January 17, 1891. 
THE GARDENING . WORLD. 
815 
Green Tomato, Sweet Pickle. 
Pick large green Tomatos, beiDg very careful not 
to break the skin ; put them in very strong brine 
and let them lie any length of time until it is 
convenient to attend to them. Sometimes I leave 
mine until December. Take them out of the brine 
and cover with clear water ; set on the back of the 
stove and keep warm, but don’t let them boil on 
any account. Keep changing the water, letting 
it heat up each time until they are fresh, by which 
time they will also be soft enough. Put them in a pan 
and pour over them the hot vinegar prepared as for any 
sweet pickles. They are splendid.— American Garden. 
Begonia, Winter Gem. 
Notwithstanding all the bad weather and fog, which 
we have had for a long time past, this is still bright 
and cheerful. The name Winter Gem is well bestowed, 
for it does not commence flowering till about the 
beginning of December, and is still in fine condition. 
The seed parent of it was B. socotrana, itself a late 
autumn-flowering and winter-flowering species, and the 
pollen parent was one of the summer-flowering tuberous 
varieties, named Orimson-scarlet. From the latter the 
flowers acquired size and their rich scarlet colour. The 
flowers are borne on radical scapes only 4 ins. or 5 ins. 
high, each carrying three to five blooms, all of which 
seem to be male, with four to six sepals each. The 
leaves are orbicular, peltate, slightly lobed and toothed, 
and occasionally the auricles are separated nearly to the 
base, as in the summer-flowering types. The rootstock 
is tuberous, and the plant is easily propagated from 
cuttings. A pan of it was exhibited at the Drill Hall, 
on Tuesday last, by Messrs J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, 
when an Award of Merit was accorded it. 
Flower Shows'. 
Many complaints are being made, and from my own 
knowledge they are in many cases justified, about 
dishonest showing, and the laxity and looseness of 
some societies in dealing with the delinquents. It 
pains me to have to write anything against any 
exhibitors or societies, who from their position ought to 
be above reproach, but deliberate violation of right and 
justice, and deliberate abandonment of duty, cannot be 
tolerated, and deserves censure. Tyrannical dealing 
f would deplore, but truthfulness, honesty and 
justice is absolutely necessary for all parties. Such 
moral digressions all will pity, but it is not enough to 
pity them. Something ought to be done to rectify the 
evil. Mankind cannot be benefited by men who have 
lost the delicate sense of honour—the promptings of 
an active conscience ; as well might we expect a very 
high grade of character in one whose brain is chiefly 
behind his ears. The bartering of healthy consciences 
to deceive or hide an evil is degrading and contemptible. 
A remedy is needed, and it is the duty of all to prop up 
these weak saplings, and prune the heavy branches 
that are keeping them from growing erect. I would 
advise that all persons found guilty of dishonourable 
showing should have their names published, and be 
disqualified from competing for so many years according 
to the offence. I am certain if this were adopted there 
would be fewer complaints of dishonourable showing. 
If societies, councils, or judges fail to do their duty, 
and condone offences contrary to law, not to speak of 
morality, the members should take upon themselves the 
duty of protesting and exposing them.— J. M. C. 
Seed Orders. 
Your remarks upon seed orders are timely, and merit 
the attention of the gardening fraternity. There is an 
undoubted tendency among gardeners to delay con¬ 
sideration of seed requirements until the last moment, 
the result being a heavy pressure of work upon the 
seedsman and his assistants during several weeks, 
which would be better for all concerned if spread over 
several months. I f gardeners would make it a point to 
see that their seed orders were made out and posted 
early in January, it would he a boon to seedsmen and 
a great relief to their assistants. I have made it a 
practice for a good many years to order all requirements 
in the way of seeds in January, and find that I am 
better served than if delayed till later. It may be said, 
however, that the present state of bustle, and late hours 
in seedsmen’s establishments in late spring, have become 
chronic, and that seedsmen like it, as they get a greater 
number of hours out of their assistants, and the fact 
of working late hours night after night gives the 
appearance of a great trade. There is little doubt that 
in most establishments the pressure is real, but it is 
curious that seedsmen who have only recently started 
business, and who presumably would have no difficulty 
in overtaking their orders in ordinary business hours, 
seem to be as hard-pressed as the older firms, and burn 
the midnight oil just as late. If you happen to see 
the principal for a moment late in the evening, he 
will most likely spend that moment in telling you of the 
immense volume of business pouring in upon him, 
necessitating the working of himself and staff every 
night till perhaps the small hours of the morning. 
