January  22,  1903 
83 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
Cheap  Book  cn  Tre{s  and  Shrubs. 
In  the  review  of  “Trees  and  Shrubs  for  English  Gardens,” 
page  Oo,  it  is  mentioned  that  “  Webster’s  ‘  Ornamental  Flower¬ 
ing  Trees  and  Shrubs,’  till  it  went  out  of  print,  tvas  greatly  in 
demand,  being  very  cheap  and  very  useful.”  I  might  say  that, 
there  are  still  a  few  copies  of  the  second  edition  for  disposal, 
and  that  I  hope  before  long  to  publish  a  third  edition,  bringing 
the  whole  up-to-date.  -  A.  I).  '\’','ebstkk. 
Book  on  Table  Decorations. 
Our  attention  has  just  been  drawn  to  your  correspondent’s 
(Mr.  George  Hockney)  remarks  on  page  49  in  your  issue  of 
last  week.  Since  his  transactions  with  Mr.  D.  W.  Morgan,  the 
premises  at  Westminster  have  been  pulled  down  for  improve- 
jnents,  and  the  business  transferred  to  8,  St.  Mary-at-Hill, 
London.  E.C'.,  carried  on  under  the  name  of  Morgan  and  Com¬ 
pany.  We  enclose  a  copy  of  our  latest  catalogue,  and  .shall 
bo  plea.sed  to  send  Mr.  Hockney  one  upon  receipt  of  his 
address.  Low’si  book  on  “  Table  Decoration  ”  is  now  quite  out 
cf  print,  and  there  is  unfortunately  no  other  in  the  market  at 
present  sufficiently  advanced  to  take  its  place. — Mougan  and 
Co.MPANV. 
•  • - 
Emi^ratioi|. 
As  emigration  is  much  talked  of  at  present,  perhap.s  a  few 
Avords  from  one  cvho  emigrated  to  Canacla  (but  returned  owing 
to  failing  health)  might  not  be'  cut  of  place.  I  started  from 
Liverpool  on  the  Allan  boat,  Tunisian,  in  April  of  1900,  and, 
after  a  good  voyage  of  nine  days,  reached  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia. 
All  the  passengers  for  Manitoba  lauded  here,  and  then  the  boat 
started  for  Portland,  in  Maine,  U.S.A.,  cvliich  port  we  entered 
in  about  twenty-four  hours.  As  my  destination  was  Hamilton, 
in  Ontario,  I  took  the  train  (Grand  Trunk  Raihvay)  direct  for 
Toronto.  At  this  station  I  changed,  and  arrived  in  Hamilton 
after  nineteen  hours’  travelling. 
This  town  is  very  prettily  situated,  and  is  called  the  Birming- 
hani  of  Canada,  having  large  manufactories  of  all  kinds.  I 
stayed  seme  day.s  ivitli  friends,  and  then  settled  in  a  boarding- 
hou.se,  with  board  and  lodgings  at  fp3  (12s.  (id.)  per  week.  A 
florist  offering  me  ivork  at  $1  (4s.  2d.)  a  day,  I  accepted  it,  and 
stopped  there  about  three  months;  but,  getting  dissatisfied  with 
the  pay,  I  left  him  and  purchased  a  ticket  for  Winnipeg.  I 
secured  one  ivhich  enabled  me  to  travel  partly  by  train,  partlj' 
by  water,  and  so  did  the  first  stage  (from  Hamilton  to  Owen 
8'ound)  by  rail.  At  the  latter  place  I  boarded  a  small  vessel, 
and,  after  about  forty-four  hours’  steaming  up  Lake  Superior, 
Are  reached  Fort  William,  and  Avere  very  glad  to  land,  as  the 
passage  had  been  rough,  and  most  of  the  passengers  felt  queer,  to 
.tay  the  least.  -Same  day  I  caught  a  train  (Canadian  Pacific  Rail- 
A\ay)  for  the  We.st,  and,  travelling  all  night,  arrived  in  Winnipeg, 
'Manitoba,  early  next  morning. 
I  found  lodgings  ffl  Aveek  dearer  than  in  Ontario,  but  only 
stopped  in  the  toAvn  a  Aveek,  as  the  population  of  49,000  only 
boasted  of  four  or  fiA^e  florists,  and  these  Avanted  no  more  hands. 
