374 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  30,  1903. 
be  an  important  position,  is  after  all  not  a  delusion. 
Because  a  youth  starts  life  in  a  humble  position  in  the 
country,  that  is  no  reason  why  he  should  not  advance  ;  for 
undoubtedly  there  are  to-day  many  opportunities  for  ad¬ 
vancement  in  the  country  for  men  who  are  shrewd,  steady, 
and  industrious.  I  grant  that  promotion  is  less  rapid  than 
in  the  towns,  but  often  it  is  surer  and  more  lasting.  Mr. 
Botley  has  touched  upon  one  vital  point  which  applies  to 
both  town  and  country,  viz.,  the  street  corner  lounger  who 
is  always  looking  for  work.  If  such  could  be  turned  into  real 
earnest  workers,  they  need  not  go  far  for  work.  Here  in 
the  Midlands  the  demand  for  labour  in  the  country  is  great, 
and  although  I  see  a  good  deal  of  country  districts  I  find 
the  inquiries  for  workers  more  numerous  than  those  for 
work,  that  too,  at  wages  much  higher  than  those  given  by 
Mr.  Botley. 
I,  for  one,  do  not  take  the  despairing  view  which  some 
do  of  this  matter,  for  I  can  perceive  that  we  are  passing 
through  a  time  of  great  change.  Already  the  factories  are 
to  a  great  extent  being  taken  to  the  country,  and  there  are 
signs  that  this  will  go  on  to  a  far  greater  extent  in  the  near 
future,  and  it  will  then  have  remarkable  effect  upon  country 
pursuits,  because  markets  for  the  produce  will  be  created 
locally,  and  one  great  difficulty — that  of  transit  and  disposal 
of  produce — will  then  be  overcome.  Although  many  of  Eng¬ 
land’s  sons  are  seeking  their  fortunes  in  foreign  lands,  they 
are  by  no  means  all  the  flower  of  the  rising  generation,  and 
I  question  whether  there  are  not  as  good  chances  for  agri¬ 
culturists  of  the  right  class  in  England  as  in  Canada.  Men 
who  will  work  as  hard  on  the  land  in  this  country  as  they  do 
in  Canada  are  sure  to  get  on  ;  but  the  fact  is,  that  work 
which  is  despised  in  England,  has  perforce  to  be  done  in  other 
lands  to  prevent  stfp.’vation,  and  dread  of  this  is  the  motive 
force  which  drives  many  forward.  I  could  give  many 
illustrations  of  how  the  “  Back  to  the  Land  ”  question  is 
being  solved  in  some  cases,  and  if  such  cases  were  multi¬ 
plied  a  hundred  per  cent.,  the  question  would  be  solved. 
Here  is  an  illustration  to  tire  point : — I  sometimes  visit 
a  tenant  farmer  who  farms  150  acres,  some  of  which  is 
arable,  the  bulk  grass.  Several  hundred  head  of  fowls  are 
kept,  and  eggs,  butter,  and  table  birds  are  sent  regularly 
to  a  neighbouring  town.  A  limited  amount  of  stock  is  fed, 
and  there  is  a  good  orchard  attached  to  the  homestead.  The 
farmer  is  a  good  worker  himself,  he  is  assisted  by  two  sons 
and  two  daughters,  he  is  making  a  comfortable  living,  saving 
a  little  money,  leading  a  healthy,  independent  life,  and  is  a 
man  of  some  importance  in  village  affairs,  quite  as  much  so 
as  the  manufacturer  of  the  town  is  in  his  own  sphere.  The 
farmer’s  sons  and  daughters,  although  workers  are  not 
drudges,  but  bright  and  cheerful,  and  after  their  work  is 
over  they  mount  their  bikes  and  ride  off  on  summer  even¬ 
ings  as  well  equipped  as  the  tradesmen  of  towns.  Now 
for  the  history  of  the  farmer’s  achievement.  I  had  it  from 
his  own  lips,  that  as  a  boy,  a  young  man,  and  even  after 
marriage,  he  was  a  labourer  on  the  farm  he  now  rents.  The 
then  owner  kept  his  hunters,  and  attended  to  anything 
rather  than  to  his  business,  with  the  result  that  he  is  now  a 
labourer,  while  his  former  employe  is  still  rising  higher. 
