January  3,  1901. 
11 
■JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Feeding  Chrysanthemums. 
What  next!  ‘‘A.  D.”  teaching  growers  of  large  blooms  of 
Chrysanthemums  how  to  feed  their  plants!  There  seems  to  be  no 
limit  to  the  knowledge  acquired  by  some  persons.  “A.  D.”  says 
“  some  well-decayed  old  hotbed  manure.”  I  would  ask,  What  virtue 
is  contained  in  well-decayed  old  hot-bed  manure  ?  How  much  ammonia 
or  other  plant  food  does  it  contain  ?  Such  manure  is  the  shell  which 
did  contain  a  stimulant,  but  not  when  thoroughly  decayed.  Ah  !  well ; 
such  is  the  teaching  of  those  who  profess  to  be  well  acquainted  with 
not  only  all  branches  of  horticulture,  but  the  details  as  well. — 
Nous  Yerrons. 
An  Appreciative  Grumble. 
When  we  find  our  Journal  cut  for  us,  and  that  we  require  no 
longer  the  frequently  evasive  paper  knife ;  when  we  again  find  our 
wishes  anticipated  in  the  reduction  of  the  price  of  priceless  weekly 
wisdom,  and  are  pocketing  33^  per  cent,  of  former  cost,  may  we  not 
hope,  while  not  ungrateful  for  benefits  received,  for  further  progress  on 
the  road  to  perfection,  and  allow  it  to  be  known  that  ardent  readers 
liberally  mark  and  annotate  their  Journal  regularly  in  the  most 
inconsiderate  fashion,  and  scribble  on  tops  of  outside  pages,  the 
numbers  of  such  pages  in  side  referring  to  articles  of  prominent  interest, 
with  their  purport  sharply  indicated,  and  varying  from  sometimes  only 
two  or  three  to  more  than  six  weekly  p  Why,  I  ask,  should  tables  of 
contents  be  hidden  away  under  any  consideration  where  nobody 
suspects  them,  and  fail  to  appear  on  the  first  page  in  the  first  column, 
where  scorings  may  be  made  with  impunity  and  neatly  and  be  visible 
at  the  first  glance  in  handling  back  numbers,  to  the  great  advantage  of 
systematic  deafings  with  multifarious  contents  ?  Other  enthusiasts  may 
share  these  sentiments  and  be  equally  grateful  for  another  instalment 
in  the  Journal’s  evolution  and  for  a  consideration  of  their  little  sorrows. 
— H.  H.  R.,  Sidcup. 
Women  as  Gardeners. 
I  am  afraid  I  have  somewhat  hurt  the  pride  of  at  least  one  of  the 
lady  gardeners.  I  can  assure  Miss  E.  Welthin  Winlo  that  I  had  no 
intention  of  doing  so  when  I  wrote  my  letter  (page  513),  but  wrote 
more  in  sympathy  than  in  a  spirit  of  ridicule.  I  was  led  to  state  what 
I  thought  were  the  facts  about  digging,  and  rather  than  suggesting 
that  the  lady  gardeners  should  become  garden  labourers  I  tried  to  show 
how  the  fair  sex  was  unfitted  for  the  heavier  work  connected  with  our 
profession,  and  through  which  we  men  have  had  to  plod  as  we  have 
worked  our  way  along.  There  may  be  a  few  Amazons  capable  of  using 
the  spade,  but  the  majority — no.  I  am  glad  Miss  Welthin  Winlo  does 
not  expect  to  be  an  expert  in  two  years ;  the  theory  of  gardening  is 
much  easier  learnt  than  the  practice,  which  is,  after  all,  the  more 
important.  A  person  at  one  of  the  colleges  may  become  quite  perfect 
in  botany  or  the  physiology  of  plants,  and  be  worth  very  little  as  a 
gardener. 
