150 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 4, 1899. 
Tomato Pulp, we hear, has been asked for from 
Canada by an English house. 
Hot Water as a Fungicide and Insecticide.—Mr. 
Joseph Meehan, of Philadelphia, one of the fore¬ 
most men of the American horticultural world, wrote 
in the August 5th issue of The American Florist upon 
the usefulness of hot water in the respects named. 
In his recollection thirty years ago he used (and 
others also) to destroy "all insects of whatever 
kind," and also fungus attack, such as mildew, by 
dipping his plants in buckets of water at 130° tem¬ 
perature. Just a little kerosene was used, enough to 
be able to see upon the Azaleas or miscellaneous 
greenhouse plants after they were drawn out. 
There never was any injury done to the plants so 
treated. 
Tobacco-plant Culture in Italy.—The monopoly in 
Tobacco cultivation and Tobacco manufacture 
belongs to the Government in Italy. Cigarettes are 
now so largely consumed that much attention and 
great extensions have and are being made by the 
Italians to the growth of the variety or species of 
Tobacco plant, which has hitherto provided such 
agreeable material to the Turkish dealers. The 
culture is more largely attended to in the province of 
Lecce, whose soil and climate are particularly well 
adapted for such an industry. One great point in 
the production of the best Tobacco is that the land 
shall be exclusively manured with ovine matter; and 
for the fine " Oriental" Tobaccos nothing but sheep- 
duog was to be employed. Experiments are being 
kept up in manuring, &c. The keeping powers of 
the manufactured article, the aroma and the flavour 
have been found to vary greatly according to the 
amounts and differences of manures. The Italians 
are great economists. 
THE HOLLYHOCK. 
This fine bold autumn flower is not grown so 
generally as in years gone by. Disease attacked 
them so badly that many growers gave up their 
cultivation in despair. I have some old stools that 
the fungus attacked, and the consequence was the 
loss of bottom foliage. Some young plants in a seed 
bed were planted out in May. They did not make 
rapid progress, owing to the very dry weather, but 
with a few good waterings they went ahead and pro¬ 
duced good, stout spikes that needed no staking, and 
they kept their foliage well. I have just cut them 
down as they are over. Our soil is too light for 
Hollyhocks. They do best in a good, cool, loamy 
soil. As the young plants kept their foliage so well 
it suggests the idea that the Hollyhock would well 
repay a little extra labour by treating them as 
annuals, raising a batch of young plants every 
spring by sowing the seed thinly in good soil on a 
gentle hotbed in February. When the seedlings are 
large enough to handle they should be pricked out 
4 in. apart in a cold frame ; gradually harden them 
off, and plant out in their flowering positions in good, 
deep, rich soil at the end of April. They will flower 
later than established roots already in the borders, 
but the result would be more satisfactory, and well 
repay the extra care and attention .—George Potts, 
October 25 th. 
c B - 
RIPENING T0MAT0S. 
I have had a very good crop of Tomatos out of 
doors against a south wall, one plant having over 
four dozen of good sized fruit; but now the summer 
has left a large number of yet unripe fruit. Most 
people, I see, now gather off the fruit and place 
under glass ; this gives the Tomatos an insipid, dry 
flavour, instead of the piquancy, the greatest 
property of the fresh Tomato. 
I think I have a better method, at least as far as 
keeping more of the fresh flavour goes, I simply turn 
a light over the plant after the manner of the lean-to 
greenhouse, putting an old sack or anything at the 
ends. The difference in the flavour of those treated 
thus and those gathered is very distinct. I have 
also tried placing the fruit in large-mouthed glass 
jars, which has improved the colour, and prevented 
their cracking ; but the first method is the best I 
know of and much less trouble. However they are 
treated, keep the fruit on the plant as long as you 
want to ejt it raw. 
Some time since you published a letter of mine on 
garden tools. There was a little mistake (perhaps 
mine). Though my garden is only a small one it is 
a little larger than there represented—" forty square 
yards "—and should have been 840 square yards. 
By the way, about this time of the year when one 
does a little work in the fruit plantations, a most 
useful tool is the strong, ordinary, long garden hoe, 
made with about a 3-in. axe at the back. The right 
weight and shape are difficult to get; and if asked 
for at the ironmongers, they offer the ordinary moor 
axe and know nothing else; but I believe such is 
still made.— C. Mullins. 
Mr. J. H. Witty, F.R.H.S., F.N.C.S. 
PEOPLE WE HAVE MET. 
Mr. J. H. Witty, F.R.H.S., F.N.C.S. 
Many gardeners will recognise the accompanying 
portrait as that of a member of the fraternity who 
is very much in evidence on the occasion of flower 
shows, but particularly when Chrysanthemums are 
on the exhibition table. We have known him for 
many years, and whether we meet him at London or 
Edinburgh we have always found him—and many 
others will agree with us—characterised by the 
same geniality, joviality, and good fellowship. He 
is built that way, some will say. 
Mr. John Henry Witty was apprenticed in 1864 to 
Messrs. E. T. Dickson & Sons, Beverley, Yorks., and 
after serving his time there he found his way to the 
gardens of the Duke of Newcastle, Clumber, Work¬ 
sop, Notts , where he gained considerable insight in 
the methods of gardening. Being of an inquisitive 
frame of mind, and eager to learnhe soon gravitated 
to London, like hundreds or thousands of others. 
