Feb. 7th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
355 
Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”—B acon. 
€|e Ikrkuitg Work 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1m, 1885. 
Town Mabkets. —One of our market-garden 
farmers the other day touched a great sore in our 
present method of distributing vegetables, fruits 
and flowers to the great metropolitan public, 
when he spoke of the absurdity incidental to 
having only one central market, and of having to 
cart produce several miles through masses of con¬ 
sumers that others might have to bring it back 
again. Truly in the matter of market arrange¬ 
ments, London is very badly treated, for should 
any adventurous spirits seek to establish a 
market for garden produce elsewhere, the prestige 
of Covent Garden sits so heavily upon the inter¬ 
loper, that life is squeezed out of it in no time. 
If London were just now without vegetable 
markets, no one would for a moment suggest the 
establishment of one in so confined an area as is 
that of Covent Garden, so remote also from any 
great railway. 
If it were now purposed to supply the wants 
of the metropolis with garden produce, certainly 
those who were charged with the matter would 
primarily conclude that facility of consignment 
first, and then facility of distribution were the chief 
aims in view. To .that end we should see the 
myriads of loads of vegetables and fruits which 
now enter London at all points, intercepted at 
given spots rather on the margin of the town 
than within it, and instead of compelling a vast 
aggregate of traffic to congest itself within a 
central, restricted and inconvenient area, should 
so disperse it amongst some half-dozen districts 
and markets that growers, dealers and consumers 
alike may all be benefited. 
Without doubt one of the greatest needs of our 
day is found in the bringing together more imme¬ 
diately of growers and consumers. The former at 
present and as a rule get too little for their produce, 
the latter equally pay too much. The dealer is 
the go-between, the now necessary disperser of 
the produce to the consumers, and he for his 
trouble, and having little risk, gets added to his 
wares some 20 to 50 per cent. Thus the con¬ 
sumption of garden produce is lamentably 
restricted, and the grower doubly suffers. The 
present system of market-sale also acts as a check 
upon the creation of small market growers, for 
not only cannot these compete in the central 
market with more experienced and larger growers, 
but their limited horse-power is most unduly 
taxed. Their only hope of getting a livelihood 
consists in the opportunity of dealing direct 
with the consumer, and that is not at all possible 
in a central market such as we now have. 
Did a dozen really large retail markets exist 
around the metropolis, we could have consumer 
and grower dealing from the cart’s tail, and both 
reaping the benefits of the deal. Now the 
growers must deal with a middleman, and the 
consumer obtains his needful garden stuff, stale 
and flavourless, some three or four times removed 
from its original vendor. We can hardly hope 
for any improvement in these market conveni¬ 
ences until London is blessed with self-govern¬ 
ment of a large-hearted kind, but even then 
trade affinities to Covent Garden will weigh 
heavily against new ventures, which would have 
to look for support rather to new growers than 
to the old ones, whose traditions naturally run 
with the ancient, though far from attractive, 
Square just by the Strand. A daily paper 
recently drew attention to the large expansion 
of the Central Flower Market now rendered 
necessary by the increase of the flower trade. 
It is one of the anomalies of our market trade 
that it should thus in the metropolis be in the 
hands of one individual, who is of course a great 
personage; but great noble or not, it is certain that 
within the boundaries of no municipality would 
a huge monopoly such as exists in London be 
allowed. 
It is specially in the Flower Department that 
interests arise which materially concern the entire 
kingdom, because owing to facilities of transit 
flowers are sent from all parts of the country. 
Nay, we may go farther, and say that the Covent 
Garden Flower Market has cosmopolitan in¬ 
terests, for flowers reach it consigned from France, 
the Channel Islands, and, indeed, from goodness 
knows where. Perhaps it would be more difficult 
to establish general outer flower markets than to 
promote those for vegetables and fruits. The 
flower-purchasing public, spite of the great love 
for flowers found to exist, is still a limited' one, 
for flowers are essentially luxuries, although as 
such very much loved by the town dwellers of 
every class. 
Perhaps more flower markets where the con¬ 
sumers could purchase them fresh and cheap 
would stimulate their production, especially of 
the commoner kinds, and thus make their 
culture the more profitable. With such a vast 
body of consumers, growing for London markets 
should be a very profitable occupation. Such is 
not now the case, and the reason is to be found in 
restricted facilities of sale. 
->±-=- 
The Chiswick Potato Teials. — The an¬ 
nouncement we were enabled to make last week 
to the effect that the testing of the seedling kinds 
of Potatos submitted to the judgment of the 
International Potato Show Committee would, by 
consent, be again conducted at Chiswick, shows 
that the premier Potato authority will continue 
to exercise its supervision over seedling kinds of 
Potatos for the present year, and will in doing 
that also do its best to give to really meritorious 
novelties the honours which they deserve. 
