February 5, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
107 
Violette Hative. Nectarines :—Lord Napier, Pine Apple, and Violette 
Hative. 
For a late house of Peaches my selection would be Barrington, 
Grosse Mignonne, Nectarine Peach, Noblesse, and Princess of Wales. 
Nectarines :—Downton, Balgowan, Hunt’s Tawny, Pitmaston Orange, 
and Victoria. 
In conclusion I will name three Peaches I would not plant at all. 
The first two are Earl}' Rivers and Early Silver ; these split the stones. 
The third is Lord Palmerston ; a splendid Peach to look at, but however 
well grown it is always stringy and of bad flavour. 
As I went to the Birmingham Show, on the evening of July 16th, 
my route lay over a line of rail, very familiar formerly, which I had not 
traversed for some years. As I passed a certain well-known station, my 
thoughts were strangely drawn to my earliest mentor in garden work. 
I knew he had returned to the scene of his life labours to lie, but was, 
of course, unaware that his spirit was passing away on that very day. 
Let me say a word, in memoriam, in the Journal, where all good 
gardeners are honoured. •_ 
William Burton, a native of Flit wick in Bedfordshire, at about the 
age of twenty-one, became gardener to the Rev. C. Ward, rector of 
the neighbouring village of Maulden, and remained there for forty-six 
years, a most faithful and trusted servant, till the death of his master 
in 1879. He was a grand specimen of the old-fashioned type of gardener 
in himself ; and he had every opportunity for constant growth in know¬ 
ledge and practice in the exceptionally fine grounds and garden where 
his lot had placed him, and in the happy chance which gave him an 
employer who was always ready to take to any improvement in fruit or 
flower, and in all those years spared no pains or expense to bring the 
place to perfection. 
He had generally but one man under him, but he worked like a 
horse himself, and his subordinate, whom he would always cheer and 
never scold, could only follow suit. I should think it must have been 
thirty years before he had any glass, save one short row of unheated 
pits, yet the things he managed to raise and save through the winter 
were wonderful. He never lost his temper ; discontent and ill humour 
were utterly unknown to his genuine “ Apple face.” The rectory boys 
were exacting at times, and mischievous at others, but even they, I 
think, would have been dismayed if they had ever seen him really angry. 
He was strangely different to the modern type of gardener, for with his 
corduroys and hobnails and broad Bedfordshire dialect it would now 
seem as strange that he should be so thoroughly up in his profession, 
as it would have been to the dear old man himself could he have known 
that anyone would ever write about him in a newspaper. Hundreds of 
Roses he budded, grew, and pruned with wonderful judgment, even 
before H.P.’s were known—a sickly little boy sitting by on the wheel¬ 
barrow handles and looking on admiringly ; and to the last the choicest 
novelties were added to the collection. Gladioli, Carnations, and almost 
every florists’ flower were taken up more or less as specialties at some 
time or other. Orchards of Apples and Pears were planted, cared for, 
and brought to perfection. To every branch of the work of a garden of 
high reputation he brought industry, care, and love. 
For a man of his class he had less prejudice than usual against 
novelty. I can only remember a slight display against the first mowing 
machine. It was once discarded, I think, and the old scythe lovingly 
taken to again ; but he was such a master in the use of that scythe to 
produce a gloriously smooth turf that one can hardly wonder at his 
being loth to lose his hard learned skill, even though the labour would 
be so much shortened. 
A grand old rectory garden, and a grand old rectory gardener, who 
had little education (he turned the French names into genuine Bedford¬ 
shire with amazing pluck and memory), and perhaps never saw a 
flower show, yet in matters of practice and experience I, for one, 
would be glad indeed if I could learn from him still. 
Requhscat in ijace, and would there were more like him. 
Mr. Cocker, of Aberdeen, was good enough to send me a specimen of 
the cards which he suggests for use in Rose judging. I understand 
him to recommend that these should be filled up and signed by the 
judges, and placed upon each exhibit. Bnt does he think that every 
stand is always judged by points? The N.R.S. rules only order it 
“ when necessary.” And it would often be plainly impossible, as for 
instance at the Tibshelf Show of 1888, where fourteen stands of forty- 
eight were shown. The work to be got through in the time is arduous ; 
and in many cases an additional burden could not be borne in the time 
limit. Nevertheless, I like the idea. I do think pointing sometimes 
becomes inaccurate from an unconscious raising or lowering of the 
standard, and this I think would be benefited, in the large classes, by 
-one of the judges carrying the standard bloom for immediate comparison 
in case of doubt or dispute. And it would undoubtedly be an education 
for visitors to see the number of points given to each Rose, which might 
be of considerable advantage. If the system were practicable, which I 
much doubt, I should like to see it in force. 
