I IO 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



A Morn 



M 



Diluculo sur^ere saluberrimum est. 

 Things are a little quiet just now. 



surprising but the reason for it is, namely, that owing 'to the openness of 

 the season woik has got so far forward as to permit of a lull. Still, there 

 is something in the air. I do not know what it is, but it is there I got 

 into the midst of an uncompromising gardening circle the other day, and 

 felt it without a word being said. Remarking on the electrical under- 

 current to one of the party, he responded with a portentous Ah ! 

 tad an air of profound sagacity, which said as plainly as words could that 

 he held a secret of terrific importance locked within his breast, and 

 could spring it on a startled world if he liked. 



Now, the deduction which I drew was that if I were to exert myself 

 ;t little I could get behind the scenes and find out all about it.^ But it so 

 happens that "getting behind the scenes" is one of those things which 

 I have an inveterate objection to. Please do not imagine from this that 

 I am elevating a superior nose, and proclaiming a supercilious immunity 

 from such human frailties as curiosity. I am simply stating a fact which 

 is based on sound business principles. Nine times out of ten, when 

 some individual puts his finger on his lip and leads you round a back 

 entry it is only to tell you some trivial, tinpot thing, for the knowledge 

 of which you are not a whit the wealthier or the wiser. It is nice in a 

 way to feed the flattering delusion that you are one of the elect, that you 

 are " in the know," and so on ; but when you perceive that other people 

 who are not of the elect, and who are transparently out of the know, get 

 on quite as well as you do, if not rather better, you begin to perceive that 

 time spent behind the scenes is of doubtful value, and to wonder how 

 much better off you are for all these tremendous secrets. For my part, 

 anyway, I have come to the conclusion that it doesn't pay, and even that 

 tempting word "plot" fails to draw me. My experience is that the 

 commonest feature of a plot is that it never comes to anything. 



The only sort of plot I ever mean to have anything to do with is that 

 in which 1 am sole instigator and perpetrator ; then I can comfortably 

 regulate the running away. There is always pleasure in a fight when you 

 know you can bolt without anyone being the wiser. For the moment, 

 however, I do not wish to contemplate any such pusillanimous proceed- 

 inx ; on the contrary, I feel impelled to 1 iven up the prevailing dulness 

 by respectfully offering to accept battle from anybody on any subject I 

 am prepared, he it understood, to sacrifice myself simply for the enter- 

 tainment of readers. In pursuanc e of this praiseworthy resolve, I turn 

 my eyes round in search of the old fighters. Will Mr. J. Riddell step 

 out and tweak my beard? He thumps as hard as anyone when in the 

 humour. Perhaps, too, "A. I).," that sound old warrior, will, in Shake- 

 spearean pailan. o, bite his thumb at me, and move me to wrath. Could 

 the latter f I wonder, have had one eye on me when he penned that note 

 about ( luswick as a school garden? The whole trend of it is in favour 

 of practical teaching, which, of course, can only be properly tested by 

 practical examinations, but "A. still holds coyly aloof from the latter. 

 I .on not Komg to dwell on this topic, because experience has mournfully 

 convinced me that, however numerous the supporters of the present 

 examining system may be, they do not screw their courage up to fighting 



I am keeping a watchful and jealous eye on the chrysanthemum 

 specialists. I know the objects they have in view well enough. They mean 

 to lengthen the season if they can, apparently oblivious that the chrysan- 

 themum owes its enormous popularity to the fact that it is the flower of 



one particular ;.ras„n. Past indulgence from Mr. Lees prevents my 

 attacking bun for wonying us about early border chrysanthemums in 



reoruary, and naming dozens of varieties for September and October 

 flowering ; but, all the same, our good understanding is severely strained. 

