232 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 8, 1894. 
SPECIALISM IN GARDENING. 
As with most other sciences at the present day, so 
with horticulture, there is a very great tendency upon 
the part of many students of the profession to aim 
at becoming specialists in the culture of a certain 
class of plants, their knowledge meanwhile of other 
branches of their calling suffering to a certain degree 
because of this. No man, be he ever so rich in 
all the qualities that go to make up a good gardener, 
and they are many and various, can hope to become 
a thorough proficient with regard to all branches of 
his work, and so, many devote all their time and 
attention to perfecting themselves in all matters 
relating to one class of subjects. 
Now the question that naturally suggests itself to 
the mind of a thinking man with regard to this sub¬ 
ject is the decided leaning towards specialism in 
any one branch of the profession conducive to the 
best interests of horticulture, &c.; is it calculated to 
bring to the front men suitable to fill positions of 
trust as gardeners in large establishments? To the 
first question most of us will, I think, answer yes, 
because, as has been noted, life is too short and the 
science of horticulture far too extensive a one for 
one man to become a perfect master of all the 
matters connected with it. We think then that the 
specialist can safely Claim that the dividing of the 
profession up into numerous branches, and for one 
man to bring all his energy to bear upon one 
division with a view to discovering as much as 
possible with regard to the secrets of that division is 
the surest way of finding out whatever of importance 
there is to learn with regard to any one branch, and, 
therefore, that if all the important ramifications are 
treated in a similar manner we have discovered the 
best method of advancing the true interests of 
horticulture. Then again, the information that the 
specialist is able to impart must be treated with 
respect, seeing that it is the result of hours of 
thought, of study and research in that particular 
direction. Indeed, if any of us want reliable in¬ 
formation upon a given subject we, as a rule, go to a 
specialist upon that subject and strive to persuade 
him to lighten our darkness. 
But we are of opinion that while there is a good 
deal to be said in favour of specialism, there is also 
much to be said against it. With regard to the 
nursery trade—here of course the specialist is in 
his glory, and is in fact the right man in the right 
place. He has a certain class of plants to grow, the 
treatment of which he has made a particular study. 
He of course brings all the knowledge he has 
acquired to bear upon his treatment of these plants 
with the result that he succeeds splendidly in his 
cultivation of them. But if any notice at all is to 
be taken of the advertisements for competent 
gardeners that are always appearing, it is “ good-all¬ 
round-men ” that are wanted, men who can grow 
good vegetables and fruit, and are expert in dealing 
with the propagation and growing on of the many 
highly prized flowering and foliage plants. 
In a situation of this kind the specialist is entirely 
out of his sphere of operations. Of what use would 
it be, might be asked, for a man whose time has been 
solely taken up with the growing say of Orchids, to 
attempt to take charge of an establishment where he 
would be required to know something about the 
whole, and where he would have to direct the opera¬ 
tions of men with regard to work of which he had 
never had practical and personal experience. Why, 
it would be but to court failure for a man of this 
description to attempt to carry out so herculean a 
task. It becomes therefore a matter of serious 
importance that so many of our young men are 
wending their steps in the direction of specialism, 
at least, unless the present state of affairs undergoes 
a sudden and a decided change, and such a change 
there is, to say the least of it, no immediate prospect 
of our experiencing. 
Most young gardeners after they have spent a 
certain time as journeymen naturally aspire to 
become something higher, and consequently try to 
secure a foreman’s position. Now from the condi¬ 
tions that obtain in most large establishments the 
garden is divided into several departments, a foreman 
being usually placed in charge of each. In very 
many cases then the aspirant to the foreman’s 
position takes a place as head of a special depart¬ 
ment, and it is but natural that he, wishing to give 
satisfaction in his new sphere of labour, for it is a 
good old proverb " that new brooms sweep clean,” 
applies himself diligently to learn all there is to be 
learnt in the particular department for the well-being 
of which he is directly responsible. In this way the 
first seeds of specialism are sown and the crop is, as 
a rule, not long in springing up. 
