July 2, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
697 
AN HOUR IN A MARKET 
GARDEN. 
"Whatever pleasure may be derived from an inspection 
of the flower garden at this season, an hour or two 
spent in a market garden is not only interesting, but 
profitable. One sees, moreover, the means employed 
for the production of fruits, vegetables and flowers, in 
quantity for the market, which the gardener in a 
private establishment has seldom or never the means of 
attempting. 
We recently had the pleasure of being conducted 
through the extensive grounds of Mr. William Warren, 
Holly Lodge, Isleworth, who grows fruit chiefly, on a 
large scale for market. The Cyclamen, however, is a 
special favourite here, and about 10,000 are annually 
raised and flowered for Covent Garden. The earliest 
lot are now in an advanced state, showing flower-buds, 
but having recently received their final shift into 40-size 
pots, will push into more vigorous and leafy’growth, 
and come into flower about October or 
towards the end of September. At the 
final potting the corms are put into good 
rich yellow loam. The old plants retained 
for the production of seed, are now ripen¬ 
ing the last of their seeds. The great size 
and plump character of the seed is such as 
we seldom see. A magnificent variety of 
Mignonette, named Reseda odorata pyra- 
midalis grandiflora, is also well grown for 
market ; and old plants in large pots are 
now producing seeds in great abundance. 
In the enclosures devoted to the pro¬ 
duction of fruit, the ground is occupied by 
two or even three different kinds of the 
latter or vegetables. A considerable 
breadth has been planted recently with 
the Czar—a large, oval, red-coloured Plum 
of comparatively recent origin, having 
fruited for the first time thirteen years 
ago. It is an early variety, ripening about 
the beginning of August, and useful for 
market purposes, as it does not crack by 
rain. The young trees are now heavily 
laden with fruit. A much greater extent 
is planted with the Victoria Plum, and 
from present appearances the branches 
will be unable to support the weight of 
fruit when it attains size. Between the 
trees Gooseberry bushes are planted in 
quantities co-extensive with the Plums. 
Seven acres of the variety known as 
Lancashire Lad are grown ; but although 
the bushes appeared in a vigorous con¬ 
dition, the crop is only a medium one. 
May Queen is a much earlier kind, with 
large berries ; the crop was moderately 
heavy at the time of our visit, and was 
sent to market for use in a green state. 
The Sulphur Yellow is also grown to 
some considerable extent. The Julian 
Apple, being an early free-fruiting variety, 
also finds favour here. Between the lines 
of Gooseberries, especially where the latter 
are small, Strawberries are planted, Sir 
Joseph Paxton and the Scarlet Strawberry 
finding the most favour. 
Mushroom beds made up on the ridge 
system in the open air, were a feature of great interest; 
the earliest of them were made up in October, and these 
are still in full bearing order. In the space devoted to 
Mushroom culture, there are, in the aggregate, eighty- 
seven beds of all sizes, and which, if placed end to end, 
would extend over half a mile. The ridge is 36 ins. 
wide at the base and 46 ins. high, and over all is piled 
the littery part of the dung to a considerable depth, in 
order to retain the requisite heat and moisture. This 
extensive series of ridges is gone over three times a 
week, and the Mushrooms fit for use collected ; and 
these in one week recently amounted to 2,290 lbs., or 
somewhat over a ton. A reasonable estimate of the 
quantity, however, would be from 1,500 to 1,600 lbs., 
collected at the three weekly gatherings. These beds 
are all in the open air, without other protection than 
the straw covering, which has to be removed and 
replaced every time the Mushrooms are collected, 
which will give an idea of the amount of labour 
entailed in the operation. Irish labour is employed, 
which is, it may be stated, as much in request and as 
serviceable as it has been for many years in market 
gardens around London. 
TREE PiEONIES. 
"We have received with much pleasure from Messrs. 
Kelway & Son, Langport, a fine boxful of varieties 
of Pseonia Moutan, which bids fair to become ex¬ 
tremely popular in British gardens—far more so than 
in the past, when Robert Fortune enriched our 
collections from the ancient resources of China. Three 
deliciously-scented varieties were enclosed in the box, 
of which one named Macella resembled a golden 
Madame Desgrange Chrysanthemum, with the ex¬ 
ception of the outer petals, which were broad and pure 
white. Empress Queen was a globular mass of pure 
white, with a faint blush tint in the centre. A third 
variety, Messala, of a fine deep red almost crimson 
colour, was also somewhat fragrant; and several others 
were more or less scented, but we believe much depends 
upon the age and condition of the flower. Fabia was 
conspicuous for its immense size and globular shape, 
fully double, and of a charming rosy pink colour, 
Variety of Achimenes. 
tipped with white. A somewhat smaller flower, named 
Agnes Kelway, with much paler blush-pink and white 
petals, was also a handsome bloom. A delicate rosy 
pink, charming and fully double flower is Lady 
Leonora Bramwell; it was also distinctly fragrant. 
