December 30, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
275 
competition for prizes is another legitimate object 
for which mutual improvement associations may 
exist to encourage. Unfortunately, gardeners are 
very often adverse to competitions of this kind, though 
it is difficult to see why it should not excite a healthy 
emulation amongst the members. No one can nor 
should absolutely expect to get the first prize, nor 
even rely upon getting a prize at all. 
The fact that a man is a head gardener or a fore¬ 
man should not prejudice the competition, but all 
should compete on equal terms as becomes men, for 
we cannot afford the pride that forbids us from 
taking part in a friendly competition that is for the 
benefit of all, and in all probability will do us good 
service in after Lfe when increasing difficulties and 
responsibilities overtake us. The incidents of com¬ 
petition and the results of the examination are often 
very curious. In the case of a comparatively recent 
competition or horticultural examination where 
employer, gardener, and a young man entered the 
competitive lists, the results showed that the 
employer wrote the best paper ; and the boy was 
second, the gardener himself was third or nowhere. 
The moral in this case is to pursue this kind of work 
while still apprentice or journeyman, and before 
prejudices of position hamper your endeavours to 
work your way upward in the laudable endeavour to 
better yourself in the profession. You cannot be 
held responsible for deficiencies in your early education 
and the endeavour to make up that deficiency is 
highly commendable. From thence you can progress 
to the very highest branches of learning in the pro¬ 
fession by self improvement. Remember also the 
proverb that reading makes a well-informed man, 
writing a correct man, and speaking a ready man. 
All these can be practised in the endeavour to 
benefit and be benefited by mutual improvement 
associations— 
“ Work on, hope on, and be ye sure 
Self-help is noble schooling.” 
Education may not immediately benefit you from a 
pecuniary point of view, but it must largely assist in 
your practical work, for a well and wisely stored 
mind must be a great aid to the proper direction of 
a well practised hand. 
Libraries. 
Most or all of the members present live in localities 
favoured with free libraries, and bearing that fact in 
mind it would seem that very little practical benefit 
would be derived by the accumulation of books or 
the formation of a library, circulating or otherwise, 
*' under the management of a mutual improvement 
association.” It would, however, be of material 
advantage as many of us already know. Public 
libraries are got up to please the taste and meet the 
requirements of the general public. While not 
denying gardeners the privilege and use of such 
books, it is my intention to show that because 
gardeners belong to a special profession they require 
books in which the general public would neither be 
interested, nor in many cases could understand nor 
appreciate at their full value. Books dealing with 
various branches of horticulture and the domain of 
botany are often very expensive, so that the not 
over-paid profession would derive material advan¬ 
tage by belonging to associations sufficiently strong 
to possess a circulating library of books specially 
intended to meet the requirements of gardeners. Of 
course, funds would be necessary for the purchase 
of books of this character. 
Most of the members present are fortunate in 
belonging to establishments where you have regular 
access to horticultural libraries every evening during 
certain hours, so that the needs of this association 
in this respect are well supplied. In the bulk of 
gardening establishments a library is a thing un¬ 
known, so that where local societies exist it is for 
them to make some endeavour in the establishment 
of a library, however limited, so long as the quality 
of the books and their applicability to the profession 
are good and of primary importance. 
Horse Radish. 
This is seldom found well grown in private gardens, 
yet no vegetable pays better for good cultivation. 
Often in some out-of-the-way place there is a big 
patch of half-starved roots overgroA'n with rubbish 
that has stood for years, from which the most 
miserable bits are dug up when asked for, and 
which are often so stringy and tough that they are 
of no value. Now, if one-tenth part of the ground 
was planted each year there would be sufficient 
roots to last the whole season. A piece of ground 
20 ft. wide and about 40 ft. long would give a supply 
for a very large establishment. The ground for 
growing this crop cannot be too rich or too deeply 
dug, and if of a light nature so much the better, as 
growth will be more luxuriant. Good roots, how¬ 
ever, may be grown in heavy ground, though more 
labour is needed to induce quick growth. 
