Oct. 11th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
83 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
C |t dNtomng Wurltr. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1884. 
The International Potato Exhibition.— 
The remarkable display of such an humble aud 
unpretentious exhibition element as Potatos, seen 
during the past week at the Crystal Palace, is 
but another tribute to the powers of the gardener 
to create charming displays out of comparatively 
crude materials, for few would imagine that such 
a subject, however it may be tolerated in ordinary 
Flower Shows, could of itself form an exhibition 
that should attract large numbers of people, and 
to the experienced gardener and practical horti¬ 
culturist have so much of interest. Perhaps 
more than any other vocation (for we do not in 
this case include the fine arts) Gardening presents 
capacities to produce subjects of an attractive and 
interesting kind. And of all the subjects which 
come within the gardener’s range of culture few 
can be held to possess less natural elements of 
beauty or of attractiveness than the Potato. It 
may be true that the exhibits of this favourite 
esculent seen at the Crystal Palace during the past 
week were on the whole not quite so smooth, 
clean, and handsome as we have seen in previous 
years, but that is but an accident of the season. 
There was, however, no lack of good form, 
evenness of size, and variety of shape and 
colouring. The fact is that the public have, 
except on such rare occasions as International 
Potato Shows, seen but little of the tubers 
they consume on their dinner tables, except 
at the market or in greengrocers’ windows, 
or at length and finally in a cooked state, 
and therefore may probably have formed but an 
indifferent estimate of the merits of really good 
samples upon the exhibition tables. Of course 
the question is asked, and will be asked again 
and again, what benefit to Potatos and their 
culture results from exhibitions P To that we 
may plead that the same query might be just 
as appositely put with respect to all fruits, 
flowers, and vegetables that from time to time 
are exhibited; and if, as none doubt, good has 
resulted to all these things through the competi¬ 
tive stimulus administered, why not the same 
good to the Potato P Our leading exhibitors tell 
us indeed that since the establishment of the 
International Potato Show the tuber has under¬ 
gone a wondrous change for the better; that we 
have now not only much handsomer, more even¬ 
sized, less wasteful, and better eating Potatos 
than in years past, but that, farther, we have 
kinds which are not only such great croppers, 
but so much resist the disease that we never had 
Potatos so abundant nor so cheap. Still farther, 
we have seen during the past ten years the 
Potato becoming more and more an important 
article of the people’s food, standing as a vegetable 
product certainly next to Wheat, and at the same 
time it is so healthful and appetizing that scarcely 
anyone, rich or poor, can realize a satisfying 
mid-day meal that does not include a dish of 
Potatos. We have watched the progress of the 
Potato Shows from the first, and can bear evidence 
to their progressiveness on the one hand, and 
beneficial influence exercised on the cultivation 
of the esculent on the other. Seasons may, as 
this year, prove now and then antagonistic, but 
on the whole the advance is substantial. 
Detached Greenhouses. —Under this heading 
The Architect records a decision recently given 
by Mr. Hosack, one of the London stipendiary 
police magistrates, in the Worship Street Police 
Court. The circumstances are set forth as 
follows : — “ The district surveyor for East 
Hackney (North) summoned a gentleman for a 
fee in respect of a detached greenhouse, 16 ft. 
long and 9 ft. wide, which had been erected in 
a back garden. The person who erected the 
greenhouse held the opinion that under the new 
regulations of the Building Act, the surveyor 
was not entitled to a fee. In giving his decision, 
the magistrate said that he would allow that a 
greenhouse attached to a building was not 
exempt; but thought one, which was detached, 
as in this case, was exempt, and therefore dis¬ 
missed the summons.” The Architect adds: 
“ District surveyors will not approve of this 
opinion, but from an occupier’s point of view it 
is satisfactory. The small greenhouses which 
are found in the gardens of London residents 
are often so simple that they hardly deserve to be 
called structures. But, like foul-houses, they 
have been brought within the terms of the 
Building Act. We know of a case where the 
flue in a small greenhouse, entirely constructed 
by an amateur, was treated by a surveyor as if 
it were a factory chimney; and many similar 
cases could be related.” In reference to this 
matter, we have one word of advice to give to 
any of our readers whose love for plants may 
lead them to think of building a greenhouse, 
namely this, that if they live within the district 
of a Local Board of Health, ora Board of Works, 
they should endeavour first of all, to make them¬ 
selves acquainted with the bye-laws under which 
the local authority acts. Bye-laws vary some¬ 
what in districts ; in some they appear to be 
very arbitrary, but they cannot have any legal 
effect until passed by the Local Government 
Board. A little caution may avert legal entangle¬ 
ments. Another point is that the system which 
prevails in some quarters of remunerating district 
surveyors partly by salary and partly by fees is 
a vicious one, and ought not to be tolerated. An 
official who is so paid, cannot be trusted in the 
matter of enforcing fees. It is to his advantage 
to endeavour to get them under the most frivolous 
protests. A surveyor should have a fixed salary, 
according to his work and ability ; all fees legally 
chargeable should be paid directly to the Board 
whose servant he is, and they should never be a 
part of an official’s salary. 
