i06 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  3,  1898, 
DIGGING  AND  TRENCHING. 
SpKING  V.  WlNTEB, 
That  your  respected  contributor,  Mr.  D.  Thomson  s  article  (page  49), 
on  the  above  interesting  subject  will  be  widely  read  cannot  for  a  moment 
be  in  doubt ;  yet  it  must  be  read  carefully  and  weighed  thoughtfully. 
Plain  and  practical  though  it  may  appear,  let  all  who  have  heavy  soils  to 
combat  digest  the  matter  thoroughly  before  acting  even  upon  such 
matured  advice  from  the  pen  of  an  acknowledged  “expert.”  We,  who 
are  only  in  our  “teens”  as  compared  with  the  old  craftsman,  cannot 
wield  the  pen  with  the  same  powerful  intiuence,  the  spade  being  more 
fitted  for  us,  and  we  should  learn  to  use  that  tool  at  the  right  season  to 
assist  Nature  in  her  wondrous  work. 
I  find  in  this,  as  in  almost  every  other  occupation,  that  individuals 
differ  in  their  methods  equally  as  much  as  the  soils  differ  in  character.  My 
conviction  is  that  no  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  made  which  will  prove 
practicable  to  deal  effectually  with  soils,  so  much  depending  on  the 
seasons  ;  but  intelligent  observation  as  to  the  character  of  the  soil  and 
season  will  prove  of  more  value  to  the  worker  than  any  inflexible  method. 
Soils  during  an  exceptional  season  require  exceptional  treatment.  Should 
the  autumn  prove  dry,  as  was  the  case  in  1897,  I  would  recommend  those 
who  have  strong  clayey  soil  to  work,  not  to  hesitate,  but  seize  the  ojipor- 
tunity  of  turning  it  up  whilst  in  a  dry  state  rather  than  wait  for  what 
may  prove  a  wet  spring.  I  cannot  too  strongly  condemn  the  practice  of 
digging  and  trenching  ground  in  midwinter,  even  though  the  weather 
may  prove  mild.  Strong  soil,  such  as  I  have  to  deal  with,  worked  when 
in  a  wet  state,  will  prove  almost  unworkable  during  the  following 
summer. 
It  is  a  recognised  fact  that  soil  newly  dug  will  retain  more  moisture 
than  ground  which  is  allowed  to  remain  unbroken.  Such  being  the  case, 
it  is  difficult  to  grasp  the  “principles  and  laws”  which  govern  the  action 
of  frost  to  penetrate  deeper  into  a  firm  soil  than  a  loose  soil,  for  this 
leason,  we  are  taught  (and  truly)  that  the  drier  the  soil  the  higher  the 
temperature,  or  in  other  words,  that  dry  soil  is  always  warmer  than  is 
wet  soil.  Therefore  this  point  of  frost  penetration  is  somewhat  difficult 
to  comprehend  from  a  practical  standpoint.  My  experience  with  strong 
clay  soil  is  that  when  thrown  up  in  a  rough  state — the  rougher  the  better 
— at  any  time  when  it  is  in  a  dry  condition  in  the  autumn,  not  midwinter, 
the  greatest  benefit  is  derived  by  the  influence  of  frost  and  air. 
Mr.  D.  Thomson’s  experience  as  to  the  pulverising  influence  of  frost  is 
also  somewhat  difficult  to  grasp.  I  gather  from  his  article  that  it  is  a 
“fallacy  ”  to  believe  a  soil  “  turned  up  ”  in  a  rough  state  is  pulverised  by 
the  action  of  frost  more  than  is  the  case  with  soil  unmoved,  his  experience 
being  that  unbroken  ground  derives  the  greatest  benefit  by  the  action  of 
frost  as  a  pulverising  agent.  I  have  no  wish  to  dispute  Mr.  D.  Thomson  s 
ruling,  but  I  ask,  How  are  we  to  reconcile  this  wifh  absolute  facts  in 
practice  which  prove  the  contrary  ?  All  have  not  suitable  ground  to 
experiment  upon  ;  but  here  is  a  case  in  which  almost  everyone  interested 
can  prove  for  himself.  Take  a  large  ball  or  lump  of  strong  clay  soil  or 
pure  clay  and  place  it  on  the  surface  of  your  garden  fully  exposed  to  all 
weather,  and  then  take  another  ball  or  lump,  of  exactly  similar  nature, 
and  bury  it  in  the  soil  a  foot  or  even  6  inches  deep  ;  leave  them  in  their 
respective  positions  until  you  wish  to  prepare  the  ground  for  the 
spring  crops,  and  the  result  will  speak  for  itself.  The  ball  by  exposure 
will  be  thoroughly  pulverised  by  the  action  of  frost  and  air,  whilst 
the  ball  buried  will,  in  all  probability,  “turn  up”  in  much  the  same 
condition  as  when  placed  under  the  soil.  This,  at  least,  has  been  my 
experience. 
