March 6, 1897. 
THE GARDEN 1 in G WORLD, 
427 
Fund will be in the same position as the orphans are 
now in—namely, with No provision. Gentlemen, if 
you will look down the list of orphan candidates for 
for elec:ion, you will find the melancholy words, No 
provision, no provision, repeated over and over again. 
To me these words express a feeling of utter despair 
and desolation as represented in the case of the 
widow and destitute orphans. It means to these not 
only an empty chair, but an empty cupboard, an 
empty grate, and often worse than all, an empty 
heart. The object of this charity is to help to ease 
tie widow’s burden, and to brighten the path of the 
orphan child. The wealthy lovers of gardens and 
gardening, as well as members of the horticultural 
trade, have come out nobly to help the garden 
charities, both this one and the older charity, in the 
welfare of which most of us are deeply interested. 
It is with regret, and I say pained regret, that the 
fact must be stated that gardeners generally have not 
rallied round and identified themselves with the wel¬ 
fare of the garden charities as they ought. I do not 
know why ; it is not from the want of kindly thoughts 
and feelings, I am quite sure, and I do not think it 
can be from the want of 5s. a year. Let each of 
those who does not subscribe answer for himself this 
eventful year in the best of all ways, by sending to 
Mr. Barron his subscription. What we want is for 
both the garden charities to become in reality 
national garden charities, to embrace the name of 
every gardener worthy of the name throughout the 
land, so that those who do not support the charity 
will be the exception rather than the rule, as at 
present. Gentlemen, we must greatly acknowledge 
the valuable and increased help given by our earnest 
and kind friends in the provinces, and on their con¬ 
tinued valuable help must largely depend the future 
welfare of this charity. 
But the greatest source of our strength as regards 
the future must, I think, lie with the rising genera¬ 
tion of young gardeners. To make it easier for them 
to join the institution may I suggest, if your rules 
will permit of its being done, that you reduce the 
subscription to 2s. 6d. a year, and if this can be done 
I would ask every gardener who has the interest of 
the charity at heart to bring the subject before his 
young men, and I am sure a liberal response would 
be the result. This would open an easy door of 
entrance for the young, an 1 once you secure his 
interest and sympathy you may depend upon it that 
in the great majority of instances he will prove a 
steadfast friend and supporter of the charity, and at 
the same time become a much better gardener. 
It cannot be too well-known that this is a purely 
benevolent institution, and that no question is asked 
as to the nationality of the candidates, cr of what 
religion their parents may have been. Neither are 
the orphans debarred from the benefits of the Fund 
if the fathers in their lifetime have neglected to 
support the institution. At the same time I cannot 
help saying that I would not give much for that 
man’s love or care for his wife and children who 
refuses to do what he can whilst in health, on the 
funds of which those who are near and dear to him 
may be compelled to throw themselves through death 
or misfortune. Gentlemen, I ask you to drink to 
the “Continued Success and Prosperity of the Royal 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.” 
SHOULD TURNIPS BE PROTECTED? 
Quite recently a professor lecturing on agricultural 
subjects was asked by one of his audience whether 
Turnips, which were mostly exposed above ground, 
were better or worse than those mostly covered by 
soil. He had never had this question put to him 
before, and it evidently had not occurred to him, for 
he was tmable to answer the question. Possibly the 
professor thought it a matter of small importance 
either way, but I have a different opinion. 
As to the question of the roots growing under the 
soil, I think it might be answered as an unprofitable 
speculation to attempt in practice. In loose soil the 
roots are often found largely buried, but such never 
attain a large size. From the standpoint of garden 
cultivation, this might answer well enough when the 
roots are intended for the kitchen ; but for exhibition 
purposes the ground would have to be finely prepared 
to ensure shapely roots. In field cultivation, the 
roots would never attain sufficient size to give the 
desired weight of crop ; for those Turnips which are 
freely exposed on all sides usually swell much 
better. The same applies to Mangel Wurzel, large 
roots of which are always a desirable feature. 
