44 
JOURXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  'AXE  COTTAGE'  GARDENER. 
January  19,  1899. 
Londoners  have  long  had  a  fancy  for  window  gardening,  and  their 
flow’er-pots  frequently  have  not  been  properly  guarded  on  the  window 
ledge  from  the  effects  of  wind  or  accident.  It  is  hard  to  say  which  is 
the  mere  agitated,  the  good  lady  who  sees  her  cherished  flowers  fall  to 
ruin,  or  the  image-seller,  amongst  whose  ware  the  pots  descend  with 
destructive  force.  Wiser  nowadays,  people  guard  against  such 
accidents  in  the  usual  way  by  putting  a  wire  bar,  or  they  have  window 
boxes,  not  pots  ;  though  soiire  had  th  s;  boxes  half  a  century  since, 
and  one  plant  especially  a  favourite  was  Mignonette,  admired  for  its 
fragrance,  and  supposed  to  purify  the  air.  May  has  long  been  the 
month  when  the  sale  of  perennial  plants  and  early  sown  annuals  in 
pots  is  particularly  brisk  about  London  streets,  for  the  stcck  of  plants 
is  then  in  need  e  f  renewal. 
Also,  in  addition  to  the  window’  di.'plaj’,  there  arc  to  ba  found  in 
thousands  of  backyards,  stands,  large  or  small,  with  their  array  of 
pots.  These  were  formerly  conveyed  in  autumn  to  a  garret  or  cellar, 
to  reappear  after  the  winter,  at  least  such  as  survived  ;  but  now  the 
Lomloner  often  has  a  garden  frame  to  hold  t'nder  and  half-hardy 
plants,  or  perhaps  he  owns  a  miniature  conscrvaloijn  One  of  the 
metropolitan  street  cries  which  has  ceased  to  be  heard  is,  “  Buy  a 
bowpot ! ’’  Wlat  was  this?  A  “bowpot”  contained  a  plant  that 
had  the  support  of  a  bow  of  wood,  shaped  rather  like  a  kite,  which 
might  help  it  to  live  in  the  London  am,  “Oeraniums”  or  Pelar¬ 
goniums,  I  think',  wire  then  in  a  big  majoiity  amongst  window- 
plants.  IMyrtles,  of  course,  have  their  ])opularity  still,  and  the  Fuchsia 
was  spreading  aboad.  There  would  be  occasionally  a  Rhododendron  or 
Heath  ;  some  had  a  fancy  for  succulent  plants,  and  grew  Cactuses  and 
Sedums  in  pots. 
Londoners  at  one  time  could  boast  of  their  Roses,  but  the  smoke 
has  pri eluded  their  cultuie  in  the  metropolis  for  many  years,  and  it 
had  so  inci eased  as  to  be  hard  upon  Tulips  and  Camellias  early  in  our 
Queen’s  icign.  But  stiil  there  remained  jdeiity  of  old-fashioned 
]icrcnnials  for  beds  and  borders,  that  looked  giecn  al  the  summer, 
even  though  they  were  scaiit  of  ilow'ers.  It  was  noticed  by  Loudon 
in  his  time  that  the  mildness  of  its  average  winters  enabled  gardeners 
to  show,  cv.  n  in  December,  Larkspnis.  Violets,  Gentians,  Polyanthuses, 
and  other  autumn  or  spring  species. —  J.  R.  S.  C 
TOMATO  CULTURE. 
The  Tomato  (L\ copersicum  c.'cnlenlum)  was  introduced  into  this 
country  in  1596.  It  is  a  native  of  IMexico  and  South  America,  hut  is 
also  found  in  the  East  Indies,  whue  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  intro¬ 
duced  by  the  Spaniards.  The  Malay  name  is  Tamatte,  and  in  IMexico 
it  is  called  Tamalt  (Dr.  Hogg’s  “Vegetable  Kingdom,”  page  547). 
It  belongs  to  the  same  natural  order  of  plants  as  the  Potato -viz., 
Solanaceae,  and  is  cultivated  for  the  use  of  its  fruit  for  ccoking  as  a 
vegetable,  as  an  uncooked  ingiedient  of  salads,  for  making  Tomato 
sauce,  and  for  various  other  culinary  purposes.  The  fruits,  formerly 
called  Love  Aprpdcs,  are  sometimes  used  iu  a  green,  but  more  generally 
in  a  ripe  state. 
