May 30, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
445 
such important Exhibitions as Birmingham. York, and Hull, at which 
latter place the National Provincial Show is to be held on the day 
following the opening of the Birmingham Show. I know the difficulty 
committees have to steer clear of other societies in the fixing of dates 
to prevent clashing. In "the present instance it is all the more regret- 
able that any one competitor should be prevented attending two such 
Exhibitions as Hull and Birmingham, but this must certainly be the 
case this year. Both places will no doubt suffer by the arrangement, 
which might have been avoided in the case of societies holding such im¬ 
portant positions as the two named. However, it i9 too late to alter the 
present arrangements, and let us hope the Birmingham venture will not 
suffer from any of the causes which I have mentioned, and of course I 
hope that the Hull Society will be likewise favoured with strong com¬ 
petition, fine weather, and a balance in hand not less than they now 
possess.— E. Molyneux. 
EVENING NOTES. 
Sending Plants with and without Earth. —Mr. Murphy 
opens up in the number for May 23rd a long-vexed question—the loss, 
damage, and suffering of plants in transit. To see the way in which 
they generally arrive at their destination by parcels post transit is but 
to excite one’s pity and grief. The senders generally wash off or by 
other means remove all the earth from the tender roots, and they thus 
leave the plants no chance whatever of survival. But I think that the 
rage of competition and the glut of cheap and low-priced offers is 
greatly to blame for the system, and if purchasers were willing to pay 
reasonably for the cost of safe transit they would be able to secure plants 
with good balls of roots well protected and needing only a little coaxing 
to quickly become re-established and thrive well. For many years 1 have 
practised a system which I can best describe by sending you a specimen 
to comment on in your columns. Prejudice and horticultural conserva¬ 
tism alone are to blame for this method not having become universally 
adopted. The specimens are small, but I have larger ones, and I have 
not handled any class of plants that fails to appreciate my method. I 
refer to the propagation and culture of plants in fertilising moss. I 
have had a long and pleasant experience with this medium, and I now 
feel there is not much room for improvement. Perhaps you will allow 
me to add that I have recently severed business ties that have prevented 
me from more closely pursuing the subject of fertilising moss culture in 
order to allow me to devote more attention to that feature. I shall be 
very glad to show you or any of your readers my specimen plants that 
have been grown under fertilising moss culture; and I am intending, if 
permitted, to exhibit a few specimens at some of the horticultural 
shows this summer. In my pamphlet “A few Words of Common 
Sense” this subject is more thoroughly elucidated. Mr. Murphy 
appears not to be aware that there is a “ special tariff arrangement ” to 
send valuable plants in pots in force on all the railways, and a precious 
and costly tariff it is too.— Robert Beale, New Southgate, N. 
[The bedding plants received are as healthy as plants can be, and 
will be sure to grow when planted, probably without losing a leaf. 
They arrived in the beat of condition.] 
Hot-water Pipes Leaking. —Vegetation is so quick, and time so 
precious, that I had not noticed Mr. Bardney’s rejoinder. I agree with 
him that facts are stubborn things, and if his last remarks (page 362) 
were “ entirely directed to sectional cracks,” how comes it they are in 
direct opposition to his previous cause (p. 282), that “ when a pipe is 
cracked it leaks most when cool ?” I congratulate Mr. Bardney, but 
repeat his reliance upon effect in trying to place his second communica¬ 
tion first. Four-inch pipes have about 5-inch sockets, and if the split be 
not the full length of the socket, direct or indirect, how can it be called 
a *• full ” crack ? Mr. Bardney says I bear out “ fully ” he was right. 
I reciprocate his supposed kindly sentiments, yet deny the word “ fully,” 
a9 my previous statements show, but claim 80 to 90 or 100 per cent, of 
hot leakage in bona-fide cracks. I too have had to combat this form of 
socket-splitting : results, perfect crack and high firing, and higher 
leakage. On the contrary—and this is Mr. Bardney’s exceptional case— 
say a crack of 3 inches in a 5-inch socket leaves a ring of 2-inch repul¬ 
sion for the inner pipe to expand against when heated, the force of the 
previous high pressure loosens the bed of boring, water according to 
temperature rushing out. 
“ W. T.’s” steam boiler is parallel with the above case, with one dis¬ 
tinction^ the plates are sectionally and longitudinally riveted together, 
when the inner plates expand more in proportion and bed themselves 
against the outer plate or lap, the ring of propulsion and repulsion, 
being the width of the rivet heads. Can this, too, be called a perfect 
and continuous shell ? It matters not which way the crack travels, 
sectionally or longitudinally, heat is the one and sole cause.—B. L. 
Gardeners and Gardeners. — I apologise to my critic, Mr. 
