February  3,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
99 
never  be  looked  forward  to  in  connection  with  “  money  in  it.”)  I 
have  two  curious  coincidences,  however,  agreeably  for  my  theme,  rvhich 
I  will  unfold  for  you. 
Seventy-two  years  ago  Stevenson  caused  his  first  steam-engine  to  run 
upon  the  first  railway— Stockton  and  Darlington.  I  remember  people 
who  shook  their  heads  at  that  time  with  but  scant  appreciation  of  there 
being  “  money  in  it.”  My  uncle  occupied  a  roadside  inn  at  Sicklesmere 
in  Suffolk.  He  was  a  retired  stage  coachman,  and  then  as  now  “  birds  of  a 
feather  flocked  together.”  According  to  them  all  the  horses  in  the 
country  were  to  be  “  thrown  out  of  collar,”  all  the  coaches  and  all  the 
coachmen,  ostlers  and  helpers,  were  to  vanish,  and  after  them -“the 
deluge  !  ” 
Good  old  prognosticators  !  they  have  all  travelled  to  their  last  bourne 
— at  least,  I  should  think  so— if  not,  whoever  of  them  are  left  will  have 
seen  from  the  small  beginning  the  wonderful  enterprise  which  now  extends 
to  every  part  of  the  globe,  and  to  see  there  is  “  money  in  it.”  Particularly, 
too,  in  1826,  and  within  a  few  months  after  the  trial  of  the  Stevenson’s 
steam  railway  engine  to  impress  it  for  my  memory — I  was  then  nine  years 
of  age— myself  and  a  younger  brother  was  set  by  my  uncle  to  pick  up  a 
pane  of  Potatoes  in  his  garden -a  very  good  garden,  which  John  Penn 
was  very  proud  and  fond  of— the  recompense  for  us  youngsters  to  be  a 
treat  to  Bury  St.  Edmunds  pleasure  fair.  No  Potatoes  were  ever  gathered 
up  by  two  boys  quicker  than  those  “early  Shaws”  in  my  uncle’s  garden, 
and  from  that  time  I  date  my  interest  in  the  esculent.  Ear  be  it  from 
me,  though,  to  push  myself  forward  in  a  “bumptious”  manner;  but 
during  the  intervening  years  till  now,  wherever  I  may  have  been,  the 
work  on  my  part  has  been  to  improve  and  create  largely  towards  the 
industrial  enterprise  and  extension  of  a  large  commercial  trade  in  a  chief 
and  indispensable  national  food,  the  Solanum  tuberosum. 
Allow  me  also  to  ask  :  From  1857,  when  the  providential  inspiration 
came  to  me  in  the  old  rectory  garden  at  Woodstock  anent  the  artificial 
cross  fertilisation  of  the  Potato,  has  there  been  any  other  aliment  for 
food  that  has  taken  such  a  leap  and  bound  ?  I  have  just  been  reading 
our  Secretary  for  the  Colonies  speech  at  Liverpool.  Mr.  Chamberlain 
said,  “  One  great  principle  is  that  every  country  should  produce  and  should 
be  encouraged  and  allowed  and  stimulated  to  produce  articles  for  which 
by  nature  it  is  best  fitted.”  Allow  me  to  say  that  the  Potato  is  one  of 
our  best  permanent  pabulums  of  food,  and  the  supply  should  be  quadrupled 
by  cultivation  in  our  English  soil  for  which  it  is  “  fitted.”  As  I  am  led 
to  infer  from  Mr.  Chamberlain  s  speech,  aid  is  likely  to  be  offered  to  our 
West  Indies  to  grow  their  sugar,  why  not  to  us  at  home  ?  Government 
money,  say  at  about  2  per  cent.,  in  aid  to  grow  Potatoes,  Wheat,  or 
anything  else  to  work  back  our  land  into  good  husbandry  and  value, 
enabling  us  so  much  the  more  to  depend  upon  ourselves  to  feed  our 
millions  all  the  more  securely.  There  would  “  be  money  in  it,”  directly 
and  indirectly  sustenance  for  stamina,  for  there  is  no  produce  in  the 
world  to  equal  the  British  for  “  sticking  to  the  ribs.” 