I  feel  quite  sure  that  Mr.  D.  Thomson  will  see  how  difficult  it  is  for 
the  young  mind  to  grasp  the  full  meaning  and  significance  of  philosophic 
teaching  when  it  seems  opposed  to  accomplished  facts,  but  my  mind  is  open 
for  enlightenment. — F.  Dunn. 
THE  MILD  WINTER  IN  YORKSHIRE. 
The  extraordinary  mildness  of  the  present  winter  in  this  neighbour¬ 
hood  up  to  now,  the  last  day  of  January,  is  almost  unprecedented.  We 
have  scarcely  seen  a  single  snowflake,  and  on  two  or  three  occasions 
only  has  the  thermometer  registered  as  low  as  10°  of  frost,  whilst 
frequently  the  temperature  has  been  40°  to  45°  at  night,  and  50°  to  55 
during  the  day.  The  effect  on  vegetation  is  very  marked.  Apricot, 
Peach,  and  Nectarine  buds  are  swelling  fast,  nearly  ready  to  open,  an  , 
Plums  and  Pears  are  on  the  move.  In  the  kitchen  garden  vegetables  are 
looking  as  green  and  growing  as  if  in  April.  Ellam’s  Early  Cabbage, 
planted  last  September,  are  hearted  and  ready  to  cut. 
In  the  famous  rockery  and  alpine  grounds  of  Messrs.  James  Backhouse 
and  Son  there  are  a  great  variety  of  plants  in  flower,  in  such,  profusion  as 
is  rarely  seen,  at  least  in  the  North,  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Amongst 
the  most  noticeable  are  Aconites,  Snowdrops,  Anemone  blanda,  A.  appeniuu. 
Colchicum  crociflorum,  Cyclamen  coum,  Doronicum  excelsum.  Erica 
carnea,  Geum  miniatum,  Gentiana  acaulis,  G.  verna,  Narcissus  minima, 
Saxifraga  Burseriana,  Pulmonaria,  Rhododendron  dauricum,  profusely 
flowered  clumps  of  Ilelleborus  niger,  H.  caucasicus,  H.  atroruben.s. 
And  very  beautiful  are  Iris  histrioides,  I.  alata,  and  I.  Bakeri,  as 
well  as  a  number  of  early-flowering  shrubs.  This  seems  all  very 
pleasant  at  the  present  time,  but  old  gardeners  shake  their  heads  and 
shrug  their  shoulders,  indicating  their  anticipation  of  trouble  ahead.— 
R.  M.,  York. 
The  N.C.S.  and  its  Management. 
“  An  On-looker  ”  (page  38 1  is  about  right.  Let  us  have  a  Secretary 
who  will  be  the  servant  and  not  the  master  of  the  Committee,  to  do  what 
he  is  authorised  and  no  more.  When  the  annual  meeting  takes  place  I 
trust  someone  will  question  the  last  balance-sheet,  and  perhaps  the 
coming  one  too.  In  spite  of  the  great  assistance  given  the  N.C.S.  by  the 
Aquarium  Company  the  expenses  are  very  considerable,  and  they  still 
grow.  In  justice,  it  should  be  understood  that  the  last  balance-sheet 
included  the  receipts  and  expenses  of  the  .Jubilee  Exhibition  ;  but  let  us 
peruse  it.  In  1896  £839  10s.  w'ere  spent  in  prizes  and  medals,  a  portion 
of  which  was  met  by  special  prizes  given  by  various  persons  interested.  In 
addition  to  this  expenditure  we  have  to  account  for  £52  9s.  Gd.  for  medals 
sent  to  the  affiliated  societies,  for' which  the  Society  received  from  the 
said  societies  the  sum  of  £109,  in  addition  to  £67  14s.  6d.  as  fees. 
We  must  not  overlook  the  fact  that  these  societies  received  cards, 
known  as  “certificates,”  and  also  that,  being  Jubilee  year,  the  sum  of 
£42  was  returned  to  these  societies  in  the  form  of  bronze  medals.  (There 
was  no  such  return  in  1895,  when  £167  was  obtained  from  these 
“greatly  assisted”  societies,  and  £57  being  charged  in  the  balance-sheet 
as  the  value  of  the  medals  sent  them.)  it  may  be  worthy  of  remark 
that  £42  is  a  goodly  sum  to  purchase  about  128  medals  of  bronze  (6s.  6d. 
each)  and  a  saving  may  be  effected  here  perhaps. 
