124 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  8,  1900. 
3, _ “  That  a  copy  of  the  resolution  appointing  such  dele¬ 
gate  be  sent  to  the  Secretary  of  the  National  Chrysanthemnm 
Society,  with  an  intimation  to  the  effect  that  the  appointment 
was  made  in  due  order.”  Carried. 
To  rescind  Condition  1  of  Rule  X.  as  follows  :  — 
“  That  the  Society’s  medals  and  certificates  be  awarded 
only  in  classes  for  plants  or  cut  blooms  of  Chrysanthemums, 
and  that  all  inscriptions  be  recorded  thereon  before  being 
handed  to  the  winners.” 
And  substitute  for  it  the  following  : — 
“  That  with  the  one  special  exception  hereafter  mentioned, 
the  Society’s  medals  and  certificates  be  awarded  only  to 
classes  for  plants  or  cut  blooms  of  Chrysanthemums,  and  that 
all  inscriptions  be  recorded  thereon  before  being  handed  to  the 
winners;  but  affiliated  societies  obtaining  the  medals  of  the 
Society  are  permitted  to  purchase  one  extra  medal,  which 
may  be  awarded  to  non-competitive  exhibits  of  any  kind  at 
their  exhibitions,  at  the  discretion  of  the  Judges.”  Carried. 
These  accepted  propositions  necessitated  some  slight  alteration  in 
the  established  rules,  and  these  having  been  formally  made  the 
meeting  closed.  _ 
APPLE  HORMEAD’S  PEARMAIN. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  held  in  the 
Drill  Hall  on  January  23rd,  Messrs.  G.  Bunyard  &  Co.,  IVJaidstone, 
exhibited  a  small  collection  of  Apples.  Amongst  these  was  a  magnifi- 
Fig.  32. — Apple  Hormead’s  Peakmain. 
cent  dish  of  Hormead’s  Pearmain  (fig.  32),  for  which  the  Fruit 
Committee  recommended  an  award  of  merit.  This  variety  is  compara¬ 
tively  well  known,  and  is  described  in  Dr.  Hogg’s  “  Fruit  Manual  ”  as 
follows : — 
“  Fruit,  medium  sized,  2|  to  3  inches  wide,  and  inches  high ; 
even  in  outline,  and  roundish.  Skin,  greenish  yellow,  becoming  quite 
yellow  when  fully  ripe,  and  an  orange  tinge  where  exposed  to  the  sun  ; 
there  are  here  and  there  traces  of  thin  russet.  Eye,  partially  open, 
with  flat  convergent  segments,  set  in  a  wide  basin.  Stamens,  median  ; 
tube,  short,  funnel-shaped.  Stalk,  short  and  stout,  with  sometimes  a 
fleshy  swelling  on  one  side,  surrounded  with  a  patch  of  russet.  Flesh, 
firm,  crisp,  very  juicy,  and  pleasantly  acid.  Cells,  roundish  obovate  ; 
axile.  An  excellent  cooking  Apple ;  in  use  from  October  till  March.” 
Aster  sinensis. — The  double  varieties  of  Asters  have  long  been  in 
the  ascendant,  and  too  few  realise  the  value  and  beauty  of  the  single 
varieties,  which  are  most  telling.  One  of  the  best  is  Aster  sinensis, 
which  adds  such  brightness  and  grace  as  to  make  it  valuable  as  a 
cut  flower,  the  beautiful  pale  mauve  florets  and  bright  golden  disc  being 
most  convincing.  The  habit  of  the  plant  is  pretty,  and  it  is  undoubtedly 
a  welcome  addition  to  the  summer  occupants  of  the  flower  garden. 
Seeds  will  soon  have  to  be  sown,  and  anyone  on  the  look  out  for  a  good 
thing  cannot  go  far  wrong  in  ordering. — R.  Beaumont. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
BITS  FOR  THE  BOTHY. 
To  Our  Recruits.  {Continued  from  page  82.) 
Lest  it  should  be  inferred  by  the  suasive  tone  of  our  introduction 
that  we  are  flaunting  the  flag  in  order  to  lure  young  men  into  the  ranks, 
it  must  be  emphatically  stated,  and  distinctly  understood,  that  such  is 
not  the  case.  Volunteers  only  are  wanted,  and  with  these  it  would  be 
an  excellent  plan  could  examination  test  their  fitness  for  the  force. 
More  than  once  has  an  anxious  mother  inquired  about  gardening  as  a 
vocation  for  her  boy,  to  be  answered  by  another  question,  asking  the 
reason  why  gardening  has  suggested  itself.  In  most  oases  the  reason 
given  is  no  reason  at  all,  and  in  some  there  is  every  reason  for  advising 
that  the  boy’s  tastes  and  talents  should  be  directed  into  another 
channel,  to  which  his  inclinations  trend.  At  this  stage  the  parental 
element  cannot  be  wisely  excluded  from  this  paper,  hence  no  apology 
is  needed  for  bringing  mothers  into  council  to  prevent  a  mistake — a 
life’s  mistake,  maybe,  which  is  the  most  serious  mistake  of  all.  Where 
advice  is  sought  upon  this  matter  more  or  less  suspicion  attends  the 
case.  The  youth  with  an  inspiration  for  gardening  is,  willy  nilly,  an 
embryo  gardener.  Nature  herself  has  saved  anxious  parents  all  trouble 
in  worrying  about  what  to  do  with  their  boy. 