I  have  read  how  the  State  of  Denmark  voted  £100  in  1896  for 
“  carrying  on  certain  experiments  ”  re  the  making  of  butter.  I  heartily 
wished  our  Government  would  help  the  British  agriculturist  after  a  like 
manner  ;  the  sort  of  aid  and  encouragement  expressed  would  tend  for  us 
to  produce  British  butter  in  much  larger  quantity  and  better  than 
Denmark  or  any  other  State  could  send  us.  1  fancy  you  have  partaken  of  good 
butter  at  my  cottage  farm,  made  in  Berkshire.  But  then  I  read  and  study 
the  “  Home  Farm  ”  articles  published  weekly  in  this  “  our  Journal.” 
The  advice  they  afford  us  in  our  independent  lines  of  action  would  be  found 
hard  to  beat.  But  the  cat  appears  to  be  jumping  in  the  way  you  may 
read  between  the  lines,  of  me  “  Colin  Clout,  as  I  go  about,  and  up  and 
down  I  walk  and  hear  the  people  talk.”  But  I  have  only  just  room  here 
to  say,  that  soon  after  you  had  seen  my  two  little  Fendleri  seedlings, 
which  began  this  “dream,”  I  planted  them  in  a  reversed  Seakale  pot,  to 
stand  upon  the  soil  of  my  seedling  Potato  trough  in  the  glass  house  ;  so, 
at  any  rate,  what  I  have  said  I  hope  you  will  think  to  be  sufficiently 
interesting  to  have  “whiled  away  the  time,”  whilst  the  hybrids  grow 
into  details  for  my  next  paper. — Robt.  Fenn. 
[The  history,  accidents,  and  troubles  attending  the  raising  of  the 
hybrids  are  detailed  on  page  3,  .January  5th,  1893,  vol.  xxvi.,  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture.  It  was  a  bad  beginning — the  precursor,  we  will 
hope,  of  a  good  ending.  Mrs.  Fcnn’s  butter  is  good.  We  say  nothing 
about  the  ‘2  per  cent.  ”  yearnings  of  her  “Colin.”] 
BALL  DECORATIONS  AT  CIRENCESTER. 
I  THINK  a  line  re  the  arrangements  of  the  supper  tables  at  balls  held 
on  January  26th  and  28th  might  interest  the  readers  of  the  Journal. 
They  struck  me  as  being  of  an  unusual  character.  I  suppose  there  is  no 
name  better  known  as  an  exhibitor  at  all  the  leading  summer  shows  than 
that  of  Mr.  Jas.  Cypher,  and  certainly  not  one  more  successful,  and  he 
appears  to  be  equally  as  capable  as  a  decorator  of  supper  rooms. 
On  the  present  occasion  the  centre  table  was  of  diamond  shape,  on  the 
centre  of  which  was  a  pedestal  surmounted  by  a  Kentia,  whose  fronds 
drooped  gracefully,  forming  quite  a  picture  of  itself.  From  the  base  of 
the  pedestal  to  each  corner  of  the  table  an  arch  was  placed,  forming  a 
series  of  arcades,  and  from  these  were  suspended  flowers  and  foliage, 
such  as  Asparagus,  various  kinds  of  suitable  Ferns,  Ficus  repens.  Orchids, 
Lilies  of  the  Valley,  Anthuriums,  Narcissus,  and  such  like  flowers. 
Between  these  arches  were  disposed  elegant  specimen  glasses  of  the 
choicest  flowers — of  course.  Orchids  playing  an  important  part. 
On  each  of  the  other  tables  (which  were  round  ones)  was  placed  an 
elegantly  arranged  basket,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  a  perfect  little 
Cocos  Weddeliana  surrounded  by  choice  flowers.  Everything  evinced 
the  greatest  taste  and  skill.  I  was  too  late,  or  I  should  probably  have 
sent  you  a  photo  of  the  room,  as  I  am  sure  it  would  have  given  pleasure 
to  you.— T.  A. 