 1 do not believe the public want chrysanthemums before October at the 

 earnest, and what the public don't want will not get on very fast. The 



c VCI T CaHy £° rts - arc but P° or thin S s compared with Michaelmas 

 t£5? £ r aUtUm !? eff l Ct m the * arden > and ■ S reat deal of the praise 



%l^ C,allStS L heap u P° n them is hackneyed, forced, and over- 

 seamed. The man who teaches flower-lovers the best sorts of perennial 

 as e,s and the way to make the most of them, will have moVe of my 



•ympathy than he who bothers ' ^ — y 



tiresome 



They 



peach 



Cook 



• M . . — ~ , ••*»"■»• » "»i " mi. v-uiik, ana now it 



It k. » yneUX> What these «cellent gentlemen say is right in its 

 o awav Et^hw °. ( T hbl i n « abou t coping, pruning, or fly killing will 

 h™ I r C faCt hat the Pe ach is indubitably a more tender tree 

 £™ r ^ J*f ' plum ' &c Look over large nursery quarters after a 

 out of d££ an i, | h V nie i esSOn of the general non-success o "peaches' 

 Sa»t» 2 W l k*?" 1 at a * ,a "ce. Of course, it is open toanyone 



bm orafse or Z^'aS ' n,p<mant detai,s > thcre can be nothing 



On^^ information, but broad principle? 



outdoor prach growing is the c^T ,n connexi °n with 



gone by This .rinl^Ki m ass V m P t,on of ,ts superiority in days 



LguJW enough, ucTpfoof o a f C it e St ^ ^ tr ° Verti ^\ faCt ' but 

 consisted princely o hZTfic™^ *^" forthc ° m » n S h'therto has 



have caught thV habit off 1^ L J ad *. nodd,ng on the P art of th( >se who 

 further int h w ^f 1 ?* tlx - , A * ° De wh ° Can di P back 



m convction ^IteJL^^t Sf?^ *! t0 CX P ress 



days gone by i s vcrv mZhZTSZ* lcVel ° f OUtdoor Pe ach culture in 



A 



villi 



i - 



"K as to early potato* 



in rub his evrl T\ ""^P* calcndarial notes 



eyes. The sets, he tells us, should by this be placed 



on their ends. There is a quaint and delicious Rip van Winkle 

 the advice which seems to suggest that the worthy writer 



end himself of late, but has been enjoying a quiet nap. 



potatos 



phrase 



lib 



Happily, Peter is a calendar unto himself. That great autwJ^ 

 practical horticulture does not believe in leaving his early D0 tat 01 

 winter is half over before up-ending them, and I verily believe 2 

 anyone ventured to suggest it to him he would lay the unhappy aT* 

 low. Another subject on which he has strong opinions is the size rfS 

 sets. Peter clings tenaciously to the old partiality for small seed T 

 ounce seed is the most he will allow himself, and he only takes that nil! 

 protest. I am now preparing a bitter pill for him. Well aware that 

 will accept nothing experimental, I am procuring the experience of a* 

 cessful potato exhibitors. So far the result is against him, but perW 

 others will take his side. Now, Mr. Beckett ? Lix 



Methods at Flower Shows. 



The editorial note on page 29 will find many supporters I am quite sot 

 for the methods alluded to are still adopted at some shows, and appt* 

 likely there to last. My experience of exhibitions, and especially tho* 

 held in the autumn in different parts of the United Kingdom, leads met* 

 say that officials are less suspicious than formerly of collusion betwea 

 judges and exhibitors. If those who are so suspicious knew what it was 

 to have a reputation to sustain they would perhaps cease their suspidooi 

 methods. Judges, as a body, much prefer not to know whose exhibit 

 they are examining, but ; in spite of all secrecy regarding the numbew 

 of classes and so forth, judges sometimes do know the exhibits they aie 

 examining. I very often feel quite sure who the chrysanthemums belongti 

 that I am called to adjudicate upon ; especially is this the case whet 

 dealing with incurved blooms. The 11 style " and " finish " of the blooms 

 is distinctly that of Mr. So-and-So. Surely, then, to an honest mind, da 

 cannot make the slightest difference. Judges, as a rule, prize a second 

 or a continued annual invite more than an invitation from a fresh society. 

