2 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c January 5,1882 
being pulled down and trees planted in the broad ways. While 
in beautiful Bath, perhaps the most handsome street in England 
—viz., Pulteney Street, will have its beauty increased by a row 
of trees on each side ; while one of the great charms of Chel¬ 
tenham has for years been the rows of trees growing in the 
streets. Thus on all hands we see how the gardener is making 
his way, not only near but into the very heart of our metro¬ 
polis and big towns. May he go on in his beneficent work, 
giving pleasure and promoting health. 
We are yet far behind some other nations in the general cul¬ 
tivation of flowers. Take, for instance, the description given 
by a traveller of Tunis in Africa, where now, alas! a Euro¬ 
pean power is carrying on war. Speaking of the carnival there 
one writes —“ Not only were there, as is usual at such times, 
lines of carriages filled with well-dressed ladies and pretty 
children, but the vehicles of all sorts were piled with bouquets, 
and there was a perfect storm of flowers in the air. There 
were the boys—real street arabs—darting in and out among 
the carriage wheels, picking up the fallen flowers to pelt each 
other ; but one flower, often the freshest and handsomest, was 
invariably reserved by the lucky finder for his own personal 
decoration and refreshment. The Tunisian Arabs have a pas¬ 
sion for flowers, and as soon as their spring commences even 
the poorest and raggedest maybe seen with a delicately scented 
blossom stuck above his ear, the stalk resting amid the folds 
of his turban, and the flower projecting forwards over his dark 
cheek. These people will almost go without bread to buy 
flowers; and there is something in the sight of a gaunt toil- 
worn Arab, whose garments consist of coarse sacking and a 
ragged old turban, yet with a bunch of delicate spring blossoms 
drooping their cool freshness against his swarthy cheek, which 
stirs a strange mingling of sympathy, and pity, and admiration." 
Such is the love of the Tunisian for flowers ; may an equal 
love grow and prosper in the heart of Englishmen. 
That last word brings us home, and to home thoughts and 
duties. This has in England been a grand fruit season, espe¬ 
cially as regards the hardy, and therefore more useful fruits. 
Let me quote words which have already appeared in this 
Journal, words from the Boyal Commissioners on Agriculture 
—“The cultivation of fruit may with great advantage be ex¬ 
tended, more particularly Strawberries, Raspberries, Currants, 
and Gooseberries. There need be no limit to their growth in 
consequence of the demand from jam factories in London, 
Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and other large places. Some 
of these factories make 15 tons daily, and it is calculated that 
at least 400 tons are made daily throughout the fruit season, 
including all parts of the kingdom. The Board of Trade re¬ 
turns show that the raw fruit imported into this country in 1876 
amounted to 9,379,779 bushels, valued at £1,218,625. Why 
should we not grow, as far as our climate will allow us, a large 
portion of the fruits required in the future ?" Why should we 
not, indeed ? 
And now before I draw to a conclusion I must say a few 
words to young men, to young gardeners especially. I hope 
all read with care and pleasure—I did with both—the auto¬ 
biography of Mr. Pettigrew, which with excellent taste and 
■worthy motives, I am sure, he gave us in the number for Sep¬ 
tember 8th. Turn to it, young men, if you chance to have 
missed or forgotten that article. From that autobiography let 
me draw a few lessons for use. Mark Mr. Pettigrew’s regrets 
upon thinking of the three years he wasted at the beginning of 
his life—regrets for years wasted. Then he records that he 
left that place “a conceited young man." So true it is that 
ignorance is the father of conceit, knowledge of modesty. 
Then mark how improvement came. He met with young men, 
lads of only nine months’ apprenticeship, who knew more than 
he did after his three years. This discovery made him work. 
He read good and improving books—works that taught him to 
use correct English. Next came a delight in studying works 
of horticulture. Knowledge went on increasing; he read 
scientific works on his own profession, then books of a wider 
range. No wasting of time now ; no regrets ; but he writes 
—so “ two years of my glorious youthful prime were spent 
(mark the word), net wasted, at Hampstead.” Mr. Pettigrew 
made himself agreeable to those with whom he came in contact ; 
this raised in others an interest in him. Notice that, young 
men. I like what he says—“I owe a great deal to Mr. Thom¬ 
son of Clovenfords, more to his first wife, who was an excellent 
woman, and interested in my welfare." She would not have 
been had he not made himself agreeable. Cultivate that gift 
of being agreeable to all. A good woman, too, helped him. 
