122 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  6,  1896. 
ai.ce,  something  like  the  spotted  Gloxinias,  Tbe  calyx  has  a  dark 
purplish  tinge,  the  pedicels  being  similar,  and  they  serve  to  show  up  the 
flowers  still  more.  The  illustration  (fig.  18)  represents  a  panicle  of 
ordinary  size,  many  exceeding  it  in  length,  and  with  larger  individual 
flower*.  They  are  almost  useless  for  cutting,  as  they  last  but  a  short 
time  when  placed  in  water. 
The  tree  is  solely  planted  in  England  for  ornamental  purposes,  and  a 
moderately  sheltered  position  should  be  chosen  when  possible,  as  the 
leaves,  being  of  delicate  texture,  are  soon  torn  and  injured  by  wind. 
The  wood  being  very  brittle,  the  branches  are  soon  broken  and  the 
symmetry  of  the  tree  completely  spoiled.  In  the  south  it  is  rarely 
injured  by  frost,  but  the  previous  season’s  growth  if  unripened  are 
occasionally  killed.  Owing  to  its  starting  so  late  in  the  spring  it  usually 
escapes  the  frosts  that  are  often  so  disastrous  to  fruit  trees.  The  wood 
is  very  light,  but  when  matured  and  well  seasoned  is  said  to  be  durable, 
and  large  numbers  of  trees  have  been  planted  by  the  railway  lines  in 
North  America  to  furnish  timber.  The  bark  is  of  a  corky  nature,  grey, 
or  almost  white,  and  it  is  said  to  possess  some  medicinal  value.  One 
curious  character  is  the  freedom  with  which  shoots  are  produced  from 
all  parts  of  the  old  branches  or  stems  when  cut  back  or  injured  in 
any  way. 
The  variety  of  C.  bignonioides  named  aurea,  which  is  remarkable  for 
its  rich  golden  leaves,  has  come  into  notice  of  late  years,  and  is  one  of 
the  finest  ornamental  foliage  trees  we  possess.  Throughout  the  summer, 
especially  in  warm  bright  seasons,  the  leaves  assume  a  golden  hue  that 
is  most  effective  amongst  variegated  or  green-leaved  shrubs  or  trees. 
Though  not  frequently  seen  in  gardens  it  has  been  in  cultivation  for 
over  eighteen  years,  as  a  certificate  was  awarded  for  it  by  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  in  1870. 
SATURDAY  AFTERNOON  HOLIDAY. 
Gardeners  perhaps,  speaking  generally,  make  a  longer  clay  than 
“  Hodge,”  the  poor  agricultural  labourer.  Why  should  this  be  so  ?  Is 
it  not  a  question  into  which  we  can  inquire  as  being  one  worthy  of  dis¬ 
cussion  P  Some  time  ago  a  discussion  was  advanced  in  the  pages  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture  as  to  whether  work  in  gardens  should  not  cease 
at  noon  on  Saturdays,  thus  giving  the  men  the  benefit  of  a  weekly  half¬ 
holiday.  The  reason  our  under  gardeners  work  the  many  hours  they  do 
is,  in  many  cases,  mainly  if  not  wholly  the  fault  of  those  who  are  at  the 
head  of  affairs. 
The  young  gardeners  of  to-day  are  certainly  much  better  treated 
than  was  the  case  in  years  gone  by.  Many  readers  of  these  notes  have 
doubtless  been  up  by  daylight  in  the  morning  and  have  worked  till  dark 
at  night,  while  Sunday  has  been  the  most  toilsome  day  in  the  week.  But 
worse  than  this,  the  habitations  of  young  gardeners  have  been  little  better 
than  hovels — dirty,  uncomfortable,  mere  makeshift  places — and  gardeners 
in  many  cases  have  been  largely  to  blame  for  this  state  of  affairs,  as  I 
know  from  experience.  As  long  as  the  work  was  done,  and  I  am  going 
to  say  is  done  in  some  places  to-day,  the  comfort  of  the  men  is  not 
considered  in  the  least. 
Great  changes  in  many  respects  have  taken  place.  Wages  have  been 
raised  considerably,  working  hours  have  been  reduced,  and  the  comfort 
of  the  men  considerably  improved.  This  certainly  is  a  step  in  the  right 
direction,  and  has  been  accomplished  without  combination  on  the  part 
of  the  young  gardeners.  We  are  gratified  that  the  changes  in  cur 
gardens  have  taken  place  silently  but  successfully  for  the  benefit  of  our 
young  men  without  resource  to  hostility  or  combination,  which  in  other 
callings  has  not  always  been  a  successful  means  of  bringing  about  the 
desired  alteration. 