Whether there is a necessity for these late hours or not, 
the assistants suffer all the same ; but while there is a 
feeling abroad amongst seedsmen that working late 
is an evidence of pressure of business, I am afraid it 
will be difficult to get matters altered, unless some of 
the older firms will take the lead in bringing about a 
change. If seedsmen, when sending out their catalogues 
to regular customers, were to enclose a slip, asking 
gardeners to send in their orders early, so as to avoid 
pressure in spring, I think in time the greater number 
of gardeners would send in their orders early enough to 
spread the work over a longer period than at present, 
and so materially shorten the long hours now worked 
by seedsmen in the late spring.— M. 
Mushroom-Growing Extraordinary. 
The sanitary inspector for the suburban district of 
Edmonton recently brought to light a case of market¬ 
gardening extraordinary. From information received 
he visited a dwelling-house in the district under 
the control of the Edmonton Local Board of Health. 
On approaching the building steam coming from 
the ventilating grating was perceptible. Entering 
the house he found that some ten or twelve loads 
of manure had been placed in a cellar beneath the 
dwelling rooms, and he learned from the occupier 
of the house that the manure had been brought 
from London and deposited in the cellar to form 
a bed in which to grow Mushrooms. In reporting 
the circumstance to the local authority the inspector 
remarked it was evident the owner thought more of 
rearing Mushrooms than of the health of his wife 
and family, and added that never in the course of 
a wide experience had he seen or even heard of such a 
case. A notice requiring the removal of the offensive 
and health-destroying heap was served promptly, and 
its requirements were duly complied with. 
The Defoliation of Trees in Autumn. 
The phenomenon of rapid defoliation in the fall is one 
which may be often observed in our common trees. 
The causes at work are not a little mysterious, but some 
understanding of them may be gained by considering 
the method of formation of the separating cork-plane. 
This cork-plane begins to be formed sometimes as early 
as the summer, and by autumn extends almost entirely 
across the leaf-stalk. All that is needed to insure 
complete severance is the formation of a few more cells, 
and the ripening of the whole into a readily separable 
condition. A sharp frost seems to hasten this final 
process in a very effectual manner, for, as far as we 
have observed, it is just after a “cold snap” that 
we have the most marked defoliation. The exact way 
in which sudden cold acts to put all parts in readiness 
for the separation is not clear, but it may be fairly 
surmised that its effect is felt not so much in the 
production of new cells as in the ripening of those 
already formed. All who have prepared specimens for 
an herbarium know that, with many plants, the leaves 
separate from the plant spontaneously during drying. 
This shows clearly that cold is not necessary to the 
process of defoliation, and leads us to make the 
suggestion that it may be a dryness that comes with 
the 'cold, rather than the temperature itself, which 
gives the final touch.— F. L. Sargent, in Popular 
Science News. 
-—- 
“THE GARDENERS’ GAZETTE.” 
The first English gardening newspaper was published 
fifty-four years ago this day — viz., on the 7th of 
January, 1837, and in the autumn of that year the 
writer became a subscriber. The winter of 1837-8 was 
iu all respects similar to.the present one. Very many 
valuable shrubs were completely destroyed by the 
continued rigorous frosts, and it was designated as 
“ Murphy’s Winter,” he having predicted the coldest 
night, which occurred in January, 1838, the ther¬ 
mometer registering 3° below zero, at the time when 
the Keyal Exchange was destroyed by fire. 
Those were the days of old-time gardening, when 
glasshouses were like angels’ visits, few and far between. 