Garden Beet on the contrary is best of small size, 
and the more nearly the roots are covered by the soil 
the better. 
There are two more points to be considered in the 
case of Turnips, and they would apply to roots grown 
in the garden for kitchen use, as well as to field crops 
for the feeding of stock. These points refer to the 
depth of the soil, aDd to the proper preservation of 
the roots in winter. 
Where the soil is naturally shallow it would be 
advantageous to have the tuber or swollen portion of 
the root above soil, so that the proper roots would 
get all the benefit of the good soil and what it might 
contain in the way of plant food, whether naturally 
there or applied as manure. Very shapely roots can 
be obtained from light sandy soils, and if they are 
smaller than those grown on rich, deep soils, they 
contain more sugar proportionately to the watery 
tissue. 
The preservation of Turnips in winter, as far as 
garden crops are concerned, would only apply to the 
late or winter sowings. In mild winters protection 
is little wanted ; but when we get visitations of snow, 
cold east and north winds like what we have been 
getting for some weeks past, together with alternate 
freezing and thawing every few days, then the ques¬ 
tion of protection is an important one. Roots that 
are covered up in some way to prevent the injurious 
effect of this freezing and thawing, are always sweeter 
and better flavoured than those left exposed in the 
ground. Protection may be given in various ways, 
firstly by pulling them up in November and storing 
them in some shed or outhouse where they will be 
kept dry .and the frost to a great extent warded off. 
The wait of storage room often prevents this plan 
being adopted. Then the roots may be laid in heaps 
on the ground and thatched with straw or bracken ; 
or what is simpler still, a thin layer of earth may be 
laid over then with a spade. This plan would keep 
the roots moist, and prevent rapid freezing and 
thawing in our changeable winter climate. Another 
plan still is to earth up the roots in autumn, after 
they have nearly finished growing, much in the same 
wSy as we do with growing Potatos in summer. 
The furrows would help the surface water to run off 
in winter.— Devon. 
-- 
TOMATOS NEW AND OLD. 
After some years’ experience in growing Tomatos, I 
have come to the conclusion that the varieties or 
names are legion, and I must say some of the so- 
called new ones are no better nor so good as many of 
the old ones. 1 have grown in my time agood many 
varieties, and will admit improvements have been 
made within the last forty-five years both in colour 
and shape; and as a rule these new varieties 
come pretty true to colour and shape. When, 
years ago, we "only used to grow the old red 
variety in the open Tomatos were not often 
used. Then it became the fashion to grow them 
inside, gardeners took great interest in Tomatos, and 
a dish of good samples on a basket of vegetables had 
a very striking appearance, and told its part any¬ 
where. The old Trophy was a great favourite in 
those days, although not very true to shape; but I 
have seen this grown and shown in splendid condi¬ 
tion, smooth, round, and a splendid colour. I do not 
say all the fruits came true, but Trophy done well is 
hard to beat. 
A few years ago I grew on the boards of a green¬ 
house, facing south, some Tomatos, such as Crimson 
Queen, Hackwood Park, Ham Green, Trophy, and 
Early Ruby, and a splendid crop I had. I well 
remember a gentleman, Mr. Simpson, a seedsman 
from London, making the remark “ they are a grand 
lot, but why don't you grow Tennis Ball ? ” so the 
next season I had a change and gre w Tennis Ball, 
Mayflower, Frenchman, Lady Bird, and Reading 
Perfection. These, to my mind, were all improve¬ 
ments on the old ones, but Early Ruby I shall stand 
by as one of the best to grow for general use. 
Hackwood Park and Ham Green are too coarse to my 
mind; and of the others, Tennis Ball, Mayflower, 
and Frenchman were the best. 
Then the next season I introduced into a house 
Tennis Ball, Mayflower, Frenchman, Ladybird, 
Reading Perfection, Crimson Queen, Challenger, and 
Hathaway's, and in my opinion for general crop or 
for exhibition work nothing can be better than 
Tennis Ball, Mayflower, Crimson Queen, or French¬ 
man. They are all good setters, good in shape and 
colour, while Challenger is a splendid Tomato, a 
heavy cropper, and a good market variety. But for 
flavour, in my opinion, nothing beats Hathaway’s 
Excelsior, although it is not quite such a heavy 
cropper as Challenger. 