As  it  is,  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  boys  are  recruiting  for  the 
garden  ;  and,  as  it  is,  the  matter  must  be  dealt  with.  Parents  may  be 
to  blame,  boys  may  not  be  blameless,  but  circumstances  which  perhaps 
neither  can  control  are  the  biggest  sinners  of  all.  It  is  the  writer’s 
earnest  desire  to  help  all  to  see  and  to  feel  such  things  as  might 
otherwise  pass  their  understanding,  and  consequently  keep  them  as 
drones  in  the  human  hive.  Some  youths  that  have  been  thus  pressed 
into  the  service  now  occupy  high  positions  in  the  gardening  world,  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  others  should  not  do  the  same.  Absence  of 
past  passion  is  no  hindrance  to  future  love.  The  lad  whose  love  for 
gardening  is  an  inspiration  is,  of  course,  the  boy  after  one’s  own  heart; 
yet  in  his  inexperience  are  openings  for  advice,  for  good  performance 
does  not  always  follow  on  great  promise  ;  “  Temptation  hath  a  music 
for  all  years,”  and  he  in  falling  from  his  high  estate  may  lose  his 
birthright  in  the  bog  of  blighted  hopes.  Comparisons  have  necessarily 
been  drawn,  henceforth  recruits  of  all  sections  will  please  ”  fall  in  ” 
together. 
Attention!  Eyes  right — on  your  work.  Anyone  looking  back  no «v 
had  better  “  fall  out  ’’and  don  the  scarlet  coat,  the  navy  blue  or  whatever 
colour  or  career  he  has  a  lingering  regard  for.  None  ?  All  going  in  for 
gardening ;  then  may  you  all  come  out  gardeners  in  the  fullest  sense 
of  the  term.  Orders  of  the  day  are  make  the  most  of  your  time.  At 
a  rough  estimate  the  drilling  process  occupies  about  ten  years.  It  is 
a  long  time  to  look  forward  to,  but  an  exceedingly  short  time  to  look  back 
upon.  To  reconcile  the  optimistic  eyes  of  youth  with  the  pessimistic 
spectacles  of  age  we  may  add  these  periods  together,  divide  the  sum  by 
two.  and  the  balance  of  time  struck  is  truly  little  enough  for  the  great 
work  in  hand.  All  work  needs  recreation.  In  this  recreation  lays 
many,  if  not  most,  of  the  secrets  of  success.  This  will  be  explained 
in  due  course.  In  the  first  place  the  importance  of  uniting  body  and 
soul  in  work  cannot  be  overestimated  or  too  strongly  impressed.  (A 
body  without  a  soul  is  like  a  flower  without  scent).  Yon  do  not  see 
how  they  can  be  separated,  but  it  is  easily  accomplished  and  frequently 
happens.  Our  stokehole  boy  is  a  good  illustration  ;  there  he  is,  in  the 
stokehole,  so  far  as  his  body  is  concerned,  but  his  soul  loveth  cricket, 
and  that  it  is  away  at  the  cricket  is  very  palpably  evident  by  the  way 
in  which  he  holds  the  fireshovel  at  “  cut  to  leg,”  playing  imaginary 
balls,  and  very  probably,  though  it  is  said  very  reluctantly,  he  will  have  to 
make  a  run  elsewhere,  and  take  his  innings  on  fresh  fields  and  pastures 
new. 
The  soul  must  go  into  the  work — “  He  who  follows  two  hares  will  be 
sure  to  catch  neither” — even  to  the  meanest  work  a  boy  is  put  at,  or 
it  will  amount  to  mere  drudgery,  and  the  performer  will  be  a  drudge. 
In  reality  there  is  no  mean  work  that  is  done  for  a  useful  or  necessary 
purpose.  The  boy  who  sweeps  the  boiler  flues,  stokes  the  fire,  or  scrubs 
out  the  houses  in  the  very  best  possible  manner,  is  doing  as  much  in 
his  way  as  any  of  our  great  generals  at  the  front  are  doing  in  their 
way.  Like  most  campaigns,  there  is  much  hard  fighting  to  be  done, 
and  the  moral  effects  dependent  upon  the  earlier  battles  of  life  are 
many  and  far  reaching.  “  Peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned 
than  war.”  The  most  daring  thing  is  often  that  of  daring  to  do  right, 
and  to  do  that  at  the  right  time  is  to  double  its  value.  There  may,  in 
some  instances,  be  no  disgrace  in  defeat,  but  there  is  always  the  danger 
of  being  made  a  prisoner — for  life. 
“  Free,  yet  in  fetters  held  till  his  last  breath ; 
Gyves  that  no  smith  can  weld,  nor  rust  devour.” 
There  is  a  host  of  bores,  and  particularly  crafty  ones,  to  overcome ; 
but  they  can  and  will  be  overcome  if  our  young  warrior  wills  it. 
During  working  hours  they  love  not  the  master’s  eye,  but  spring 
up  in  all  directions  behind  his  back,  and  the  bothy  breeds  them 
as  fast  and  plentifully  as  the  old  fashioned  bothy  used  to  breed 
blackbeetles.  As  previously  shown,  the  favourite  form  of  recrea¬ 
tion  seems  consciously  or  unconsciously  to  permeate  our  work ; 
how  necessary  it  is,  then,  that  it  should  be  made  subservient  to  it ! 
Manual  labour  demands,  or  should  do,  mental  recreation,  consequently 
nothing  could  fit  better  into  a  recruit’s  training.  It  is  a  paradox, 
