59G 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  S6, 1895. 
&c., &c.  I  fancy  he  thinks  ‘‘  Grants  in  aid,”  “Bimetallism,”  and  a 
duty  on  foreign  produce  are  a  long  way  off. — Sic  vos,  NON  VOBIS. 
[It  is  right  to  add  that  the  supplementary  heading  is  ours,  as  it 
occurred  to  U3  that  the  author’s  heading,  “  Dried  Vegetables,” 
scarcely  covered  his  theme,  and  besides,  the  tone  of  the  com¬ 
munication  reminded  us  of  a  line  from  Coleridge  : — 
“  Soothed  sadly  by  the  dirgeful  wind.” 
It  will  be  admitted  that  our  friend  “  soothes  sadly.”  We  have 
known  him  and  esteemed  him  for  years  as  ranking  amongst  the 
worthiest  and  most  successful  of  British  gardeners,  and  we  are 
bound  to  say  that  he  in  himself  afEords  the  best  rebutting  evidence 
against  the  catastrophe  he  seems  to  fear  of  something  like  a  general 
exodus  to  Belgium.  We  say  this  to  his  credit ;  his  knowledge, 
sound  judgment,  prudence,  and  industry  have  placed  him  in  what 
would  be  to  many  an  enviable  position.  We  are  glad  to  believe 
that  he  is  one  of  those  who  have  made  far  more  progress — and  is 
still  progressing — under  the  obstacles  he  so  forcibly  enumerates,  than 
hundreds  failed  to  do  during  the  best  period  of  the  “good  old 
times  ”  of  the  long  ago.  Yet  he  conveys  wholesome  and  needed 
lessons  worthy  of  being  studied,  but  we  take  the  leading  idea  to 
be  this — Success  in  life  is  not  so  much  a  question  of  “  times  ” 
or  “  nations  ”  as  of  men,  and  we  suspect  our  friend  will  not  “  go  to 
Belgium,”  but  rest  happy  on  h's  well-earned  property  amid 
pleasant  surroundings  in  his  poor  old  England.] 
“SWINDLING  AT  FLOWER  SHOWS.” 
Your  correspondent,  a  Scotch — no,  “Scottish  Gardener”  Cpage  574) 
adroitly  skips  away  from  “  the  danger  of  bringing  a  hornet’s  nest  about 
his  head  ”  in  the  concluding  sentence  of  his  third  paragraph,  under  the 
above  heading,  by  stating  that  “  facts  are  chiels  that  winna  ding,  and 
darna  be  disputed.”  There  is,  in  fact,  from  first  to  last  of  the 
“  trenchant”  article  so  conspicuous  a  tone  of  “  Whaur  dare  meddle  wi’ 
me  ”  that  in  claiming  a  little  of  the  editorial  space  I  wonder  at  my 
rashness  in  so  doing.  If  those  “  faint  suspicions”  which  appear  to  have 
suddenly  ripened  into  convictions  under  the  solar  influence  of  “  a  leading 
Scotch  paper  ”  did  not  infer  a  deeper  knowledge  of  the  subject,  we 
might,  I  think,  pass  it  by — on  the  other  side  ;  but  as  he  basso  vigorously 
stirred  the  “  nest  ”  ere  retreating  behind  a  skilfully  constructed  barricade 
of  dogmatic  assertions  that  “  darna  be  disputed  ”  he  is  doubtless  pre¬ 
pared,  and  well  prepared,  for  a  buzz. 
It  appears  to  be  a  plain,  if  disagreeable,  dutv  by  buzzing  to  find  out 
in  what  part  of  the  British  body  corporate  of  gardening  this  ulcer  is 
located,  to  the  end  that  due  consideration  of  his  measures,  or  more 
drastic  ones,  may  be  given.  In  justice  to  this  “  Gardener  ”  I  will  duly 
allow  for  the  difficulties,  perhaps  the  dangers,  he,  as  one  of  the  craft, 
feels  in  putting  his  finger  on  the  spot,  but,  as  the  matter  is  set  forth,  the 
charges  are  all  too  sweeping,  yet  all  too  vaguely  defined.  Let  us, 
“  Scottish  Gardener,”  reason  together  ;  you  from  what  yon  know,  I  from 
what  I  know  ;  and  here  it  is  as  well  to  briefly  state  that  I  modestly  claim 
the  qualifications  gleaned  in  the  varied  career  of  a  gardener’s  life  to  do 
so,  with  some  study  of  my  fellow  men  to  boot. 