This last season I had another change and tried 
Chemin, and a fine Tomato it is, splendid in colour, 
early, prolific, and one that has none of those large, 
watery cells that we find in many of the coarser 
varieties. Duke of York is a very fine one too, but 
not so free setting as many others; and in my 
humble opinion nothing better nor so good as 
Trophy. It may be a little brighter in colour. I 
have also grown some of the beautiful yellow 
Tomatos, and I often wonder why more of these 
are not grown in private gardens, as many others 
whom I have asked to taste these beautiful 
yellow fruits, say they are as a rule more acid and 
a better blood purifier. Many doctors say they 
possess the best flavour. Sorts such as Golden 
Gage, Golden Nugget, and Golden Queen, I have 
grown. 
Last season I had a trial of Frogmore Selected, 
and this proved to me a very free setting variety, 
very fruitful and useful; but, out of sixty plants I 
grew last year, I had only one that could be said to 
be anything like or after the style of the plants or 
fruit as represented in our leading catalogues. The 
reports from the committee of the Royal Horticul. 
tural Society say " the fruit is of medium size, 
bright in colour, smooth, and almost round, very 
firm and solid, with flesh of an unusual depth having 
very minute seed space, while the flavour is 
delicious." It is a most prolific and continuous 
cropper. To all this I agree, and I had one 
plant out of my lot that would answer this descrip¬ 
tion. All the others set well and bore very well. 
The fruit was much larger, of very good flavour, 
with much heavier foliage ; and the fruits, instead of 
being of nice round form, were all more or less 
corrugated ; and I do not believe, truthfully speak¬ 
ing, there were three plants out of the whole anything 
like each other. Now I showed these to many 
people and they all said “ What do you call this lot ? 
there’s not two alike." One gentleman, Mr. J. 
Cocks, spotted out the only one I considered to be 
anything like the stock should be. This one I had set 
store by; and I cut one fruit and gave him a taste, 
and he pronounced it grand. Therefore I am going 
to grow some more of that this season to see how it 
turns out. I shall also have some grown from the 
same packet of seed as last season, which came to 
me from a noted seed firm in a sealed packet, and 
printed Frogmore Selected. I have properly stated 
how it turned out with me, but this is the disappoint¬ 
ment we are to expect when buying these new things 
so strongly recommended by the committee of the 
Royal Horticultural Society. 
I feel justified in saying that many things require 
proper testing and proving, and to be seen growing 
side by side with other good standard varieties 
before they are pronounced better than the good old 
ones. This is not the case with Tomatos only, but 
with many other things as well, and especially in the 
fruit and vegetable department. We all well know 
that vast improvements have been made ; but there 
are many things sent out and said to be improve¬ 
ments, or new, and after a year or two, they are lost 
sight of and old varieties taken in to grow again in 
their place. I am not making these remarks to con¬ 
demn anyone’s judgment or opinion, for I well know 
many men of good honest opinion who attend the 
R.H.S. meetings, and who, I do not think, wouldgive 
their word wrongfully ; but to see things shown as a 
dish and so on is very different to seeing them grow¬ 
ing side by side with other varieties under the same 
treatment and skill. This, to my mind, would be 
the proper way to test these new vegetables and 
fruits. 
I well know that many men who grow things for 
show, treat these show plants, whether rows of Peas, 
Beets, Onions, or any other thing they want for 
exhibition, with more trouble and care than the 
other rows, as a rule. Therefore, men who raise 
seedlings and bring them out new do all they can to 
show the public the plant, bloom, or fruit to the best 
advantage ; but then what we want is to see these 
growing side by side and see the style of growth, 
habit, and flowering qualities. When people see a 
dish of Peas at a show they say “ Oh, how splendid.’’ 
But what we want to see next is the row where they 
