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JOLfRiVAL  OF  ffOnflCULTURF  Am)  COTTAQF  GARbENFR. 
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Deaember  54,  18ft8,  ' 
from  the  ranks,  “Yes,”  said  my  guide,  “he  was  one  of  the  best 
aii-ronnd  men  I  ever  knew.”  Only  a  simple  verdict,  but  full  of 
meaning,  and  teaching  one  of  the  most  useful  lessons  a  young 
gardener  can  learn — endeavour  to  be  %  good  all-round  man.  But 
how  f  someone  struggling  in  obscurity  may  naturally  ask.  The 
answer  is  simple  and  to  the  point — By  doing  your  duty. 
From  the  past  let  as  turn  to  the  present,  from  the  sentimental 
to  the  more  practical.  Christmas  not  only  brings  pleasures  but 
multifarious  duties  to  the  gardener  whose  mission  it  is  to  cater 
for  the  requirements  of  others.  In  comparatively  few  establish¬ 
ments  now  is  the  festive  season  kept  up  in  the  old  style  of  half  a 
century  ago.  Everything  was  then  done  on  a  large  scale,  and 
quantity  generally  took  the  place  of  elegance  in  decoration. 
This  has  changed  with  the  times,  and  tastefulness  is  the  chief 
point.  Fortunately,  this  year  there  is  abundance  of  material,  for 
seldom  were  berries  more  numerous.  Holly  trees  are  a  blaze  of 
scarlet,  and  I  have  noticed  several  of  the  yellow-berried  variety 
clothed  from  base  to  summit  with  golden  clusters.  One  is  rather 
surprised  that  this  variety  is  not  more  extensively  grown,  as  it  is 
decidedly  ornamental  and  makes  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  common 
scarlet.  In  districts  where  it  abounds  Mistletoe  is  plentiful  and 
well  berried,  large  quantities  being  presented  in  the  markets  for 
sale.  Lightly  made  festooning  is  now  largely  used  for  Christmas 
decoration,  •  and  for  adorning  the  walls  of  large  halls  is  very 
pleasing. 
Then  comes  the  flower  portion,  which  adds  no  small  share.  Most 
gardeners  no  doubt  have  reserved  late  flowering  Chrysanthemums, 
and  will  now  prove  their  usefulness,  if  proof  is  needed.  Then 
there  is  the  old-fashioned  Cypripedium  insigne,  particularly 
adapted  for  Christmas  time,  and  for  associating  with  Roman 
Hyacinths — &  charming  combination.  Poinsettia  pulcherrima  is 
indiapehaable,  and  dwarf  sturdy  plants  surmounted  with  large 
scarlet  bracts  look  especially  striking  by  lamplight.  Arum  Lilies 
are  called  into  requisition,  and  the  resources  of  the  forcing 
department  are  drained  to  the  utmost, 
t 
Everyone  likes  Christmas  decorations,  a  proof  of  this  being  the 
enormous  trade  done  in  evergreens.  Covent  Garden  Market 
presents  Hn  animated  appearance  during  the  week  preceding  Christ¬ 
mas.  Long  before  daylight  on  sale  mornings  huge  waggons  are 
laden  with  their  burdens  of  foliage  and  berry.  Dealers  and  coster¬ 
mongers  flock  round,  and  the  scene  is  exciting.  There  is  no 
time  for  wrangling  as  the  coster  wants  to  be  ofF,  so  the  price  is 
named  and  the  goods  taken  or  left.  Then  comes  the- exit ;  carts  and 
barrows  rattle  out  of  the  great  market,  and  away  they  go,  some  in 
this  direction,  some  in  that,  and  in  a  remarkably  short  time  every 
householder  in  London  and  its  environments  can  buy  evergreens 
at  bis  own  door. 
