390 
JOURNAL  OF  UORTTCULTURE  ANT)  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
October  21,  1897 
sound  back  break.  Set  the  base  of  the  plant  well  up,  and  finish  off  the 
comjrost  neatly  and  firmly. 
Tlie  new  material  will  be  found  to  dry  very  rapidly  at  first,  and 
in  consequence  a  good  deal  of  water  has  to  be  applied.  But  it  must 
not  be  overdone,  or  the  compost  gets  sour,  and  the  fresh  young  roots 
will  not  enter  it  freely.  When  growth  is  active  the  plants  must  be 
watered  almost  daily  if  properly  potted  and  well  established;  but 
when  the  flowers  are  past,  and  the  plant  at  rest— for  this  Odonto- 
glossum  has  quite  a  distinct  resting  season — less  will  suffice.  By  no 
means  dry  the  roots  or  allow'  the  bulbs  to  shrivel,  but  make  a  distinc¬ 
tion  in  the  two  seasons.  In  a  properly  balanced  temperature  insects 
are  not  usually  much  trouble  ;  but  sometimes  scale  put  in  appearance. 
When  lii-f-t  seen  let  the  plants  be  well  sponged  leaf  by  leaf,  and 
continue  this  until  they  are  thoroughly  clean.  As  noted  above,  this 
plant  is  a  native  of  the  vicinity  of  Guatemala,  whence  it  was  intro¬ 
duced  in  1839,  and  llowered  for  the  first  time  in  this  country  two  years 
afterwards  at  Woburn. — II.  If.  1'. 
to  do  with  the  matter  ?  I  am  not  going  to  deny  the  obvious  fact  that  the 
liopulation  is  increasing,  nor  the  equally  obvious  one  that  with  more  windows 
we  have  more  plants.  But  these  people  are  not  gardeners,  and  what  is 
more,  the  millions  of  plants  in  towns  are  produced,  not  by  swell  gardeners 
who  hob-nob  together  at  show's,  but  by  plain  plodding  workers  whom  you 
never  hear  praising  each  other  or  extolling  their  own  abilities  before  the 
world.  It  is  the  work  of  the  classes,  not  the  love  of  the  masses,  of 
which  I  lament  the  decay.  I  rejoice  to  think  that  the  love  of  flowers  is 
spreading  amongst  the  people  as  much  as  I  deplore  the  decline  in  the 
standard  of  i)rofessional  work,  broadly  speaking,  because,  of  course,  I  know 
there  are  exceptions — a  fact  I  hardly  thought  necessary  to  explain  to 
intelligent  men. 
The  DECoit.4,Tioxs  Question. 
1  beg  to  ])Ut  “  Chrysanthemum  Lover  ”  a  plain  question.  In  the 
garden  which  he  managed,  and  in  connection  with  which  decorations  “  on 
a  gigantic  scale  ”  w'ere  carried  out,  was  there  the  full  round  of  customary 
gardener’s  work  ?  I  mean,  were  there  the  customary  ranges  of  vineries 
and  I’each  houses  ?  were  there  Cucumber  and  ^lelbn  pits?  was  there  a 
kitchen  garden  with  fruit  walls  ?  and  had  “Chrysanthemum  Lover”  charge 
of  them  all  ?  I  ask  these  questions  because  in  quite  a  number  of  places 
that  I  have  visited  of  late  years  there  have  been  such  reductions  in  other 
departments  as  to  far  more  than  balance  the  extra  decorative  work  ;  and 
1  put  it  explicitly  because  on  the  answer  to  it  depends  the  entire  position. 
I  know  of  more  than  one  place  where  the  “decorative”  man  has  no  fruit 
to  grow  at  all,  but  he  grumbles  as  furiously  as  if  the  supply  of  Covent 
Garden  itself  was  upon  his  shoulders.  If  his  excuses  are  not  “lame,” 
whose  are  ?  As  regards  “  Chrysanthemum  Lover’s  ”  other  remarks, 
perhajis  it  will  suffice  if  I  set  the  first  line  of  his  second  paragraph  against 
the  last  line  of  his  fourth.  Here  they  are  in  all  their  consistency : — 
(1) .  “  Is  gardening  decaying  ?  Certainly  not.” 
(2) .  “  This  has  been  the  cause  of  the  serious  deterioration  in 
gardening  in  many  places.” 
Traveller’s  Tales— and  Retorts. 
Yes,  “  Vespa  !  ”  I  am  (juite  prepared  to  point  the  way  to  better 
things,  and  to  begin  I  will  venture  to  give  a  little  lesson  in  grammar.  1 
cull  the  following  delicate  blossom  of  composition  from  his  second 
paragraph  : — “  What  would  he  have  when,  in  flinging  down  the  gauntlet, 
from  the  ‘  rock  bed  of  unassailed  accuracy  ?  ’  ”  Where  is  the  sequence 
here?  There  is  no  finish  to  the  sentence.  If  “Vespa  ”  had  left  out  the 
“  when  ”  I  could  make  something  of  it;  as  it  is  I  can  make  nothing.  If 
he  will  give  me  the  benefit  of  grammatical  criticism  I  will  answer  him  ; 
in  the  meantime,  this  lapse,  coupled  with  some  recent  criticism  on  the 
sjielling  of  fruit  names  at  the  Palace  Show,  suggests  one  direction  in 
which  gardeners  may  hope  to  achieve  “better  things.” 
