424 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 11, 1886 
and varieties now in coiiections is a valuable quality, and 
from this time until past Christmas a constant supply of 
flowers will be yielded by those enumerated. 
These Amaryllises are not difficult of culture, but they 
need a little different treatment from the Leopoldi hybrids, 
1 hough similar soil suits them well. A compost of sandy 
loam and leaf soil, with a very small proportion of old 
manure, is what they require, with a stove or intermediate 
temperature during the greater portion of the year. Where 
conservatories are kept somewhat above the greenhouse tem¬ 
perature to accommodate such plants when in flower, the 
autumn Amaryllises can be safely employed. They do not 
have a marked season of rest like the others, and the “ drying 
off” system must therefore be especially avoided, for growth 
continues throughout the year. 
In the illustration (fig. 62, page 488), three of these 
Amaryllises are depicted—viz., 1, Mrs. W. Lee; 2, Perloti; 
8, G. Firth, indicating the characteristics of the race. 
THE LiTE MR. GEORGE WILLIAM JOHNSON. 
It is, to me, a sacred duty, as well as a mournful pleasure, to 
add just a word or two to those so well said by yourself last week, 
and will be said by others, on the character and life of Mr. 
Johnson. 
You do well to enlarge on his kindness of heart. “ Write me 
as one who who loves his fellow man ” might, with literal truth, be 
said of him. His was a large, loving heart, ready, nay anxious, to 
help all who came before him. I am, myself, a living witness of 
what he did out of pure kindness to me, a perfect stranger, thirty 
years ago. Through the correspondence of the then Cottage Gardener 
he found me, a young man living in a manufacturing neighbour¬ 
hood in uncongenial surroundings, with high gardening aspirations, 
but little prospect of satisfying them, and, from my explanation 
alone of my desires and position, he took up my case, and never 
rested until he had introduced me to those who lifted me out of 
my then unsatisfactory position, and placed me in the, to me, much 
longed for paths of true gardening ; the result being that for many 
years now I have been a head gardener in a steady and fairly com¬ 
fortable place. He was therefore, under God, the means of all my 
life’s prosperity and happiness, and that you can understand my 
feelings of gratitude towards him. Then, having once taken me 
by the hand, he never let me go, but occasionally, by a timely letter 
of advice and fatherly counsel, guided me to right conclusions and 
actions. The last, and about the pleasantest letter I ever had from 
him, was from Waldronhurst not very long since. 
One by one all the old teachers and guides of our Journal are 
going home, the “ Doctor ” being now about the only one, with 
“ D.” of Deal, that is left, and it is getting with me, as the Laureate 
says, that— 
“ The'days darken round me, and the yea-s, 
Among new men, strange faces, other minds.” 
But though “ the old order cliangeth, yielding place to new,” God 
fulfils himself in many ways. The Journal goes on, and as our 
late chief and friend said, in his last letter to me (for we were on 
this subject), “ the new generation of writers keep up the old gar¬ 
dening spirit and intelligence of the paper with great skill and 
power.” 
I have a kindly feeling for the present writers and readers of the 
Journal of Horticulture , but, of course the Editor and writers of 
thirty and more years ago lie closer to my heart, and I think of 
them—Robert Errington, Donald Beaton, Robert Fish, Thomas 
Appleby, John Robson, Thomas Weaver, James Barnes, and 
others—with the tenderest feelings, but the dearest to me is the 
memory of my life-long friend, George William Johnson, whose 
death is blessed, and his works follow him.— The “ Excelsior ” of 
the “ Cottage Gardener ” of October 14 th, 1856. 
I read with strong sympathetic feelings of the peaceful end of 
our kind friend and benefactor, Mr. G. W. Johnson. It recalls to 
my mind his stating on offering me a post on the staff of the 
Journal of Horticulture in 1861, that he had the pleasure of ob¬ 
serving, “ You have the sound sense to make comparative experi¬ 
ments. Pursue that course, and you will assuredly acquire a fund 
of reliable information of great practical value to yourself and 
others.” This is only one of many similar encouragements received 
in a long course of years, and which will ever be remembered with 
a strong sense of indebtedness to departed worth.—G. Abbey. 
As a recipient of much good advice from the* late Mr. G. W. 
