January 31, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
347 
them eat hot cakes and stewed apples as well—but 
the air is very appetite-creating. As a rule, breakfast 
is partaken of as soon as the men are up in the morning, 
that is, about six o’clock of home time. 
“ The other day our man Dave shot a white hare, 
which was feeding at the corn-stacks. Its coat was pure 
in colour, making a lovely fur. White Lares are rather 
scarce and difficult to shoot. This one, when ready 
for the oven, weighed 6 lbs. You asked about tinned 
fruits. Yes, we can get everything in that line here, 
as British Columbia is a great canning place, but it is 
very dear ; too dear, in fact, except for wealthy people; 
and the fresh fruit is dear too. I had a few beautiful 
apples from the High River Store the other day, but 
they cost 5 d. per lb. We have the evaporated or dried 
apples by the box for stewing, and they make such 
excellent puddings and pies by lightly stewing them 
first. We also get prunes by the box for stewing. 
There are also dried peaches and nectarines, but they 
are dearer. We got home some stores from Calgary a 
few weeks ago by a neighbour, of this nature, viz., 
300 lbs. of flour, 100 lbs. of sugar, 100 lbs. of oatmeal, 
and other things in proportion. I put some eggs down 
in bran in the autumn, and they came in splendidly 
for my Christmas cooking. They have kept well. My 
hens are not laying now, except an occasional egg, but 
we have at last got some wheat thrashed, and with 
corn I think they will soon start laying again. I have 
altogether forty-three, but a few of these are to be 
killed, and some game birds are the exchange for 
Plymouth Rocks. 
“My husband is just now working hard with his 
thrashing. The man who owns the thrashing machine 
failed to keep his promise, and therefore my husband 
was compelled to make a floor and to thrash the wheat 
by using the horses to tramp it out quite in the 
primitive fashion. Such are some of the shifts in 
colonial farming. He has made -a separator and 
borrowed a fanning or blowing machine, and in that 
way the work is getting slowly done. As the wheat is 
sold it must be got thrashed somehow. I suppose some 
day when the country gets more fully settled that men 
will not be so independent as they are now. Here are at 
present men who would rather stay out of work than 
take employment at less than $40 a month, with board 
and lodgings, and yet there are plenty of eastern men 
coming in who will work for much less, and the ranches 
are getting them. 
“As I write I see the calves coming home to be fed ; 
there are 120 of Mr. Samson’s and eighty of our own, 
young and old, for all of which we have to find food 
for a time. It is'better to take in stock, if possible, 
than to sell hay away ; we got in last summer about 
80 tons. So far the weather has kept fine and not 
very cold ; the winds have been rather rough, but 
nothing has suffered. The lowest temperature for some 
time was 2° below zero, but that was only for one night; 
some nights the thermometer has been only down to 
freezing point, and on others only from 10° to 14°. 
There is but little snow about, and that mostly on the 
eastern slopes where it has drifted. We now hope for 
an open winter.” 
-——— 
ORIOKET GROUNDS. 
How to Phepahe foe. the Season. 
To have cricket grounds in good order for the coming 
season, it i3 absolutely necessary now to take advantage 
of eveiy opportunity that the weather offers of going 
round and taking notes of ail defects, and making 
arrangements to have them rectified. Boundary walls 
should be gone over and have all holes or vacant spaces 
neatly pointed. Wire and wood fences must be over¬ 
hauled and have all defects repaired. Hedges should 
have ail gaps planted. The foot of walls, fences and 
hedges should be cleared of all weeds and refuse, and 
might with advantage be dug or pointed over as far as 
the mowing-machine or scythe cuts to. If the grounds 
are not very extensive and batsmen easily hit the ball 
over tho boundary walls, fences, or hedges, it is 
advisable to have small doors or wicket gates (if 
possible) to allow the fielders or others to go for the 
ball, instead of leaping over walls and fences and bolt¬ 
ing through gaps in hedges, which sometimes incurs 
regrettable consequences. 
