338 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  10,  1901. 
wandering  back  to  the  past,  when  he  practised  on  human 
beings  instead  of  the  fruits  of  the  Yine,  and  found  it  a  more 
congenial  occupation ;  only  we  hopefully  trusted  that  he 
never,  in  all  his  surgical  experience,  made  such  sad  havoc  of 
anybody’s  anatomy  as  he  made  of  certain  bunches  of  Black 
Hamburgh.  What  had  brought  him  down  we  could  easily 
guess,  as  we  observed  him  stealthily  take  a  small  flask  from 
his  coat-pocket,  and  marked  the  look  of  intense  gratification 
overspread  his  features  as  he  applied  it  to  his  lips.  Had  he 
taken  fewer  doses  himself  from  that  small  bottle  he  might 
still  have  been  dosing  other  people. 
But  perhaps  the  greatest  aristocrat  whose  mind  lightly 
turned  to  thoughts  of  Grape-thinning  that  season  was  a 
black-bearded  gentleman  who  appeared  in  a  tall  hat  and 
a  long  frock-coat,  articles  of  attire  which  he  was  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  persuaded  to  doff,  even  when  the  ther¬ 
mometer  stood  at  90  degrees.  What  he  was,  or  had  been, 
he  did  not  sa^  ;  but  he  carried  a  lawyer’s  brief  bag,  which 
earned  for  him  the  nickname  of  the  <l  Solicitor.”  If  he 
was  a  solicitor  he  would  have  been  a  very  poor  one  to  trust 
affairs  to,  had  he  managed  them  as  awkwardly  as  he  did 
the  few  bunches  of  Grapes  which  were  the  first  and  last  he 
thinned,  or  rather  hacked  out  of  recognition.  In  a  competi¬ 
tion  for  the  worst  possibly  thinned  bunches  his  would  have 
been  easily  first.  He  was  hopeless,  and  eventually  was 
detailed  off— tall  hat,  frock-coat,  and  all— to  crock  pots 
for  Tomatoes,  a  job  for  which  he  looked  about  as  eminently 
unsuitable  as  could  be.  But  if  there  are  some  for  whom 
our  pity  is  excited  at  the  misfortunes  which  have  caused 
them  to  stray  so  far  away  from  their  natural  sphere,  there 
are  others  who  cannot  but  cause  us  satisfaction  that  they 
should  do  a  little  honest  work  for  once.  Such  was  the 
“  Tramp,”  a  ragged  individual  of  sombre  visage  and  un¬ 
washed  countenance,  who  gained  his  cognomen  by  remarking 
that  he  had  always  had  a  strong  prejudice  against  railway 
trains,  and  of  late  years  had  always  walked  wherever  he 
wished  to  go.  Judging  from  his  appearance,  it  was  not 
difficult  to  believe  that  he  was,  indeed,  a  great  traveller. 
He  could  thin  with  remarkable  skill  when  the  foreman’s  eye 
was  upon  him,  and  could  do  nothing  with  equal  ability  when 
nobody  was  by.  He  said  he  did  not  intend  to  adopt  that 
work  as  a  permanent  occupation,  but  only  meant  to  keep 
at  it  long  enough  to  be  able  to  purchase  a  new  coat,  and 
he  idly  inquired  (not  that  he  had  any  personal  interest  in 
the  matter)  whether  there  were  any  marine  store  dealers 
in  the  locality.  He  sadly  wanted  a  new  coat,  though  it 
might  have  struck  some  people  that  a  previous  purchase 
should  be  a  piece  of  soap. 
One  day  he  appeared  in  a  new  coat,  a  coat  of  a  fine,  full 
flavour,  and  we  judged  he  had  found  that  marine  store 
dealer,  and  was  not  long  for  the  vineries.  He  seemed  to 
have  a  vague  idea  that  there  was  something  not  quite  right 
with  his  new  outer  garment,  for  he  explained  that  he  had 
accidentally  upset  some,  paraffin  oil  over  it.  A  peculiarly 
virulent  brand  of  paraffin  it  must  have  been,  like  no  other 
paraffin  on  earth.  He  had  plenty  of  room  to  work  that 
day,  nobody  molested  him  ;  had  the  marine  store  dealer 
provided  him  with  a  barrel  of  dynamite  he  could  not  have 
safeguarded  him  more  effectually.  He  did  not  appear  the 
following  day,  and  only  the  flavour  of  that  coat  lingered 
in  the  vinery  to  remind  us  of  him.  Whether  he  took  it  with 
him,  or  whether  the  odour  of  it  proved  sufficiently  powerful 
to  waft  him  away  to  other  regions  remained  a  mystery. 
