532 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  19,  1902. 
Bothies  as  Moral  Nuisances. 
Be  not  afraid,  “Journeyman,”  that  bad  bothies,  even  such 
as  you  so  grapliically  depict  on  page  338,  will  ever  prevent  the 
“good  gardener”  being  “about.”  Evidence,  too,  is  not  want¬ 
ing  to  show  that  the  bothy  question  is  keeping  pace  with  the 
progress  of  gardening,  and  if  the  recent  discussion  upon  it  for¬ 
wards  the  matter,  so  much  the  better ;  but  not  a  few  ejvamples 
could  be  adduced  to  prove  that  the  lad  whose  love  of  garden¬ 
ing  is  deep  and  strong,  who  has  the  real  good  gardening  grit 
in  his  bones,  will  not  be  affected  one  iota  by  his  lodgings,  good 
or  Bad.  It  is  an  inherent  power  of  man  to  rise  superior  to  his 
suiToundings — adverse  surroundings.  Anomalous  as  it  may 
appear,  when  every  pebble  is  picked  out  of  a  boy’s  path,  and 
his  way  is  made  straight,  too  often  does  he  perversely  take  the 
cr^ked  turn.  For  instance,  how  many  head  gardeners’  sons, 
bright  intelligent  youths,  whose  lot  has  been  cast  in  pleasant 
places,  have  in  their  training  as  gardeners  utterly  disappointed 
their  friends  by  turning  out  failures!  Ah!  I  could  some  tales 
— sad  tales — unfold  to  support  this  statement  if  necessarj^ 
which  is  not  probable,  although  it  is  difficult,  perhaps  impos¬ 
sible,  to  understand  such  things;  but  the  facts  remain,  and 
“  darna  be  disputed.”  Although  the  old-time  bad  bothy  seems 
to  be  still,  unfortunately,  in  evidence,  let  no  lad’s  lodgings  be 
to  him  an  excuse  for  remissness  on  his  part  in  fighting  the  good 
fight,  firm  in  the  faith,  and  confident  in  his  powers  to  come  out 
at  the  top  if — if  he  so  wills  it. — An  Old  Boy. 
That  there  are  a  few  good  bothies  spread  over  the  kingdom 
does  not  even  afford  the  remotest  cause  for  pleading  the  despic¬ 
able  nature  of  the  greater  number.  Nor  is  it  at  all  likely  that  the 
great  majority  will  ever  rise  to  the  dignity  of  the  ideal  palaces 
we  so  often  see  suggested,  that  ought  to  constitute  the  modern 
bothy.  The  bothy  almost  invariably  is  the  only  place  from 
which  the  attention  of  the  visitor  is  diverted  when  shown  over 
the  garden :  the  why  need  not  be  stated.  Much  blame  has  been 
attached  to  the  proprietor  for  this  condition  of  tilings.  They 
may  not  be  altogether  guiltless,  but  I  am  bold  to  say  that  the 
greater  blame  attaches  to  the  head  gardener,  who  accepts  of  a 
charge  where  the  conditions  are  not  in  this  respect  at  least 
fOTOurable.  Let  him  be  honest  with  himself  first,  and  there  is 
little  fear  of  the  after  result.  He  should  never  mind  if  his  pro¬ 
spective  employer  oasts  him  aside  for  his  integrity,  which  pro¬ 
bably  he  will  not.  But,  alas!  how  different  matters  are!  It  is 
seldom  that  the  gardener,  when  engaging,  inquires  into  the 
state  of  the  bothy  at  all.  If  it  exists,  that  is  sufficient,  and, 
strange  to  say,  to  many  this  seems  a  necessity.  Mr.  “  H.  R.” 
is  somehow  dubious  about  my  relations  with  the  bothy.  He 
may  rest  assured  that  my  baptism  in  that  non-essential  part  of 
horticulture  has  been  duly  performed,  and  were  it  not  that  I 
had  a  natural  distaste  for  all  that  predisposed  to  horsiness,  rude¬ 
ness,  and  rusticity,  I  have  no  authority  for  thinking  that  I 
should  not  have  yet  remained  in  a  like  condition  to  that  of  the 
average  companion  I  foimd  there.  I  may  also  say  that  I  never 
took  kindly  to  the  bothy.  I  therefore,  when  possible,  preferred 
to  have  my  residence  situated  in  more  natural  and  congenial 
conditions.  The  bothy  is,  I  argue  not,  a  suitable  enough  place 
for  the  conservation  of  muscular  energy,  but  I  found  it  but  ill 
adapted  for  the  conservation  of  mental  energy— indeed,  a  place 
totally  unfitted  for  study.  I  never  was  too  selfish  to  deny  my 
companions  their  boisterous  ideas  of  enjoying  themselves,  though 
I  often  essayed  to  lead  some  of  them  into  a  more  satisfactory 
groove.  Without  discussing  the  nature  of  life  in  a  bothy,  it 
may  suffice  for  those  unacquainted  with  the  matter,  that  such 
would  not  for  a  moment  be  tolerated  in  third-rate  lodgings. 
