June  I  7,  1897. 
521 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
old  ball.  Soil,  however,  of  a  retentive  character  ought  not  to  be 
rammed  hard. 
The  details  of  management  after  potting  may  be  on  similar 
lines  to  those  advised  for  the  younger  plants.  A  good  watering 
will  be  required  in  a  few  days  after  potting,  then  wait  before 
giving  more,  or  until  the  surface  dries.  Keep,  however,  the 
surroundings  moist,  and  for  the  first  week  limit  the  supply  of  air. 
Shade  during  the  middle  of  the  day,  but  at  other  periods  allow 
plenty  of  light,  the  plants  having  a  position  near  the  glass.  Growth 
will  soon  proceed  freely  agam,  when  air  may  be  gradually  and 
regularly  given,  finally  admitting  a  supply  on  favourable  nights  as 
well  as  days. — E.  D.  S. 
VEGETABLES  FOR  HOME  AND  EXHIBITION. 
One  of  the  chief  difficulties  a  writer  has  to  encounter  in 
dealing  with  such  a  theme  as  this  is  to  say  something  entirely  new. 
The  best  thing  is  not  to  try  to  do  so,  but  to  say  something  that  ii 
believed  to  be  true.  The  first  truth  to  be  impressed  on  the  minds 
of  the  young  especially  is  that  the  production  of  a  continual  supply 
of  vegetables  is  an  indispensable  part  of  a  gardener’s  duty.  It 
follows,  then,  that  young  gardeners  should  pay  all  possible  attention 
to  this  phase  of  their  occupation,  and  strive  to  become  masters  of 
the  art  of  vegetable  culture.  Yet  it  is  possible  to  point  to  men 
who  have  passed  from  one  establishment  to  another  during  their 
years  ot  probation,  and  then  taken  head  gardener’s  positions  with¬ 
out  having  done  a  week’s  work  in  the  vegetable  department,  which 
they  really  know  very  little  about. 
This  is  not  always  the  fault  of  young  men.  They  are  engaged 
for  the  houses,  and  the  labourers  do  the  kitchen  garden  work. 
The  only  opportunity  the  former  have  of  becoming  conversant 
with  this  all-important  branch  of  their  calling  is  by  going  round  in 
the  evening  and  taking  notes  of  the  operations.  Something  may 
be  learnt  in  this  way  ’tis  true,  but  the  use  of  the  spade  teaches 
lessons  that  are  rarely  forgotten,  and  taking  active  part  in  the  work 
gives  an  emphasis  that  cannot  be  obtained  by  precept.  Many  a 
young  gardener  goes  through  the  routine  of  decorating,  pro¬ 
pagating,  plant  and  fruit  growing  without  being  able  to  say  that  he 
has  passed  a  similar  period  in  digging  and  trenching,  sowing,  and 
planting,  with  other  operations  connected  with  the  production  of 
vegetables.  No  such  man  can  call  himself  a  gardener  in  the  truest 
sense,  and  I  would  urge  on  all  probationers  the  importance  of 
obtaining  sound  knowledge  gained  by  practical  experience  and 
observation  on  this  phase  of  their  calling,  as  they  will  in  due  time 
have  to  cater  for  the  wants  of  the  kitchen  as  well  as  the  drawing¬ 
room. 
A  word  also  to  head  gardeners  who  know  the  logic  of  all  this. 
Their  experience  tells  them  the  importance  of  being  good  vege¬ 
table  growers,  and  knowing  this  they  will  do  well  to  remember  that 
the  young  men  are  not  only  under  them  to  fill  certain  offices  and 
to  perform  certain  duties,  but  also  to  learn  that  which  in  after  life 
shall  fit  them  for  the  positions  which  they,  the  present  gardeners, 
will  have  to  vacate.  Bearing  this  in  mind,  they  may  so  regulate 
the  labour  that  the  young  men  when  making  changes  can  truthfully 
say  that  they  have  spent  a  portion  of  their  time  in  the  kitchen 
garden.  It  is  not  enough  for  a  youth  to  spend  the  first  year  or  so 
of  his  career  in  the  vegetable  department,  and  then  think  he  has 
learnt  all  there  is  to  know.  Soils  and  conditions  vary  so  much 
that  a  method  of  cultivation  which  answers  well  in  one  place 
results  in  partial  or  entire  failure  in  another,  hence  the  necessity 
of  keeping  in  close  practical  touch  with  the  work  of  the  kitchen 
garden. 
