January  17,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
55 
Revival  of  tl\e  Camellia. 
A  few  decades  ago  the  C>  mellia  was  more  in  demand  than  since, 
probably  owing  to  the  wonderful  advance  of  the  Chrysanthemum  and 
of  forced  flowers,  such  as  Bouvardias,  Lilies  of  the  Yalley,  Roman 
Hyacinths,  Narcissi,  and  other  easily  forced  flowers,  and  which,  perhaps, 
more  readily  lend  themselves  to  elegant  and  dainty  “buttonholes”  than 
the  “  humpy  ”  Camellia — as  it  has  irreverently  been  designated — 
beautiful  though  they  be,  and  prized  by  many  wearers  yet.  It  would 
appear,  however,  that  there  need  be  no  fear  of  the  Camellia  becoming 
entirely  excommunicated  from  public  favour  when,  if  for  instance,  it  is 
taken  into  consideration  that  at  a  sale  at  Birmingham  last  year,  several 
boxes  of  blooms  fetched  from  10s.  to  12s;  per  dozen  blooms,  an 
extraordinary  price,  and  Mr.  Pope  informed  the  writer  that  never  since 
the  celebration  in  Birmingham  of  the  coming  of  age  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales  had  he  known  Camellia  flowers  fetch  so  high  a  price  as  that 
quoted,  and  when  upon  that  auspicious  event  single  blooms  of  Camellias 
were  sold  from  one  shilling  to  half  a  crown  each. — W.  G. 
- - 
Old  Hotbed  Manure. 
So  there  is  no  “virtue”  in  old  hotbed  manure.  I  hope  “Nous 
Yerrons  ”  does  not  mean  to  assert  that  it  has  parted  with  all  its  plant 
food.  If  he  does,  then  he  startles  us  all.  Well  may  he  exclaim,  What 
next  !  again,  when  I  assert  that  there  is  great  plant  food  in  an  old 
hotbed,  and  that  in  its  well-decomposed  and  far  from  exhausted 
condition,  it  presents  plant  food  in  the  most  facile  form.  Does  not  all 
experience  prove  so  much  ?  What  gardener  does  not  gladly  use  it 
whenever  he  can  ?  Who  in  making  up  a  pet  plant  compost  does  not 
use  it  when  obtainable?  And  why?  Because  if  it  has  parted  with 
some  of  its  ammonia  it  still  retains  other,  and  for  plant  production, 
more  useful  constituents,  than  nitrogen.  Whenever  nitrogen  is  required, 
and  often  far  too  much  of  it  is  used  for  Chrysanthemums,  it  can 
easily  be  given  in  liquid  form.  Then  old  hotbed  manure  does  not 
waste  and  leave  pot  soil  hollow  in  the  same  way  that  fresh  and  crude 
manure  does.  Why  do  the  growers  of  giant  Onions  employ  old  hotbed 
or  Mushroom  bed  refuse  as  top-dressing  but  because  of  its  fertile 
value  ?  Why  do  we  use  it  for  any  and  every  purpose  whenever 
obtainable  ?  Scores  of  years  of  experience  has  shown  that  as  a  food 
for  any  crop  old  hotbed  manure  is  rich  in  food.  That,  “  Nous  Yerrons,” 
was  known  before  you  were  born. — A.  D. 
— — 
Strawberries. 
I  have  perhaps  had  as  much  experience  with  St.  Joseph  and  Oregon 
Strawberries  as  anyone  in  England,  and  it  pained  me  to  read  that 
“  Wanderer  ”  so  severely  questioned  the  merits  of  these  two  most 
invaluable  kinds.  I  herewith  send  you  two  plants  at  this  date,  January 
9th,  and  as  you  will  observe,  Mr.  Editor,  they  are  throwing  up  strong 
trusses  of  flowers,  and  will  with  any  ordinary  care  bring  forth  fruit, 
and  it  is  perfectly  correct  these  two  varieties  continue  doing  so  from 
the  end  of  May  till  the  new  year,  thus  for  a  spaoe  of  seven  months 
will  keep  us  supplied  with  luscious  fruit,  and  of  a  fair  size  and  flavour  ; 
a  fruit  so  essential  to  allay  certain  complaints  and  refresh  our  system. 
