October 8, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
81S 
Bast. There are varieties named multiflora and multiceps, the 
latter being in cultivation.—D. 
(To be continued.) 
THOUGHTS ON CURRENT TOPICS. 
To all readers and writers who have been good enough to 
mate inquiries concerning me I make my bow, and step to the 
front once more. I am credited with having enjoyed a “ long 
vacation,” certainly a novelty to a gardener; rather let me say 
I interpreted the editorial note on page 135 (August lGth), that 
“ sufficient had been said at present ” on a subject then under 
discussion, as a hint that l should “ take a rest.” and I took one, 
and here let me say I am so averse to being obtrusive that if I 
had not been invited to do otherwise some “ thoughts ” would 
have been kept to myself that will now be made public for what 
they are worth. _ 
The subject of the cracking or splitting of Grapes was a very 
prominent topic when the editorial curb was put on. I do not 
say it was not prudent to “ draw the rein,” it probably was. 
When Galileo was compelled to make his historical recantation 
as to the movement of the earth, and was impelled to say it did 
not revolve round the sun, he did so to “ save his neck,” but in 
an undertone to his friends he committed his real convictions— 
“ but it does.” So in the case of the rupturing of certain 
Grapes, my belief remains the same, that the evil is mainly in 
the atmosphere—an excess of moisture, which passes through 
the skins, and not primarily at the roots. There, the die is cast, 
and my opponents can hang me—metaphorically—if they like, 
as the Grapes will split all the same if an opportunity is afforded 
them by too much moisture in the air of the house. 
Of what shall I “ think ” next ? It shall be on the subject 
suggested—gardeners’ vacations. These are necessary in modera¬ 
tion, instructive, or ought to be, and profitable alike to master 
and man. It is one thing for a gardener to desire to indulge 
in gadding about from place to place without any particular 
matter of duty calling him from home, but quite another thing 
for a man to have no relaxation from absorbing and often 
laborious work from year's end to year’s end. I am able to speak 
with authority on this matter, having had to work for five years 
without a holiday, and often during that time swinging the 
scythe at three o’clock in the morning, and watering plants at 
nine o’clock at night, or eighteen hours, and no pay for “ over¬ 
time.” That was in the “ good old times;” but the work, though 
hard, was done cheerfully, as it ought to be, or let alone, and 
the term of incessant labour won confidence, when freedom 
followed. This certainly would not have been continued if the 
wage-payer found his garden degenerated or his interests suffered. 
He found just the reverse, and so far “impi’oved” as to defray 
my expenses at least once a year to any part of the country 
where I could gain knowledge for investing in his property. 
There are numbers of hardworking gardeners and faithful 
servants who have well earned a few days’ holiday, and must still 
go plodding on because those whom they serve do not think—for 
it is nothing but want of thought in many cases—to afford them 
an opportunity of ‘‘getting away” for a little time for rest and 
instructive recreation. But let it be remembered that no man 
has a right to expect such encouragement until he has proved 
his worth by his zeal and ability. 
At no period of the year can gardens be left with more con¬ 
fidence that nothing will suffer than during the present month. 
Propagating is completed, plants are made safe for the winter, 
fruit is gathered. On the 21st the great Pear Congress opens at 
Chiswick, and the Editor has been good enough to suggest 
the occasion opportune for the acquirement of knowledge by 
gardeners on the most important of all hardy dessert fruits. 
Railway excursions are numerous, travelling cheap, and once in 
London the collections can bo seen every day for sixpence, and 
then the great Inventions Exhibition, with the brilliant even¬ 
ing f te for a shilling, except on Wednesdays. Let me venture 
a word respectfully to all who have worthy gardeners in their 
service to encourage them, so far as can conveniently be done, to 
lay down the shovel and the hoe for a few days and share in 
that which will benefit them without anyone or anything being 
the worse, but on the contrary the probability, amounting almost 
to a certainty, that all will be the better in the end. 