It would not profit, however, for us to describe in 
detail the steps by which the man, becoming 
interested in a certain class of plants, often, as 1 
have described from the sole reason that he has to 
grow them, or is to some extent responsible for their 
well-being, becomes so absorbed in all matters con¬ 
nected with them that presently he gets to imagine 
that these particular subjects are the most important 
of all others, and more worthy than any of his 
particular attention. In tact, he has become a 
specialist. 
This is a subject concerning which a good deal of 
light is needed, and which will take a deal of 
threshing out before we can come to a satisfactory 
conclusion with regard to the best method of 
obviating what cannot fail to be more or less of an 
evil. The gardener of to-day has to have a good 
many strings to his bow, His employer’s eyes must 
be pleased it is true with sufficient quantities of 
floral delicacies, but the kitchen has to be supplied 
as well. In many cases where lavish expenditure 
used at one time to obtain, there is now, if not an 
evidence of absolute niggardliness, at least, a manifest 
and decided tightening of the purse-strings, and 
many gentlemen, while they value flowers as much 
as ever they did, value vegetables and fruit a great 
deal more than they used to do, and rightly so. It 
is in far too many instances an ower true saying that 
a wise gardener will make friends with the cook.— G. 
-- 
THE LILY SEASON AT 
HEATHERBANK. 
My annual note on our Lilies will be shorter than 
usual this year. The frost of 2ist May was most 
destructive except in especially favourable situations. 
In the wood bed at Oakwood the mild weather had 
made the L. auratum stems tall and the growth 
vigorous, then the frost came and cut the tops, so 
that in the flowering season there was one fine plant 
in bloom with more than a dozen frosted ones round 
it. L. Humboldtihad unusually strong stems, these 
were all browned. L. candidum promised to be 
very fine, but in exposed situations were cut down; 
within not many yards a few plants in sheltered 
places bloomed well. L. superbum cut by frost in 
some situations was fine in others. L. Browni, L. 
japonicum odorum, and L. Krameri all cut, L. 
Martagon Dalmaticum cut in wood was fine on hill. 
In a sheltered place on the hill L. auratum Virginale 
was especially fine. 
In the wood at our cottage garden, which is dry 
and warm, the Lilies bloomed well, and in this 
garden almost all the Lilies, especially L. auratum 
and L. speciosum, planted in sunk tubs and in large 
boxes sheltered by shrubs, were as fine as usual; in 
one tub with the bottom out we had the finest plant 
of L. tigrinum splendens I ever saw, 8'ft. 9m. high 
with ten flowers. 
In the greenhouse here L.Wallichianum superbum 
and L. Henryi bloomed well. I believe the last to be 
a valuable out-of-door Lily, but have not yet grown 
it except under glass. A plant of L. Wallichianum 
superbum had twenty-three stem bulbils like those 
on Tiger Lilies, so should be readily propagated.—■ 
George F. Wilson, Heatherbank, Weybridge Heath, 
Nov. 30 th. 
_ 
DEVONSHIRE HORTICULTURE. 
At the meeting of the Devon and Exeter Gardeners' 
Association held on the 28th ult., Mr. Parker read a 
paper on The Devon and Exeter Horticultural 
Society, in which he stated that the Society was 
established in 1829, and had held an unbroken series 
of exhibitions up to the present day. The then 
Lord Clifford was the first President, and his 
successors in office included the most distinguished 
men of the county of Devon. The first Hon. 
Secretary was Mr. J. Gidley, father of the late Town 
Clerk of Exeter ; the Treasurer was Mr. John Milford, 
and the City Bank had acted as Bankers and 
Treasurers from the first. The oldest existing 
Horticultural Society was the Ancient Society of 
York Florists, established in 1760; next came the 
Horticultural Society of London, established in 
1804; the Caledonian Society, 1809; the Aylesbury 
Society, 1822; that of Newcastle-on-Tyne, which 
dated from 1824; and then came the Devon and 
Exeter Horticultural Society, established in 1829. 
