210 
JOURNAL  OP  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  8,  1898 
purposes,  as  in  that  case  they  of  course  will  lequire  no  thinning.  Choose 
a  dull  or  rainy  day  for  the  operation.  After  they  have  been  thinned 
about  a  week  or  ten  days  give  them  a  very  slight  dressing  of  nitrate  of 
soda,  which  is  a  valuable  manure  if  applied  with  caution  ;  but  let  it  be 
used  very  carefully,  or  instead  of  doing  good  it  will  do  harm.  I  give 
mine  about  four  dressings  in  the  season,  with  a  little  salt  added.  Onions 
must  be  at  all  times  kept  free  from  weeds,  so  as  to  admit  all  the  sun  and 
air  possible,  and  if  these  directions  are  followed  you  will  not  be  troubled 
with  the  fly  and  maggot. 
Keep  them  growing,  and  apply  dressings  of  soot  twice  a  week.  No 
fly  will  then  appear.  By  giving  them  a  little  extra  attention  you  will 
be  well  repaid  for  the  labour  and  time  expended  on  them. 
About  the  middle  of  August  preparations  must  be  made  to  have  them 
well  ripened,  otherwise  they  are  liable  to  go  bad.  It  is  my  plan  about 
the  middle  of  August  to  bend  the  tops  of  the  Onions  down  with  the  back 
of  a  rake  all  one  way  to  allow  the  sun  to  thoroughly  ripen  the  bulbs, 
leaving  them  like  this  until  the  middle  of  September,  at  which  time  I 
remove  them  from  the  ground,  and  have  them  put  in  a  dry  airy  shed  ;  or 
better  still,  lay  them  on  old  sacks  or  mats  in  the  full  sun,  so  that  they 
can  be  conveniently  moved  in  case  of  rain.  Having  got  them  well 
ripened  I  make  mine  up  in  ropes  about  3  feet  long,  and  hang  them  in  a 
loft,  where  they  are  left,  until  wanted. 
The  great  enemy  to  the  Onions  is  the  maggot,  which  proves  very 
destructive  ;  but  I  find  the  best  means  of  eradicating  this  pest  is  to  start 
at  the  root  of  the  evil — that  is,  in  the  autumn  give  a  good  dressing  of  gas 
lime,  and  dig  it  in  at  once,  if  there  are  any  maggots  left  in  the 
ground  they  will  be  destroyed.  I  have  been  most  fortunate  in  this  case, 
having  never  been  troubled  with  the  maggot.  At  this  time  of  the  year 
if  the  bed  for  the  Onions  has  bad  no  thought  preparations  should  com¬ 
mence  without  delay  ;  work  some  good  short  manure  into  the  ground, 
with  soot  added,  digging  it  in  about  6  inches  deep  with  a  fork  very 
lightly,  then  dress  with  soot,  rake,  and  sow  your  Onions  the  way 
mentioned  above. — C.  B. 
YOUNG  GARDENERS. 
Their  Hours  and  Habitations. 
I  cannot  agree  with  some  of  the  remarks  made  by  “  W.  B.’’ 
(page  122)  on  this  subject.  For  instance,  “  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.”  I  doubt  if 
gardeners  in  the  majority  of  establishments  have  the  arranging  of  this 
matter,  and  on  large  estates  so  many  interests  are  affected,  and  any 
alteration  in  the  working  hours  of  one  department  would  have  to  be 
followed  in  others.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  state  what  has  been  done 
in  this  respect  on  a  large  estate  in  Yorkshire  on  which  I  have  had  the 
honour  of  serving  for  many  years.  Five  years  ago  the  experiment 
was  tried  for  the  six  summer  months,  all  workmen  to  leave  tbeir  work 
at  midday  on  Saturdays.  I  was  consulted  as  to  bow  it  would  affect  the 
gardeners,  and  replied  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  all  the  men  to  go, 
but  that  1  was  strongly  in  favour  of  the  half -holiday,  and  anxious  that 
my  men  should  not  be  deprived  of  it ;  *o  I  suggested  it  would  only  be 
fair  to  pay  overtime  to  those  who  remained.  This  was  settled  in  their 
favour.  By  paying  4d.  an  hour  for  all  extra  time  I  found  the  work  was 
not  neglected,  but  the  men  were  anxious  to  get  finished  as  soon  as 
possible. 
Horsemen  employed  on  the  land  were  paid  extra  wages,  as  their 
stock  needed  attention,  and  they  finished  work  at  the  usual  time.  The 
above  arrangement  answered  admirably,  but  the  privilege  was  with¬ 
drawn  after  one  season’s  experience,  owing  chiefly,  I  believe,  to  the 
tenant  farmers  (this  being  an  agricultural  district)  complaining  of  their 
workmen  being  dissatisfied.  Now  they  work  from  six  to  half  past  five, 
with  one  and  a  half  hour  for  meals,  and  three  o’clock  on  Saturdays  ;  by 
that  time  the  bulk  of  the  watering  is  over,  the  closing  of  houses  being 
done  by  the  man  on  duty. 
