September 16, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
251 
The writer of the article must take his opinion from what some green¬ 
grocer tells him, in the neighbourhood of Regent Street or Fleet Street, 
who has to give a month’s or three months’ credit, and send every article 
home after sending for the orders—even if it is a pennywoith of water¬ 
cress—and pay £100 a year rent and taxes. How he gets it he can only 
tell; but his price must not be taken as the general price of vegetables in 
London.” 
- Reverting to the subject our contemporary states :—“ As a 
source ofemploymentforour people, 10 acres of market garden gives more 
employment, and feeds more persons by its cultivation, than 100 acres of 
ordinary tillage, or 1000 acres of grazing ground. It would, therefore, 
appear to be the duty of the Government to do all in its power to en¬ 
courage an art which aims successfully at getting out of the land by the 
expenditure of human labour the greatest possible amount of food. For 
twenty miles around London enormous amounts of fruit and vegetables 
are raised ; these are subject to a comparatively very heavy expense for 
labour, not only while attending the growing crop, but even more when 
preparing it for market. In many instances the labours (fa year spent, 
say, in growing Strawberries or other soft fruit, are worse than thrown 
away by the crop, when it comes to market, being met by a similar crop 
from abroad. In a single train this year 78 tons of Strawberries from 
France reached the London market, and so reduced prices that the money 
produced by the English fruit did not pay even the expense of picking. 
Letters on this subject show the very great uncertainty which, under oar 
present system, attends the growth of fruit and vegetables for the London 
market, caused by the competition of foreigners, whose cost of raising 
them is very small when compared to the rent, tithes, rates, and taxes our 
people are obliged to pay. Every day the competition increases, and as 
railways grow and new steam routes are opened, unless some check be 
placed upon the free importation of fruits and vegetables which can be 
grown here, the extinction of market gardens around London is not far 
off in the future.” 
- Foe ourselves we can only repeat our conviction that the 
advice which is often tendered to agriculturists to convert their farms 
into gardens, and so win prosperity, is dictated by motives of philan¬ 
thropy rather than founded on practical experience. If the most exper t 
of market gardeners do not find their employment lucrative—men who 
are acquainted with the best methods of culture and kinds of vegetables 
that “ take ” in the market, and, moreover, are cognisant of the best 
means of disposing of their produce—how is it possible that the inexpe¬ 
rienced can hope to succeed ? A few favourably situated may make 
u lucky hits,” but the great majority, instead of reaping the reward they 
hope for, will be far more likely to incur loss, it may be serious loss, as 
not a few have done, and bitter disappointment. Fields embracing 
many acres of vegetables are now growing that will never be sold at a 
prefit to the cultivators, and tons of produce will rot on the ground. 
- Hard and Easy Names. — The “American Gardtnsr’s 
Monthly ” says :—“ A florist who is a German does not think the English 
names of plants any easier than Latin ones, and even the English 
names used in florists’ work worry him considerably. He thinks Dutch 
names might be adopted with great advantage by those who think easy 
names a great desideratum. For instance, he thinks the common phrase, 
‘ Florists’ Supplies,’ a terrible word for anyone to pronounce, and he 
would substitute for this, Gartenwerkzengfabrik. While the subject of 
short and easy names is up, this simple word may be worth considering.” 
- From the same paper we cite the following on Roses in Egypt 
—“ 1 B.’ writes: ‘ I enclose a slip that I have just enjoyed from a very 
readable ladies’ article on Roses—‘ Cleopatra, at one of her receptions 
to Marc Antony, caused Roses to be massed on the floor of the hall to a 
depth of 18 inches. It was customary at great outdoor festivals to float 
thousands of Roses on the placid lakes, and to wind garlands of choicest 
blossoms around the trunks of trees. In great and distinct varieties Rose 3 
abound everywhere ; even within the polar circle a variety is found which 
blooms in the midst of snow and ice, and sledges of the Esquimaux, as 
well as their reindeer and sealskins, are often decorated with large double 
Roses. All along the coast of this country indigenous Roses adorn the 
marshes and fields ; these differ in point of colour and in the number tf 
petals, but are alike in odour and general appearance, the five-petal pink 
R se being the most common.’ I find no fault with the lady’s article ; i^ 
is what any graduate of a modern college might have written. But i t 
reminds mo of doubts I have had in my classical readings whether the 
Egyptians ever grew Roses at all. I cannot now recall the passages' 
but I am sure there are some in the ancient writings that imply that they 
imported their Rose flowers, as our country towns now get them from 
the large cities. The Egyptian climate now is unfavourable to Rose 
culture, and I fancy it must have been more so in the past. Again, we 
are finding that our translations are not always correct. It is said that 
Rose should have often been translated ‘ Reed,’ and perhaps the ancient 
Roses of the Egyptians were not Roses as we have them to-day. My 
desire, however, is to suggest that if they had real Roses, and imported 
but did not grow the flowers, their knowledge of the art of transporting j 
cut flowers must have been great for that early time.” The Editor of the 
‘ G. M.” never heard of such a suggestion btf me, and leaves it to those 
versed in the niceties of early Latin or Greek literature to reply, so do we 
GROWING FRUIT FOR MARKET—APPLES ON WALLS. 
