250 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 1, 188 . 
3-feet high and 2 feet through at the base above the top of the pot. 
Continue to tie the branches loosely as they grow, as neatness in 
this foim is necessary, and stakes cannot he used. When the 
flower buds show in September retain only the best on each shoot, 
and when these are swelling freely dispose them regularly, com¬ 
pleting the tying as far as possible about the second week in 
October ; then, if the plants are in the best of health, scarcely a 
twisted stem and no ligatures will be visible when the blooms are 
expanded, while the foliage will be dark, naturally disposed, and so 
dense that it will be impossible to see into the interior of the plant. 
If a pyramid can be seen through it is certainly imperfect.— 
E. Molyneux. 
NE PLUS ULTRA OR NORTHAW PRTZE BRUSSELS 
SPROUT. 
Me. Iggulden, at page 227, remarks that these two Sprouts are 
exactly similar, and he is quite right. It would serve no useful purpose 
to go into details, but the public should know that the Sprout in question 
originated in these gardens, and that it was the desire of my employer 
and my own that it should be sent to Messrs. Veitch’s grounds for trial. 
I also gave a pinch to a gardener, and I know how it found its way to 
Northaw, but why it should be sent out “ direct from the grower ” under 
the name of “Northaw Prize” is a question I leave your readers to 
determine.— G. Mekritt, Gardener to Lord Dacre, Kimpton Hoo. 
Welwyn, Herts. 
THEORY versus PRACTICE. 
In a contemporary British gardeners have been held up to 
public ridicule on the grounds of their theoretical education not 
being equal to that of the foreigner. Some of our leading (so- 
called) scientists hive a great liking for comparing us to our 
theoretical foreign neighbours ; but in spite of our supposed igno¬ 
rance I think^we need not fear comparison as regards the results of 
our practice with the very best of these foreigners. If our critics 
would but condescend to visit some of our leading horticultural 
exhibitions and private gardens., and honestly compare them with 
continental horticultural exhibitions and gardens, I think that 
possibly they might not have much reason to be “ pained ” at our 
ignorance. 
I have had the misfortune to work with foreigners, and have 
found that as a rule that they are quite up to your contemporary’s 
standard— i.e., they are so well educated that, amongst other neces¬ 
sary acquirements (?) directly connected with gardening, they can 
sketch flowers’ and “speak and write more or less well some 
other language than their native tongue ; ’’ but then comes the 
poser viz., that they come to this country “ to work hard at the 
lowest pittance, disdaining neither the humblest occupation nor the 
lowest pay. W ell, it may be my bad taste, but with all their 
“superior qualifications ” I very much prefer an intelligent British 
novice to the best of them when our work is concerned. I may 
add that those with whom my lot has been cast have come from a 
foreign “ National School of Horticulture,” and are considered, I 
presume, “ picked foreign gardeners.” I am quite willing to admit 
that they have a “superior theoretical” knowledge of gardening, 
but in practice they are only fit to work with our beginners, and 
even then would not distinguish themselves for their industry. If 
foreign horticulturists are so superior to the Britishers, how comes 
it that the head gardener at one of the most noted places in France 
always employs English or Scotch as foremen in his principal de¬ 
partments, ani, further, will not employ young men from the 
National School of Horticulture at Versailles ? Then if botany 
and kindred sciences are so indispensable to practical gardeners, 
why is it that when a gardener—be he young or old—is bein'* 
engaged he is never asked whether he has a knowledge of these 
sciences ? The only inquiries made in nine cases out°of ten are 
simply with reference to his “ practical ” experience and personal 
character. 
In the article to which I have before alluded we find it stated 
that “ matters of purely practical routine may very well be left to 
take care of themselves ; ” and yet this is what is chiefly required 
of us. A man who can do his work quickly, neatly, and well is the 
man who gets the best recommendation in this country, and deser¬ 
vedly so. It can hardly be disputed that the young man who 
cultivates an undue love of books and theoretical ‘knowledge of his 
profession loses to some extent his liking for work—in fact° gets to 
think himself too good for work of a practical nature, and loses 
proportionately the character which is so much sought after—viz. 
“an active industrious man.” 
The old saying, “A little knowledge is a dangerous tilin'*” 
applies very well here, as, to gain a knowledge of what we are told 
we are deficient in, we should be liable to neglect our real callin'* 
We have to earn our living by the “sweat of our brow ”—at least, 
that is the lot of the majority of us, and therefore we must work 
accordingly. 
