264 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t September 22 , wai. 
fully grown, and more than likely too old for use, and so long as 
these are on the plants few young fruits will ever swell to a useful 
size after this time. For some years past we have cut every old 
fruit from our Vegetable Marrow plants about the middle of Sep¬ 
tember, and after that they appear to take fresh life, as they 
bloom freely and form many fruit, which can be bad in the most 
delicate state during October and sometimes in November. At 
the present time we have a stock of young Vegetable Marrows 
coming on our plants, as if it was the month of July, and all we 
do to secure them is, as we have said, removing all old fruits. 
Those who have not tried this plan should do so at once, and they 
will be more than satisfied with the result before many weeks 
are past.—J. Muir. 
A WEEK IN BELGIUM. 
[THE SECOND DAY.] 
This was the Show day at Antwerp, or rather the day of pre¬ 
parations, for all great events open on Sundays in Belgium. We 
shall never have time in England for preparing so deliberately 
for a show' as they do “ over the water.” With us all is hurry, 
rush, and work ; with them it is steady yet thorough enjoyment. 
This is in brief the routine : We first sip wine for two hours until 
the jurymen are ready, or the plants are ready for examination ; 
then we work for two hours very pleasantly, then engage in lun¬ 
cheon for two or three hours more, and afterwards—but this un¬ 
officially—retiih to the outside of a cafd and drink coffee from 
glasses. This latter practice is quite an institution, and origi¬ 
nated with a detachment of the French army which found itself 
in a position where coffee was plentiful but cups scarce ; glasses 
were, however, within reach, and the coffee was so much enjoyed 
in them that the custom became established. By the way, I could 
not help fancying that had we so fixed ourselves in London and 
all the foot passengers had to step into the road to pass on their 
way, that some officious personage might have considered we were 
obstructing the footpath. But they are not so particular in Ant¬ 
werp, at least in some parts of it where the streets arc wide ; and 
as for the cafes, they appear to be under much less restrictions 
than our taverns, for they can keep open for a week if they like, 
and gentle and simple mix together in them, classism being deci¬ 
dedly less pronounced there than here. After the show comes 
the banquet, at which there is a pleasant gathering of horticul¬ 
turists, and laudatory speeches elicit responsive “ bravos,” which 
are at least as euphonious as our jerky English “ hear hears,” 
especially when they degenerate into “ yaw yaws,” as they do in 
some assemblies. Such is a slight sketch of the proceedings in 
connection with a Belgian show, and if those Britishers who are 
there are not happy it is certainly not the fault of their hospi¬ 
table hosts and ever-eourteous friends. 
It has been said that the work in show preparation is more 
deliberate in Belgium than here, yet undoubtedly someone must 
labour diligently ; this is generally the secretary, and in connec¬ 
tion with the Exhibition in question Mr. Van der Linden, who 
occupied that position, worked so assiduously that the result was 
utter prostration on a bed of sickness. The labour and the worry 
of the working officials of shows generally are greater than the 
outside public have any idea of, as many a secretary and manager 
in this country knows to his cost, the last being Mr. Bruce Findlay. 
Let, therefore, no one be unduly severe in their criticism of these 
public servants if every detail is not perfect, but rather let them 
be judged by the general results and on a broad and liberal basis. 
In Belgium military aid is rendered at the horticultural exhi¬ 
bitions. A detachment from the army i3 placed at the disposal 
of the “ architect ” who arranges the plants, and the soldiers, 
trained to obedience, are found very tractable and useful helpers. 
Soldiers, too, guard all the doors, and generally perform the duties 
that policemen do with us, these being mostly, and happily, of an 
ornamental character. 
“ Are the shows crowded with visitors ? ” is a question that has 
been frequently asked of me. I must answer in the negative, 
subject to one important qualification. If the Royal Family visit 
a show in England the public flock there, and it is the same in 
Belgium, only there Royal patronage is more readily granted 
than it is here. If the exhibitions are not attended by Royalty 
there is abundance of room for the plants to be examined without 
the crowding that is seen at a national Rose show or at a Man¬ 
chester Whitsuntide fete. The continental societies are, however, 
pretty well independent of “ gate money,” and the chief object 
of the exhibitions appear to be to afford means for the inter¬ 
communion of friends and the advancement of commercial horti¬ 
culture, which is such an important industry of the nation. 
We now take a-stroll through the town and suburbs—not, how¬ 
ever, this time entering either the churches, many of which are so 
beautiful, the celebrated cathedral, or the museum, which contain 
the masterpieces of Rubens and others of the celehrated old 
Flemish painters—but to look at the trees, shrubs, and flowers. 