The  Threatened  Boycott. 
For  a  dignified  answer  to  an  honest  criticism  commend  me  to  “  Oedo 
Nulli.”  He  retorts  upon  me  by  threatening  to  give  a  warm  quarter 
of  an  hour  to  the  next  unfortunate  “commercial”  who  steals  tremblingly 
into  his  autocratic  presence.  It  would  appear  from  this  that  “  Cedo 
Nulli’s  ”  only  conception  of  a  traveller  is  the  man  who  comes  along  with 
an  insict  wash  or  a  new  plant,  and  because  a  traveller  of  another  sort, 
one  who  moves  from  place  to  place,  even  myself,  records  the  result  of 
observation,  the  poor  commercial  is  to  be  snubbed.  Not  only  so,  but 
others  are  to  he  punished.  Imagine  an  agent  for  a  “  Critic’s  Educator,” 
“  Florists’  Instructor,”  “  Gardeners’  Dictionary,”  or  any  other  valuable 
work  apjiroaching  “  Cedo  Nulli !  ”  Author,  artist,  printer,  jiublisher— all  are . 
bundled  off  unceremoniously  in  the  person  of  the  miserable  agent.  Is 
this  justice,  as  administered  by  the  modern  gardener  ?  And  if  it  is,  what 
about  fair  play  ?  Is  that  decaying,  too  ? 
Belated. 
I  should  like  to  explain  *o  those  of  my  opponents  who  honour  me 
with  attention  in  various  ways,  that  I  cannot  always  keep  up  to  date  in 
returning  the  compliments  they  shower  upon  me.  Many,  and  often  long, 
journeys  forbid,  and  rests  protracted  enough  for  writing  ai'e  only 
occasional.  The  life  is,  perhaps,  on  the  whole  no  better  than  was  spent 
in  the  days  of  growing  and  showing,  potting  and  pruning,  digging  and 
decorations,  and  other  items  in  the  gardener’s  life,  but  one  sees  and  hears 
much.  Then,  in  addition,  liberty  is  sweet,  and  the  “crumbs”  picked  np 
by  the  way  would  be  sweeter  but  for  that  novelty  to  gardeners — the 
income  tax. — Traveller. 
The  several  articles  which  have  ajipeared  of  late  bearing  on  the 
decadence  of  gardening  have  awakened  much  interest  among  the  hosts  of 
.lournal  readers,  and  although,  no  doubt,  there  have  been  many  truths 
advanced,  there  is  undoubtedly  some  sus]iicion  of  exaggeration  in  other 
cases.  The  contribution  by  “  Chrysanthemum  Lover  ’  (page  344)  was  no 
less  interesting  than  some  other  previous  articles,  and  contained  many 
truths  concerning  the  present  and  past  state  of  gardening. 
Your  correspondent  truly  says  that  gardening  is  not  decaying,  but 
changing  in  form.  In  how  many  private  places  now  is  there  not  some 
competition  with  the  market  men,  and  this,  too,  on  a  reduced  staff  to 
carry  on  the  work  ?  This  may  not  be  true  in  the  case  of  smaller 
gardens  surrounding  i)rovincial  towns  and  cities,  but  in  large  country 
seats,  where  incomes  are  derived  mainly  from  the  land,  there  is  this 
restriction  of  labour  and  capital,  and  a  larger  outimt  demanded  to  helji  to 
maintain  it.  In  the  face  of  such  surroundings,  how  can  gardening  in  its 
true  sense  be  carried  on  1  and  how  can  fruit  trees  on  the  open  walls  be 
trained  to  the  perfection  that  obtained  in  the  olden  days  ? 
IS  aAlIDENINa  DEOAYINa? 
In  a  multitude  of  critics  there  is —confusion.  Full  cry,  indeed  1  1 
should  think  they  are  ;  but,  after  all,  there  is  very  little  wool.  I  am  not 
(juite  sure  m  what  order  I  ought  to  deal  with  them  ;  so,  in  the  words  of 
wise  old  Will,  I’ll  stand  upon  no  order  at  all.  l’erha])s  I  am  here 
suggesting  a  dangerous  parallel,  since  his  heroine’s  mental  state  was 
not  of  the  soundest  when  the  adjuration  was  laid  upon  her,  and  she  got 
worse  instead  of  better  later  on.  But  lam  not  quite  “gone”  yet,  and 
there  will  have  to  be  a  good  deal  more  pungency,  as  well  as  cogency,  in 
future  rejoinders  than  in  those  in  the  issue  of  October  7th  before  my 
mental  balance  is  disturbed. 
