566 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 5, 1894. 
NATIONAL AURICULA SOCIETY. 
Northern Section. 
The above Society held their annual exhibition of 
Auriculas and Polyanthuses at the Royal Botanical 
Gardens, Manchester, on Saturday last, April 28th. 
The show of Auriculas was very good and produced 
some fine flowers of great merit. The Alpines also 
were quite up to the standard, but Polyanthuses 
having suffered severely through the early season 
were not fully represented, and the quality also was 
but moderate. Premier honours were awarded to 
Mr. T. Lord, of Todmorden, \vho staged some beau¬ 
tiful specimens of the Auricula, the white-edged 
Mrs. Dodwell, which was awarded the prize for the 
best Auricula in the exhibition, was a perfect speci¬ 
men, and acknowledged as being one of the best 
Auriculas shown for some years ; Mr. B. Simonite, 
of Sheffield, came a good second to Mr. Lord ; and 
Mr. Irving Hind, of Halifax, third. Mr. J. Beswick, 
of Middleton, carried off chief honours in the classes 
for Alpines; and was closely followed by Mr. R. 
Gorton, of Eccles, and Mr. J. W. Bentley, of 
Stakehill, Castleton. There was a good attendance 
of visitors during the afternoon. 
The following is a list of the awards: — Six 
dissimilar Auriculas:—First, Mr. T. Lord,Todmor- 
den, with Rev. F. D. Horner, Mrs. A. Potts, Geo. 
Lightbody, Mrs. Dodwell, Acme and Prince of 
Greens; second, Mr. B. Simonite, Sheffield, with 
Mrs. A. Potts, Lancashire Hero, Hy. Wilson, Ruby, 
Magpie and Dr. Hardy; third, Mr Irving Hind, 
Halifax, with Rev. F'. D. Horner, Mrs. A. Potts, 
Black Bess, Reliance, Acme and Geo. Lightbody ; 
fourth, Mr. W. H. Midgley, Halifax; fifth. Miss 
Woodhead, Halifax; sixth, Mr. J. Stokes, Birming¬ 
ham ; seventh, Mr. J. Clements, Birmingham. 
Four dissimilar Auriculas :—First, Mr. T. Lord, with 
Mrs. A. Potts, Rev. F. D. Horner, Geo. Lightbody, 
and Acme; second, Mr. B. Simonite; third, Mr. 
W. H. Midgley; fourth. Miss Woodhead; fifth, 
Mr. J. Stelfox, Stalybridge; sixth, Mr. J. Stokes. 
Pair of Auriculas (dissimilar in variety and class) :— ■ 
First, Mr. Richard Gorton, Eccles, with Heatherbell, 
and Achilles ; second, Mr. Jas. Wood, Stalybridge, 
with Robert Traill and Acme; third, Mr. Thos. 
Buckley, Stalybridge; fourth, Mr. J.W. Bentley; 
fifth, E. Shaw, Moston. 
Four dissimilar Alpines (shaded) : — First, Mr. J. 
Beswick, Middleton, with John Allen, Mrs. Beswick, 
Dr. Knott, and Forest Queen; second, Mr. R. 
Gorton, with John Allen, Forest Queen, Dr. 
Durnford, and Bright Eyes; third, Mr. J. V/. 
Bentley, with C. W. Needham, Miss Baker, Rose 
Wynne, and Winnie; fourth, Mr. John Lees, 
Middleton ; fifth, Mr. J. Stelfox; sixth, Mr. J. 
Stokes ; seventh, Mr. W. Prescott, Manchester. 
Auriculas, single plants, green edges :—First, Mr. 
T. Lord, with Rev. F. D. Horner; second, Mr. R. 
Gorton, with J. S. Hansford; third, fourth, fifth, 
sixth, seventh, and eighth, Mr. B. Simonite, with 
Viridiflora, R. Gorton, Ossian, Dragonfly, Shirley 
Hibberd, and Prism. Grey edges :— First and 
second, Mr. T. Lord, with Geo. Lightbody and 
Lancashire Hero; third, Mr. J. Stokes, with Alex. 
Meiklejohn ; fourth. Miss Woodhead, with Rachel ; 
fifth, Mr. W. H. Midgley, with Geo. Rudd ; sixth, 
Mr. J. Dickin (Ashton-under-Lyne), with Wm. 
Brockbank; seventh, J. W. Bentley, with Syke’s 
Complete; eighth, Jas. Wood, with Confidence. 
