264 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  28,  1>99. 
are  so  much  bigger,  better,  or  brighter,  that  it  may  appear  as  vain 
presumption  to  suppose  the  biggest,  best,  and  brightest,  are  not  still 
possibilities  of  the  future.  Granted  that  it  is  so,  will  that  happy 
realisation  mark  any  real  advance  in  gardening?  may  still  bo  asked.  It 
is  not  for  a  moment  supposed  that  any  gardener  worthy  of  the  name 
will  ever  view  the  matter  as  one  curtailing  his  power  or  foreshortening 
his  labours  of  love.  M  n  of  energy  and  resource  are  not  prone  to 
adopt  a  rest-and-be-thankful  attitude  on  the  easy  couch  of  past 
achievements;  and  doubtless  the  dawn  of  the  twentieth  century  will 
disclose  ample  margin  for  change,  variety,  and  novelty  in  gardening. 
All  this  goes  without  saying,  but  still  leaves  unanswered  the  question, 
Is  gardening  advancing  ? 
Going  back.  “  Why  gardening  is  go’ng  back,”  said  a  gentleman 
to  the  writer  last  spring,  w^hile  inspecting  a  house  gay  with  represen¬ 
tative  collection  of  Cinerarias  and  Chinese  Primulas.  This  arose  from 
our  newest  advance  (?)  in  the  forms  of  these  favourite  flowers — viz,. 
Primula  White  Lady  and  Cineraria  stellata,  both  of  the  old  starry 
type.  Advancing  backwards  !  Really,  without  any  disparagement  to 
these  beautiful,  if  simple  forms,  the  examples  in  question  appeared  to 
warrant  such  an  assumption.  Other  instances  are  not  wanting,  all  of 
which  tend  to  show,  it  must  be  admitted,  a  healthy  progress,  derived, 
if  the  paradox  is  allowed,  from  retrogressive  action.  It  is  not  a  matter 
for  surprise  that  many  who  have  noticed  the  rapid  development  of 
some  of  the  more  showy  and  beautiful  of  our  florist's  flowers  from  an 
obscure  parentage,  should  look  for  greater  things  to  come.  It  must  be 
obvious,  however,  that  with  some  of  these  flowers  the  limit  has  been 
reached,  and  with  a  few  over-reached,  as  witness  the  new  diseases, 
rusts,  blights,  and  what  not,  the  Nemesis  of  angry  Nature,  who  will 
not  forgive  the  trespasses  of  those  who  trespass  too  far  against  her. 
Changes  there  are  in  fashions,  tastes,  and  methods,  but  these  may, 
or  may  not,  mark  any  real  advance.  How  often  is  our  gain  in  one 
direction  counterbalanced  by  loss  in  another.  It  is  easy  on  the  one 
hand  do  point  to  many  examples  in  the  way  of  plant  culture  aloue 
which  are  decided  gains  in  the  gardening  world,  yet  it  is  but  fair  in 
forming  our  balance  sheet  to  place  per  contra  the  losses  which  have 
been  sustained  by  the  relegation  of  certain  classes  of  plants  which 
exercised  the  skill  and  care  of  grand  old  gardeners  of  the  past,  to 
obscurity.  This  is  obvious  without  going  into  detail.  Who,  with 
regard  to  fruit  culture  can,  in  visiting  some  old  world  garden,  where 
the  relics  of  departed  glcry  in  the  foirn  of  trained  trees  still  linger  on 
the  walls,  deny  that  there  iwere  giants  in  those  days  ?  and,  also, 
although  the  desire  for  novelty  has  swelled  and  may  still  swell  the 
number  of  varieties, The  leading  fruits  of  other.days  still  head  the  list  ? 
Under  glass,  with  Grapes  for  instance,  we  may  suppose  that  if  the 
latter-day  gardener  was  confined  to  two  varieties,  he  would,  for 
quality,  be  true  to  the  faith  of  his  fathers  in  those  sterling  kinds, 
Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  Black  Hamburgh.  Such  are  the  thoughts 
which  momentarily 1  occur,  yet  it  must  be  stated,  a  little  aside  of  the 
subject,  rather  is  it  from  our  present  standpoint  and  the  near  future 
are  deductions  to  be  drawn  than  comparisons  made  with  the  present 
and  the  past. 
