506 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  4,  ltf96. 
The  fruit  experimental  station  at  Woburn  is  not  a  commercial 
undertaking  at  all,  so  far  as  regards  its  financial  returns  to  the 
owner.  The  only  advantages  that  can  accrue  will  be  obtained 
by  others,  who  may  act  successfully  on  the  information  gained 
through  the  Duke’s  willingness  to  find  the  means  for  its 
production.  The  establishment  in  question,  for  which  its  well- 
disposed  owner  has  been  trebly  rated,  is  as  much  an  educational 
establishment  as  Kew  is,  though  in  a  different  direction,  and  not 
less  useful  to  a  large  and  important  class  of  the  industrial 
population. 
If  there  has  been  no  misconception  of  the  natqre  and  objects 
of  this  Poraological  School,  formed  and  supported  for  purposes  of 
instruction — to  be  freely  disseminated,  then  would  the  law  as 
applied  seem  obstructive.  In  America  there  are  State  schools  of  this 
nature,  but  in  England  it  would  seem  that  those  who  are  wealthy 
and  willing  to  provide  them  at  their  own  expense  must  be 
practically  fined  for  doing  so,  as  in  this  case  at  Woburn.  We  do 
not  suppose  the  Duke  will  mind  the  imposition  of  which  he  is  the 
surpri*ed  victim,  but  it  will  be  a  warning  to  others  not  to  help 
forward  the  cause  of  industrial  education  in  a  similar  way. 
SPINACH. 
Not  often  do  we  see  any  great  amount  of  space  devoted  to  this 
familiar  vegetable  in  the  gardening  Press.  It  would  seem  to 
possess  few  charms  to  the  expert  penmen  who  entertain  and 
instruct  on  most  gardening  topics.  True  they  sometimes  differ 
from  each  other  in  the  “  treatment  ”  of  certain  plants  and  the 
culture  of  different  crops,  as  experience  entitles  them,  but  in  one 
thing  they  appear  to  agree,  and  that  is  to  let  Spinach  alone. 
Why  is  this?  Can  it  be  that  as  a  theme  it  affords  little  scope 
for  indulgence  in  poetic  fancy  ?  or  is  it  because  it  does  not  lend 
itself  to  scientific  disquisition?  Is  the  subject  too  plain  and  simple 
for  erudite  practitioners,  who  prefer  to  aspire  to  higher  things  ? 
Possibly  none  of  thoae  influences  is  the  determining  cause  of  the 
“  conspiracy  of  silence,”  and  it  may  be  that  our  teachers,  so  fluent 
and  versatile,  simply  let  Spinach  alone  with  their  pens,  either 
because  they  do  not  like  it  or  because  they  have  with  singular 
unanimity  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  there  is  nothing  to  be  said 
about  it. 
That  there  are  many  persons,  including  gardeners,  who  are  not 
enamoured  of  Spinach  as  a  table  delicacy  is  certain,  but  they 
cannot  all  be  in  antipathy  to  it.  One  authority  suggests  half,  and 
no  obscure  authority  either,  for  all  who  will  may  read  in  Sutton’s 
little  vegetable  cookery  book  that  “  Spinach  may  be  said  to  divide 
the  world  into  two  factions,  comprising  those  who  love  it  and  those 
who  hate  it,”  going  on  to  say  “  perhaps  many  who  hate  it  would 
come  over  to  the  happier  faction  if  the  cooks  would  do  their  duty.” 
Perhaps,  for  Spinach  when  properly  cooked  possesses  a  flavour  all 
it*  own,  and  is  undoubtedly  agreeable  to  many  palates.  If  this  were 
not  so  the  vegetable  would  not  be  in  the  bill  of  fate  of  so  many 
London  restaurants  and  other  such  places  where  thousands  con¬ 
gregate  daily  in  quest  of  a  good  dinner. 
