Kcvomber  12,  1898.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDE?;ER.  461 
WINTER  AND  SPRING  ARDENING. 
highly  responsible  public  position.  The  gardener  soon  found’that 
he  was  expected  to  speak  of  nothing  outside  his  domain,  and  then 
only  when  he  had  something  material  to  say.  One  day  he  intimated 
a  desire  to  visit  a  celebrated  garden  not  many  miles  distant  owned 
by  a  friend  of  his  employer,  who  had  became  quite  the  reverse  of 
‘  a  terror.’  ‘  Certainly,’  was  the  reply,  ‘  Robert  (the  under 
coaohman)  shall  drive  you  over.’  The  response  was,  ‘  I  thank 
you  very  much,  sir,  and  may  I  ask  Mr.  So-and-so’s  gardener  to 
come  and  see  your  garden?’  The  reply  was,  ‘  Oh !  I  am  glad 
you  have  mentioned  that.  By  all  means,  also  any  other  gardeners 
you  may  like  to  see,  and  always  take  them  to  the  houiekeepei ’s 
room,  and  have  luncheon,  dinner,  or  tea  with  them  there.’  This 
gentleman  had  been  misunderstood  and  misrepresented.  He  was 
really  most  kind-hearted,  and  became  sincerely  respected  by  all  the 
gardeners  round  about.” 
Returning  to  our  standing  point,  I  suppose  that  one-half  of  the 
gardeners  find  themselves  at  this  age  in  possession  of  a  pack  of 
disagreeables,  which,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  may  be  called  the 
uncertainty  of  service.  Time  after  time  some  men,  unfortunately, 
find  themselves  relegated  to  the  starting  post,  and  with  all  the 
confidence  their  abilities  ensure,  it  is  now  known  that  there  are  a 
hundred  extraneous  things  which  must  enter  into  calculation. 
It  is  hardly  necessary,  perhaps  not  possible,  to  clearly  define  this 
v^ue  feeling — this  burden,  which  adds  a  furrow  to  the  brow  of 
care  ;  but  those  who  unfortunately  have  it  require  no  explanation. 
It  is  all  very  well  to  say  “  Sufficient  for  the  day  .  .  .  ’’ 
and  a  dozen  appropriate  things  of  that  ilk  ;  they  seldom  move  the 
incubus  one  inch.  In  some  cases  this  presentiment  of  evil  so 
dominates  a  man’s  life  that  it  not  only  hastens  the  crisis,  but 
actually  creates  the  catastrophe.  Work  that  is  done  is  done  in  a 
perfunctory  manner,  more  for  present  effect  than  for  future 
results,  lest  a  successor  ihould  reap  the  benefit.  “  My  employer  ‘ 
gives  me  no  encouragement,  therefore  I  cannot  take  any  interest.  ' 
Ah  !  I  should  like  some  of  that  Flora  pleno,  but  who  knows  where 
1  shall  be  next  year  ?  ”  These  and  fifty  similar  expressions  are 
visible  signs  of  the  burden. 
I  was  lately  honoured  by  a  visit  from  a  young  nobleman  who 
has  served  bis  Qaeen  and  country  in  three  campaigns.  Having 
heard  that  he  had  retired  from  the  army — this  was  mentioned  in 
Hie  conversation,  and  it  led  up  to  an  expression  of  his  views,  which 
were  not  favourable  to  the  short  service  system,  which  leaves  it 
optional  with  the  men  to  leave  when  they  are,  one  might  say,  most 
fitted  to  enter  it,  or  rather  to  remain  in  it.  I  have  reasons  to  know 
that  many  officers  take  a  very  great  interest  in  their  men,  and  that 
when  they  know  them  they  do  not  like  to  lose  them.  It  is  indeed 
hardly  necessary  to  introduce  a  moral  a  la  militaire,  but  somehow 
a  train  of  thought  opened  up  bearing  on  our  peaceful  art  and  the 
very  unsatisfactory  short  service  part  of  it.  Above  and  beyond 
all  selfish  considerations  this  skipping  in  and  out — Out,  can  never 
breed  that  fine  feeling  of  loyalty  characteristic  of  the  truly  good  ■ 
servant.  From  living  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  large  city  where  1 
our  merchants  make  their  homes,  and  beautiful  homes  many  of 
them  are,  the  injurious  effects  of  continual  change  are  in  some  i 
gardens  so  apparent  that  it  is  like  a  perennial  blight.  From  this  | 
very  unsatisfactory  impressions  ensue  with  thoie  who,  whilst  | 
willing  to  pay  for  good  results,  have  neither  time  nor  training  j 
to  «ift  out  the  cause  from  the  effect.  I  know  that  some  of  ! 
