Juno  18,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
541 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
Messrs.  John  Waterer  &  Son  s  Rhododendrons. 
During  the  past  ten  days  through  sunshine  and  immoderate 
rain,  the  Bagshot  firm  have  exhibited  their  annual  .selection  of 
Ilhododeiidrons  at  the  Botanic  Society’s  Garden  in  Regent’s  Park. 
The  chief  daj'  was  Wednesday,  June  10,  when  a  special  reception 
was  made,  a  band  was  provided,  and  refreshments  were  served 
from  three  o’clock  to  six  o’clock. 
Notwithstanding  the  heavy  rains  of  the  ijrevious  days  and  of 
the  morning  hours  of  Wednesday,  the  scene  within  the  great 
(and  specially  made)  marquee  was  as  gorgeous  and  brilliant  as 
over,  with  the  winding,  sanded  paths  quite  dry  and  comfortable. 
As  already  noted,  a  band  was  in  attendance — the  Blue  Vienneso 
Band,  with  violins,  cornets,  and  piano — who  discoursed  from  one 
corner  of  the  tent,  so  that  music  accompanied  the  charms  of  these 
sweetest  of  flowers. 
Imagine  to  yourself  a  variedly  undulating  area  of  half  an 
acre  or  thereabouts  laid  out  with  sinuous  belt  of  Rhododendrons 
around  its  outskirts,  and  many  groups  and  beds  of  the  same 
iiandsome  shrubs,  all  in  the  pink  of  floral  ijerfection,  dispersed 
about  over  the  interior  surface,  these  being  edged  with  grass 
and  separated  with  yellow  sanded  walks.  Naturally,  the  scene 
was  rich  and  beautiful,  and  as  one  stood  and  looked  over  the 
whole  array  from  one  of  the  higher  points  of  vantage,  the  thought 
uppermost  was ;  Why  are  Rhododendrons  not  equally  popular 
with  Roses  and  Lilies?  Of  course,  they  are  greatly  prized,  but 
they  are  not  studied,  and  written  about,  and  discussed,  or  culti¬ 
vated  under  so  many  conditions  and  aspects  as  are  the  plants  I 
have  named. 
The  Messrs.  John  Waterer  deserve  well  of  their  country. 
Their  name  will  ever  be  remembered  in  connection  with  the  in¬ 
comparable  Pink  Pearl,  than  which,  I  have  the  temerity  to  .say, 
there  is  no  hardy  shrub  of  the  period  to  equal  it  in  gorgeours 
effulgency  of  its  shellpink  inflorescences.  And  no  one  exhibit  a 
the  varieties  Lady  Eleanor  Cathcart,  Mrs.  Tom  Agnew,  John 
Waterer,  Goiner  Waterer,  Kate  Waterer,  or  Mum  so  finely  as 
the3’  do.  These  are  each  the  creme  de  la  creme  amongst  hardy 
Rhododendrons,  and  will  be  found  described  in  the  firm’s 
catalogue. 
The  standard  Rhododendrons  on  this  occasion  were  seemingly 
more  numerous,  and  each  bore  rounded  heads  with  abundance  of 
floral  “  bouquets.”  Here  and  there  in  the  grass,  or  on  the  edges 
cf  the  groups,  were  robust  plants  of  Lilium  Harrisi,  and  Kalmias, 
and  Ghent  Azaleas  in  beds  were  other  features  of  attraction. 
The  good  quality  of  each  subject  was  at  once  apparent,  and  the 
varieties  were  pitted,  on  the  one  hand  in  effective  contrast,  or 
pleasing  harmony  on  the  other.  The  attendance  at  the  Wednes¬ 
day’s  meeting  was  large  and  fashionable,  recalling  to  mind  the 
bravest  shows  of  the  eld  da3^s  when  varioqs  of  the  great  nursery 
firms  had  famous  private  exhibitions  and  fetes  of  their  own, 
which  were  attended  bj'  the  beaut.v,  rank,  and  wealth  of  societjn 
The  Botanic  Gardens  were  exceeding^'  fresh  and  beautiful,  as 
the^'  alwaj's  are. 
Little  Haddam  Hall,  Herts. 
The  district  extending  from  Bishops  Stortford  (renowned  in 
agricultural  circles  from  the  name  of  Sir  Walter  Gilbey,  Bart.) 
westward  to  Ware  is  almost  purelj^  arable,  and  one  has  to  get  on 
towards  Elstree  and  south-westerly  for  the  dairjdng  pasture 
grounds.  At  Little  Hadham  Hall,  the  recently  acquired 
residence  and  estate  of  Wm.  Miiret,  Esq.,  there  is  a  considerable 
amount  of  pasture  land,  but  the  bulk  of  the  neighbouring  area 
is  cultivated,  and  at  my  visit  three  weeks  ago  the  Corn  fields 
were  receiving  their  final  weeding,  and  Mangolds  were  being 
sown.  The  lanes  and  hedges  of  this  part  of  Hertfordshire  are 
delightful,  given  the  ever-uecessary  sunshine,  and  it  is  then  that 
their  richness  of  interest  is  most  appreciated,  and  the  many 
varied  scenes  which  meet  one  in  turn  are  best  enjo3md. 
