December 3, l904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
977 
unsparing energy of Mr. Watson and others and their 
liberality in finding the money necessary to start the cam¬ 
paign: by putting the ease so fairly and' plainly before gar¬ 
deners, it now rests entirely with British gardeners whether or 
not they shall w'hole-heartedly test the truth of the: oft-proved 
adage : “ Union is strength.” A few hundred haves—all praise 
to them—already resolved 1 to put it. to the trial, but. it wants, 
I think, a, few thousand to be. certain of success. 
Jason. 
The British Gardeners’ Association in 
Ireland. 
At. a meeting of the Irish Gardeners.’ Association held on 
October 22nd, in the XL Hall, Grafton Street, Dublin., Mr. 
F. W. Moore, Curator of the. Glasnevin. Botanic Gardens, in: the 
chair, Mr. F. W. Burbidge, M.A., Curator of Trinity College 
Botanic Gardens, in, the course of his lecture oil “ Gardens and 
Gardeners,,” said: — 
Concerning ourselves as gardeners, you cannot, organise a 
show of gardeners, but was it impossible to, “ grade,” and lift 
gardeners as a, class, or body to. a, higher plane? Was it im¬ 
possible! to give the gardener a higher social status than, he. got 
from average society ? All the learned! professions seemed to 
have afstone wall round them. One reason was,, of course, that, 
professional men, were all college men and educated at, the 
university, and they got social status before they entered into 
their profession at all. It was impossible for most gardeners 
to get an education of the kind. But there was a, beginning. 
Therei were colleges in connection with the universities 1 now 
starting at which gardeners were being trained, such as Read¬ 
ing’, Durham, Edinburgh, and other places, and the chance® 
were that the gardener would rise in the social line in that 
way. The. head gardener’s 1 social position was legally that of 
a, domestic servant. 
Mr. Burbidge thought that was a grievance. He might be, 
of course, a, very superior domestic servant, but no more. 
Another thing was that at the. present, time any man might, call 
himself a gardener, no matter 1 what his education might—or 
worse still—might not, have been. Now, lie asked, was it 
wise, was it, right, was it, desirable, that gardeners! as: a, class 
should rest content to be safeguarded by a broken wall and 
an open door ? Should they, as! gardeners,, suffer the bad 
effects! of competition, of free trade, which was not fair trade, 
and was not some sort of co-operation and protection 
desirable ? 
Nothing in, the shape of an aggressive, domineering trade- 
union would ever suit gardeners. It was possible to found an 
association that would .secure the. interest® of the workei and 
also, the interests: of the employer. The experiment of found¬ 
ing such an. association ini England had already been taken up: 
under the name of the British Gardeners, Association. . The 
lecturer then dealt in detail with the objects' of this; association, 
which, briefly put, were! to. compile a register" of gardeners arid 
gardens!, and to regulate wages and working hours, etc. 
It was proposed to establish a, branch of the association in 
every large town wherever there were sufficient gar deners to 
form oneT This was, as fair asi Mr. Burbidge could remember, 
the first real attempt to, organise gardeners of all classes! under 
one flag, and if it proved a success, as lie felt sure it would, 
there was no doubt- that it, would not only elevate the social 
status -of gardeners and lead to their material advancement 
and protection, but also safeguard the interests of employers. 
He asked the officials, of the association to consider the claims 
of the newly formed organisation. 
We are informed that an evening has since been appointed 
by the association for 1 consideration of the question. 
A New British Grass. —Mr. G. Claridge Druce, F.L.S., ex¬ 
hibited specimens of a new British grass, Ivoeleria valesiaca. 
Gaud., which he had found in the herbarium of Dillenms, at 
Oxford. It bad been brought originally from Brent Down, m 
Somersetshire, and the recent finding of it again proves that it 
still exists there. 
Decorative Asparagus. 
There, is; nothing which gives such a refined and home-like 
appearance to a, dwelling asi a display of floral work. More so 
now, when, the outdoor bloom has almost, come, to- a climax. 
The Asparagus! Fern in, no small degree assists usl It out- 
stands almost any other Ferns in a cut state, retaining its dark 
green and feathery foliage quite fresh for several weeks. It is 
poorly represented in private gardens where house decorations 
Occupy attention ; it, would recompense us to give it, more 
skilled culture. Maidenhair Ferns may seem more graceful as 
foliage to 1 delicate flowers, but its lasting qualities are of short 
Apple Beasgood’s Nonsuch. (See p. 975.) 
duration, and it is not so valuable for packing with flowers, and 
the' dispatching of bloom is no trifle in some establishment®. . 
Asparagus plumosus nanus is one of the best for cutting, in¬ 
valuable to the florists, for bouquets-, sprays, etc. Some rely on 
a greenhouse structure for its treatment, but to be of any ser¬ 
vice a stove is more kindred for its requirements. Division of 
the roots 1 is a- method for increase. Plant it out in a rich border 
made up of loam, old manure! and leaf-mould in equal paits, 
adding" sand, charcoal, soot, and bone-meal in the. usual pot- 
tino- quantities. The best exhibit of this Asparagus, to my 
knowledge, was in a partially -shaded border of a, stove corridor. 
We trained it Srnilax fashion, cutting the fronds: and bunching 
together; also trails of it were cut and sent to the. Edinburgh 
market. We must not be impatient with it: the border must 
be well rootbound before the application of liquid manuie, 
