March  22,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
245 
11|e  Kew  CI|iswick. 
It  is  possible  to  imagine  what  would  have  been  the  nature  of  the 
confusion  worse  confounded  of  opinion  and  desire  in  relation  to  the  site 
of  the  new  Chiswick,  had  the  R.H.S.  Council  submitted  the  matter 
to  a  plebiscite  of  the  Fellows.  Happily  we  have  been  saved  from  that 
calamity,  to  which  the  confusion  of  tongues  at  the  Babel  Tower  would 
have  been  a  triviality.  Whenever  it  is  announced  that  a  public  site  has 
been  fixed  upon  and  has  been  practically  purchased  no  doubt  there  will 
be  a  tremendous  outcry.  But  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  the  new 
Chiswick  can  be  in  one  place  only,  and  wherever  it  is  there  is  not  the 
least  probability  that  it  will  be  so  convenient  for  all  anxious  to  visit  it 
as  the  old  Chiswick  is. 
But  if,  as  indeed  it  must  be,  some  distance  from  London,  it 
may  be  found  charmingly  situated  in  a  .lovely  country,  where  with 
soil  of  the  best  and  plenty  of  pure  clear  air,  and  sunshine  as  well 
as  a  shelter,  a  really  ideal  garden  may  be  furnished.  Then  what 
a  delight  as  a  day’s  outing  will  it  be  to  visit  such  a'  garden;  and  besides 
seeing  all  it  will  have  to  show,  to  enjoy  the  pure  air  and  lovely  scenery, 
constituting  in  the  matter  of  a  visit  a  most  enjoyable  holiday.  It 
would  be  difScult  indeed  to  extract  so  much  fromjthe  present  Chiswick. 
If  too,  as  is  hoped,  the  Council  can  obtain  fob  the  Fellows  special 
advantages  in  the  matter  of  transit,  how  much  will  be  gained. 
Wherever  the  garden  may  be,  it  is  certain  'that  some  time  must 
elapse  ere  it  can  be  made  decoratively  attractive,  although  that  must  be  a 
minor  object.  As  to  how  far  it  may  be  wisely [  or  other-wisely  asso¬ 
ciated  with  a  national  school  of  horticulture,  sustained  by  numerous 
County  Councils,  time  wdl  show.  But  having  called  so  long  and  often 
for  such  a  national  school,  we  must  not  now  be  tc^o  captious. — A.  D. 
thorough  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  gardening  and  gardeners,  and 
all  the  leading  men  in  the  profession,  on  whose  judgment  they  rely  in 
the  nominating  and  appointing  of  their  judges;  and  I  say  again, 
when  such  society  has  a  staff  of  judges  so  specially  selected,  each  man 
or  set  of  men  the  best  in  their  respective  spheres  of  action,  it  would 
be  the  highest  folly  to  change.  These  men,  the  properly  selected  men, 
by  being  thrown  together  year  by  year,  find  out  each  other’s  line  of 
thought  and  judgment.  They  learn  to  give  and  take,  to  see  from 
each  other’s  standpoint,  and  having  those  other  essential  qualities  of 
openmindedness  and  tolerance  of  other  men’s  opinions,  they  blend 
together,  the  work  goes  on  smoothly,  and  the  result  is  fairness  and 
justice  all  round. 
Now,  much  change,  and  particularly  indiscriminate  change,  would 
inevitably  breed  confusion ;  would  perhaps  throw  two  men  together 
whose  points  of  view  would  be  the  opposite  of  one  another,  and  if  they 
happened  to  be  obstinately  opinionated,  as  men  of  strong  views  often 
are,  their  work  would  be  uncomfortably  done,  and  their  decisions 
more  or  less,  often  more  than  less,  would  be  uncertain,  unsound,  dis¬ 
proportionate,  and  unsatisfactory. 