First  it  is  the  I’ippling  brooklet  at  whose  ciystal  waters  one 
muse  stoop  to  sip  ere  passing  through  an  open  meadow  filled 
with  all  manner  of  wild  flowers,  and  defined  by  beautiful  Wych 
Elms  or  Walnut  trees,  of  each  of  which  there  are  bountiful 
numbers  in  the  broad  acres  cf  the  district.  Oaks  and  other 
trees  are  few  in  numbers  here,  but  the,se  fl.ourish  unmistakably. 
Then  if  one  continues  a  pedestrian  tour  there  will,  for  certain, 
])e  snugly  hidden  “  bungalows  ”  brought  to  view,  and  one  of  these, 
steeped  as  it  was  in  .sunshine  and  unsurpassedly  reposed,  will 
linger  long  in  the  chambers  of  my  memory.  Hedges  of  Honey¬ 
suckle,  Briar,  and  Clematis,  or  these  intermixed  with  the  Thorn, 
sheltered  off  the  old-fashioned  garden  with  its  great  over-grown 
irregular  beds,  winding  grass3'  paths,  and  S3qnmetrical  Yews,  yet 
not  so  much  but  that  one  could  see  the  happ3’  possessors  as  they 
reclined  beneath  the  shade  of  flowery  bowers,  and  read  from  the 
booiv  Etopia.  But  they  need  not  mind  if  the  C3’es  of  a  wanderer 
stra3md  over  them  once  in  a  while;  it  could  not  bo  often,  for 
this  Elysian  cot  was  far  out  in  a  field  of  Buttercups,  with  no 
other  house  within  hail  for  one  good  mile.  And  the  dreamland 
village  of  Green  Street,  how  fares  it  new  through  all  this  wet? 
Yet  the  burning  force  of  a  strong  June  sun  subdued  its  life  and 
actirn  when  I  sojourned  through,  subdued  ad  but  the  Aylesbury 
ducks  and  buff  Orpington  poult r3’’,  who.se  efforts  were  great  to 
scratch  up  seeds  from  the  macadami.sed  lane.  And  through  the 
\\  ide-open  doors  of  the  peasant.s’  dwellings  u'e  saw  Hodge  at  his 
ease  (for  it  was  Sunda3'),  sitting  .squat  on  chair  or  sofa,  with  a 
pipe  in  Ins  mouth,  full  rigged  in  his  workaday  clothes,  ('■azino- 
over  the  thre.shokl  t’other  side  o’  the  road,  and  likely  as  not 
crackin  aboot  the  taters,  or  the  last  litter  the  sow  liad.  It  was 
all  too  good  to  last. 
Little  Hadham  Hall  is  a  house  of  age,  and  has  a  history 
dating  prior  to  the  Commonwealth ;  nor  does  Cromwell  escape 
its  connections.  It  has  been  thoroughly  I'epaired,  and  here  and 
there  altered  by  the  present  owner,  who,  with  his  wife  and  his 
head  gardener,  Mr.  F.  Lansdell,  are  also  entirely  remodelling 
the  garden  and  the  grounds  surrounding  the  residence.  So  far, 
the  alterations  are  but  half  completed,  and  a  great  deal  of  hard 
la.bour  will  be  necessar3^  to  evolve  a  iieaceful,  beautiful,  com¬ 
pleted  garden ;  but  it  can  be  done.  There  is  sufficient  water 
at  hand  to  make  a  veiy,  effective  element  in  a  gardenesque 
ciesigiij  and  proper  use  is  to  be  made  of  it.  The  existing  soil  is 
hard  to  work,  and  unkind^"  for  choice  shrubs,  and  it  is,  therefore, 
necessary  to  replace  it  in  part  with  suitable  compost.  In  the 
garden  where  the  fruit  and  vegetable  cultures  are,  great  pi-ogress 
has  already  been  made,  and  ever3Jhing  looks  neat  and  tidy,  the 
gardener  having  set  about  the  work  of  renov'ation  in  a  practical, 
thorough  fashion.  He  has  erected  a  wire-netting  protection 
over  the  Gooseberries  and  bush  fruits,  and  this  will  last  for  long 
years  and  alwa3's  be  convenient.  The  Co-Operative  Building 
Company  have  erected  a  vineiy,  peachery,  proiiagating  pit,  stove 
and  greenhouse,  each  handsomely  made  of  teakwoocl  stained 
nut-brown,  and  these  various^'  contain  finely  fruiting  Vines, 
Figs,  Peaches,  flowering  Carnations,  and  foliage  plants.— Wan¬ 
dering  Willie. 
