170 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  19.  1187 
-  Society  op  Jebsev  Gaedeneks. — There  are  almost  sixty 
classes  particularised  in  the  schedule  of  the  autumn  show  to  be  held 
under  the  auspices  of  the  above  Society  on  Thursday,  November  6th,  in 
the  Oddfellows’  Hall,  Don  Street.  Some  are  for  Chrysanthemums, 
others  for  Orchids,  Primulas,  and  floral  decorations.  We  do  not  antici¬ 
pate  that  the  English  growers  will  have  a  try  for  the  prizes,  as  for  a 
group  of  Chrysanthemums  10  feet  by  6  feet  only  128.  6d.  is  offered  as 
the  second  prize,  the  first  being  named  as  “  special,”  whatever  that  may 
naean.  The  same  prizes  are  offered  for  twenty-four  Japanese  distinct. 
If  any  reader  would  like  further  particulars,  let  him  write  to  the  Hon. 
Sacretary,  Mr.  J.  M.  Gibbs,  Spring  Bank,  Valley-des-Vaux. 
—  A  Spin  to  Southwell.— Until  recently  I  had  not  had  the 
pleasure  of  paying  a  visit  to  the  Southwell  Nurseries.  A  cycling  friend, 
who  is  a  lover  of  Roses,  wanted  to  see  Mr.  Merry  weather’s,  and  I  wanted 
to  see  Bramley’s  Apple  at  horn?.  We  saw  the  Roses  in  different  stapes 
and  sizes,  the  best  new  and  old  varieties,  in  the  best  of  health,  but  were 
a  little  too  late  for  the  flush  of  show  blooms.  For  the  first  time  I  saw 
‘‘  Bramleys  ”  in  all  stages  and  forms,  from  maidens  to  bearing  standards, 
sturdy  and  bold.  Though  this  Apple  has  spread  far  and  wide,  it  is  not 
so  well  known  as  it  should  be  in  the  western  counties,  where  growers  as 
a  rule  are  so  loyal  to  the  ”  locals.”  Having  had  enough  walking  for  one 
afternoon,  we  took  a  rest  until  it  was  time  for  us  to  get  awheel  again.— 
John  Ettle. 
-  Growth  Force. — The  growth  force  of  trees  is  something 
astounding.  Roots  have  been  known  to  overthrow  stone  walls  by  their 
continuous  growth.  In  rocky  woods  one  may  frequently  see  trees 
growing  in  the  clefts  of  rocks  ;  and,  although  the  cleft  may  have  been 
but  a  few  inches  wide  when  the  tree  started  into  life,  so  great  has  been 
its  growth  force  that,  in  maturity,  the  rock  has  been  pushed  apart  as 
widely  as  the  width  of  the  trunk  itself.  Trees  have  been  known  to 
mislead  surveyors.  Everyone  knows  that  a  tree  trunk,  once  formed, 
never  grows  longer;  and  yet  survey  marks  made  on  trees  have  been 
known  to  be  considerably  higher  when  the  tree  grew  older  than  when 
first  made.  In  these  instances  the  trees  have  been  growing  on  flat  rocket 
and,  by  the  increased  thickening  of  the  roots,  these  huge  trunks  have 
been  lifted  by  the  pressure  of  the  roots  upon  the  rock. — (“  Meehan’s 
Monthly.”) 
-  A  Tourist  Guide  to  the  Continent. — Acting  under  the 
authority  of  the  Great  Eastern  Railway  Company,  Mr,  Percy  Bindley 
has  prepared  and  published  another  of  these  most  useful  books,  which 
ought  to  be  in  the  possession  of  every  continental  traveller.  The  informa- 
’ion  is  conveyed  in  a  clear  readable  manner,  maps  and  smaller  illustra¬ 
tions  of  notable  places  embellishing  the  text.  The  chapter  on  cycling 
Toutes  in  Holland,  Belgium,  and  Germany  is  excellent,  and  should  be  of 
the  greatest  assistance  not  alone  to  wheelmen,  but  to  all  others  who 
propose  visiting  either  or  all  of  these  countries.  The  book  is  published 
at  6d.,  a  price  which  the  large  map  alone  is  easily  worth.  This  embraces 
Norway,  Sweden,  Denmark,  Prussia,  Holland,  Austria,  Hungary, 
Bavaria,  Wurtemberg,  and  Switzerland,  with  clear  indications  how 
towns  in  these  countries  may  be  reached  from  London  via  Harwich  and 
the  Hook  of  Holland.  This  publication  may  be  had  from  the  office, 
SO,  Fleet  Street,  or  from  the  Continental  Department,  Great  Eastern 
Railway,  Liverpool  Street  Station. 