The  improvement  made  in  this  respect  may  be  due,  to  a  large  extent, 
to  the  happier  condition  of  working  men  generally.  But  I  cannot  help 
thinking  they  are  due  mainly  to  the  fact  that  a  younger  race  of  men  are 
now  in  charge  of  places,  who  have  suffered  in  their  early  days  from  the 
many  disadvantages  already  referred  to.  These  men,  having  stepped 
into  authority,  have  tried  to  the  best  of  the  resources  at  their  disposal  to 
better  the  condition  of  their  young  men.  Instances  need  not  be  enume¬ 
rated,  for  I  know  many,  where,  to  the  detriment  perhaps  for  the  time 
being  of  the  gardener,  every  effort  has  been  put  forward  to  better  the 
condition  of  those  under  him. 
Do  the  young  men  appreciate  these  sacrifices  on  the  part  of  gardeners? 
Those  do  who  are  on  the  “spot”  when  these  changes  take  place,  and  1 
have  found  the  more  intelligent  who  come  after  also  display  their 
gratitude  for  what  has  been  done  for  their  comfort.  There  are  others 
who  take  these  improvements  as  a  matter  of  course,  and,  under  the  most 
favourable  circumstances,  do  not  appear  satisfied.  It  has  been  said  again 
and  again  to  me  that  young  gardeners  are  worked  late  and  early  because 
the  chief  is  so  enthusiastic  to  have  the  work  done,  and  to  excel  at  various 
exhibitions  with  the  produce  he  takes  there.  Well,  even  then  I  do  not 
believe  our  young  men,  generally  speaking,  would  complain  if  they 
shared,  only  in  a  small  degree  in  the  success  of  their  chief.  But  is  this 
the  case  ?  Not  very  frequently  I  think.  My  earlier  experience  points 
to  the  opposite.  Later  day  observations  and  inquiries  do  not  put  a  more 
favourable  complexion  on  the  matter. 
Granting  that  the  hours  of  under  gardeners  are  less  than  formerly, 
and  their  home  comforts  more  agreeable,  I  think  the  time  has  come 
when  they  should  not  be  left  outside  of  the  general  community,  and  be 
kept  at  work  on  Saturday  until  six  o’clock.  It  may  be  contended  that 
some  leave  off  at  four — that  is  true  ;  but  why  not  go  a  step  further,  and 
allow  them  to  leave  ofE  at  mid-day  ?  A  general  move  would  be  a  step  in 
the  right  direction,  and  we  fail  to  see  why  it  should  not  be  accorded  due 
consideration.  Many  arguments  can  perhaps  be  urged  against  it,  but 
the  whole  can  readily  be  overcome.  For  nearly  six  years  we  have 
practised  this  method,  and  with  success.  We  have  no  fault  to  find,  and 
no  reason  to  alter  the  plans  which  work  so  well. 
Thi9  system  allows  men  to  have  Saturday  afternoon  to  themselves. 
In  large  places  cricket  and  football  clubs  can  be  formed,  and  most  men 
take  an  interest  in  these  healthy  sports.  It  is  true  this  entails  the  men 
leaving  off  occasionally,  even  an  hour  earlier,  when  playing  from  home  ; 
but  as  a  rule  they  are  willing  to  work  overtime  to  make  up  for  this. 
Such,  however,  has  been  the  happy  relations  existing  between  myself 
and  my  men. 
Our  plan  has  been  for  the  men  in  rotation  to  remain  on  duty  in  turn, 
and  one  of  the  others  to  give  assistance.  In  fact,  whether  Saturday  or 
Sunday,  we  always  have  two  on  duty — a  responsible  man  who  is  paid 
the  same  as  for  week  days,  and  another  who  renders  help  without  pay.  On 
the  Sunday  morning  all  the  men  in  charge  of  the  houses  who  live  in  the 
bothy,  and  advanced  pupils  who  may  live  at  home  or  lodge  out,  have 
to  come  and  look  over  their  own  watering  and  syringing,  thus  making 
the  work  easier  for  those  on  duty.  This  is  necessary,  because  in  large 
places  the  man  or  men  on  duty  often  have  a  busy  and  hard  day’s 
work. 
I  cannot  say  if  Saturday  afternoon  is  given  that  I  commend  an 
exodus  of  all  the  men  not  on  duty  from  Saturday  to  Sunday  night  ; 
in  fact  if  this  was  the  case  I  should  not  recommend  the  half-holiday, 
because  it  would  impose  too  much  work  on  these  left  on  duty.  This 
is  not  the  only  cause,  for  when  families  are  at  home  decorative 
requirements  call  for  the  presence  of  several  of  the  men  on  Sundays, 
and  in  many  places  Friday,  Saturday,  and  Sunday  dinner  parties  are 
the  rule  rather  than  the  exception. 