If trees are planted round the outside of the grounds, 
pruning and thinning, and if the weather permits, all 
planting operations should be attended to at once. The 
decorating of any ordinary-sized cricket-ground round 
the outside with a single row of trees is very commend¬ 
able, but if the grounds are very large, and privacy or 
protection from cold winds is desirable, two or more 
rows ought to be planted. In selecting trees, soil and 
climate must be considered, and one can be guided a 
little by noting the healthy and rapid-growing kinds in 
the district where planting is intended. Shrubs and 
expensive ornamental trees should not be planted in 
grounds specially used for cricket, and the reason will 
be obvious to all. 
Drains should have been looked over before this, and 
all put to rights ; if this has not been done, and 
water is not disappearing within a reasonable time, 
making the ground splashy and slippery, the cause 
must be looked for, and it may be found that some of 
the drains are choked. If they appear all right, it is 
quite possible the whole drainage is inadequate—a very 
common occurrence in cricket fields which are drained 
as though they were to be used as pasture, or worse 
still as meadow land—-minus the furrows. Drainage 
cannot in the formation and renovating of cricket 
grounds be successful at the’distance apart that make3 
ground suitable for pasture. The right distance apart 
is invariably from half to two-thirds of the usual 
distance allowed for meadows. To do it right practical 
knowledge is absolutely necessarjn If it is found 
impossible to put in a few more drains at present, 
one may do a little with a fork by easing up the soil 
in the bad places, so as to tide the season over ; and 
have it properly drained at the back end. 
“Worm casts may be got rid of by sweeping about. 
A couple of men with two hard birch besoms—assum¬ 
ing that they are not fearfully bad—can go over four 
or five acres in a day, and make a good job. Bare 
patches ought to be seen to. They may either be 
turfed over or the ground prepared for sowing with 
seed in March, and where it is desired to raise the 
ground or lower it the sooner this it done the better. 
This kind of .work should be done with pegs and a 
spirit-level, never trusting solely to the eye, as is too 
often the case, and making a bungle of it. 
Weeds are generally the sign of poverty, but in some 
cases they are introduced by sowing cheap and rubbishy 
Grass seeds, or the wind has wafted the seed from bad 
kept edges and weedy grounds in the vicinity. They 
require attention, and if too numerous to be eradicated 
by the hand, or killed by some of tho mauy advertised 
weed destroyers, the ground should be prepared for 
sowing. If poverty is the cause a good top-dressing 
will help to keep them down. Moss is also the result 
of poverty, and is encouraged by bad drainage. The 
first thing to do is to get the drainage right, then try 
and get rid of the moss, the best way to do this being 
to take a steel rake (half-worn ones are the best in some 
cases) and simply tear it off, then rake into heaps and 
have it wheeled away. If the moss is still bad it must 
be gone over again transversely, leaving as little as 
possible, then top-dress. It may be as well to say that 
it is often found necessary to sow seed before top-dress¬ 
ing. If the moss is very bad it will be far better to 
prepare the ground and sow it over.— J. Cameron , 
Cargilfield, Edinburgh. 
--— 
THE YOUNG MEN. 
I think the thanks of the young men are greatly due 
to “ Father Christmas ” for drawing attention to a 
matter of so much importance to them as a body. 
I do not quite agree with him as to the way in which 
young men spend their evenings, my experience being 
the reverse of his. Their work leads to better things 
than spending their evenings in public-houses. I have 
found the majority of young men who have served 
under me in several parts of the country most eager to 
obtain information on matters connected with their 
profession. I agree with “ One of the Erring Ones,’’ 
at p. 294, and “ J. Charlton,” at p. 295, both of whose 
remarks deserve the attention alike of the young men, 
and of those who have charge of them. I know that 
many bothies are as described in the dictionaries, viz., 
in one, “a rude hut or place of lodging,” and in 
another, “ miserable hovels,” and this they often were, 
and in some cases, still are. I was once quartered in 
one belonging to a horticultural society from which at 
least a good example might have been expected, but 
we had to drink our tea from pound jam pots, and 
when I ventured to ask the superintendent if we could 
have a few things to make the place comfortable, I was 
curtly told that “the things were provided when the 
bothy was started, and they ought to be there now.” 
