October 18, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
350 
The “knock on the head” anent Camellias has raised no bump 
of unbelief. The foliage is liable to injury by scorching, but 
scorching is not ripening—it is an impediment to it. Healthy 
foliage is essential, with light (sun) in proportion to root activity. 
Camellias more or less starved in pots are scorched when the tran¬ 
spiration of moisture from the foliage is in excess of that supplied 
by the roots, not otherwise. Witness the grand specimens grown 
in favourable localities in the open air. 
I trust it may be thought there is no uncertain sound about my 
article this time. There is much more it would be desirable 
for me to get off my mind ; but I feel the importance of the 
subject and the feebleness of my pen to express the thoughts of 
many a side-light bearing on the matter. There are, too. Editors 
to be thought of. Nor do I wish a monopoly of space. I would 
rather that “ Sceptic ” have room to define his “ firm hard ” wood, 
and kindly say whether it goes near enough to ripened wood to con¬ 
tain the elements, elaborated by the action of light, from which only 
the best results can be looked for ? I should, too, be glad to know 
if “ Sceptic ” is located in the sunny south-east corner of England ? 
IE so, I should say the ripened wood he complained of was roasted, 
like dried fruit bushes on the Continent. In that case, he derives 
some benefit this year from his highly coloured fruit. Would that I 
could say the same. But thereby hangs another tale, for another 
time if necessary. I shall be pleased to thrash out any phase 
having direct bearing on the subject if “Sceptic” is willing, and 
the Editor will let us into his field. But I have now burned the 
midnight oil, and hope it may have shed some further rays of light 
on the subject. In the meantime readers of the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture will have noted that “ Sceptic ” has still to explain his views 
of the essential conditions for perfect blossom formation in plants 
and trees. We may presume that sound knowledge is possessed by 
the author of “Ripe Wood Nonsense.” Let it not longer be 
withheld.—E. K , Dublin. _ 
As a regular reader of the Journal of Horticulture I should like 
to say a few words on the above subject. In the first place I think 
it is ridiculous that men should waste their time in haggling over 
things they do not understand, leaving all concerned more 
mystified than instructed. One instance of this is the “ Ripe Wood 
Nonsense,” another, the imbroglio over the “ Nutrition of Roots.” 
One of your correspondents, “Sceptic,” judging by his recent 
notes, disbelieves in the maturing or ripening of wood to an 
alarming extent. He certainly is not short of nerve, and I think 
his ideas on the subject will have to be ripened before they will 
bear much fruit. How any person can set up a doctrine that is in 
direct conflict with Nature is past comprehension. No sound 
gardener would do this, nor would any scientific man who had 
made a study of vegetable physiology. 
Will “Sceptic” kindly turn to page 351, October 11th, and 
read there what is advised by one of the leading papers in the 
three kingdoms for Stephanotis floribunda and Allamandas ? I 
need not repeat it, but will say that in my opinion the advice is prac¬ 
tically and scientifically sound. Out of six papers relating to gar¬ 
dening this week, the maturing (ripening) and resting of things in 
general is everywhere recommended. Take for instance Deutzia 
gracilis ; will “ Sceptic ” prove to me that it will flower when 
forced during the winter months as well on soft unripened wood 
as on the ripened portion ? I think he will not say that. 
I think he slides rather hastily over Chrysanthemums. If 
maturity or ripening has nothing to do with good blooms, why 
have we to wait for them till the said maturity is effected ? Even 
a “ Sceptic ” cannot have them at any time. Again, has he ever 
noticed the effects of a severe winter on Roses—how those which 
have been late in completing growth have been blackened, render¬ 
ing severe pruning necessary ? Of what use are bulbs if not 
ripened ? Also, why the following announcement which I saw 
lately, “ Splendid Ripened Bulbs of Freesia refracta alba. Ready 
in August. Please order early to ensure good bulbs ? ” Why, 
again, are Tea Roses in pots placed outside in the summer ? Is it 
not that they may produce sound matured wood, for pruning 
in spring to ensure healthy shoots so essential to free blooming. 
As to old Raspberry canes, doe.s “ Sceptic ” not think if the canes 
were removed before they were old, say when the main crop of 
fruit was over, it would not tend to give strength and fruitful¬ 
ness to next season’s canes ? There are, as everybody knows, two 
sides to everything. If Camellias cannot have plunging material 
or plenty of water during summer in an exposed position, then of 
course under the trees is the right position for them. I do not 
expect this will be the last of this argument, but I hope “ Sceptic ” 
will pause before he treads again on so dangerous a path. 
He writes in such a “ sit-on-everything ” style that I think he is 
liable to fall. 
