S20 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 23, 1892. 
the discussion which followed the reading of 
Mr. Iggulden’s paper on “ Winter Vegeta¬ 
bles ” at the meeting last week of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, that in common fair¬ 
ness the cooks should have ample oppor¬ 
tunity given them to answer the indict¬ 
ment. It need hardly be said that such an 
opportunity would be regarded by the 
public as one of exceeding interest. The 
matter does not alone concern cooks in 
high places, or gardeners in large estab¬ 
lishments ; it concerns the entire fraternity 
of gardeners and cooks wherever found. 
It is no new remark to say that if God gave 
us foods the Devil gave us cooks to spoil 
them, because that apothegm, wise or 
unwise, true or untrue, is as old as the 
hills. 
We had hardly thought to have seen this 
controversial matter revived in the pre¬ 
sent day in this form. The gauntlet has, 
however, been boldly thrown down, and it 
should be as boldly taken up. It is very 
probable that Mr. Iggulden, who is the first 
gardener thus ready in so public a fashion 
to break a lance with the knights of the 
kitchen, may find in his profession a great 
number of persons who think as he does, 
but have lacked his courage. We wait for 
the next round of the contest with extreme 
interest, and trust the cooks’ champions 
will prove to be worthy and capable 
antagonists. 
rtificially - coloured Flowers. —At¬ 
tempts have been made, and, so far as 
the Hydrangea is concerned, with some de¬ 
gree of success, to infuse into flowers of one 
natural hue of colour a tint that is unna¬ 
tural and artificial, by watering the plants 
producing the flowers with a chemical com¬ 
pound, calculated to produce the desired 
results. With the exception named, so far 
as we are aware, nothing of a particular 
nature has come out of these experiments. 
But now we learn of artificial hues being 
produced in natural flowers of pale colour, 
by setting the stems when freshly cut into 
water, coloured with'certain chemicals, to 
produce certain tints, with, it is said, some 
degree of success. 
The flowers must be fresh cut, and at 
once placed into the coloured liquid ; thus it 
may be possible to give to white or yellow, 
or pink, or other pale coloured flowers 
tints of diverse and curious nature, because 
it would be so odd to see a pink or red 
Narcissus, pale blue Lilies of the Valley, 
and so on. Of course there must be a limit 
to any suchcolour products, because, what¬ 
ever may result in a trifling way, nature 
has limits, and the capillary attraction 
which a flower, even if ever so fresh, can 
exercise on water in which it is stood is 
not considerable. Probably nothing of any 
appreciable moment will ever come out of 
these assumed discoveries. What a pretty 
sensation would be created were some 
Dahlia or Rose exhibitors for instance to 
cut their blooms overnight, stand them in 
chemically prepared water, and then find 
their flowers next morning of such erratic 
hues that no mortal fellow could recognise 
them—why we might even find them pro¬ 
duce that rara avis, a blue Dahlia or Rose. 
The idea seems to be a very comical one, 
but would be a trifle the reverse where 
there any probability that imaginary an¬ 
ticipation would be realised. We have no 
objection whatever to any sort of chemical 
application to flowers whilst growing, 
which shall aid to enhance their natural 
hues, or to brighten their recognised tints, 
that would leave nothing to complain off. 
So far as cut flowers are concerned, how¬ 
ever, we hope chemists or other ingenious 
persons will kindly leave them to us in 
nature’s uniforms. 
TTruit dealing Amenities.— Not at all 
a pleasant quarrel is that which has 
been entered into between certain Covent 
Garden Fruit salesmen, on the one side, 
and certain salesmen’s critics on the other, 
in one of our evening contemporaries. It is 
at all times very easy to formulate charges, 
but itis far from easy to prove them. When 
the critics charge upon salesmen that they 
offer the public certain samples, and give 
out goods that are half spoilt or greatly 
inferior, or that much of the bidding is of 
a bogus kind, or that other evils are 
countenanced in the market, it is only 
possible for those whose actions are 
criticised to give general denials to such 
charges. It is when charges become per¬ 
sonal, or are as it were levelled distinctly 
at firms or individual dealers, that it is 
possible to investigate them and ascertain 
what truth may or may not be in them. 
We don’t suppose that Covent Garden 
Market is any more free from trade im¬ 
proprieties than is the Stock Exchange. 
The practice of “ besting,” as it is called, so 
widely prevails in commerce that we look 
for absolute honour and purity of conduct 
in trade in vain. Still there seems to be 
an absence of proof in the case referred to, 
and the charges resolve themselves into 
general innuendo. If evils, as said, exist 
they should be shown up and punished. 
If they do not exist it is cruel to make 
charges which cannot be sustained. 
There is one matter in which we can 
agree with one of the critics, when he 
complains that, whilst imported fruit may 
be sold in any quantity and of any sort in 
the City of London, free of all market dues, 
our own home grown fruit sent to Covent 
Garden can only be sold after heavy 
market dues have been paid ; that is not 
free trade or fair trade, but it is the reverse. 
