January 5, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
5 
appeared on page 555, and myself, by Messrs. Grabame and Bateman, 
wbo, as leading “ metropolitan members,” might be expected to tbink 
alike, by the two Secretaries of the Society, and in one rosarian house¬ 
hold by husband and wife 1 _ 
The appointment of one Committee instead of two, with power to 
appoint sub-committees for special purposes, is a useful reform, and 
found general favour. 
The Peoxy Question. 
The suggestion that members should be allowed to vote by proxy 
seemed so extremely reasonable that I was surprised at its rejection. I 
heard no argument whatever against it, except that it would be more 
trouble to the Secretaries, and I feel sure that with judicious manage¬ 
ment this might be reduced to a minimum. Either on this question, 
or that of the date, someone read from the list the comparatively small 
number of northern members, showing them to be very much in the 
minority. This was apparently meant to prove that their claims might 
be disregarded; but, apart from the question of the “rights of a 
minority,” it might well have been argued that the number of northern 
members is so small because their privileges in the matter of voting at 
the general meeting and exhibiting at the National Show are so 
limited. I think that those who last year agitated with success for 
justice to small growers should have seen that northern members have 
not justice till they have the power of voting by proxy. Many thanks 
are due from rosarians at a distance to Mr. Grahame, who did see this 
and ably seconded the proposal, and I hope—for the motion will surely 
come on again till it does pass—that all other “ metropolitan members,” 
as those within easy reach of London may be called by way of distinc¬ 
tion, will see before next year that justice calls for this reform, and that 
in the interests of the National Rose Society it is as desirable to give 
fair play to the members at a distance as it was to the small growers. 
The Medal Hybrid Perpetual Rose. 
I was unable to take a full view of the Show, but should have said, 
from the classes which I assisted in judging, that the standard was 
below the average, though not so low as it has been. A circumstance 
occurred, however, which reconciled me to not having seen a good many 
of the stands, and made me think the general standard of H.P.’s must 
be lower than it had ever been before. This was the selection of a 
certain Gustave Piganeau, in a box which I had been helping to judge, 
as the nurserymen’s medal H.P.—a bloom which, though good (not 
extra) in other respects, had a distinctly split centre. On my remon¬ 
strating, the medal judge (wild horses shall not drag his name from me 1) 
said it was a case of either that bloom or withholding the medal, and I 
advised, if that was so, the latter alternative, though I admit it was not 
my business. If that was the best Rose, according to the rules, 
the standard of nurserymen’s H.P.’s must have been very low indeed. 
The task of picking out the four best Roses in a show of 7100 blooms 
must be a very arduous one, and it is satisfactory that Mr. Burnside’s 
proposition (anticipated by Mr. Shanks), which will very much lessen 
this labour, and we may hope render it less open to detraction, was 
carried by a considerable majority. From an exhibitor’s point of view, 
the selection of the medal Roses at the Crystal Palace Show is a matter 
of great importance. They represent the standards of excellence by 
which all judging should be measured; and we all welcome any help 
towards making the choice as accurate as possible.—W. R. Raillem. 
National Rose Society—Vote by Proxy. 
I AM inclined to join in Mr. Gall’s regret, that Mr. Foster Melliar’s 
proposal to allow voting by proxy (1 presume at the general meeting) 
was negatived. As a general rule, no doubt, people ought to hear the 
discussion before they make up their minds. But I believe it is very 
doubtful whether many votes are influenced in this way in the highest of 
all assemblies of deliberation—the English House of Commons. It 
would probably lead to a more general interest in the proceedings of the 
Society. At the same time, the tendency of late years has been rather 
to disallow proxies. That epigram no longer applied to the House of 
Lords:— 
“ By proxy I pray, and by proxy I vote 1 ” 
A graceless peer said to a ckurchman of note. 
Who answered, “ My lord, then I’ll venture to say 
Ton’ll to heaven ascend in a similar way 1” 
—A. C. 
DISCUSSION ON POTATOES. 
Apples have a good, but not too good, share of attention. Cannot 
we also have a discussion on the Pomme de Terre ? Potatoes and Peas 
have ever had a fascination for me. They are my f ivourite vegetables 
to grow and to eat, and I am not very easily satisfied with them, for 
there are Potatoes and—Potatoes. A variety which 1 have grown for two 
seasons is my first favourite for the table, and it has been so very highly 
fancied by my family that many of the seed tubers have been sacrificed to 
our appetite. The variety I mean is Laxton’s Reward. In an evil hour 
I dug up a few roots when the haulm was yet green, and we had the 
produce for dinner, and the consequence was no other Potato would suit, 
BO I supplied them as long as I could, and have left myself a scanty 
supply for seed. It is not a white-fleshed Potato, but has a yellowish 
tinge. It is very floury, but does not break ; medium sized, and nearly 
all the tubers of a size. It is a rather strong grower and good cropper. 