Up-to-date  is  a  common  expression  ;  yet  from  this  standpoint  alone 
does  the  pertinency  of  our  question  become  truly  apparent.  What 
says  the  cook  ?  Doe3  he  (or  she)  want  anything  better  than  the  best 
as  now  existing  ?  Take  any  vegetable  in  common  use,  such  as  the 
Cabbage,  Cauliflower,  Peas,  Beans,  Tomatoes,  or  Potatoes  in  all  their 
endless  variety  and  perfection  of  form  and  quality,  is  anything  better 
to  be  desired  or  expected  ?  One  thinks  not.  True,  the  ingenuity  of 
raisers  may  be  taxed  to  produce  French  Beans  from  climbing  stems, 
Scarlet  Runners  which  shall  run  no  more,  or,  say,  Vegetable  Marrow's 
from  erect  bushes ;  all  such  promise  no  prospective  advance  for 
culinary  purposes — no  gains  to  the  twentieth  century  table.  In  the 
floral  world  a  certain  finality,  if  not  already  attained,  seems  imminent, 
for,  it  may  be  repeated,  what  is  gained  in  one  direction  seems  counter¬ 
balanced  by  losses  in  another;  but  the  subject  is  a  broad  one,  and, 
broadly  speaking,  no  narrow  construction  should  be  placed  upon  it. 
We  gain  a  new  Orchid,  or  some  obscure  type  of  hardy  plant  is 
improved  into  notoriety,  yet  contemporaneously  an  old  favourite  lapses 
in  popularity.  It  has  had  its  day,  and  will  only  exist  on  sufferance  in 
some  garden  not  up  to  date.  How  often  the  pages  of  “Our  Journal” 
attest  this  in  reproducing  the  illustration  of  some  now  out  of  date  but 
once  popular  plant  which  a  young  gardener  thinks  sufficiently  beautiful 
or  interesting  to  prompt  inquiry  right  away.  From  such  data  as  the 
above,  as  well  as  other  which  need  not  at  present  detain,  is  derived  ihe 
question,  Is  gardening  advancing  ? — -Westerner. 
SUNSHINE  IN  GLOOMY  WEATHER. 
IIow  “  our  Journal  ”  teems  with  valuable  ideas  !  You  can’t  take 
up  a  number  without  deriving  benGit,  instruction,  and  amusement 
(the  latter  of  a  most  wholesome  kind).  “Our  Journal”  is  so  broad 
minded;  it  records  the  advice  of  the  wise  old  gardeners  ;  it  allows  the 
coming  ones  to  air  their  views  ;  it  encourages  the  diffident  and  checks 
(very  kindly)  the  forward.  Like  Solomon,  it  discourses  of  the  Cedar 
of  Lebanon  to  (if  not  the  Hyssop  on  the  wall)  the  smallest  Alpine  plant 
on  a  town  rockery.  Its  aims  are  high.  “Forward!”  might  be  the 
motto.  Think  of  the  thousands  of  gardeners  the  Editor  caters  for ; 
and  he  is  so  mindful  of  their  well-being.  He  thinks  of  the  future  time 
when  backs  will  no  longer  bend,  and  eyes  will  be  too  dim,  and  legs  too 
tottery  to  do  even  the  smallest  service  in  the  garden. 
I  notice  (on  page  243)  the  farmeis  are  to  have  a  little  chance. 
There  is  just  a  suggestion  that  some  harvest  festival  moneys  may  be 
devoted  to  providing,  through  the  Royal  Agricultural  Benevolent 
Association,  little  incomes  for  destitute  farmers,  their  wives,  widows,  or 
daughters;  and  it  cccutred  to  me  to  wonder  whether  our  three  great 
Gardeners’  Benefit  Societies  were  getting  all  the  support  that  is  their 
due.  There  are  three  grand  lists  of  names  of  those  who  subscribe ; 
but  when  we  think  of  the  poor  folk  who  need  help,  wre  cannot  but 
wish  the  lists  were  doubled. 
Being  a  “  mere  woman,”  I  appeal  first  for  the  orphan  children. 