More uncomfortable quarters I have not seen, and yet 
they were within 100 miles of the Albert Hall. Had I 
not possessed a few good standard works, and there 
had not been a fine museum near at hand, I fear I 
should have been included amongst “the erring 
ones.” 
I look back with pleasure to the time when I was 
general foreman at a place near Ealing, and also at 
Moseley Hall, near Birmingham, under the same 
gardener, who often came into the bothy for a friendly 
chat and gave us his advice upon anything he could. 
It is the poor pay that turns many from the profession, 
and most gardeners know the difficulty of getting young 
men near large towns, where they can get double the 
money in mills and factories. 
I notice at p. 307 that ladies want to join our ranks, 
and this opens up a very interesting question : Have 
they considered the matter of encumbrances ? When 
recently seeking an engagement, four out of five of the 
inquiries I received in reply to my advertisement, after 
asking for particulars as to abilities, etc., concluded 
with the question, “ Have you a family V’ On replying 
to all that I had four children, I heard no more, and I 
think it is this that prevents so many good men secur¬ 
ing the best places more than to lack of influence as 
mentioned by “Ardnahn.” His ideas as to competitive 
examinations I cordially agree with, having previously 
advocated the same thing. If carried out on the lines 
he suggests, the certificates gained should carry weight 
with employers engaging a gardener.— Manchester. 
I think all young gardeners who read your paper (and 
their name is legion) must have enjoyed the remarks 
made by “ Father Christmas ” and “Ardnahn.” As 
one of the young men I should like to add a word in 
corroboration of what has been said, and to raise 
another point. There are now specialists in almost 
every trade and profession, and these, in the great 
majority of cases, reap the reward—pecuniary or 
otherwise—their skill and assiduity merit. But it 
is not so with us. How many a head-gardenc-r has 
obtained a spurious reputation by virtue of good work 
done, and quite independently, by his subordinates, 
who have to forego their share of the fame of success, 
though they have to bear more than their share of 
blame in case of failure ! 
The study of the theoretical side of the profession, 
which “ Ardnahn ” rightly commends to the attention 
of your readers, can never obtain universally, unless 
by united action we make it clear to our employers that 
the future of our art depends upon the facilities afforded 
us for study, and the pains they take to foster and 
encourage sterling merit. As things are, our principal 
study is, of necessity, how best to conform to the 
whims and prejudices of those who, whether through 
bribery, influence, or less questionable means, are in a 
position to damage the prospects and mar the career of 
younger men who are in many cases their superiors.— 
A. Spore. 
---— 
Gardening Miscellany. 
-- 
Freesia refracta alba. 
The fragrant white flowers of this beautiful Cape plant 
are now plentiful in the markets. Formerly the corms 
were grown in pots for market purposes, but an easier 
and mors expeditious method is now pursued. They 
are planted out by the thousand on the inside borders 
of vineries, where they remain till they flower, and 
afterwards mature their foliage. The first batch is put 
in the soil during August, and this generally means a 
whole houseful, or it may be several, according to tho 
quantity required. Other batches are planted in suc¬ 
cession, so as to extend the season. The earliest come 
into bloom during December, and the supply is 
maintained from thence till late in spring. Those who 
grow their plants in pots, do so at a much greater 
expenditure in labour, with gratifying results sometimes 
it is true ; but they in private establishments who have 
to supply a large quantity of cut flowers, would find it 
advantageous to adopt this method. Even if the 
presence of the plant on the borders of a vinery were 
considered objectionable, a heated pit might be set apart 
for its cultivation. The pit need only be a low one, 
aud the plant will derive all the more advantage from 
light. 
Tiie Peruvian Nasturtium. 
In Britain, Tropieolum tuberosum can only be described 
as half-hardy, as the fleshy tubers are liable to get 
killed during winter, unless in very mild seasons. In 
the Channel Islands, however, where the climate is 
mild and equable, it thrives with great luxuriance, 
covering trellis-work sometimes of considerable height. 
The peltate leaves are not unlike those of the common 
species (T. majus), but they aro smaller, and more 
decidely lobed round the margin. The flowers are 
considerably smaller, but freely produced, with yellow 
