250 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  IP,  1903. 
Springtide. 
Spring  is  liere  again.  A  look  field  or  woodwards  will  firmly 
convince  us  of  the  truth.  There  we  see  before  us,  richly  vestux'ed 
and  chastely  crowned,  the  fairest  of  all  the  nymphs.  Her 
mission  speeds  her  yet  further  afield,  and  away  and  away,  over 
dale,  field,  and  fell  she  lightly  trips,  and  the  strains  of  her  song, 
“I  am  coming!  I  am  coming!”  float  on  the  balmy  air,  are 
echoed  from  dell  and  rock  to  awaken  sleepy  Naturei  to  life,  and 
her  perfumed  breath  chases  away  to  the  darkest  recesses  of  night 
the  terrors  of  the  icy  king  of  the  North. 
Yes,  Vernaltide,  with  all  its  concomitant  pleasures,  is  with 
us.  We  see  it;  we  feel  it,  too.  The  green  buds  are  breaking, 
the  golden  flower  is  evolving  from  its  slumbering  folds,  the  air 
is  laden  with  the  sweet  aromas  emanating  from  earth  and  plant  ; 
the  groves  are  alive  with  the  chorus  of  melodious  songsters,  and 
the  human  breast  is  flowing  with  a  joyous  feeling  that  no¬ 
philosophy  dares  interpret. 
And  are  we,  too,  awakening  to  the  carolling  chant  of  the 
smiling  nymph,  like  dead  Nature  from  a  torpid  sleep?  Are  we 
indeed  subject  to  a  resuscitation  in  our  moral  and  physical 
beings,  such  as  marks  the  influence  of  Spring  in  animated  Nature? 
There  is  no  doubt  of  it;  the  force  is  universal,  and  it  is  Divine. 
Who  has  not  experienced  the  magnetism  of  this  particular  season 
of  the  year,  and  felt  the  glow  of  ardent  anticipations,  of  hopes, 
of  joys  (so  redolent  of  those  experienced  in  the  spring  of  youth), 
without  knowing  whence  their  origin  ?  The  soul  of  reanimation 
pervades  the  air,  and  everything  absorbs  it  till  it  is  full  of  its 
power.  It  forces  the  green  delicious  tips  of  the  Snowdrop  and 
Narcissus  to  protrude  through  the  soil  or  grassy  sward,  to  tell 
us,  like  outposts,  that  life  is  not  dead  but  .sleepeth.  The  heart 
is  gladdened ;  the  blood  courses  with  a  renewed  energy  through 
the  veins,  and  man  enters  on  a  new  lease  of  life. 
Everyone  is  conscious  of  the  exhilarating  power  of  Spring. 
All  necessarily  are  not  influenced  alike,  but  the  goodness  of  the 
Creator  has  be.stowod  on  each  sufficient  to  enable  everyone  to 
amifly  participate  in  the  inexhaustible  joys  and  pleasures  attend¬ 
ing  springtide.  The  true  gardener  shares  largely  in  the 
sympathies  of  Spring  and  Nature  generally.  On  the  advent  of 
the  first  symptoms  of  reanimation  a  chord  of  his  deep-seatedj 
poetical  faculty  is  struck,  which  invigorates  his  efforts  and 
renews  his  energies  to  steal  him  for  the  multifarious  duties  lying 
at  his  hands.  How  can  it  be  otherwise  with  him  ?  He  lives  in 
constant  community  with  Nature,  so  that  few'  can  better  under- 
.stand  the  voice  of  “  Verna,”  her  handmaiden,  when  she  calls 
than  he  can. 
True,  the  poet  may  share  in  a  higher  degree  of  intensity  the 
sympathies  of  Nature,  and  withal  give  effect  to  his  sense  of  the 
msthetic;  but  the  gardener  is  none  the  less  intense  in  feeling, 
if  he  lacks  the  more  melodious  expressiveness  of  the  poet.  Yet 
the  true  gardener  is  a  poet,  and  his  life  and  labours  are  poems. 