Anyone  with  a  heart  must  have  a  tenderness  for  these  poor  mites  who 
are  left  with  so  little  equipment  to  fight  the  hard  battle  of  life,  A 
gardener’s  wages  are  not,  as  a  rule,  extravagantly  great,  and  babies 
come  to  his  cottage  possibly  with  greater  rapidity  than  they  do  to  the 
mansion.  Sickness  and  death  come  when  least  expected,  and  what  can 
a  poor  mother  do  whose  only  possessions  maybe  the  memory  of  her 
husband’s  good  name,  a  bit  of  furniture,  and  a  houseful  of  bairns  ? 
5s.  per  week  till  the  child  is  fourteen  does  not  perhaps  sound  lavish  riches; 
but  it  means  a  great  deal — more  than  you  or  I  perhaps  guess,  nor  is 
that  the  end.  At  fourteen  years  there  is  a  grant  of  £10  to  give  the 
child  a  fair  start.  How  much  can  be  done  with  £10  ?  It  is  often 
difficult  for  a  father  to  find  that  sum  at  the  critical  time,  and  here  it 
is  supplied.  If  the  child  has  anything  in  him,  if  the  £10  is  wisely 
spent,  he  should  never  look  behind  him  again.  A  subscription  of  5s., 
something  like  5d.  a  month  !  That  might,  be  spared  by  many  more  of 
us  if  we  only  would.  Now,  my  next  remark  will,  in  a  measure,  apaplv 
to  the  other  two  societies  of  which  I  will  speak. 
The  gardener  of  many  a  fair  domain  is,  we  will  suppose,  a  supporter 
of  this  excellent  institution.  He  often  comes  in  contact  with  the 
lady  of  the  house — a  copy  of  the  report,  a  few  well  chosen  words,  and 
there  is  every  possibility  that  next  time  subscriptions  are  due  the 
lady  and  the  gardener  are  both  down.  So  many  of  us  are  just  now 
busy  with  bulb  catalogues,  they  are  so  seductive.  Could  we  deny 
ourselves  a  little  and  think  of  the  human  blossoms  who  have  to  bloom 
in  very  wintery  weather  ? 
Enough  of  the  children,  they  plead  their  own  cause.  We  turn  to 
children  of  a  larger  growth.  We  have  looked  in  vain  for  some  well 
known  names  in  the  lists  of  donors  or  subscribers. 
The  Societies  to  which  we  refer  are  the  Gardeners’  Royal  Bene¬ 
volent  and  United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society.  The 
first  named  Society  is  doing  very  good  work.  After  the  age  of  sixty 
has  been  reached,  a  successful  candidate  is  entitled  to  a  pension  of 
£20  per  annum  male,  £16  female.  If  through  illness  or  accident  there 
is  total  incapacity  for  work,  the  age  limit  is  not  insisted  on.  There  is  an 
allowance  to  meet  funeral  expenses,  and  best  of  all  there  is  a  rule 
by  which  subscribers  of  long  standing  can  obtain  all  the  benefits 
without  being  at  the  trouble  and  expense  of  election.  That  means  a 
good  deal.  Have  my  readers  ever  tried  collecting  votes  ?  It  is  weary, 
heart-rending  work,  as  we  well  know.  The  herse  may  starve  while 
the  grass  is  growing,  so  to  some  of  these  poor  old  folk  the  time  of 
waiting  is  often  a  time  of  great  hardship  and  privation.  A  Jubilee 
Fund  comes  in  now,  through  the  agency  of  which  a  little  help  is 
doled  out  to  the  weary  waiters,  thus  bridging  over  the  time  of  greatest 
trial. 
To  encourage  subscribers  again  there  is  a  table  thus.  A  subscriber 
for  four  years  is  credited  with  50  votes,  five  years  100,  and  so  on. 
This  must  be  an  incentive  to  regular  effort,  in  fact  it  amounts  to  a 
sort  of  insurance  fund.  We  spare  so  easily  our  £1  Is.  here  and  there 
for  our  selfish  pleasures,  could  not  we  by  a  little  self  denial  help  in  aiding 
those  who  by  their  work  have  contributed  so  much  to  our  pleasure  ? 