I'he  refreshment  account  is  worth  a  moment’s  consideration,  con¬ 
sidering  that  few,  if  any,  of  the  exhibitors  are  ever  offered  a  “  bite  or 
sup,”  as  is  usually  the  case  with  provincial  societies  who  are  not 
“supported”  or  “assisted”  by  an  Acpiarium  Company.  I  abstract 
these  items.  “Luncheons  to  judges,  floral  and  stafl^,  £30  I3s.”  The 
judges  received,  as  they  deserve,  £33  I2s.  in  hard  cash.  Annual  dinner, 
£18  5s.  6d.,  and  banquet  £93  11s.  I  suppose  most  of  the  delegates  from 
affiliated  societies  assisted  to  increase  these  items  of  expenditure,  but  we 
find  nothing  to  this  effect  mentioned. 
Then  we  have  “show  expenses”  £51  3s.,  I  know  not  what  this 
may  cover;  “clerical  assistance”  £75,  and  also  “clerical  assistance, 
members’  register,  and  extra  Jubilee  work’'  £7  7s.  An  item  that  puzzles 
me  is  “commission  on  obtaining  advertisements”  £11  5s.,  which  many  will 
consider  should  come  under  the  head  of  clerical  assistance,  and  be  covered 
by  the  charge  of  £75;  but  the  £11  5s.  is  for  collecting  £46  12s.,  whereas 
in  the  previous  year  27s.  only  'W'as  charged  for  collecting  £32  18s.  6d. 
This  seems  to  require  explanation.  Now  we  come  to  advertisements 
£20  19s.,  printing  £67  19s.  6d.,  stationery  £28  9s.  3d.,  stamps  and  telegrams 
£36  19s.,  special  Jubilee  ditto  £30. 
There  are  items  of  £33  15s.  to  the  Royal  Aquarium  for  tickets  and 
£19  commission  on  Jubilee  subscriptions  to  the  same  company,  and  yet 
Mr.  Dean  informs  the  readers  of  the  “  Gardeners’  Chronicle  ”  that  there 
are  1500  passes  carrying'“  free"’  admission.  Then  we  come  to  a  charge  of 
£25  for  allowance  for  extra  labour,  gas,  firing,  and  other  items  at  the 
Jubilee  shows.  Are  we  not  being  told  that  the  Aquarium  supply  most  of 
the  items  free  ?  When  we  consider  that  the  working  expenses  of  last 
season  (1896)  amount  to  over  £700,  it  is  difincult  to  find  where  the  “great 
assistance  and  support”  which  we  are  told  come  from  the  Royal  Aquarium 
is  expended. — ;Quis. 
[The  above  letter  was  crowded  out  last  week.  The  desirability  of 
appointing  a  finance  committee  has  been  unanimously  admitted  by  the 
general  committee  of  the  N.C.S,  and  the  ratification  of  its  proposition 
may  be  expected  at  the  forthcoming  general  meeting,  which  will  pre¬ 
sumably  be  of  an  interesting  character.] 
R.A.C,  (not  N.C.S.)  Dividends. 
According  to  the  “Westminster  Gazette,”  Mr.  Ritchie,  who  presided 
last  Friday  afternoon  over  the  ordinary  general  meeting  of  the  Royal 
Aquarium  and  Summer  and  Winter  Garden  Society,  Limited,  said  that 
“  the  profit  of  the  past  year,  £15,998,  w'as  the  highest  that  the  Company 
had  yet  made.  The  St.  Stephen’s  Hall  had  been  put  into  satisfactory 
condition  for  the  FitzSimmons-Corbett  fight,  and  later  on,  the  National 
Chrysanthemum  Society’s  Show',  the  Dog  Show,  and  various  other  shows 
would,  be  held.  During  the  past  six  years  £GO,000  had  been  paid  in 
dividends,  and  the  reserve  had  been  increased  by  £20,000.’’ 
Have  we  not  here  the  admission  that  the  N.C.S.  is  a  dividend  creative 
medium,  and  relied  on  as  a  source  of  income  by  and  for  the  R.A.C.  in  the 
same  way  as  are  shows  of  prize  fights  and  dogs  ?  It  seems  to  be  a  doggy, 
sloggy,  Mummy  combination,  and  j'et  the  great  N.C.S.  does  not  appear 
to  be  able  to  add  to  its  reserve  fund  more  than  £5  a  year.  Is  it  not 
awful  ? 
Mr.  Ritchie’s  announcement  suggests  that  his  arrangements  with  the 
Committee  of  the  N.C.S.  for  this  year  have  been  settled — perhaps  a  long 
time  before  the  present  agitation  commenced,  though  left  to  the  official 
head  of  the  Aquarium  to  make  the  notification. 
There  is  no  knowing  the  ways  of  inner  circles  ;  and  possibly  it  might 
not  be  altogether  palatable  to  the  N.C.S.  Committee  to  ask  its  Secretary 
to  “  rush  into  print  ”  with  their  decision.  Mr.  Ritchie  is  a  very  clever 
man.  He  knows  how  to  make  his  “  show  ”  pay  and  increase  “  the  reserve 
by  £20,000.”  He  has  a  capital  Secretary,  too,  to  whom  the  Committee 