White edges : —First, Mr. T. Lord, with Acme ; 
second. Miss Woodhead, with Heatherbell; third, 
Mr. T. Lord, with Conservative ; fourth and fifth, 
Mr. B. Simonite, with Mr. Dodwell and Amy 
-Robsart; sixth, Mr. T. Lord, with John Simonite ; 
seventh, J. Stokes, with Mrs. Brockbank ; eighth, 
Mr. J. Clements, with Rachel. Selfs:—First, Mr. 
Irving Hind, with Mrs. A. Potts ; second, Mr. 
Richard Gorton, with a Seedling ; third, Mr. Irving 
Hind, with Black Bess ; fourth, Mr. B. Simonite, 
with Ivanhoe ; fifth, Mr. Richard Gorton, with a 
seedling : sixth and seventh, Mr. B. Simonite, with 
Melaine and a Seedling ; eighth, Mr. Richard 
Gorton, wdth a seedling. 
Premier Auricula of the^whole exhibition : —Mr. 
T. Lord, with Mrs. Dodwell. 
Alpines shaded, single plants, yellow centres:— 
First, Mr. J. W. Bentley, with Winnie ; second and 
third, Mr. J. Beswick, with John Allen and Emir ; 
fourth, Mr.J.W. Bentley, with C.W. Needham ; fifth, 
Mr. W. Prescott, with Guinea. White centres :— 
First and second, Mr. J. Beswick, with Seedlings; 
third, Mr. R. Gorton, with Stanley; fourth, Mr. J. 
Beswick, with The Bride ; fifth, Mr. J. Stokes, with 
Exonian. 
GARDENERS—MALE v. FEMALE. 
In one of your contemporaries there appeared a few 
weeks ago an article on " Market Gardening—a pro¬ 
fession for our Sons,” in which the writer thoroughly 
grasps the situation by opening his remarks with 
the following:—"Our country at the present time 
may not inaptly be likened to a fold of sheep ; it re¬ 
sounds on all sides with cries innumerable. Of all 
these manifold bleatings, among the bitter cries of 
outcast London, the gentle murmuring of "sweated” 
but still patient workgirls, and the more ominous 
rumbling of our miners and dockers, perhaps none is 
more pathetic, if only from the lack of sympathy 
iisually accorded to it, than the cry of the poor 
gentleman blessed with a large and healthy family— 
What shall we do with our Sons ? ” 
After reading that, something analagous will force 
itself on the minds of gardeners—not only " what to 
do with their sons,” but, judging from the advertising 
columns of the organs of their calling in particular, 
may anxiously consider what to do themselves; at 
least those that are seeking situations, and meet 
with repeated disappointments. For gardeners as a 
rule are not overpaid, and those with a family—or to 
use the somewhat harsh advertising term, " encum¬ 
brance”—are in a poor position to lay up anything 
for a rainy day ; or when they are thrown out of 
employment by death, change of residence, or the 
effects of that ominous word, failure—otherwise 
" breaking up of the establishment,” to use the 
stereotyped phrase. 
Thrift is a very good thing to advocate, and also for 
the working classes to practise, but what heartburnings 
and cruel disappointments it must cause to old age 
when such crashes occur as the recent Liberator affair; 
thousands are then irretrievably ruined, and such a 
disastrous climax to years of saving and carefulness 
is not likely to be an incentive to thrift amongst the 
wage-earning community. The offenders may 
deservedly receive their reward for such nefarious 
behaviour by being compulsorily entertained at the 
expense of the ratepayers for some years, but that 
does not bring the money back to the poor souls 
they have swindled. 
Speaking of advertising, not only does one find—at 
this season of the year especially—a regular shoal of 
gardeners seeking situations in their own particular 
papers, but if you pick up any county paper you also 
find several there, which would cause the natural 
impression that the supply was greatly in excess of 
the demand; more the pity, as an overcrowded 
market will always depreciate value. And yet we 
find many young aspirants eager to enter for honours 
upon the uncertain field. Not only that, but there 
also seems a danger looming in the distance 
threatening us in another quarter, as in a fashion¬ 
able paper devoted to sports I noticed the other 
week a “ lady ” gardener offering her services ! Now, 
although fully aware that all must live, yet I cannot 
agree that our ranks should be swelled by a " lady ” 
brigade. I read an article a few weeks ago entitled 
" The last days of Mr. Clerk,” in which the writer 
remarks, " It really seems as if the days of the man 
clerk were numbered, that females are driving him 
out of the market, and he deplores woman sitting on 
a high stool and triumphantly turning her brothers 
out into the street to starve, when from carefully 
compiled statistics no fewer than 50 per cent, of the 
girls toiling in the City might quite comfortably live 
at home if they were only content in that sphere of 
life to which they had been called. But the fashion 
of to-day is discontent ; it is not necessity, but 
ambition which drives girls from their home—where 
their duty lies—to the office, where they are morally 
trespassing in other people’s ground.” 