The  system  of  paying  for  overtime  I  consider  preferable  to  having 
all  the  young  men  at  work  on  Sunday  morniugs  without  pay,  as  is  the 
case,  with  the  exception  of  the  man  on  duty.  By  having  two  or  three 
men  to  work  a  couple  of  hours  extra  in  their  turn  on  Saturday  afternoons 
a  great  deal  of  “  W.  B.’s”  Sunday  work  might  be  avoided. 
I  may  say  that  neither  has  wages  increased  as  he  would  have  us 
believe.  In  this  locality  labourers  are  receiving  Is.  per  week  less  than 
they  were  twenty  years  ago.  The  tendency  too,  I  find,  is  to  offer  lower 
wa^es  than  were  formerly  paid  to  head  gardeners,  when  a  vacancy 
occurs,  owing  to  the  depressed  times  ;  and  as  the  supply  of  gardeners 
is  much  larger  than  the  demand,  I  cannot  see  any  likelihood  of  an 
improvement.  Neither  do  I  think  the  Saturday  half-holiday  for  gardeners 
is  likely  to  become  general,  as  we  are  still  classed  as  domestic  servants, 
and  until  that  stigma  is  removed  some  gentleman  will  doubtless  consider 
that  his  housemaid  or  groom  has  as  much  right  to  the  Saturday  half¬ 
holiday  as  his  gardener. — S.,  Yorks. 
Haying  read  with  pleasure  and  approval  the  articles  in  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture ,  by  Mr.  Bardney  and  others,  on  the  conditions  of  young 
gardeners,  I  may  say  that  I  agree  with  them  that  there  is  yet  sufficient 
room  for  improvement  in  their  condition  ;  although  in  many  places 
circumstances  and  location  make  it  9uch  that  the  Saturday  half-holiday 
is  not  the  best  method  to  adopt  in  every  case  for  the  men’s  interest  and 
convenience. 
I  may  be  allowed  to  mention  the  method  adopted  in  the  establish¬ 
ment  over  which  I  have  charge.  We  do  not  follow  in  the  line  of  the 
Saturday  half-holiday.  The  matter  was  brought  up  two  years  ago, 
and,  after  considering  the  pros  and  cons  of  the  question,  the  system  now 
adopted  was  considered  by  the  young  men  and  myself  to  be  the  best  in 
our  case.  We  are  located  in  a  quiet  country  place,  distant  by  rail  some 
seventeen  miles  from  Glasgow,  and  it  was  agreed  that  instead  of  having 
the  Saturday  afternoon,  each  man  should  have  a  week’s  holiday  during 
the  season  and  a  day  off  whenever  be  wished  it,  they  also  having  no  broken 
time.  As  none  of  the  young  men  employed  belongs  to  the  district,  but  are 
representatives  of  the  three  countries,  and  their  homes  consequently  at  a 
fair  distance  from  here,  the  system  works  well  ;  besides,  the  district  in 
which  we  reside  has  no  such  attractions  as  cricket  or  football  clubs,  and 
the  half-holiday  not  being  a  general  thing  on  the  estate  or  in  the 
locality,  there  would  be  little  other  for  the  young  men  to  amuse  them¬ 
selves  with  beyond  strolling  about  or  by  taking  train  to  Glasgow,  while, 
again,  the  railway  facilities  offered  by  the  company  are  not  such  as  to 
induce  them  to  go  often.  I  therefore  think  the  system  we  have  adopted 
the  best  everything  considered,  seeing  they  can  get  away  as  occasion 
requires. 
My  employer  is  a  very  considerate  gentleman,  and  is  desirous  that 
everyone  employed  by  him  should  have  home  comforts.  Until  two 
years  ago  that  could  hardly  be  considered  the  case  ;  but  on  the  matter 
being  brought  under  his  notice  he  at  once  gave  orders  for  an  extension 
of  the  men’s  quarters,  with  more  convenience  and  more  attention  to 
their  comforts.  It  would  be  well  to  hear  the  views  of  more  of  the 
brethren  on  this  thorny  question. — D.  BROUGH. 
There  is  joy  in  bothydom  ;  a  joy  of  recent  birth,  but  not  premature, 
we  may  hope,  springing,  as  it  has  done,  from  the  matured  thought  of 
one  duly  qualified  and  capable  of  expressing  it.  If  Mr.  Bardney’s  ears 
are  not  tingling  pleasurably  by  reason  of  the  vast  amount  of  compli¬ 
mentary  criticism  upon  his  article,  then  for  once  and  for  ever  may  the 
auricular  irritation,  supposed  to  infect  one  when  talked  of  in  their 
absence,  be  relegated  to  the  great  company  of  exploded  myths.  How 
many  pneumatic  tyres  are  already  inflated  with  hope,  how  many  foot¬ 
ball  fields  are  already  lost  and  won  since  the  veteran  set  the  ball  rolling 
may  be  easier  imagined  than  computed  ;  for  that  all  this  and  more  also 
is  under  discussion  by  our  lads  of  the  bothy,  goes  without  saying. 
