1G4 
February  19,  1903. 
JOURXAL  CF  110 RT [CULTURE  AND  COTTAGE 
GARLENER. 
Lest  We  Forget :  A  Birthday  Episode. 
I  felt  glad  when  I  saw  “D.,  Deal,”  our  good  old  friend’.s  noin 
do  plume,  at  the  end  of  his  usual  New  Year’s  address  to  us.  May 
he  live  to  add  it  to  many  another,  and  maj-  his  shadow  never  grow 
less. 
I  was  glad,  too,  to  receive  a  letter  of  good  wishes  for  the  New 
Year  from  the  editor,  as  I  was  just  then  pro-strated  with  sorrow. 
Most  of  your  old  contributors  who'  are  still  alive,  and  numerous  of 
your  readers  knew  any  eldest  daughter,  who,  alas!  died  on 
January  6.  The  “Sydney  Daily  Telegraiah  ”  published  a  bi'ief 
notice  of  my  daughter’s  untimely  end,  aiad  I  send  you  a  copy  fa’om 
that  paper; — 
“  On  Saturday  night  nows  came  of  the  death  in  Melbourne  of 
Miss  Eliisa  Fenn,  the  trusted  and' confidential  maid  of  Mada-me 
Melba,  who  has  accompanied  her  over  Eui'ope  and  America.  The 
diva  was  exceedingly  disti'essed  by  the  intelligence,  as  the 
deceased  had  proved  herself  most  devoted  and  loyal.  While 
Madame  Melba  Avas  giving  her  last  operatic  performance  in  Mel¬ 
bourne  on  Wednesday  laight,  the  doctors  decided  that  Miss  Fenn 
must  be  I’emoved  from  the  diva’s  house  at  Tooi-ak  to  a  pi'ivate 
hospital,  in  oi’der  that  the  most  skilled  attention  might  be  avail¬ 
able.  Madame  Melba  mentions,  as  an  instance  of  Miss  Fenn’s 
fidelity,  the  fact  that  when  on  the  point  of  being  I’emoved  she 
insisted,  as  a  matter  of  duty,  on  discharging  an  obligation  in¬ 
curred  by  the  employment  of  additional  assistance  in  the  house¬ 
hold.”  Thus  have  I  lost  Avife  and  daughter  within  the  space  of 
tAvo  years. 
Agi’eeably,  let  me  to  my  text.  It  has  been  the  rule  lately  for 
compatriots  to  un-“  hide  ”  their  candles!  I  have  preserved  all 
niy  “  foul  copy,”  lettei's,  and  mementos  of  cori’esponding  gaixlen- 
ing  fi'iends ;  my  articles  and  ti'eatises  in  print. that  have  appeai-ed 
in  the  hoi*ticultural  Press.  Fortunately  for  you,  perhaps,  I'soon 
recovered  from  my  broken  leg.  If  I  had  not  I  aa  as  proposing  to 
myself  a  biography  to  shoAv  you'all  the  things  I  ever  did!  Even 
noAv,  in  case  a  time  of  inaction  should  ai'rive,  I  am  preparing  by 
degi-ees,  tabletting,  that  i^,  for  future  convenience  (and  my 
bi-ead  and  cheese)  what  modernity  Avots  laot  of,  reminders  of  us  of 
older  groAvth  Avho'laid  the  foundations  for  Avorkers  of  present-day 
lai'ogi-essiveness.  For  instance,  the  other  day  I  AA^as  having  a 
turn-out  of  catalogues.  I  Avas  a  member  of  the  R.H.S.  Fruit 
Committee  on  a  day  gone  by,  and  I  unearthed  a  catalogue  of  the 
great  International  Exhibition  of  18GG.  Fi'om  the  cuttings  but 
■of  it,  Avhich  I  send  Avith  this  annual  letter,  you  Avill  see  that  I 
Avas  responsible  for  exhibits  of  certain  inventions  and  imiaroA’e- 
ments  AA'ith  bee-hn-es,  and  appliances  for  .secui'ing  honey,  and  pro¬ 
bably  you  may  be  lenient  enough  Avith  your  hoary  scribe  to  pi’iiat 
my  list  of  Potatoes,  Avhicli  Avei-e  the  up-to-date  varieties  then  ; — 
“Potatoes.— A  collection  of  tAvelve  .sorts,  being  examples  of 
very  early  kinds  having  good  keeping  qualities,  and  medium  and 
late  varieties,  all  I’evoimiiended  for  quality,  and  suitable  for 
garden  cultNation  and  household  use.  Shutfoi’d  Seedling,  early 
for  forciiag  :  Hogg’s  Coldstream,  early  for  forcing  ;  Beehive  Potato, 
-early,  coming  in  directly  after  the  fii’st  earlies  (a  ii'eAv  seedling). 