Gardeners  nowadays  have  to  reach  a  high  standard  in  vegetable 
culture.  Those  who  grow  for  sale  know  that  it  is  only  first-class 
produce  which  is  remunerative,  and  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  supply 
the  wants  of  private  families  know  that  employers  want  quality 
and  a  regular  supply,  therefore  they  must  make  themselves  con¬ 
versant  with  the  best  varieties,  and  work  generally  on  lines  that 
will  give  the  best  results.  In  variety  there  is  a  danger  of  confusion, 
as  there  seems  no  limit  to  the  named  forms  of  each  kind  of  vege¬ 
tables,  and  often  there  is  a  difficulty  in  discriminating  between 
them.  Whether  there  are  not  many  of  these  too  much  alike  to 
be  classed  as  distinct  varieties  is  a  matter  for  argument  ;  and  here, 
again,  a  man  must  rely  chiefly  on  his  own  experience,  and  he  will 
not  be  long  in  removing  the  chaff  from  the  wheat. 
The  latter  remarks  are  also  applicable  to  the  cultivation  of 
vegetables  for  exhibition.  The  best  varieties  must  be  obtained,  in 
order  to  be  able  to  compete  with  any  hope  of  success.  Compara¬ 
tively  speaking,  gardeners  who  grow  vegetables  for  show  are  limited, 
and  though  such  names  as  Waite,  Wilkins,  Pope,  Beckett,  and 
Foster  flash  across  one’s  mind,  these  are  but  few  when  we  think  of 
all  the  kitchen  gardens  in  the  country.  Perhaps  vegetables  aro  rot 
made  such  an  important  feature  at  our  great  shows  as  they  deserve, 
though  it  is  gratifying  to  note  that  the  interest  is  a  growing  one. 
The  promoters  of  horticultural  shows  have  to  cater  for  the  public, 
and  it  is  only  natural  that  the  average  visitor  who  is  not  a  gardener 
will  see  more  to  attract  him  in  a  beautiful  group  of  Orchids  or 
other  flowers  than  he  will  in  a  collection  of  vegetables,  no  matter 
how  good.  At  many  important  shows  the  competition  is  chiefly 
for  prizes  offered  by  seedsmen,  and  those  who  have  seen  the 
collections  that  have  vied  with  each  other  for  the  substantial  prizes 
offered  by  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Som  at  the  Reading  Show  know  to 
what  a  pitch  of  excellence  vegetables  can  be  grown,  and  with  what 
taste  they  may  be  displayed  on  the  exhibition  table. 
It  is  at  village  and  cottagers’  shows  that  vegetables  are  most 
appreciated.  They  form  the  chief  items  at  such  exhibitions,  and 
here,  too,  we  may  notice  signs  of  growing  interest  and  marked 
improvement.  A  great  drawback  in  the  past  has  been  the  method, 
or  rather  want  of  method,  in  the  judging  of  vegetables,  and  this 
has  been  felt  at  shows  of  all  kinds.  For  years  a  conflict  has  been 
going  on  between  size  versus  quality,  and  though  the  latter  is  now 
gaining  the  upper  hand  there  are  judges  left  of  a  very  old  school 
who  still  believe  that  a  vegetable  to  win  a  prize  must  necessarily 
be  large,  and  therefore  other  points  are  sacrificed  in  favour  of  this. 
