March 5, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
203 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 
Watering. 
To tlie Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir, —I was pleased indeed to see Mr. Beckett (in your issue 
of the 20th) supporting “ Japonica” in regard to young mem 
watering. As for myself, I maintain that there is: more in 
watering) plants under glass than is generally thought, and iti 
can only be learnt by experience; and no man earn have healthy 
plants if they are not properly watered. There are some men 
who water all plants alike, never taking into consideration the 
nature of the subject, and any gardener who goes into such a| 
place can at once tell by the sickly appearance of the plants 
that they are over-watered. 
Then there is the extremely careful young man who is afraid 
to give a drop too much water, and he will tap a pot several 
times before he decides whether to give it water or not, and 
then probably gives it a, little. Now, if you go; behind that! 
young man and turn a few plants out of their pots you will 
find the soil at the bottom of the pots quite diy, and if ever 
there were roots there, they would surely perish. Now, these 
are ways I have seen for myself, and you may say that was 
going to the two extremes. 
A hat I think in regard to watering is, after potting, allow 
the plants toi stand a few days, “according to weather,” and 
then be sure you give sufficient water to soak the ball of soil 
through, and in few cases will v r a,ter be required again for a 
good number of days ; but at every watering be sure that 
enough water is given to again pass through the soil. At 
least, that has been my experience, and I find that plants so 
treated have beautiful foliage and generally flowers of first 
quality. 
I may add that to water plants firm potted it is useless to 
water them, by filling the pot only once full of water, as it is 
not generally enough to pass through the ball of soil, but as 
: Ja Poiuca ” and Mr. Beckett say, it is only by experience one 
can learn. n t- 
Sowing Seeds. 
To the Editor of Tim Gardening World. 
As H. llowles thinks it would have been wiser on my 
\irt to have given your readers a short article on seed sowing, 
1 really did not think it necessary, as I contend that seasons, 
ocahty, and vermin have to he considered ; hence our guide. 
Peas: 3 always for first crop, William the First) sow 1 
juart to 20 yards in, drills, drawn out, with a 7-in. hoe; that 
i™ 3 ™ I .j 11 - dee P- Thi® amount I have never thinned 1 , andi 
level- failed to get a good crop. Our first batch is well 
roug i and nightly attacked by mice. Later varieties I run 
i tnfle thinner. 
Of Carrots we sow the Short Horn in a three-light pit 12 ft 
>y 5 ft m January. In, this pit I sow more than, 1 oz. of seed! 
md at tunes it taxes us to save a full crop owing to slugs. We 
art to thin (for use) here in April, and the amount pulled 
1S surprising, keeping us supplied until we have) them, 
irnmiT 1 S0,W eair1 ^ in March on, a piece no 
-SliortHorn ^ 1 ^ lme to llDe ’ over 2 are used here 
, We begin to thin for use in the latter end of May or early 
• >ne, always leaving a stick to denote where last, drawn 
IZ Z f UUlie,r ’ alld 1 ] *aci the last, taken up 
- this patch (five barrows full) about a fortnight, a°- 0 , for 
lie horses; this I do not call waste. ° 
1 ,„ M R ° wl , es . fy s [t tries one’s wits to meet the demand. I 
, ould certainly say so, myself if I practised sowing so thinly 
3 he a(W _ W. Rirkinshaw. ‘ 
Willows for Tying Raspberries. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir,—W ith respect to, your correspondent. “J. A. D.’s” in- 
my on is subject (page 149), I would recommend for their 
toughness and remarkable flexibility tlie twigs of Salix baby- 
ion ica (Babylonian Weeping Willow). S. alba and S. a, vitel- 
liiia, are most commonly used, and answer the purpose, very 
well. 
I would, however, rather advise your correspondent to erect 
a wire trellis with four or five longitudinal wires, with a stout 
posit at each end and weaker posts placed 20 ft. apart between. 
He can then tie his cane® to the wires with string. I fancy 
his crop,, if other requirements are attended to, will repay the 
expenditure,. If he isi still determined to tie them in bundles 
with Willows, I take pleasure in enclosing the most suitable 
knot I know of for this purpose. [Our correspondent sent a 
piece of the Willow in question tied with a veiy simple and 
effective knot.] I am not sufficiently versed in, the art- of 
knotting to scientifically describe it here, but the “ p.d.,” who 
is generally a genius, might try it in his spare time and pass 
on the information to J. A. D. James Bethel. 
Westwood Gardens, Newport-on,-Tay. 
A National Registry for Gardeners—Some Suggestions. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
•rtR, —If one, may so express it, the gardener is very much 
“ in the air ” at present! By this I do not mean that some 
horticultural acrobatic, feats are taking place, but that the 
blue apron and his many varied and vital interests are 
being seriously considered—at last! In emphatic, support of 
this assertion, one would point to 1 the veiy important, meeting 
held off February 23rd in connection with the proposed “ Gan 
deners’ Association.” 
There was an air of real business about that meeting that 
truly augurs well for future successful action. Mr. Watson (of 
Ivew), than whom no, man is better qualified to speak—from 
rich practical experience—on the gardeners’ question,, lucidly 
brought out, ,some crucial points that should set all concerned 
most seriously thinking. 
But, to the subject whose title, heads these notes,. It must 
be painfully evident t,o, the most casual observer that there is 
an over-supply of gardeners—the supply veiy far exceeds the 
demand. I am well aware that there are gardeners and gar¬ 
deners,, and the purpose of these notes is an attempt—however 
feeble—-to make some very necessary dividing line. Look at 
the hundreds that will apply for a berth when vacant,! Is it 
always the best man who- gets the post? Decidedly not! 
And. here I am about to tread on some tender ground. I will 
perform t.liei operation as, gently as possible,. Many gardeners’ 
places, are obtained tln-ough private influence—over the dinner- 
table, as it is sometimes put.—but a, veiy goodly proportion 
are filled by the trade. It is quite, right,, of course, that men 
waiting for a, place in the nursery (and what a truly wearisome 
and heartbreaking business it often, turns out. to be, of hopes 
long deferred, making the heart, grow sick !) should, when they 
get. such places, think of their patrons from the order point of 
view ; mere gratitude would suggest such a course of action. 
Now, I am coming to the point I wish—by the editor’s 
courtesy—to, drive straight, home. Why not, have a perfectly 
independent, and impartial institution? One that would at 
offee command the entire confidence of the horticultural com¬ 
munity, as a “ national registry,” to which would-be employers 
might be put in communication? I so well know the. Royal 
Horticultural Society lias plenty of work on its hands ; but 
-still, in, the opening of the new Horticultural Hall and its 
splendid gardens at Wisley, there will lye room for fresh de¬ 
velopments and wider activities in, its already splendid career 
of usefulness as the national exponent, of practical horticul¬ 
ture in the United Kingdom. If' it could be prevailed upon 
to take this registry business in hand, the writer, a,t any rate, 
is presumptuous to, think that good seed would be sown to, the 
ultimate benefit of the craft,. By it,s: annual examinations and 
in many other ways, tlie society is brought into direct touch 
with tlie craft, and through its invaluable journal, exhibitions, 
and meetings, with its now splendid roll of Fellows who own 
some of tlie best gardens in the kingdom. Just a, brief word 
or two from the examination point of ’dew. By these, as just 
