ICO 
JOURNAL  OF  HOROriCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Februar)'  9,  1899. 
probationary"  days  entered  avitb  heartiness  into  whatever  work  was 
set  them  to  do.  who  did  not  shrink  from  the  diiidgery  of  labour,  and 
Avho  went  perseveringly  on  step  by  step  through  section  after  section ; 
who  lost  no  opiwrtimity  of  acquiring  knowledge — theoretical  and 
practical — to  equip  themselves  for  the  contest  with  men  of  strength, 
and  each  year  getting  stronger  and  more  numerous,  for  industrial 
supremacy. 
Those  are  the  young  men  who  win — men  who  concentrate  their 
studies  on  tii(se  particular  subjects  that  are  the  most  likely  to  bo  of 
service  to  them,  and  then  apply  the  knowledge  obtained  sedulously  and 
untiringly — or,  in  other  words,  educate  themselves  to  become  both 
clear,  sound  thinkers,  and  skilled  wmrkers.  They  then  not  only  know" 
what  should  be  done,  but  who  can  show  the  way  to  do  it  in  the  best 
manner,  IMen  who  have  for  a  time  to  rely  on  their  own  mental 
and  physical  activities  are  just  tbe  men  to  make  the  greatest 
headway  ;  and  they  are  also  the  most  capable  of  extracting  the  best 
services  from  otheis  whom  they  may  eventually  have  to  control. 
An  episode  once  recorded  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  by  a  fine 
old  gardener,  Robert  Fish,  will  enforce  this  point.  Hearing  what  he 
called  a  “pretty  quarrel”  between  a  mistress  and  her  maidservant,  the 
latter,  stung  into  casting  what  she  thought  a  withering  reproach, 
declared,  “  I  took  you  for  a  lady  ;  if  I  had  known  you  had  previous!}" 
been  a  servant  I  would  never  have  served  you,  that  I  wouldn’t.” 
Probably  the  mistress  knew  too  much,  and  possibly  may  have  expected 
too  much  ;  but  be  this  as  it  may,  a  gardener  cannot  know  too  much 
practically  as  w"ell  as  scientifically,  but  especially  practically,  for 
achieving  tbe  greatest  success  in  either  a  private  or  a  commercial 
(.stablisliTpent. 
For  obtaining  a  rich  store  of  knowledge  of  the  right  kind  is  a 
question  of  diligence,  and  not  that  alone,  but  also  of  time.  It  cannot 
be  purchased  by  sending  young  people  for  a  year  or  two  of  studentship 
at  an  institution  or  in  a  garden  or  nursery.  At  the  best,  and  the 
teaching  may  be  good,  such  a  course  of  instruction  can  only  be 
regarded  as  preparatory,  and  much  further  experience  is  requisite 
before  a  man  (or  wmman)  can  become  in  any  sense  a  creditabl 
gardener,  w'hile  as  to  starting  such  fledglings  in  business,  it  would  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten  amount  to  throwing  away  money. 
So  far  as  regards  the  supply  of  private  gardeners,  we  suspect  it 
will,  under  w"har,  may  be  termed  natural  conditions  of  increase,  always 
exceed  the  demand  ;  and  we  are  convinced  that  the  best  course  of 
training  for  well  educated,  studious,  and  prudent  3"oung  men  is  to  be 
found  in  the  w"ell-equipped  and  ably  managed  gardens  that  are  happily 
found  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  As  to  the  training  of 
others  who  are  fascinated  by  the  charms  of  gardening,  but  have  not 
been  “brought  up  ”  to  the  calling  :  Some  may  be  expected  to  succeed, 
and  a  few  may  even  establish  lucrative  businesses,  but  it  is  practically 
impossible  that  anything  like  all  can  be  winners  in  this  lottery  of  life, 
and  we  very  inuch  fear  that  bitter  disappointment  will  be  the  lot  of 
many^ 
The  gardening  of  the  future  appears  to  float  before  the  vision  of 
those  who  see  it,  or  think  they  see  it,  as  a  golden  dream,  and  that 
they  have  only  to  make  their  desire  known  to  find  a  happy  position 
within,  to  them,  the  charmed  domain.  Little  do  they  know  ot  the 
actual  facts — of  numbers  of  w’ell  trained  young  men  seeking  in  vain 
for  positions  which  they  are  competent  to  fill ;  and  of  men  no  longer 
young — men  of  character  and  ability,  groaning  under  12s.  or  15s.  a 
aveek,  in  nurseries,  waiting  for  appointments  month  after  month,  and 
waiting  in  vain. 
