October  1,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTWULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
333 
elastic  tu»u  elderly  legs,  but  if  they  are  conducive  to  paemmatically 
brief  notetaking  then  must  I  walk,  not  roll.  Seriously,  my  brave  pen¬ 
man  of  the  fifteen,  you  saw  too  much  and  tell  us  too  little,  but  do  not 
let  my  pen  puncture  your  feelings. 
On  the  same  page  (273)  we  find  an  interesting  report  culled  from 
'the  “  Globe  ”  of  that  truly  marvellous  Canadian  Apple  crop.  One  can  ; 
almost  picture  by  its  aid  a  Canadian  fruit  farm,  although  it  is  hard  to  [ 
realise  the  enormous  bulk  of  millions  of  barrels — the  gross  estimate  of 
our  colony’s  crop.  The  “  Globe  ”  writer  in  starting  appears  to  have  a 
very  clear  idea  of  our  own  shortcomings— -the  cause  and  effect — when 
he  says,  “The  home  harvest  of  Apples  is  anything  but  a  good  one 
.  ,  .  owing  to  the  unfortunate  change  in  the  weather  after  an  open 
spring,”  and  it  is  not  until  we  come  to  the  tail-end  of  his  article  that 
the  sting  is  revealed  in  his  asking,  “  Why  is  the  English  farmer  out  of 
all  this  abundance?  Because  he  lets  his  Apples  grow — if  they  will. 
The  Canadian  farmer  makes  them  grow  ”  (“weather  or  no,”  1  suppose). 
I  cannot  make  the  two  ends  of  his  argument  meet  by  any  amount  of 
globular  logic,  unless  it  is  by  that  symbolic  posing  of  a  snake  with  his 
tail  in  his  mouth,  and  then  one  end  of  the  argument  is  swallowed  np  by 
the  other. 
“  Ignoramus  ”  in  his  critical  note  (page  275),  in  which  he  dissects 
the  body  of  Mr.  Grant  Allen’s  clever  article  upon  the  “  Scarlet  Gera¬ 
nium  ”  (page  243)  says,  “  When  we  speak  or  write  of  such  things  (old- 
iashioned  flowers)  we  do  not  mean  any  tender  plants  which  require 
greenhouse  culture.”  In  the  first  place  I  venture  to  ask,  in  spite  of  that 
“  we,”  and  it’s  being  a  very  comprehensive  “  we  ”  too,  Why  not  1  In  a 
garden  of  old-fashioned  flowers  where  “the  mistress”  in  leather 
gauntlets  daily  snips  with  all  the  zeal  and  vastly  more  of  the  discretion 
of  the  illustrious  Miss  Tox,  is  annually  planted  some  beds  of  the  old 
Tom  Thumb  Geranium,  and  have  been  for  thirty  years.  Very 
unfashionable  now  it  may  be  admitted.  Admitting  so  much  it  is 
easier  to  allow  what  “  the  mistress  ”  and  her  friends  regard  them  as 
being — cherished  old-fashioned  flowers,  and  to  me  more  justly  entitled 
to  that  appellation  than  many  of  those  so  called  at  present.  Respect¬ 
ing  the  physiological  analysis,  which  “  Ignoramus  ”  falls  foul  of,  the  i 
theory  of  evolution  is  a  vast  one,  and  those  who  grapple  with  such  j 
mighty  problems  are,  as  a  rale,  not  cramped  by  bigotry  ;  hence  there 
does  not  appear  to  be  that  imminent  danger  “  Ignoramus  ”  fears  of 
earning  his  self-imposed  title.  However  that  may  be,  I  shall  still  include 
my  honoured  friend’s  Tom  Thumbs  in  the  category  of  old-fashioned  j 
flowers,  and  am  heretically  disposed  to  couple  with  that  cognomen  a  few  | 
more  (tender)  exotics,  which  now  unfashionable  are  imbued  with  all  | 
■the  tender  memories  of  the  long  ago.  j 
“  D.’s”  note  on  “  Noble  Trees  ”  (page  277)  and  the  want  of  a  modern  , 
biography  is  to  the  point.  The  lover  of  Nature  cannot  bat  regard  them  ; 
with  feelings  of  veneration  that  no  other  subjects  of  the  vegetable  i 
kingdom  can  entail.  I  suppose  that  our  generation  is  too  practical  to  [ 
take  up  matters  that  “  don’t  pay  ;  ”  hence  we  should  at  least  be  grateful 
to  great  minds  who  have  given  to  as  the  labours  of  a  lifetime  in  those 
grand  old  tomes  occasionally  met  with.  Such  an  one  is  Strutt’s  “  Sylva 
Britannica  ”  I  have  lately  taken  a  peep  into.  This  work,  published  in  I 
1826.  is  dedicated  to  the  Duke  of  Bedford  by  His  Grace’s  “most  obedient 
and  devoted  servant  Jacob  George  Strutt,”  and  is  a  fine  collection  of 
portraits  of  forest  trees,  “  distinguished  for  their  antiquity,  magnitude, 
or  beauty.”  _ 
“  Eelworms  ”  (page  271).  Whilst  this  matter  is  under  discussion  by 
two  such  able  controversialists  as  Mr.  Abbey  and  “  W.  D,,”  we  may  well 
look  on,  and  look  for  the  grains  of  truth  amongst  the  chaff  as  they 
thrash  out  the  subject  ;  but  it  is  tantalising  in  having  to  wait  for 
Mr.  Iggulden’s  “one  little  sensation.”  “  W.  D.”  says,  “I  was  very 
disappointed  ...  to  find  that  no  one  had  written  to  say  they  had 
found  Mr.  Abbey’s  kainit  remedy  effectual  in  killing  root  eelworms.”  I  beg 
■to  tender  my  sympathy  to  him  in  his  disappointment,  trusting  that 
those  who  have  proved  the  remedy  will  not  be  backward  in  coming 
forward,  so  that  our  faith  in  that  clever  specialist — Mr,  Abbey— may 
not  be  kept  in  abeyance, — Saynor. 