Here we first find him turning up at Videon’s Nursery, 
Maida Vale. After a time he took charge of 
Grosvenor House, the town residence of the Duke 
of Westminster, at the time Mr. John Fleming was 
gardener at Cliveden. His next move was to take 
charge of another London house, namely, that of 
Stafford House, the residence of the Duke of 
Sutherland, where he was under Mr. Stephens, the 
head gardener. This was at the time when the 
Prince of Wales was staying at Stafford House while 
Marlborough House was under repairs, so that 
young Witty had plenty of opportunity to study the 
duties incumbent upon the gardener where Royalty 
had to be served. 
At Stafford House he conceived the idea of learn¬ 
ing the art of furnishing; and with that intention 
he moved from thence to Wimsett's Nursery, at 
Chelsea. While engaged there he had the luck to 
assist in the furnishing with floral decorations of 
many an important place, including the Guildhall, 
Fishmongers' Hall, Drapers’ Hall, and Buckingham 
Palace. After serving for some time, and having 
a good insight in the art of furnishing, he wanted to 
study or learn the art of bedding out from practical 
experience, and had the opportunity of serving under 
Mr. Rogers at Battersea Park, when the carpet 
bedding there was in the height of its fame. He was 
so contented with his occupation here that he stayed 
four years. 
From thence he was appointed as head gardener 
and deputy superintendent at Highgate Cemetery 
where he stayed for twelve years, giving great satis¬ 
faction to his employers and those with whom he 
came in contact in the course of his duties. A man 
of his disposition and activity could hardly fail to 
make many connections and friendships, as well as 
accomplish much useful work in the neighbourhood. 
He was father of the Brookfield Horticultural 
Society, Highgate, whose object was to encourage 
and assist cottagers in the tilling of their allotment 
holdings, and in growing useful fruits, flowers and 
vegetables. Upon leaving the district he was 
presented with a handsome clock, as a small but well 
meant token of the esteem and thankfulness of his 
friends, for his free and unremunerated services. He 
was also one the founders of the Highgate Chrys¬ 
anthemum Society. 
After a stay of twelve years at Highgate he was 
appointed superintendent of the Nunhead Cemetery, 
by the same company who employed him at High¬ 
gate. He has now been at Nunhead for 10 years 
past last February, and there we find him still, 
as full of gardening as if he had a large garden 
under his charge. There is, moreover, a consider¬ 
able amount of gardening, bedding and floral em¬ 
bellishment of the place, which extends to 54 acres, 
and was originally a park belonging to a private 
residence, and is still adorned with many tall, um¬ 
brageous, beautiful and in some instances rare trees. 
There is a magnificent tree of the cut-leaved Turkey 
Oak (Quercus Cerris laciniata.) 
About the beginning of last month we had the 
pleasure of walking through the place with Mr. 
Witty when many of the trees were in their autumn 
glory of ruddy tints, the Cock’s-spur Thorn beiDg 
very handsome. On either side of the central walk 
was a considerable amount of bedding, consisting 
largely of Pelargoniums Raspail Improved, Silver 
Queen and Golden Harry Hieover. A golden varie¬ 
gated Fuchsia raised here is named Pride of Nun¬ 
head. A lilac variety of Lobelia, named Nunhead 
Beauty, and raised from Magnifica, was much 
admired by visitors last summer. There were also 
fine beds of Tuberous Begonias, and the name of the 
place done out in golden Euonymus for the winter. 
Near the entrance was a large and bold bed of succu¬ 
lents including Agave Americana variegata, Aloes, 
Gasteria, Haworthia, Echeveria secunda glauca and 
the hybrid E. glauco-metallica, all on a groundwork 
of Mesembryanthemum, Alternantheras and Spergula 
pilifera aurea. 
There are several well built, and useful glass¬ 
houses, largely occupied with bedding plants, and 
some for propagation. The early Chrysanthemums 
were past their best and stood in a temporary shed; 
but the main batch occupied a span-roofed house 
forming bold banks. Mr. Witty is also a raiser, and 
here we noted his singularly formed decorative 
varieties What Oh, and Golden Shower, which were 
objects of much curiosity and prominence at one of 
the R.H.S. meetings last autumn. The next house 
contained Palms; but the succeeding one was 
devoted to Chrysanthemums arranged so as to 
form a winding path through the mass. Here 
were some of the earliest and some of the latest 
and useful varieties. Niveus, under raised lights, 
was intended for flowering in January. Another 
house contained a fine batch of Begonia Gloire de 
Lorraine, some of which were placed there in 
January last, and along with younger stuff, were 
still in flower. Chinese Primulas are found useful; 
and Maidenhair Fern grown in wooden racks along 
the back wall furnishes much material for cutting. 
Out-of-doors early flowering Chrysanthemums were 
grown in considerable quantity, and amongst them 
we noted the rare, beautiful and dwarf La Petite 
Marie, with miniature white flowers. 
Mr. Witty has gained many medals at the meet¬ 
ings of the Royal Horticultural Society, National 
Chrysanthemum Society, Dulwich, Peckham, 
Highgate, &c., for groups of plants. He has the 
Silver Cup of the Surrey Chrysanthemum Society, 
now the Dulwich Chrysanthemum Society, now 
thriving under his care as chairman. He has, till 
recently, been connected with the N.C.S., since 
that body held their shows at Hackney. During 
the spare time of a busy life he has found time 
to contribute to The Gardening World, so that 
