128 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 6, 1904. 
way out of tlie difficulty, but there must be means by which the 
gardens could, be secured. He was astonished, considering the 
large population at Old Trafford, that the gardens were not better 
supported. The trustees and council were authorised to dispose 
of the gardens or any part thereof if they thought expedient. 
* * * 
Potatos at £320 a Ton.— At a recent sale of Potatos at Ely, 
the property of Mr. Cole Ambrose, of Stuntney Hall, a 'well- 
known grower in that district, some good prices were realised, 
says the “ Estates Gazette.” About 80 tons of the tubers were 
offered, Northern Stars selling at the rate of £320 a von, 
Llewellyns £28 a tom, King Edward VII. £14 a ton, and Sutton’s 
Discovery 17s. a lb. 
* * * 
Honoxtr foe Lobd Redesdale.— At the last Quinquennial at 
Ghent in 1903 the King of the Belgians took occasion to confer 
various honours on different people of the horticultural world. 
Lord Redesdale, the author of “ The Bamboo; Garden, was 
named as an Officier dc VOrdre dc Leopold. At the same time a 
similar honour was conferred upon M. Alb. 1 ruffaut, vice- 
president of the National Horticultural Society of France. 
* * * 
Premier Rose Blooms at the Antipodes.— The Canterbury 
United Horticultural Society held their summer or Rose show 
in the Art Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand, on December 
9th and 10th. The premier Tea in the two; amateurs classes 
(who employ professional labour and who do not) consisted of two 
splendid blooms of Mrs. Edward Mawley. The premier bloom 
in the nurserymen’s division was Mildred Grant, 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries Jor reply in this column. These 
enquiries may cover any branch of gardening. Questions should be 
put as briefly as possible , and written on one side of the paper only ; 
a separate sheet of paper should be used for each question. 
Readers are also invited to give their fellow gardeners the benefit 
o+ their experience by sending supplementary replies. 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped , addressed 
envelope is enclosed, and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken. 
Anonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial manner. 
Address letters: The Editor, "The Gardening World.” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
Goldfish Dying. 
We have a small cement pond in which are a number of Gold¬ 
fish ; also it is planted with Water Lilies. In the autumn the 
pond was thoroughly cleaned out, and fresh gravel put in the 
bottom. Recently a number of the fishes have died and got 
swollen to am unusual size. One taken out to-day had its eyes 
almost out of its head. I was feeding them with ants’ eggs two 
or three times a week, but stopped it, being told that the eggs 
mi edit have something to do with their dying. Since then they 
have had nothing but fresh water at times. Could you or any 
reader inform us of the cause of this? (W. Murray.) 
We think you have been feeding them too much, especially 
if the fishes are in a small tank, and only getting a limited 
supply of fresh water. It may also be the case that the water 
is too cold for the fishes at this season of the year, as they come 
from a warmer country than this. Over-feeding, too small a 
tank, and a low temperature, we think, must all be held re¬ 
sponsible for reducing the constitution of the fishes, and making 
them a prey to the salmon disease (Saprdlegnia ferox). The 
small tank alone might have been sufficient to enable the Sapio- 
iecrniia to make an effectual attack upon them, but how the 
fungus could have got into the water you will have to determine 
on the. spot. We are led to believe they have been, attacked 
by the salmon disease from the statement that one had its eyes 
protruding' out of its head. The salmon disease attacks Gold¬ 
fishes in various parts of the body, but very frequently some¬ 
where about the head, gills, or eyes, and the irritation set up 
by the fungus causes tlie lislies to swim about rapidly and dasli 
their heads against objects for the purpose of getting rid of 
their enemy, thereby injuring themselves. Sometimes it will 
be noted that they are bleeding where they have been thus 
injured. All that we can suggest is plenty of clean water 
and very little feeding, or none at all, except a little green 
matter at this season of. the year. It might be worth your while 
to take the fishes indoors for the winter, and put them m a 
tank of clean water in some of the greenhouses. 
Book of Cypripediums. 
Can you tell me where I can obtain “ Measures’ Book of 
Hybrid Orchids, or Hybrid Cypripediums,” and the price? (H. 