This  greed  for  gold  I  have  not  found  to  be  the  ruling  passion  in  the 
gardening  fraternity,  though,  per  contra,  I  have  known  men  carried 
into  excesses  for  the  good  of  others  whereby  they  have  satisfied  their 
desires  in  buying  plants,  and  paying  for  them,  too,  out  of  their  own  pockets 
— plants  which,  immediately  they  arrived  home,  became  other  people’s 
property.  One  collection  of  Orchids,  not  ten  miles  from  where  I  “  buzz,” 
was  initiated  in  this  way,  and,  what  is  more,  yearly  grew  from  the  same 
source  until  it  reached  quite  respectable  dimensions.  But  it  is  not  my 
present  object  to  hold  up  the  weaker  brethren  as  a  warning,  nor  shunt 
off  the  main  question  of  exhibitors  and  their  foibles,  whom  we  may  infer 
from  the  peculiar  article  are  a  bad  lot,  who  “  have  taken  prizes  with 
other  people’s  fruits,  flowers,  plants,  and  vegetables  ;  ”  in  fact  whose 
practises  are  disreputable,  and  money  is  their  god. 
It  such  is  the  rule,  and  not  the  exception,  and  I  have  yet,  after  many 
years  and  many  peeps  behind  the  scenes,  to  learn  from  other  sources 
than  those  quoted,  ere  believing  it  to  be  so  ;  then,  I  say,  we  are  past 
redemption,  for  the  depraved  will  go  for  those  certificates  so  vividly 
described,  or  they  won’t  go  at  all.  I  cannot  conceive  any  societies  that 
are  able  to  exist  under  the  rotten  conditions  as  set  forth  in  the  attack, 
and  rather  than  prolong  their  miserable  existence  by  any,  so-called, 
remedy,  I  would  revel  in  the  throes  of  their  dissolution.  On  the  matter 
of  public  attendance,  or  rather  the  want  of  it,  at  some  flower  shows, 
possibly  this  is  most  keenly  felt  in  those  places  where  the  British 
public  have  not  obtained  their  shillingsworth,  and  “once  bit  twice  shy.” 
They  might,  of  course,  be  precluded  on  the  lines  laid  down  by  “  A 
Scottish  Gardener,”  and  our  exhibitions  be  turned  solely  into  a  feast  of 
reason  and  flow  of  soul  for  the  selfish  enjoyment  of  growers  and  their 
patrons.  How  much  more  exhilarating  is  it  to  turn  to  those  places 
where  spirited  discernment  has  catered  for  the  public  in  some  little 
additions  which,  if  superfluous  to  the  horticultural  task,  do  not  degrade 
it.  Your  public  will  not  be  put  off  with  ninepenny  worth  of  horticulture 
for  their  shilling,  but  make  it  up  with  threepenny  worth  of  fireworks  and 
they  are  content. 
Is  it  possible  to  imagine  that  a  successful  show  from  all  points  of 
view — Shrewsbury,  for  instance — could  be  otherwise  than  a  dismal 
failure,  save  to  a  few  enthusiasts  of  the  unco’  gnid  type,  if  there  were  no 
money  in  it  1  How  much  of  the  success,  I  venture  to  ask,  in  various 
places  is  dependent  on  a  multitude  of  small  growers  who  concentrate 
their  energies  on  the  six,  the  twelve,  the  brace,  bunch,  or  dish  of  some 
favoured  object  of  culture  ?  And  what  percentage  of  these  cheerfully 
pay  the  expenses  out  of  their  own  pockets  ?  “  Scottish  Gardener  ”  may 
not,  from  position  or  circumstances,  have  brought  the«e  into  his  calcula¬ 
tions,  but  they  are  nevertheless  not  to  be  despised,  these  little  men, 
neither  in  their  ability  nor,  I  can  honestly  affirm,  their  integrity.  Their 
incentive  is  the  satisfaction,  not  rarely  attained,  in  getting  the  prize, 
and  I  can  within  a  dozen  miles  pick  a  out  a  dozen  such  men  with  whom 
the  pleasures  of  showing  are  transcended  in  the  pleasures  of  growing, 
and  the  spirit  of  healthy  rivalry  surpasses  the  love  of  lucre  because  they 
“  love  honour  and  virtue  more.” 
With  such  men  I  sympathise,  and  rejoice  in  their  successes.  They 
would,  I  admit,  perhaps  do  as  much — some  of  them,  at  least — for  a 
certificate,  for  that  would  mean  much  to  them,  but  the  few  shillings  of 
prize  money,  supposing  such  ever  comes  as  clear  profit,  means  more,  for 
it  probably  means  a  pair  of  shoon  for  wee  Sandy,  and  I  would  not 
deprive  him  of  them.  The  tradesman,  all  honour  to  him,  who  is  a 
tower  of  strength  to  more  than  one  tottering  fabric  of  a  flower  show, 
finds  stimulus  sufficient  in  the  certificate,  medal,  or  award  of  merit ;  or, 
as  “A  Scottish  Gardener”  says,  “simply  as  a  means  of  advertising.” 
Ah!  you  see,  my  friend,  it  is  not  pure  love  in  this  case,  and  you  “  give 
yourself  away,”  your  “honour  pure  and  simple.”  And  what  is 
advertising  but  prizes  in  prospective  from  the  public  pocket  ?  The 
whole  fabric,  built  on  such  an  admittedly  false  foundation,  falls  ;  but 
if  we  could  believe  you  to  be  serious  in  your  sweeping  condemnation  of 
a  craft  of  which  you  are  a  member,  why  do  you  remain  in  it?  It 
cannot  well  be,  in  your  view,  from  the  honourable  association  (though  it 
is  from  mine)  ;  is  it,  then,  for  those  horrid  bawbees  / — VESPA, 
OPEN  AIR  PEACH  CULTURE. 