I  am  convinced  that  if  the  hosts  of  men  of  the  above 
type  which  England  still  possesses  were  given  greater 
facilities  for  taking  up  land,  the  “  Back  to  the  Land  ”  ques¬ 
tion  woidcl  gradually  vanish,  as  there  are  thousands  upon 
thousands  who  much  prefer  a  country  life  if  attended  by 
reasonable  opportunities  of  advancement.  In  the  instance 
quoted  there  is  mutual  confidence  between  the  landlord 
and  tenant,  and  each  feels  perfectly  safe  in  dealing  with 
the  other.  Before,  however,  such  a  condition  of  affairs 
prevails  generally,  the  land  laws  of  this  country  will  have 
to  be  greatly  revised,  and  a  real  system  of  compensation 
for  improvements  made  absolutely  secure,  and  also  greater 
facilities  afforded  for  acquiring  freehold  land. 
There  is  room  for  hosts  of  smaller  holdings  upon  which 
fruit  is  largely  grown,  and  fowls  and  pigs  kept  as  well,  as 
such  a  combination  works  well.  The  small  holders  in 
various  centres  should  then  co-operate  for  the  purchase  of 
materials,  as  well  as  for  the  disposal  of  produce  ;  by  such 
means  expenses  may  be  greatly  reduced.  Co-operation 
among  Midland  dairy  farmers  has  recently  shown  what  can 
be  accomplished  on  these  lines. 
The  above,  however,  is  only  one  phase  of  the  question  ; 
capitalists  are  needed  to  invest  in  land  and  carry  out  fruit 
culture  on  a  large  scale.  This  would  employ  much  labour, 
and  act  as  a  training  ground  for  young  fruit  growers,  who 
could  afterwards  start  on  their  own  account,  or  for  the  sons 
of  farmers  who  intended  to  give  special  attention  to  fruit 
growing.  Full  details  of  my  ideas  on  this  subject  of  fruit 
growing  were  given  in  Journal- numbers  of  April  23  and 
May  15  last  year.  The  above  subject  is  bristling  with  points 
upon  which  ideas  might  with  advantage  be  exchangeci 
through  the  medium  of  our  Journal,  and  criticism,  support, 
or  further  suggestions  w'ould  be  welcomed  by  none  more 
heartily  than — H.  D. 
County  Council  Instfuction. 
The  pleasantest  recollections  of  the  Garden  Isle  linger  ''^ith 
nie.  One  can  see  a  great  deal  in  a  very  short  while,  for  the 
island  is  not  large — thirteen  miles  from  north  to  south,  and 
twenty-two  miles  in  length.  It  is  remarkable  for  its  mild,  genial 
climate,  fertility,  and  the  beauty  of  its  scenery. 
From  Rvde.  which  is  the  nearest  port  to  Portsmouth,  one  can 
travel  by  the  Isle  of  Wight  Central  Railway  to  all  parts  of  the 
island  I  was  assured  there  are  seven  little  railway  companies 
within  the  island,  but  whether  that  is  a  fact  or  n^,  the  charges 
are  none  the  less  heavy,  being  over  2d.  a  mile.  I  rom  Ryde  to 
Newport  (the  latter  being  the  county  town),  one  passes  through 
some  pretty  copses  completely  smothered  with  Ground  Ivy  and 
Primro.ses  ;'while  here  and  there  a  small  poultry  farm  appears  m 
conjunction  with  a  cottage  half  hidden  in  climbers.  Newport, 
on  the  northern  half  of  the  island,  is  pretty  well  inland,  but  is 
connected  with  the  sea  by  the  estuary  of  the  river  Medina.  East 
and  West  C’owes,  standing  on  either  side  of  the  same  estuary  at 
its  mouth,  are  nearest  the  mainland  or  southern  English  coast, 
and,  of  course,  West  Cowes  is  the  great  centre  for  the  yachting, 
clubs.  Osborne  House  can  be  seen  from  West  Cowes,  standing 
liigh  up  among  the  trees,  and  overlooking  the  Solent  and  Spit- 
*^^^West  Cowes  is  a  fashionable  resort  during  the  yachting 
sea.son,  and  possesses  a  goodly  number  of  beautiful  vill^.  these 
have  co.sy  little  gardens  and  generally  hedges  of  Euonymus 
japonicus  in  front  ;  or  it  may  be  Tainanx  tetrandra,  and  bweet 
Bay  hedges  are  not  uncommon.  The  latter  shrub  grous  abun¬ 
dantly,  and  was  fully  in  flower  during  the  Easter  recess  when  we 
sojourned  there.  Another  luxuriant  shrub  very  common  in  the 
Cowes  and  Newport  neighbourhoods,  is  the  Laurustinus  wim 
snowy  clusters  of  flowers.  Brambles.  Cherries,  Evergreen  Uaks, 
tree  Ivies,  Elms  and  Pines  were  abundant  in  field,  or  hedgerow,  or 
gardens ;  and  on  the  hillsides  the  Gorse  lends  a  blaze  of  colour. 