I  fear  the  ladies  are  somewhat  confused  as  to  the  tone  and  intent  of 
the  few  letters  that  have  appeared  in  the  press  about  them.  Miss 
E.  Welthin  Winlo  thanks  “A.  D.  C.”  for  his  tribute  to  women’s  work, 
whereas  the  lady  at  Kew,  “  E.  M.  G.,”  does  not  approve ;  so  I  suppose 
we  may  say  “  many  women  have  many  minds.”  I  do  not  quite  see 
how  your  correspondent  should  be  so  indignant  at  my  recommending 
domestic  service  as  a  more  fitting  occupation  for  women,  and  neither 
do  I  see  why  an  educated  servant  should  not  command  a  better  position 
and  higher  wages  than  an  uneducated  one  ;  there  are  many  good 
openings  in  large  establishmei  ts  for  women  that  are  far  above  the 
remuneration  given  to  the  gardener.  I  would  further  remind  the  lady 
gardener  that  from  the  day  she  enters  the  ranks  of  gentlemen’s 
gardeners  she  becomes  a  domestic  servant,  only  that  being  a  woman 
instead  of  a  man  her  employer  will  not  be  called  upon  to  pay  a  tax  of 
15s.  a  year,  which  will  be  at  least  one  saving  in  the  garden  expenses. 
In  conclusion,  just  let  me  say  that  fads  and  fancies  do  not  often 
survive  long,  and  1  hope  this  is  not  among  that  class.  My  experience 
of  employers  of  gardeners  is  this,  that  the  men,  or  women,  who  are 
wanted  aie  those  who  cau  do  the  most  work,  produce  the  utmost  from 
the  garden  at  the  least  possible  cost.  These  are  facts  that  the  women 
must  face,  and  my  wish  is  that  alter  they  have  fitted  themselves  for  a 
post  the  remuneration  and  position  they  will  hold  will  not  be  a 
disappointment  to  them.  The  premiums  or  the  saintly  millionaire  will 
make  the  hostel  or  the  college  a  success,  but  it  is  the  afterwards  that  I 
fear  for  those  who  have  to  depend  upon  themselves  for  their  livelihood. 
— John  Kitlky. 
Spade  ¥.  Fork, 
During  twenty  years’  residence  in  the  extensive  market  garden 
area  of  West  Middlesex  I  rarely  saw  a  spade  used  except  for  making 
trenches  and  earthing  Celery.  The  long,  flat-tined  steel  fork  is  there 
the  common  tool  for  digging,  and  for  nearly  all  soils  it  is  very  difficult  to 
beat.  I  have  never  met  with  soil  in  which  it  could  not  be  used  as 
readily  as  the  spade.  Half-worn  spades  are  of  little  use,  but  flat.tined 
forks  maybe  used  for  shallow  forking,  or  pointing  till  quite  short; 
then  they  can  be  relaid  or  lengthened  again.  Whilst  I  like  these 
flat-tined  forks  so  much,  I  dislike  the  narrow-tined  ones,  as  not  only  do 
they  readily  snap  in  stony  soils  but  with  loose  Boils  fail  to  lift  the 
pulverised  matter.  The  others  will  do  such  work  well,  and  with 
stiff  soils  they  break  the  spits  better  than  a  spade.  For  trenching,  and 
especially  in  breaking  up  a  hard  bottom,  they  are  most  useful.  I  am 
surprised  to  learn  that  anyone  should  prefer  to  dig  Potatoes  with  a 
spade  rather  than  with  a  fork.  Where  the  tubers  are  small  the  narrow- 
tined  fork  may  not  be  useful,  but  one  with  flat  tines  will  do  its  work 
capitally,  throwing  out  the  tubers  well  on  to  the  surface  and  free 
from  soil. — Experientia  Docet. 
Apples. 
I  agree  with  “  N.  H.  P.”  (page  572),  that  if  the  list  of  Apples  was 
shortened  the  public  would  not  be  any  the  worse;  at  the  same  time 
every  grower  of  Apples  has  the  remedy  in  his  own  hands — leave  those 
sorts  which  he  considers  useless  to  his  purpose.  It  is  surprising, 
though,  how  the  success  of  certain  varieties  varies  in  different  localities. 
