80 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 7, 1893. 
ether vocations to arouse the intelligence of 
workers and’lead them to desire even greater 
knowledge of their vocation than they 
previous!}’ had. Now, with all due respect 
to other occupations, we don’t find the same 
intelligent desire existing to any appreciable 
degree. 
Not that we would for one moment 
assume that gardeners are beings consumed 
by a burning desire for intellectual know¬ 
ledge, but that they do show at least a 
honest wish to be improved, and to help 
one another to that improvement. It may 
be that in many cases the papers presented 
are somewhat crude compositions, and lack 
completeness; but they have the merit, 
in any gathering of gardeners, of eliciting 
fuller facts and instruction, and even if 
crude they very often contain some items 
of importance or facts of a very practical 
nature that, like rough gems, are found to 
be valuable. 
It is idle to ignore the fact that, apart 
from this combination for intelligent pur¬ 
poses, gardeners are very much more 
consistent than are the bulk of other 
workers, who prefer to hold their meetings— 
and those chiefly in relation to the politics 
of their occupation rather than concerning 
their higher qualities—in public-houses. 
Gardeners, indeed, rarely do that, for it 
■would be in their case exceedingly incon¬ 
gruous. The gardener, whilst he must 
have good professional knowledge, must 
also have a good personal reputation, for 
character is to him the very soul and 
savour of his existence. Knowing that, he 
wisely shuns those places where harm may 
result. For that reason, as well as for 
others named, we express warm sympathy 
in the efforts of these Gardeners’ Associa¬ 
tions. 
ECHNiCAL Education in Gardening.— 
The season has now arrived when the 
technical instructor becomes exceedingly 
active. He is now starting on to his winter 
QOLirses, and may be found turning up here 
and there all over the country, at village 
schoolrooms, halls, institutes, &c., giving 
forth of his practical, as well as of his 
theoretical, knowdedge concerning all sorts 
of phases of popular gardening. That in 
this way an immense amount of good will 
be done and knowledge of good gardening 
be widely diffused there can be no doubt ; 
indeed Ave think that of all the forms of 
technical teaching Avhich our County 
Councils have so enthusiastically taken in 
hand, that of horticulture is likely to pro¬ 
duce the best and most lasting results. 
But it is most evident that this technical 
information can only be at once useful and 
educational when it is imparted by those 
Avho have had ample sound practical 
experience, and at the same time know how 
to impart it. We have heard of some 
deplorable instances of incapacity to impart 
knowledge, even though the instructor was 
a good gardener. We have heard, too, of 
some cases where the so-called instruction 
was all gas, and totally devoid of practical 
knowledge, a species of charlatanism, words 
and phrases strung together glibly enough, 
but utterly wanting in soundness. Just 
such is the style of instruction professed to 
be imparted in a western county by a lady, 
w’ho appears to possess ample confidence 
but little or no practical knowledge. If 
the reports of her lectures, furnished by the 
local papers, are correct—and we see no 
cause to regard them as otherwise—then it 
is evident that Avere hearers to sit under 
such an instructor for a year they Avould be 
no Aviser than Avhen they began learning. 
The fact is no Avoman ever can hav’e 
practical knoAvledge of gardening She 
may acquire a superficial knowledge, just as 
some professors of the male sex think they 
knoAV, but to open their mouths is but to 
expose their ignorance. We haA’e no desire 
to be hard upon the softer sex, but even 
that term may be applied with greater 
force to the men Avho send out such miser¬ 
able incompetence to lecture on liorticulture 
under technical education committees. 
-Autumn Berries and Foliage.—P erhaps 
it is due to the fact that this autumn 
Ave are seeing in every direction such a 
remarkable crop of berries on trees and 
bushes, and also now such charming 
colouration in hardy foliage, that it is we 
find artificial berries and foliage such 
popular decorative wear Avith ladies. In 
any case it is a much more pleasing and 
humane taste than is the heartless one in 
favour of birds, Avhether they be rare or 
beautiful or othervAuse. 
But berries have added remarkable 
charms to our Avooilands this season 
although it is to be regretted that because 
the birds are, through pressure from 
drought, hard driven for insect and other 
fooi, they haAm had to eat up these beau¬ 
tiful berries in all directions. Hoav very 
strikingthe berries have been, and still are, 
on Berberris buxifolia, commonly called B, 
dulcis. We have seen huge bushes of these 
literally all aglow Avith brilliant colour and 
nothing could Avell be lovelier. The Guel¬ 
der Rose and the common DogAvooi of the 
hedgerows, especially in chalky districts, 
are just now becoming most effective. The 
Holly is berried in rich abundance, and the 
HaAvthorn and the Dog Rose also are 
literally masses of HaAves and Hips. 
It is indeed a delightful variation in 
rural life to get into fields and AvoodsAvhere 
these trees and bushes abound. In our 
gardens the species ot Crataegus, Skimmia, 
Aucuba and other evergreen shrubs give 
berries in great plenty and beauty. The 
leafage in all directions is now becoming 
most brilliantly coloured. The change 
from green to golden, crimson, bronze, &c., 
comes this year early and the leaf fall Avill 
be soon over, but at least these colours 
from leaf and fruit do help immensdy to 
beautify for a time our woods and gardens. 