VEGETABLES  AT  THE  ROYAL  AQUARIUM. 
I  CANNOT  express  myself  as  under  an  obligation  to  “  Nous  Verrons  ” 
for  his  note  on  this  subject  in  the  issue  of  last  week.  It  is  deplorable 
that  gardeners  cannot  indulge  iu  correspondence  without  indulging,  as 
not  only  he  but  another  correspondent  does  elsewhere,  in  personal 
inuendo.  I  may  tell  this  person  that  at  the  time  of  making  the  note  in 
question  I  did  not  know  who  the  judges  were,  as  I  had  not  seen  their 
names  published  in  the  schedule.  My  attention  has  been  drawn  to  it 
since,  however.  But  I  made  no  imputation  upon  anyone’s  capacity,  I 
merely  pointed  out  what  in  such  a  case — probably  the  heaviest  any 
judges  of  vegetables  have  ever  had  to  encounter  in  November — a  great 
responsibility  rested  upon  whosoever  undertook  the  task  of  making  the 
awards,  especially  that  the  competitors  will  no  doubt,  from  what  I  learn, 
comprise  men  who  are  not  only  the  leading  growers  and  exhibitors,  but 
are  the  very  keenest  of  critics. 
[2  Judging  such  vegetables  as  will  be  presented  then  requires  as  high 
capacity  as  does  the  judging  of  anything  staged  at  any  time.  It  may  I 
show  how  little  I  was  actuated  by  any  dishonorable  motive,  such  as  ' 
this  anonymous  correspondent  imputes,  when  I  lay  that  long  since  I  was 
asked  whether  I  would,  as  last  year,  undertake  the  superintendeace  of 
the  vegetable  part  of  the  November  exhibition,  and  I  promised  if  it 
were  possible  to  do  so.  I  have  no  wish  to  take  the  bread  from  the 
mouth  of  any  man.  Just  referring  to  the  charge  against  the  Fruit 
Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  that  a  few  members  gave 
an  award  to  a  Tomato  that  had  not  been  sent  even  to  the  Drill  Hall,  I 
would  point  out  that  this  was  done  at  Chester,  and  that  at  the  next 
meeting  after  publication  of  this  award  held  at  the  Drill  Hall  I  entered 
a  very  strong  protest  against  this  act,  although  I  stood  alone. 
But  I  drew  attention  to  this  probable  diflSculty  in  relation  to  these 
provincial  visits  of  the  Council  of  the  R.H.S.  to  the  provinces  in  these 
columns  some  time  since,  and  now  an  irregular  award  such  as  has  been 
referred  to  is  flung  into  the  Council’s  faces.  I  hope  it  will  never  be 
published  that  such  an  award  was  made  by  the  Fruit  Committee, 
because  if  so  it  will  be  a  falsehood.  I  hope  also  so  grave  an  error  will 
never  be  repeated.  Let  the  Council  confine  itself  to  the  awarding  of 
medals  or  to  giving  commendations,  but  certificates  and  awards  of 
merit  should  never  be  granted  except  by  those  properly  and  representa¬ 
tively  constituted  bodies — the  various  Committees. — A.  D. 
WHERE  FIGS  MAY  BE  GROWN. 
Whether  rightly  or  wrongly,  I  attach  quite  as  much  value  to  Figs 
as  I  do  to  Peaches  and  Nectarines.  Not  only  are  they  luscious  and 
wholesome,  but  what  gardeners  have  also  to  bear  in  mind,  they  are 
greatly  esteemed  as  a  dessert,  fruit  by  most  owners  of  large  gardens, 
Royalty  included.  When  a  gardener  is  informed,  as  I  have  been,  that 
the  Figs  sent  up  for  use  at  a  dinner  party  given  in  honour  of  certain 
Royal  personages  were  more  appreciated  than  Pine  Apples,  Grapes,  Melons, 
Peaches,  or  Nectarines,  were  “  cleared  up,”  in  fact,  then  the  conclusion 
may  safely  be  arrived  at  that  he  will  do  well  to  make  provision  for 
growing,  if  possible,  even  more  Figs  than  formerly. 