Then  we  have  evidence  that  Spinach  is  not  only  good  but 
wholesome,  for  Professor  Church,  who  appears  to  have  analysed 
everything  that  is  commonly  eaten,  savs  so.  These  are  his  words  : 
— “  Besides  the  Cabbage  and  its  many  varieties  the  green  leaves  of 
many  other  plants  are  eaten  after  being  boiled.  Spinach  (Spinacia 
oleracea),  a  native  of  Western  Africa,  is  used  in  this  way,  and  is  a 
wholesome  vegetable.  It  contains  much  nitre.”  The  Professor 
also  observes  that  “  the  great  majority  of  plants  in  this  section  are 
distinguished  from  those  that  are  grown  for  their  roots  or  seeds 
by  the  presence  of  chlorophyll,  the  green  colouring  matter  of 
leaves.  Its  nutritive  value  is  not  known,  however,  as  yet.”  But 
whatever  the  hygienic  value  of  chlorophyll  may  be,  we  »eem  to 
have  a  maximum  of  it  in  Spinach,  for  is  it  not  the  greenest  of  all 
vegetables  in  a  cooked  state  ? 
As  farther  evidence  of  the  health-giving  properties  of  Spinach, 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  London  physicians  expressed  his  opinion 
very  emphatically  to  the  writer  that  if  the  consumption  of  Spinach 
was  doubled — or,  better,  trebled — it  would  not  be  to  the  advantage 
of  himself  and  his  professional  associates,  but  would  be  decidedly 
conducive  to  the  health  of  the  community.  There  is  thus  some¬ 
thing  to  be  said  for  this  plain  and  often  lightly  regarded  vegetable 
after  all.  But  if  Spinach  is  not  often  written  about,  it  must  be 
grown  in  all  gardens  in  which  a  representative  supply  of  vegetables 
has  to  be  maintained.  It  is,  practically  speaking,  the  only  green¬ 
leaved  culinary  vegetable  we  have  outside  the  Brassica  family, 
though  Lettuces  and  Endive,  also  Sorrel  and  Nettles,  are  occasion¬ 
ally  served  in  a  cooked  state. 
Spinach  is  a  staple  vegetable  for  culinary  purposes,  and  its 
abience  from  gardens  at  certain  times  has  often  been  felt  as  a  great 
inconvenience.  It  is  an  all-the-year-round  vegetable,  plentiful  u r 
may  be  in  the  autumn,  not  infrequently  affording  welcome  leaves 
through  the  winter  and  in  early  spring,  becoming  abundant  as 
spring  merges  into  summer,  and  is  then  the  most  in  demand, 
though  there  is  often  a  tantalising  call  for  it  during  a  period  of 
great  heat  and  prolonged  drought  when  it  doe*  not  seem  to  have 
time  to  develop  large  leaves  in  its  haste  to  produce  flowers,  and 
especially  when  the  soil  is  poor  as  well  as  dry.  Under  these 
conditions  nitrate  of  soda  is  helpful,  and  also  to  many  other  crops 
besides  the  one  under  notice. 
If  Spinach  were  not  a  crop  of  recognised  value  and  importance, 
a  trial  of  varieties  would  not  be  conducted  by  the  Loyal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  at  Chiswick,  as  is  the  case  this  season,  and  if  thoae 
writers  for  the  Press  who  don’t  like  Spinach,  and  think  that  nothing 
can  be  said  about  it,  could  have  been  present  at  the  examination  of 
over  sixty  rows  last  week  they  would  not  have  found  a  silent 
gathering  of  inspectors.  It  appeared  to  be  a  very  serious  business 
with  them  to  decide  on  the  differing  characteristics  of  the  thirty- 
two  varieties,  or,  rather,  of  that  number  of  stocks  or  strains  under 
different  names. 
Some  of  these  gentlemen  appeared  to  have  keener  Spinach  eyes 
than  others,  enabling  them  to  detect  minute  differences  that 
could  not  be  made  apparent  to  their  colleagues.  One  examiner 
would  satisfy  himself  that  there  were  ten  distinct  varieties  in  the 
collection,  another  could  only  find  eight,  a  third  six,  a  fourth  five, 
and  a  fifth,  judging  by  the  plants  alone,  and  not  by  the  seeds 
(round  or  prickly),  could  only  find  four  well  marked  types. 
1,  The  well-known  large  Prickly  or  Winter  Spinach,  with  good- 
sized  thin,  light  green,  arrow-shaped  leaves,  tall  in  growth,  pro¬ 
ductive,  and  early  flowering. 