In  this  way  a  wide  range  to  select  from  is  a  boon.  I  have  many  times 
wondered  who  certain  Apples  were  included  in  any  list,  and  perhaps 
before  long  I  have  seen  these  self  same  sorts  either  growing  or  being 
shown  in  magnificent  condition  in  another  part  of  the  county.  Take,  for 
example,  Emperor  Alexander,  Cellini,  Stone’s,  and  even  Potts’  Seedling, 
are  quite  useless  here.  Neither  of  them,  in  spite  of  much  attention 
to  the  roots  and  branch,  have  ever  been  a  success  with  me.  The  former 
will  not  crop,  the  second  is  poor  in  growth,  while  the  others  are  too 
prone  to  canker  to  be  worth  the  space  they  occupy.  Again,  variety 
provides  fruit  to  study  and  compare  in  varied  seasons,  as  seldom  do 
we  get  two  springs  alike,  summer,  or  autumn  either.  A  person  with 
a  space  to  cultivate  a  large  collection  is  conferring  a  boon  on  his 
immediate  neighbourhood  by  the  testing  of  sorts  which  are  likely 
to  flourish  in  that  particular  soil.  In  this  capacity  it  is  not  the  great 
variety  that  is  beneficial,  but  the  quantity  of  fruit  that  is  required  in 
the  neighbourhood.  There  is  hardly  a  locality  but  has  a  specialty  in 
the  varieties  of  Apples  that  grow  well,  crop  correspondingly,  and  sell 
at  a  good  price.  To  the  market  man  it  is  not  the  great  variety  that 
is  wanted,  it  is  to  know  the  requirements  and  cater  for  them  in  bulk. 
To  the  amateur  or  cottager  these  long  lists  are  confusing,  but  seldom 
do  such  persons  plant  Apple  trees  without  consulting  their  neighbours 
as  to  what  is  the  best  suited  for  the  locality. — E.  M. 
Late  Grapes. 
I  was  pleased  to  see  Mr.  Easter’s  interesting  remarks  on  this 
subject  (page  581),  and  trust  that  other  cultivators  will  also  give  their 
experience  in  regard  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  several  varieties.  I 
quite  agree  with  Mr.  Easter  in  regard  to  the  good  qualities  of  Mrs. 
Pince  as  a  late  Grape,  and  have  little  doubt  that  improved  methods 
of  culture  will  be  gradually  brought  to  light.  My  experience  of  it 
has  always  been  that  it  requires  a  well  drained  border,  and  a  little 
more  heat  during  the  growing  season  than  any  other  varieties.  The 
berries  ought  to  be  fully  ripe  by  the  end  of  September,  and  then  a 
change  of  procedure  is  necessary.  With  cool  treatment  the  Grapes 
may  be  kept  quite  fresh  and  plump  for  a  long  time;  indeed  I  think  that 
one  of  the  greatest  mistakes  made  in  the  management  of  Mrs.  Piuce  is 
to  attempt  to  ripen  it  by  the  aid  of  a  considerable  amount  of  fire  heat 
during  the  autumn.  The  result  is  shrivelling  of  the  berries.  This 
particular  variety  does  not  often  suffer  through  damp  in  autumn,  and 
although  it  is  not  wise  to  keep  the  soil  in  the  borders  very  wet,  I  am 
convinced  they  are  often  allowed  to  get  too  dry,  a  condition  which 
favours  shrivelling. 
I  have  tried  many  experiments  in  regard  to  the  amount  of  fire  heat 
necessary  to  keep  Grapes  in  good  condition  on  the  Vines  till  Christmas, 
and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  as  a  rule  we  give  more  fire  heat 
than  is  necessary  for  nearly  all  varieties  except  Gros  Colman,  which  by 
reason  of  its  thin  skin  quickly  decays  in  a  low  temperature.  Mr.  Easter 
has  also,  I  see,  brought  to  the  light  of  publicity  two  old  varieties  which 
I  purposely  omitted  from  my  list — viz.,  Black  Prince  and  West’s  St. 
Peter’s.  Both  were  grown  in  a  collection  of  which  1  had  charge  many 
years  ago.  The  former  produced  long  tapering  bunches  freely,  and  the 
berries  always  coloured  splendidly,  but  I  think  little  more  cau  be  said 
in  favour  of  Black  Prince.  It  is  princely  only  in  regard  to  colour  and 
length  of  bunch  ;  the  bunches  are  too  thin  and  narrow,  and  the  flavour 
of  the  berries  scarcely  second  rate.  West’s  St.  Peter’s,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  of  fine  quality,  the  bunches  compact,  of  fair  siz9,  and  the  skin 
thin;  the  berries  are,  however,  rather  undersized,  and  this  is  probably 
the  reason  why  the  variety  is  so  little  grown. — H.  D. 