Those who appreciate a really high-class Potato will be pleased with 
this. “ Early Laxton ” is a round dwarf-topped companion to Sharpe’s 
Victor. They are very similar in haulm, and with me ripened at the same 
time. No better Potatoes for early work could be grown, and they are 
especially suitable for frames, owing to their dwarf growth. Vilmorin’e 
“ Eiffel ” turned out to be a heavy cropping midseason variety, with 
which I was well satisfied. Early Puritan is useful, and I think an 
improvement on Beauty of Hebron, and certainly more saleable on 
account of colour of the skin. Bedfordshire Hero is a remarkably heavy 
cropping kidney, and the quality is good. It is profitable to grow, for 
it can be dug before the disease appears, and there are no small tubers. 
The General is a late Potato, and takes a long time in ripening ; is a 
strong grower and good cropper. It is a white floury Potato, and I 
should judge will be good for spring use, being close in the grain and 
heavy—two essentials for a keeping sort.—H. S. Easty. 
I TRIED some of the new Potatoes the other day. Her Majesty is a 
very heavy cropper, and good in quality ; Lady Francis is exceptionally 
good, and a free cropper ; Astonishment, a very heavy cropper, but very 
poor quality; Lady Fife, excellent both in quality and yield. I think 
“ Jeanie Deans ” is one of the best Potatoes sent out for many years ; 
the quality is first-rate, and the crop was heavy. A large field of them 
in Lincolnshire was a sight to remember.—H. H. 
PRICES OF APPLES—STRAWBERRIES. 
I AM glad that we have at last found out (page 542 last volume) the 
price of the Domino Apples. At first stated at Gs. a bushel by “ W. P. W,,” 
it fell in his next letter to Is. 6d., and in the last it appears that this was 
the market price, and that after deiucting expenses at about Is. 3d. per 
bushel, the nett price home is only 3s. 3d. or about half the first statement 
of “ W. P. W.” From this price, of course, the cost of production and 
gathering must be deducted. As we agree that “ my object in writing 
in the first place was simply in order that readers of your Journal should 
not be misled by seeing 6s. a bushel stated as the price of Apples when 
the average price home to the grower has been much less,” I think 
your readers will admit that I have gained my object. 
I am sorry that “ W. P. W.” has endeavoured to draw attention from 
the main issue in order to try to get the best of the argument by side 
winds, and that he should write in the style that he did in his last. 
Artificial heat may be very useful for greenhouses, but is not required 
for Apples nor for discussing their prices. What “W. P. W.” lacks in 
argument he makes up in “ wordiness,” taking up nearly a page of your 
paper to get out of it neatly, and to cover up his retreating footsteps 
after again letting the price down. 
Ridicule may be an easy way of turning the subject or of beclouding 
it, but it is hardly necessary to say that it is not argument, neither 
will it advance the price of Domino Apples. If so, “ W. P. W.” would 
be able to sell to advantage. 
And now to turn to the side issues. I have not time to enter into 
the price of the other varieties at Gs. a bushel. If I did probably they 
would melt away like that of the Domino, for I know what the price 
of Apples has been in the principal markets, and it is not likely that 
a grower would market all his Apples in several varieties, especially if 
there was a large bulk of them at just the time when prices were 
highest. 
As regards my expenditure of £1200 a year for labour and manure 
(which “ W. P .W.” exaggerates to £1500), of course I could drop the 
manure ; but probably I may be allowed to know my own business best. 
My aim is to crop heavily, and this cannot be done without manuring 
heavily. I not only plant my trees, but crop the spaces between with 
Strawberries, Potatoes, and other things, and it is the Strawberries that 
have paid most of the outlay, not Apples. 
I must decline to write any further on the subject of the price of 
Apples, as I think suflScient has been said, unless “ W. P. W.” has 
another reduction to maxe in the price of Domino. I must also thank 
the Editor for having permitted such a full correspondence. 
To pass now to the subject of fruit tree planting. Though 
“ W. P. W.” assumes that I wish to deter others from entering the same 
business as myself, I may inform your readers that Strawberries have 
been my sheet-anchor. About a half-plant crop on half my ground 
produced in 1891 £750 worth of fruit. It is only fair to add that this 
year the produce off the same ground was only £250, and alto that I 
often made Is. a peck in distant markets when the price other growers 
received in the same markets was only 2s. 6d. per peck of 12 lbs. The 
expenses are heavy, as I indicated in my last. 
The advice I would give intending planters is, that all sorts of hardy 
fruits should be planted ; not merely Apples, for according to my 
experience all in turn are profitable, and in like manner there are 
gluts of all occasionally, and low prices. The latter is in consequence of 
the former, for as soon as one crop shows up better than the rest such is 
planted so extensively that in a few years there is a glut. Fortunately 
the consumption of fruit has increased and is still increasing. It should, 
however, be borne in mind that, taking one season with another, the 
planter of a few acres must not expect a very large income, while 
anyone who goes in for planting a large acreage will (notwitbstanriing 
“ W. P. W.” and his ridicule of capital) find he has tackled a " big 
job,” both as regards the expense of planting fruit trees and bush fruits, 
and also in cultivating them till they come into full bearing. On i he whole 
the Strawberry may be recommended as the fruit which requires the 
least expenditure for planting, and brings the quickest arid largest 