Besides, what incentive is there for us to acquire all the know¬ 
ledge spoken of ? As I have before observed, our employers do 
not require it at our hands, and is it likely that we are ever to be 
bound to gain all this learning in order to obtain the salary of, 
say, £100 per annum, a sum that is generally considered good wages 
for a gardener ? The fact is, a good practical man with com¬ 
paratively little scientific knowledge is quite as able to satisfy the 
demands usually made on a gardener by his employer as one who 
“ has a good knowledge of botany and physiology, chemistry, and 
can draw plans, sketch flowers, knows a little Latin, and speaks and 
writes more or less well some other language than his native 
tongue.”— Young Practicalist. 
A GERMAN ROSE SOCIETY. 
A few particulars concerning our Rose Society may be of 
interest to some readers of the Journal of Horticulture. 
During the Pomological Exhibition at Hamburg in Sep¬ 
tember, 1883, a Society was formed for the encouragement of 
Rose culture in this country, when M. Schneider of Wittstock 
was elected President, who is well known here as the first pro¬ 
poser of the Rose election and as editor of a rosarian year book. 
For two years very little was heard about this movement, until 
last year the members met at Darmstadt and elected M. von 
Lade as President, M. Schultheiss Vice-President, and M. Stras- 
sheim of Frankfort Secretary. Since the 1st January the Society 
has published its own journal (“ Die Roscnzeitung ”), edited by the 
Secretary and sent out every second month. The first two 
numbers contain well written articles by the first growers, such 
as Gel Ketters, Schultheiss, Lambert and Reiter, Wesselhoeft, 
Warms, Jacobs, Koelle, and others ; also two coloured plates of 
new Roses—viz., W. F. Bennett, and Her Majesty, and the names 
of over 700 members and thirty garden societies of late admitted. 
The success has during the short time been very rapid, and it is 
to be trusted that the encouragement will continue in such a 
good cause. The subscription is only 3s. per annum, for which 
small amount the members receive all papers published by the 
Society free, and also have free admission to all exhibitions 
arranged by the same; the latter are held at least once a year in 
different towns of Germany. The first Exhibition will be held 
in connection with the Horticultural Society’s Show of Hamburg 
at the Zoological Gardens, from the 9th to 12th July. The pro¬ 
gramme is already published, in which 163 prizes are offered ; of 
these seventy-two alone are for Roses. Among the prizes for 
Roses we may mention those for cut blooms of named sorts; for 
fifty and twenty-five each of Marechal Niel, Souvenir de Mal- 
maison, La France, Baronne de Rothschild, Horace Vernet, and 
Marie Baumann ; for twenty-five of Catherine Mermet, Marie 
Van Houtte, Perle des Jardins, Etoile de Lyon, Madame Bravy, 
Madame Mel. Villermoz, Louis Van Houtte, A. K. Williams, 
Madame Victor Verdier, Captain Christy, Fisher Holmes, Jean 
Liabaud, Duke of Edinburgh, and Merveille de Lyon; for 
twenty of Lady Mary Fitzwiliiam ; for ten of Earl of Pembroke, 
Princess of Wales, Madame de Watteville, and W. F. Bennett. 
With great interest we look forward to the show of W. F. 
Bennett. 
Another paper about Roses was started in July last; it is 
edited by E. Metz of Zwickau, Saxony, and published once a 
month at 6s. per annum. It contains some very able articles, 
and is illustrated with woodcuts.— Andrew Spiering, Bergedorf. 
NEW v. OLD VARIETIES. 
Instead of misunderstanding Mr. Molyneux’s advice, I think “ S. B." 
and “Lathyrus” misunderstand mine. I am not so conservative as to 
imagine nothing will ever be introduced to surpass existing varieties. 
I believe it is better for persons with limited means to wait for a 
year or two before growing the present season’s novelties. By that time 
the worst will have disappeared from the catalogues, only the best 
remain, and these can be purchased at a reasonable price. 
Of course in the case of a specialist, or a head gardener of long stand¬ 
ing, where his employer does not object, nothing can be said against try¬ 
ing new varieties ; but for a young gardener, or a man with insufficient 
means and labour, and where exhibiting is not the object, varieties that 
have been in commerce some time will answer the purpose as well as 
those costing four times the money. 
The following is my vegetable seed order :—Broad Beans, Green Long 
Pod; Kidney, Light Dun ; Beet, Dell’s Crimson; Cabbage, Red Dutch; 
Kale, Dwarf Green Curled ; Broccoli, Veitch’s Self-protecting, Snow’s 
Winter White, Adams’ Early, Leamington, Wilcove, Hill’s June, and 
Purple Sprouting; Brussels Sprouts, Aigburth ; Savoys, Dwarf Green, 
Curled and Early Ulm ; Carrot, French Forcing Horn, and James’ Inter¬ 
mediate ; Cauliflower, Early London and Veitch’s Autumn Giant; Endive, 
