December 30, 1880.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 589 
at this conclusion after many experiments for the purpose of 
selecting the best wire for the manufacture of Pea hurdles. 
“ W. W.” is undoubtedly right. Old galvanised wire is decidedly 
much less injurious than new, and some wire is almost certainly 
innocuous. This I have proved by experiment this summer, and 
I have seen the same result on a large scale in a garden in Surrey. 
A short wall was covered with two or three old Peach trees secured 
to galvanised wire ; a year or two ago the wall was lengthened 
considerably, young trees planted and new wire used ; this new 
wire injured the growths that touched it, while the growths 
attached to the old wire on the old portion of the wall were not 
atfected in any way. This is a clear demonstration of the dif¬ 
ference between some old and some new wire. On this aspect of 
the question it may perhaps be useful to record that my intelli¬ 
gent artisan friend states, that if new wire must be used it ought 
to be placed in water for a few days, and it will be much less 
liable to do injury to Vines or trees. The accuracy of this state¬ 
ment I have not proved, yet the man’s idea is not an unreasonable 
one; but I have proved that wire two years old and partially 
oxidised has scarcely left a mark on the Vine shoots that were 
carefully tied to it, while new wire has corroded them deeply. 
The question of tight or careless tying is wholly out of court in 
the case under notice, as the utmost care was taken and special 
means adopted guarding against this contingency or abrasion ; in 
fact, all the shoots were tied alike and examined daily. For a 
number of years I attributed the injury that I read about to the 
above cause, as I had none myself where this wire was used. I 
am forced, then, against my previous convictions that the so-called 
galvanised wire is injurious under certain conditions, and I am 
convinced that the writers who have adduced testimony to that 
effect have not been mistaken. 
Although I think the evidence of an intelligent flower-loving, 
wire-making artisan worthy of publication in connection with 
this subject, andwTiile I think there may possibly be some grounds 
for the views he entertains, I do not consider that the absorption 
by the iron of the acid and its subsequent release satisfactorily 
accounts in all cases for the injury that has been done by the use 
of the wire. I have rendered his ideas as clearly as possible. 
They are, at the least, not illogical, and they open up a fresh line 
of thought in the consideration of a subject of a very debateable 
nature. 
I will pursue the question further, for although it is admittedly 
difficult, yet it is of considerable importance to all who are engaged 
in the cultivation of plants and fruit. — J. Weight. 
(To be continued ) 
ECKLINVILLE SEEDLING APPLE. 
Mr. Witherspoon, on page 549, asks for information respect¬ 
ing the history of this Apple. If your correspondent refers to the 
last edition of the “Fruit Manual,” he will find on page 49 the 
following note :—“The tree was raised at Ecklinville, four miles 
from Portaferry, and eighteen from Belfast, by a Scotch gardener 
of the name of Logan, more than half a century ago, and it is 
now extensively grown in Ireland and the south of Scotland.” It 
has possibly spread from Scotland into Durham, and Mr. Wither¬ 
spoon appears to have a quick eye for what is good, hence his 
approval of the excellent and very useful Apple. It is a market 
variety of the first order, as the trees come into bearing quickly 
and bear abundance of fruit of good appearance and quality. It 
may be grown successfully in the form of bushes on the Paradise 
stock, which is, perhaps, the best plan, or as standards on the 
Crab. It is a valuable and profitable variety, and should be freely 
planted.— A Market Grower. 
THE HORTICULTURAL ASPECT OF 1880. 
There are various ways in which we may look back on the 
year that is now closing around us. The thoughtful cannot regard 
the lapse of time without serious reflection as to the way in which 
it has been used or abused. The merchant, the politician, the 
student all have their way of taking stock of the past and of 
forming their plans for the future. Why not, then, the horticul¬ 
turist ? and by that term I would imply all who love and take 
interest in a garden, regardless of whether their love is a scientific 
one or not. In fact I am inclined to think that they who have 
less of science iD their horticulture have more of love for it. They 
work and plod on in their own quiet way, and get perhaps more 
enjoyment out of their garden than does the man who knows all 
theories and understands all the arcana of science ; and it is well 
that it is so, for the latter are few, while the former are a mighty 
multitude. As one, then, who has a real love for a garden, and 
has, moreover, opportunities of seeing and hearing much concern¬ 
ing horticulture, I would give a cursory view of the past year in a 
horticultural point of view. 