these  employers  have  come  to  regard  gardeners  generally  very 
much  as  Joe  in  “Bleak  House”  regarded  the  gentlemen  who 
went  to  “  Tom-all-Alone’s  a  prayin’  —  they  mostly  said  as 
t’other  ones  prayed  wrong  .  .  .  passing  the  blame  on  the 
t’others.” 
It  may  be  said  that  we  cannot  control  circumstances,  although 
some  men  actually  appear  to  do  so  ;  in  any  case,  it  pretty  much 
depends  upon  ourselves  at  regards  adaptability  to  them.  “  So  many 
gardeners  in  so  many  years,”  or  in  so  many  months  perhaps,  and 
“it’s  a  place  no  man  can  stay  in.”  But  mark  the  sequel :  Mr.  Tact 
is  appointed,  and — stays.  “Nothing  wrong  with  the  place,”  be 
aays  ;  “So-and-so  is  a  bit  fidgety,  but  I  just  work  away,  try  to 
please,”  and,  moreover,  he  succeeds  in  doing  so.  I  do  not  say  that 
gardenert  as  a  class  are  solely  to  blame,  although  pro'bably  they 
feel  this  burden  the  most — more  acutely  than  in  other  phases  of 
life.  Mr.  Abbey  could  possibly  discover  some  microbe  peculiar  to 
these  latter  days  which  in  its  workings  twixt  masters  and  men  of 
all  denominations  prompts  the  latter  to  sever  the  connection  on 
very  trivial  real  or  fancied  pretexts.  Anyway  it  is  a  growing  evil, 
and  seems  to  have  attacked  the  root  which  nourished  the  growth 
of  that  long  and  faithful  service  our  forefathers  gloried  in. 
There  is,  of  course,  a  good  deal  to  be  said  on  the  other  side,  and 
more  on  this  head  which  is  quite  outside  our  domain,  to  return  to 
which  I  may  turn  to  some,  at  least,  and  fay,  Throw  the  burden 
off,  brother,  “  trust  like  a  child  while  you  strive  like  a  man.” — 
An  Old  Boy. 
fTo  be  continue!].^ 
{Concluded  fro,.,  page  140.) 
The  next  plant  in  imp  irfaoce  of  this  class  fa  no  doubt  the  Pansy  or 
Viola.  Here  we  have  almost  every  shade  of  colour  to  select  from. 
Some  kinds  come  fairly  true  from  seed  ;  but  to  be  certain  we  propagate 
a  few  well-known  kinds  of  distinct  colours  from  cuttings.  '  am  a  great 
lover  of  beds  and  borders  of  seedling  Pansies,  such  as  Mr.  Dearlove  is 
able  to  show  us,  and  a  place  will  always  be  found  for  tbem.  Thirty 
years  ago  four  kinds  were  principally  srown,  called  tbo  Cliveden 
Purple,  Blue,  Yellow,  and  White.  Th<  first  as  a  purple  '  believe  has 
^ver  been  beaten  ;  the  Blue,  owing  to  its  losing  colour  in  the  san,  we 
have  replaced  with  Blue  King,  an  excellent  variety.  We  have  lost  the 
Cliveden  Yellow,  and  I  am  not  sure  we  have  found  a  better.  Cliveden 
White  has  been  superseded  by  such  kinds  as  Dean’s  White,  Mrs.  Gray, 
or  Countess  of  Hopetoun.  Skylark  is  a  charming  variety  which  we 
grow  largely,  white,  with  a  distinct  edging  of  bright  bine,  and  nothing 
can  beat  it  for  habit  and  constitution.  Archie  Grant,  Countess  of 
Kintore,  True  Blue,  Bullion,  Blue  Cloud,  and  Ardwell  Gem  are  among 
the  best  of  the  Viola  section. 
