of really 

 fi rst-cl ass seed crops . The 

 National Vegetable Society 

 haA been too recentlv formed 

 to have exercised a great 



The 



great 



aocom 



of even 

 1 methods 



greater import- 



infiuence upon the advances 

 to which we have brioUy leferred. but it 

 For has, since it was established, done excellent 



a considerable period after the exhibition 

 of vegetables became general, the opinion 



wa^ held by many that splendidly-grown 

 specimens wliieli wtu-e seen at the exhibi- 



work in the eucouiagement of high-class 

 cultivation, and in stimulating increased 



iii+rvrocf 111 vAcrpt,;ihlpji as articles of food. 



"We regard the latter as an important part 



of cultivation. 



- . ^ afford object 



lessons that many exhibitors of plants and oirxrx^ixAi^^^^ — - - . . ^ ^ r i -i 4.- c 



flowers might learn with advantage both to tions were not equal in table quality to of its vvork.^ for while the consumption of 



themselves and the exhibitions in which 

 tl»6y take part. At the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society's show the vegetables were held upon this point, and it is generally 

 'Wore or less closely associated with the 

 flowers and ornamental plants, and instead 



of detracting from the geneial effect, 



often the ca.se in the old days, they appre- the «)ntrary, of high quality. Such finely- new departm-e, taken chiefly with the 



as w^as 



thods vegetables has enormously increased of 



Different views are now late years, it should, in the interest of the 



espe- 



con^ed" that ''vegetabli which bring cially among town dwellers. The holding 

 honours to cultivators are not necessarily of tlie society's exhibition this year outside 

 coarse and indifferent in flavour, but, on the Iwundaries of the Metroi>olis was a 