So  much  for  the  duties.  What  ahoat  the  pleasures — the  little 
holiday  ?  No  doubt  there  are  portmanteaux  packed  and  prepara¬ 
tions  made  by  tuany  a  youngster  who  has  had  his  first  year  of 
bothy  life,  and  knows  how  to  appreciate  his  visit  home.  And 
Christmas  in  the  bothy  ;  what  of  that  ?  Dull  !  yes,  slightly.  But 
young  gardeners  have  the  faculty  of  adapting  themselves  to 
circumstances,  and  make  the  best  of  it.  There  may  be  a  hamper 
from  home  ;  and  failing  that,  the  gallant  attempts  at  making  a 
Christmas  pudding'  are  not  without  interest,  and  fortunately 
young  gardeners  are  not  dyspeptic  as  a  rule. 
Just  a  word  about  the  future.  What  will  next  Christmas 
reveal  ?  This  is  an  age  of  progression,  and  expectations  are  great. 
Elaborate  schemes  are  on  foot  for  the  celebration  of  Her  Majesty’s 
long  reign.  Will  next  Christmas  see  the  “  Home  of  Horticulture  ” 
in  actual  progress,  according  to  the  elaborate  plan  given  in  last 
week’s  J ournal  ?  Will  it  see  any  authorised  system  of  classifying 
dessert  and  culinary  Apples?  Will  it  tell  of  any  better  methods 
having  taken  place  in  the  staging  of  flowers  and  so  forth  at  some 
of  our  large  shows  ?  I  cannot  tell,  so  will  be  content  with  the 
present  and  wish  all  “  A  Merry  Christmas,” — G.  H. 
SPOILT  IN  THE  PACKING. 
What  gardener  has  not  heard  complaints  of  either  fruit  or 
flowers  being  spoilt  in  transit?  The  more  kind  hearted  among  the  ,* 
grumblers  usually  qualify  their  complaint  by  some  such  remark  as  i 
“  They  were  lovely  flowers  or  fine  fruit,  as  the  case  may  be,  but 
were  spoilt  in  the  packing.”  Market  salesmen,  again,  are  apt 
to  And  fault  with  the  packing,  and  with  good  cause  in  too  many  ’ 
instances,  though  the  sender  more  often  than  not  asserts  the  con-  j 
trary.  Let  ns  ask  ourselves  whether  those  who  find  fault  wiih  our  v 
packing  have  not  bad  good  cause  for  it.  Personally,  I  am  of  the  ^ 
opinion  that  there  is  ample  room  for  improvement  in  our  methods,  ; 
and  this  is  tantamount  to  confessing  that  we  deserve  much  of  the  ■ 
blame  laid  on  cur  shoulders.  Exceptions  there  are,  but  they  are  ^ 
few  and  far  between.  * 
We  will  first  take  fruit  packing  under  our  consideration,  and  • 
commence  with  Apples.  Not  much  packing  needed  in  this  case,  will 
be  the  thought  arising  in  the  minds  of  many  ;  but  that  is  where  they  's 
will  be  wrong.  Dessert  Apples  require  to  be  carefully  handled  and  J 
packed  if  they  are  to  travel,  or  they  will  be  bruised.  This  may  not  ' 
seriously  militate  against  their  keeping  properties,  but  spoils  their  ; 
appearance,  A  friend  recently  paid  a  high  price  for  two  bushels  \ 
of  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin.  They  were  grand  fruit,  but  “  spoilt  in  ■ 
the  packing.”  Instead  of  being  loosely  packed  in  a  2-bu8hel  ' 
basket,  as  was  the  case,  smaller  baskets  or  boxes  ought  to  have  been 
nsed,  and  each  specimen  wrapped  in  paper.  Does  it  pay  to  take 
so  much  trouble  with  Apples  ?  Certainly  it  does,  especially  in  the 
case  of  choice  varieties.  It  is  not  a  serious  undertaking,  and  paper 
is  cheap  enough  for  anything. 
Sending  direct  to  the  markets  loose  in  baskets  and  sieves  may  ' 
be  right,  but  according  to  my  experience  largo  consignments  are 
not  bundled  about  to  the  same  extent  as  are  smaller  quantities.  In  • 
the  one  instance  railway  porters  and  others  know  what  they  are 
handling,  and  move  it  with  a  fair  amount  of  care,  while  in  the 
other  they  neither  know  tor  care.  This  is  rather  a  serious  charge, 
but  it  is  gathered  from  personal  observation  in  all  parts  of  the 
country. 