I  finally  Avent  on  a  farm,  and  can  recommeiAd  this  for  a  lonely, 
free,  and  healthy  life.  The  Avork  is  somcAvhat  rough,  although 
the  pay  is  good,  averaging  $200  (£41  13s.  4d.)  yearly,  Avith  board 
and  lodgings.  I  returned  fifteen  months  after  going  out,  coming 
direct  by  rail  from  Winnipeg  to  Montreal,  having  booked  a 
passage  on  the  Beaver  line,  and  thus  home. 
The  things  that  struck  me  most  in  the  North-West  Avere 
the  splendid  sunsets  and  sunrises,  the  vivid  colouring  of  all 
autumn  foliage,  and  the  fertility  of  the  black  clay  soil.  The 
long  summer  days  are  loAmly,  the  amount  of  sunshine  seeming 
marvellous  to  a  ncAV  comer.  The  Avinters  are  just  a.s  cold  as 
the  summers  are  hot,  the  most  frost  I  experienced  being  40deg 
beloAv  zero  F.  What  would  young  I'inglish  gardeners  think  if 
they  had  to  fight  72deg  of  frost  ?  To  sum  up,  I  Avould  say.  Don’t 
go  to  Canada  if  you  liave  dreams  of  a  gentleman’s  life;  but  if 
you  Avish  to  become  independent,  and  have  already  a  sound  con¬ 
stitution,  and  not  afraid  of  honest  labour,  then  you  Avill  find 
our  nearest  colony  a  poor  man’s  country.  You  Avill  Avork  hardi’r, 
earn  more  money,  and  spend  more;  but  there  is  not  such  keen 
competition,  and  the  adA'antage.s  are  far  superior  to  those  existing 
in  Kngland. — W.  F. 
Vagaries  of  Birds. 
A  correspondc  nt  alludes  to  the  oft-repeated  statement  that 
the  mi.schief  caused  by  birds  in  a  garden  arises  from  their  Avant 
cf  AAiiter  to  drink.  I  haAm  even  seen  it  giAmn  as.  a  rea.son  for 
sparroAvs  picking  off  Crocus  and  Apple  floAvers,  though  hoAV  these 
wanton  acts  could  satisfy  thirst  Avas  not  .stated.  Encoui’agement 
is  given  in  our  churchyard  by  the  authorities  for  the  placing 
of  natural  floAver.s  on  the  graA'cs  in  cross  or  Avreath-shaped 
troughs  of  Avater ;  but  considerable  discouragement  has  in  many 
case,s  been  experieirccd  by  finding  the  floAvers  ruthlessly  dis¬ 
arranged,  pulled  out,  and  even  scattered  about  some  inches 
away  from  the  Avater-troughs.  This  Avas  evidently  the  Avoi'k  of 
birds,  and,  of  course,  the  usual  excuse  Avas  soon  forthcoming — 
the  poor  things  are  thirsty,  and  Avant  to  get  at  the  Avatcr.  In 
A'ain  I  pointed  cut  that  there  is  a  good-sized  river  Avithin  less 
than  100  yard.s  of  the  furthest  end  of  the  churchyard,  Avith  in 
cue  place,  at  least,  a  very  .sloping  bank  Avherei  the  smallest 
bird  could  easily  drink.  No ;  it  must  be  for  the  Avater.  so  I 
arranged  that  a  little  pan  of  Avatcr,  repleni.shed  Avhenever  fresh 
floAvers  Avere  supplied,  should  be  placed  beside  the  cross  of  floAvers 
on  a  certain  grave.  As  a  result,  I  am  bound  to  say  I  do  not  think 
the  floAvers  Avere  disturbed  as  often  as  they  had  been  before, 
but  they  Avere  thusi  still  pulled  out  and  scattered  sometimes 
sufficiently  to  shoAv  this  Avas  not  the  root  of  the  matter.  And 
thru  one  day  I  caught  the  mi.schicf-maker  actually  at  Avork. 