As a thorough believer in ripened wood let me try to explain 
its meaning in a sentence. It is the completion—the maturing of 
all growths before the resting period, so beneficial to the pro¬ 
duction of flowers and fruit. Let “ Sceptic ” picture the coming 
Chrysanthemum shows, as if the plants that produced the blooms 
were grown under the shade of trees. Does he grow his plants 
there, and if not why not ? Have we to conclude by his 
remarks regarding the use of tiffany for the prevention of damp 
in Chrysanthemums, that well ripened wood is the cause of this 
damping ? We have heard of “ ripe wood nonsense,” what 
about “ damping nonsense ? ” Without going into the cause of 
the evil I will venture to say this—there will be no damping of 
grand blooms from unripened wood, because there will be no 
grand blooms to decay. The plants must be matured for 
producing acceptable blooms both for show and for market, and 
if “ Sceptic ” cannot tell us that he grows his Chrysanthemum 
plants like his Camellias, under trees or in the shade, he cannot 
expect that his further denunciations of ripened wood will have 
the least effect on intelligent readers, except to “convert” them 
to the belief that there really is a doctrine of “ ripe wood 
nonsense.” As to fruit I think no person of knowledge on this 
subject could see the fine American Apples now coming into 
Hull, and declare them the product of soft or unripened wood, 
unless he were a crotchet monger.—J. G. Pettinger, Strawberry 
Dale Nursery., Harrogate. 
HARVEST FESTIVALS. 
To all lovers of Nature the season of autumn is one of peculiar 
interest. Vegetation on every hand appears to have become 
united in one grand effort to make its dying days the most 
beautiful. It seems but yesterday since the budding spring burst 
forth in all its joyous gladness, as if only too delighted to be set 
free from winter’s cruel fetters ; then followed the long days of 
summer, in which all Nature seemed busy in performing its allotted 
duty ; and now we have entered once more upon the peaceful days 
of autumn, and all vegetation wears an air of calm and beautiful 
resignation, as if satisfied that it has done its duty, and is now 
content to settle once more to its long winter sleep. It is not my 
intention to endeavour to set forth the many useful lessons which 
the seasons teach to mankind, but as we wander through the fields 
of stubble, from whence the corn has lately been harvested, and 
notice the orchards, now stripped of their luscious fruit, or turn 
our attention to the garden and the storing away of Potatoes and 
many other things that go to keep up man’s winter supply, we 
cannot fail to be struck with thoughts of satisfaction that Nature 
has again dealt kindly with us, and our wants are once more 
provided for. 
Harvest festivals or thanksgiving services are now being held 
on every hand, and to give weight to these the sacred edifices of 
all sects and denominations are profusely decorated with the fruits 
of the earth. There appears to be a growing tendency nowadays 
towards beautifying places of worship with flowers. To what 
extent this should be carried out opinions differ, but all sects 
endeavour to make their churches and chapels look as beautiful as 
possible on the occasion of harvest festivals. In rural districts, 
where men live with Nature as it were, there is nothing particu¬ 
larly new or striking about these harvest decorations ; but in towns 
the case is very different, and the crowded population, who perhaps 
seldom or never have the opportunity of seeing the beauties of 
Nature, can, if they choose, view many charming arrangements of 
flowers and foliage. Again, take the children, who perhaps in 
many cases have never journeyed beyond the limits of the mass 
of bricks and mortar, in which they have been born and are being 
reared • how their young minds must long to wander through the 
fields and woodlands, and gather for themselves, to their heart’s 
content, the beautiful flowers and foliage they see there adorning 
their church or chapel. 
Thoughts then naturally turn towards the most suitable species 
for harvest decorations. On one occasion I noticed wreaths of 
Oats, adorned with berries of Mountain Ash, hanging over the 
ends of the pews, which gave a pretty effect. Long sprays of the 
coloured Virginian Creeper, of which “ E. K., DwWm,” speaks so 
highly in page 314, is unsurpassable for foliage decoration, and 
looks charming with its bright colour when trailed round reading 
desks and pillars. Branches of Horse Chestnut, too, are indis¬ 
pensable, and when judiciously arranged with drooping heads of 
Wheat or more graceful bunches of Oats, the exquisite colouring 
of the foliage of the former makes a pleasing contrast. Perhaps 
nothing is more suitable than the dying fronds of the common 
Bracken Fern, whose great diffusion of colour, raiiging fiw^ bright 
golden yellow to almost silvery whiteness, is in itself almost 
sufficient to form a decoration. , . . o a 
Turning to flowers, we find the bold heads of giant Suiiflowers 
greatly in requisition, while the brilliant spikes of Gladiolus 
