February 28 , 1884. ] 
i75 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
only point out that the quotation from Shakespeare which he makes 
is only half right. He says, “ Beatrice said she could easier advise 
twenty than be one of the twenty to follow her own instruction.” 
Well, Beatrice said nothing of the sort in “Much Ado about 
Nothing ; " but Portia, in “ The Merchant of Venice” (act i. sc. 2), 
sa} T s, amongst other good things, “ I can easier teach twenty what 
were good to be done than be one of the twenty to follow mine own 
teaching.” I admit that the spirit of the quotation is right, but 
nothing shows a sound reader so much as a perfect quotation. Go 
deeper, my young brother, there’s a good writer in you ; and what¬ 
ever you do always verify your quotations. Why one of the writers 
on “Stored-up Sap in Vines ” should go out of his way to give me 
a back-handed slap in the face by signing himself “ Not H., Notts,” 
I do not know, except to show that he desires to advertise himself as 
having no connection with me, and let us hope neither of us will be 
any the worse for our isolation. 
In the Journal of January 10th “T. L.” charges me with being 
prejudiced against everything and everybody of the present day, and 
concludes, after advising young gardeners to cultivate a taste for 
music, that I cannot possibly be a musician, and must be a very 
dismal and melancholy man. All his charges and conclusions are 
wrong ; and with respect to not being a musician, I can only say that 
music is the joy of my life : that I was put up into a choir to sing as 
soon as I could sing, having to stand on a stool to be seen : and that 
I have been choir-singing ever since, up to last SundayJ when I took 
my place on the cantors’ side as leading tenor in the surpliced choir 
of the church where I worship. So much for one of “T. L.’s ” 
conclusions. “T. R. M.’s ” letter answers itself. It is a contra¬ 
diction ; it opens with blame and closes with thanks. “ Querist,” 
in the Journal of January 17th, begins by saying that there is a 
striking difference between the communications of “A Working 
Gardener” and “ H., Notts.” Quite so, “Querist.” No one knows 
that better than 1 do, though you discount your judgment by your 
after suggestion that I should have supplemented “ A Working 
Gardener’s ” able communication by pointing out the best way in 
which knowledge of the subjects enumerated could be most advan¬ 
tageously acquired. That is to say, you put me down by telling me 
that I cannot write so excellent an article as “A Working Gardener” 
has done, and then you blame me for not writing a better one, and 
even improving on that of “A Working Gardener.” Paragraph the 
second in “ Querist’s ” letter admits all that “ A Working Gardener ” 
and myself charge young gardeners with almost. Read it again, 
“Querist.” My answer to “Querist’s” demands are in this wise : 
If you want a job done do it yourself ; where there’s a will there’s a 
way ; don’t talk, work ; go at the first thing and do it well, the next 
will show itself when you’re ready for it ; look up, go forward, and 
keep doing ; no man ever rose to greatness that talked about great¬ 
ness ; genius is a great capacity for taking trouble. “ Every man 
has two educations—that which is given to him and the other that he 
gives himself. Of the two kinds the latter is far the most valuable ; 
indeed, all that is most worthy in a man he must work out and con¬ 
quer for himself. It is this that constitutes our real and best 
nourishment. What we are really taught seldom nourishes the mind 
like that which we teach ourselves.” 
Finally, be assured all ye young gardeners, we who are older and 
who point out your failings and weaknesses are not your worst 
friends. You will find as you go on in life that he is our worst 
friend who is always telling us what fine fellows we are and how 
clever we are. Personally I, with three young people belonging to 
me, aged respectively twenty-one, nineteen, seventeen, am only 
giving in public the same advice I give in private, and though 
they are not gardeners, I am thankful to say not being drawn to 
my profession, and I considering that it is very much overstocked, 
yet counsels of industry, thrift, economy of time as well as money, 
and warnings against present day allurements, are applicable 
to all young folks in whatever tate of life they may be. 
I say again, as I never lose an opportunity of saying, that it is 
largely due to the excellent advice of the old writers in the Cottage 
Gardener and Journal of Horticulture that I owe my present satis¬ 
factory position. I repeat, my satisfactory gardening position. 
I do not say high position. Once I was as ambitious as any other 
young man, but the faithful teachings I received in these pages, and 
my own observations, soon taught me that it is not the highest 
positions in the gardening world that are the most satisfactory, or 
where a man may be most useful and comfortable in life. Wherever 
I was I always strove to do the best I could, and if everyone will 
do that honestly, his position in life that he is best fitted for will 
surely come to him sooner or later ; and the best he can do is to go 
on doing the duty that lies nearest to him, and he will find that the 
next duty will reveal itself. If it should be that there are two ways 
lying before him, both of which look like duty, let him choose the 
roughest. The Editor is now looking for the signature. Here it is 
again.-—H., Notts. 