The winters in Belgium during the past three years have been 
very intense—quite as severe as with us, judging by results, for 
many of the Planes in the boulevards have been injured, while 
all the Hollies and nearly all the Rhododendrons in gardens and 
nurseries have been killed to the grouud. One of the finest speci¬ 
mens in Europe of the Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) 
in the Zoological Gardens was unfortunately destroyed last winter, 
though it is gratifying to notice that Japanese shrubs and Conifers 
have generalljr passed through the winter with impunity. The 
Golden Catalpa is freely employed in ornamental planting and is 
highly effective, the trees being pollarded annually like Willows ; 
the result is round-headed trees with fine golden leaves. This is 
the best plan also of treating the Golden Elder, and also, as will 
be hereafter shown, of managing that grand shrubbery ornament 
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. Carpet bedding is extending, 
and some of it is good ; but there is a lack of that high finish that 
is apparent in the London parks. The Alternanthevas, however, 
were brilliant in colour ; and the Golden Spergula (S. pilifera 
aurea) formed a more close and satisfactory bright golden carpet 
than can be produced either by the Golden Feather or Golden 
Chickweed, and carpet-bedders might well try this plant in 
England. It was introduced by Mr. Charles Van Geert, and has 
been exhibited by Messrs. Yeitch ; but a few plants in pots afford 
slight index of its appearance as seen established in lines and 
panels. 
Now a glance at domestic floriculture. Famous as Belgium is 
for its nurseries, and great as is the horticultural industry of the 
kingdom, the Belgians as a body do not appear to be a flower- 
loving people to anything like the extent the English are. There 
is none of that beautiful window-sill gardening in Antwerp that 
is growing so rapidly with us, and that forms such an attractive 
feature in many suburban thoroughfares and country homes; 
while window plants there, which are almost exclusively Palms, 
are only seen in hotels and the homes of the well-to-do classes, the 
working population not indulging in the luxury of plants nearly 
to the same extent that is apparent in England. The plants 
offered in the markets, too, are immeasurably inferior to those 
splendid examples of culture that are provided in millions for 
the adornment of British homes. The purchasing power of the 
operative classes in Belgium is much less than in England, and 
there is possibly nothing left for luxuries, or if there is it is cer¬ 
tainly not expended in plants and flowers. As a rule the ordinary 
workers in nurseries and gardens receive about two francs (Is. 8<7.) 
a day from 6 A.M. to 8 P.M., the women earning about a penny 
an hour. Mr. Van Geert, however, has long tried the experiment 
of having no fixed scale in his nurseries, but payment is governed 
by results ; his men are thus encouraged to make their services 
as valuable as possible, knowing they will receive a just reward. 
It is gratifying to learn that this plan answers admirably and 
proves mutually advantageous. 
As the “ second day ” was brought to a close in the establish¬ 
ment just alluded to it may be appropriately, if briefly, described. 
It is not a large nursery—not indeed so large as formerly, but a 
visit under the guidance of the experienced proprietor and his 
skilled son and coadjutor is both pleasant and instructive. It 
was once outside the fortifications, but is now within those for¬ 
midable lines, and the pressure of builders has been irresistible— 
hence the reduction of this and the establishment of a country 
nursery. It is as much like a trial ground or a small botanical 
garden as a nursery, the owner having for his own pleasure col¬ 
lections of various plants, and has spent a long life in conducting 
experiments in culture and instituting comparisons and making 
selections of various plants ; for instance, all the Ceanothuses he 
could obtain hare been recently tried, and now all are discarded 
but three—namely, Gloire de Versailles, blue ; Marie Simon, pink ; 
and Nivens, white. These having been proved to be of sterling 
worth are propagated largely, and beautiful they are for beds, 
borders, or walls. The former is better known in England than 
the two latter, which are particularly chaste, their elegant clusters 
of flowers being admirably adapted for vase decoration. Many 
beautiful variegated trees and shrubs, also ornamental Japanese 
plants, are grown. An Elm (Ulmus media alba-marginata) is as 
striking in the distance as the Variegated Maple, the white so 
greatly predominating and so pure. The tree is of free growth, 
with large leaves, and cannot fail to form a conspicuous object in 
shrubberies and ornamental plantations. Variegated Weigelas 
form bright fringes to larger trees, and Philadelphus coronarius 
variegatus is very clearly margined with white, and would have a 
fine effect in shrubberies. The Golden Box, for edgings and as 
dwarf plants for balconies or the margin of shrubberies, is not 