Winder Pruning. —If we could do all the 
required thinning and pruning of our trees, no 
matter of what kind, whilst the leaves are still on 
them, no doubt very much more drastic cutting 
would be done than is the case when the pruning 
is done in the winter. The work recommends 
itself to gardeners as thoroughly winter work, 
because it can be done whilst frost is in the soil, 
and scarcely any other garden operations can be 
performed. But the result of pruning when the 
trees are leafless is too often seen in sparing 
growth that should be mercilessly removed. 
When the trees are leafless those look compara¬ 
tively thin that before looked thick, whilst little 
account is taken of the inevitable re-thickening 
which will follow in the next summer. As a rule, 
we prune to remove the density of the preceding 
year. Eeally we should prune to give the growth 
which is to follow ample space. But the chief 
resulting evil from hard pruning of robust trees 
is seen in the excessive new growth which breaks 
out around the severed branches, and which does 
but intensify the evil if left standing. If we made 
a rule to rub all these shoots off clean early in the 
summer, very much of the sap thus absorbed 
uselessly would be diverted into other channels, 
and would go to build up wood that is not densely 
placed and needs more invigorating. Without 
doubt a good crop of fruit is the best corrective 
of coarse growth in all fruit-trees, but for other 
trees the saw is the only means of securing even¬ 
ness and regularity of growth and head. The 
general lack of fruit in all kinds of trees this 
season has given an impetus to woody growth that 
renders pruning essential, and the sooner it can 
be done the better ; none the less that matured 
wood shows such a promise of fruit-buds, that 
could we have a favourable spring in the coming 
year we shall have a magnificent fruit crop, and 
for that reason, if for no other, the trees will need 
thinning and relief. 
-H*- 
Pot Washing. —What an obnoxious labour is 
the washing of pots at any time, and specially so 
if the weather be cold and the work has to be 
done in the open. Eeally in such case it is 
impossible to do the work well, especially if the 
pots be dirty, and for that reason it is always 
preferable to have an abundant supply of boiling 
water on hand, and to thoroughly scald the pots 
if possible before washing, so that the slime or 
conferva so common on all dirty pots may be 
destroyed. Pot washing ranks -amongst the 
elementary work of a garden; it is that to which 
the young neophyte is first put, and it is a task 
which perhaps not unnaturally helps to foster at 
the first a grave dislike for the duties about to 
be entered upon. Still, the rougher elements of 
gardening must be mastered before those of a 
more elevated and responsible kind can be 
attained to, for sorry indeed would be the 
knowledge of the gardener who in his haste to 
become accomplished had neglected to ascertain 
in early days and by rough practical experience 
how the most menial of garden duties should be 
discharged. The old story of the gentleman who, 
having found fault with a painter because his 
work was badly done, was retorted upon that he 
was known when he was but a drummer boy, 
and to which the gentleman with much force 
replied, “ Aye, but did I not drum well,” is one 
that has a wide application. If any head 
gardener of the present day should by some 
injudicious or envious acquaintance be charged 
with the remembrance of having once been a pot 
washer, we can imagine the pride he would feel 
if he could honestly reply, “ And did I not wash 
them well too.” That is a sort of feeling all 
should take a pleasure in realizing, for work of 
any kind, however deterring its nature, yet must 
be done well to give the worker any praise, and 
it is only worth doing well if done at all. Eor 
that reason we like to see pots well and 
thoroughly washed by neophytes, but none the 
less do we like to see those elements of good 
work and cleanliness provided—plenty of hot 
water, brushes, and sand, so that the willing 
worker may be encouraged to do his work well. 
Town Trees. —It has just been announced 
that the authorities of the district propose plant¬ 
ing trees in that now widened but still legally 
musty thoroughfare, Gray’s Inn Eoad, and 
naturally it becomes a matter of considerable 
interest to learn what kind or kinds of trees it 
is proposed to plant there. Most unfortunately 
our list of really useful town trees is a very limited 
one. We may not plant Elm, Oak, Beech, Birch, 
Chestnuts, or many other of those noble forest 
trees that give such an air of majesty to our 
woods and parks. These trees if planted will 
thrive indifferently, indeed, will probably soon 
die. ’Tis true, we have the Lime, a noble and 