There  was  another  man,  too,  who  did  not  take  up  Grape¬ 
thinning  as  a  means  of  earning  a  livelihood,  but  went  in 
for  it  just  as  a  pastime.  A  monied  man  he  was,  who  looked 
on  this  as  the  best  way  to  spend  a  pleasant  holiday.  For 
years  past  he  had  lived  a  life  of  idleness,  spending  thou¬ 
sands  in  the  wildest  dissipation,  and  he  was  ready  to  spend 
thousands  more.  He  was  merely  doing  a  little  work  for  a 
change.  In  view  of  these  statements  it  certainly  struck 
some  of  us  as  odd  that  he  should  never  neglect  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  borrowing  small  sums,  and  that  he  had  such  a 
shocking  memory  where  paying  back  was  concerned;  but 
perhaps  this  was  because  he  had  only  been  accustomed  to 
handling  very  large  amounts.  These  and  many  more  pro¬ 
vide  the  gardener  of  thoughtful  disposition  with  much  food 
for  speculation,  and  some  amusement ;  but  for  all  that, 
without  this  temporary  reinforcement  of  his  regular  staff 
the  nurseryman  would  often  be  hard  put  to  it  to  prevent 
his  Grapes  from  spoiling. — A.  W.  D. 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
‘•Here  awa’,  There  avva’.” 
Fruit  Trees  at  Southfields. 
For  years  past  Messrs.  Veitcli  and  Sons,  Ltd.,  tenants 
of  the  nursery  named  Southfields,  near  by  Fulham,  in  London, 
have  seen  the  steady  approach  of  line  upon  line  of  dwelling- 
houses  around  the  above-named  property.  So  near  have  these 
now  come  that  only  one  side  of  the  Southfields  grounds  is  left 
unbuilt  upon,  and  the  reason  for  this  is  that  here  there  runs  a 
roadway  beyond  which  the  builder  has  not  yet  thrown  his  bricks. 
Being  surrounded  in  this  way,  it  has  at  last  been  rendered 
imperative  to  transfer  the  growing  stock  from  this  Fulham  branch 
away  out  into  the  open  and  sunny  country,  free  from  London’s 
smoke,  and  almost  free  from  its  most  unwholesome  fogs.  As  is 
now  well  known,  the  new  nurseries  planned  by  Messrs.  Veitcli, 
are  situated  at  Feltham,  in  Middlesex,  and  within  forty  minutes 
run  or  less  of  Waterloo  Station.  Visitors  from  the  north  side  of 
London  would  probably  be  best  advised  to  first  make  for  the 
Central  London  Railway,  and  then  by  tram  to  Kew  Bridge 
Station,  where  trains  run  upward  to  Feltham.  No  planting 
has  been  done  at  Southfields  for  the  past  two  seasons  at  least. 
Young  stock  is  all  being  raised  at  the  large  Feltham  nursery. 
What  remains  at  Southfields  will  be  removed  before  a  year 
passes. 
At  the  present  time  one  may  see  some  exceedingly  well- 
trained  fan-shaped  Peach  and  Nectarine  trees  at  the  latter  place. 
Outdoor  pyramidal  Peach  trees  are  quite  a  speciality  here,  and 
sure  enough  there  exists  a  splendid  selection  to  draw  from. 