“Fenn’s  OiiAvards,  second  early,  a  laeAv  seedling);  Daintree’s 
Seedling,  .second  early ;  Damtree’s  Noav  Kidnejq  second  early ; 
Lapstone  Kidney,  second  early :  Haigh’s  Kidney,  second  early ; 
Fortyfold,  second  early;  Pebble  White,  late. 
“  Bi’itish  Queen,  late  (a  seedling  from  the  Fluke),  au  excellent 
Potato,  ai'riving  at  pei'fection  on  A’ei\y  poor  and  light  soils.  Fluke, 
late,  the  original  esculentof  the  name.  The  aboArn  Avere  groAA  ii  by 
Fenn’s  ridge  and  trench  .system  of  cultiA^ation,  in  the  garden  at 
the  Rectory,  Woodstock,  Oxfoixlshire.”  - 
Oiae  nioi’e  cutting  fi’om  the  International  Fruit  ShoAv  cata- 
logue  just  to  show  that  bees  and  Potatoes  did  not  monopolise  my 
Avhole  attention,  and  that  I  staged  Avines ; —  -  " 
“  A  feAv  year.s’  .study  on  the  manufacture  of  English  Grape, 
Gqose.beri'y,  and  Rhubarb  famil.y  Avines,  Avithout  any  addition  of 
spirituous  liquors,  bj'  Robert  Fenn,  along  Avith  the  judge’s  opinion 
nf  the  Avines,  as  given  at  the  Royal  Horticultui'al  Society’s  Satui-- 
day  meetings,  on  Api-il  7  and  Api'il  14,  1866.  Also  a  photogi’aph 
of  the  kitchen-garden  front  of  the  Rectory  House,  Woodstock, 
shoAving  the  system  of  training  the  Vines  for  groAving  the 
Grapes.” 
lor  years  my  birthday  episodes  liaA'c  also  given  yoAi  any  pro- 
gi’essiveness  as  to  the  Potato,  and  for  1903,  up  to  the  pi-esent.  I 
have  the  lareciqus  ones  safely  covered  from  the  frost.  For  horti- 
cultui’ists  of  middle-age,  aaIio  scarcely  knoAV  “Joseph,”  I  send  you 
a  paragraph  copied  from  this  day’s  (January  24)  “  Reading  Mer¬ 
cury  ”  : — “  Regai'ding  Mr.  Fenn  himself,  for  OA'er  fifty  years  he 
has  been  a  strenuous  Avorkcr,  and  Avell-knoAvn  Avriter  on  practical 
horticulture.  He  AA  as  the  fii’st  to  cross-fertilise  the  Potato  artifi¬ 
cially,  and  either  directly,  or  indirectly,  frona  inter-ci’ossing 
by  others,  the  majority  of  qur  present-day  varieties  of  the  Potato 
have  their  souices.  ilr.  Fenn  is  noAv  jai’ogressiA'ely  engaged  on 
AA  ild  kinds  obtaiiied  from  the  latitudes  of  North  America,  our  pic- 
A  ious  sorts^  haying  had  their  origin  in  Soaith  America.  After 
luauy  yeai's]  trials  and  failui’es,  the.se  ‘  Northernei’S,’  it  is  said, 
are  (.lovelqping  excellent  I’csults,  and  there  is  no  fear  of  this  in- 
ui'-peusablc  part  of  our  national  food  giA'iug  out  for  generations 
