481 
OF  IWHTWUl/runF  ANh 
cvruoF  oAuwNm 
never  hesitate  to  do  ao  at  2  P.W,  during  the  hottest  day  in  sumnier, 
But  before  doing  so  those  plants  that  require  it  are  watered,  and  a 
thorough  syringing  given  to  every  part  of  the  plants,  as  well  as  the 
sidM  of  the  franoe.  On  dull  days  the  frames  are  closed  without 
syringing,  and  after  a  wet  day  or  night  a  little  air  is  always  admitted 
for  a  few  hours  to  dry  superfluous  moisture. 
When  the  plants  are  carrying  heavy  crops  weak  liquid  pianure 
should  be  applied  almost  every  time  water  is  needed,  giving  a  little 
soot  water  occasionally  by  way  of  change,  and  whenever  red  spider  is 
inclined  to  be  troublesome  syringing  with  clarified  soot  water  will 
usually  effectually  keep  it  in  check.  It  is  most  important  to 
assiduously  remove  the  small  fruits  which  cluster  round  the  larger 
ones,  as  well  as  the  male  flowers ;  if  this  is  not  done  a  great  deal  of 
the  energy  of  the  plants  is  absolutely  wasted.  Deformed  fruits 
should  also  be  removed,  as  they  exhaust  the  plant  quite  as  much  as 
a  shapely  one,  and  when  fully  grown  the  former  are  no  credit  to  the 
grower. 
By  attending  to  these  matters,  and  removing  worn-out  growths  to 
make  room  for  young  shoots,  good  crops  may  be  grown  in  frames 
throughout  the  summer  with  comparatively  little  trouble.  A  simple 
method  of  preventing  the  under  side  of  the  fruits  from  being  blanched 
by  resting  on  the  soil  is  to  place  “props”  under  them.  These  are 
easily  made  in  the  following  way :  Cut  some  stakes  about  an  inch  in 
diameter  into  lengths  of  9  inches,  nail  across  the  top  a  piece  of  lath 
4  inches  in  length.  If  the  stake  is  then  thrust  into  the  soil  the 
Cucumber  rests  securely  on  the  horizontal  lath. — H.  D. 
the  garden  alone  frequently  occurring?  Planning  houses,  heating 
arrangements,  landscape  work,  and  other  things,  all  of  which  when 
broached  a  man  can  easily  shift  to  other  shoulders  by  remarking  that 
he  does  not  profess  to  be  a  builder,  engineer,  or  anything  than  a 
gardener.  Det  us  hope  he  may  be  fortunate,  though  it  may  well  be 
remembered  that  while  such  a  confession  might  suffice  in  the  brave 
days  of  old,  it  does  not  suit  modern  masters  of  the  merchant  type, 
who  are  now,  so  far  as  situations  are  concerned,  in  the  ascendant. 
Hundreds  of  places  there  are  now  where  new  masters  rule  by  new 
methods,  and  the  old,  stately  ways,  have  been  ousted  by  that  practical, 
vivacious  energy  running  concurrently  with  up-to-date  requirements. 
In  this  matter  of  change  alone,  there  is,  surely,  ma  tter  for  reflection, 
but  greater  changes  still  have  yet  to  engage  our  attention. 
I  fear  many  young  men  have  thought  they  would  like  to  bo 
gardeners,  but  when  the  opportunity  has  come  have  thought  little 
more  about  it,  leaving  the  rest  to  fate  or  chance,  as  they  drift  along  in 
the  current  of  events.  This  is  not  satisfactory,  for  the  majority  of 
them  hope  sooner  or  later  to  attain  to  the  higher  ranks  of  gentlemen’s 
gardeners ;  but  as  the  supply  far  exceeds  the  demand,  it  is  vitally 
essential  that  they  should  pause  and  consider  the  accomplishments 
necessary  for  them  to  win  a  prize  in  so  fierce  a  competition. — 
An  Old  Boy. 
(To  be  continued.) 
WOMEN  GARDENERS  AND  THE  EAST  COWES 
HORTICULTUEAL  ASSOCIATION. 
THOUGHTS  FOR  YOUNG  THINKERS. 
