THE 



GARDENERS 



MAGAZINE. 



SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3l 1898. 



hrTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE CLASSES.— For PROS- 



1 1 PFCTUS and LIST of PRIZES apply T. H. Smith, i8, Somerville Road, Small 

 Hath Birmingham. First Examination Paper ready November 5. Join early for the whole 



n mhimn at One Shilling per une, cnc minimum ctic 

 1 0 £ cej I4 8 and i49, Aldersgate Street, London, E.C. 



SHOW ADVERTISEMENTS are inserted in this 



per line, the minimum charge beine Five Shillings. Advertise 



NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS. 



Owing to continued increase in circulation, the 14 Gardeners' Magazine 99 

 <rnes to oress on Wednesday. No advertisement can be guaranteed 



insertion, or altered, unless received before Four p.m. on that day. 



It is also pointed out in the code that, as 



define th refer t0 w ^ at has been done, with a view to satisfactorily 



Society la j S ° f thlS ° IaSS of CLlUivators - The R °y al Horticultural 

 the cornh ,yS ^° Wn the princi P le in its cocle of judging, which represents 

 horticultur Wlsdom of s °nie fifty or sixty of the most distinguished 

 sale are ^ United Kingdom, that persons who do not grow for 

 nW ~ amateurs » whether they perform the work of the garden, or em- 



tflere T * ^ gardeners - - - r * 



thaMh^ dl< ^ erent c,asses of amateurs, the schedule should be so arranged 



that wiH me r berS ° f eaCh ° laSS arC able t0 com P ete under conditions 

 I" v ace * em ' n an approximately equal position, absolute 

 quality being for obvious reasons impossible. The National Amateur 

 ardeners' Association, which has accomplished so much useful work, 

 prescribes in its rules that " any amateur interested in the objects of the 

 ssociation shall be eligible for membership," and that "gentlemen who 

 gage professional aid shall be entitled to become members, |but 

 s all not be privileged to compete at the meetings." These are excellent 



u. v . . conditions, and it is very proper that it should exclude from membership 



ruffled the feelings of our good friend the editor of the official organ of ™ ose who dispose " of plants, flowers, seeds, or trade in garden produce 

 that excellent body, the National Amateur Gardeners' Association, and *° r P r ofit." N 0 reference to the sale to nurserymen of novelties raised by 



e ™ emb ers is made in the rule, and consequently these can only be dis- 

 posed of by way of exchange. " The definition of the N.C.S." is 



described by the official organ _ 



Association as "much better" than the suggestion made in our issue of 

 October 29, notwithstanding the strictures passed l upon the two rules by 

 his Honour Judge Martineau at Hastings. The National Chrysan- 



NOTES OF THE WEEK. 



THE AMATEUR QUESTION. 



In discussing the amateur question as it affects the National Chrysan- 

 themum Society, in our issue of October 29, we appear to have somewhat 



to have brought upon ourselves what is evidently regarded as a well- 

 erited reproof. We are not greatly perturbed thereby, and only refer 

 to the matter for the purpose of showing how difficult it is to induce people 

 to take common sense views of things, and to set our contemporary 

 right on some matters of fact that have an important bearing upon the 

 question. In referring to the advice given by the County Court Judge 

 at Hastings to the representatives of the National Chrysanthemum 



of the National Amateur Gardeners' 



themum Society recognises two classes of amateurs, one (A) who does 



Society, to have the rules relating to amateurs amended for the purpose not employ more than one gardener, and the other (B) those who do not 



of making them more intelligible, we said 11 the ambiguity has arisen in employ paid assistance. The two rules would occupy too much space to 



consequence of a want of appreciation on the part of a section of the q u °te here, but as a proof of the views we hold as to the necessity of 



committee of the fact that all cultivators who do not grow for sale are these rules being improved the Judge said that one rule defined what 



amateurs.' 5 We further stated that "a clear declaration that no one who an amateur is, and the other what he is not, instead of their defining, 



systematically sells cuttings, &c, shall be allowed to compete as an as they were intended to do, two distinct classes. Our c ontem porary 



amateur," was required, and, singularly enough, our contemporary dis- claims that the last-named rules are the embodiment of the rule 



sentsfrom our views upon both points. He is "quite satisfied" that of the association, but we look in vain for any rule of the National 



u the gentlemen undoubtedly referred to have the interests of the bond- Amateur Gardeners' Association that justifies the assertion in our 