I  say  this  would  be  the  result  as  it  appears  to  me,  and  if  so  nothing 
could  be  more  fatal  to  the  well-being  of  any  society  than  this.  Exhi¬ 
bitors  would  be  annoyed,  much  indignant  language  would  be  used  by 
them,  the  secretaries  and  other  officers  made  irritable  and  unhappy, 
and  specially  so  if  the  indignant  exhibitors  should  go  on  to  say  that 
they  had,  in  face  of  such  judgment  as  that,  determined  never  to  show 
there  again.  I  can  quite  understand  that  a  certain  section  of  judges 
working  long  together  might  get  into  a  fossilised  state  in  their  judg¬ 
ments  by  reason  of  unitedly  going  along  one  line  of  decisions,  but  this 
could  not  often  be  the  case,  because  death,  sickness,  and  other  life 
changes  do  break  up  the  staff  in  a  slight  degree  most  years,  and  this  is 
all  the  change  that  I,  for  one,  should  look  favourably  upon. 
Doubtless  there  may  be  those  who,  like  “  Inquisitor,”  think 
differently,  and  we  shall  all  be  glad  to  hear  them,  for  the  subject  is 
one  well  worthy  of  discussion,  but  the  above  are  the  thoughts  and 
opinions  of  —  An  Old  Provincial. 
- - 
Stopping  and  Shortening  Vines. 
Judges  and  Judging. 
“An  Inquisitor”  (page  179)  of  our  Journal  has  given  us  “  a  hard 
nut  to  crack,”  for  it  opens  up  what  we  may  call  the  whole  ethics  of  the 
showing  of  garden  produce  and  the  equity  and  justice  of  the  awards 
that  that  produce  receives  at  the  hands  of  those  appointed  to  assess  its 
merits.  No  doubt  a  considerable  number  of  coitmunications  from  well 
qualified  writers  will  be  received ;  some  affirmative,  some  negative, 
some  commendatory,  others  condemnatory. 
I  do  not  know  whether  I  can  help  much  in  the  matter;  nevertheless* 
I  will  try  to  do  my  best.  Let  us  put  the  question  propounded  by  “  An 
Inquisitor”  again  plainly  before  us.  “Should  the  same  judges  be 
employed  year  after  year  in  the  same  class®  at  the  same  show  P  ” 
Well,  my  acquaintance  with  shows,  judges  and  judging  is  not  so 
extensive  as  some  people’s,  notwithstanding  that  I  have  done  a  little 
judging  and  know  a  few  judges,  and,  differing  from  the  conclusions  of 
“  An  Inquisitor,”  I  unhesitatingly  give  an  affirmfetive  reply  to  his  query, 
assuming,  of  course,  and  this  is  not  an  unreasmable  assumption,  that 
the  right  men  have  been  selected  in  the  first  ins  ance.  By  right  men  I 
must  be  understood  to  mean,  good,  capable,  practical,  all  round,  or 
specially  gifted  men;  men  of  broad  minds,  so ind  common  sense,  and 
high  ideals. 
A  judge  is  born,  not  made.  A  man  may  b« 
but  a  very  poor  and  incapable  judge.  I  snipose  we  shall  be  all 
agreed  that  he  should  have  an  intimate  praitical  knowledge  of  the 
subjects  he  is  appointed  to  adjudicate  upon  their  highest  possible 
developments,  with  the  difficulties  of  attaining  those  developments,  and 
what  we  may  describe  as  an  historical  acquain  ance  with  them  in  their 
past  and  present  state.  In  addition  to  thesi  elementary  but  highly 
necessary  qualifications,  he  must  have  a  quick  o  (servant  eye,  a  clear  head 
to  balance  merits  and  demerits,  a  calm  but  rea  y  decision,  with  authori¬ 
tative  pronouncement  of  verdict,  and  the  power  ot  dismissing  it 
absolutely  and  passing  on  to  the  next  exhibt.  I  have  known  many 
judges  with  all  these  qualifications.  One  thii  j  is  quite  certain,  that  a 
vacillating  minded  judge  is  a  terror  to  his  c  Ileagues  and  a  failure  as 
to  equitable  decisions. 
Given  these  qualifications  on  a  staff  of  ]i 
contend,  make  a  mistake — a  grievous  mist 
judges  for  the  mere  sake  of  changing  or  fro 
ought  to  change. 