Women, always more unselfish than men, give youths who be¬ 
have well and strive hard many a word and look for their good 
—words of advice and looks of encouragement to labour on. 
But let us go on. See next how study gave power to write for 
the press. This brought Mr. Pettigrew into notice. He had his 
ups and downs in various situations, his trials and sorrows, as 
we all have ; but by perseverance and cultivating the gift of 
pleasing he is able to write—“As I had not failed to please 
other employers, so I was determined always to please." Study 
and industry bring him at length to be able to be his owfl 
master. “ He builds his dwelling-house and greenhouse in his 
own nursery, and works hard and does well." Now, young 
gardeners, read this autobiography aright, which means for 
your own benefit, and I say, As he did, so do—“ Go, thou, and 
do likewise." 
And now my space—the space kindly given me for now 
eighteen years—must, I feel, be almost exceeded. I thank 
the Editor for thus allowing me once a year an opportunity of 
saying a kindly word and giving words of advice, a little out 
of the usual run of gardening articles, but always, as I have 
found, received, as I give them, with feelings of regard. 
I cannot do better than conclude with one of the best and 
most comprehensive of wishes for the season—“ Many happy 
new years to all ; unbroken friendships ; great accumulation 
of cheerful recollections ; affection on earth, and heaven at 
last." —Wiltshire Rector. 
POINSETTIA PULCHERRIMA. 
Of all winter-flowering plants I know none to equal Poinsettias, 
and it is surprising they are not grown in greater numbers than 
they are at the present time. We have a lean-to house full of 
them, and during the last fortnight they have been most imposing, 
with hundreds of bright vermilion bracts in heads averaging 
16 to 18 inches in diameter. They are also useful for cutting for 
indoor decoration, as, although when cut with a long stem they 
soon flag, if their heads are taken off close under the bracts, 
or these are taken separately and employed in low glasses or flat 
dishes, they will keep well for more than a week. A pretty effect 
is produced when the bracts are employed entire and laid on flat 
dishes which have been previously covered with Selaginellas, a 
few white Chrysanthemums and Roman Hyacinths or Lily of the 
Valley being sparingly intermixed with a margin of Maidenhair 
Fern, and a few sprays of Briza minima or other grasses placed 
lightly over the whole, as the bright colour of the Poinsettia con¬ 
trasts so charmingly with the white cloth of the dinner table, and 
is also a decided change from the orthodox mode of arrangement. 
After flowering the plants are stored away under a stage in an 
intermediate house and kept dry at the roots. About the end of 
March or beginning of April they are brought out and the tops 
are cut off, but only down to well-ripened wood, the object 
being to have as many eyes on the plant as possible. They are 
then started in a temperature of about 55° or 60° without repot¬ 
ting, and syringed three or four times a day to enable them to 
break freely. The top bud will start first. When the young growths 
are about 6 inches long a close frame is prepared in a Cucumber 
or other warm house. The required number of 3-inch pots are 
filled with a mixture of sharp sand and leaf soil finely sifted. 
When all is ready the cuttings are taken off with a sharp knife, 
each cutting having a piece of the old wood or a heel attached. 
They are then inserted one in each pot and plunged in the frame 
before prepared, well watered, and the light placed on. Care 
must be taken that the cuttings do not flag. The frame is kept 
close and the cuttings syringed morning and evening. In about 
a fortnight they will be rooted and may be gradually exposed. 
By that time the plants will have produced more shoots, which 
will be ready to be taken and treated as above. Thus about a 
dozen old plants will produce a hundred or more cuttings. 
When the pots are well filled with roots we repot the plants into 
6 or 7-inch pots, employing a compost of two parts good fibrous 
loam, one part leaf soil, and one part decayed manure and sharp 
sand. 
A moderate hotbed of fresh manure and leaves is then pre¬ 
pared in an ordinary brick frame, such as is used for Cucumbers 
in summer. The pots are plunged in the bed and the lights 
