July 12, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
33 
Strawberries are ripe, which is usually the end of May, the women who 
gather the fruit assemble in the Strawberry garden in the morning as soon 
as it is light, which at that time of the year is between three and four 
o’clock, and commence plucking the fruit. The best fruit, which is 
gathered earliest in the morning, is taken to the packing-room and carefully 
put in pottle baskets; fifty or sixty of these are placed in a large basket, 
and before seven o’clock in the morning a number of women are dispatched 
to the metropolis, each with one of these larger baskets, which she carries 
on the top of her head, with only a small cushion to make the pressure of 
the weight equal over the upper surface of the head. The weight of the 
baskets and fruit is from 30 to 40 lbs., and sometimes even more. 
_ 4< A party of these carriers then set off with their burdens, walking at a 
quick pace, and occasionally running, so that they generally accomplish 
five miles in an hour during their journey. And it is pleasing to observe 
with what skill and address, from habit, they manage their head-loads, as they 
are called, seldom having occasion to hold them with their hands. The 
burden being placed at the top of the head makes it necessary for the 
carriers to keep a very upright posture in walking, so much so that young 
persons in higher ranks of life have been corrected of a bad habit of 
stooping by being made to walk with a small weight on their heads, 
without being allowed to touch it with their hands, in imitation of these 
poor women. When men occasionally carry the fruit they have a shoulder- 
knot similar to those used by porters, so that part of the weight rests on 
the shoulder and part on the head, but by this mode of conveyance the 
fruit is generally more injured than when carried by women. 
“ The carriers arrive at the principal fruiterers in London early enough 
mr their customers to be supplied with fruit gathered the same morning. 
The same women sometimes proceed with a second load to London even 
when the Strawberry ground is situated seven or eight miles from the 
fruiterers. The employment of females as carriers of fruit is within the 
last three or four years greatly diminished by some of the largest Strawberry 
growers having established light kinds of cars, hung on very pliable springs, 
like those used for coaches, and drawn by a quick-paced horse ; one of these 
cars carries about twenty baskets, each of which would be a load for a 
woman. Though this mode is a considerable saving of expense yet it 
does not convey the fruit in such perfection as when carried on the 
head. The fruit not sent by these two methods is conveyed in carts with 
springs during the night to London for the early markets, which commence 
at daybreak, and is sold wholesale by the gardeners to the various retailers 
of fruit. 
. “ Connected with the supplying of Strawberries to the metropolis is a very 
ingenious manufacture, that of pottle-baskets. These are made by women 
and children. The women prepare the wood by steeping it in water and 
splitting according to the parts of the basket it is designed to form. Then 
the most skilful arrange the slips of wood, which form the upright supports 
of the basket, and fix them in their place by weaving the bottom part. The 
sides are woven by children with pliable strips of wood, and the top is 
bound over by the more accustomed workwomen. If any of our readers 
will take the pains to examine one of these baskets they will feel surprised 
that it has passed through several hands in making, and the wood been 
purchased and prepared, and yet that it is still supplied to the gardener at the 
rate of about 6<7. the dozen. The baskets are formed of the wood of the 
Fir or Willow tree, the latter is the best. The manufacture of them is 
carried on by the poor at their own homes in the towns near the Straw¬ 
berry gardens, particularly at Brentford. 
“the women employed in gathering and conveying Strawberries to 
London cannot be estimated at less, during the time they are in season, 
than 2000 persons. Part of these are the inhabitants of the adjacent 
towns, but a great number of them are young women who migrate annually 
from Worcestershire, Shropshire, and Wales, and after the Strawberries, 
Raspberries, Currants, and Gooseberries are passed, return to the country 
in time to assist at the harvest, having usually during their migration saved 
enough to buy a good stock of clothes and to lay by some money towards 
their support during the following winter.” 
