Nov. 8th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
147 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
€\t fckttkg iEorlb. 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8th, 1884. 
Apple Shows. —The recent remarkable dis¬ 
play of Apples seen at South Kensington had the 
merit of being a capital one for the season, but 
the demerit of jbeyond that teaching us nothing. 
This remark applies specially to the collections of 
not more than one hundred kinds sent by nursery¬ 
men, most of whom will doubtless agree with 
us, and will admit that, beyond showing that so 
many kinds had fruited, these collections showed 
little else that was instructive. Yet we may add, 
too, that whilst many kinds were of such indif¬ 
ferent quality, many others were so good that they 
at least taught something—they taught us what 
to avoid, if nothing else. Collections of one 
hundred kinds of Potatos are sometimes seen, but 
they always contain a lot of useless sorts. The 
same may be said of collections of one hundred 
kinds of Apples; though of both Potatos and 
Apples it is true that there was a time when the 
inferior kinds of to-day were of the best then. 
Thus we see many sorts trading upon almost 
posthumous fame. Growers keep many old kinds 
in their lists either because they think they may 
be asked for some day, or else from egotism, being 
unwilling to show a published list of sorts less in 
number than some other trader has. The most 
esteemed trade grower is he who has the courage 
to lop off yearly all useless or obsolete sorts, 
thinning out his list as remorselessly as he would 
his trees, and thus leaving for the selection of his 
customers only the best and most reliable kinds. 
We make no scruple in averring that in fifty 
kinds of Apples we may find all that really merit 
cultivation, simply because if some once-famous 
sort.is cut out, it is only because a newer variety 
has displaced it more advantageously. If we 
could look forward to a series of shows at South 
Kensington similar to those held during the past 
season, we should like to advise that not only 
nurserymen but private growers be offered the 
opportunity to compete in classes for the most 
prolific and regularly-bearing kinds, both in 
kitchen and dessert forms. The best selection of, 
say, twelve kinds for market work, both early 
and later season ; the best sis or twelve kinds for 
highest flavour, apart from beauty; the best sorts 
for cordon or dwarf bush culture ; and, not least, 
the best kinds for free orchard culture. There 
are methods that will readily occur to some of 
our leading fruit growers, by which the results 
we desire to see should be obtained. Anything 
at least is better than the encouragement of the 
exhibition of collections of a miscellaneous charac¬ 
ter which teach nothing, if they show us, as they 
undoubtedly do, that certain growers can make 
up so many kinds. We are sure that readers 
interested in Apple culture, and especially our 
trade readers, will freely admit that if exhibitions 
of Apples can be made more subservient to the 
education of the people in pomological knowledge 
they should be so. The recent attempt to obtain 
representative collections of Apples from the 
northern counties and Scotland practically failed 
though the intention was excellent. The failure 
may have arisen from the lack of Apples to show 
from those districts, for the two collections sent 
were hardly worthy of consideration. At the 
Apple Congress last year the northern districts 
were fairly well represented, but then last year 
was a good one for Apples, and no doubt the 
north was specially favoured. We thought we 
had a bad Apple season in the south, yet we were 
greeted last week with one of the finest displays 
°f Apples seen at South Kensington at any time. 
The obvious inference is, that a poor crop in the 
south means after all a considerable one, and a 
poor crop in the north means none at all. It is 
thus seen that whilst Apple culture is in the south 
comparatively easy, in the north it is difficult, 
and the conditions of culture are most adverse. 
Perhaps another year classes for six and twelve 
kinds of Apples grown north of Midland counties, 
and the same for Scotland, might bring represen¬ 
tative collections of the best sorts; but it seems 
useless to ask for large collections if they are not 
to be found. Yery much may yet be done in 
Great Britain and Ireland to popularize Apple 
culture. 
Chrysanthemums and the Electric Light. 
—Messrs. William Cutbusli & Son have been 
indulging their neighbours and friends at High- 
gate during the past week with a nightly 
display of Chrysanthemums, illuminated by the 
electric light. So far as we know this is the 
first time that the aid of the electric light has 
been requisitioned for such a purpose by a trading 
firm, and we are pleased to learn that the novelty 
answered its purpose, the said neighbours and 
friends having visited the exhibition in consider¬ 
able numbers, and expressed their admiration of 
the beautiful display of flowers they were enabled 
to enjoy under such novel conditions. The light¬ 
ing of the show-house and a temporary canvas 
structure was entrusted to Mr. F. C. Phillips, 
electrical engineer, who did his work well, the 
lights working steadily and showing off the gay 
flowers to the greatest advantage. The plant- 
houses on the well-known hill side were also 
illuminated with large Chinese lanterns, as well 
as some parts of the nursery grounds, and though 
the nights were cool, not to say cold, a con¬ 
stant stream of visitors passed through the 
nursery while open. The Messrs. Cutbusli grow 
about one hundred and eighty selected varieties 
of Chrysanthemums, many of which were in 
full bloom during the week, and of excellent 
quality, though not specially cultivated with a 
view to an exhibition of this character. Such fine 
white varieties as Elaine stood out prominently 
beyond all others, and as a general rule the 
highly-coloured Japanese, and the reflexed section 
of the show varieties, were more telling under the 
electric light than the incurved sorts. 
