258 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
i)eeeniber 22, 1888. 
Gardening Notes from Ireland. 
The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland. 
The Council of this society held a meeting at their 
offices, 28, Westland Row, on the 8th inst., at which 
Mr. Edmund D’Olier presided. After reading and 
confirming the minutes of the previous meeting, 
the secretary read a communication from Messrs. 
Edmondson Bros., seed merchants, 10, Dame Street, 
Dublin, offering to give prizes for annuals at the 
autumn show of next year, which were thankfully 
received, and their proposed prizes ordered to be 
inserted in the forthcoming schedule. The draught 
schedule for 1889, as prepared by the Schedule Com¬ 
mittee, was submitted, approved of and directed to be 
printed. The dates for holding the various exhibitions 
during 1889 have been fixed as follows :—The spring 
exhibition on Thursday, April 25th ; summer, 
Thursday, June 27th ; autumn, Thursday, August 
22nd; and winter, Thursday, November 14th. Some 
other business having been disposed of, the Council 
adjourned until January 12th next. 
Adiantum Pacottii. 
I have recently met with some plants of this Adian¬ 
tum, and from its habit of growth, I am surprised that 
it is not more generally cultivated for use among cut 
flowers. I know of no other Adiantum so well adapted 
for mixture with button-hole flowers, as one of its neat 
compact, deep green fronds forms a fine background 
for the flowers placed with it. For trade purposes it 
ought to be a valuable acquisition, as besides setting 
off flowers to advantage, its stiff wiry nature prevents 
it from flagging so soon as other Adiantums. For the 
general reader it may be well to mention that I have 
found this plant in one place under the name of 
Legrandi, and I understand it is known under the 
latter name quite as much as under the former. Under 
either name, however, it is a most useful plant. 
[A. Legrandi proper is quite distinct from A. Pacottii.— 
Ed.] 
Salvias. 
For the production of scarlet flowers at the present 
season, few plants equal the old Salvia fulgens 
and yet its cultivation for this purpose is very 
seldom attempted in Ireland. I consider more 
attention ought to be given to plants of such easy 
growth, and so useful either for conservatory decoration 
or cutting purposes. From the way in which I saw 
a lot of these grown and bloomed lately, it was evident 
that when well done they are most useful things to 
have at this season. 
Habrothamnus elegans. 
Where the conditions for growing are favourable to 
this plant, it gives great satisfaction in its almost 
continuous and abundant blooming. In selecting a 
position for this plant on the back walls of plant 
structures, it is too often put where the sun-heat is 
much too powerful for it ; hence conservatories, or 
other plant houses having a full southern exposure, are 
not suitable for this plant unless thoroughly shaded, 
and even then the summer-heat in such places is 
generally too much for it. In a house with a northern 
aspect it appears to be at home, and here it may be 
relied on to do well; and from my observation of the 
plant as grown in many places, I may say that this 
aspect question forms one of the principal points in 
its management. I am reminded to call attention to 
this plant at the present time, from having seen a very 
large specimen of it a few days ago covered with 
bloom. It extended a considerable distance along the 
back-wall of a house that had its front to the north, 
and with one end exposed to the south. Although 
the usual time of flowering is May and June, if a 
judicious mode of pruning be adopted, and the situation 
is suitable in other respects, the flowering time may 
be made to continue nearly the whole year through. 
Sparmannia Africana. 
This is another valuable pillar or wall-plant for cool 
greenhouses, and for the production of white flowers at 
this season will be found most desirable. I have seen 
this plant grown alongside Habrothamnus elegans, and 
where the flowers and foliage of both plants were 
permitted to run through each other the decorative 
effect was very good. 
Lobelia, Bluestone. 
This, in my opinion, is the best of all the dwarf 
Lobelias for edgings, and where the contrasting line is 
white. It is exceedingly dwarf, hardly rising more 
than 2 ins. or 3 ins., and in line most compact. The 
very dark blue flowers are carried in a mass well over 
the foliage during the whole season. Its growth is so 
regular that little, if any, trimming with the secateur 
requires to be done; while with almost all other 
varieties this had to be well attended to during the 
past summer and autumn. The trial of this plant for 
one season would be sure to secure it a place where 
dark blue edgings would be required.— TV. D. 