On one occasion last summer I had a new experience as a judge. To 
take the place of an absentee I was asked to make a third in judging 
fruit and vegetables. My own doubts as to personal fitness were over¬ 
ruled. And, after all, even a judge must make a maiden essay. Our 
first task was the judging some Strawberries “for flavour ; ” and, when 
this was immediately followed by the sampling of some fine Melons, I 
began to think that this was the office for which Nature had designed 
me. But one of my confreres, of practical and professional aspect, did 
not join us in these revels ; not that he objected to the practice of 
tasting, but he “ didn’t like them things.” He listened with acquies¬ 
cence to the satisfactory smacking of our lips, and sympathised with 
wry faces, or other expressions of disapproval. We progressed smoothly, 
and he rose much in my respect as a man to whom all such vanities 
presented no temptations. 
At last we got to the vegetables, and, on coming to the Turnips, he 
showed increased interest, and, to my surprise, insisted that these also 
should be tasted. It was now our turn to protest that we “ didn’t like 
them things;” but our friend, who despised Strawberries and Melons, 
evidently did. He cut a neat slice out of a specimen of each of the best 
looking dishes, and tried them with the utmost relish; and now toe 
watched his face with interest and concern. “ Ah ! that’s very sweet,”— 
we prepared for a verdict—“ but this is delicious ! ” First prize accord¬ 
ingly. One other vegetable was tasted, I forget which. I do not think 
it was the Onions, but I do remember that Onions gave us some trouble ; 
the globular and flat types are so dissimilar that one must “ go for ” one 
or the other ; and if you prefer one type for first prize, it seems as if you 
ought to do the same for the second. 
I am inclined to fancy, from the experience of that day, that I am a 
better judge of fruit than of vegetables.—W. R. Railleii. 
SMALL PINETUMS. 
That the indiscriminate planting of Conifers anywhere and 
everywhere in the ornamental grounds of private gardens has 
caused much disappointment, is as certain as is the fact of the 
possibility of avoiding such annoyance by the exercise of due con¬ 
sideration before the planting, or rather before the trees are 
purchased. Who is to blame in this matter ? Can we justly say 
the nurseryman is wrong who gives such prominence to Conifers 
in his show borders ? Certainly not. He takes good care to 
present the trees which he has to sell under the most tempting 
guise, and it is for the would-be purchaser to consider whether 
the soil of his garden is, or can be, brought by the means at his 
disposal into an equally deep fertile condition to that of the 
nursery ; for he may rest assured that the nursery soil is trenched 
deeply and kept abundantly fertile. Sluggish growth and unhealthy 
condition are ruinous to the nurseryman. He must have his trees 
“ full of growth ”—that is, sturdy, robust, and glowing with such 
health and beauty as appeals irresistibly to the buyers. It is for 
them to consider if they can afford the trees equally favourable 
conditions of soil and climate. If there is no doubt about it, 
after this vital matter is put to the test of th.it sound judg¬ 
ment resultant from mature experience, then buy and plant by 
all means, but do take care and plant well in every sense of 
this most comprehensive term. 
The stately specimens at Dropmore show plainly how possible 
it is to have an attractive pinetum in a poor thin soil, but before 
attempting it may be well to count the cost, for without carefully 
prepared stations, and subsequent periodical additions of soil, one 
dare not venture upon anything like a free selection of Conifers, 
Thujas and Piceas may be ventured upon in such soil, but without 
the care indicated no one ought to plant Abies, Cedars, or Pinuses, 
except perhaps austriaca and sylvestris. We might of course put 
in a plea for the thorough cultivation of a few Conifers in poor soil, 
for assuredly they are entirely worthy of it, and a dozen or two 
really fine healthy specimens are not so very costly a luxury after 
all. 
There are a dozen remarkable for distinct and striking charac¬ 
teristics, and which are worthy of a place in every garden. Picea 
Nordmanniana, Cedrus Libani, C. ailantica glauca. Thuja gigantea, 
Thujopsis borealis, Abies Douglasi, A. Albertiana, A, Parryana 
glauca. Araucaria imbricsta, Picea nobilis, P. pin^apo, Pinus in- 
signis ; and for a second dozen I would take Cupressus Lawsoniana, 
C. erecta viridis. Thuja Lobbi, Thujopsis dolabrata, Libocedrus 
decurrens, Picea grandis, P. lasiocarpa, Abies alba, A. excelsa, 
Wellingtonia gigantea, Pinus Benthamiana, and Taxodium semper- 
virens. We hardly expect this selection to meet with general 
approval, but the first dozen are certainly “ hard to beat,” and 
exception can only be taken to Pinus insignis because it is spiny, 