We can hardly write of a year’s horticulture without thinking of 
the Royal Horticultural Society ; and I am sure everybody must 
admire the pluck and energy with which it holds on its way despite 
of all the difficulties it has to contend with. The incubus of the 
debenture-holders and the threatened action of the Law Courts 
have no power to make their able Secretary less cheery or their 
Council less confident. I remember some years ago when its affairs 
were at its worst, and “our Doctor” boldly essayed its secretary¬ 
ship, I compared him to Curtius leaping into the gulf of the Forum. 
The comparison does not, however, hold good, for the gulf finished 
Curtius but the secretaryship has not finished the Doctor, but 
has rather given him a new lease. Happily now the unseemly 
squabbles that once disfigured it, the “ cliqueism ” which was 
rampant, and the many pitfalls that surrounded it on all sides, 
have vanished. It is probable some of these days that it will get 
rid of a portion of the white elephant, leaving only the tusks for 
itself— i.c., a large portion of the garden, which is indeed the 
delight of nurserymaids, but, as far as one can see, of no other 
earthly use, may be sold and the Society set free. It is gratifying 
to see how the confidence of the horticultural public is steadily 
given to it. Is a new flower, fruit, or vegetable raised, it finds its 
way there ; and then how loyal, amidst much to discourage them, 
have the great metropolitan and suburban nurserymen been ! 
One thing is, I think, however, to be deplored—the Society is Itoyal 
only in name : rarely do any of the members of the Royal Family 
visit its exhibitions and cheer its hard-working Council with their 
aid. I do not stop to compare this with the manner in which the 
members of foreign Royal Families support their horticultural 
shows. But almost anything else in our own country seems to 
enjoy the sunshine of Royal favour. Races, regattas, agricultural 
exhibitions, American midgetts, &e., all these are patronised, but 
not the Royal Horticultural Society. It is too much to hope that 
this may be bettered in the future. Of course horticulture ought 
to support its Society without this favour, but still a breath of 
encouragement from these high latitudes has an invigorating 
effect. 
A considerable change has come over the fashion of gardening 
which has received a great impetus during the last year, I mean 
the decline of the bedding-out system. In every direction I have 
seen beds turfed over, and lamentations over the time and money 
that the bedding-out system wastes ; but I think a word of warn¬ 
ing on this point is necessary. We are a people of extremes. The 
swing of the pendulum is wide, and when it has gone to the 
utmost limit in one direction it is apt to go off to the other. Some 
few years ago maidens and matrons enveloped themselves in 
hideous crinolines, so that we poor mortals had a difficulty in 
finding sitting room in a railway carriage or in a pew in church ; 
now they swathe themselves so tightly that they have the diffi¬ 
culty in sitting, not we. The dear creatures wore what they 
called bonnets, but it was hard to believe they had anything on 
their heads ; now they are gradually coming back to the old poke, 
in the deep recesses of which they hide their faces. And so it is 
in gardening. The bedding-out system invaded every place. The 
nobleman and the squire set the example, and then parsons in 
their country vicarages, citizens in their suburban retreats, farmers, 
doctors, all went in for it. Lawns were destroyed, small front 
gardens were made to look ridiculous, and even the cottager in 
our quiet country villages rooted out his Primroses, Aconites, and 
Lilies in order that he might, like his neighbours, have a few 
Mrs. Pollock or yellow Calceolarias. Now this is all altering, and 
one great ally has come in to help in the change—lawn tennis. 
Everybody must have this. Like the boys with their tops and 
hoops, children of a larger growth are so delighted with their new 
toy that they must have some place to play it in. Hence the 
lawn has resumed its place, and to some extent the herbaceous 
border has been introduced. But, as I have said, we are in danger 
of rushing into extremes. For our large places and for public 
gardens nothing can be better adapted than the bedding-out 
system. The Luxembourg at Paris is the only public place where 
I have seen the mixed border used, and it is the least effective for 
display of all their public parks ; but if kept within due bounds 
I am sure most people will rejoice at the change, gardeners most 
of all. I think carpet bedding and lawn tennis have together 
given the coup de grace to the system. 
Horticulture is, if we may judge from the many signs we 
see, widening its area, and the more it does so the better for our 
people. I am not quite sure whether amongst our great people 
there is not a diminution in its interest. We have seen several 
large collections of Orchids and other plants dispersed during the 
past year, while the “ return for my money ” principle seems to 
be extending. ' I am very sorry I cannot go round, the houses 