The kindly recognition of our genial friend, “ A Thinker,” induces 
me to write explaining that the wall on which the Apples are grown is a 
boundary one, 6 feet 6 inches high, without a projecting coping, and was 
formerly covered with Ivy. The Ivy was removed, and the wall utilised 
for the larger and showier kinds of Apples on the free or Crab stock. 
The trees are fan-trained, and commenced bearing the second year from 
planting. The fruit is much larger, and very much higher coloured than 
the same sorts grown on standards, so much so that they would scarcely 
be taken for the same varieties. The wall Apples are “ beauties ” at 
dessert, and fetch a “ fancy ” price at the fruiterers. These are considera¬ 
tions of importance. Mr. Gladstone Apple from a wall is a very different 
looking fruit to the best from bush or standard ; Gipsy King is vermilion 
itself compared with the brown dirty wash of fruit in the open ; and The 
Queen is truly regal with the shelter of the wall. The fruiterers like 
them for their shops ; they must “ dress,” and the better it is done the 
greater the attraction. The “sensational” fruit sells in and out of the 
shops, many persons being willing to pay for what is extra good. It pays 
to grow “toppers”—even Apples must have a “topping” appearance, or 
they will not realise the “ top” prices. 
As to the wall being more profitably occupied I very much question it, 
for as Lord Egertonof Tatton stated the other day at Chester, in speaking 
on agriculture, “ that in our small island, competing as we did with every 
Dation of the globe, the only way in which we could exist was by pro¬ 
ducing better things than other countries, and so making other countries 
of the world as far as possible come to us for that which we could grow,” 
and that we can grow Apples equal in size, quality, and appearance with 
any that are grown under the sun this low wall has given abundant 
testimony. To excel is only a question of means, and in what country 
are they more abundant and so little utilised as in England ? Excellency 
is also only a question of degree—standard fruit for the masses, bush, 
pyramid, and espalier fruit for the fastidious, wall and glass-grown fruit 
for connoisseurs, who have as much right to have their tastes catered for 
as anybody else. Surely your able correspondent is not ambitious of 
“ catching a Tartar” twice. I considered 1 bad done something to be 
proud of in rooting up the Ivy and substituting Apples ; but if he prefers 
Ivy I have no objection. There is no accounting for tastes. 
Besides the Apple wall I have 300 yards of south wall for tbotenderest 
and choicest fruits, the same extent of east wall for Plums and Cherries, 
the corresponding extent of west wall for Pears, and 300 yards of north 
wall for Morello and Duke Cherries, with culinary Plums, which bear 
heavily, especially those your correspondent mentions, the Plums having 
displaced Pears, which last I find verify the statement of Mr. Witherspoon 
in the Journal some time back that Pears in the best varieties are as 
tender as Peach trees in their blossom and young growths, and to have 
fruit equalling in size, appearance, and quality that of the Channel Isles 
and France we must give them the best aspects, or glass if we can “ raise 
the wind.” This receives confirmation from the lucid and practical article 
by Mr. Pettigrew, very appropriately honoured last week as leader. With 
1200 yards of high-coped wall, 100 yards cf low wall is surely not too 
much to devote to the larger and showier kinds of Apples. Anyway they 
pay better than the Ivy, and utility is by most thinkers considered before 
ornament. 
As to the Plums, Mr. Thinker will perhaps find the selections more 
to his taste when he sees the next list. It may have escaped his notice 
that 1 do not like the dessert Plums so well as the culinary ; but I gave 
the best according to my experience, and no one can be more desirous of 
having better and more profitable than— Utilitarian. 
VARIEGATED TROP^EOLUM. 
Referring to the variegated Tropasolum which Mr. Eastwood says 
he biought to Aberaman Park, your correspondent asks if I can mention 
where any other distinct kind can be procured other than the one at 
Aberaman. If Mr. Eastwood will refer to the Journal of Horticulture, 
February 4th, 1886, page 100. he will find h's question answered. Mr. 
Eastwood also says, grown outdoors it would no doubt be much improved 
in colour and dwarfer in growth. It is quite the reverse with me ; when 
bedded out it grows much stronger and not so dwarf as when grown up 
rafters under glass. Mr. Eastwood also says he did not bring the green 
variety to Aberaman. but the variegated one, which was perhaps the 
parent plant to Mr. Mitchell’s distinct form. Allow me to say I have not 
said or claimed the one in question to be a Mitchell distinct form ; I only 
claim it to be raised in these gardens, and unt'l I am convinced where the 