[On page 65 we intimated that two letters then in hand on this 
subject would be published, but for others we feared space would not 
be available. Notwithstanding that intimation still more communi¬ 
cations have reached us, and we have deferred the publication of the 
reply of “ H., Notts," in the hope of finding room for them. We 
have failed in doing so ; and as many articles await insertion, and as 
the two letters promised appeared on pages 84 and 85, we can no 
longer delay the reply of our Notts correspondent. Further discussion 
on this subject must be necessarily postponed until the pressure on 
our columns is relieved. It is due to the able “ Young Gardener " who 
made the Shakespearian slip to state that he discovered his mistake, 
but his correction reached us just too late for insertion.] 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
lomatoes .—These are gaining favour annually, and many who knew 
little of them a few years ago are now anxious to grow them well and 
extensively. Ripe fruits may be had under glass from Easter until 
Christmas, and in the open air from July until November. The be9t way 
to grow them under glass in early spring and late autumn is to treat 
them like Cucumbers ; but they may be grown under glass throughout 
the summer without any artificial heat. Seed should be sown now to 
produce plants for all purposes. As a yellow variety of the finest flavour 
Carters’ Prolific is unsurpassed, Vick’s Criterion is very early, Crossling s 
Glamorgan remarkably free, and Trentham Fillbasket and Reading Per¬ 
fection are also good. As a rule the seed germinates freely, and a large 
quantity need not be sown to raise a few dozen plants. About two dozen 
seeds may be sown in a G-inoh pot, and the plants potted as required till 
they are ready for planting out, or many fine early Tomatoes may be 
gathered from plants grown in 10-inch and 12-inch pots. 
Potatoes .—Seed Potatoes are now forming young growths, and where 
they are thickly stored in mounds those at the bottom will suffer. The 
best of all ways is to spread the seed tubers in a single layer in a light 
airy place, and let the young shoots form if they will. Apple-rooms are 
becoming empty, and the shelves there are capital places on which to lay 
out the seed Potatoes. Ours are annually subjected to this treatment, 
and they have always robust shoots about 1 inch long at planting time. 
A quantity of the earliest varieties may be planted in a south border or 
at the bottom of a south wall or hedge. The sets of kidneys should never 
be cut. Plant in rich soil and cover the sets 4 inches deep, but never 
plant unless the weather and soil are favourable. 
Potatoes in Frames .—These are now growing rapidly. Protect them 
carefully from frost, and add surface soil where the young tubers are too 
near the light. Thin the stems where they are crowded. Two strong 
growths will be more valuable and productive than eight or ten that are 
weakly. Admit air when the sun is shining. 
Radishes— French Breakfast and Wood’s Early Frame varieties should 
be sown on a sheltered border ; a small bed will suffice. Frequent sow¬ 
ings in small quantities are the most satisfactory. Those coming up in 
frames should be thinned to 2 inches apart. Ventilate freely m all 
favourable weather. Winter varieties may be cleared off the ground as 
soon as the spring plants are ready. _ 
Cauliflowers .—Those wintered under handlights and in frames must 
now be hardened-off as the weather will allow, as they should be quite 
hardy before being transferred to the open borders. Keep the lights off 
altogether on fine days, and when the nights are not very cold only put 
them on partially. Sow seed in gentle heat, and if the plants are grown 
without being checked it is astonishing how rapidly they will come on., 
Kidney Beans .—Sow these in frames, pots, or boxes. Osborns 
Forcing is still the favourite. Put pieces of birch to those coming into 
fruit to keep the plants up. Gather the pods before they become aged, 
so as not to check the development of the young ones. Keep plants in 
bloom in a dry atmosphere until the pods are formed. Encourage young 
plants by giving them more root room. A rich soil and a temperature of 
65° or 70° advances them rapidly now. 
Brussels Sprouts .—A pinch of seed may be sown in a pot or box to 
produce a few scores of plants for early use or exhibition. Do not force 
them on in any way, but merely keep them steadily growing. A frame 
will forward the plants some weeks before any can be raised in the open 
Garlic .—-This may be put out now. Treat it as advised ballots 
a fortnight ago. . . . 
Carrots .—French Horn and English Horn varieties may bei own in a 
border. The soil must be moderately rich, open, and free from grubs. 
Sow in rows 1 foot apart, fill up the drills over the seed with sand, and 
tread or roll in. Young Carrots in frames now require more air, and 
many of them will be benefited by being thinned. 
Stored Roots .—Carrots and Beetroot stored in sheds are now pushing 
growths from the crowns, and as these destroy the qualities of the roots 
they must be kept rubbed off before they have gained any great propor¬ 
tions. Turn over the roots, remove those decaying, and store afresh all 
that are good, as it will yet be some time before young produce can be 
mad in quantity. 
^ORKFoijTHE WEEK.. 
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