fide amateur at heart," and so are we. This, however, is not a question copy of the bye-laws. The most satisfactory rule bearing upon the 



of heart, but of head, and what we did was not to question the desire of question under consideration is that of the National Rose Society, and 



the members to serve the interests of the amateur, but to point believing that its more general adoption would remove many difficulties 



out that, in consequence of the mistaken views held, the definitions re- w e quote it in its entirety : " No person shall be allowed to compete as 



ferred to were so ambiguous as to render their proper interpretation an amateur who sells rose plants (except when giving up possession of 



difficult We do not clearly understand what is meant by a the place where they grow, and in the case of new seedlings or sports), 



horn-fide amateur, nor does it much matter ; but we have too much rose blooms, or buds for budding, nor any person in the employ of a 

 respect for the judgment of the members of the committee of the National 

 Chrysanthemum Society to believe for a moment that any one of them 



would support " any effort " made to put the different classes of amateurs sion shall be final and binding on both pai t ies." With a rule such as this 



on an equal basis, as our contemporary is satisfied they would do. Our it is a very easy matter to group the amateurs according to whether they 



perplexity with regard to the views of our contemporary on the status of employ paid assistance or not, and, in the case of those who have paid 



the amateur is greatly increased by the startling statement that "we assistance, according to the number of assistants employed. Were some 



strongly disapprove of the suggestion that an amateur shall be a person such course as is followed by the National Rose Society generally 



who does not systematically sell." To disapprove of this suggestion is taken, instead of endeavouring to set up boundaries that have not the 



to approve of cultivators who grow for sale exhibiting in classes pro- sanction of authority, we should hear but little of the difficulties in con- 



vided for amateurs, a procedure which the rules of the National nection with the status of th* amateur. 



Amateur Gardeners' Association and authority proscribe. Some- 

 thing also is said about the sale of surplus stock, and, although no refer- 

 ence was made to this point in our issue of October 29, the impression is 



nurseryman. Any objection raised as to the rightful qualification of an 

 exhibitor shall be referred to the committee for arbitration, and their deci- 



ECCENTRIC PROTHALM. 



obtained 



spore of Scolopend 



normal reproduction resu 



bod 



instance this grew out and formed 

 thus an apogamous plant, but i: 



conveyed in the course of the observations that we had expressed views in Lang's cultures was that produced 



favour of this being permitted, and of the amateur who grows flowers v. ramulosissimum. In many cases 



simply for the pleasure he derives from them being placed at a disadvan- in some, wh< 



kge when he engages in a competition for prizes. The cultivator were formed. 



*ho disposes of his surplus cuttings, plants, or blooms for money at the tip, 1 ^^.u^-n**** 



? Mn g up possession of his garden, is not allowed to sell the plants 

 P° w »ng in it, or is not permitted to sell the stock of a seedling or 

 Port to a nurseryman for the purpose of distribution, without being 

 •deluded from the amateur class at the exhibition, injustice would be 

 one. Moreover, if amateurs are not to be allowed to sell in the manner 

 ated an Y novelties they may be fortunate in raising their efforts to 

 '.nprove the classes of plants in which they are interested will be dis- 



couraged, and the work of improvement checked ; and to hinder progress 

 ^assuredly not one of the objects of either of the horticultural societies, 

 ch ' happily, we have such large numbers. 



RULES FOR AMATEURS. 



be all question °* tn e rules under which amateur cultivators should 

 ow ed to compete for prizes is engaging much attention, it may be p 



cases ; so that three widely different stages in the life history of the fern 

 were as closely conjoined as could possibly be. First, the embryo un- 

 fertilised seed would be at the base of each an hegonium, then we jump 

 over all intermediate stages, fertilisation of ovum, formation of fern, and 

 subsequent development of mature fronds, which normally bear the 

 spores, and get the spores cheek by jowl with the embryo and finally, 

 having performed these feats of juxtaposit.on, the little cylinder furnishes 

 with a perfect young plant of its own conception, a bom orphan, 

 whose onlyhistory was that of Topsy, " it growed" We had the pleasure 

 of inspecting some of Dr. Lang's cultures during his researches, and ,t was 

 st striking to anyone conversant with the normal life history of ferns 

 iTview these spore heaps actually in situ. The monograph we have re- 



ferred 



exhausted all possibilities in the way 