The  Grapes  and  their  Apolohist. 
There  is  such  a  charm  and  delicacy  of  touch  in  the  work  of  one 
literary  artist  that  I  think  he  fairly  claims  first  attention,  and  1  hope  both 
he  and  everybody  will  perceive  at  a  glance  that  I  am  nothing  if  not  fair. 
This  artist,  “A.  D.,”  in  his  sweet  and  pleasant  way,  refers  to  me  as  a 
“croaker.”  Was  this  corres])Ondent  so  absorbed  in  his  new  character  of 
apologist  for  Grape  growers  as  to  forget  that  an  epithet,  however  care¬ 
fully  selected,  is  not  argument  ?  Truly,  when  I  bear  in  mind  his  recent 
performances  I  ought  to  feel  how  seriously  I  have  vilified  British  Grajte 
growers.  Anyway,  nobody,  it  is  clear,  is  to  blame.  What  matter  if  our 
exhibitors  cannot  get  their  bunches  to  the  show  without  dividing  them 
into  sections  (like  Nile  boats)  and  then  putting  them  together  again  ? 
“  A.  n.”  comes  along  and  proves  that  all  is  as  right  as  right  can  ))e.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  you  only  have  to  look  at  it  in  the  ])roper  way  and  you 
see  at  once  that  far  from  gardening  being  decaying  it  is  taking  on  new 
attril)Utes.  Shades  of  Dickson  and  of  Henderson !  What  a  great 
honour  it  must  be  for  these  Grape  mechanics  to  be  made  to  shine  so 
brightly  under  the  limelight  turned  on  by  the  gentle  “A.  I).  !” 
The  Palace  Grapes  and  “A.  D.” 
But  “  A.  D.”  has  another  rod  in  juckle  for  the  croaker.  He  shows  by 
the  apologetic  attitude  which  he  assumes  towards  them  that  the  Grapes 
at  the  Crystal  Palace  were  not  what  they  should  be.  This  might  be 
assumed,  without  any  undue  straining  of  the  significance  of  facts,  to  be 
something  in  the  nature  of  a  corroboration  of  the  croak.  But  not  at  all. 
“  A.  D.”  triumphantly  proves  that  no  weight  whatever  should  be  attached 
to  it ;  indeed,  it  might  almost  be  imagined  that  it  was  a  matter  for  congratu¬ 
lation  all  round.  To  employ  plain  words,  his  remarks  are  either  a  tissue 
of  trivial  excuses  or  else  a  serious  reflection  on  the  good  sportsmanship 
of  our  Grape  growers,  and  of  their  loyalty  to  the  leading  Society.  In  the 
old  days  our  best  exhibitors  were  not  such  ignoble  money-grubbers  as  to 
hold  aloof  from  rei)resentative  shows  because  the  prizes  were  small.  They 
fought  in  no  small  degree  for  the  credit  of  themselves,  their  craft,  and 
their  country.  Has  the  fever  of  the  gold-hunter  spread  itself  over  horti¬ 
culture  ?  Do  we  look  for  a  De  Beers  mine  under  the  roof  of  the  Drill 
Hall,  and  a  Klondike  in  the  grounds  of  the  Crystal  Palace  ? 
The  Mutual  Admiration  Association. 
A  cool  old  rider  is  “  Melton.”  He  has  no  doubt  been  over  a  fence  or 
two,  and  a  spill  more  or  less  is  of  small  consequence.  He  thinks  me  a 
little  hard  in  girding  at  the  Mutual  Admiration  Association  into  which 
gardening  has,  in  my  opinion,  resolved  itself,  but  he  does  not  forget  to 
turn  the  ]>hrase  against  an  opponent.  A  Mutual  Admiration  Association 
of  one  I  How  now,  “  H.  D.”  ?  Prove  that  the  thing  which  exists  in  the 
unit  does  not  exist  in  the  whole,  and  you  will  do  horticulture  a  service,  as 
well  as  bring  down  confusion  on  my  offending  head.  Perhajis  you  would 
prefer  to  suggest  that  there  is  no  whole  and  only  one  unit— the  aforesaid 
“(Melton.”  Jt  would  do  Just  as  well  for  me;  but  I  cannot  take  the 
Mutual  ^yimiration  Association  with  the  same  ease  that  he  does.  It  is  an 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  real  progress,  and  it  might  have  for  its  motto  an 
ancient  coujdet  (slightly  altered)  : 
Be  to  our  faults  botli  deaf  and  blind,  in  need  ; 
And  to  our  merits  very  kind  indeed. 
The  Classes  and  the  Masses. 
It  occurs  to  “  Chrysanthemum  liover”  as  a  triunijihont  refutation  of 
my  contention  that  gardening  is  decaying  to  advance  the  sjiroad  of  flower 
culture  among  the  dwellers  in  our  great  towns.  What  on  earth  has  that 
f 