One of the most prominent topics under discussion in the 
Journal during the past month has been the judging of fruit 
I think all must recognise the thought and labour that have been 
devoted to this subject by Mr. W. Wilkinson in the preparation 
of the exhaustive paper that was read by him at Dundee and 
published in the issues of the 10th and 17th ult. When I read 
that production, for which a vote of thanks is due, I had an 
impression that it would evoke little or no discussion, because of 
its being too elaborate. Good the plan may be in determining 
the relative merits of competing dishes, but I suspect there is 
not one collection of fruit staged out of twenty where really 
competent judges would find such a system of judging necessary; 
and to adopt it through the classes would be so tedious that the 
work would not be completed in anything like the time at 
disposal. _ 
I am inclined to think that by far the greater number of 
mistakes that occur in awarding prizes are traceable to three 
primary causes—1, Indefiniteness in the conditions or description 
of classes in schedules. 2, Late staging and, consequently, want 
of time for close and careful examination of the products staged. 
3, Inexperienced judges—that is, persons not having special 
knowledge of the exhibits in the classes to which they are 
appointed. Some men are selected because they have a 
“ friend in camp; ” others because they reside near and are 
regarded as cheap. Local judges, however honest they may be. 
are accused, often unjustly, of favouritism at local shows; and 
“ cheap ” judges are often ruinously dear in the end. for horti¬ 
cultural societies soon lose character and degenerate if exhibitors 
have not confidence in the adjudicators. “ Judges should receive 
no pay for their work ” says Mr. Williamson ; in that case the 
best of them cannot be had, for men of wide repute are retained 
for months in advance —in some instances a year—and the alter¬ 
native appears to be that instead of the “ great unpaid ” we 
should have the little unpaid, and it is doubtful if this would be 
a decided advantage. In this, as in other matters, I think the 
rule holds good that “ the labourer is worthy of his hire.” 
In more than half the classes at exhibitions judging by 
points is needless, and would be a positive waste of time; in 
very close competition it is essential, and in no other way can 
the merits of the products be ascertained with exactitude Two 
or three men can quickly decide on a standard of merit, jot down 
the “ points ” accordingly, and make an addition sum on the back 
of a schedule To enter their “ remarks ” on cards would waste 
precious time with no corresponding advantage, for if the obser¬ 
vations were not published, of what use would they be? While 
if they were published they would form lengthy texts for ten 
times more wrangling and disputations than are prevalent now, 
and there is quite enough of “ that sort of thing ” to satisfy 
the most hypercritical, especially when, as a rule, the most noise 
is made by the most ignorant. Given, then, clear conditions, a 
reasonable amount of time, good men, and judging can pre¬ 
sumably be accomplished with less ceremony than your able 
correspondent advocates, and well-founded causes of complaint 
will be reduced to a minimum. As it seems a pity the compre¬ 
hensive paper alluded to should not have the honour of criticism, 
I have ventured to “ set the ball a rolling.” 
Relative to the controversy on awarding prizes for Grapes 
at exhibitions, the whole question turns on the purpose for which 
the objects are staged. In most cases this purpose is to make an 
imposing display that will attract the public and bring “ gate 
money.” This being so, as I think it is, late varieties of Grapes 
cannot be excluded from summer shows. If they were the exhi¬ 
bitions would be meagre in an important department, and not 
only would general visitors be dissatisfied, but even gardeners 
would be disappointed. 
Well-geown and coloured bunches of Alicante, Mrs. Pince. 
Gros Colman, GrosMaroc, Alnwick Seedling, and Gros Guillaume, 
at what are termed summer shows, or shows held before the 
month of October, though the quality of the fruit may not be 
developed excellence of culture is nevertheless displayed; the 
examples, consequently, are both interesting and instructive to 
numbers of gardeners who would not see them at any other time, 
and therefore deprived of recognising how far they are behind and 
what they have to strive for in the production of first-rate Grapes. 
For these reasons it is very questionable if it would be prudent 
to encourage no other “ blac < varieties than Black Hamburgh 
and Madresfield Court ” even in August. It is also questionable 
in my opinion if the second condition proposed that “all Grapes 
shown must be in season,” were unreservedly applied that the 
effect of it would meet with anything like general approbation. 
Though I am thus far at issue with Mr. Iggulden and his 
supporters, I do not despair of bringing myself in harmony with 