The  position  assigned  to  Figs  by  the  framers  of  the  much  belauded 
judging  code  of  the  R. H.3.,  does  not  affect  the  case,  and  we  can  afford 
to  ignore  it  altogether.  That  there  are  Figs  and  Figs  I  readily  admit. 
They  may  be  delicious,  and  they  may  be  uneatable.  Much  depends 
upon  cultivation,  but  when  we  see  a  fruit  cracking  its  skin,  exuding  dew 
drops  at  the  point,  and  so  tender  that  it  will  scarcely  bear  handling, 
then  we  have  something  more  than  sugar  and  water.  It  is  much  the 
same  with  all  other  fruits,  the  quality  in  most  instances  being  largely 
determined  by  good,  indifferent,  or  poor  cultivation. 
Those  who  construct  houses  largely  or  solely  for  the  cultivation  of 
Figs,  deriving  their  earliest  supplies  from  trees  in  pots,  naturally  experi¬ 
ence  no  great  difficulty  in  keeping  up  a  long  and  continuous  supply  of 
superior  fruit.  It  must  be  a  poor  grower  who  fails  badly  with  Figs  under 
such  favourable  circumstances  ;  but,  unfortunately,  there  are  not  many 
gardens  thus  well  furnished.  In  many  instances  makeshift  practices 
have  to  be  resorted  to,  or  no  Figs  be  grown  under  glass,  and  it  is  with 
these  that  I  propose  to  deal  in  this  paper. 
One  time-honoured  custom  has  been  to  plant  Figs  at  the  back  of 
vineries,  but  we  see  less  of  this  than  formerly,  and  that,  too,  in  spite  of 
the  modern  three-quarter  span  being  more  favourable  to  the  growth  of 
trees  against  the  back  walls.  All  the  while  the  Vines  only  cover  a 
portion  of  the  roof,  or  say  for  the  first  four  years  with  most  gardeners, 
the  Fig  trees  get  a  fair  share  of  sunshine  or  enough  to  keep  the  wood 
firm  and  fruitful,  but  it  is  not  many  Figs  that  ripen  on  the  trees  after 
the  roof  is  wholly  covered.  Sometimes  the  trees  are  trained  from  the 
wall  up  to  the  apex  of  the  roof,  and  here  they  will  continue  to  bear  well, 
always  provided  they  are  not  crowded  and  young  hard  wood  is  annually 
laid  in  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  freely  cut  out  directly  after  the  fruit 
has  been  gathered.  It  is  useless  to  expect  the  branches  against  the  wall 
to  give  ripe  fruit,  but  even  if  Fig  trees  against  back  vinery  walls  do  not 
fruit  they  yet  present  an  ornamental  appearance,  and  1  would  prefer  to 
see  them  there  rather  than  bare  walls. 
There  is  no  good  reason  why  Figs  should  not  be  associated  with 
Grapes  oftener  than  they  used  to  be  even,  only  in  a  different  manner. 
Span-roofed  vineries  are  now  the  order  of  the  day,  especially  among 
market  growers,  and  if  these  run  in  a  northerly  and  southerly  direction, 
a  portion  of  a  west  roof  could  be  devoted  to  Figs  and  the  rest  to  Grapes. 
Should  the  house  be  well  heated  and  forced  then  two  good  crops  of  Figs, 
the  first  in  June  and  the  rest  in  August  and  September,  would  be  had, 
while  if  little  or  do  fire  heat  were  used  then  only  one  crop,  this  ripening 
in  August,  would  be  obtained.  Fig  trees  might  also  share  the  fronts  of 
ordinary  lean-to  houses  with  Vines,  taking  the  precaution  to  keep  the 
roots  well  separated  by  means  or  a  4^-inch  brick  wall  set  in  cement,  or 
otherwise  the  Figs  will  get  the  best  of  it. 
If  there  is  a  hot  corner  in  a  Peach  house,  that  would  be  found  an 
excellent  position  for  a  Fig  tree.  They  also  succeed  well  against  the 
back  walls,  especially  if  the  Peach  trees  along  the  front  are  trained 
over  a  semicircular  trellis,  and  not  up  the  roof.  Some  of  the  finest 
fruit  of  Brown  Turkey  I  have  yet  seen  were  grown  against  the  back 
wall  of  an  unbeated  Peach  house,  and  in  favourable  seasons  an  excellent 
second  crop  was  obtained  in  the  autumn,  Many  ranges  of  bouses  have 
a  central  compartment  narrower  and  higher  than  the  rest  to  admit  of  a 
front  entrance.  These  have  long  been  devoted  to  Fig  culture,  but  there 
are  many  more  of  them  that  might  be  similarly  utilised.  At  the  outset, 
trees  against  the  back  wall  as  well  as  the  front  and  roof  would  produce 
good  crops,  and  all  should  be  retained  even  after  the  whole  of  the  roof 
has  been  covered  with  bearing  wood. 
