356 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 6, 188 6. 
dening necessitates for its successful application 
true skilled labour, perhaps as fully skilled as 
any form of labour found in civilisation. As 
we find only educated and well-taught men 
may become good workers in other forms of 
labour, so also can only highly trained and 
intelligent men make successful gardeners. 
Probably there are few vocations which more 
severely tests any man’s average capacities or 
his readiness for adaptability, than does gar¬ 
dening. There may be in its operations much 
that is by rule of thumb, just as there must of 
necessity be in all vocations; but the rule of 
thumb gardener, or, if we may so put it, the 
man who has no mind above hard and fast 
practices, will never make a real gardener, 
although he may, in some respects, secure a 
certain degree of success. 
It is a curious and instructive fact, that in 
this country, where gardening is such a widely 
honoured profession, that we have no schools 
of horticulture of any sort. On every hand 
we see young men, the gardeners of the next 
generation, picking up their horticultural edu¬ 
cation as best they can; some in private 
gardens, whe^e the mind of the head improves 
liis pupils, or else his ignorance crushes them ; 
some in our numerous nursery establishments, 
where knowledge has to be picked up or let 
alone ; and some in our market gardens and 
nurseries, where the style of culture is exclu¬ 
sively for the securing of a pecuniary success. 
Without doubt private gardens are the best 
schools of horticulture in this country, im¬ 
perfect as these are in many ways. They, 
however, give us able gardeners in spite -of 
their deficiencies as schools, but the success 
comes from the inherent capacity of Britons to 
contend against difficulties. It would be of 
exceeding interest could we test the best of our 
self-trained gardeners with the best products of 
the several continental horticultural schools. 
If one has forms of scientific and technical 
training in their favour, the other has the 
support of that indomitable energy and perse¬ 
verance which, after all, helps to create the 
most successful race of cultivators. 
But whilst we cannot but have some concern 
for the technical training of our future gardeners, 
we may also have some interest in the welfare 
of that section of the community which garden, 
and yet are not professional. Happily for the 
amateur and cottage gardener, to whom equally 
with the professional gardener the season of work 
and of hope is fast opening, they have in the 
horticultural press an unfailing and ever avail¬ 
able guide, mentor, and friend. Few professions 
are so favoured intellectually, and few profes¬ 
sions have such need for serial literature devoted 
to its operations as gardening has. The merest 
tyro in gardening only needs taste and love for 
his work, and he will find in his gardening 
literature a mine of wealth of a technical kind, 
from out of which may be obtained almost all 
the information he needs. In that respect, and 
it is a wide one, the gardening press of this 
country becomes a school of horticulture such 
as no other people possesses, and we may rest 
assured that its work will be well performed. 
Practically the home professors of horticultural 
science find their lecture rooms in the columns 
of the gardening papers, the only difference 
being that their discourses are written and not 
oral. That has its advantage, however, that as 
gardening is essentially experimental, the 
student can in his own garden practice the 
teaching found in the press, labour which could 
hardly be conducted in a class room. We have 
no desire to see the gardening press become in 
its work dogmatic, didactic, or pragmatic; these 
are elements of the professional school of 
teachers, from which the ordinary garden 
writer and teacher is happily free. Gardening 
literature must of necessity be often dull, 
because much of its teaching must be simple 
and practical, but equally much of its parts 
possess real charm and considerable pleasant 
reading. The more the family of man become 
gardeners the better for all; the more the true 
knowledge of gardening is acquired the happier 
for all; and the more gardening is practised 
amongst us, the better will it be for the welfare 
of the nation and the prosperity of the people. 
---- 
GARDENING MISCELLANY. 
Meetings for next Week.— Monday : General 
Committee of the National Chrysanthemum Society. 
—Tuesday : Fruit and Floral Committees of the Royal 
Horticultural Society at 11 a.m.; Annual General 
Meeting of the Society at 3 p.m. 