It is true we had our vineries, Peach houses, Pine pits, 
stoves, conservatories, &c., but for the most part they 
wero heated by the old smoke flues, and the early forcing 
of Cucumbers, Melons, Radishes, Carrots, and Potatos 
was mostly carried on by the aid of fermenting 
materials, a practice involving an immense amount of 
labour. But even this at that time was thought 
nothing of, gardening being then, as now, essentially 
a labour of love. The gardeners of those days were a 
highly respectable, intelligent and industrious class, 
peculiarly happy in their vocation, imbued with an 
honest, fraternising and kindly spirit, and in their 
profession thoroughly conservative. They would travel 
miles on foot to visit a brother gardener, and in matters 
of hospitality w T ere all that could be conceived as from 
man to man. 
The great amalgamation times had not then arrived. 
They did not mix or mingle with the class designating 
themselves “Florists,” as a rule, neither did they 
cultivate florists’ flowers with any other object than for 
decorative purposes, with hundreds of hardy herba¬ 
ceous plants, of which we now know co.mparatively but 
little. These were the old florists’ palmy days, and a 
numerous class they represented, to be found almost in 
every town, village and hamlet with their annual 
shows of Tulips, Auriculas, Pinks, Carnations and 
Picotees, &c. 
The Gardeners' Gazette, edited by George Glenny, 
pioneered this numerous body of praiseworthy enthu¬ 
siasts ; but the professional gardeners were not long 
before they too had a powerful organ to lead them on 
to those glorious achievements which are recorded in the 
annals of horticulture—viz., the Gardeners' Chronicle, 
which was established in 1841, and edited by the late 
Professor Lindley. The Gardeners' Chronicle made its 
d&but with a noble array of talent, found among the 
leading noblemen’s and gentlemen’s gardeners, who 
became correspondents and departmental writers, as 
well as most of the leading scientific men of the day, 
and these are the men to whom must be accredited the 
honour of having been the originators of nearly all the 
improvements that have taken place during the last 
half century. I opine that those gardeners who have 
been favoured by co-existence with the marvellous 
changes which have taken place during (I may say 
hortieulturally) the most important epoch of the 
world’s history have been highly favoured, for they 
emerged from the old to the new world, and really 
occupy a position that no other generation of gardeners 
can possibly attain to. Old-time gardening has passed 
away, gardening literature has revolutionised the whole 
system, and when I consider and compare the past 
with the present the facts appear astounding. Five- 
pence and sixpence I used to pay for the Gazette and 
Chronicle respectively, and now that amount will 
more than pay for the numerous gardening papers that 
are issued weekly. 0 tempora ! — George Fry, 
Leivisham. 
-- — - 
ABERDEEN FRUITERERS AND 
GARDENERS. 
The first annual assembly of the Aberdeen Fruiterers 
and Gardeners was held in St. Katherine’s Hall, Aber¬ 
deen, on Saturday evening, and proved, thanks to the 
exertions of the indefatigable secretary, a decided success. 
The hall, as might be supposed, was beautifully and 
tastefully decorated. There was a large gathering, and 
at the social meeting the chair was taken by Mr. William 
Mitchell, Trinity Quay. There were also on the plat¬ 
form Messrs. Alex. Robson (William Smith & Son), 
Alex. Johnston (Smith & Johnston), William Wyllie 
(William Smith & Son), A. R. Gray, Junr., Alex. G. 
Watson, J. Knowles, James Ferrier, New Market ; 
Alex. Burns, Junr., New Market; Chas. W. Duthie 
(Leslie & Duthie), and John Mortimer (Ingram & 
Mortimer). 
After tea the chairman intimated apologies from Mr. 
A. R. Gray, Mr. William Reid, seedsman ; Mr. George 
Bruce, seedsman ; and Mr. James Cocker. After con¬ 
gratulating the promoters on the large turn-out, he 
proceeded to say that the fruit trade of Aberdeen had 
undergone a very considerable change within the last 
twenty or thirty years. Previous to the New Market 
being built, he understood that the produce of the 
gardeners round Aberdeen was sold on the Castle-gate 
by themselves—a very different trade from what it was 
at present. A more suitable building than the New 
Market could not be got for the carrying on of the 
trade, and he thought they were all proud of it. At 
one time there were not more than half-a-dozen fruit 