As  an  example  of  the  feeling  which  seems  to  exist  that  gardeners 
are  scarce,  and  that  a  highly  respectable  and  worthy  youn^" 
man  has  only  to  hold  up  his  hand  to  have  his  services  competed  foiq 
a  few  remarks  from  one  of  many  similar  letters  may  be  cited  as 
follows 
“  I  should  be  glad  of  your  advice  on  ‘  fruit  growing  under  glass  ’ 
and  gardening  on  a  private  estate,  such  as  is  carried  on  at  Petworth 
Park  and  such  ])laces.  I  have  been  a  pupil  in  a  market  nursery  for 
eighteen  months,  and,  I  think,  have  a  fairly  good  knowledge  of  a 
market  nursery  to  be  obtained  in  so  short  a  time;  but  1  have  been 
advised  by  two  or  three  people  to  give  up  the  idea  of  this  business 
branch  and  take  up  the  other  I  mention.  I  should  be  glad  if  you 
could  tell  me  what  you  think  of  fruit  growing  for  market.  I  should 
have,  when  ready  to  start,  very  little  capital,  and  think  that  this  is  a 
great  thing  in  fruit  growing.  With  regard  to  private  gardens,  I 
have  been  trying  to  obtain  a  start  for  the  past  year,  but  without 
success.  I  have  been  advertising  lately,  but  only  had  one  reply  in  a 
fortnight,  which  was  no  good.  I  feel  'sure  that  I  am  not  going  the 
right  way  to  -work,  and  should  be  glad  if  you  could  tell  me  if  I  am 
advertising  in  the  proper  paper,  or  give  me  any  other  advice.” 
The  writer  of  the  above  letter  may  be  a  man  of  energy,  and 
he  evidently  has  confidence  in  himself  to  think  that  “  very  little 
capital  is  a  great  thing  ”  in  starting  in  the  business  of  fruit  growing. 
From  one  point  of  view  it  suggests  a  possible  advantage — namely,  in 
there  not  being  very  much  to  lose.  What  we  sh.ould  think  very  much 
better  would  be  at  least  thrice  the  am.ount  of  experience,  and  letting 
the  capital  grow  till  half  of  it  would  suffice  for  a  start,  leaving  the 
remainder  for  extension  if  the  beginning  proved  satisfactory. 
What  could  be  said  in  reply  to  such  a  letter  than  that  in  the 
absence  of  friendly  influence  lor  gaining  a  start  in  a  private  garden, 
the  chances  of  its  writer  attaining  his  object  were  extremely  remote ; 
that  young  men  with  years  of  training  would  naturally  be  preferred 
for  filling  vacancies  in  gardens;  that  “Petworth  Park  and  such 
places”  wore  only  filled  by  men  of  wide  experience  and  strong 
recommendations  ;  that  he  has  not  had  half  enough  experience  in 
even  one  section  to  master  it ;  and  that  inclination,  hoavever  strong — 
even  amounting  to  devotion,  enthusiasm  —  cannot  compensate 
for  lack  ot  experience. 
These  are  our  convictions,  and  in  the  interests  of  dreamers,  as 
well  as  in  those  of  experienced  men,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  make  the.«e 
convictions  widely  known.  To  think,  as  some  excellently  disposed 
people  appear  to  think,  that  by  payment  of  a  iee,  no  matter  of  what 
amiiUnt,  good  men  worthy  of  the  name  of  gardener  can  be  sent  into 
rbe  world  after  eighteen  months’  or  tw"o  years’  tuition  is,  in  our  opiiniou, 
one  of  the  greatest  fallacies  of  modern  times. 
PEACHES  AND  NECTARINES. 
The  Peach,  we  are  told,  originated  in  Persia,  but  I  am  not  going  to 
dw"i  11  on  that,  for  we  all  know  it  does  well  in  this  country  with  the 
])rotection  of  a  wall.  In  outdoor  culture  aspect  is  the  first  considera¬ 
tion.  A  good  south  wall  is  the  best,  if  available  ;  if  not,  a  w'est,  or 
even  east,  if  not  in  foo  elevated  position,  where  the  trees  would  catch 
the  cold  winds  W"hich  are  so  disastrous  in  early  spring. 