Some Old-Time Vegetables. —Looking over 
the vegetables at the recent South Kensington 
display of these garden products, a visitor ex¬ 
claimed when the Cardoons were seen, “what 
splendid Celery.’’ Such is fame for the poor 
old Cardoon! That Mr. Osman should have 
laboured so to grow and blanch these huge sticks 
some 3 ft. 6 ins. long, and of proportionate 
dimensions, to required whiteness, only to find 
them mistaken for Celery was a great come 
down. Still, it is possible that those who had 
set about eating the well-blanched Cardoons as 
Celery,would have met with some disappointment. 
It is very evident that the Cardoon, what¬ 
ever its ancient fame, has little now in the 
estimation of modern gardeners, whether as 
a salad or for flavouring purposes. Good Celery 
has knocked it out of time, and if samples are 
not presently preserved in the Natural History 
Museum, future generations of gardeners will 
know it not. Salsify and Scorzonera, rank also 
amongst almost obsolete garden vegetables. 
They take us back to those days of elementary 
gardening, when Dandelion roots were esteemed 
a delicacy, and Nettle-tops a luxury. Probably 
the universal introduction of the Potato into our 
common life-food, has done more than anything 
else to drive out of ordinary cultivation such 
comparatively useless roots as these, whilst as 
winter roots of this particular kind, both are 
inferior to good Parsnips, which may be so easily 
produced. Skirret, another old world root, 
partakes of the character of the two former ones, 
and honoured by gardeners fifty years ago, is 
now to the present generation almost unknown. 
An old writer on Salsify states, that when the 
flesh of the roots is boiled, mashed and fried in 
cakes, the flavour is that of oyster patties. We 
may aver that such a statement requires with it 
a very large grain of salt. Perhaps, in old days, 
oyster patties were made of Salsify, hence the 
similarity in flavour. It is very evident that in 
relation to garden vegetables, the theory of 
evolution has been at work, and indifferent ones 
have had to give place to others of far superior 
merit. 
The Teee Onion. —Beyond and exceedingly 
distinctive from all ordinary Onions, and by 
these of course we mean only such as are raised 
from seed and grown under ordinary conditions 
of culture, there are Onion plants so-called, and 
in town districts very much better known by 
that designation than by the rightful one of 
Ornithogalum longebracteatum because the large 
bulbs are so Onion like. This is an excellent 
town plant, and in some of our town shows has 
been presented in a way that would surprise 
rural gardeners, to many of whom this Onion 
plant is unfamiliar. Then we have the curious 
and interesting Tree Onion, a plant that many 
regard as fabulous until they see it. Certainly 
it is as odd to some to whom this Tree Onion is 
strange, to see real Onion bulbs produced at the 
extremity of tall shoots as it would be to see 
clusters of Potatos produced on the tops of 
Potato haulm. We find from constant inquiry 
that this Tree Onion is sought for amongst 
cottagers, and especially by town dwellers, who, 
unable to produce ordinary Onions under ordi¬ 
nary conditions, think, and doubtless rightly, 
that this Tree Onion would produce them edible 
bulbs in any case. The little clustered bulbs 
are about the size of those ordinarily used for 
pickling, and perhaps might be for that purpose 
available. Whether they are as wholesome for 
common use as ordinary Onions are we cannot 
say. Certainly they have excellent flavour. 
Another interesting Onion is the Potato or under¬ 
ground variety. This is a perennial form, as it 
is increased by the self-dividing roots or bulbs 
which do not seed. Half a century ago this 
Potato Onion was largely used in gardens, but 
now is seldom met with. It may well rank with 
the Tree Onion as vegetable curiosities. It was 
to be regretted that in some recent collections of 
Onions these old and once familiar kinds were 
not represented. 
Chrysanthemums foe Cutting. —In private 
gardens any and all kinds of blossoms, no matter 
what colour, seem equally favoured as cut flowers. 
In such case there are no trade or public preju¬ 
dices to study, and all is fish that comes to the net. 
But in towns flowers have one great necessity, 
they must look well by artificial light, and for 
that reason market growers of Chrysanthemums 
most largely favour pure white kinds and those 
rich chestnuts or crimsons which will light up and 
look gay and resplendent under those conditions. 
Pinks, bronzes — the two prevailing tints in 
Chrysanthemums—and buffs, come out bad or 
ineffectually, but yellows, especially if clear and 
bright, do remarkably well, though under some 