[Far more than 2000 persons are now engaged in gathering Strawberries 
for London, but they do not carry them to the market. Kent is now the 
great centre of production. Last Friday one grower alone sent 20 tons to 
London, and his daily consignments have since probably doubled that 
amount. This same grower, Mr. Vinson, in additiop to his London trade, 
sent 117 tons to Manchester and Liverpool last year. We have geen crops 
near Swanley that have been sold by the cultivator this year for £60 per 
acre, the purchaser gathering them and incurring all risk. If any of our 
readers have not been to Swanley let them call at once on Mr. Cannell, 
and with the flowers in his nursery and the fruit all round it, they will see 
sufficient in a few hours to think about for years ; but if the present hot 
weather continues (there has been no rain around Swanley) the Strawberry 
season must be very short this season, and the bulk of the crop will be 
gathered this week.] 
EOYAL AQUARIUM ROSE AND STRAWBERRY SHOW. 
July 4th. 
The Royal Aquarium Company offered very liberal prizes for Rose 
blooms and Strawberries, which might have been expected to bring a greater 
number of competitors together than was the case, particularly as the date 
chosen for the Show was a most suitable one both for the flowers and the 
fruit. Two classes were devoted to Roses—one for seventy-two blooms 
confined to nurserymen, the other for forty-eight blooms to be shown by 
amateurs. Three prizes were offered in each class, those for nurserymen 
being £15, £7, and £5, while the amateurs’ prizes were £10, £5, and £3. In 
the first-named the leading award was secured by Mr. C. Turner, Slough, 
who had a collection of beautiful varieties, the blooms generally being of 
good substance, though a few weak examples were observable, which looked 
as if they had figured at Kensington on the previous day, and the same 
remark might be applied to each of the other stands. Some of Mr. Turner’s 
best blooms were Duchess of Bedford, Star of Waltham, Mrs. Baker, A. K. 
Williams, Horace Vernet, Baronne de Rothschild, Edouard Morren, Alfred 
Colomb, Madame C. Crapelet, and Madame Gabriel Luizet. Mr. B. R. Cant, 
Colchester, followed, a magnificent bloom of A. K. Williams being very 
remarkable in his box. Innocente Pirola, Le Havre, Auguste Rigotard, and 
Mons. E. Y. Teas were nearly as fine. Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, were 
third with a neat collection that ran Mr. Cant very close for the second 
prize, as the blooms were fresh and bright. Several stands of Roses not for 
competition were also contributed by Mr. H. Bennett of Shepperton, who 
bad fine examples of his new gold-medal Rose Her Majesty, Lady Mary 
Fitzwilliam, Mary Bennett, and Earl of Pembroke. Messrs. Cranston <fe Co., 
Hereford, exhibited boxes of Teas and Hybrid Perpetual Roses, the former 
being especially good. 
In the amateurs’ class there were four competitors, Mr. G. W. Girdlestone 
securing the chief honours with a beautiful stand, comprising Beauty of 
Stapleford, Prince Arthur, Marie Rady, Catherine Mermet in grand 
condition, Charles Lefebvre, Camille Bernardin, and A. K. Williams 
extremely bright. The Rev. E. Fellowes was a close second witjh fresh 
richly coloured blooms, Star of Waltham, Baronne de Rothschild, and the 
favourite A. K. Williams being the most prominently noteworthy varieties. 
Mr. G. Rushmore took the third position with smaller but clean and neat 
blooms. 
Strawberries were contributed by six growers, the prizes being £3, £2, 
and 10s. for three dishes, distinct varieties. First honours were secured by 
Mr. C. Herrin, Gerrard’s Cross, who had Sir Joseph Paxton very fine, 
some of the fruits 2J inches in diameter. President and Empress Eugenie 
also were large. Mr. J. Smith, Romford, followed with Sir Joseph Paxton, 
even and richly coloured ; Dr. Hogg, good ; and British Queen. Mr. 
Meadmore, Romford, being third with James Veitch, Sir J. Paxton, 
and Rifleman, even but scarcely sufficiently coloured. Mr. T. Sharpe, 
Chertsey, showed boxes of Prince Arthur, British Queen, and Comte de 
Paris, very good. Mr. Bennett, Potter’s Bar, exhibited baskets of Straw¬ 
berries, Peaches, Tomatoes, Nectarines, and Grapes. 
SUTTON ROSE SHOW. 
July 6th. 