The  position  being  decided  on,  the  borders  must  be  prepared,  and 
it  all  depends  on  the  state  of  the  land  as  to  w"hat  should  be  done,  as 
if  et  and  heavy  the  border  must  be  drained.  This  will  entail  a  fair 
amount  of  labour,  and  should  be  in  no  way  neglected.  If  room  can  be 
spared  the  border  ought  not  to  be  less  than  8  feet  wide.  All  the 
soil  should  be  taken  out  to  about  3  feet  deep,  and  a  layer  of  drainage 
put  in,  consisting  of  clinkers  and  brickbats,  having  previously 
sloped  the  bottom  outwards  about  an  inch  to  the  foot.  This,  with  the 
aid  of  a  drain  under  the  walk,  will  answer  very  w"ell.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  subsoil  is  dry  and  sandy,  this  will  have  to  be  removed  and 
replaced  by  suii able  soil ;  but  should  the  border  contain  good  soil,  a 
trenching  w'ill  be  all  that  is  required,  mixing  in  a  fair  amount  of  lime 
rubbish  and  charcoal  to  keep  the  border  sw"eet,  with  an  addition  of 
w"ood  a^hes. 
Having  taken  the  soil  out  it  must  be  substituted  by  something  better. 
The  best  staple  is  sound  turfy  loam,  but  I  am  afraid  expense  has  to  be 
spared  sorae'imes,  so  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  lay  down  a  hard  and 
fast  rule.  I  should  say,  therefore,  the  soil  must  approach  the  loam  as 
near  u<'ssible,  mixing  with  it  such  ingredients  as  I  have  previously 
mentnmed  ;  but  on  no  account  must  animal  manure  be  used,  for  if  the 
soil  is  in  any  way  good  it  will  help  to  produce  rank  growth,  which  is 
difficult  to  control.  The  trees  can  always  be  helped  by  top-dressing. 
In  jilanting,  the  trees  should  be  at  least  15  feet  apart,  but  give 
20  feet  if  space  can  be  spared.  I  think  it  a  good  plan  to  afford  a  fair 
an'«'n>'t  r^'ora,  for  crow"ding  means  hard  cutting,  which  Peaches  do 
not  apiveciate.  It  is  often  the  practice  when  planting  fan-trained 
trees  (which  are  the  most  popular  form)  to  supplement  with  standards, 
as  it  helps  to  fill  the  vacant  space  until  the  others  get  up,  when  the 
“  ride'-^  ”  are,  of  course,  removed  to  give  place  to  the  permanent  ones. 
The  ena  oi  October  or  beginning  of  November  is  the  best  time  for 
planting. 
The  best  trees  for  planting,  in  my  opinion,  are  two-year-old  from 
maidens,  unless  quicker  returns  are  wanted,  then  of  course  other  trees 
must  b'- ntiiisi  d.  Care  must  be  taken  to  plant  about  6  inches  from 
the  wall  and  not  deeper  than  the  tree  has  been  previously  growing. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  with  proper  planting  the  trees  will  start  with 
healthy  growth  as  soon  as  the  spring  arrives. 
It  IS  not^de.drable  to  lay  down  any  rule  with  regard  to  training, 
but  the  branches  must  be  kept  well  down  on  each  side  to  keep  the 
middle  open,  as  if  this  is  not  done  strong  central  growths  will  be  pro- 
duied.  It  is  very  well  to  state  a  systematic  way  of  training,  but 
more  often  than  not  the  grower  cannot  get  the  buds  to  break  just 
where  he  wants  them,  and  so  has  to  shape  the  tree  as  best  he  can  ; 
not  that  I  am  going  to  speak  against  systematic  training,  for  I  think 
it  is  a  great  help,  especially  to  beginners.  Care  should  be  taken 
not  lo  overcrowd  the  trees,  for  weak  and  unripened  wood  is  of 
little  use. 
Het'ling  in  the  young  shoots  should  not  be  neglected  as  soon  as 
they  are  about  6  inches  long.  It  keeps  them  at  the  proper  angle,  and 