Two semi-doubles, named respectively Beatrice Kelway 
and Morpheus, accompanied the others. The former 
is a lively rose colour, suffused with white and pink, 
while the latter is deep rose. Tastes differ, but 
certainly the doubles were fine flowers. 
-- 
FLOWER SHOW JUDGING-. 
There is one point in the discussion as to the merits 
of flower show judging raised by “Heath End” not 
alluded to, and it is this, that flower show committees 
have to provide their patrons with as good a display as 
possible—literally as much as possible for their money ; 
hence the provision of quantity too often has to 
dominate over mere quality, and on that principle 
judges decide. Whenever I have found large plants, 
well grown and flowered, in competition with small 
plants in a similar condition, even though the latter 
may have shown the finer or more modern quality, I 
have given the big plants the advantage on the ground 
that they were more in accord with the requirements 
of the schedule in inviting the best plants, and also 
because although one may have plants with flowers of 
finer quality, yet the larger and well-done plants 
showed the greater merit in the matter of cultivation. 
It by no means follows because an exhibitor has 
half a dozen of Laing’s new Begonias or those of any¬ 
one else that they are more difficult to grow into good 
specimens than are the best forms of several years 
since ; therefore no merit can be obtained on that 
head. Again, schedules, as a rule, make no distinction 
as to quality in flowers. At home, in a greenhouse or 
conservatory, the smaller plants may be preferred to 
the larger ones, because the former have not only 
the best advanced quality, but occupy less space. At 
a flower show, as they go at present, judges can be 
troubled by no such considerations, unless 
they happen to be raisers of the things 
being judged, when the award may be 
unduly biassed ; but honest judges must 
consider the merits of the plants for the 
object in view, and cultivation and flori- 
ferousness being equal, the larger must 
have the award. I do not say that in 
making judgments of this sort judges 
always act in accordance with their pre¬ 
dilections. They would very likely prefer 
the smaller plants for their own purposes, 
but in a show, where the traditional course 
must be followed, they have to act as 
public duty dictates, and not as their own 
particular desires run. 
If flower-show committees were sincerely 
anxious to promote modern advancement 
in quality of flowers at their shows, they 
would always make excellence an essential 
condition in judging; but if no such 
special condition be affixed, no particular 
stress can be laid upon it. If, for instance, 
in a class for Begonias, the schedule was 
to require the judges to give preference to 
quality of the flowers rather than to size 
of plants, or, again, were to limit the 
plants in a class to certain sized pots, so 
as to shut out large plants, judges could 
hardly make a mistake, or do other than 
regard absolutely the expressed instruc¬ 
tions of the schedule. You have said, 
wisely, that no hard and fast rule can be 
laid down for judging, and that is so ; but 
if any rule prevails at all now, it certainly 
is this one, that the most effective and 
showy exhibits shall have the preference. 
I am by no means advocating the keep¬ 
ing of big plants for shows. On the whole 
they are objectionable; and others as 
well, perhaps better grown, and half the 
dimensions, will exhibit all the merits of 
a plant to the best possible advantage. 
Show committees, however, by placing no 
limit as to size of pot, as a rule seem to 
encourage big plants ; hence so many of 
the effete old-stage class still haunt our 
exhibitions. “Heath End” closes his 
complaint by asking whether it is not now correct 
to train big Pelargoniums as pancakes. I do not 
admit that it was ever the correct thing, although 
with a grossly vitiated taste prevailing, it has been 
much encouraged. The contorted Pelargonium is as 
much an outrage upon good taste, and not less upon 
nature, than is the contorted flattened pancake Chry¬ 
santhemum, and all should be deprecated. This is 
not so much a question of pot as of style, and if 
schedule committees would call upon judges to dis¬ 
qualify all plants distorted, bent, twisted, or otherwise 
unnaturally trained, these floral pancakes would soon 
disappear. I say that no man, whose opinion is worth 
a rap, can aver that these big flat-trained plants are 
correct. They are tolerated because they give a lot of 
flowers, but, none the less, they are intolerably ugly. 
I grew handsome zonal Pelargoniums for years, and 
never was beaten by my neighbours, but, absolutely, 
never used a tie or stick of any kind. Pinching did 
all that was needful, and never failed to produce 
beautiful masses of flowers on dense compact plants, 
and on ten months’ growth. I could have preserved 