AVhen  the  Tomato,  or  Love  Aiiplc,  came  into  vogue  in  England  as 
a  vegetable  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain;  but  Abercrombie, 
writing  in  1788,  says  : — “  The  fruits  or  apples  of  these  plants  are,  in 
some  families,  much  used  in  sou]w,  and  are  also  often  used  to  pickD, 
both  when  they  are  green  and  when  ripe.”  lYhen  1  first  made 
acquaintance  with  Tomatoes  they  were  only  wanted  for  making  sauce, 
the  jilants  hc'ng  grown  against  soiitli  walls  on  the  vacant  space 
between  fruit  trees,  and  in  warm  situations  in  favourable  localities 
trained  to  staked  trellises.  In  ISIS  I  s.iw  Love  Appks  thus  grown  in 
the  open  as  far  north  as  York,  the  plants  being  ]  ut  out  when  not 
more  than  a  foot  high,  and  then  \<.ry  sturdy,  .short-jointed,  in  flown-, 
and  even  setting  fruit.  They  wcie  pilautcd  on  May  13ih  a  yarel 
apmrt,  and  protected  on  cold  nights  up  to  the  middle  e  f  June.  They 
bore  abundance  of  fruit,  and  ripened  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  well  as 
similar  plants  against  a  south  wall. 
Another  point  I  have  not  been  able  to  settle  is  when  Tomatoes  were 
first  grown  under  glass  for  jnaintainiug  a  continuous  snprply  of  fruit 
from  an  early  to  a  late  period  el  the  year,  or  even  throughout  the 
whole  year.  Of  course  I  know-  Love  Apples  Were  grown  in  greenhouses 
here  and  there,  partly  from  fancy,  and  partly  to  secure  a  suppdy  of 
fruit  in  cold  localities  for  the  elesirable  sauce.  Every  cook  seemed  to 
need  some  fruit  for  this  purpose,  and,  as  far  as  I  can  remember,  no 
other.  “Kitchen  servers”  have  generally  good  memories,  especially 
when  the  house  is  a  mile  or  mote  fioni  the  kitchen  garden.  There  was 
no  such  thing  in  that  C'stablishment  as  growing  IVmatoes  under  glass 
up  to  the  ripening  of  the  fruit,  nor  in  the  up-to-date  gardens  near  by, 
though  the  bedding-out  craze  was  at  its  height,  anil  there  were  many 
small  houses  or  pits  at  libiity  from  iMay  to  September  inclusive,  that 
could  then,  or  now,  have  been  utilised  fur  tlie  purpose.  After  the  Great 
Exhibition  of  1851  the  taste  for  everything  grown  under  glass  developed 
at  an  enormous  rate,  and  now  and- again  houses  of  Tomatoes'were 
to  bo  seen  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  until  they  became  quite 
general,  and  after  1870  a  number  of  establishments  sprang  into 
existence  in  which  Tomatoes  were  cultivated  on  a  vast  scale  under 
glass. 
Tomatoes  can  be  had  from  January  1st  to  December  31st — a  big 
stride  from  the  August  to  October  supply,  as  commonly  produced  half 
a  century  ago  on  south  walls.  Tomatoes  are  in  shops  every  day  in 
the  year,  and  it  is  a  question  of  the  home  grower  or  the  foreigner 
producing  them.  That  is  just  the  difference — an  outdoor  climate 
pitted  against  under  glass  cultivation.  Taste,  of  course,  has  to  answer 
for  this,Ahongh  not  being  conteid  with  the  supply  as  had  from  walls 
and  the  catering  for  it  by  growing  the  fruit  under  glass.  I  know 
many  walls  are  stdl  devoted  to  Tomatoes,  but  both  they  and  the  fruit 
trees  have  gone  under  glass  to  a  very  large  extent. 
In  the  goed  old  times — Ss.  a  week  and  bothy  for  a  growing  lad 
fiir  on  in  the  te  ens — there  were  no  eelworms  at  the  roots  of  Tomato 
plant®,  and  no  Love  Apples  with  scabbed  faces.  The  plants  w-ere 
grown  “  haril,”  and  they  defied  all  thoir  enem  es  in  the  soil  and  in 
the  air.  The  ciiltivator.s  knew  very  little  about  fertilisers,  save  the 
substantial  “muck,”  handy  lime  and  tell-tale  soot,  with  a  little  guano. 
S.ills,  except  common,  were  hardly  know-n  in  gardens,  yet  the  plants 
w-ere  healthier,  and  produced  as  good  or  better  crops  than  now  they 
are  forced  out  of  health  aud  into  disease. 