There are two modes by which this vegetable may 
be grown ; one is by means of the long slender roots, 
the other from crowns taken off the old plants. Ihe 
cultivator must choose which of the two he will 
adopt by the depth of the soil he has to deal with. 
Having a piece of rich ground in an open situation 
that has a depth of soil from 15 in. to 18 in. we 
should prefer the former mode. Select all the long 
thin roots when taking up the crop, rub off from 
these all the little rootlets except a few at the 
bottom, tie them up in bundles and lay them in the 
soil so that they may not get dry. When the whole 
of the crop has been taken up, the stoutest should be 
laid in on a north border for future use, and all that 
may not do for planting should be burnt, as any bits 
left lying about would be sure to grow. 
Planting should be done in rows two feet apart 
allowing a foot between each set. Holes are made 
with a dibber about three inches in diameter and 
deep enough to allow the set to be admitted without 
being bent. If the ground be at all heavy, some 
light rich soil should be prepared by passing it 
through a half-inch sieve; this should be used for 
filling up the holes. But if the land is light it will 
not be necessary to go to that trouble, as the roots 
will be able to expand freely in it without. If 
crowns are used for sets, they should be taken off 
the strongest pieces with about two inches of root 
attached. Remove all buds except the centre one, 
and having made holes as previously advocated, 
drop these into the bottom, taking care that the 
crown is upwards. The holes should then be filled 
half full with fine rich soil, and when growth has 
pushed through it should be filled up to the top. 
This growth that has been made in the dark will 
become hardened and form into root. 
Should the soil be too shallow to admit of this 
practice, then holes should be made in an oblique 
manner and the long roots used. Care must, how¬ 
ever, be taken to see that when putting them in 
the roots are not bent. No manure should be 
allowed to come in contact with the roots, as this 
causes them to become forked, for the little rootlets 
take hold of it and thereby outgrow the main one. 
If the weather should be dry during summer copious 
waterings with liquid manure will be very beneficial. 
The ground should be kept free from weeds in the 
early part of the season, afterwards the plants will 
take care of themselves — Kitchen Gardener. 
Sutton’s Dwarf Gem Brussels Sprout. 
I SEND you a sample of Sutton's Dwarf Gem 
Brussels Sprout, a variety which I strongly re¬ 
commend for trial to all who may have suffered 
disappointment with this most useful vegetable. It 
has given me the greatest satisfaction during the 
two seasons I have grown it. The " buttons ” are 
of medium size, solid, and good in colour and 
flavour. It is very hardy and has all the qualities 
a really good Brussels Sprout should possess.—2I. C. 
Grant, The Rookery Gardens, Dorking. [It is un¬ 
doubtedly a gem.—E d.] 
--S—-- 
pmn iDaclb 
A Contrast in November.—By way of illustra¬ 
tion of the different aspects of nature it various parts 
of the globe at one and the same time, let us take 
the 4th of November last as a date. In this coun¬ 
try it was the end of autumn, or even early winter. 
Out-of-doors flowers were getting scarce, and the 
Dahlias that were plentiful a short time previously, 
owing to a mild autumn, were mostly cut down, and 
most other late flowers had gone in the same way, 
and leaves falling, so that everything was putting on 
a wintery aspect. Amongst shrubs, the Hamamelis 
virginica having flowered early, was generally leaf¬ 
less and bare. It is true that many really spring 
flowering subjects, both shrubby and herbaceous, 
were flowering, or making a struggle to do so, at an 
untimely period. But they looked sullied, bedraggled 
and starved in most cases, and almost the only 
things we could look u pon as being in their glory, and 
at a legitimate season, were the various forms of 
Chrysanthemum. The early flowering, decorative 
sorts, the pompons, single sorts, anemone pompons, 
and others of that sort were having what to them 
was a fine time in parks, public and private gardens, 
and the villa and cottage garden plots. Indoors, of 
course, the Chrysanthemum in exhibition form was 
at its best, or rapidly approaching that stage in various 
parts of the country. Exhibitions of those noble 
autumn and winter flowers were beginning to be 
held, and from the beginning of the next week 
onward, the shows were very numerous. 
