396 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  31,  1901. 
Young  Gardeners’  Testimonials. 
How  often  we  see  in  the  advertisement  columns  of  our  gardening 
papers  that  applicants  for  a  vacant  situation  must  enclose  copies  of 
testimonials  ;  yet  we  find  some  head  gardeners  who  decline  to  give 
their  young  men  written  character  testimonials  when  they  are  leaving, 
saying  when  asked  for  one,  “  Apply  to  me  any  time  you  want  help  and 
I  will  help  you.”  This  is  all  very  well,  but  does  a  young  man  always 
know  the  whereabouts  of  his  would-be  benefactor  ?  I  have  known 
several  instances  of  young  men  having  been  employed  as  journeymen 
in  gardens  for  two  years,  and  who  conducted  themselves  well,  having 
been  refused  a  written  testimonial  by  their  garden  chief  on  leaving. 
When  it  is  an  understood  thing  in  a  gardening  establishment  that  a 
man  who  conducts  himself  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  shall,  upon 
leaving,  receive  a  testimonial,  he  is  all  the  more  earnest  that  it  shall 
be  a  good  one.— Toot. 
The  Turnip  Flea  Beetle. 
I  do  not  ever  remember  seeing  so  many  of  these  insects  before. 
They  are  doing,  and  have  already  done,  great  damage  to  several 
Turnip  crops  that  have  come  under  my  notice.  In  one  instance 
the  leaves  were  literally  black  with  the  horrid  little  pest,  and 
even  after  a  very  heavy  rain  they  were  as  much  in  evidence  as 
ever.  Besides  the  Turnips,  the  Cabbage  section  is  troubled  quite 
as  much.  Many  bad  cases  I  have  heard  of.  Many  really  old 
hands  say,  “  That  never  before  have  they  seen  such  devastation 
among  plants  from  the  ‘  flea,’  ”  as  it  is  affectionately  called. 
I  cite  one  very  bad  case  I  heard  of.  Several  thousands 
of  plants,  i.e.,  Broccoli,  Kale;  and  Autumn  Cauliflower,  were  put 
out  after  a  nice  shower  of  rain,  and  everything  looked  promising 
for  their  well-being.  But  no ;  it  was  not  to  be,  for  the  next 
morning  after  planting  shoAved  the  terrible  ravages  of  the  Turnip 
flea.  The  amount  of  damage  in  a  very  short  time  proved  to  be 
so  great,  that  the  whole  plot  required  replanting.  Thousands  of 
fleas  made  their  appearance  in  the  short  space  of  twenty-four 
hours. 
Another  plant  I  notice  is  much  relished  by  the  Turnip  flea, 
viz.,  the  garden  Nasturtium  (Tropseolum  majus).  Hundreds  of 
the  little  insects  may  be  seen  even  on  very  small  plants ;  they 
seem  to  attack  the  edges  of  the  leaves  more  than  any  other  part. 
I  don’t  think  the  insect  in  question  is  the  Phytophaga  nemorum 
of  entomologists ;  it  is  of  a  metallic  black  colour.  The  small 
white  butterfly  (Pieris  rapse)  is  more  numerous  than  ever,  and 
plants  are  beginning  to  feel  their  presence.  The  large  Pieris 
(Cabbage  butterfly)  is  not  a  quarter  so  numerous. — W.  H.  R., 
Kent. 
- — - 
Chrysanthemums  in  the  Garden. 
We  are  on  the  eve  of  the  war.  Champions  of  the  Autumn 
Queen  have  girded  up  their  loins  ready  for  battle,  and  show 
blooms  and  new  varieties  will  claim  a  monopoly  of  attention  till 
the  season  is  over.  It  is  all  very  interesting  and  fascinating,  but 
I  question  whether  the  possibilities  of  the  popular  flower  have 
not  led  to  the  ignoring  of  its  usefulness  and  simple  beauty  in  too 
many  cases.  Fortunately  the  Chrysanthemum  is  a  cosmopolitan 
flower,  which  accounts  largely  for  its  immense  popularity,  and 
just  now  there  is  many  a  little  show  in  places  where  competition 
is  never  thought  of.  The  great  Japanese  flower,  or  the  faultless 
incurved,  have  charms  all  their  own  far  removed  from  those  of 
the  bunch  of  blossoms  that  come  as  they  please  on  the  semi- 
neglected  clump  in  the  garden. 