 The fact of their being again asked to judge is a sufficient proof of whir 

 that particular society thinks of them as judges. As an old exhibitor, I 

 appreciate the method of publishing the judges' names in the scheduk 

 such a plan is more likely to encourage competition than lessen it As 

 an exhibitor, also, I prefer some judges to others, thinking that some are 

 more painstaking than the rest. Some judges are in too great a hurry* 

 times to well weigh all the details in close competition ; but perhaji 

 such men are no more liable to make mistakes than those who spe* 

 double the time over one particular class. Still, in my opinion, sufficiec: 

 time should be given to the work to examine all details thoroughly. To 

 a judge, the method of having numbers simply on small cards, or numben 

 on the reverse side of prize-cards, as a guide to the classes, is of no con- 

 sequence ; but to the secretary and his assistants it is of vital const 

 quence, and to the public also it is at times most important 



The method of affixing the value of the prize by adhesive slips 

 previously written cards may be a trifle more expensive, but it certainly 

 is the most efficient method to all concerned, and I am pleased to seetfc 

 rate of progress the plan is making. Under this system, directly tk 

 awards are made, the press and the public, if then admitted to the build- 

 ing, are cognisant of the prizetakers. I am positive that I have nevff 

 seen an officiating colleague turn over a card for the purpose of knowflf 

 who the exhibitor was until after the award had been made. Some soc* 

 ties use in the place of adhesive slips rubber stamps for denoting tfe 

 quality of the prize. This is a capital plan, not only quick, but e tt *JE 

 The "Field" judging-books, containing a counterfoil leaf, are very 0: 

 employed, and they no doubt facilitate the work of the clerks in bo<JJ| 

 up the awards for catalogue printing, or for an early publication oil* 

 prize list, which so many like to have, but as far as I can see it does w 

 facilitate the setting up of the prize cards for the benefit of reporter. IP 

 the public The secretary is wise who requires the judges to write on^ 

 back of the card the value of the prize as a reference, in case of an erm 

 or dispute afterwards. It sometimes happens that the prize 

 moved, and a reference then to the back of each very often puts uu*» 

 right again, in the case of a mistake occurring. m 



The greatest mistake that secretaries make is that of all0 * in *a 



mnrVi laHturl^ ~„v:u:* .1 ^ : ~c*u** rLnm \f an v secret*** 



lax 



exhibitors are not slow to take advantjb . 



• 1 1 i ,..c;,-;«iit time auo" w 



their relaxation. Too often the judges uavc uui sumw— ,yj 



them to give that consideration they would personally prefer to 

 close in order of merit, simply because a good hour of their allottea 

 has been frittered away through non-compliance with the rules b) 

 tors, encouraged by lax officials. It is difficult and invidious to nuj^ 

 selection of those who err in this and those who do not, but 1 



1 



mintfe 



mtluiu wr. uixon can yearly be found in lront ot tne w* V Art*: 

 to ten on the opening morning of the show, with the bell in ban • £— 

 to sound the clearing out note I never yet heard a grumble tner 



— 9 — 



pulsory. 



be carefully read and digested by those who are admittedly some* 

 y about clearing " * * M * ' — 



Swan mo re Park 



kno* *** 

 deu- * 



Gardens. 



it 



Annual Rose.— Carter's Annual rose is not only a gem as a Pj ?JJg* 

 makes a lovelv bed if ******* «*• « <rrniinriwnrlc of blue lobelia ana >. 



fi " Planted over a groundwork of blue l°teh a —-.^ct 



yellow pyrethrum. It U easily raised in a cold frame, and mil co r^ 

 flower when only a few inches high. The flowers are both double ana si-r- 

 all shades from rose to pure white. — JOHN Aplin. 



