June 20,1095. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
539 
Knowsley Hall, Prescot. 
Apples are a very heavy crop, Pears quite an average, those bearing 
well last year being fruitless this. Cherries, Nectarines, Peaches, and 
Plums are good. Apricots average crop ; Red and White Currants good. 
Black nil; Gooseberries very heavy, Raspberries under average, many 
canes being killed by frost. Strawberries a very heavy crop; indoors 
there is the usual supply kept up by Mr. Doe. 
The Calderstones, Aigburte. 
Mr. Tunnington has such a heavy crop of Apples that they have in 
most cases to be thinned, a practice which he carries out with various 
fruits, and which he fully believes pays for the trouble. Pears are on 
the whole a fair crop, while Peaches, Nectarines, and Damsons are a full 
one. Plums are better than they have been for some years past. 
Cherries of all kinds are literally weighed down with fruit. Currants, 
Gooseberries, and Strawberries are a heavy crop throughout, but the 
latter are suflfering from drought, many fruits having failed to set 
perfectly are coming deformed. This is more noticeable in the case of 
President. Raspberries suffered during the frost, but on the whole are 
a fair crop. 
Court Hey, Broad Green. 
To enumerate all the kinds carrying good crops would take up much 
space. Mr, Els worthy always exhibits in fine form, and has this year a 
promise of abundance of fruit of all kinds excepting Raspberries, which 
suffered very much during the severe winter. The Strawberry crop 
may be mentioned as enormous, but like other places feeling severely 
the long spell of dry weather. 
Blacklow House, Roby. 
Apples are a very good crop throughout. Pears very fair, Marie 
Louise, Beurrd Diel, and B. d’Amanlis being heavily cropped. Currants 
are excellent. Strawberries good, but would have been much better with 
more rain. Cherries and Plums a fair crop. Raspberries planted twelve 
years ago and mulched each season, but not dug between, are as usual 
splendid. Old and young Gooseberry bushes are a picture. I always 
make a practice of mulching with stable manure 3 inches deep early in 
April, and since working on this plan have never seen a caterpillar. 
This year, not having sufficient at the time, the work was delayed until 
the second week in May. By that time the enemy had made its appear¬ 
ance, many branches being completely stripped of their leaves. After 
removing some of the best of the horse manure for hotbed purposes, the 
bottom of the heap was carted out in its damp state and spread amongst 
the trees, also between Raspberries and Black Currants. The ammonia 
in the manure at the time was very powerful, and whether from smell or 
what not, the caterpillars soon took their departure, there not being a 
sign of such, whilst the fine foliage, completely free from red spider, is 
a treat to look on, compared with what one sees in many gardens. 
I am also convinced that where time could be devoted to the work, 
that a good soaking of liquid manure is highly beneficial to all kinds of 
outdoor fruit trees, given just before the blooms expand. Many trees 
treated in this manner are bearing heavy crops, whilst others in close 
proximity which have been left to themselves are not nearly so good, 
the blossoms appearing as if they are all withered. There is no doubt 
about the effect of the drought on many crops, but on Wednesday 
evening we had a few smart thunder claps accompanied by a perfect 
deluge of rain and hailstones, the weather being much cooler. To-day, 
Friday, there is every appearance of rain, and a few days’ steady rain 
will help the fruit crops materially.—R. P. R. 
HOW GARDENERS ARE MADE. 
“ INVICTA,” on page 489, gives us a very impressive example of how 
gardeners are made, and in his fictional example shows clearly how they 
enter the garden, though many of them enter without being asked to 
pay a fee to unlock the door. A great deal has been written in the 
Journal about the gardener. I cannot quite agree with the idea that 
nine-tenths of the gardeners succeed in securing good places. My 
experience has been very much the reverse, and I do not expect the 
future holds out any prospect of improvement under the present system 
of making gardeners. 
On an average the best places employ four young men, who are 
hoping some day to become head gardeners, and it stands to reason that 
only one can be employed as head in a place, so the other three have to 
find employment elsewhere than the garden ; nor have they any right 
to expect head places, for reasons which I shall explain. First, they 
come into the garden at ages from thirteen to seventeen years of age ; 
they as boys do what they are told, and very likely remain in their first 
place, say, three years. The gardener recommends them as journeymen, 
and here they remain one or two years, then go on to another place for 
a similar period, and in each of these places they have been constantly 
employed under glass. This journeyman wants a foreman’s place, 
“ under glass again ; ” he serves two or three years, and then, what do 
you see 1 —viz., “ Mr. Peachgrower can with every confidence recommend 
his present foreman, John Growell, to any lady or gentleman wanting a 
first-class gardener ; married when suited.” This man may have been 
respectable, hardworking, and with a fair knowledge of indoor work, 
which he has performed to the satisfaction of the gardener. Has the 
gardener considered whether he is perfectly honest in recommending 
him as a first-class gardener ? 