Bomarea frondea. —This lovely climber has 
just bloomed with Messrs. James Yeitch & Sons, of 
Chelsea. It has twining stems clad with lively green 
leaves, and hears large pendant clusters of bright golden 
yellow flowers, splashed with orange, the inside canary- 
yellow dotted with crimson. It was introduced, to¬ 
gether with many other fine Bomareas, by Messrs. 
Shuttleworth, Carder & Co. Some are blood-red, some 
pink with black spots, some orange, some red, and 
all are clean-growing plants well adapted for climbers 
in conservatories, greenhouses, or those of intermediate 
temperature. 
A New Carnation, named Quaker City, is 
much praised by The American Florist. It is stated 
to have been raised in Philadelphia, where it was tested 
for three years before being sent out. It is a very 
dwarf variety with broad thick foliage ; the flowers are 
large, pure white, of fine shape and are produced in 
great profusion. It is not recommended as an early 
bloomer, but should be grown cool and comes in about 
the middle of February and continues to bloom very 
freely until July. As an Easter pot plant it is considered 
a decided acquisition, is entirely hardy and when 
wintered in a cold frame will prove very profitable for 
cut flowers ; when grown in this way it comes in at a 
season when cut flowers are scarce. 
Indications of Spring. —Many of these present 
themselves to view to the observant gardener as he 
makes a circuit of his garden. We are rapidly ap¬ 
proaching that time when all bounteous nature works 
her inexhaustible miracle on the face of the earth, and 
makes the spring time one of ceaseless surprise. Already 
the Hepaticas are thrusting their pretty blossoms 
through the soil, the single blue leading the way, 
closely follow-ed by the double red. Snowdrops are 
pushing up their delicate sheaths through the soil in 
sunny spots, and bearing them company is seen the 
rising shoots of two charming species of Crocus, C. 
imperatonius and C. biflorus, the Scotch Crocus as it is 
termed. By the way, wdiat a singularly hard shell¬ 
like covering this bulb has, and it does not lose its 
outer covering like some others. The Pulmonarias, 
always early to flower, show signs of movement; so 
does Saxifraga ligulata, and under a sunny wall there 
is to be seen the movement of the Daffodils, while the 
lovely blue creeping Forget-me-not—Omphalodes verna 
—is awakening from its winter sleep, these are hut a 
few of the avant courricres of the spring. Now is the 
time (weather of course permitting) to brighten uy> the 
garden, so as to be in readiness for the great awakening. 
Pruning and trimming should be finished, permanent 
borders dug over where necessary’, taking care not to 
injure any of the herbaceous treasures not yet showing 
themselves through the soil; rolling the grass and 
paths, &c., so that wdien the spring flowers appear the 
surroundings may be as presentable to them as they are 
ahvays to human eyes. 
Pansies in Beds. —Plants of these put out in 
the open ground in autumn show the disturbing effects 
of the snow r . The shoots are flattened down and 
battered, and the question arises, what is the best to 
be done under the circumstances ? Our advice is to 
prepare a good light sandy compost; the siftings of 
the potting-bench, with the addition of some leaf-soil, 
sand, and well-decomposed manure that will crumble 
almost to a. powder, well mixed together, will do 
admirably, and when the u'eather is dry enough gently 
stir the surface without injuring the roots. Add a 
good surface-dressing of the compost, and then carefully 
peg down the shoots into it. Some Fern-pegs, like 
those used for layering Carnations, will prove very 
useful for the purpose ; and failing these twigs will do. 
Taking a piece 9 ins. in length and first bending it, 
insert the ends into the soil, one on either side of the 
shoot. They keep the shoots in position, prevent them 
from being blown about by the wind, and assist them 
in rooting into the soil. 