But  this  is  one  great  charm  of  the  Chrysanthemum.  It  will 
not  be  denied,  and  in  spite  of  inattention  it  comes  up  every  year, 
and  with  its  showy  coloui’s  brightens  the  dull  days  of  autumn,  if 
only  Jack  Frost  is  merciful.  As  I  write  our  village  is  far  from 
being  a  cheerless  place.  It  is  true  that  gardens  look  ragged  and 
untidy,  and  falling  leaves  hide  the  walks  and  cover  the  grass 
plots.  But  there  is  brightness  in  the  dying  leaves  of  the 
Virginian  Creeper  on  the  walls,  and  little  front  gardens  by  the 
wayside  are  resplendent  under  the  influence  of  the  Autumn 
Queen.  The  cottagers  do  not  bestow  much  trouble  on  the 
Chrysanthemums.  They  were  planted  in  the  first  place  in  the 
form  of  old  stools  obtained  from  friendly  gardeners,  and  by 
means  of  bits  cut  from  the  clumps  and  cuttings  handed  round 
they  have  multiplied  in  numbers  till  the  same  varieties  are 
represented  in  the  fronts  of  numerous  cottages.  And  these  are 
not  of  an  up-to-date  character  altogether,  for  in  the  cottage 
garden  there  flourish  varieties  that  once  figured  in  the  cream  of 
collections,  but  have  had  to  give  way  to  modern  introductions. 
There  is  the  bright  pink  of  Margot,  the  rich  bronze  of  Source 
d’Or,  the  feathery  white  petals  of  Elaine,  and  many  another  sort, 
the  names  of  which  are  almost  forgotten  by  Chrysanthemum 
specialists. 
But  what’s  in  a  name?  The  cottagers  think  nothing  of  the 
titles,  but  they  like  the  flowers,  which  do  so  much  to  brighten 
the  days  when  autumn  is  quickly  passing  into  winter.  A  few 
flowers  adorn  the  side-board,  there  is  a  bunch  for  the  visitor  who 
chances  to  call,  and  perhaps  a  box  is  despatched  to  a  relative 
who  lives  in  town.  And  the  others  remain  as  long  as  they  will 
linger  to  cheer  the  gloom  of  the  season  and  brighten  the  some¬ 
what  dull  aspect  of  the  garden.  While  gloating  over  victories 
at  the  show,  then,  and  enlarging  on  the  merits  of  the  chaste 
blooms  in  the  conservatory,  let  us  not  forget  that  the  Chrysanthe¬ 
mum  presents  one  of  its  greatest  charms  when  growing  semi-wild 
and  blooming  naturally  and  profusely  in  the  flower  garden. — 
G.  H.  H. 
• - - 
A  Kindly  Tribute. 
1  write  to  express  the  pleasure  I  experience  in  reading  the 
Journal.  It  is  a  paper  for  gardeners,  farmers,  landowners,  and  all 
others  interested  in  gardening  or  farming,  as  it  deals  with  subjects 
in  which  such  classes  are  interested  in  a  more  comprehensive  way — 
on  a  broader  basis  than  horticultural  publications  which  cater  prin¬ 
cipally,  or  only,  for  the  amateur.  The  spirit  of  “  fraternity  ”  which 
pervades  its  pages  inspires  gardeners  to  regard  it  as  “  their  journal.” 
to  which  they  may  look  with  confidence  for  sound  information, 
sympathy,  and  at  times  a  true  touch  of  humour.  Most  readers  and 
writers  throughout  Britain — and  indeed  Greater  Britain  across  the 
seas — are  drawn  together  by  a  bond  of  common  interest,  from  which, 
as  the  years  roll  on,  hosts  of  enduring  friendships  are  formed,  and  the 
influence  of  gardening  is  vastly  extended.  A  journal  which  continues 
to  do  such  splendid  work  must  ever  occupy  a  high  position  in  the 
horticultural  world.  Go  forward  with  your  work  and  prosper,  dear 
old  paper,  which  first  aroused  in  me  a  deep  interest  in  Adam’s  art. 