Sydney.—The Town and Country Journal of that 
place for November 4th had a totally different tale 
to record. Real summer weather had set in after a 
rather changeable spring-time, and thunderstorms 
might have been expected. Vegetation was luxuriant 
in most parts of the colony. Natural grasses were 
in flower and ready to be cut for hay-making. The 
flower garden was still gay with many charming 
spring flowers. Roses were blooming profusely, and 
Tea Roses had been excellent. They and the 
Bourbon section have become popular of late years, 
and keep on flowering some time after the above 
date, provided the flower stems are removed after the 
blossom is past its best. Camellias and Azaleas 
were passing out of flower, after which layering may 
be done. Anemones, Ranunculus, and Hyacinths 
were ripening off their foliage. Dahlias had been 
planted out for some time, and others were to be 
planted for succession, as well as Gladioli. Advice 
was being given for the top-dressing of out-door 
Fuchsias, for the pegging down of Verbenas and 
Petunias, and for the top-dressing and watering of 
Pansies. Shading was also recommended for thfem 
during the hottest part of the day. Carnations and 
Picotees were approaching that stage when they re¬ 
quire staking. Carpet bedding was in want of trim¬ 
ming to keep it uniform. While all this was going on, 
preparations were being made for autumn. The 
general collection of Chrysanthemums was just to 
be planted out in the open ground. The autumn- 
flowering and fine-foliaged annuals were sown in 
October, and were to be planted in their permanent 
positions, while a second sowing was to be made for 
succession. 
JohannesbePg.—Taking a leap from the anti¬ 
podes to South Africa on the same date (Nov. 4th), we 
find that a summer-like spring was in the full glow 
of freshness. A week of warm weather, and some 
genial showers of rain had excited the plants that 
had been pushing away for some time, into rich 
blossom and verdure. Lawns and grass borders were 
green, and plants everywhere flowering in such a 
way that the gardener could only feel himself in an 
earthly paradise. Roses were in full bloom in many 
gardens, and Pansies, Snapdragons, Sweetwilliams, 
Phloxes, and other things were charming in the per¬ 
fection and variety of their bloom. Seeds were to 
be sown of late flowering plants such as Zinnia, 
Portulaca, Cockscomb, Balsam, Lobelia, Mignonette, 
Phlox, Verbena, Candytuft, &c. Those things that 
were in full bloom on the 4th November are per¬ 
ennials, and must have been slumbering, as it were, 
through the winter, which must be regarded merely 
as a resting period induced by the drought. There 
is no such thing as the vicissitudes of frost, snow, 
and rain, such as that which we are accustomed to 
call winter. There would be perennial greenness 
there, provided moisture were present. 
Nearer Home.—Spring comes gradually creep¬ 
ing northward, and we first become warned of its 
approach by the flowers that reach our shores from 
the south of France and neighbouring districts. If 
the Tea Roses are grown there, which are selling so 
cheaply on the streets of London just now, the 
weather must be very favourable, for the flowers are 
as fresh as if it had been the middle of June in the 
more inland parts of Britain. The Scilly Islands 
have been sending flowers for a long time past, as 
the season was much earlier than usual. The dry, 
warm summer, and the warm influence? of the sea 
must be held accountable for such earliness. 
Vines and Vine Culture. The best book on Grapes. By 
Archibald F. Barron, Superintendent of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society's Garden, Chiswick. Secretary of the Fruit 
Committee.-A New and Cheaper Edition, Revised and 
Enlarged. Demy 8vo, Handsomely Bound in cloth. Price, 
56. ; post free, 5s. 3d. Publisher, Gardening World, i, 
Clement’s Inn, Strand, London, W.C. 