H. Dale, for not answering his observations and the demands 
he makes upon me at page 312 before, my excuse being insuf¬ 
ficient leisure at this busy season of the year. In now answer¬ 
ing him I will commence by saying that I do not feel at all in a 
dilemma on this subject, for I am like the politician who reminded his 
audience the other day that if his remarks did not meet with great oppo¬ 
sition from those against whom they were directed, he should not feel 
as though he had hit the mark or pulled the right string. Had I not 
touched a very weak point on the subject of gardeners and their 
abilities I should never have had a sentence directed against me. It. 
was these weak points, and the way they can be detected by the- 
adoption of certificates, that will make many gardeners protest against 
the use of the same. 
I will now ask any reader of the Journal with an unbiased opinion 
if my remarks at page 74 will bear the interpretation placed upon them 
by Mr. Dale at page 312 ? He there states that I wished to convey to 
the readers of your paper that there are nurserymen who would and do 
send out men to fill important situations, knowing at the same time tha 
man had not even a fair training for his duties as a gardener. Such 
a thought never entered my head. If it had I should have put it in 
plain English, for I court no favour from nurserymen, therefore see no 
fear. For the gratification of Mr. Dale I will give the Editor the names 
of those to whom I referred in my former article, but they are not for 
publication. Mr. Dale says my late employer would be the best judge 
of my successor’s abilities. He did judge of them, and gave his verdict 
accordingly. It is because we have no recognised system to prove the 
abilities of each man that I advocated certificates, which would at the 
same time prove a great inducement for one and all to gain the highest 
class. Would this not prove beneficial to horticulture? 
I hope this will prove to Mr. Dale that I was accurate in what I 
said. I remember one writer on the subject of gardeners and their 
social position saying gardeners should be gardeners and gentlemen at 
the same time ; but I think it goes far to prove the want of good breed¬ 
ing when one gardener accuses another of inaccuracy in his writings'. 
As to prizes being no material proof of a man’s experience, I beg to 
differ.— Alfred Bishop, Westley. 
[If our correspondent could see a letter we have received, not from 
one of his opponents, he would see such an example of presumptive 
ignorance that any gardener who is at the same time a gentleman in 
thought and actions must of necessity deplore. We never saw a 
greater •'want of good breeding” than in the writer of the letter in 
question.] _ 
Gardeners. —Instead of criticising Mr. Bishop I will ask him to 
formulate his ideas, and put before your readers a practical and really 
useful way of distinguishing between really good and well trained 
gardeners and others who are not so good and well trained. I think 
gardeners should combine to advance their own interests as a class. All 
respectable men do that. The man who to-day is head gardener to a 
duke, may three months hence be out of work and seeking admission 
to a nursery, or spending money in advertisements, or writing to all 
his gardening friends and acquaintances seeking, and almost imr 
ploring, their aid in obtaining another appointment. Who will deny 
that these are everyday occurrences ? There is not one tittle of aid 
that he can claim as a right, all is per favour of somebody. Perhaps 
some lucky gardener will say, The man out of work ought to have a 
friend in his pocket. True, he ought, but probably never had the 
chance to secure such friend. The apathy of gardeners to their own 
interests has always been notorious; is it always to be so?— Hugh 
Dale. _ 
Lunaria biennis. — This biennial deserves, as a spring flower,- 
more general cultivation. Not only is it very effective in mass or in 
line whilst blooming, but the central portion of the ripened seed vesse’s 
are very beautiful when deprived of the outer coverings, and harmonise 
well when arranged with dried Grasses, Rushes, &c., their semi¬ 
transparent. pearly whiteness winning the admiration of all who see it. 
It is a very old-fashioned flower, but by no means common, and is 
generally known as “ Honesty.” A line 60 yards long has been very 
dazzling here for the past month, the plants being strong and well 
flowered.—H. D. 
v 
WORK . F0 ^ THE WEEK,. O 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Early Homes .—Trees of the very 
early varieties, such as Alexander, Waterloo, and Early Beatrice, will 
soon be cleared of the fruits. The shoots on which they have been 
borne, if not required for the extension of the trees, should be cut away 
to admit of the full exposure of the foliage to light and air. Syringe 
forcibly to cleanse the foliage of red spider, and if this and scale con¬ 
tinue troublesome, the prompt application of an insecticide will be 
necessary to eradicate the pests. It is highly important that the foliage 
be kept healthy, and to prevent over-maturity or premature ripening of 
the wood it is necessary to keep the house as cool as possible by venti¬ 
lating to the fullest extent after the fruit is gathered. Keep the borders* 
and floor moist, and in showery weather remove the roof lights. Keep 
gros 3 laterals stopped, but avoid giving a check by a great reduction of 
foliage at one time, as this has a tendency to hasten the ripening of the- 
growth, and when such is the case the trees will be swelling the buds 
through over-development when they should be resting. 
Trees of Hale’s Early, A Bee, Early York, Early Groese Mignonne r 
