January 24, 1881. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
65 
^Zerlina (Lord). 
Mrs. A. Chancellor (Turner) 
Alliance (Fellows). 
Tinnie (Dolwell) . 
Muriel (Hewitt). 
Mrs. Summers (Simonite) . 
Mrs. Niven (Niven) . 
"Lizzie Tomes (Dodwell). 
'Isabella (Matthews) .. 
Ann Lord (Lord) . 
Olara Penson (Willmer) .. 
Her Majesty (Addis). 
Minnie (Lord). 
Mary (Simonite) . 
Nymph ( Lord). 
Master Nichols (Schofield) 
Heavy Purple. 
Votes. 
,.. 14 Picco (Jackson). 
.. 12 Norfolk Beauty (Fellows) . 
,..11 Fanny (Lord) . 
,9 Indispensable (Addis) . 
.. 8 Robin Hood. 
,.. 6 Baroness Burdett Coutts (Turner) . 
,.. 0 Claudia (Fellows) . 
.. 5 Medina (Fellows) . 
... 2 Princess Dagmar (Button). 
Vote*. 
... 2 
... 1 
... 1 
... 1 
... 1 
... 1 
... 1 
... 1 
... 1 
Light Purple. 
12 
12 
12 
11 
10 
7 
5 
Baroness Burdett Coutts (Payne). 3 
Alice (Lord). 2 
Tinnie (Dodwell) . 1 
Jessie (Turner) . 1 
Evelyn (Hewitt). 1 
Mrs. Tutton (Payne). 1 
Heavy Rose and Scarlet. 
Mrs. Payne (Fellows) . 11 
Miss Horner (Lord) . li 
Fanny Hellea (Niven) . 9 
Edith Dombrain (Turner) . 9 
Hoyal Visit (Abercrombie). 8 
Airs. Rudd (Rudd). 6 
Lady Holmesdale (Schofield). 5 
Xady Louisa (Abercrombie) . 4 
Louisa (Addis) . 3 
Mrs. Lord (Lord) . 3 
Constance Heron (Fellows). 3 
Esther Minnie (Dodwell). 2 
Miss Lee (Lord). 2 
Charles Williams (Norman) . 1 
Juliana (Turner) . 1 
Mrs. Allcroft (Turner) . 
Miss Wood (Wood) ... 
Nellie (Rudd). 
Miss Gorton (Dodwell). 
iBertha (Morris). 
Mrs. Nickoll (Simonite) 
Evelyn (Fellows) . 
SL’Elegant (Dodwell) ... 
Fairy Queen (Hartley) . 
Ethel (Fellows). 
Mrs. Adams (Adams)... 
Victoria (Abercrombie) 
—G. Eudd, 
Light Rose or Scarlet. 
13 
11 
5 
4 
4 
4 
4 
8 
5 
3 
S 
S 
Morning Star (Norman). 
Estelle (Fellows). 
Lady Carrington (Abercrombie) 
Northern Star (Wood). 
Miss Flowdy (Flowdy). 
Empress Eugenie (Kirtland) ... 
Beauty of Plnmstead (Norman). 
Teresa (Simonite) . 
Thomas Fleming (Adams). 
Miss Williams. 
Daisy (Dodwell). 
Edith. 
8 
Q 
2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
JOSEPHINE DE MALINES PEAR. 
Your correspondent “ C. B.” (page 29) asks if others have foard their 
Josephine de Malines Pears ripen early this season. Although February 
rand March are given as its season for ripening in some nurserymen’s 
fruit catalogues, I think it more often ripens in December than at that 
"time. We commenced using it this winter on December 14th, these were 
gathered on October 25th from a south wall. We are now using the same 
•variety gathered from a west wall on the same date, and have another lot 
mot yet ripe which were not gathered until November 29th, also from a 
west wa'l. Thus we are enabled to have a supply of this best of winter 
Pears for nearly two months. I say best, as I consider it has no equal in 
its season. It remains good some time after it is ripe without deteriorat¬ 
ing in flavour and never shrivels. It is a prolific kind both on the Pear 
^and Quinee stocks; the fruit is always free from cracks and scabs. In 
This locality and heavy soil it does not succeed as a pyramid, the wood 
■does not become ripened enough to form fruiting spurs.—A. Barker, 
Hindlij) Gardens. 
During the last few years I have noticed the above excellent Pear 
•spoken of in the horticultural press as ripening earlier than usual. I 
Eave also noticed in fruit catalogues generally that the time of ripening 
is stated from April to May. Has anyone ever tasted it in good condition 
in May? My experience of it is, that the latter end of November and 
"through December is the time that this excellent Pear is in good table 
•condition. If the fruits have not been properly matured it may keep a 
month or so longer, but then the fruit is not in such good condition as it 
is when ripe during the season I have stated. A good late Pear that 
■will not deceive anyone in the time of ripening is Bergamot Esperen.— 
.A. Young. 
PAST v. PRESENT WRITERS. 
ADVICE TO YOUNG GARDENERS. 