-*»£«•- 
GARDENERS OF THE FUTURE. 
Young gardeners who take an interest in and read 
gardening periodicals, will no doubt have been inter¬ 
ested in the comments which have appeared in recent 
issues of The Gardening World under this heading. 
I say those who take an interest in and read gardening 
periodicals because, from what I have seen of young men, 
I feel confident that those who have read the remarks in 
question will form a small minority of the whole. It 
is the exception, not the rule, to find amongst young 
men who are ostensibly to form the head gardeners of 
the future, those who devote themselves to the study 
of the theory of gardening during their leisure hours ; 
they consider that if they do the work assigned to them 
during the day that they have done all that is necessary. 
They never for a moment stop to ask themselves why 
this is done this way and that another, why one plant 
is potted in one compost, and another in a dissimilar ; 
but simply take it to be right, because it is the general 
practice so to do. 
If young men would study during the long winter 
evenings some of the many useful works on gardening, 
they would find it much more to their profit than 
wasting their valuable time perusing literature of a— 
to put it in its mildest form—worthless nature. 
“E. H. C.” complains of want of means for young 
gardeners to prosecute the study of the higher branches 
of horticulture, but with a little self-denial they could 
manage to provide themselves with a few books which 
would be very helpful to them. A great many smoke— 
a rather expensive luxury that could easily be dispensed 
with ; and the money thus spent, if laid by for a few 
months, would soon reach a good amount. Others, 
again, are very sociable, spending their evenings in the 
public-house, and everyone knows that money melts 
away extra quickly somehow or other in such a place. 
"What I mean is this : if they are thoroughly in earnest 
to push themselves to the top of their profession they 
will cast such worthless and expensive, not to say 
injurious, habits behind their backs, and set themselves 
with assiduity and determination to attain the end in 
view. 
“ E. H. C.” and “Southdown’’ also complain of the 
lack of interest taken by head gardeners in regard to those 
under them. This may be true to a certain extent, but 
“hope deferred makeththe heart sick,’’and many a head 
gardener has found it to be so heartless an undertaking, 
that he has been compelled to give up taking any active 
steps in endeavouring to educate those under him further 
than seeing that they do their work in a thorough and 
workmanlike style, this itself in many cases causing 
him so much worry that he is glad to get rest when 
the day is ended. In the interests of head gardeners, 
however, be it said, that should any intelligent young 
man, such as “ E. H. C.” seems to be, apply to them 
for help, very few, if any, would turn a deaf ear, but 
as far as lies in their power they would assist them. 
“ Where there is a will there is a way,” and any young 
gardener thoroughly in earnest to gain information, 
will never have to say that his superior damped his 
enthusiasm by declining to give him what assistance 
he had in his power. I trust young men will follow 
“E. H. C.,” and speak for themselves through the 
medium of this paper, which I have no doubt some 
will, with the Editor’s permission. It is wonderful 
what an interest can be aroused once a start is made, 
and every encouragement will, I am sure, be given to 
beginners.— L. 
I read the remarks of “W. B. G.” (p. 196) with 
interest; but 1 am afraid the day is far distant when 
the ideal so put forward by “W. B. G. ” will be 
realised. Somewhat similar to that of “Southdown” 
(p. 225) has been my experience. Before I had reached 
twelve years of age I was already employed in a gentle¬ 
man’s garden, my father holding a responsible, but not 
altogether lucrative, position on the estate. I am 
bound to say that every opportunity was afforded me of 
getting a good insight into my profession, and I trust 
this has not all been lost. There was, however, one 
disadvantage, and that was a great one. Our chief, 
whilst being a first-class gardener, was no scholar, and 
consequently I learnt the wTong pronunciation of many 
names that thus early it was my duty to write on 
labels, and an arduous task it has been to nnlearn it. 
