114 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 21, 1898. 
delicious beverages in hot weather. (Hear, hear.) 
He had tasted gooseberry wine that was better than 
some champagne, and elder wine that w-as better 
than a good deal of port. (Laughter.) There were 
great possibilities in the improved culture of fruit, 
and he hoped the subject would be taken up by the 
parish councils they heard- so much about. The 
poor wanted teaching what fruit to grow. (Hear, 
hear.) He should like to see a Minister of Horticul¬ 
ture, or else the Minister of Agriculture should 
attend to such things. Degrees should be given for 
knowledge of fruit culture, D.D., for instance, stand¬ 
ing for “ Doctor of Damsons ” and M.A. for 
■' Master of Apples.” (Laughter.) The Lord 
Mayor responded, and the gathering soon afterw'ards 
broke up .—Daily Neios. 
-< 4 .- 
CULTURE OF NETTLES. 
Can you grow Nettles ? This question I confess 
rather nettled me, for like Topsy in ‘‘ Uncle Tom’s 
Cabin,” I thought they “grow'd themselves,” but 
my employer is fond of a dish of Nettles in the 
spring as a change of diet, and as the fields round 
us have long since been covered with bricks and 
mortar, and Nettles have become exterminated, there 
is nothing for it but to grow them ; hence the ques¬ 
tion which commences this note. Well, I have 
selected a site for a Nettle bed outside the dressed 
grounds, but within sight of the windows of the 
house, and I propose to take up the turf and trench 
the ground 15 in. deep, and then plant Nettle roots in 
the same way as we do Mint, and relay the turf so 
that the Nettle shoots will come up in a natural way. 
The Nettle seems to like a loose, friable, gritty soil, 
but when we are trenching, would it be better to add 
manure then, or to mulch later on when the plants 
are established ? If we could improve upon the wild 
Nettle, it would be a boon to many town gardeners 
in easily providing the materials for a seasonable 
dish in spring.— B. L. 
-- 
HORTICULTURAL LECTURES. 
Since horticulture has been included in the curricu¬ 
lum of technical education, promoted and encouraged 
by our County Councils, there has been a great de¬ 
mand for persons capable of lecturing on the sub¬ 
ject. This demand, aided by its (in many cases) 
attractive fees, has induced numerous persons to 
come forward and offer their services as lecturers. 
In the majority of cases these have been able men, 
and in every way thoroughly qualified by long and 
varied experience to undertake work of this kind. 
But, alas ! there are exceptions to this rule, and my 
object in writing this note is to call special attention 
to these, and at the same time to point out the pro¬ 
bable discredit they will ultimately bring upon those 
who are duly qualified, if the former are allowed to 
continue to lecture on practical subjects which it is 
obvious only practical men really understand. 
Take one example of what I refer to for instance. 
Within a hundred miles of Charing Cross I have 
heard of a young fellow, who has not had the 
slightest practical experience of fruit culture 
even in a private garden, undertaking to give 
lectures before an audience, composed in many 
cases largely of practical gardeners, on profitable 
fruit growing. I veature to say there are very 
many gardeners w-ho, after years of experience in 
fruit culture, would not feel sufficiently competent to 
assume the role of a teacher on this subject. What, 
then, of the young fellow who has had no experi¬ 
ence ? The same remarks apply to other essentially 
practical subjects, as vegetable and plant culture. 
It must be patent to every sensible person that the 
information imparted by this youthful lecturer can 
only be such as he could obtain himself in any of the 
cheap manuals or journals published at the present 
day. 
This brings me to another important point. Is it 
right on the part of the committees w-ho arrange 
for such lectures to thus squander the money granted 
them for a laudable purpose by the County Coun¬ 
cils ? I say, decidedly not! I argue that local edu¬ 
cational committees, if they intend to embrace horti¬ 
culture as one of their technical subjects, should take 
care to have at least a few good practical gardeners 
as members of those bodies, and then when the 
question of choosing a lecturer on horticulture is be¬ 
fore them, they will have someone capable of judg¬ 
ing as to the man who is best adapted for the work. 