-  Bramley,  Surrey.  —  The  annual  local  exhibition  at  this 
place  was  held,  as  is  customary,  in  the  beautiful  park  attached  to 
Colonel  Ricardo’s  residence,  and  the  really  lovely  gardens  and  houses 
were  all  thrown  open  to  visitors  to  the  show  without  reserve.  The 
competing  products  were  chiefly  from  cottagers,  and  were,  as  is 
customary  here,  of  excellent  character.  The  show  was  greatly  helped 
by  various  fine  honorary  exhibits,  including  a  splendid  collection  of  cut 
flowers,  Roses  being  prominent,  and  hardy  herbaceous  things  in  rich 
profusion,  from  Messrs.  J.  Jackman  &  Sons,  Woking.  Mr.  H.  Shoeamith, 
vlsoof  Woking,  sent  various  handsome  Cactus  Dahlias  that  attracted 
much  attention  ;  and  Mr.  W.  Virgo  of  Wonersh  bad  single  and  double 
Petunias,  Roses,  Dahlias,  and  large  Cucumbers.  A  very  fine  and  exceed- 
ingly  gay  group  of  plants,  though  rather  too  formally  arranged,  was  set 
up  by  Mr.  A.  J.  Joy,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Courage  of  Bramley.  Other  good 
groups  came  from  Mr.  Heather,  gardener  to  E.  R,  Fisher  Rowe,  Esq.  ; 
Mr.  Dyer,  gardener  to  Cowley  Lambert,  Eiq.  ;  and  Mr.  Callaway, 
girdener  to  R.  Worley,  Esq.  Cockscombs,  well  grown  and  of  fine  form, 
were  seen  in  all  these  groups.  Through  the  kindness  of  Col.  Ricardo,  the 
'  rum  and  fife  band  of  the  Grenadier  Guards  was  brought  down  from 
London  to  play,  and  there  was  also  a  fine  military  band  from  Aldershot. 
Paddon,  the  gardener,  left  his  beautiful  products  to  be  seen  in  the 
houses. 
-  Earlier  Opening  of  (Kew  Gardens. — Replying  to  a' 
deputation  on  this  subject,  Mr.  Akers-Douglas  is  reported  to  have  said 
that  the  raison  d'etre  of  the  existence  of  Kew  Gardens  was  the  valuable 
scientific  work  it  did,  and  he  could  not  be  expected  to  do  anything  in 
the  way  of  extending  the  hours  during  which  the  gardens  were  open  to 
the  general  public  if  it  would  interfere  with  that  work.  The  financial 
question  did  not  weigh  with  him  at  all,  for  if  he  were  convinced  that 
the  interests  of  science  would  not  suffer  by  the  earlier  opening  he  should 
endeavour  to  persuade  the  Treasury  to  grant  any  extra  money  required^ 
The  sole  question  for  consideration  was  whether  the  interests  of  science 
could  be  combined  with  the  desire  of  the  people  for  the  earlier  opening, - 
and  he  regretted  to  say  that  the  scientific  men,  whose  opinions  he  had' 
obtained,  were  entirely  opposed  to  the  proposal.  From  a  scientific  point 
of  view  the  experiment  had  not  been  a  success  in  Edinburgh,  and  they 
had  no  reason  to  anticipate  any  better  result  at  Kew. 
THE  DECAY  OF  GARDENING. 
The  ferment  behind  that  hideous  phrase  “  up  to  date  ”  has  set  its  seal 
upon  gardening,  and  year  by  year  it  becomes  more  apparent  that  the 
days  of  the  high-class  cultivator  are  numbered.  I  do  not  say  that  he 
views  his  own  extinction  with  favour,  but  none  the  less  the  times  are 
crowding  him  out,  and  his  place  is  being  taken  by  the  “  smart  ”  man  of  a. 
later  and  more  feverish  generation.  Old  gardeners  do  not  realise  the 
change  that  is  being  gradually  brought  about,  because  their  employers’ 
means  are  too  limited  to  permit  of  their  going  to  shows  and  other  horti¬ 
cultural  gatherings  as  they  used  to  do  ;  but  when  by  chance  one  of  them 
finds  himself  back  amongst  what  should  be  the  old  scenes,  he  is  shocked, 
and  dismayed  at  the  signs  he  sees  of  the  rapid  deterioration  of  the  craft. 