I  believe  it  to  be  a  fact  that  most  large 
some  person  of  high  standing  in  the  gaff 
a  very  good  gardener. 
^ges  societies  would,  so  I 
re — who  changed  their 
a  fancied  idea  that  they 
irticultnral  societies  have 
iening  world  who  has  a 
For  the  sake  of  clearness  let  it  be  said  that  “  stopping  ”  has 
reference  to  removing  the  tips  of  the  leading,  as  well  as  the  axillary, 
growths  of  young  Vines  when  in  an  active  state,  and  that  “  shorten¬ 
ing”  applies  to  cutting  back  the  canes  when  resting  after  their  season’s 
growth. 
A  correspondent,  “  A.  J.,”  described  generally  excellent  practice 
on  page  182,  March  1st.  Mr.  E.  Molyneux  (page  199)  rather  questions 
the  soundness  of  that  practice,  and  submits  what  he  conceives  to  be  an 
improvement  on  it.  Possibly  it  may  be,  though  I  am  not  confident  it 
would  be  as  carried  out  by  all  growers  of  Vines,  and  at  least  I  am  of 
opinion  that  “A.  J.”  did  not  “commit”  any  serious  “error”  in  his 
routine. 
It  is  due  to  Mr.  Molyneux  to  say  that  he  is  the  exact  reverse  of  a 
carping  critic.  When  he  differs  from  any  published  statement  he 
almost  invariably  propounds  some  practical  alternative  to  the  procedure 
previously  advocated.  This  is  entirely  commendable,  but  it  does  not 
conclusively  prove  the  existence  of  an  error  of  such  a  nature  that  may 
be  likely  to  lead  many  readers  astray. 
Mr.  Molyneux’s  method  of  shortening  the  canes  of  resting  Vines  to 
within  two  eyes  of  the  base  is  excellent,  always  provided  this  is  done  at 
least  two  months  before  planting,  and  also  when  the  fullest  light  can 
reach  the  cut-backs  in  the  position  in  which  they  are  planted.  In  not  a 
few  vineries  the  front  wall  is  raised  considerably  above  the  border, 
and  in  several  a  flat  stage  runs  along  about  level  with  the  front  sashes, 
and  over  from, two  to  four  rows  of  hot-water  pipes.  This  may  not  be 
the  best  arrangement,  and  is  not  advocated ;  but  it  exists,  and  to  plant 
such  close  cut-backs  in  such  positions  inside  the  house  would  be  as  bad 
as  the  wall  and  pipe  arrangement,  if  not  worse.  In  all  cases  of  the 
nature  indicated  an  extension  of  cane  must  be  allowed  to  bring  the  two 
uppermost  buds  to  what  may  be  termed  the  light  line  to  insure  a 
strong  growth  to  form  the  future  Vine.  The  distance  between  the 
ground  and  light  line  should  always  be  measured  where  the  young  Vines 
intended  for  planting  are  shortened.  Grand  Vines  and  crops  of  Grapes 
have  been  produced  when  the  planting  canes  had  to  be  left  3  feet  in 
length. 
Even  under  favourable  conditions — i.e.,  when  the  border  was  little 
below  the  level  of  the  front  sill — entirely  satisfactory  results  have 
followed  the  plan  of  shortening  to  about  18  inches,  and  when  the  lower 
bud  is  allowed  to  extend  to  develop  half  a  dozen  leaves  or  so,  as 
advised  by  “  A.  J.,”  the  base  of  the  stem  thickens  satisfactorily, 
as  it  would,  of  course,  under  Mr.  Molyneux’s  plan,  in  a  natural  way. 
There  are  circumstances  in  which  either  of  the  methods  may  be  better 
than  the  other,  and  neither  of  them,  in  the  absence  of  essential  quali¬ 
fications,  can  be  justly  described  as  erroneous.  Something^  might, 
perhaps,  be  advantageously  said  on  summer  stopping,  but  this  must 
await  a  more  favourable  moment. — An  Old  Exhibitor. 