We should then see, not young men just out of their 
teens repeating a lot of stale clap-trap about things 
they don’t understand, but really capable men who 
can speak with experience and authority on the sub¬ 
jects they essay to deal with. 
There are, undoubtedly, plenty of capable men in 
every county who could impart good wholesome 
advice on gardening subjects without the aid of the 
professional lecturer — and especially youthful ones. 
I feel sure that the editor, with his usual courtesy, 
will find a corner for this note, and also for the 
opinions of others who may care to express their 
view's pro. and con on this important topic.— One 
of the Craft. 
-.S*- 
THE ROSE SEASON OF 
1893. 
It is always pleasant to cast one’s thoughts back 
over a season, for even the worst of them possess a 
few bright spots or can afford us a few useful lessons. 
The Rose season of 1893 is no exception to this. 
One of the most encouraging features is the proof 
that it does not much matter whether the summer 
be excessively wet, or such an extreme on the other 
side as we hav'e experienced this last summer. In 
either case we find that good cultivation with a 
proper selection of varieties will ensure a pleasing 
crop of bloom. More than once during the past 
nine months, the prospects of a good or indifferent 
season were suddenly changed. After coming 
through the winter satisfactorily, most of the wood 
had a very promising appearance at pruning time, 
and although many of us were in fear of late frosts 
upon the exceptionally early growth during March 
and April, we seemed to have reached a fairly safe 
stage. This was rudely broken in upon early in 
June, when almost all young growth received a 
severe check. I gathered my first bloom early in 
April, and had a few hybrid perpetuals upon 
maidens by the latter end of May. 
With phenomenally hot and dry weather, followed 
by frost at night, the glowing prospects of the early 
spring were quickly dispelled, and many autumnal 
diseases put in an unwelcome appearance. This 
was not so much to be wondered at seeing the 
weather, both day and night, was also autumnal. 
We had scarcely a shower for three to four months, 
and were experiencing harvest weather duringMay and 
June ; consequently, Roses that were not cultivated 
in deep and cool soils were unable to stand against 
the strain. But, if we practically lost the first crop 
of bloom upon established plants, we got fairly good 
flowers from maidens fully six weeks earlier than 
usual, and these lasted until the second crop of the 
older plants was with us. 
The season of 1893 has shown us that a collection 
of different varieties is most useful. It is well worth 
devoting a little space to those kinds which only 
come good now and again, because this now and 
again is invariably when the season is not particu¬ 
larly favourable to the majority. It has also been 
brought home to us, more forcibly than ever, how 
important it is to have Roses upon more than one 
class of stock. It has been too hot and dry for the 
Manettii, but the Brier has been able to do itself 
justice owing to its deeper rooting properties. 
Manettii also comes into growth and bloom earlier 
than the Brier, and so was in full growth when the 
late spring frosts were so destructive. 
About the middle of July, when the Rose exhibi¬ 
tions were all over, the weather took a sudden 
change, and a few showers, with dullness generally, 
imparted more colour and substance to the blooms. 
Previous to this, scarcely any varieties had time to 
mature themselves before they were forced open by 
the excessive heat. This welcome change only 
lasted sufficiently long to excite the plants into more 
healthy growth vvhich promised a very acceptable 
crop in August and September. Weather if any¬ 
thing hotter and dryer than before set in, and only 
a few who took the precaution of thoroughly water¬ 
ing their plants artificially really reaped the full 
benefit of this new break in growth. It was not 
possible for me to w-ater the whole of my plants, 
having to purchase all of my water since the early 
part of March ; a large quantity of mixed subjects 
and several glass houses, all of which were requir¬ 
ing an extra supply, precluded the possibility of 
attending to the whole of my Roses in like manner. 
A small bed of newer and choice varieties close to 
the houses was, however, well watered at the time 
I mention. Here I had some magnificent flowers, 
and the crop was in every way a great advance upon 
the general collections. To buy water, and that far 
from the spot, is much too expensive for application 
upon some acres of Roses. 