And  whether  he  be  .sensible  or  not  of  the  fact,  he  also  lives  in  an 
atmosphere  of  poesy.  Nature  has  modelled  him  for  herself.  At 
this  .springtide  of  the  year  she  sends  her  garlanded  “  Verna  ”  as 
a  token  of  the  fact  to  fete  him  with  the  ambrosial  foods  and 
nectarial  sjunposiums  she  prepares  for  his  happiness.  She  con¬ 
jures  to  his  memory  many  inexpressible  endearment. s  associated 
with  events  in  the  past,  events  which  may  only  point  to  mere 
trivialities,  but  which  in  truth  are  important  beacons  in  hi-i 
existence. 
Such  associations  may  simply  consist  of  a  mere  sensation  of 
perfume  emanating  from  a  blade  of  grass,  flower,  or  the 
odoriferous  atmosphere,  but  there  it  is  as  full  of  meaning  and 
reality  as  the  existence  of  his  being.  And  he  loves  it,  perhaps 
adores  it,  beeau.se  of  its  associations  and  the  link  it  joins  with 
the  iiast.  Who  can  interpret  such  a  sensation,  or  who  dares 
essay  to  describe  its  nature?  Language  is  impotent  to  do  more 
than  relate  its  presence. 
Who  has  not  felt  in  after-life  the  pleasures  set  in  motion 
in  the  breast  by  a  tiny  floret,  mayhap  a  Primrose,  Daisy,  or 
A'iolet,  which  linked  us  with  the  past?  With  pleasing  recollec¬ 
tions  of  unalloyed  happiness,  but  also  they  may  as  well  W'itli 
equally  pleasing  memories  whose  names  are  not  Happiness,  but 
Sadness.  Truly  is  not  this  an  order  of  things  which  fits  the  nobler 
(jualities  of  man  for  the  reception  of  higher  conceptions  of  the 
grandeur  of  Creation  and  Creation’s  God.— D.  C. 
- - 
Labour  Wanted  in  California. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Senate  Committee  on  Labour  and  Capital, 
held  at  Sacramento  recently,  there  was  favourable  action  on  the 
bill  providing  for  minors  to  engage  in  agricultural,  horticultural, 
and  domestic  labour.  A  number  of  letters  from  Southern  Cali¬ 
fornia  associations  were  read,  reque.sting  that  the  present  law  be 
amended,  so  that  children  could  be  employed  in  fruit  camiing 
and  curing  e.stablishments,  and  in  the  picking  of  fruit.  With  the 
immense  crops  California  has  had,  and  the  shortage  of  labour, 
children  have  been  needed  to  assist  in  picking  fruits,  and  as  the 
labour  is  healthy,  it  is  proposed  to  make  child  labour  in  these  lines 
lawful  during  the  vacation  season. 
Williams’  Memorial  Trust. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Williams’  Memorial  Trustees  held 
recently  (Dr.  Masters  in  the  chair)  it  was  decided  to  offer  two 
medals  for  competition  at  the  British  Fruit  and  Vegetable  Show 
at  Chisw'ick,  toi  be  held  in  September  next.  It  was  also  re.solved 
to  subscribe  the  sum  of  £10  to  the  funds  of  the  new  Horticultural 
Hall. 
Examination  in  Horticulture. 
The  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  annual  examination  in  the 
principles  and  practice  of  horticulture  will  be  held  on  Wednevs- 
day,  April  22,  1903.  Full  particulars  may  be  obtained  by  send¬ 
ing  a  stamped  and  directed  envelope  to  the  Society’s  offices, 
117,  Victoria  Street,  London,  S.W.  Intending  candidates  are 
requested  to  send  in  their  entries  by  March  31,  if  possible.  The 
questions  set  at  all  the  previous  examinations  are  now  published 
price  Is.  complete. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. 
