THE GARDENING WORLD . 
May 6, 1905. 
372 
opponent twists and turns my arguments into something quite 
unrecognisable, I do not as a rule “ take it lying down.” I was 
not built that way ; but it' I get a fair critic, even if lie is 
strongly against my cherished opinion, I hope that I am able 
to be a-s courteous as he. 
I am afraid Mr. Weston has made only a very superficial 
study of the subject when he advances the statement that “ a 
mechanic-apprentice learns practically all he can learn in six 
years.” If he would consult any intelligent mechanic he would 
find that, with new methods, new' tools, etc., in every shop 
something has to be learned. The letter of “ M. S.” is re¬ 
markable only for the large number of strong adjectives lie lias 
crammed into it. I cannot flatter myself with the hope that 1 
will ever find a bigger "blockhead” than myself who will be 
willing to put me into some grand job that I have never been 
apprenticed to. “ Foreman” is quite able to defend himself, 
but I must, say that “ M. S.” has a wonderful imagination when 
he makes out that ” Foreman ” ever said that nurserymen grew 
everything they catalogued. Does “ M. S.” grow everything 
mentioned in even the smallest catalogue? C. Blair. 
Gardening as an Employment for Women. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir,—This pertinent subject, I rejoice to find, is likely to 
awaken a greater sphere of interest than the subscriber’s ex¬ 
pectations guaranteed. Yet lie' regrets to see that at least one 
eminently sensible person in the lists deliberately refuses to 
admit the light of common sense and reason into his soul in 
stoutly refusing women their rightful place in the social arena. 
There are innumerable reasons why women should not occupy 
positions incurring a laborious employment. One of the 
chief is that anatomically her structure was never intended 
by Nature for severe labour. This can be seen in the simple 
question. Why cannot a girl throw a. stone so. as to hit any¬ 
thing less than a house? The reason is that, the structural 
formation of the skeleton in the pectoral regions makes this 
impossible. Again, it is an impossibility for a woman to. grasp 
a spade, at least to* work with it for any length of time, except 
in that manner peculiar to the sex. This also is doubtless due 
to the structure of the frame, and testifies of itself that Nature 
did not in her first, intention, at least, design woman to' wheel 
barrows, dig trenches, or stoke greenhouse fires. Nor could I 
exonerate Dame Nature from serious blame had she done other¬ 
wise. 
But., of course, there are' women and. women—-a fact which I 
think “ B. G. A.” obscurely hints. Personally, my daily expe¬ 
rience often makes me think if indeed more than one variety 
of bipeda. foemina. exists. The coarse-featured, square-jawed, 
hirsute chin and cheek decorations and the hollow, gruff, mas¬ 
culine voice at once bid one pause and consider if this variety 
is the same as the ideal woman. Yes ; there is no doubt about 
it.—the variety b. f. hybrida is an existing fact. Do we not see 
her on the racecourse, in the hunting-field, on the platform, on 
the agricultural field, in the dissecting room, and—shall I ven¬ 
ture the assertion—the ideal woman of friend “ B. G. A.” who' is 
able to wheel muck barrows, dig side by side with him in the 
trench, and stoke the greenhouse fires. 
If this is the woman “ B. G. A.” means, we are practically 
at one. The elimination of this woman from the true feminine 
circle inflicts no practical loss on society, and for all intents 
and purposes may be regarded as an inferior type of man. 
But it is not for the virago type that. I am pleading, but for 
the genuine woman who at present is in some danger of being 
allured into an employment from which never can accrue but 
disappointments and blighted prospects in life. Enthusiasts 
and founders of schemes which on the face of them appear 
dubious have often more than a. benevolent object in view. It 
is, besides, difficult to understand where the utilitarian point 
comes into evidence in taking up the time of fairly well 
educated girls in teaching them the mysteries of horticulture. 
In the time spent little is acquired that shall ever prove of 
advantage to the ordinary girl, excepting, peradventure, she is 
unsuited for any other situation in the social sphere, and 
belongs to the variety hybrida. 
In conclusion, let me say that “ B. G. A.” appears to me to 
have an extremely meagre idea of what women should and 
should not be. How he can doubt the veracity of the assertion 
that such labour as he himself depicted as pei formed by woman 
gardeners can be anything than demoralising I fail to under¬ 
stand. He surely is aware that every unduly protracted labour 
is demoralising. Hence an employment, however liealthv of 
itself, may nevertheless, on account of the' physical exertion 
expended in its performance, become morally and physi¬ 
cally unsuitable'. Witness the farm-workers of country dis¬ 
tricts. They have not in many respects a too nice estimate of 
that which distinguishes right from wrong. D. C. 
Omphalodes nitida. 
This, the latest addition to the sweet little Navelworts, is a 
treasure calculated to gladden the heart of the enthusiast, 
sufficiently lovely, in fact, to. arrest the attention of even less 
ardent admirers of floral beauty. It was my privilege recentlv 
to see a batch of it in full glory for the' first time. So' far as 
British gardens are concerned, it is quite a new thing, and at 
present scarce, but the latter appellation will ere- long need 
erasure, for were the plant ever so difficult to manage, its ex¬ 
quisite beauty would suffice to. urge growers to battle against 
all obstacles in order to enrich their gardens by its presence. 
Happily, there is no such drawback as " miffiness ” to this 
gem, which is as easy of cultivation as the older and more 
familiar Omphalodes verna • consequently to become known is 
all that is required to make it one of the most popular and 
widely grown subjects in gar dens large and small. The' batch 
of plants I saw were growing in small pots in a greenhouse— 
conditions not calculated to do full justice to a. hardy plant, 
which would undoubtedly display its manifold charms to 
greater advantage if grown in a cool, partially shaded spot in 
the open garden. However, I will describe' tire plant a.s I saw 
it, and am confident the description will kindle, a warm desire 
in the heart of every reader to become the possessor of Om¬ 
phalodes nitida. with all possible speed. 
From among the batch I took one pot for the purpose of 
close examination. The surface of the pot was hidden by tufts 
of lanceolate leaves, rather long in proportion to their breadth, 
and of a. clear, glossy green, perhaps a trifle lighter under glass 
than would Ire the case when grown in the open. Several 
slender but wiry stems arose from the' base of tire 1 plant, these 
branching out at frequent intervals, thus forming a loose and 
exceedingly graceful pyramidal spike, freely but very elegantly 
studded with small, star-like blossoms of the most delightful 
shade of heavenly blue, with a tiny white eye. The stems of 
flowers attained a height of 9 in. or 10 in., but one can hardly 
judge the average height of a plant from specimens in small 
pot.s grown under glass. 
The species is a native of Spain, but is destined to become 
a much-loved inhabitant of every corner of Biitain. Its hard, 
ness has been well tested and proves perfect. 
Heather Bell. 
Tea Rose Warrior. 
Some weeks .ago a very striking Rose was exhibited at the 
meeting of the R.IT.S. by Messrs. William Paul and Son, Wal¬ 
tham Cross. The flowers are cup-shaped, deep carmine-rose, 
and paler internally. The leaves are of large size, of a deep 
glaucous green, while the flowers are produced on long stalks. 
The young, steins are red. 
The value of this new variety evidently lies in its suitability 
for forcing purposes and for flowering during the winter. A 
large group of plants was staged, and these had been in flower 
at Christmas. When the flowers were cut the shoots were 
then cut back, so that the same plants were flowering again 
quite early. The plants were grown in 24 j size pots. 