To  my  sui’indsc,  it  Avas  not  a  sparroAv,  but  a  blackbird.  He  Avas 
•standing  on  the  edge  of  the  trough  at  the  end  and  throAving 
out  the  floAvers  right  and  left  Avith  extraordinary  rapidity  and 
energy.  I  Avaited,  absolutely  still.  He  jraused,  and  did  not 
driidv;  and  then,  seeing  me,  for  it  Avas  impossible  to  hide,  flcAV 
aAvay.  What  do  I  say?  Well,  it  seemed  to  me  merely  the  in- 
.«tinct  of  the  bird  to  uioa’c  anything  moveable  on  the  ground, 
such  as  dead  leaves,  Ac.,  to  search  for  possible  food  in  the  Avay 
of  slugs  and  Avorms.  I  think  that  lately  the  floAvers  have  not 
been  disturbed  so  much;  the  birds  have  learnt  there  is  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  it,  perhaps,  and  eA’entually  Avill  leave  them 
alone. — W.  R.  Raillem. 
Reflexing  the  Petals  of  Chrysanthemums. 
Mr.  Jefferies  and  Mr.  Roberts  certainly  deserve  credit  in 
the  A'enture  they  have  made  to  openly  “  tackle  ”  the  question 
of  petal  manipulation,  such  as  is  practised  by  many  exhibitors 
noAvadays.  I  am  bound  to  admit  that  Mr.  Molyneux  surprised 
me,  as  doubtless  he  did  many  Avho  admire  his  rare  judgment 
and  Avide  knoAvledge  of  the  exhibition  floAver.  I  quite  expepted 
that  he  Avould  have  made  a  stand  against  a  practice  that  certainly 
is  unnatural.  We  look  to  Mr.  Molyneux  as  a  staunch  supporter 
of  all  that  is  perfect,  Avell  developed,  and  Avell  displayed;  but 
Ave  certainly  did  not  look  for  the  admis.sion  of  this  “  neAv  laAV  ” 
in  Japanese  incurved  floAvcrs. 
It  cannot  be  denied  that  to  the  enthu,siast  Avho  visits  the 
shoAv  Avith  open  note  book  in  Avhich  to  record  the  names  of  lunv 
and  fresh  comers  for  future  investment,  must  in  due  time  find 
he  ha.s  been  misled  Avhen  the  floAver,  instead  of  being,  as  he 
saAV  it  exhibited,  a  beautiful  reflexed  one,  doA'cloping  a  habit 
just  the  opposite.  I,  hoAvever,  feel  this  much  to  be  a  foregone 
certainty,  that  unle.ss  societies  make  it  a  condition  calling  for 
the  judge’s  disqualification,  the  reflexing  of  the  petals  of  some 
of  these  kinds  Avhich  lend  themselves  so  readily  to  the  practice 
Avill  go  on  indefinitely,  for  though  in  sympathy  Avith  the  vicAvs 
expres.sed  by  Messrs.  Jefferies  ami  Roberts,  I  am,  hk('  i\lr. 
Molyneux,  bound  to  admit  that  it  “  brightens  up  ”  a  stand  avou- 
deyfully  Avhen  varieties  of  the  W.  R.  Church  type  are  deftly 
handled. 
An  effective  means  of  .stopping  the  practice  Avill  be  fouml 
only  by  the  National  and  other  societies  making  it  punishable 
by '  disqualification,  or  by  dividing  the  reflexed  and  incurving 
kinds  into  separate  classes,  making  one  inadmissible  in  the 
other.  It  Avould  then  at  once  become  illegal  to  make  a  ri'flexed 
floAver  out  of  an  incurved  one,  Avhich  the  mixing  of  the  sections 
noAV  admits.  There  is  abundant  material  for  both,  though 
personally  I  do  not  admire  the  rigidne.ss  of  the  incurA'od  Japanese 
.stamd  alone.  Nor  does  such  a  class  appear  popular  Avith 
exiubitors,  for  with  classes  proA-ided  they  do  not  “  fill”  as  do 
those  Avhere  all  are  equally  qualified.  The  noAv  practice  of  turn- 
ino-  the  floAvers  inside  out  seems  to  jointly  enlist  sympathy  and 
disao-reement,  for  there  are  persons  I  have  found  Avilling  to  do 
botln  Querv:  When  doctors  differ,  avIio  shall  decide?— R. 