Although the International Show will not take 
place till the second week in October, the work 
of supervising seedling kinds submitted for 
approval must begin shortly, and terminate some¬ 
time ere the Show will take place. Raisers 
desirous of securing approval are invited to send 
their new kinds early, and a good even seed 
sample fit for planting. Those who drive the 
matter off till late in the spring often suffer 
through their neglect. 
It cannot be too strongly impressed upon 
those raisers who send seedling kinds for 
trial that they should not only name them, but 
also do so with a view to permanence. It is 
exceedingly annoying to the Committee, as it is 
unfair to the public, that kinds which have 
received certificates under some designation given 
by the raisers, should, after coming into com¬ 
merce, appear with totally diverse names, as in 
such case it is not possible to identify the 
originals. The policy of so doing also must be 
suicidal to those who offer them in commerce, 
as with change of name goes all possibility of 
recognition. 
It is well that raisers, to maintain the identity 
of their best or certificated kinds, should select 
first good general (and not local) names, which 
could hardly be improved upon, and should 
farther insist that any such kinds sold into trado 
should continue to bear the original name. If 
something of this kind is not done, the Com¬ 
mittee will have to protect its own work and 
reputation in some effective way. 
- ^ - 
Rain at Last. —Gardeners who have to fill ice- 
stores are doubtless nowcongratulatingthemselves 
upon the kindly accession of frost which enabled 
them to obtain the needful material in abundance. 
It is so long since such a chance was offered them 
that they have good reason to be jubilant. So 
far the frost has done some good, and as it was 
not at all severe, and further enabled much 
useful work to be done in other directions, there 
seems to be ample reason for congratulation with 
the winter so far. But those who anticipated 
continued frost and severity accompanying a 
comparatively dry winter, did not reckon with 
the American storms, which, starting up almost 
without notice, suddenly flood our country 
with warm air and heavy falls of rain. What a 
change was seen in the declining days of J anuary, 
and what an abundance of moisture has February 
brought in its train! If the month continues to 
be as aqueous as its first days have been, we shall 
find it has well earned its old designation of 
February fill-ditch. 
Anticipating some such weather, gardeners 
and amateurs may well pause ere they too 
hurriedly commit to earth seeds that cannot well 
endure the soakings incidental to a cold wet season. 
Still farther, it is not good policy to tread the 
ground when it is saturated, and though it will 
require many wet days to satisfy the cravings 
of the soil below, yet the surface must be the 
medium through which all the rain must percolate 
to the lower soils. So quickly, however, does the 
weather change, that the wild storms and hurri¬ 
canes of Saturday last, lit up by lightning and 
heralded by sonorous thunder-claps, were soon 
hushed to peacefulness, the wind ceased to blow 
in squalls, and the sun shone forth, changing the 
winter wild into spring-like weather soft and mild, 
calling forth nature to untimely exertions. The 
wind, however, may return to the north and snow 
and frost may again visit us. For these reasons 
we are always glad when the winter is really 
over. 
Feosted Plants. —An experienced gardener 
once said of frosted plants —“ Whatever is 
touched with frost keep dark and cool, and 
damage will be lessened, if not entirely obviated.” 
The truth of this remark has been often demon¬ 
strated; granted that some injury follows, it is 
undoubtedly true that by keeping frosted plants 
well covered up for a time, the harm they receive 
is thereby materially lessened. The effect of 
frost on plants depends very much on the state 
in which it finds them. Soft-wooded greenhouse 
plants are materially injured, if not killed out¬ 
right, when they are in a moist atmosphere and 
a growing temperature, with full enjoyment of 
the light, and a sharp frost suddenly falls upon 
and seizes them. On the other hand, if mode¬ 
rately dry and well covered, so as to be almost in 
total darkness, very many, even of the tenderest 
character, will bear a few degrees of frost with 
impunity. 
The advice we are giving may be of use 
just now, when sharp frosty weather may be 
experienced at any time, with occasional intervals 
of softer temperature, when vigilance is apt to 
sleep; and this sharp weather may be continued 
for a few weeks to come. Should frost get into 
a house, and it has roof and side blinds to it, 
draw them down at once; or if there are no 
blinds, and the lights could be covered for a time 
with a tarpaulin, or mats, or anything of the 
kind, it is a good plan ; or if a number of 
newspapers (failing any outside covering) could 