Daisies  are  of  the  greatest  use  to  us  for  edgings  or  for  filling  in  email 
patterns.  There  are  the  double  whites,  reds,  crimsons,  and  pinks,  and 
the  red  and  white  variegated  forms  already  alluded  to  ;  they  are  great 
favourites.  Most  of  ns  have  found  it  difficult  to  keep  a  stock  of  these ; 
they  have  a  fault  of  dying  out,  especially  the  variegated  sorts,  generally 
FIG.  82  — MK.  H  J.  JONES.  {See  pape  468.) 
owing  to  a  dry  summer.  During  the  time  I  managed  Berry  Hill 
Gardens,  in  conjunction  with  Park  Place,  we  had  very  little  trouble  in 
keeping  them.  We  found  it  a  great  advantage  to  grow  them  at  Berry 
Hill  and  to  bring  them  over  and  plant  them  at  Park  Place,  or  vice  versa. 
Several  other  things  we  did  in  the  same  way  with  much  success,  showing 
the  utility  of  a  change  of  soil  and  situation.  This  was  notably  the  case 
with  Daisies. 
The  Aubrietias  are  gems.  I  call  them  the  Lobelias  of  our  spring 
gardens,  although  they  are  in  no  way  related  to  this  summer  bedder. 
They  associate  well  with  Daisies  for  the  fronts  of  beds  and  borders,  and 
have  a  soft  charming  colour  of  their  own,  and  their  dense  cushions 
of  flower  seldom  disappoint  us  whatever  the  weather  may  be.  There  are 
several  much  improved  kinds  on  the  old  A.  deltoidea,  named  Campbelli, 
purpurea,  and  violacea,  and  a  red  variety  called  Leichtlini. 
The  Primrose  and  Polyanthus  help  us  materially  in  filling  our  beds. 
Of  the  two  I  like  Primroses  the  better  ;  they  bloom  earlier,  and  if  kept 
in  distinct  colours  make  very  effective  beds.  Gilbert’s  Harbinger  is  one 
of  the  best  we  have  tried  ;  another  called  Mauve  Queen  and  a  single 
white  we  found  very  useful.  The  double  Primroses  are  beautiful,  bat 
for  bedding  they  have  one  fault — their  flower  stalks  are  not  stout  enough 
to  bear  up  their  heavy  flowers,  which  fall  to  the  ground  and  become 
splashed  and  dirty.  Beds  of  mixed  Primroses  and  Polyanthus  are  very 
interesting  and  showy  when  close  to  them ;  but  for  distant  effect  they 
should  be  grown  in  distinct  colours. 
The  Forget-me-nots  we  generally  treat  as  annuals,  as  we  find  divided 
plants  are  not  quite  so  satisfactory  for  Ailing  up  large  areas.  These  rank 
next  to  the  Wallflower.  There  is  a  tendency,  especially  in  divided  plants, 
in  the  foliage  to  turn  black.  This  is  not  so  frequent  in  seedlings,  and 
we  can,  I  think,  get  them  of  bettir  shape  and  more  uniform  and  healthy. 
The  old  MyoBOtis  sylvatica  so  much  used  by  Mr.  Fleming  is  now  seldom 