Some years ago, before I had one-twentieth of the 
Roses I now possess, an old rosarian was looking 
round with me, when he suddenly said, " Ah! 
increase your stock as you propose, but if you do 
you will discover it is impossible to do them so 
well; a few pets can be well managed, but there is 
failure in a quantity.” My friend was quite correct, 
and seldom more so than during the past season. 
All through the latter part of the summer, and more 
especially during September, the Teas and noisettes 
have been particularly beautiful. The National 
Rose Society’s Tea and Noisette Exhibition last 
June was far from satisfactory ; and notwithstanding 
that June is generally the month par excellence for 
Roses of these classes, I firmly believe a much 
better show could have been held in Sept ember. 
The budding season of 1893 ^^.s been very favour¬ 
able,^ especially where one took full advantage of the 
dull weeks in the middle and end of July. The 
stocks were not coarse and overflowing with sap, 
while the buds, for the same reasons, were also in 
grand condition. Very few' blanks have occurred in 
my own plantations, and I hear equally favourable 
accounts of others. The buds are w-ell set, and are 
mostly in that plump and yet dormant condition so 
favourable for safe wintering. To those growers 
who believe so firmly in own root Roses, the season 
of 1893 has been a grand one for propagation. 
Wood was solid, free from pithiness, and rooted 
particularly freely during July and August. 
The excessively dry spring affected late planted 
Roses and stocks very much, and was quite fatal to 
my quarters of hedge Briers. I do not think I saved 
5 per cent, of the latter. A most precarious and 
expensive stock this; a fact which is being rapidly 
discovered by amateur growers. I am particularly 
partial to a medium between the standard and dwarf 
styles, viz., what are styled by many ” Foot Briers.” 
These are the hedge Brier about 12 to 18 in. in 
height, and generally a year younger than the full 
standard stocks. They cost about the same figure 
as dwarfs, and all Roses dd w'onderfully well when 
worked upon them. In this form we avoid the 
gauntness of standards, and also the succulent 
growth so frequently found upon the pure dw'arfs. 
They are easily protected during severe weather and 
throw a greater majority of finished blooms. 
The exhibitions of Roses which I have attended 
during 1893 have not been so disappointing as I 
expected at the time, but they have been sadly 
inferior to our early spring prospects. Only a few 
exceptionally well-favoured localities were able to 
show collections of good and uniform merit, the 
majority containing a very few fairly good flowers, 
and being made up of indifferent examples of those 
varieties which are generally so good. But if the 
Rose season has been poor in quality, it has given 
us quantity, and this extended over a long period. 
Thorough cultivation helps the Rose during such a 
trying summer as the past, and also amply repays 
itself in a favourable season. Whatever be our 
favourite plant or flower, a few of them w'ell looked 
after are certain to be far more favourable and much 
less trouble than a larger quantity indifferently 
attended to. Our large growers, who exhibit so 
splendidly, generally pay special attention to a few 
of each variety, and thus obtain blooms which 
surprise the careless grower. 
We cannot say that the Roses of 1893 are past yet, 
for at the time of writing (Oct. 7th) I have cut some 
500 to 600 blooms, many of them by no means in¬ 
ferior to the summer Roses. Commencing in April, 
and having no prospects of a break before the latter 
end of October, I do not think we can look upon the 
closing season as so bad after all. Quantity and 
medium quality prevailed for upwards of six months. 
The plants are ripening steadily and well, and do not 
carry any of the coarse and late sappy growth we 
find at the latter end of a wet season. Insect pests, 
also the various diseases that Roses are subject to, 
have not been so conspicuous as usual. The former 
I attribute to the hot and dry weather early in the 
season encouraging birds to eat them more freely 
than usual. At all events, my observations have led 
me to this conclusion in the case of our plants. 
Sparrows, tits, and several of the warblers w'ere very 
busy for about three weeks among the Rose maggot, 
and also among the aphis a little later on. Red rust 
has been almost entirely absent, and red spider has 