to  emue.”  ^ 
I  am  afraid  I  am  verging  on  the  fifthly  (!)  of  my  di-scourse ; 
but,  as  you  haA-e  ob.served,  I  do  not  put  all  my  eggs  iiA  one 
basket,  and  I  Avill  finally  end  in  Apples.  You  Avill  remember  I 
gained  a  certificate  of  merit  for  my  Pay-the-Rent  Apple  at 
R.H.S.  Committee  meeting  tAvo  years  ago.  At  our  Rea.din 
Chi-y.santhemum  and  Fruit  ShoAV  la.st  autumn  I  exhibited  it,  and 
gained  a  “  first-class  certificate  of  merit.”  It  is  really  a  good  all¬ 
round  household  fruit,  but  very  little  to  be  esteemed  by  tlie  exhi¬ 
bitor  on  account  of  its  medium  size.  I  had  enormous  crops  of  it 
last  autumn.  I  sold  them  at  a  very  good  price;  in  short,  they 
paid  th.e  rent ! 
It  Avill  also  be  found  in  your  pages  that  just  at  this  time  tAA'o 
yeai's  ago  I  planted  in  my  Old  Orchard  a  young  Apple  tree  I 
had  raised  fi’om  a  pip,  and  grafted  Avith  a  Gean  scion,  in  memory' 
of  our  late  revei'ed  SoA^ereign  ju.st  at  the  moment  she  AA'as  placed 
in  the  tomb.  Last  year,  as  King  EdAA^ai’d  VII.  and  Queen  Alex¬ 
andra  Avere  being  croAvned  I  planfed  tAvo  young  Apple  trees  that 
I  I’aised  fi'om  pips,  and  had  pi-eviou-sly  grafted  Avifh  .scions  of  the 
Braudey  Seedling,  in  vicinity  to  the  Victoria  ti'ee,  just  sufficiently 
apart  to  alloAv  of  their  stocks  SAA'elling  into  seventy-year  trees, 
Avith  intertAvining  spreading  branches  laden  (in  prospective)  AA'ith 
sustaining  beautiful  fruit.  I  then  had  my  sitting-room  AvindoAvs 
throAvn  open,  and  my  daughter  Olive  played  “  God  Save  the 
King  ”  on  the  piano,  accompanied  AA’ith  as  many  Arnicas  as  I  could 
collect  in  the  front  yai’d.  We  made  the  Avelkin  ring  !  “  UpAvards 
and  OiiAvaids.” — Robt.  Fenn. 
The  Hall  and  the  Garden. 
“  It  is  clear  that  the  AAdiolei  energies  of  the  R.H.S.,  should,  for 
the  present,  be  concentrated  on  the  erection  of  the  Hall.  When 
that  is  an  accomplished  fact,  it  Avill  be  time  enough  to  consider 
the  question  of  a  new  garden.  Surely  it  is  best  to  remain  as 
Ave  are  at  ChisAvick  till  the  ncAv  Hall,  which  is  a  much  more 
urgent  affair,  is  erected  and  endoAved.  We  do  not  think  the 
Council  have  the  legal  I'ight  to  bargain  a.Avay  the  Society’s  pro- 
irerty  at  ChisAvick  without  .  consulting  the  Fellows.” — The 
Go nlrners’  (Itrntiide,  February  IJf. 