This  being  so,  there  is  little  to  wonder  that  bothy  inmates  have 
a  decided  preference  for  such  a  life,  and  many  gardeners  have, 
on  account  of  their  environments,  never  been  able  to  brush  off 
the  effects  of  their  previous  associations  with  the  same  life,  fall 
into  the  error  that  it  is  practically  unassailable.  “  H.  R.” 
solicited  me  to  tender  a  substitute  for  the  bothy.  Well,  perhaps 
this  is  more  than  could  be  expected,  but  I  shall  inform  him  how 
I  got  on  in  his  own  country.  All  my  young  men  went  home  to 
the  family  circle  at  night.  There  was  no  necessity  for  their 
attendance  at  the  place,  for  I  had  an  upright  boiler  which,  when 
properly  regulated,  required  no  attendance  from  six  o’clock  at 
night  till  the  same  hour  next  morning.  The  fuel  was  anthracite. 
The  bothy  was  used  for  cooking  their  meals.  Sunday  duty  was 
similar  to  that  of  any  other  day.  I  have  a  predilection  for  per¬ 
manent  garden  hands.  The  nomadic  imbecility  which  prevails 
among  young  gardeners  is  detrimental  alike  to  themselves  and 
the  profession.  Give  men  pay  for  Sunday  duty  and  the  fullest 
consideration  for  a  weekly  wage,  and  turn  your  bothies  into 
Mushroom  sheds,  and  you  will  be  conferring  a  blessing  on  the 
men,  an  honour  to  society,  and  a  boon  to  your  employer. — 
C.  H.  S. 
Profitable  Apples. 
I  have  much  pleasure  in  giving  the  names  of  a  few  good  varie¬ 
ties  of  midseason  and  late  Apples,  of  upright  habit  of  growth, 
which,  I  think,  will  be  suitable  for  “Beginner”  (page  512)  to 
plant  among  Cob  Nuts.  Worcestershire  Pearmain,  Bismarck, 
Allington  Pippin,  Cellini,  King  of  the  Pippins,  and  Warner’s 
King  are  splendid  Apples  of  upright  habit  of  growth.  The  first- 
named  is  usually  regarded  only  as  an  early  variety,  but  in  reality 
it  will  keep  perfectly  well  till  Christmas.  For  use  after  Christmas, 
Gascoigne’s  Scarlet,  Lord  Derby,  Newtown  Wonder,  Annie  Eliza¬ 
beth,  Alfriston,  and  Northern  Greening  will  answer  admirably. 
Cox’s  Orange  Pippin  does,  as  “  Beginner  ”  suggests,  assume  a 
spreading  habit  of  growth,  so  also  does  that  grand  late  sort..  Lane’s 
Prince  Albert;  or,  perhaps,  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say  they 
have  a  compact  pendulous  habit.  Blenheim  Orange,  whose  only 
fault  is  that  it  is  a  long  time  in  coming  to  the  bearing  state, 
makes  a  large  tree,  but  its  branches  grow  strong  and  upright ; 
therefore  by  thinning  them  freely  and  trimming  the  lower  ones 
only  a  slight  shade  would  be  given  to  the  nuts  beneath.  This 
remark  really  applies  to  all  strong  growing  kinds.  Wyken  Pippin 
is  also  a  good  dessert  kind  for  January,  which  in  some  districts  is 
considered  almost  equal  to  Cox’s.  It  grows  very  upright — so 
much  so,  in  fact,  that  I  have  usually  considered  it  to  be  the 
weakest  point  about  it.  For  a  very  late  kind  Stunner  Pippin  is 
excellent.  I  also  advise  “  Beginner  ”  to  plant  trees  of  Beurre 
Clairgeau  Pear.  When  grown  in  the  open  the  fruits  are  not 
usually  good  for  dessert,  but  they  are  splendid  for  stewing,  and 
stewing  Pears  always  sell  readily.  This  variety  grows  very  up¬ 
right,  comes  into  bearing  quickly,  and  is  a  sure  cropper. — H.  D. 