Johnson, I feel impelled to record an instance of the generosity of 
his heart. Many years ago he desired an article on a specified 
subject by return of post. I was unwell at the time, yet just able 
to comply with the request of our departed friend. At that time 
I was a little proud, perhaps vain, of my penmanship, which was 
very different from what it is now, and expressed regret for my 
inability to acquit myself better both as regards the matter and 
manner of my contribution. His reply was prompt and practical; 
it was to the effect thit I should ask to be relieved for a week 
or two for a rest and change that he was sure I needed, and he 
enclosed a bank note for meeting any expenses that might be 
incurred under the circumstances. He was subsequently the 
means of placing me in a position far better than before, and 
to which I could not have succeeded without his assistance. 
What is often said jocularly in respect to another gentleman, 
whom it is not necessary to name, 1 say in great sincerity of Mr. 
Johnson—that he was, indeed, a “ grand old man.”—A Gardener. 
THE PAST SEASON’S GARDENING. 
Now that the period of comparative rest in gardening has 
arrived, it is a suitable time to exchange experiences regarding 
the various crops of flowers, fruit, and vegetables we have had to 
cultivate during the past, not by any means unfavourable, year of 
1886. Of course, writing from a somewhat favoured locality, five 
miles from Tunbridge, Kent, it is not to be suggested that the 
season has been equally favourable to all alike. However, I will 
roughly note down from memory a year of our successes and 
failures, which may profitably be compared with other readers 
of our Journal’s experiences. 
We have had a good Pea season, more especially with the early 
and second crop varieties, such as William I., Day’s Sunrise, Kentish 
Invicta, Advancer, and one or two other sorts, with later varieties, 
such as Champion of England, Victoria, Ne Plus Ultra, &c. They 
did not do so well after the later summer rains set in, mildew 
supervening, which very much shortened the crops. Potatoes Myatt’s 
and Welford Park Kidney have done good service, the latter an 
excellent introduction of good quality, and a splendid cropper with 
me. Schoolmaster, Grampian, Victoria, with a few other late sorts, 
have cropped well and been free from all decay. By the way, I may 
mention since storing away the seed tubers they have, all sorts 
alike, become badly affected with the old 1845 complaint, the 
Potato blight. Mr. Ross’s new M.P. is a good variety, but not 
sufficiently in advance of the grand old Schoolmaster (at least with 
us) to merit any particular distinction. 
The first sowings of Carrots and Parsnips were almost a failure ; 
later beds, however, produced splendid results, more especially 
Carter’s Improved and Intermediate Carrots. Autumn-sown 
Onions were unusually large, many measuring 17 and 18 inches 
round, but I am sorry to say they kept Joadly. Spring Onions are 
plentiful, but one-half of them have run bull necked, and will, of 
course, only be suitable for present use. Broad, Kidney, and 
Scarlet Runner Beans have cropped well. Turnips, as usual with us 
in the garden, quite a failure ; but in the fields, and even among 
Hops surrounding, they are plentiful and very fine, as well as all 
other root crops generally. Beetroot, where sown a little too 
soon, have done well, but many seedy ones have shown up in the 
beds. We had a fine season for Celery planting, no maggot in the 
crop, but nearly all the White Sandringham ran to seed, Harrison’s 
Red standing well, and at present in full use. 
Lettuce and Cabbages have been put out for spring use ; 
the latter we found much afflicted with club at the root, 
which is best' cut off with a sharp knife, and rarely any of the 
plants will suffer. All kinds of Winter Greens, Brussels Sprouts, 
Broccoli, &c., are unusually strong, which will be none the better 
in the event of a severe winter setting in. I will add a few fruit 
notes, with the Editor’s kind permission, in another number of the 
Journal.—W m. Chisholm, Oxon Heath Gardens, Tunbridge. 
SELECTION OF PEARS. 
I MUST plead on behalf of an old friend—viz., Marie Louise, which 
I notice is omitted by Mr. Muir in his selection page 404. Taking all 
things into consideration I consider this variety the best Pear we have 
for general usefulness and reliability, and if I were confined to one 
variety I should choose this in preference to any other I am acquainted 
with, as I know of no other variety so good in quality which can be 
depended upon to produce a crop under such a variety of circumstances. 
Beund Superfin is a grand Pear certainly, but I do not find it a 
certain cropper. We are told “the aim should always be to have a 
constant supply,” hut I, for one, would not like to depend on so few 
varieties in order to secure this end as those given on page 404, as very 
few will keep from four to six weeks after they begin to ripen among those 
fit for U9e before Christmas, and occasionally one kind will have a year’s 
rest. Beurie Diel varies much in quality in different parts of the country. 