“j^ARDY Fruits.—-W hat Ave presume Avas 
the last real hardy fruit show of the 
season was that held at Earl’s Court last 
week, a splendid one of its kind, too, but 
very much marred by its detached character, 
Avhich prevented any effect being pro¬ 
duced. However, that is of minor moment 
Avhen compared Avith the almost Avonderful 
display of the hardy fruits, but of course 
Ave specially refer to the x\pples and Pears 
shown, Avhich displayed in size, colour, 
brightness or finish such quality as has not 
often be.^ore been seen. The season has 
after all been productive of one of the finest 
deA^eloped fruit crops of modern days, and 
everybody seems to admit that it Avas due 
chiefly to the unusual heat of the summer. 
11 may be some time ere Ave shall look upon 
such perfect and fine fruit again, and per¬ 
haps Ave shall never see better ; but we 
may at least hope that in some Avay, and in 
a Avorthy place, such as the Crystal Palace 
or the Agricultural Hall, Avhere there is 
ample room to hold a really national exhi¬ 
bition of hardy fruit, a grand show may be 
held eAmry year, for it is only through exhi¬ 
bitions of this kind after all that Ave are able 
to mark progress. We may Avell hope, apart 
from the question of the separation of house- 
grown fruits from pure out-door products— 
and that trouble cropped up again at Earl’s 
Court — that some more definite line' 
Avill be taken in defining Avhat are 
and Avhat are not recognised dessert 
varieties. Both exhibitors and judges did 
in several classes blunder sadly in setting 
up and passing several varieties that are 
universally classed as kitchen sorts. When 
traders themseh^es catalogue varieties as kit¬ 
chen sorts and then set them up as dessert, 
it can hardly be termed honest, and then, 
because they are fine, handsome and Avell- 
coloured, judges pass them. Some traders 
omit any classification AA’hateA’er, others 
Avill describe man}’ as both for cooking and 
dessert, but it is obvious tliat, if separate 
classes are provided, there should also be 
provided an authoritative list of Avhat are 
regarded as dessert and Avhat are kitchen. 
Such a classification should not be difficult, 
and Avhen published with a schedule should 
be binding on exhibitors. 
-- 
Ml’. W. Farp, formerly gardener at Patshull, 
Wolverhampton, has been engaged as gardener to 
Andrew Pears, Esq , Spring Grove, Isleworth. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At the meeting of 
this society on Tuesday afternoon next, Mr. William 
Crump, of Madresfield Court, will read a paper on 
“ Pears.” 
Van Houtte’s Nursery, Ghent.—We learn from the 
Journal des Orcliidees that on the ist inst. the Van 
Houtte family ceased to have any connection with 
the great nursery establishment at Ghent which 
has been so long associated with their name. 
L’Orchideenne.—At the annual meeting of this 
Belgian Society of Orchid Amateurs, held on the 
24th ult., Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., was elected 
an honorary president in the place of the late Baron 
de Bleichrodes. 
Mr. George Bogue, who for about twenty-eight 
years was gardener to Lord Verulam at Gorham- 
bury, but who for the last eighteen years has been 
living in retirement, died at St. Albans on the 19th 
ult , aged 86 years. Mr. Bogue was a native of 
Lanarkshire, and a very able gardener in his day. 
Exmouth Chrysanthemum Show.—The eighth 
annual exhibition, organised by the Exmouth Gar¬ 
deners’ Mutual Improvement Society, will be held 
on Wednesday, November ist. 
The Chrysanthemum Show, organised by the 
Imperial Horticultural Society of Vienna, is an¬ 
nounced to be held on Sunday, November 5th. 
Leith Horlicultu'al So:iety.—The tenth general 
meeting of the Leith Horticultural Society was held 
on Thursday evening. The Secretary read the annual 
report. It stated that the annual flower show was 
held on 2nd September, and that the show was the 
b:St and fullest that has taken place in the history cf 
the Society. The entries in the horticultural 
classes were 902; in the other sections, sewing, 
drawing, &c., 105 ; agrand total of 1,007. Prizes:— 
'the total value of cash and articles given was 
£6^ 17s. 6d. The Treasurer submitted his financial 
statement, which showed that the income, including a 
balance of £^g iSs. y^d. from last year, amounted to 
/219 8s. 9d. 
Tree-Planting in Scotland.—The Board cf Agri¬ 
culture desire to direct attention to the increased 
facilities for the planting of woods and trees in 
Scotland afforded by the Improvement of Land (Scot¬ 
land) Act, 1893, which received the Royal Assent on 
the 24th August last. Hitherto owners of land in 
Scotland hive been able, with the sanction of the 
Board of Agriculture, to charge their estates for 
the planting of woods and trees, only in cases 
where the planting is for the purpose of providing 
shelter. By the Act in question this limitation 
has been removed, and applications may now be 
made to the Board for sanction to charge estates, 
under the provisions of the Improvement of Land 
Act, 1864, with the cost of planting, whether for 
shelter or otherwise. 
Notable Things of the Season.—A correspondent 
writing from Henfield, Sussex, says;—“ This week I 
gathered from a tree on a wall, with an east aspect, 
in my garden here, a Calebasse Grosse pear of the fol¬ 
lowing remarkable dimensions and Aveight:—It has at 
the thick end a circumference of i2| in., and one of 
iS in. lengthways. Its weight is rather more than one 
pound and three quarters. There are a few more on 
the tree; these are v’ery large though not equal to the 
one to which I refer.—On the morning of the 22nd 
ult. Mr. Scantlebury Liskeard picked a mushroom, 