I  have  found  that  if  men  want  to  go  away  they  invariably  ask 
permission  and  arrange  for  a  substitute  to  do  their  work.  This  we 
regard  as  very  satisfactory,  as  it  shows  that  the  men  work  harmoniously 
together  on  the  whole.  When  such  is  the  case  the  work  generally 
goes  on  agreeably  and  well. 
We  are  entering  upon  a  new  year  when  fresh  resolutions  are  formed, 
but  not  always  kept.  We  hope,  however,  gardeners  in  responsible 
positions  will  endeavour  to  make  the  lot  of  the  young  men  under  them 
as  happy  and  comfortable  as  possible.  Amongst  changes  contemplated, 
may  Saturday  afternoon  be  given  for  recreation.  If  general  I  venture 
to  Bay  the  privileges  of  it  will  not  be  violated. —  Wm.  Babdney, 
Osmaston  Manor. 
EXPRESS  GRAPE  GROWING. 
This  was  the  title  of  a  paper  read  recently  before  the  Liverpool  Horti¬ 
cultural  Association  by  Mr.  C.  Colebrooke  of  Great  Grimsby.  The  meeting 
was  held  in  the  Free  Library  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  Thomas  White. 
It  is  many  years  since  a  more  plain  and  practical  account  of  actual 
facts  has  been  demonstrated  to  a  Liverpool  audience.  Mr.  Colebrooke 
claimed  that  his  system  was  a  modern  one  and  that  the  demand  for 
Grapes  was  double  that  of  some  years  back.  In  preparing  Vines  for  plant¬ 
ing,  he  placed  eyes  in  4-inch  pots  and  plunged  them  in  warm  material. 
When  they  had  made  four  leaves  they  were  taken  out  of  the  plunging 
material,  and  when  again  on  the  move  transferred  into  6-inch  pots,  the 
temperature  not  being  below  65°  with  plenty  of  humidity  in  the 
atmosphere.  In  four  weeks’  time  they  were  ready  for  a  shift  into  10-incb, 
the  main  shoot  being  allowed  to  run  to  6  feet  before  stopping,  then  again 
to  10  or  12  feet,  pinching  all  laterals  to  one  joint.  These,  he  said,  were 
the  Vines  to  plant. 
In  making  the  border  he  took  out  1  foot  of  soil  below  the  ground 
level,  running  a  wall  4  feet  high  along  the  centre  path.  The  bottom  of 
the  border  was  made  in  V  shape  to  carry  away  superfluous  water,  and 
instead  of  concrete  he  used  stiff  road  scrapings,  rammed  well  and  allowed 
to  dry.  Cross-drain  tiles  were  put  through  the  wall  and  drainage 
and  carried  upright  on  the  opposite  side,  this  being  considered  of  the 
greatest  importance,  arid  reducing  to  a  minimum  the  risk  of  the  border 
becoming  too  dry.  A  foot  of  drainage  he  considered  ample.  The  com¬ 
post  recommended  was  largely  composed  of  good  loam,  leaf  soil  two 
years  old,  wood  ashes,  oyster  shells,  and  fish  manure.  A  border  3  feet 
wide  was  considered  ample  for  the  first  eight  weeks,  with  plenty  of  heat 
and  moisture.  In  planting  he  strongly  condemned  the  system  of  washing 
away  all  the  soil  from  the  roots,  and  said  that  from  experiments  in  this 
direction  those  treated  on  the  shaking  or  washing  system  were  his 
weakest  and  most  unsatisfactory  Vines.  The  first  week  in  August  he 
considered  a  good  time  to  plant,  starting  them  the  following  year  the 
second  week  in  February,  giving  abundance  of  water  at  the  roots 
and  a  fairly  high  temperature,  allowing  the  Vines  to  carry  two  bunches 
each. 
The  best  black  varieties,  he  thought,  were  Black  Hamburgh,  Black 
Alicante,  Gros  Colman,  Madresfield  Court,  and  Lady  Downe’s.  Amongst 
whites,  the  best  price  was  always  given  for  Muscat  of  Alexandria, 
although  it  could  not  be  so  heavily  cropped  as  other  varieties.  The  new 
variety,  “  Lady  Hutt,”  came  in  for  a  high  meed  of  praise,  Mr.  Colebrooke 
remarking  that  it  was  one  of  the  most  handsome  Grapes  he  had  ever 
seen,  it  succeeded  with  early  or  late  varieties,  and  he  could  thoroughly 
recommend  it  to  all  who  wanted  a  good  acquisition.  Speaking  of 
cropping,  he  said  that  some  of  his  Hamburghs  carried  three  bunches 
on  a  spur ;  and  as  many  as  sixty-six  bunches  on  a  Vine  of  Grog 
Colman,  black  as  sloes  and  as  large  as  Orleans  Plums.  With  the  latter 
variety,  to  get  the  full  flavour,  it  should  be  black  before  the  end  of 
September,  and  allowed  to  hang  two  months  longer.  The  period  over 