Professor  A.  II.  Church,  F.R.S.,  in  his  “  Food  ”  says  that 
Tomatoes  “leqeiire  gooel  soil  and  abundance  of  water,”  with  which 
I  do  not  culturally  agree,  for  tlm  more  water  the  more  “ret.”  But 
I  can  appreciate  his  analysis  of  the  Tomato  as  an  article  of  foed, 
and  give  (he  public  taste  cieelit  for  the  free  consumption  of  such 
healthy  and  wholesome  food. 
Eipc  Tomatoes  cont.dn  iu  100  parts  : — 
Water 
Albuminoids,  &c. 
Sugar  . 
Malic  acid . 
Cellulose  and  peotose 
Mineral  matter  ... 
The  nutrient  value  of  the  Tomato  is  more  than  twice  that  of  the 
Vegetable  Marrow,  and  it  contains  malic  acid,  which  is  said  to  be  good 
for'the  “  brain.”  Yet  how  the  asylums  multiply  !  People  must  really 
eat  more  Apples — Pyrus  Malus  vars. ;  and  Love  Apples — Lycopersicum 
csculentum  vars.  How  to  produce  the  latter  will  follow,  for  there 
is  no  reason  why  anyone  having  a  fair  garden  should  not  grow  Love 
Apples  for  his  household.  Theie  wdll  always  be  plenty  of  growers  for 
maikct.  Thus  ends  the  preamble. — G.  Abbey. 
(To  be  continued.) 
THE  LONDON  FRENCH  HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
There  w-ns  a  large  and  enthusiastic  nmster  of  members  aneJ 
supporters  of  tho  above  named  Society  on  Saturday  evening  last  at  the 
Imperial  Restaurant,  Strand.  Mr.  Drost  of  the  Kew  Nurseries  occupied 
the  chair,  and  was  supported  by  the  presence  of  several  English  Iriends 
of  the  Society.  After  the  dinner  was  over  the  President  of  the  Society, 
Mr.  Geo.  Schneider,  introduced  the  Chairman,  and  touched  briefly  upon 
the  progress  of  the  Society. 
Ms.  Dro.st  said  it  was  an  honour  to  occupy  the  chair  on  the  occasion 
of  their  t'  nth  annual  dinner,  f(,r  looking  back  in  tho  past  there  was- 
every  ground  for  great  satisfaction,  for  the  Society,  which  began  in  a 
small  wa}-,  now  numbered  something  like  500  members  in  all  parts  of  tho 
world.  Their  librar)-,  which  began  with  only  twenty  volumes,  now 
consisted  of  120,  many  of  which  during  the  past  year  had  been  rebound. 
Notwithst’inding  this  and  other  expenses,  they  could  congratulate  them¬ 
selves  upon  having  £22  more  in  the  bank  than  they  had  at  this  time  last 
year.  Much  of  tliis  success  was  due  to  the  devoted  and  active  efforts  of 
their  good  friend  Mr.  Schneider,  and  he  would  ask  them  to  drink  to  his- 
health,  and  this  was  done  with  a  burst  of  enthusiasm.  Mr.  Schneider 
replied,  anil  looking  round  the  room  said  he  was  gratified  to  see  so  many 
English  friends  present,  and  he  would  ask  them  to  drink  to  the  health  of 
tho  visitors. 
Imo  ediately  following  this,  Mr.  Guilloud  arose  to  make  a  presentation 
of  an  eleetrop’uled  cafetiere  to  Mr.  Schneider  as  a  mark  of  esteem  on  the 
part  of  the  members.  This  was  suitably  acknowledged,  and  then  Mr, 
Arnold  Moss  responded  in  a  humorous  vein  for  the  visitors.  He  felt  sure 
these  gatherings  did  an  immense  amount  of  gcod,  and  he  assured  his 
young  Frcne-h  friends  that  the  wish  of  the  English  people  at  large  was  to 
see  Prance  happy  anil  prosperous,  and  the  two  countries  on  the  most 
friendly  ter  ns,  expressions  which  evoked  the  heartiest  acclamations.  Mr. 
Gaehelin  proposed  the  English  Horticultural  Press,  to  which  Mr.  Haraan 
Payne  briefly  replied,  saying  tliat,  although  he  was  not  a  professional 
journalist,  he  felt  sure  that  the  EngU^h  Press  tooka  great  interest  in  their 
Society,  and  would  help  it  on  in  its  useful  career. 
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