2,  Improved  Prickly  (Watkins  and  Simpson)  of  dwarfer 
growth,  with  distinctly  broader  light  green  leaves,  and  later  in 
producing  flower  stems. 
3,  Round-leaved  or  Summer  Spinach,  known  also  a*  Dutch  or 
Flanders  Spinach,  with  large,  smooth,  clear  green  leaves,  mode¬ 
rately  stout,  and  good  either  for  autumn  or  spring  sowing. 
4,  LoDgstander  (both  round  and  prickly  seeded),  plants  very 
dwarf,  leaves  deep  green,  stout  or  “  leathery  ”  in  texture,  and  very 
late  in  producing  flower  stems.  Not  good  for  autumn  sowing,  but 
valuable  for  summer  use. 
Some  of  the  examiners  fancied  the  Yiroflay  was  distinct  from 
any  of  the  four  varieties  named,  but  others  found  it  hard  to 
separate  the  plants  from  the  No.  3  group.  Tht  n  if  shape  of  seed, 
and  not  character  of  leaf,  conveys  the  stamp  of  distinctness,  there 
were  two  dark  green  late  Longs  anders.  Admitting  this  and  also 
the  Yiroflay,  or  Yictoria,  as  distinct  from  the  Flanders,  this  leaves 
six  only  out  of  the  thirty-two  samples  grown  under  dissimilar 
names.  All  were  sown  on  April  4th  and  examined  on  May  28th. 
Some  with  thin  light  green  leaves  were  called  Longstanders,  an 
obvious  mistake,  for  they  were  showing  their  flower  stems  freely. 
Then  half  a  dozen  with  dark  thick  leaves  and  no  signs  of  flower 
stems  had  dissimilar  names,  but  they  were  all  the  same  variety — 
Lonpstander.  This  distinct  Spinach  is  likely  to  attain  wide 
popularity  by  its  power  of  standing  longer  in  dry  hot  weather  than 
any  other  ;  but  at  the  same  time  it  must  not  be  wholly  relied  on,  as 
the  pale  green  leaved  forms  come  in  more  quickly — a  feature  that 
must  not  be  ignored.  If  the  Flanders,  Yiroflay,  Yictoria,  or  Bound 
Summer  Spinach  and  the  dark  green  Longetarder  be  sown  together 
the  last  named  will  give  a  successions!  supply  of  leave*  ;  if  the 
variety  grown  under  that  name  does  not,  and  also  produces  pale 
green  leaves,  then  it  will  not  be  true.  The  Chiswick  trial  has 
settled  that  fact,  and  also  that  many  fanciful  names  are  attached  to 
the  same  variety  of  Spinach. 
On  two  points,  and  perhaps  only  two,  the  members  of  the 
Committee  of  Examination  were  unanimous,  namely,  that  there 
were  four  distinct  types  of  Spinach  in  the  collection,  and  that  three 
marks  of  merit  should  be  recorded  for  Improved  Round-leaved 
Prickly  (Watkins  &  Simpson),  and  for  Longstander  (Heineman), 
because  it  was  a  fine  sample  of  this  distinct  Spinach,  and  correctly 
named,  though  the  same  variety  was  grown  under  other  names. 
A  question  then  arose  relative  to  the  quality  when  cooked  of 
this  dark  thick -leaved  Spinach.  The  word  passed  round  that  it 
was  not  so  good  as  the  familiar  clear  green  thin-leaved  varieties, 
and  a  suspicion  actually  found  utterance  that  it  tasted  like  Tobacco. 
Fortunately  the  Committees  of  the  R.H.S.  include  members  who 
are  equal  to  all  emergencies,  and  as,  luckily,  one  of  these  members 
said  he  was  ill,  and  his  doctor  had  ordered  him  to  eat  all  the 
Spinach  he  could,  and,  furthermore,  as  the  said  member  was  not 
prejudiced  in  favour  of  Tobacco,  he  wa3  considered  to  be  a  fit  and 
proper  person  to  test  the  qualities  of  the  two  types  of  Spinach,  and 