PEAR  PRESIDENT  BARABE. 
On  our  reporter  going  to  the  side  table  in  the  Westminster  Drill  Hall, 
on  the  11th  ult.,  to  take  a  description  of  this  Fear  for  publication,  he 
found  nothing  but  stalks.  After  products  are  removed  from  the  Com¬ 
mittee  table  they  are  arranged  for  inspection  by  the  public,  and  no  one 
is  entitled  to  interfere  with  them.  Even  the  judges  of  fruit  in  the  dessert 
classes  are  only  empowered  to  cut  a  stipulated  number,  and  must  leave 
the  remainder  intact.  The  gentleman,  however,  who  discovered  a  Pear 
which  gratified  his  palate  is  evidently  generous  hearted,  for  he  invited  a 
friend  to  share  the  feast,  and  they  may  now  be  interested  to  learn  that  a 
lynx-eyed  pressman  (not  of  this  Journal)  watched  the  connoisseurs,  as 
he  says,  “  clear  the  dish.”  This  is  mentioned  for  two  reasons.  (1)  To 
remind  our  friends  (who  are_  very  well  known)  that  in  a  moment  ol 
Fig.  15.— Peak  Peesident  Baeabe. 
forgetfulness  they  did  not  set  a  good  example;  (2)  because  they  bore 
very  practical  testimony  to  the  excellence  of  President  Barabe  Pear. 
As  good  midwinter  Pears  are  not  over-plentiful,  and  as  it  is  somewhat 
rare  for  a  first-class  certificate  to  be  awarded  for  one  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year,  Mr.  W.  Allan  of  Gunton  Park,  the  exhibitor  on  the  occasion, 
obliged  by  sending  us  a  couple  of  fruits,  one  of  which  is  represented  in 
fig.  15.  The  largest  gathered  weighed  from  7  to  8  ozs.  Our  description 
of  the  Pear  examined  is  as  follows  : — 
Fruit,  medium  sized,  2f  inches  wide  and  nearly  the  same  in  height ; 
uniform,  obovate  ;  skin,  lemon  yellow,  almost  entirely  covered  with  brown 
russet  on  one  side,  and  rather  heavily  mottled  with  yellow  and  russet  on 
the  other  ;  eye,  very  large  with  erect  woody  segments,  set  nearly  level 
with  the  surface  and  surrounded  by  a  clear  lemon  (*.e.,  free  from  russet) 
ring  ;  stalk,  ^  inch  long,  stoutish,  thickening  towards  the  end,  slightly 
oblique  and  set  in  a  small  shallow  cavity  ;  flesh,  yellowish  white,  with  a 
distinct  yellow  band  next  the  rind,  slightly  coarse  in  the  grain,  yet  at 
the  same  time  not  devoid  of  a  buttery  texture,  sweet,  juicy,  but  slightly 
sub-acid,  imparting  a  rosewater  flavour,  pleasant  and  refreshing.  Presi¬ 
dent  Barabd  is  a  welcome  addition  to  December  and  January  Pears.  It 
is  of  French  origin,  and  was,  we  think,  introduced  by  Messrs.  James 
Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  who  describe  the  tree  as  hardy  and  very  prolific, 
forming  good  cordons  or  pyramids  on  the  Quince  stock. 
Mr.  W.  Allan  says  that  President  Barabe  on  the  Quince  stock  is  grown 
on  a  south  wall  in  Gunton  Park  Gardens,  Norwich,  the  tree  being  vigorous 
and  very  prolific.  He  remarks  that  the  fruit  two  seasons  out  of  three 
requires  thinning  to  avoid  overcropping.  In  his  district  it  is  distinctly 
a  January  Pear.  Mr.  Allan  continues,  “This  late  Pear  ripening  so  well 
here,  and  proving  so  excellent  in  flavour,  augurs  well  for  its  success  in 
warmer  counties,  as  some  of  the  well-known  late  varieties,  like  Nec 
Plus  Meuris,  do  not  ripen  well  here,  even  on  south  walls,  " 