In  your  notice  of  the  above  in  last  week’s  issue,  you  speak  of 
the  smoking  concert  as  having  been  held,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact 
it  does  not  take  place  until  Friday,  the  20th.  We  have  been 
most  fortunate  in  securing  the  Lord  Mayor  as  chairman,  as  you 
would  see  from  n'ly  note.  Your  next  issue  would  not  be  too  late 
to  give  us  as  little  “  push  up,”  and  so  eiiaole  many  outsiders  to 
see  the  announcement,  and  wdio  would  probably  be  present. — 
R.  PIXNINGTON.  [We  sincerely  trust  all  Journal  readers  in  Liver¬ 
pool  will  contribute  to  the  success  of  the  charity,  and  that  our 
correspondent  may  be  able  to  send  us  a  good  account  of  the  dona¬ 
tions  and  receipts  taken  at  the  concert.] 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
The  next  fruit  and  flower  show'  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  March  24,  in  the  Drill  Hall, 
Buckingham  Gate,  Westmin.ster,  1 — 5  p.ui.  Special  prizes  will  be 
offered  for  Hyacinths  and  Tulips  by  the  Royal  Bulb-growing 
Society  of  Haarlem,  as  follow's:  120  Hyacinths  in  pots  (one  bulb 
in  each  pot)  in  not  less  than  forty  varieties  and  not  more  than 
three  pots  of  any  one  variety.  Open.  First  prize  £7,  second 
prize  £5,  third  prize  £3.  100  pots  of  Tulips  (three  bulbs  of  one 
variety  in  each  pot),  to  include  fifty  varieties  at  least,  and  not 
more  than  two  pots  of  any  one  variety.  Open.  First  prize  £4, 
second  prize  £3,  third  jirize  £2.  A  lecture  on  “  Photo-micro¬ 
graphy  as  an  Aid  to  the  Study  of  Plant  Life  ”  (illustrated  by 
lantern  slides)  will  be  given  by  F.  Martin  Duncan.  Esq.,  F.R.H.S., 
at  3  o’clock.  At  a  general  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  held  on  Tuesday,  March  10,  eighty-two  new  Fellows  ivere 
elected,  amongst  them  being  the  Countess  of  Stamford,  Lady 
Caroline  Gordon-Lennox,  Lady  Harriet  Cavendish  and  the  Hoii. 
Mrs.  Alfred  Egerton,  making  a  total  of  405  elected  .since  the 
beginning  of  the  present  year. 
The  Traders  in  Poisonous  Compounds  for  Trade  Purposes 
Protection  Society. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  held  on  Tuesday  the  10th,  a  deputation  consisting  of 
myself,  as  secretary  of  the  Traders  in  Poisonous  Compounds  for 
Trade  Purposes  Protection  Society,  Mr.  G.  H.  Richards,  and  Mr. 
T.  Peed,  of  Messra.  Peed  and  Sons,  waited  upon  such  Council. 
After  bringing  to  the  knowdedge  of  the  Council  the  report  of  the 
Departmental  Poisons  Committee  appointed  by  the  Privy  Council 
to  consider  Schedule  A  of  the  Pharmacy  Act  18G8,  and  explaining 
that  such  poisonous  substances  as  insecticides,  w'eed-killers, 
sheep-dipB,  &c.,  could  not  be  lawfully  sold  by  nurserymen, 
seedsmen,  and  others,  although  required  for  agricultural  and 
horticultural  purposes,  the  Council  pas.sed  a  resolution  asking 
the  Goveniment  to  bring  in  a  Bill  adopting  the  recommendations 
of  the  Departmental  Committee,  and  a  petition  in  favour  of  the 
recommendations  for  allowing  duly  licensed  persons  to  sell 
poisonous  compounds,  where  they  are  required  for  agricultural 
or  horticultural  purposes,  was  signed  by  the  chairman  of  the 
Council,  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart.,  on  behalf  of  the  Council. 
I  Thos.  Dobbs,  24,  Sansome  Street,  Worcester. 