“  Had  the  Council  submitt^  the  plans  [for  the  Hall]  to  open 
competition,  and  made  a  selection  of  a  number  of  plans,  then 
announced  through  the  gardening  papers  that  these  AA'ould  be 
presented  for  aucav  at  a  Drill  Hall  meeting  for  consideration 
by  the  Fellows,  and  had  they  devoted  an  ordinary  afternoon 
meeting  to  their  consideration  and  adoption  by  .  the  voice  of 
the  majority,  all  Avduld  have’  been  Avell,  aiid  they  Avould  .still 
have  been  ‘taking  the  necessary  steps  to  enable. the  Hall  to  be 
opened  in  1904,’  and  shoAvn,  moreover,  that  the  Fellows  have  a 
Council  Avhose  pleasure  it  is  to  Avork  entirely  in  their  interests, 
and  to  hearken  to  their  calls.” — Journal  of  Horticulture, 
Fehrunr]/  5-  .  .  ■ 
“  At  the  annual  genei’al  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  there  AAere  vei-y  many  avIio  Avere  di.ssatisfied,  both  at  the 
mean  apiaearance  and  the  iiateimal  arrangements  of  the  proposed 
Hall  (thei’e  beiiag  neither  a,  gallei'A'  to  the  exhibition  ai’ea,  nor 
a  museum  to  the  fi'ont  building).  -  We  biiild  not  for  the  Cen¬ 
tenary  Year  alone,'  but  for  numerous  generations  hence,  and  if 
Ave  do  not  look  forAvard  thus  far,  then  is  our  policy  indefensible.” 
— .1  Scotch  Fellow  in  Journal  of  Horticulture,  February  12.  _ 
“  We  strongly  object  to  the  AueAv,  adopted  by  the  President 
Avlicn  declaring  that  he  never  knCAV  a  building  that  pleased  every¬ 
one.  The  structure  that  is  to  be,  is  utterly  Avithout  architec¬ 
tural  charm,  and  the  general  opinion  is  that  it  is  unsuitable 
pictorially  as  a  temple  for  all  that  i.s  beautiful  in  the  Avorld  of 
flowei’s.  .  .  .  We  ventui-e  to  think  that  if  the  plans  had  been 
hung  in  the  Drill  Hall  for  some  time  pi-eA’iously,  and  objections 
[been]  carefully  considered,  the  FelloAvs  Avould  have  thought 
better  of  the  Council.  Our  earnest  hope,  hoAvever,  is  that  the 
sum  of  about  £22,000  still  required  Avill  be  quickly  forth¬ 
coming.  ...  A  garden  is  nece.ssary  to  the  Society’s  existence. 
Thousands  of  FoHoaa's  Avould  at  once  stop  their  subscriptions  if 
the  Society  Avere  Avithout  a  garden.  An  honourable  institution 
Avould  pi'actically  cease  to  exist  [or  be  reduced  to  the  level  of 
any  other  ordinary  horticultural  society. — Ed,  J.  of  H.],  and 
become  of  value  mei'ely  for  its  Hall,  and  the  floAvers  to  be  .seen 
there  by  those  Avho  live  in  London  or  the  neighbourhood.” — 
The  Garden.  February  11^. 
“None  of  the  events  in  a  busy  year  can  approach  in  its 
commanding  importance  the  decision  to  pi'oceed  Avith  the  ei'ection 
of  the  [Hall]  building,  and  certainly  nothing  that  oceuri-ed  in 
1902  is  likely  to  exercise  so  gi'cat  an  influence  for  good  or  ill 
upon  the  future  of  the  Society.  .  .  .  With  reference  to  the 
ci'iticism  of  the  plans,  Ave  must  point  out  that  the  cinticism  has 
not  been  confined  Avholly  to  the  exterior  of  the  building.  Tlie 
ai’rangement  of  the  interior  has,  perhaps,  been  moi’o  sharply 
ci’iticised.  The  Council  could  easily  have  disaniied  criticism  by 
taking  the  proper  course  of  offering  piazes  for  the  best  plans 
and  elevation  iai  accordance  Avith  suggestions  that  liaA^e  beeai 
made.” — The  Gardeners’  Haya-.ine,  February  7. 
•QTQ  P 