But  this,  at  leaat,  is  premature.  It  will  be  time  enough,  if  necessary, 
to  arrange  the  filling  in  of  the  Saturday  half-holiday  when  it  is  an 
accomplished  fact.  Is  it  likely  to  be,  to  become  sufficiently  general  to 
warrant  its  being  so  designated  ?  It  would  be  helpful  to  this  cause  if  a 
few  more  men  of  the  Bardney  stamp  and  position  would  speak  up, 
provided,  of  course,  that  they  spoke  for  it.  Moreover,  if  some  of  these 
will  take  the  initiative — lead  the  way  in  giving  it,  then  it  will  strengthen 
the  hands  of  less  privileged,  not  less  willing,  “heads”  to  place  this 
matter  in  strong  force  —  the  force  of  example  —  before  the  powers 
that  be. 
But  there  are  principles  involved  reaching  far  beyond  the  garden* 
Principles,  too,  it  would  be  both  selfish  and  unsafe  to  shut  out  of  our 
present  calculations.  What  of  the  farm  men,  the  forester’s  men,  or  each 
and  all  of  the  workmen  within  the  gates  of  a  demesne  ?  The  demesne 
only,  please  note  ;  we  have  ample  scope  here  without  treading  on  more 
contentious  ground.  “This  is  not  our  concern,”  may  be  said.  Welland 
good.  But  that  it  does  concern  the  question  cannot  be  ignored,  for  the*e 
men  all  have  their  wants  ard  will  feel  them  the  more  acutely  if  the 
Saturday  half-holiday  when  operative  is  confined  to  the  garden.  The 
farming  side  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  leaves  an  opening  for 
discussion  of  this  phase  of  the  question.  Who  will  speak  up  for  those 
who  are  not  likely  to  speak  up  for  themselves,  or  who  will  assert  that 
this  side  of  the  story  dares  to  be  left  out  of  our  reasoning  if  we  hope  to 
succeed  ? 
I  know  that  this  view  of  the  matter  is  in  some  places  already  a  factor 
which  bars  the  way  to  a  practical  settlement.  Places  in  which  a 
favourable  ear  is  lent  to  the  question  so  far  as  the  garden  is  concerned, 
but  so  far  as  becoming  law  it  may  be  favourably  viewed  and  commented 
on  for  generations  to  come  with  no  other  result.  There  are  undoubtedly 
many  points  that  can  be  reasonably  advanced  in  favour  of  the  Saturday 
half-holiday  for  young  gardeners,  and  very  few,  I  think,  against  it ; 
provided  of  course,  that  all  contingent  arrangements  are  made  respecting 
those  duties  which  must  be  attended  to.  But  most  of  these  arguments, 
whether  they  be  pros  or  cons,  are  as  applicable  to  the  workmen  in  the 
same  area. 
From  my  own  experience  I  believe  that,  so  far  as  work  is  con¬ 
cerned,  the  last  half-day  of  the  week  is  but  of  comparatively  little 
value.  A  spurt  is  put  on  earlier  in  the  day  to  clear  up  small  arrears 
in  addition  to  the  day’s  work,  which  rarely  includes  the  beginning  of 
fresh  jobs.  The  zest  afforded  by  the  contemplation  of  the  Sunday’s 
freedom,  now  at  hand,  has  practically  completed  work  by  dinner  time, 
little  remaining  but  the  washing  out,  a  job  which  is  tentatively  made 
to  fill  in  the  remaining  dragging  hours.  Such  was  my  Saturday’s  ex¬ 
perience  of  bothy  life,  nor  does  it  require  any  very  acute  observation 
to  note  that,  in  this  respect,  things  are  pretty  much  the  same  now. 
This  is,  I  think,  a  powerful  plea  for  the  holiday,  and  it  is  a  state 
of  things  not  confined  to  a  few  places  ;  many  there  are  in  which  even 
an  hour’s  grace  would  be  a  veritable  boon.  In  one  large  establishment 
employing  many  men  privileges  were  accorded  to  all  on  the  estate 
except  to  us — the  young  gardeners.  The  garden  labourers  left  off  at 
4  p.m.  on  Saturday,  and  what  a  weary  drag  it  was  on  our  chafing  spirits 
in  biding  our  time.  Hence  the  reason,  perhaps,  of  our  master  now 
and  again  mercifully  (?)  finding  some  work  for  idle  hands  to  do,  and 
work  sometimes  absorbing  all  our  energy  to  accomplish  by  7  or  8  p.m. 
*  Ah  1  I  could  a  few  tales  unfold  from  the  past  which  might  startle 