Everyone  ought,  then,  to  pack  fruit  and  flowers  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  be  proof  against  any  possible  rough  usage.  Particu¬ 
larly  must  they  avoid  using  receptacles  of  a  flimsy  nature,  but  be 
sufficiently  strong  to  bear  the  weight  of  oth>  r  packages  placed  on  ' 
them.  They  must  not  be  too  large,  the  contents  not  filling  them, 
nor  too  small,  the  lids  crushing  the  top  layers,  yet  they  ought  to 
he  so  closely  filled  as  to  admit  of  their  being  thrown  down  to 
the  ground  without  the  contents  greatly  suffering  from  the 
concussion. 
Choice  Pears  ought  always  to  be  carefully  and  separately  packed 
in  paper,  and  whether  there  shall  be  few  or  several  layers  in  a 
box  most  depend  upon  their  condition  as  to  ripeness  ;  green  fruit 
will  not  crush,  but  it  will  easily  bruise.  Fully  ripe  fruit  should 
be  as  carefully  packed  Peaches.  I  have  frequently  seen  Pears 
and  Peaches  spoilt  by  pressure  from  the  top,  the  lid  not  proving 
sufficiently  strong  to  protect  them.  In  any  case  it  is  a  mistake 
for  the  fruit  to  be  close  to  the  lid,  and  it  is  equally  necessary  to  i 
have  a  bed  of  soft  packing  material  beneath  them. 
Why  will  gardeners  persist  in  nailing  down  the  lids  of  boxes  ?  \ 
I  am  constantly  sending  boxes  to  various  parts  of  the  country,  and 
rarely  put  a  nail  into  the  lids.  They  are  properly  tied,  and  I  have 
not  had  a  single  complaint  of  their  having  been  tampered  with.  , 
Yet  if  a  brother  gardener  forwards  a  box  of  fruit  or  flowers  to  me  j 
the  lids  are  so  full  of  wire  nails  as  to  suggest  that  their  one  great  I 
pleasure  in  life  is  nail-driving.  Not  only  is  there  no  necessity  for  ; 
securing  the  lids  in  this  fashion,  but  getting  the  boxes  open  usually 
ends  in  broken  lids  and  injury  to  the  contents.  In  the  case  of  , 
small,  soft  fruits,  notably  Strawberries,  several  shallow  boxes  con-  \ 
taining  single  layers  of  fruit,  and  all  securely  tied  together  to  form 
one  package,  is  the  correct  method  of  packing.  Market  growers  < 
may  send  them  m  punnets  packed  in  shallow  boxes  or  in  small  ! 
cross-handled  baskets,  but  private  gardeners  must  not  adopi  this 
practice. 
Grapes  reach  the  markets  in  a  more  tempting  condition  than 
they  do  owners  of  private  gardens  when  they  happen  to  be  in  J 
“  town  ”  or  at  the  seaside.  For  the  markets  they  are  largely  sent 
in  cross-handled  baskets  duly  padded  with  wood  wool  and  lined  j 
with  paper.  The  bunches  are  out  with  a  short  length  of  lateral  ■ 
attached,  and  are  attached  closely  together  round  the  sides  of  the  J 
baskets,  papering  over  the  top  completing  the  process.  I  am  aware  ^ 
that  more  elaborate  methods  are  favoured,  “  flats  ”  instead  of 
cross-handled  baskets  being  used,  also  baskets  within  baskets,  hut  I 
believe  in  the  first- named  system,  because  there  is  then  no  induce¬ 
ment  for  persons  to  lift  them  other  than  by  the  handles.  No 
matter  how  carefully  we  may  pack  Grapes,  nothing  will  save  them 
if  they  are  thrown  about.  For  private  use  only  a  few  bunches  are 
required  at  a  time,  but  even  in  this  case  cross-  handled  baskets  of  a 