- - 
The  Modern  Garden  Boy, 
“The  boy  inakes  the  man” — so  runs  the  old  proverb,  and  if 
it  be  true,  which  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  to  doubt,  then,  by 
the  Avay  the  3'outhful  horticulturist  acquits  himself  an  estiinate 
can  be  formed  of  what  his  capacities  will  be  when  he  develops 
into  a  full-fledged  man  gardener.  _  Even  the  garden  boy,  the  little 
urchin  who  crocks  pots  and  empties  stokeholds,  is  an  interesting 
character  when  3^011  come  to  know  him,  though  he  may  not  have 
been  Avritten  about  quite  so  much  as  the  office  boy,  the  shop  bo3q 
and  boys  of  other  capacities. 
In  the  horticultural  ivorld  he  is  not  taken  much  into  account, 
and,  like  the  ship’s  monke3',  li®  seems  to  come  in  for  more  kicks 
than  ha’pence;  but  if  you  take  the  trouble  to  trace  the  career  of 
many  of  the  most  successful  head  gardeners  at  the  present  day, 
you  Avill  find  that  it  had  a  beginning  as  a  garden  boy,  and  in  that 
four  feet  nothing  of  diminutive  humanity,  that  dodges  about  the 
potting  shed  and  elseivhere,  and  ivants  a  good  deal  of  watching', 
you  have  the  head  gardener  of  the  future,  if  he  happens  to  be 
made  of  the  right  material.  There  is  Mr.  - ,  for  instance, 
head  gardener  to  Lord - -,  ivho  manages  a  large  establishment, 
has  a  big  .staff  of  men  under  his  control,  and  holds  quite  an  impor¬ 
tant  position  in  both  horticultural  and  other  circles.  It  is  hard 
to  realise  that  he  ever  ivashed  pots,  and  mashed  a  labourer’s  tea 
over  the  potting  shed  fire ;  but  ten  to  one  he  did  when  he  first 
entered  upon  his  gardening  career.  Not  that  he  is  any  the  worse 
for  having  performed  such  tasks,  and  all  credit  to  him" for  rising: 
but  I  simply  mention  the  instance,  just  to  point  out  how  impor¬ 
tant,  after  all,  in  spite  of  its  insignificance,  is  the  position  of  a 
garden  boy.  In  him  you  have  the  material  of  vhich  head  gar¬ 
deners  are  made,  and,  in  pas.sing,  let  us  consider  the  class  of 
societ3"  from  ivhich  the  garden  boy  is  drawn,  and  we  shall  liave 
the  parentage  and  origin  of  future  heads. 
The  day  has  gone  by  when  fairly  well. to  do  people  placed  their 
sons  in  good  establishments,  and  paid  premiums  with  them,  with 
the  object  cf  their  being  thoroughly  trained  to  occupy  po.«itions  as 
head  gardeners.  Whether  horticulture  gencrall3'  has  suffered  at 
all  through  the  dying  out  of  this  system  I  will  leave  others  to 
judge;  but  it  is  certain  that  some  head  gardeners  have,  becau.se 
the  chiefs  of  many  well-kiiOAvn  e.stabli.shments,  made  a  nice  litt'e 
nest  egg  out  of  premiums  paid  by  3’oung  gardeners.  To  .some 
extent,  I  believe',  the  premium  S3'stem  is  still  in  force,  and  gar¬ 
deners  in  certain  establishments  make  it  a  rule  to  receiim  pa3uuent 
from  the  3’ouths  under  them  ;  but  those  ivho  pay  certainl3'  do  not 
knoAv  the  ropes  very  ivell,  or  they  ivould  know  that  the3'  could 
obtain  an  equally  good  training  without  putting  five  or  ten  pounds 
in  any  head  gardener’s  pocket. 
Feiv  people  ivho  can  do  better  for  their  sons  place  them  in 
gardens  noivadays,  as  the  prospects  for  the  future  are  too  poor 
and  uncertain,  and  even  gardeners  themselves,  ivho  occup3'  fairl3’ 
good  positions,  generally  look  higher  for  their  children,  and  place 
them  in  other  walks  of  life  in  which  prospects  are  better.  This  is 
not  through  any  bumptious  conceit  on  the  part  of  the  parents, 
and  if  the  gardener  could  feel  that  the  chances  of  his  son  obtaining 
a  position  as  good  as  his  onn  ivcre  in  his  faimur,  he  ivould  bring 