Grafting Bulbs.— Mr. James O'Brien writes 
“With reference to this subject, mentioned at p. 340, 
I may say that some years ago I made a good many 
experiments in grafting Amaryllis, Nerines, and other 
bulbs, hut not with the object attributed to our 
American cousin. The late Charles Darwin heard of 
my experiments, and asked me certain questions about 
them. Mr. Romanez also frequently talked the matter 
over with me and experimented himself. I am sorry to 
say that chiefly, I believe, owing to my being unable 
to give the necessary time to the work, I am not in a 
position to say that I brought any of the experiments 
to a satisfactory conclusion, although I saw enough to 
satisfy me that good results might reasonably be 
expected. 1 might have been able to settle the point, 
but unfortunately the grafted Hippeastrums or Ama¬ 
ryllis got mixed with the seedlings, and so my labour 
was lost so far as accuracy was concerned, and conjecture 
will not do. I also intended grafting the bulb-like 
seeds of Crinum, however wild it may appear, and any 
of your readers who have time on hand could not do 
better than pursue bulb-grafting, as if they miss the 
cake at the end of their experiments they will he re¬ 
warded with many unexpected morsels as they proceed.” 
Gardening Appointments.— Mr. William 
Young, late gardener to W. F. Stanley, Esq., Cum- 
herlon, South Norwood, S.E., to Mrs. Fleming 
Hamilton, Craighlan, Kukcowan, N.B.; Mr. John 
Johnston, late gardener at Ascot Hall, to Robert 
Menzies, Esq., Viewfield House, Whitburn ; Mr. 
John Dewar, late gardener to L. Henderson, Esq., 
Gracemount, Liberton, to Robert Douglas, Esq., Spring- 
hank, Berwick-on-Tweed ; Mr. Andrew Proudfoot, late 
gardener to Colonel Craufurd, Bracheed Cramond, to 
Wm. Stevenson, Esq., Polmont House, Polmont ; Mr. 
Robert Dickson, late gardener to Wm. Orr-Ewing, 
Esq., Rhu Lodge, Helensburgh, to Mrs. Fergusson 
Home, Bassendean, Kelso ; Mr. Thomas Ingram, late 
gardener at Bassendean, to John Haxton, Esq., Mar- 
kinch ; Mr. James Chalmers, late gardener to George 
Collie, Esq., Hatton House, Wilkieston, to Mrs. Peddie 
Waddill, Balquhatstone, Hamannan ; Mr. Hugh 
Dewar, late gardener at Rockville, Edinburgh, to R. 
Hill, Esq., Low Lynn, Beal; Mr. Robert Arbuckle, 
late gardener to Mrs. Dawson, Bonny toun, Linlithgow, 
to W. E. Otto, Esq., Jedneuk, Jedburgh. All through 
the agency of Messrs. R. B. Laird & Sons, Seed 
Merchants, Edinburgh, Mr. Thomas Jebb, late gardener 
to SirC. Wolseley, Bart., Wolseley Hall, Stafford, has 
been engaged as gardener to Mrs. Rodgett’s, Darwen 
Bank, Preston. 
- ->x<- - 
ANTIPODIAL FERNS. 
Occasional visitors to the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s Gardens, at Chiswick, and who have not 
failed to notice the large span-roofed house just 
within the gardens occupied with Roses, will be in¬ 
terested to learn that the whole of the Rose trees have 
been removed and planted out in the gardens | the 
house has been admirably furnished with heating power 
at considerable cost, and is now’ filled with Ferns from 
the Antipodes, sent over here by the Australian auJ 
New’ Zealand authorities to the care of the commis¬ 
sioners of the coming colonial exhibition at South 
Kensington, who have utilised the Royal Horticultural 
Society so far as to place them in the charge of the 
council at Chiswick. 
The entire cost of the changes thus made in the 
former Rose-house, putting in of heating power, and 
the labour of potting up all these dormant Fern-stems, 
have been borne by the commissioners in the interests 
of horticulture, so that it will be seen that body 
which is so much scouted by Fellows of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, is not without some virtue. 
Probably few’Fellows who have had, during the pastfew 
years, the pleasure of seeing tlie fine exhibitions o; 
plants, fruits, and vegetables, held at South Ken 
sington, were aware that the prize money was furnishei 
by these same well-abused commissioners. 
With respect to this interesting consignment o 
Ferns at Chiswick, it is stated that they are nov 
being gently forced into root and growth, tha 
they may form an interesting feature of the colonia 
exhibition next summer, and if they come up to expee 