The Society’s career had been a varied one. At 
times it held exhibitions of dogs and poultry, as well 
as of flowers. The records of the Society were 
complete from 1830 to 1861, but from that year up 
to 1887 the reports were missing. Formerly there 
were four shows in the year, and the income from 
subscriptions was over £300 per annnm. So early as 
1832 the report of the Society mentioned the 
desirability of the granting of allotments. Cottagers’ 
classes were established in connection with the 
exhibition. For a time the gardeners used to meet 
at Mr. Gray's offices, and read papers on subjects 
interesting to their business. Up to 1842 the 
exhibitions were in the Subscription Rooms. The 
first exhibition upon Northernhay was in 1846. The 
two tents bought for that exhibition were those still 
in use. The record receipts were in 1850, when 
the Royal Agricultural Society visited Exeter, 
and the Horticultural Society held its show on two 
days during the visit. The gate money amounted to 
£622. The show was on the lawn in front of Mount 
Radford House. The exhibition of 1856 was on the 
day of the Peace rejoicings. It %vas a curious coin¬ 
cidence that the Society also held one of its shows 
on the day of the Declaration of War. Mr. Gray 
had rendered invaluable service to the Society—he 
was elected a life member in 1859. The greatest 
possible interest in the affairs of the Society was 
taken by the late Rev. John Huishe, of Clysthydon. 
In i860 the Society was short of funds—a ball and 
concert was given, and realised /500. The Poultry 
Shows held by the Society were finally discontinued 
in 1873. The first display of fireworks was in 1874. 
In 1875 the Society undertook an exhibition of dogs, 
rabbits, and cats. Exeter nurserymen had always 
been well known throughout the county, and they 
had ever given their generous support to the Society. 
Taunton was now the leading show in the West of 
England ; Exeter came next. The speaker made 
various suggestions with the view of enlisting 
additional support and enabling the Committee to 
make the exhibition the chief one in that part of 
the country. 
_ *Arn - 
♦ 
THE AMATEURS’ HANDBOOK ON 
GARDENING.* 
The variety of information given in this octavo 
volume of 194 pages is greatly in excess of what we 
are accustomed to see in most modern gardening 
books of similar pretensions and size. Everything is 
written in a simple and lucid style, as befits a book 
wholly addressed to amateurs. The special articles 
by professional gardeners are generally speaking 
very reliable for amateurs to follow, although, as 
frequently happens, in a case of this kind some plants 
are recommended whose suitability for the purpose 
we cannot always substantiate. Experiences of 
course differ with individuals, but we doubt if most 
gardeners could grow Adiantum Williamsii satisfac¬ 
torily in a greenhouse. If so, how r are inexperienced 
amateurs to succeed with it ? In a list of Chrysan¬ 
themums recommended for those who have not the 
means for the production of large flowers, J. S. 
Dibbens, Edwin Beckett, and W. H. Lincoln are 
mentioned. The first named has been a great 
failure under the care of professional and amateur 
alike, and the others partially so during the past 
season. Of course we grant that it may be a new 
experience' owing to the sunless summer and 
autumn. 
The soils and materials for making suitable com¬ 
posts for many different plants will doubtless prove 
a great help to the amateur. The short article on 
cut flowers and their arrangement furnishes useful 
hints as a means to an end, but the tasteful and 
effective arrangements of various flowers must 
ultimately depend upon the skill and taste of those 
who actually set them up. The arrangement of 
massive double flowers such as Dahlias and Roses 
require greater skill than the single ones as is here 
well explained. The simple methods of preventing 
pod-bursting Carnations and allied flowers from 
being spoiled after a year's patient cultivation should 
also prove serviceable. Pansies, Violas, Auriculas, 
Tuberous Begonias, Clivias, Hippeastrum Ferns, 
Narcissi and various other subjects are treated with 
the masterly hand of experienced growers. A long- 
*The Amateurs' Handbook on Gardening, with a Calen¬ 
dar of Garden Operations. Special Ariicles by Celebrated 
Gardeners, &c. Blake and Mackenzie, School Lane, 
Liverpool. 