Possibly,  even  probably,  in  submitting  a  few  thoughts  to  the 
consideration  of  young  gardeners,  there  is  apparently  little  to  add  to 
what  has  appeared  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  on  their  behalf. 
But  we  do  not  stand  still.  Things  have  lately  appeared  in  its  pages 
calculated  to  set  even  old  gardeners  thinking.  Those  who  are  in  the 
autumn  of  life  look  back  on  the  past,  and  muse  on  obstacles  en¬ 
countered  and  triumphs  achieved  by  the  old  masters.  Grand  old  men 
were  many  of  these — devoted  florists,  and  painstaking  workers  in  all 
departments.  Young  men — gardeners  in  the  springtime  of  their 
career — look  wistfully  and  wonderingly  into  the  future.  What  will 
this  future  be  ?  One  of  their  fixed  thoughts,  deepening  into  con¬ 
viction,  should  be  that  it  depends  on  themselves,  for  “  all  things  are 
possible  to  youth.” 
In  opening  up  a  field  of  thought  to  young  thinkers  we  may 
consider  in  the  first  place  some  of  the  present  changes  in  gardening, 
as  to  whether  they  are  of  the  spasmodic  kind,  frequently  occurring  in 
all  phases  of  life,  or  whether  they  are  likely  to  be  permanent  in  their 
action.  Calm  deliberation  yields  prompt  decision,  on  which  vigorous 
action  may  be  taken  if  the  necessity  for  such  can  be  made  apparent. 
Change  begets  change.  The  fine  old  gardening  establishment  of  a 
nobleman  may  pass  into  the  hands  of  a  merchant.  The  old-time 
gardener,  pure  and  simple,  is  not  prepared  for  the  change  that  this 
involves.  The  gardener’s  duties  have  now  to  run  on  severely  practical 
lines,  dictated  by  business  instincts,  and  the  gardener  may  have  to  be 
electrician  and  a  dozen  things  to  boot.  Not  a  “  gardener’s  business  ” 
may  be  remarked.  True.  A  gardener’s  business  is  gardening,  or 
ought  to  be  from  our  point  of  view ;  but  now  that  the  old  order  of 
things  is  rapidly  giving  way  to  the  new,  what  do  we  find  ? 
Having  passed  from  one  to  the  other,  I  can  speak  from  experience, 
and  “  gardening  alone  ”  would  fail  me  absolutely  in  meeting  modern 
requirements.  Moreover,  I  know  that  some  of  the  best  situations  with 
which  I  am  acquainted  are  filled  by  men  of  many  parts,  who,  in 
adapting  themselves  to  the  change,  hold  positions  of  such  high 
responsibility  that,  nominally  servants,  they  are  virtually  the  master’s 
deputy,  managing  the  intricate  machinery  of  a  modern  establishment 
in  a  way  that  is  appreciated  by  the  man  of  business  methods.  That 
fact  may  well  afford  food  for  thought  by  young  thinkers;  but  those 
more  particularly  in  view  should  not  aim  too  high  at  first  in  seeking 
accomplishments  before  they  have  acquired  what  may  be  termed  the 
rudimentary  essentials  of  the  young  gardener’s  education.  He  must 
first  be  a  gardener,  for  if  not  that  he  is  nothing,  but  he  can  be  that 
and  more  also  when  occasion  arises.  If  not,  he  is,  of  course,  the 
gardener  and  nothing  more,  easily  du^pensed  with  nowadays,  as  many 
know  too  well.  But,  and  mark  this  particularly,  the  man  who 
identifies  himself  closely  with  his  master’s  interests  over  a  wide  field, 
as  occasion  arises,  is  practicafly  indispensable.  Common  sense  will 
prevent  the  misconception  that  a  man  cannot  be  done  without,  but 
many  a  good  servant  leaves  a  broad  margin  of  usefulness  blank,  which 
often  tends  to  swell  the  chapter  of  accidents,  the  sequel  to  which  is, 
“  Out.” 