The  island  is  very  hilly.  The  roads  are  good  ;  splendidly 
smooth  for  cyclists,  and  large  numbers  of  visitors  use  thein  tor 
the  purpose;  but  they  are  like  a  gigantic  switchback.  lo  a 
trained  rider,  however,  they  are  enjoyable.  n  . 
It  seemed  to  the  writer  that  the  English  Oaks  and  othei  trees 
were  much  stunted  in  appearance — dwarf,  very  bushy,  ancl 
“  nipped  ’’-like— and  on  remarking  the  impression  to  an  islanU 
friend,  he  accounted  for  it  from  the  fact  that  there  is  an  appreci¬ 
able  quantity  of  salt  in  the  air.  Having  been  a  close  observer  of 
vegetation,  and  a  practical  gardener  in  the  Isle  of  VV  ight  tor 
twelve  years,  he  ought  to  be  able  to  pronounce  a  fairly  accurate 
Leaving  Cowes  on  Easter  Monday  morning  I  visited  Mr. 
George  Nobbs,  latelv  head  gardener  to  Queen  \  ictona,  and  after¬ 
wards  King  Edward  VIE  at  Osborne,  whoi  informed  me  of  the 
changes  in  progress  on  the  estate  following  the  King  s  relinquish¬ 
ment.  New  buildings  and  alterations  are  in  progress,  and  m 
the  gardens  all  the  indoor  plants  have  been,  tran.sferred  to 
Frogmore.  Mr.  Nobbs  has  now  the  general  superintendence  of 
the  estate,  under  the  Board  of  Works. 
hie  of  Wight  and  Horliculture. 
Newport,  being  the  business  centre  of  the  island,  was  selected 
for  the  Countv  Council  garden.  This  is  about  an  acre  in  extent,, 
and  was  formed  four  years  ago.  Besides  the  fruit  and  ^mgetable 
quarters,  the  Council'liave  erected  an  80ft  rim  ^ 
hip-span  form,  and  which  contains  .Vines,  Peaches,  Tomatoes, 
Melons,  Cucumbers,  and  numerous  foliage  f 
including  a  fair  collection  of  the  commoner  Orchids,  which  I  may 
notify  more  in  detail  hereafter.  ,  .  ,  ,  ■  i 
At  luncheon  together,  the  county  instructor  in  horticulture 
tMr  Charles  Martin)  stated  to  me  that  he  lectures  at  fii  e  different 
cent'res  each  week  during  the  winter.  These  centres  or  villages 
are  quite  in  opposite  directions,  and  Mr.  Martin  o^timat^  that 
iie  journeys  over  sixtv  miles  each  week  in  pursuance  of  his  duties. 
Sometimes  he  travels  by  rail,  sometimes  he  "gj 
his  bicycle.  By  these  means  he  is  enabled  to  visit  districts  tar 
apart,  'and  either  lecture  on,  or  demonstrate  by  practical  mean,., 
the  principles  of  horticulture.  n  j.  i  „  +Ua  Tdo  nf 
And  no  more  useful  work  is  being  undertaken  by  the  Hie  of 
Whght  County  Council,  although  all  of  its  meiiibers  may  not  think 