Such  is  the  wish  of  an — Old  Reader. 
Natural  Curiosities. 
Mr.  Albert  Brown  writes  from  The  Bank,  Barking,  Essex,  to 
say  that  he  has  an  Apple  tree  in  his  garden  which  is  in  flower  for 
the  second  time  this  year.  Mr.  F.  Fletcher,  of  <  Fair  View 
Terrace,  Matlock  Bath,  sends  a  Primrose  which  he  has  picked  in 
his  garden.  Mr.  F.  Bridger,  gardener  to  Lord  de  L’Isle  and 
Dudley,  Penshurst  Castle,  exhibited  at  the  Penshurst  Flower 
Show  forty  Potatoes  weighing  over  lib  each.  Mr.  W.  Bright,  of 
Terling,  Witham,  Essex,  has  grown  1261b.  of  Royal  Sovereign 
Potatoes  from  71b  of  seed.  Mr.  C.  H.  Wood,  jun.,  of  The 
Warren,  Theydon  Bois,  Epping,  has  had  13£lb.  of  Potatoes  from 
one  root.  Mr.  J.  W.  Cooper,  Nutbourne,  Pulborough,  Sussex, 
has  a  single  Tomato  plant  bearing  seventy-eight  Tomatoes  rang¬ 
ing  in  size  from  6  to  10  inches  in  circumference.  Mr.  J.  W. 
Titley,  of  Ascot  House,  Upper  Tichborne  Street,  Leicester,  has 
cut  a  yellow  Pumpkin  weighing  87Ub.,  the  girth  being  5ft  6in ; 
and  Messrs.  Cannell  and  Sons  staged  one  at  the  Drill  Hall  weigh¬ 
ing  1061b.  Many  readers  report  the  capture  of  specimens  of  the 
convolvulus  hawk  moth,  which  appears  to  be  unusually  plentiful 
this  year,  particularly  in  and  around  London. 
The  Amaranthus. 
No  herbaceous  border  should,  in  my  estimation,  be  without  a 
few  plants  of  this  genus ;  in  fact  the  border  without  them  is 
robbed  of  one  of  the  most  graceful  and  charming  subjects  it  is 
possible  to  obtain.  Two  species  of  genus  I  would  most  emphati¬ 
cally  bring  into  notice;  they  are  old  “stagers”  I  know,  but  in 
these  days  the  old  garden  plants  our  forefathers  delighted  in  are 
often  forgotten,  and  are  only  seen  in  places  where  the  manage¬ 
ment  is  still  under  one  of  those  genial  members  of  the  old  school. 
The  Love-lies-Bleeding  (Amaranthus  caudatus)  is  one  of  those 
plants  better  known  a  few  decades  ago  to  the  gardener  than  now, 
but  what  can  be  more  charming  in  a  mixed  border  than  this  plant 
with  its  pendulous  spikes  of  blood  red  flowers  ? 
It  is  very  often  because  these  many  charming  old-fashioned 
plants  are  so  easily  grown  that  they  fail  to  obtain  the  apprecia¬ 
tion  due  to  them.  The  Prince’s  Feather  (A.  hypochondriacus) 
with  its  purple  coloured  foliage,  and  strikingly  upright  spikes  of 
red  flowers,  makes  a  very  fine  contrast,  growing  in  close 
proximity  with  its  near  relative  the  forementioned.  Sown 
under  glass  in  March  and  planted  out,  their  requirements  are  few. 
But  if  the  protection  of  houses  is  not  to  be  had,  sow  the  seeds  a 
few  in  a  clump  and  thin  out,  in  the  open  border  in  April  or  early 
May ;  they  come  into  flower  a  little  later,  but  their  charms  are 
in  nowise  lost  for  that  reason. — H. 