Small-sized,  or  full-sized,  for  the  immediate  filling  of  large 
spaces,  or  for  expansion  over  an  area  within  a  period  of  years, 
the  grower  may  find  what  he  desires  in  the  grounds  at  South- 
fields.  Extraordinary  care  is  exerted  in  the  training  of  all 
manners  of  fruit  trees,  but  most  particularly  on  trees  for  Avails  or 
for  indoors.  The  usual  cross-canes  are  not  thought  sufficient  to 
insure  perfect  straightness ;  additional  lacing  is  provided  Avher- 
ever  a  shoot  shoAvs  the  least  deviation  from  the  line  it  ought  to 
follow.  The  gridiron  and  candelabra  methods  of  training  are 
infrequently  adopted  in  these  days,  hut  for  the  sake  of  the  feiv 
Avho  still  patronise  this  form,  a  sufficient  number  of  trees  thus 
trained  are  found  at  Southfields.  Altogether,  there  are  nine 
acres  of  trees  and  bushes.  Mulberries  occupy  a  certain  limited 
area  ;  Pears,  Apples,  and  Plums  are  also  represented,  each  in  one 
or  other  of  their  popular  forms,  as  pyramids,  standards,  cordons, 
horizontal,  and  fan-shaped. 
Plums. 
In  the  present  fruit  issue  there  is  no  list  of  Plums  afforded, 
and  here  may  I  come  to  the  aid  Avith  a  feAV  names?  The  folloAv- 
ing  are  all  superior  varieties,  and  suitable  for  all  classes  of 
gardens  and  gardeners: — Archduke,  Belle  de  Louvain. 
Blue  Gage,  Brandy  Gage,  Bryanston,  Green  Gage,  Coe’s  Golden 
Drop,  Czar,  Denniston’s  Superb,  Diamond,  Early  Prolific,  Early 
Transparent  Gage,  Golden  Transparent  Gage,  Grand  Duke,  Green 
Gage,  IcltAvorth  Imperatrice,  Imperiale  de  Milan,  Jefferson, 
Jodoigne  Gage, Kirke’s, Late  Transparent,  LaAA'Son’s  Golden  Gage, 
Monarch,  Orleans,  Ouillon’s  Golden,  Pond’s  Seedling,  Prince 
Englebert,  Reine  Claude  de  Bavay,  Reine  Claude  du  Comte 
Hathem,  Reine  Claude  Violette,  Transparent  Gage,  Washington, 
White  Magnum  Bonum,  and  WTyedale.  For  a  description,  and 
for  hints  relative  to  each  of  these,  I  must  ask  the  reader  to 
consult  the  fruit-growers’  catalogues.  Under  “  Outdoor 
Peaches,”  on  another  page,  aaHH  be  found  a  list  of  the  varieties 
found  suitable  for  this  purpose  at  ChisAvick.  To  this  list  might 
be  added  Amsden  June,  Early  Silver,  Late  Devonian,  Sea  Eagle, 
and  Violette  Hative,  Avhich  are  good  varieties,  though  I  do  not 
indiscriminately  advise  the  planting  of  them  out  of  doors. 
Figs,  Oranges,  Apricots. 
The  collection  of  Figs  in  pots  is  a  very 'fine  one;  in  fact  one 
may  he  allowed  to  say  that  feiv  such  complete  lists  of  varieties 
exist  elsewhere.  The  bulk  of  the  plants  are  in  8in  pots ;  some 
are  grown  as  standards,  but  most  are  of  the  ordinary,  dwarf, 
bushy  type ;  others  are  for  trellises.  Oranges  for  pot-fruiting 
are  likeAvise  numerous.  In  the  open  quarters  were  Apricots, 
though  these  were  a  scarce  quantity.  Plants  for  spring  forcing, 
such  as  Deutzias,  Viburnums,  Azaleas,  Prunus  in  variety,  Cerasus 
and  Pyrus,  are  all  liberally  arranged.  In  ground  that  had  been 
cleared  Avere  large  beds  of  the  Lilywhite  Seakale,  and  also  of 
Asparagus  for  spring  or  autumn  planting.  The  Seakale  furnished 
a  splendid  sIioav,  and  all  aaTio  have  grown  the  Lilywhite  variety 
know  how  superior  it  is  over  the  ordinary  Seakale.  The  collec¬ 
tion  of  herbs  for  pot  use  is  embracive,  and  includes  Golden 
Thyme,  which  seems  to  have  become  so  scarce  in  many  nurseries. 
The  stock  of  pot  Ivies  and  Ampelopsis  is  unsurpassed.^ 
Wandering  Willie. 