It  certainly  is  not  very  enoouraging  to  the  hybridists  who  devote  so 
many  hard,  attentive  hours  trying  to  raise  and  introduce  something 
entirely  new,  when  enthusiastic  and  grateful  amateurs  announce  their 
thanks,  and  in  praise  of  such  work  to  be  attacked  by  those  who  are 
perhaps  difficult  to  please,  or  failed  to  foresee  what  may  yet  come  from 
this  particular  fruit.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  they  are  rather  unkind 
to  these  national  improvers.  When  we  adopt  the  correct  method,  and 
bring  their  fruit  to  perfection  during  the  latter  end  of  the  summer  and 
all  through  the  autumn,  meeting  the  ordinary  kinds  in  early  fruiting, 
surely  the  public  will  give  us  credit  for  making  two  fruits  grow  where 
only  one  grew  before.  As  regard  to  their  fruiting  propensities,  how 
totally  different  that  to  the  ordinary  kinds.  What  the  opponents  to 
these  new  comers  should  do,  in  my  opinion,  is  to  give  ns  a  similar 
variety  with  longer  and  stronger  fruitstalks,  and  perhaps  it  would  not 
be  asking  for  more  than  they  can  oblige  us  with,  possessing  the  size, 
and  the  beautiful  flavour  of  British  Queen.  This  done,  I  would 
strongly  advocate,  whoever  it  might  be,  that  they  should  be  publicly 
recognised  and  presented  with  a  purse  of  money  by  the  nation. — 
R.  Cannell,  Eynsford. 
[The  plants  sent  were  grown  out  of  doors  and  had  visibly  developed 
fruits,  sometimes  reaching  the  size  of  a  pea,  and  abundance  of  flowers. 
—Ed.] 
Women  as  Gardeners. 
What  They  Can  Do. 
It  seems  to  me  now  that  women  are  training  themselves  to  perform 
certain  important  work  in  the  garden  that  they  should  be  encouraged  to 
do  so,  but  it  is  folly  od  the  part  of  anyone  to  suggest  heavy  work  for 
them  which  is  best  carried  out  by  men.  In  every  large  garden  there 
are  numerous  light  employments  which  women  could  deal  with  satis¬ 
factorily.  We  do  not  want  to  see  them  bending  double  at  digging 
forking,  wheeling,  or  mowing,  but  they  would  be  a  great  help  to  busy 
gardeners  in  spring  or  summer,  and  at  other  seasons  too,  under  glass  or 
outside.  Capable  women  would  soon  learn,  if  they  had  not  already 
learnt,  how  to  pot  young  Chrysanthemum  plants,  Tomatoes,  and 
seedlings  of  various  descriptions.  The  work  of  propagation  in  a 
garden  is  considerable,  and  much  of  it  could  readily  be  entrusted  to 
women.  Sowing  seeds  in  pans,  pots,  and  light  boxes,  pricking  out 
seedlings  and  attending  to  them,  tying  and  training  plants  might  all  be 
done  by  them.  Women,  too,  might  assist  in  thinning  Grapes,  taking 
the  lower  parts  of  the  roof  while  a  man  dealt  with  the  high  and 
inconvenient  parts.  The  tying  down  and  stopping  of  Yine  shoots, 
disbudding  Peaches  and  Nectarines,  and  thinning  the  fruit  is  light 
work,  but  tedious  and  important,  some  of  which  girls  or  women  with' 
an  aptitude  for  the  work  could  manage  satisfactorily.  The  watering 
and  management  of  house  plants  are  peculiarly  suitable  for  women, 
provided  they  have  had  experience  in  the  work.  The  average  house¬ 
maid  knows  nothing,  and  cares  less,  about  the  welfare  of  any  plants  in 
her  domain,  but  the  trusty  lady  assistant  would  alter  all  that.  A 
conservatory,  too,  might  be  under  her  charge  so  far  as  watering,  air¬ 
giving,  and  the  general  cleanliness,  as  well  as  tasteful  arrangement  of 
the  plants  were  concerned.  Few  general  gardeners  have  sufficient 
time,  with  their  multifarious  duties*  to  give  new  arrangements  to 
conservatory  plants  as  often  as  may  be  desirable.  Female  help  of  the 
right  kind  would  be  invaluable.  Then  there  are  other  jobs  such  as 
gathering  bush  fruit,  summer  pruning  bushes,  wall  trees,  planting, 
tying  and  staking  border  plants,  summer  and  autumn  attention  to 
Chrysanthemums,  also  flower  beds,  cutting  flowers,  and  many  other 
matters.  In  fact,  without  resorting  to  heavy  work  sufficient  employ¬ 
ment  may  be  found  in  any  large  garden  for  an  industrious  woman. — 
E.  D.  S. 
- - 
Jerusalem  Artichokes. 