There  are  a  hundred  ways  and  as  many  opportunities  for  a  man  to 
adjust  himself  to  a  position  in  life.  They  are,  too,  generally  as  open 
to  avoid  as  they  are  to  embrace.  How  many  openings  are  there  in 
This  Association  has  published  a  manifesto  in  the  “Isle  of  Wight 
County  Press”  against  the  manufacture  of  women  gardeners  in  a 
training  college,  going  on  to  say — “It  is  most  astonishing  to  find  that 
this  question  of  women  gardeners  is  allowed  to  proceed  with,  to  our 
mind,  its  damaging  effects,  uncriticised  by  the  gardening  Press  of  this 
country.  It  is  ridiculous  to  suppose  that  a  woman,  after  receiving 
three  years  or  more  training,  one-half  of  it  theory,  in  a  particular 
college,  has  acquired  all  the  knowledge  necessary  either  to  conduct  a 
well-kept  private  or  public  garden  in  all  its  cultural  details.  But  the 
most  lamentable  fact  appears  to  us  to  be  that  a  college  for  producing 
such  results  as  above  described  should  be  promoted  under  the  combined 
management  of  three  County  Councils.  If  technical  education  grants 
are  to  eventually  become  the  means  whereby  the  hard-working  gardener 
after  years  of  deep  interest  and  devotion  to  his  profession  is  to  be 
supplanted  by  a  youthful  feminine  population,  the  money  thus  granted 
had  far  better  be  diverted  to  other  channels.” 
There  seems  to  be  room  for  a  few  words  of  comment  on  at  least 
three  points  in  the  manifesto. 
1,  As  to  the  silence  of  the  gardening  press.  Possibly  its  con¬ 
ductors,  who  are  not  entirely  without  experience  in  matters  of  the 
nature  indicated,  may  be  slightly  less  disposed  to  give  such  bold 
advertisements  as  the  Cowes  Horticultural  Association  does  to  college 
methods,  which  its  committee  condemns.  The  institution  which  it 
names  will  be  obliged  by  the  prominence  thus  given  by  Isle  of 
Wight  friends. 
2,  As  to  the  effect  of  the  training.  It  would  indeed  be  ridiculous 
to  suppose  it  could  make  one  fair  student  in  a  hundred  half  competent 
in  twice  three  years  for  the  successful  discharge  of  the  varied  duties 
of  a  long,  well,  and  practically  trained  gardener.  This  ought  to  be 
regarded  as  an  element  of  weakness  on  the  one  side,  and  of  strength  on 
the  other ;  and  would  seem  to  be  all  in  favour  of  the  continuance  of 
the  “man”  gardener.  The  British  are,  in  the  bulk,  a  practical 
people,  and  only  a  limited  number  of  them  are  satisfied  to  purchase 
labour,  skill,  or  anything  else,  except  on  the  principle  of  value 
received. 
3,  As  to  “  three  County  Councils  ”  promoting  and  managing  a 
nursery  for  young  ladles,  it  may  be  said  that  scientific  and  practical 
instruction  in  gardening  is  afforded  to  both  sexes  by  several  County 
Councils,  and  appreciated  by  both.  If  the  Committee  of  the  Cowes 
Gardeners’  Improvement  Association  are  in  possession  of  evidence 
that  public  money  is  applied  to  speculative  institutions  to  relieve 
shareholders  of  financial  responsibilities,  it  is  open  to  the  Committee 
to  place  the  facts  before  the  Government,  and  in  this  they  would  no 
doubt  secure  the  co-operation  of  their  parliamentary  representative. 
While  we  believe  there  is  nothing  the  gardening  press  would 
refrain  from  doing,  which  could  be  properly  and  usefully  done  to 
raise  the  status  and  improve  the  positions  of  genuine  “  men  ” 
gardeners,  we  are  unable  to  share  with  Isle  of  Wight  intensity  in 
fears  respecting  the  “women.”  True,  we  do  not  know  how  many 
of  the  masculines  have  been  displaced  by  the  feminines  in  the 
“Garden  Isle,”  but  whatever  the  number,  we  think  the  time  is 
distant  when  the  gentle  sex  will  figure  largely  in  horticultural 
directories.  In  the  meantime  we  would  fain  hope  that  the  Island 
gardeners,  who  are  very  good  and  very  earnest,  may  derive  a 
modicum  amount  of  consolation  by  the  calm  contemplation  of  the 