MRS. Malaprop long ago declared that “ comparisons are odorous,” 
and the old lady, though using her selection of words somewhat mal¬ 
apropos, was nevertheless in this saying strictly true to the letter. Un¬ 
fortunately the “odour” in “comparisons” is generally unpleasant. We 
are all of us so much affected by our own ideas, and think, alas ! too 
frequently that they must be the best. I have had a share amongst 
the past, and, thanks to our Editor, am yet occasionally seen among 
the present writers. I am much older than our Chaplain, as far as 
■connection with our Journal goes, for it is more than thirty years ago 
ithat I penned the first words that I ever sent to the office. I almost feel 
again the trepidation with which I despatched that first missive, and I 
think I recollect the subject on which I ventured to write was “ A Matter 
-of Fact.” Necessarily, then, as this was more than thirty years ago, I am 
getting on—disposed, therefore, to be a praiser of the days past rather 
•than of the present; and I could not help thinking with “ A Philistine,” 
what could be the matter with “ H., Notts '’ and that something in the 
Christmas feeding must have disagreed with him. If so, I am sure we all 
hope this has passed off, and that in the papers he will soon give to our 
■Journal he will help to keep up its character for practical utility. So far 
.as my humble judgment goes, the character to which “ H., Notts," has 
borne such willing testimony in the years long since gone by has not 
departed. I would name writers of the present day whose thoughts add 
a lustre to any page, but doubtless they would not thank me ; and though 
my fingers itch to pen their names, I foibear, believing thi~, that when 
they are gone, which God grant may be in the very distant future, their 
loss to our Journal will be deeply felt and widely lamented, although no 
doubt that then there will be good men and true to take their place, 
for 
“ New crops of mushroom boys succeed 
Aud push us from our forms.” 
Having learnt the little I know of our Journal’s subjects chiefly from 
its pages, and acknowledging my indebtedness to many writers both of 
the past and the present, 1 venture to think that the verdict of present 
readers of the Journal, even though they be old enough to recollect it as 
the “Cottage Gardener,” will not endorse the sentiments of “H., 
Notts." 
There is one other point about these comparisons, and that is a little 
sting which generally leaves a sense of soreness. Now, I have always 
felt peculiarly that there was a great bond between the writers in our 
Journal, and that however hard the blows they dealt each other in dis¬ 
cussing certain subjects, this was generally done in search of irnth, in 
kindly feeling, with the button on the foil, though the remarks might be 
pointed. I, for one, do not wish this feeling to disappear. I count some of 
my most pleasant acquaintances, acquaintance-hip which has ripened into 
fiiendship, through the pages of our Journal, and this bond of union 
which unites the past with the present I should like to see increased. I 
fear “ H., Notts," in his comparisons lessens it. 
There is an old story that a dyspeptic gourmand, as fond of his money 
as of his good feeds, dining quietly with a medical friend, thought he 
might, under the charitable influence of good old port, extract from his 
friend rules for his own treatment without the necessity of parting with a 
fee. Accordingly over the fire he began his complaints, ending at last 
with “Now, doctor, what do you advise me to take ?” “ Well,” said the 
host quietly, “ I advise you without delay to take advice.” Now it does 
seem a little odd to me that “A Young Gardener,” for instance, rather 
disdains taking advice. He will probably read our Chaplain’s sermon. 
I hope he will. The wonderments are not all good, and it must be allowed 
that there are a great many more wonderments now-a-days. If only these 
do not interfere with work, well and good; but it must be remembered 
that to a gardener his work is often something like that of a woman’s in 
the old couplet, which ran something like this— 
“ Man’s woi'k stops at set of sun, 
But a woman’s work is never done.” 
This is especially the case if, a3 well as gardening, we have other duties, 
and then the wonderments are apt (it is human nature, and just now I 
am writing to myself as well as to young gardeners) to trench on time that 
ought to be otherwise employed. When wonderments do this, when mind 
and body are unrefreshed by them, they are better honoured in the breach 
than the observance—they are best let alone. All work and no play there 
is little fear of in the present day; and if the future men turn out dull it 
will not be for want of wonderments, whilst it must be allowed by all 
employers of labour that the great tendency of the present day is to 
shoiten hours. I am not so certain that this is all gain, neither do I quite 
see in the case of many gardeners, even though appliances in aid of labour 
have so greatly improved, how this shortening of time can be carried out 
in their case, and their duty to the intere-ts committed to their care be 
strictly fulfilled as well, 'it is well that our Chaplain does remind us 
sometimes that we are to be tried by One who seeth not as man se th, and 
happy is the gardener, as indeed any other worker, who keeps this thought 
continually before him, and humbly strives to act up to it. 
My experience leads me to think that that man is the happiest -whose 
wonderments take the form of hobby connected with his work. How- 
many gardeners, aye, and very successful men too, have thus made then 
pleasures an offshoot, as it were, of their work, and by their pleasant 
labours enlightened the rest of the world on some points in natural 
history or improved some neglected plant. One word more. Sincerely do 
I hope that young men will take to heart our Chaplain s warning about 
the respect due to those above us. These are days when the tension be¬ 
tween classes is great, and yet one member cannot s ifFer without all 
suffering with it. Youth in the present day has immense advantages. 
Education presses on, hut if its effect be to make one proud and conceited, 
it will be an evil instead of bles-ing. The more sincerely education is 
appreciated the more surely will the humble worker feel that he has 
touched but the crust of the matter, and that there are numberless mys¬ 
teries still to fathom. He need not, like the old warrior, sigh for more 
worlds to conquer. ... 
For obvious reasons, laying no claim to any credit in past or present 
pages, I drop my usual nom de plume for that of A Lover of the 
Journal, Past or Present. 
It was not my intention to refer to the above subject again, but I 
think a few words in support of the commendable article by W lltshire 
Rector” in your issue of January 3rd will not be out of place, and I hope 
all young gardeners read it with intense sati-faction. He neither blames 
nor accuses, but simply gives good advice, which I hope will he fully 
appreciated and beneficial. , 
I feel much gratified to see in the index pages of the last volume that 
never before in a like period have so many communications been received 
from young gardeners. This I consider speaks well of us, and also looks 
as if there will be some scribes left when all of the present good old stock 
are gone. 