A  Remonstrance. 
As  soon  as  we  have  got  the  leaves  cleaned  up  from  lawns,  shrubberies, 
drives,  and  walks,  which  usually  takes  us,  even  if  the  weather  is  good 
and  open,  until  about  Christmas,  we  get  at  our  Jerusalem  Artichokes, 
lift  them,  sort  them,  store  away  with  other  root  crops  the  useable  ones, 
select  the  seed,  dig  the  ground,  and  plant  again,  and  on  the  same 
ground  that  has  carried  the  crop,  and  good  ones  too,  for  over  twenty 
years  now,  then  wheel  the  refuse  roots  down  to  the  farm  for  the  pigs. 
We  had  juBt  finished  planting,  and  glad  to  get  that  job  done,  and  were 
rejoicing  with  thanksgiving  on  having  a  full  store  of  roots  for  household 
use,  whioh  are  used  largely,  both  as  a  second  vegetable,  but  especially 
in  soup,  when  our  Journal,  January  6th,  came  and  dashed  the  cup  of 
rejoicing  from  our  lips,  for  there  stared  us  in  the  face  on  page  10  in 
“  Notes  and  Notices  ”  the  baneful  paragraph,  “  Poison  in  Artiohokes.” 
“  Bless  me,”  I  said,  “  what  next  ?  ”  What  with  one  thing  and  another, 
Mr.  Editor,  we  shall  soon  not  be  able  to  eat  or  drink  anything  with 
safety  except  bread  and  water,  and  perhaps  “  taties.” 
These  provoking  scientific  people  are  for  ever  finding  out  that  this 
poison,  or  that  fungus  or  bacillus  is  in  some  of  the  food  and  drink  we 
have  used  for  years  and  years,  and  which  we  always  considered  to  be 
healthy  and  sustaining  commodities  ;  arsenical  poisoning  by  drinking 
beer,  which  is  made  in  these  days  from  glucose  (prepared  by  sulphuric 
acid)  instead  of  malt  and  hops,  though  this  latter  has  no  terrors  for  a 
few  of  us  on  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  understand,  and  now  poison 
in  our  old  and  useful  friend,  the  innocent  (with  a  joint  of  roast  beef  or 
mutton  and  plenty  of  gravy)  Artichoke.  I  may  indeed  say  with 
amazement,  “  What  next  ?  ”  Why,  life  will  hardly  be  worth  living  soon, 
and  I  venture  to  remonstrate,  and  that  very  seriously,  with  the  editor 
for  introducing  this  unpleasant  paragraph,  and  especially  so  at  this 
festive  season.  But,  ha  !  ha  !  perhaps  it  was  that  naughty  sub-editor  or 
the  P.  D.,  who  had  been  Christmasing  too  freely,  Eh!  Oh,  fie  !  to 
frighten  us  like  this. 
It  occurs  to  me  here  to  look  a  little  closer  at  the  obnoxious  note,  and 
read  it  again.  “  German  scientists  have  found  that  a  poisonous  bacillus 
vegetates  on  the  Artichoke.”  “  German  scientists !  ”  “  Oh,  that’ll  do,”  I 
said.  ”  That  eases  my  mind  !  ”  Of  course  these  fellows  can  find  out  any¬ 
thing  they  want  to,  but  they  don’t  take  in  us  Britons.  No,  no !  We  are  a 
step  above  that,  and  we  shall  go  on  enjoying  our  Artichokes  with  our 
roast  beef  or  mutton  without  the  least  fear.  All  the  same,  I  think  my 
remonstrance  may  stand,  if  only  that  we  may  comfort  ourselves  by  our 
discovery  of  the  origin  of  the  paragraph,  and  know  that  those  jovial 
fellows,  the  “Sub”  or  “  P.  D.,”  will  get  a  very  severe  talking  to.  To 
show  that  I  am  from  the  country,  I  think  I  had  better  sign  myself — 
An  Old  Provincial. 