(^Continued  from  page  573.') 
Before  commenting  further  on  the  manipulation  of  the  growing 
shoots,  I  will  take  those  important  operations  of  cleansing,  or  precau¬ 
tions  against  insect  pests,  protecting  the  blossom,  and  also  the  setting 
of  the  fruit.  Freedom  from  iosects  is  most  important,  as  without  this 
open  air  Peach  culture  will  be  a  complete  failure.  The  grower  must  be 
at  his  trees  both  in  the  dormant  and  growing  state. 
Red  spider,  scale,  and  both  the  green  and  black  aphis  are  the  insects 
which  are  prone  to  attack  Peach  trees.  Where  any  or  all  of  these  are 
known  to  be  present  the  trees  must  be  winter  dressed,  and  especially  is 
this  necessary  where  the  trees  have  an  attack  of  scale  or  black  aphis. 
Both  of  these,  as  any  gardener  is  aware,  are  hard  to  do  battle  against 
while  the  trees  are  in  a  growing  state,  and  the  foliage  young  and  tender. 
Where  trees  are  badly  attacked  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  apply  a 
remedy  without  injuring  the  foliage.  When  the  trees  are  leafless  there 
is  not  that  risk  in  attempting  to  apply  a  remedy  of  some  strength. 
The  best  remedy  1  have  found  for  Peach  trees  at  this  season  is  that 
of  petroleum  and  warm  water.  What  is  known  perhaps  as  soluble 
petroleum,  or  paraffin  as  it  is  often  erroneously  called,  may  be  safer  in 
inexperienced  hands  ;  but  I  have  never  yet  met  with  any  mishap  by 
taking  care  that  the  solution  is  kept  well  agitated.  As  everyone  who 
has  practised  with  this  simple  but  invaluable  insecticide  is  aware,  the 
oil  quickly  rises  to  the  surface,  and  if  ejected  in  its  raw  state  on  to  the 
trees  would  cause  injury,  and  perhaps  death  to  many  of  the  branches. 
It  must  also  be  remembered  that  petroleum  is  more  efficacious  as 
an  insecticide  when  the  water  used  is  warm,  or  not  less  than  120°  or 
130°.  This  may  seem  rather  a  high  temperature  to  recommend,  but  it 
must  be  remembered  that  water  used  at  this  temperature  will  have 
lost  much  of  its  heat  when  drawn  from  the  can  and  ejected  over  the 
branches  in  the  form  of  a  fine  spray  through  a  syringe.  The  petroleum 
should  be  used  at  the  rate  of  about  4  ozs.  to  a  3-gallon  can,  which 
previously  has  had  a  piece  of  softsoap  the  size  of  a  large  Walnut 
dissolved  in  it.  Trees  that  are  known  to  have  had  bad  attacks  should  have 
at  least  two  dressings  during  the  winter — one  just  as  the  leaves  fall  and 
another  just  as  the  buds  are  commencing  to  swell  previous  to  bursting 
into  colour.  So  much  for  the  winter  dressing. 
I  now  come  to  the  no  less  important  early  spring  dressing.  As  all 
gardeners  are  aware  who  may  have  had  the  care  of  Peach  trees  on  open 
walls,  no  sooner  have  the  blooms  set  and  the  tender  green  shoots 
have  commenced  to  unfurl  green  fly  seem  to  spring  into  activity,  and 
which  if  unchecked  cause  the  foliage  to  curl,  also  turn  yellow  and  drop. 
The  trees,  when  allowed  to  come  to  this  state,  are  undoubtedly  seriously 
injured.  It  is  important  that  the  primary  shoots  are  made  secure  from 
injury  of  any  kind.  The  trees  may,  after  being  cleansed,  form  a  clean 
growth  ;  but  it  is  too  late  to  enable  it  to  become  well  ripened. 
The  remedy  I  apply  is  the  old-fashioned  one  of  a  decoction  of  quassia 
chips.  How  we  manage  this  is  in  placing  about  a  half-pack  of  chips  in 
a  bag  with  1  lb.  of  softsoap,  this  being  put  into  a  boiler  of  soft  water 
containing  20  gillons  and  boiled  for  half  an  hour  or  thereabouts.  This, 
when  cooled  down,  will  make  60  gallons,  and  must  be  syringed  over  the 
trees  in  the  evening  or  after  the  sun’s  rays  have  gone  from  the  trees. 
These  dressings  should  be  given  on  alternate  days,  and  if  not  sufficient 
in  a  week  or  ten  days’  time  repeat  the  application.  This  quassia 
remedy  must  not  be  given  after  the  fruit  has  advanced  to  the  second 
swelling  stage,  or  it  will  be  bitter  and  unpleasant. — A,  Young. 
(To  be  continued.) 