The  “  old  fossil,”  as  he  is  now  contemptuously  termed  by  the  young; 
bloods  of  the  profession,  has  a  hard  fate  before  him.  To  business  men  who 
make  money  quickly  such  old-fashioned  ideas  as  mutual  respect  and 
trust  between  master  and  man  are  unknown.  They  come  into  the 
garden  as  they  go  into  their  counting-houses,  and  reckon  up  their 
gardeners  as  they  reckon  up  their  clerks — namely,  as  so  much  flesh  and 
blood  that  is  capable  of  a  given  amount  of  labour,  worthy  of  a  given, 
amount  of  remuneration,  and  eventually,  when  the  capability  for  per¬ 
forming' that  given  quantity  with  the  same  expedition  as  they  did  in 
their  younger  days  is  gone,  to  be  sent  off  with  as  much  compunction  as 
would  be  displayed  ia  getting  rid  of  a  worn-out  cart  horse.  The  times 
have  changed,  and  with  them  are  changing  that  mutual  considera¬ 
tion  and  esteem  which  have  led  to  so  many  triumphs  for  British  horti¬ 
culture.  _ 
A  week  or  two  ago  I  came  upon  a  particularly  instructive  example  of' 
the  new  order  of  things.  Fifty  years  ago  an  excellent  gardener  ruled  on 
a  large  estate  in  the  south  of  England,  the  name  of  which  I  could  give 
if  any  good  end  would  be  served  by  it,  which  I  strongly  doubt.  He 
trained  his  young  men,  amongst  whom  was  one  of  his  sons,  in  the  same 
way  as  he  himself  bad  been  trained  before  them.  In  due  course  the  son 
succeeded  the  father,  and  worthily  upheld  the  credit  of  his  name.  But 
bard  times  came  for  the  noble  employer,  and  eventually  the  place  was 
sold  to  a  trade  king.  The  gardener  was  solicitous  of  following  the 
fortunes  of  his  old  master,  who,  however,  could  do  nothing  for  him,  and 
eventually,  at  the  earnest  request  of  the  trade  king  himself,  he  stayed  on. 
For  several  years,  indeed  until  ,tbe  young  gardener  had  in  his  turn  grown 
grey,  no  fault  was  ever  found  with  him,  but  within  a  we^k  of  his  sixtieth 
birthday  he  was  given  a  month’s  notice  to  leave,  and  in  his  place  was 
installed  an  “  up-to-date”  gardener,  a  young  naan  who,  on  the  strength, 
of  a  year  or  two  in  Kew  and  a  year  or  two  more  in  a  large  Orchid 
emporium,  was  considered  capable  of  managing  an  extensive  baronial 
garden.  _ 
It  is  this  sort  of  thing  that  brings  about  the  decadence  of  gardening, 
signs  of  which  are  now  so  abundant.  Let  us  turn  our  attention  to. 
Grapes.  Where  are  the  magnificent  examples  of  culture  that  we  met 
with  years  ago  1  Few,  I  think,  have  been  more  constant  visitors  to  the 
principal  exhibitions  during  the  last  two  decades  than  myself,  and  all 
too  palpable  it  is  to  me  that  the  standard  of  excellence  is  steadily 
declining.  There  must  be  many  who  sigh  with  me  for  a  eight  of  the 
Grapes  that  Mr.  Henderson  used  to  show  in  the  days  that  are  gone.  We 
do  not  see  their  like  now,  go  where  we  will.  Year  after  year  that  great 
cultivator  staged  splendid  specimens  of  Black  Hamburgh,  the  worst  of 
which — if  I  may  use  such  an  expression  where  all  were  of  such  a  high 
order  of  excellence — was  in  advance  of  the  best  that  we  see  now.  Can 
anyone  deny  this  ?  Can  any  ore  point  to  produce  of  the  same  marvellous, 
quality  as  that  of  the  famous  old  warrior  ?  And  if  not,  is  it  not  a  proof 
ihat  my  contention  that  there  is  much  to  regret  in  the  present  condition, 
of  gardening  is  true  ?  _ 
I  can  conceive  nothing  more  ridiculous  than  the  spectacle  of  a  man 
idly  indulging  in  pessimistic  reflections,  and  I  may  as  well  disarm  any 
opponent  who  contemplates  evading  my  arguments  by  applying  some 
such  description  to  me,  by  asserting  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  that 
no  such  petty  motives  actuate  me.  I  sound  a  word  of  warning  because 
I  believe  it  to  be  urgently  called  for.  If  unjustifiable  pessimism  is  bad^, 
not  less  so  is  that  easy  optimism  which  declares  that  all  is  going  welt 