It will not surprise anyone who has watched the vigorous proceedings 
of this young Society, that in writing of its second Show one should have to 
report that it had already made a very forward step towards not maintaining 
but also increasing its position. When a Society—knowing that the place 
in which its operations are carried on is of a peculiar character, that the soil 
is not a naturally good one for Roses—issues a pamphlet in which sound 
and practical advice is given by which these difficulties can be overcome : 
when, during the winter months, in order to keep the esprit du corps alive, 
the members meet together at a grand dinner at the Cafb Royal, under the 
presidency of that valued friend of horticulture Sir Trevor Lawrence, we 
may be sure that nothing would be wanting to insure success in their Show ; 
and when to this it is added that a most liberal schedule is issued—sufficient 
to tempt amongst nurserymen Messrs. Cranston, Cant, Turner, Paul <fe Son, 
Piper, (fee., and amongst amateurs such growers as Mr. Slaughter (the 
champion of the year), Messrs. Cutbush and Mawley, the Rev. Alan Cheales, 
&c., we might naturally expect a goodly gathering of Roses. And so it fell 
out. But as all things cannot be expected to go exactly right, so it fell out 
this year that the Show was too late for the local growers, and consequently 
they were not in the running, as they ought to have been, and there was not 
that improvement in the local classes which was so manifest at Cardiff, 
Mr. Ernest Wilkins, the indefatigable Secretary of the Society, who carried 
off the challenge cup last year, being hardly able to show at all; but, with* 
this drawback, the Show was in every other respect a most excellent one. 
The day was very favourable, the hall in which it was held looked exceed¬ 
ingly well, and it was a great treat to all lovers of the Rose ; and, if one may 
judge from the large number of visitors who thronged it during the after¬ 
noon, must have been a great success. 
As the classes for amateurs are those which are most interesting to the 
general bulk of the readers of the Journal, I give in detail an account of 
most of the winning stands. Mr. A. Slaughter took the chief prize with an 
excellent stand containing some truly magnificent flowers. The varieties 
were La France, Dr. Andrd, Charles Lefebvre, Le Havre, Capitaine Christy, 
General Jacqueminot, Baronne de Rothschild, Camille Bernardin, Marquise 
de Castellane, Duchesse de Yallombrosa, Marie Rady, a grand bloom ; John 
Stuart Mill, Madame Gabriel Luizet, Comtesse d’Oxford, Mons. E. Y. Teas, 
Madame Charles Crapelet, Anna Ollivier, Marbchal Niel, Duke of Teck, 
Belle Lyonnaise, Marie Baumann, a splendid flower ; Souvenir d’un Ami, and 
A. K. Williams. This was a magnificent bloom—the finest I have yet seen 
anywhere this year, and deservedly gained the National Rose Society’s 
silver medal for the best bloom in the Show. In the class for eighteen 
Mr. Stone of Reigate was first with fine blooms of Duke of Edinburgh, 
Capitaine Christy, Marie Rady, La France, Marie Baumann, Marie Finger, 
Madame Yictor Yerdier, Madame Lacharme, Madame Joigneaux, White 
Baroness, a very fine pure white flower ; Franqois Michelon, Franqois Thuger, 
a good Tea Rose I do not remember to have seen ; Madame Gabriel Luizet, 
Madame Lambard, Jean Ducher, Star of Waltham, and Marechal Niel. In 
the class for twelve blooms Mr. Cuthell was well first with fine blooms of 
Etienne Levet, Marie Baumann, Alfred Colomb, Capitaine Christy, Senateur 
Vaisse, Mrs. Baker, Marie Yerdier, Royal Standard, Marquise de Castellane, 
Marie Rady, Gabriel Luizet, and Devienne Lamy. In the class for nine 
blooms the Rev. Alan Cheales was first with beautifully finished blooms of 
Marie Baumann, Capitaine Christy, Star of Waltham, Madame Yictor 
Yerdier, Charles Lefebvre, Madame Gabriel Luizet, Marie Baumann, William 
Kaelle, and Dupuy Jamain. Mr. E. Mawley was second with a hardly in¬ 
ferior stand, consisting of Marie Baumann, Marquise de Castellane, Charles 
Lefebvre, Comtesse d’Oxford, Dr. Andrd, Countess of Rosebery, Duke of 
Wellington, Madame Eugene Yerdier, and Due de Montpensier. In the 
class for six the first prize was withheld. The second was won by the Rev. 