We shall never have anything fair in the 
matter until the London County Council 
takes over the market and greatly mode¬ 
rates the fees, and does all that is possible 
to extend market areas for the direct bene¬ 
fit of the public. 
he Recent Royal Bereavement.— 
Whilst men may come and men may go 
the ordinary stream of human life rolls on 
perhaps for ever, and with it the absolute 
necessity for existence. Were we living in 
a purely elementary or savage age, exis¬ 
tence would present but little difficulty, 
and our wants be but few. Now, because 
of the highly strung nature of human life 
and its civilised associations, existence for 
humanity is one hard, continuous struggle 
for the bulk, and anything which inter¬ 
poses obstacles to the success of that 
struggle in any way comes as a great 
disaster. Thus, at the present moment, 
whilst the nation is mourning the lament¬ 
ably early and pathetic death of the Duke 
of Clarence and Avondale, a large section 
of the community are contemplating its 
effect upon trade, and through that upon 
the means of existence, with intense alarm 
and painful interest. 
Our modes of trade and of life are so 
evenly balanced that any very important 
event serves at once to depress the scales, 
and that depression is always against the 
interests of trade and cf living. So far as 
regards the horticultural trade in which 
gardeners are engaged, there is too much 
reason to fear that it will suffer appreci¬ 
ably with the rest, indeed the outlook for 
those who grow for market is of the most 
depressing character, nothing but serious 
losses staring them in the face. It is a trade 
very largely dependent upon the fancies 
and requirements of the wealthy, and when 
that section of the community goes into 
mourning, thepinch comes home to myriads 
of growers as quickly as it does to any 
others engaged in trade. 
After all it is doubtful 'whether more real 
and continuous suffering does not in the 
end result indirectly from a calamity of 
this sort than comes in a restricted circle 
from the calamity itself. We venture to 
hope that so soon as the sharp edge of the 
great sorrow has worn off, it will be recog¬ 
nised that Society so-called has its duties 
as well as its privileges, and amongst those 
duties may be found the greatest one of 
keeping alive and in actual operation our 
national trade, so that those engaged in it, 
and especially those whose livelihood is so 
precarious, may not suffer. It is a very 
serious matter, and demands earnest 
attention. 
The Clifton Flower Show will'take place in the 
Zoological Gardens, Clifton, Bristol, on June 29th 
and 30th. 
Mr. Westcott, of Raby. — We regret to hear of the 
death of Mr. Richard Westcott, for many years 
gardener at Raby Castle, Durham. 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.— At Messrs. Protheroe 
& Morris’ Sale Rooms, on the 15th inst., Mr. F. 
Sander offered a magnificent piece of Cattleya labiata 
for sale which realised 50 guineas, and he has very 
generously sent that amount to the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund, as a New Year's gift. 
The Tottenham Nurseries, Holland. —We are in¬ 
formed that the Nursery business so long carried 
on by Mr. A. M. C. Jongkindt Coninck at 
Dedemsvaart has recently been converted into a 
limited liability company, and will in the future be 
carried on under the style and title of the Tottenham 
Nurseries, Limited. Mr. Jongkindt Coninck and Mr. 
Van der Elst have been engaged as Managing 
Directors. 
Mr. King, late gardener at " Glen chess,” Loud- 
water, Rickmanswcrth, has been engaged as gardener 
and bailiff to W. Jcnks, Esq., Canons Park, Edgware. 
Market Gardener and Prime Minister —The Western 
Mercury states that "The new Prime Minister of 
South Australia, Mr. Playford, pursues in private life 
the humble career of a market-gardener. Similar 
combinations of calling are far from infrequent, in a 
country where many a sturdy Cincinnatus is called 
from the counter to the Cabinet, presides with equal 
dexterity over governments and groceries, and 
dispenses pickles and policy with the strictest im¬ 
partiality of hand. In the absence of a leisured class 
no other regime is possible in the most democratic of 
all communities.” 
Birmingham and Midland Counties Gardeners’ 
Mutual Improvement Association. —A special tea an 
social gathering of members and their lady friends 
will be held at the Colonnade Hotel, New Street, on 
Thursday evening, February 4th, to celebrate the 
sixth anniversary of the association, when it is hoped 
that all members who can possibly make it con¬ 
venient will attend on this occasion. The annual 
general meeting will be held on February 3rd, after 
which date no applications for tickets will be enter¬ 
tained. Mr. J Hughes, the Hon. Secretary, who is 
also the indefatigable local secretary of the Gar¬ 
deners’ Orphan Fund, has also issued the following 
circular to the members : — “ At a general meeting of 
the committee of your Association on January 14th, 
1890, it was unanimously resolved that an annual 
appeal should be made to the whole of the members 
for small contributons in aid of the Gardeners' 
Orphan Fund, and that the amount so raised shall 
be sent as a contribution from the members as a body, 
the smallest contribution will therefore be most thank¬ 
fully received at the general meeting on Februar)' 
3rd, and as it is not the intention of your secretary 
or committee to appeal to you again in this year of 
1S92, it is requested that those members who find it 
impossible or inconvenient to attend on that occa¬ 
sion, will kindly send their contributions to the 
secretary on or before that date ; as the orphan of 
one of our late members has been elected on the 
funds, who is now receiving and will, if necessary, 
continue to receive 5s. per week for the next nine 
years, it is the earnest wish of all concerned that the 
amount so raised shall be in proportion to the 