Do  Bulbs  Rest? 
Yes;  we  all  know  they  do.  We  see  them  apparently  dry  and 
looking,  many  of  them,  worthless  and  dead.  This  is  their 
natural  rest — they  take  a  longer  night’s  rest  than  human  beings, 
but  then  their  day  is  longer.  This  rest,  however,  is  not  the 
rest  I  am  thinking  about.  Placed  in  a  favourable  position  for 
growth,  "do  they  sometimes  refuse  to  grow,  but  remain  sound, 
and  rest  for  a  whole  year?  I  think  that  occasionally  both  bulbs 
and  tubers  may  do.  so.  Writing  of  Liliums,  I  mentioned  that  a 
pot  of  L.  Harrisi  one  year  showed  no  signs  of  growth.  Examined 
on  several  ooca,sions  by  removing  the  top  soil  carefully  without 
disturbing  the  roots,  these  bulbs  appeared  perfectly  good,  but 
all  that  year  they  remained  dormant.  The  following  autumn  I 
turned  the  whole  lot  out,  divided  the  bulbs,  and  repotted  them, 
when  they  all  grew  and  bloomed  well.  Generally  I  start  my 
Gladioli  in  small  pots  in  the  greenhouse,  planting  them  outside 
in  May.  Last  year  one  refused  to  grow,  but  on  examining  the 
bulb,  it  appeared  sound.  The  pot  Avas  thrust  under  one  of  the 
stands,  occasionally  giving  a  little  water,  but  it  never  altered, 
and  on  several  occasions,  had  my  boy  been  at  hand,  I  felt  tempted 
to  tell  him  to  throw  it  away ;  to  my  surprise,  this  year  it  has 
started  growth.  I  have  at  the  present  time  two  Begonia  tubers 
which  have  thus  far  refused  to  start,  and  yet  when  I  remove  a 
bit  of  the  skin,  the  tuber  appears  sound  and  healthy ;  the  other 
is  a  seedling  tuber  of  last  year  that  did  not  bloom.  All  its  com¬ 
panions,  one  or  two  no  larger  than  a  big  pea,  have  started,  but 
this  tuber,  which  is  nearly  an  inch  across,  makes  no  sign.  Yet 
Begonia  tubers,  like  Potatoes,  will  grow  out  of  themselves  even 
when  wrapped  away  in  di^  paper.  Several  of  mine,  a  year  or 
two  since,  were  Avrapped  in  paper  for  later  planting  and  for¬ 
gotten,  but  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  thrust  themselves  into 
notice  by  growing  through  the  paper,  making  contortions  to  push 
through  the  points  of  least  resistance.  I  haA^e  also  this  year  a 
Gloxinia  tuber  that  refuses  to  start-,  yet  that,  too,  appears 
healthy.  I  shall  watch  these,  but  am  disposed  to  let  them  get 
di7  and  rest. 
In  the  case  of  Liliums,  it  is  not  always  possible  to  say  how 
a  bulb  will  do,  for  you  cannot  pull  the  bulb  to  pieces.  Its  outer 
appearance  may  be  favourable,  but  groAvth  may  be  very  Aveak, 
and  the  bulb  fail.  Still,  even  an  unhealthy  looking  bulb  should 
be  given  a  chance.  In  repotting  one  L.  auratum  last  autumn, 
I  found  one  that  I  replanted,  marking  the  label  “shaky,”  and  I 
fully  expected  it  to  die,  but  it  thrcAv  up  a  good  head  and  is  now 
coming  into  bloom,  whilst  one  that  appeared  sound  has  rotted 
away.  A  new  bulb  of  L.  rubro-vittatum,  Avhich  appeared  quite 
sound  and  Avas  a  fine  bulb,  commenced  to  grow,  but  had  scarcely 
'got  its  nose  out  of  the  ground  before  the  leaves  seemed  to  groAv 
crossAvays  and  refused  further  groAAdh.  I  have  put  this  aside  to 
dry,  but  feel  rather  less  confidence  in  a  bulb  that  has  made  an 
attempt  and  failed  than  in  one  that  remained  Avholiy  qtiiescent. 
— Y.  B.  A.  Z. 