What can young men brought up under glass know of practical 
gardening ? How can they manage a place ? Certainly they cannot 
without a great many mistakes. Still, some manage to pull through in 
a way. If gardeners would unite, and agree to recommend no man, 
however respectable, unless he had passed through all the departments, 
acquired a general knowledge of all outdoor work, given some of his 
evenings to self-improvement, and had shown a love for his avocation, 
the glut in the garden market would cease. 
The young man to recommend is the one who has come to the 
gardener at 9 p.m. with his specimens of wild flowers for naming, 
collected on his ramble round the hedgerows on a summer evening ; who 
comes in on a winter evening to show some garden plans, to seek advice, 
or the solution of a geometric problem ; who has asked to be shown 
the way to bud, graft, prune, nail, mow, and dig; and who has given 
up all other pleasures for his calling. This is the man we want. He 
may not appear so bright, good looking, or strong as the other ; but 
still he is the man to be recommended. No gentleman ought to engage 
a gardener unless the applicant can satisfy him that he has served in a 
vegetable garden for not less than two years, and two in pleasure 
grounds and flower garden. I find after twenty years’ experience that 
very few young men care for improvement. I have had many young 
men start, but few go on ; some have and hold honoured places to-day, 
but the majority of them is wearing Her Majesty’s uniform. I recom¬ 
mend a man only when I am sure he can manage what is required of him. 
It is not honest to recommend a man just because he has managed the 
houses well, and has kept himself respectable. I know a case where a 
gentleman wanted a gardener for 28s. a week and a house. A good man 
for the place was recommended, but the fortunate applicant never 
served an hour under a gardener in his life; in fact he had been employed 
to look after a pony, clean knives, boots, and do other odd work in a 
clergyman’s household. 
If every gardener would agree to enter each lad he starts in the 
garden on the understanding that he will only recommend him if at 
the end of his time he passes a fair examination in general gardening 
work, and in no case should he be called journeyman till he has done so. 
Then, when he enters as a journeyman, let him study for the foreman 
exam, and before taking a head place let him pass a final exam. Some 
persons may say. Who is to examine, and how is it to be done? Well, 
this can be done from centres. In the country head gardeners could be 
appointed, where young men could go, say, twice a year, and I am sure 
our leading nurserymen would help as far as they could. The final 
certificate to be given in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, and a body 
of scientific men be appointed to draw up the form of examination 
papers.— Shirburn . 
APPLES AND STOCKS. 
From the good-tempered criticism of my note (page 520), Mr. Pear¬ 
son would have ns believe that the Paradise is the only fit and 
proper stock to use for unskilled gardeners, allotment holders, amateurs, 
and cottagers. He evidently pins his faith to this one stock, and con¬ 
siders all others are not fit to employ. He tells us how good the results 
are from the use of the Paradise, but he does not say how long the trees 
will continue to be satisfactory. I have been told that trees worked on 
Paradise stocks are not long-lived ; but my age does not warrant my 
saying aught about this phase of the argument. • 
Mr. Pearson, too. confines his remarks to “garden trees ; ” but how 
about the grand standard and half-standard trees one sees so often in 
country districts that are worked on the seedling and Crab stocks ? 
Surely it would not be wisdom to advocate the growing of “ garden 
trees ” only, and these worked on the Paradise stock. What we want 
to aim at is the production of fruit in quantity and of the best quality 
only. It matters not how it is obtained so long as it is procurable. I 
contend, in spite of Mr, Pearson’s condemnation of other stocks, that 
the Paradise is not the only stock to depend on. My contention is that 
Apples will grow on trees worked on other stocks equally well as they 
will on the Paradise. Surely Mr. Pearson does not advocate the entire 
use of Paradise stocks, with their dwarfing and free-bearing propensi¬ 
ties, for such varieties as Stirling Castle, for instance, which crops to 
such an extent generally as to preclude much freedom in growth ? 
From Mr. Pearson’s own showing good results can be obtained from 
the use of the three kinds of stocks named. This is a distinct confirma¬ 
tion of the note 1 penned on page 475. I cannot believe that it is 
necessary to adhere solely to any particular stock. 1 write only from 
experience, and have good reason to advocate other stocks ttan the 
Paradise. As to persons requiring specially educating to manage trees 
worked on other stocks beside Paradise, I fail to see this. To me it 
seems a simple matter to get crops of fruit from trees grafted, or budded, 
on seedling stocks. If some fail to obtain fruit owing to following 
wrong methods of culture, that is no argument against the use of stocks 
that will give satisfactory results under rational treatment. I have 
carefully read and re-read Mr. Pearson’s article, but yet fail to find 
aught in it to alter my expressed opinion that “ it seems idle to pin 
one’s faith to any one of the three named.” 
Some persons maintain that the Paradise stock has not vigour enough 
in it to withstand the influence of cold, wet, hi a 'y soil, and give 
satisfactory results. I am also acquainted with h nurseri man, an 
exceedingly large fruit tree grower, who does not make use of the 
Paradise stock at all in the raising of trees, but pins his faith in stocks 
obtained from seedlings—pips from the cider mills. I do not thiinc 
any Pa'adise stock could give better results than this man's Tjes.— 
E. Molyneux, 