Confliction  has  been,  and  still  is  to  some  extent,  the  result,  and 
exhibitors  are  often,  in  the  absence  of  any  rules  to  guide  them,  at 
a  loss  to  know  whether  their  largest  or  medium  sized  examples  are 
most  likely  to  find  favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  judges.  I  say  in  the 
absence  of  any  rules,  and  here  I  must  apologise  to  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society,  whose  really  excellent  code  was  drawn  up 
and  published  to  meet  such  cases  as  this.  To  use  the  word*  of  a 
proverb,  everybody  knows  the  ease  with  which  a  horse  may  be  led 
to  the  water,  and  everybody  is  aware  of  the  impossibility  of  making 
him  drink  unless  he  is  disposed  to  do  so.  So  it  is  with  judging 
rules.  They  may  be  published,  but  there  is  a  certain  amount  of 
conservatism  in  human  nature  which  leads  a  man  to  believe  that  a 
rule  he  has  followed  for  a  long  time  is  the  right  one  ;  and  I  am 
afraid,  in  spite  of  the  code  of  rules,  the  man  who  has  favoured 
size  for  so  long  will  favour  size  so  long  as  he  adjudicates,  and  it  is 
only  time  that  will  put  the  judging  of  vegetables  on  such  a  ba«is 
that  the  exhibitor  shall  know  exactly  the  ends  at  which  he  must 
aim. 
It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  this  difference  of  opinion  is  more 
noticeable  in  small  than  large  shows.  Not  long  ago  I  asked  a  judge 
at  a  rural  exhibition  why  he  had  given  the  first  prize  to  a  pair  of 
huge,  coarse  Cabbages  and  passed  over  others  .of  far  superior 
quality.  By  way  of  explanation,  he  simply  answered,  “  Well,  it’s  a 
cottagers’  show,  you  know,”  and  looked  greatly  astonished  when  I 
failed  to  see  the  logic  of  the  argument,  if  such  it  can  be  called. 
The  judge  referred  to  is  one  of  a  class  still  common,  who  seem 
to  hold  the  opinion  that  the  first  consideration  of  the  small  grower 
is  to  get  something  big  in  the  way  of  vegetables,  and  all  other 
qualities  are  of  minor  importance.  Size,  consistent  with  high 
quality,  is  another  matter,  and  the  sooner  this  is  more  fully 
understood  and  acted  on  the  better  it  will  be  for  all  concerned. 
Next  to  producing  the  best  vegetables  the  most  important  point 
is  that  of  displaying  them  to  the  best  advantage  on  the  Bhow  table. 
They  should  be  so  arranged  as  to  be  pleasing  to  the  eye,  though 
the  medium  must  be  aimed  at.  Many  exhibitors  weaken  their 
chances  by  the  injudicious  use  of  garnishing  material,  and  in  trying 
to  make  their  collections  look  well  overdo  it  and  spoil  the  effect  en¬ 
tirely.  Here  again  I  offer  a  word  to  young  gardeners  when  visiting 
shows  not  to  spend  all  their  time  among  the  fruit  and  flowers,  but  to 
give  an  adequate  portion  of  it  to  the  vegetable  department,  and 
take  notice  of  the  good  points  and  the  defects,  the  methods  of 
arrangement,  and  so  forth.  The  splendid  examples  that  are 
shown  by  such  men  as  I  have  named  are  not  attained  without 
judgment  and  study,  hard  work  and  constant  attention,  and  we 
must  remember  that  it  is  one  thing  to  stand  before  a  show  table 
and  criticise,  and  quite  another  to  produce  vegetables  of  equal 
merit.  I  hope  in  subsequent  articles  to  give  notes  on  the  culti¬ 
vation  of  different  kinds  of  vegetables  for  kitchen  and  show 
table  that  may  be  of  interest  and  assistance  to  some  readers  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture. — A  Grower  and  Judge. 
To  be  continued.) 
Heliotropes. — Although  fifty  years  ago  Heliotropes  were  bedding 
plants,  yet  there  was  but  one — and  that  a  light  flowered,  somewhat  coarse 
growing  variety — in  cultivation.  Now  we  have  many  varieties,  strong 
and  dwarf,  the  latter  being  considerably  used  either  for  massing  or  as 
carpet  plants  beneath  white  Fuchsias,  variegated  Abutilons,  or  standard 
Ivy-leaf  Pelargoniums,  and  their  rich  perfume  is  greatly  enjoyed.  Of 
dark  hues,  Comtesse  de  Mortemarte,  President  Garfield,  and  Jeanne 
Daudier  are  of  the  best ;  and  of  lighter  ones  White  Lady  and  Paul  Pfitzer 
are  excellent.  This  variety  in  colour  and  habit  enables  the  Heliotrope 
to  be  more  largely  grown  in  gardens  or  as  pot  plants,  for  so  grown  they 
are  valued  for  decorative  purposes. — A. 