In several branches of industry women have a 
great preponderance over men, and now it would 
seem as though some of them are anxious to sup¬ 
plant the man gardener. Female—I beg pardon, 
"Lady” clerks as manipulators of the typewriter 
may not seem so much out of their proper sphere to 
we gardeners, but to see a " lady ” gardener digging, 
wheeling manure, or making up a hot-bed, would be 
a sight for the god’s! I do not for one moment 
suppose they have any intention of performing that 
kind of work, although it is all gardening. No, I 
fully expect they would want men to do that ! But 
then I ask, what " man ” gardener, I will not say 
“ gentleman ” gardener—being firmly convinced that 
if that somewhat maligned individual ever had a 
happy hunting ground, he is, in these practical days. 
a thing of the past—is thought capable, or has the 
good fortune to take charge of a gardening establish¬ 
ment after only about two years probation in a first- 
rate private garden, about the time these " lady ” 
gardeners would spend at some horticultural college! 
Young men now-a-days spend perhaps fifteen years 
in a subordinate position before they can blossom 
into a full-blown " head, ’ and then very probably 
have to take up with a considerably smaller berth 
than those places where they have efficiently acted 
as foremen, perhaps, f jr some years ; but they plod 
along, waiting patiently for something better to turn 
up ; sometimes it does, but more often not. 
We find plenty of good men languishing in single- 
handed places, who very probably years ago entered 
the ranks full of hope and zeal. Those are the men 
who ought to drop in for the prizes of the profession, 
men who have endured the whips and the scorns of 
time, the oppressor’s wrong, and the proud man's 
contumely ! Too many gardeners, unfortunately, 
find in the twilight of their career that they have 
been looking, as it were, for the philosopher’s sione. 
If ladies wish to turn their hand to Horticulture, let 
those with capital run flower-growing establishments, 
then there would be no harm in their wholly 
employing female labour.— Path-finder. 
CARBOLIC ACID FOR 
CARNATION RUST. 
We can attest to the efficiency of carbolic acid as a 
remedy for Carnation rust. A i per cent, solution 
thoroughly applied will destroy all rust with which 
it comes in contact in two applications. Such is our 
experience with some badly affected stock. We 
believe that in advanced stages of the disease the 
acid will prove an effective agent in checking any 
further spread of the same. 
For young plants in pots or flats would advise a 
weaker solution, as unless very carefully sprayed 
the roots might be damaged by the soil taking up 
too much of the acid. The i per cent, solution is 
not in the least injurious to young foliage, and only a 
few blooms were damaged. 
Our practice was to cut the flowers close, then 
syringe thoroughly from all sides, using the finest 
spray possible. We think a practical method would 
be the occasional use of the i per cent solution to be 
followed by weekly applications of some of the 
milder remedies, as we would expect injury to roots 
of plants in benches or beds if this stronger solution 
were continued without intermission. No fear need 
be entertained in making one or two applications of 
the I per cent, solution to plants in beds or benches ; 
as to the effect on flowers, we can only speak of 
Daybreak and McGowan, other varieties might 
suffer more. 
The U.S. Dispensatory, 13 Ed., says of carbolic 
acid :—" But by far the most important property of 
carbolic acid, both as a therapeutic and preventive 
agent, is its destructive influence over the lower 
grades of organic life, w'hether vegetable or animal. 
In a solution containing only one part of the acid in 
500 of water, it instantly destroys v’egetable mould, 
both plant and spores, and operated with equal de¬ 
structiveness upon minute or microscopic animalcu- 
lae.”— Bechet Bros., in American Florist. 
— -- 
CLUBBING. 
When gardeners speak of “ clubbing ” they mean 
the slime fungus which forms excrescences the size 
of a clenched hand—a semi-putrid mass—on the 
main root or base of the stem, and not to the nodules 
on the side roots, which are the work of insects, as 
" F ” states on p. 535. To the first the plants 
succumb, but the latter they survive by making 
fresh roots above the affected parts. If plants can 
be induced to make fresh roots up the stem before 
the fungus has made much progress they will make 
a brave stand against club. F'or years past I have 
not dared to trust our Brussels Sprouts planted in 
the ordinary way, so I plant them in trenches a foot 
deep and a yard apart and the plants are this dis¬ 
tance in the rows with Cauliflowers alternately, these 
being already planted. On the ridges between 
the trenches Lettuce are grown, so that we have 
three important crops on each yard of ground. 
In June soil is chopped down from the sides of the 
trenches and packed round the stems of the Brussels 
Sprouts to induce root formation, but in dry weather 
this will not take place unless the plants are watered 