Like many others, instead of improving my education, 
I spent most of my evenings in card-playing, and 
later, I am sorry to say, at music-halls, theatres, and 
similar places of amusement. It so happened that I 
was never employed but under one gardener, who was 
well educated ; but that was of no advantage to me, 
for he cared nothing about the young men under him. 
In honour, however, to those head gardeners who felt 
the lack of education, I think it right to say that each 
of them advised me to improve myself in all possible 
ways—advice, alas ! which I paid very little heed to. 
I could not then see the use of practising writing, 
arithmetic, &c., but I do now. 
I had no opportunity of learning geometry in my 
younger days—in fact, not until after I became head 
myself was I ever asked to get out a design for a carpet 
bed, and I will only say respecting it that I managed 
to satisfy my then employers, though I am afraid if I 
saw it now I could not help laughing. I then made 
up my mind to learn, and received my first lesson from 
a companion of earlier days, who, I soon found, knew 
very little more on the subject than myself, and who 
I soon surpassed. Although not ten years have elapsed 
since then, I have often found the knowledge of 
practical geometry and drawing of horticultural 
buildings of great use to me—in fact, without it I 
could not have retained the post I now hold. Having 
found the utility of geometry, I have repeatedly urged 
the young men under me to commence and learn, 
offering to instiuct them ; all but one has admitted it 
likely to be a good thing to know, but not one has 
ever commenced. The exception referred to told me 
he might never be asked to do it, and if he were, that 
would be time enough to learn. There are, then, some 
head gardeners who are willing to help those under 
them, and I know of others who, like myself, have 
had their advances met with indifference. 
Southdown truly says some get no encourage¬ 
ment from the gentlemen whom they serve. 1 have 
been some time in the situation I now hold, but my 
employer has never once offered me the loan of a book 
from his library, although I am pleased to know that 
it is frequently done. Whilst on this subject I might 
be allowed to refer to some practical remarks by 
“A. D.,” in the early part of this year I think it was, 
when he urged young men to cultivate the art of public 
speaking. Y hilst we cannot all hope to attain pro¬ 
ficiency enough to admit of being called orators, yet, 
as was stated by “ A. D.,” we might by a little practice 
be able to put together a few sentences, without feeling 
that confusion so noticeable if suddenly called on to 
say a few words. I can here, too, speaking personally 
and it is to those who, like myself, are of a retiring 
disposition that I wish to address these remarks—say 
that I have often envied those who seem to be born 
speakers. It may not be digressing too much, to say 
that what ability I have in this respect has been gained 
at a Bible and Literary Class, of which I am a member. 
I know that it is not often, gardeners, either young or 
old, are so situated as to be thus able to improve 
themselves, but I do not by any means think that public 
speaking stands on a parallel with writing, arithmetic, 
bookkeeping or geometry. “ W. B. G. ” advises 
the learning of music, &c. ; I am not skilful in that 
enjoyable recreation, but I have called attention to it 
as doubtless I am not the only reader of The Gar¬ 
dening Y orld who could not, much as they might 
wash to do so, sing a song if their lives depended 
upon it. It may come somewhat hard at first to one 
who is fond of company, but if they will only do as I 
sign myself they will in due time be rewarded for their 
pains. — Persevere. 
-- 
HOUSE AND TABLE DECOR¬ 
ATION.* 
There are many duties which call forth all the 
energies and forethought, and tax the natural capacity 
of gardeners, and the subject this evening is an im¬ 
portant one to our profession—I venture to surmise is of 
increasing importance to most of us. It is not my 
purpose to enter into any high, or elaborate designs of 
arrangement in house or table decoration, because in 
all probability it would never be required, and much 
of the material necessary would not be within our 
reach. Therefore, I will endeavour to confine my 
remarks 'well within the scope of the ordinary 
gardening establishment. There can be no hard 
X A paper read by Mr. John Williams, gardener, The Priory, 
Penwortham, at a late meeting of the Preston and Fulwood 
Horticultural Society. 