Arnold.) 
The hook you indicate is entitled “Cypripediums,” and may 
be obtainable from R. I. Measures, Esq., Cambridge Lodge, 
Flodden Road, London, S.E. No price is marked on the third 
•edition, which was sent out in 1895, but we think it was being 
sold at Is. The book may or may not now be out of print, but 
you could ascertain by applying to the author. 
Professional or Amateur Gardener. 
Can you please answer this question ? If a man works in a 
private place as a gardener, and he does housework, such as 
window cleaning, knives and boots, and other odd jobs, can he 
be classed as an amateur?—I am sure if you can state in your 
valuable paper what is an amateur and a professional it would 
be highly appreciated by myself and others. (W. R.) 
You state that the man in question is working in a private 
place as a, gardener. We presume he is not working for nothing, 
but that he is paid wages like any other professional gardener. 
We fail to see how he could be an amateur under such condi¬ 
tions. From another point of view lie may do a lot of work 
that is not gardening, and has really nothing to do with garden¬ 
ing. Neither does that alter the question at issue. His 
gardening ability might or might not he very great, but that 
is a matter which rests upon him. He may or may not have 
had opportunity to get proficient in his profession, or he might 
not have availed himself of his opportunities. All the same, he 
is a professional gardener, notwithstanding, simply from the 
fact that he makes his living by gardening. An amateur is 
one who' grows plants simply for the love of them, and not for 
the purpose of selling them or making a profit. If such a 
man were to send out a list of plants for sale he would prac¬ 
tically be a nurseryman. If he grows them merely for his own 
pleasure and study, or for keeping his place bright, whether 
lie tends them with his own hands or not, he would be an 
amateur. He might, however, employ a professional gardener, 
then he would pass into another category. He would still he 
an amateur as far as he was concerned, hut employing profes¬ 
sional help. His gardener would be a professional, whether 
he occupied the whole of his time there or only a portion of it. 
There are various other questions, however, to be taken into con¬ 
sideration, and the case becomes more and more complicated, 
but there is no other way of defining the difference between an 
amateur and a professional than that above given. 
Sweet Peas. 
What would you consider a good representative collection of 
two dozen Sweet Peas? (L. E.) 
You cannot go far wrong to accept the following as a first- 
class selection from the number of existing varieties. The num¬ 
ber could he doubled easily, as it is very much a matter of taste 
which is absolutely the best variety in any particular shade. 
Many have their favourites, and will continue to grow them. By 
selecting those which we name you will, at any rate, form a . 
nucleus of a first-class collection:-—Salopian, Scarlet Gem, Miss ' 
Willmott, Triumph, Lady Grizel Hamilton, Navy Blue, I he 1 
Hon. Mrs. E. Kenyon, Princess of Wales, Lovely, Prince of 
Wales, Duchess of Sutherland, Duke of Westminster, Dorothy 
Eckford. Dorothy Tennant, Lottie Hutchins, Black Knight, 
George Gordon, Emily Henderson, Lottie Eckford, Queen A ic- i 
toria, American, Prima Donna, Prince Edward of York, and • 
Coccinea. We have made no attempt to arrange them in the 
order of merit, because each is about the best in its own par¬ 
ticular colour. We have, however, given you two white 
varieties, two yellow ones, two pink, and two- ibi-colours. The i 
above then represent the leading distinct colours, though 
there are many others representing intermediate shades. 
Planting Rununculus. 
What is the- best time to plant double Ranunculus 'l Will 
the natural soil, a rather heavy loam, he suitable? (H. Wood.) 
About the middle of the present month is reckoned the most 
suitable time for planting garden varieties of the Asiatic Ranun¬ 
culus. A week earlier or a week later will make little difie- i 
rence, the chief point being to select a time when the soil is ■ 
sufficiently dry to be workable without puddling. If you have 
a rich aud friable loam, with a fair proportion of sand in. it, 
that would be an ideal soil for the Ranunculus. If your soil 
is very light and sandy, or, on the other hand, inclined to clay, 
it would be as well to prepare a compost, taking out the natural 
