April  11,  ma. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
3u7 
The  Auricula, 
There  seems  to  be  a  ring  of  sadness  about  the  veteran  “  D.’s  ” 
notes  on  the  Auricula  (page  241).  They  have  gone,  he  says,  and  yet 
he  oan  live  on  their  memories.  What  manner  of  flower  is  thig,  my 
masters,  that  retains  such  a  hold  on  the  florist  after  he  has  given  up 
its  culture?  Advance,  florists!  (Auricula,  I  was  going  to  say),  but 
I  am  afraid  it  cannot  be.  It  has  a  few  staunch  adherents  that  manfully 
support  it,  and  spring  after  spring  bring  their  green,  grey,  and  white- 
edged  favourites  together  in  friendly  competition.  But  the  army  does 
not  seem  to  grow  much  ;  the  same  exhibitors  appear  every  season,  with 
few  additions.  And  “  D.”  is  fearful  that  the  plant  will  never  become 
really  popular  except  amongst  a  few  zealots.  He  gives  his  reasons  for 
the  thought,  but  they  seem  hardly  sufficient  to  keep  a  flower  of  such 
beauty  in  the  background.  It  may  rest  more  with  the  plant  and  its 
unwillingness  to  adapt  itself  to  circumstances  ;  but  be  that  as  it  may,  the 
ardent  growers  of  the  flower  are  not  numerous,  however  enthusiastic 
they  may  be. — G. 
Early  Potatoes. 
“  N.  H.  P.”  begins  his  article  on  early  Potatoes,  page  242,  with  a 
kind  of  apology  for  introducing  the  subject  at  all.  It  is  hardly  needful, 
w  N.  H.  P.,”  for  though  Potato  culture  has  been  written  up  from 
every  point  of  view,  it  is  a  matter  of  suoh  importance  that  it  will 
stand  recapitulation.  I  am  at  one  with  the  writer  in  what  he  says 
about  varieties,  and  also  the  importance  of  giving  them  plenty  of  room  ; 
but  is  it  necessary  to  allow  first  early  Potatoes  such  as  Victor  and 
Ringleader  a  yard  apart  between  the  rows  ?  If  space  is  no  considera¬ 
tion,  all  well  and  good,  but  everybody  is  not  blessed  with  an  unlimited 
supply  of  it,  and  we  want  to  make  the  most  of  the  ground.  I  have 
every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  way  my  Victors,  Ringleaders,  and 
Harbingers  acquit  themselves  when  planted  in  rows  from  2  feet  to 
2  feet  6  inches  apart.  If  “  N.  H.  P.”  allows  3  feet  between  the  rows 
of  first  early  varieties,  it  would  be  interesting  to  know  what  space  he 
would  give  to  Magnums  and  Up-to-Dates,  having  regard  to  the  taller 
and  more  vigorous  habit  of  growth.— W.  B. 
Grape  Madresfield  Court. 
Oh,  dear,  dear  !  Mr.  H.  Richards,  how  dare  you  attempt  to  upset  the 
pet  theories  of  so  many  Grape  growers  as  to  the  cause  of  cracking  of 
the  berries  of  Madresfield  Court  ?  Can  it  be  that  many  growers  who 
are  so  anxious  to  keep  the  border  dry  to  prevent  cracking  are  really 
encouraging  that  unsatisfactory  state  of  affairs  ?  Still,  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  logic  in  what  you  say,  and,  generally  speaking,  the  natural  way 
of  growing  anything  is  the  right  one.  It  cannot  be  natural  to  let  a 
Vine-  go  short  of  liquid  food.  I  once  had  a  Madresfield  Court  Vine 
growing  at  the  end  of  a  house  of  Muscats.  Not  an  ideal  place,  perhaps, 
some  will  say  ;  but  there  it  was,  and  it  received  the  treatment  given  to 
the  latter.  The  berries  were  large  and  rarely  cracked,  but  in  this 
instance  Madresfield  Court  showed  its  fickleness  in  refusing  to  oolour 
well.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  will  not  oblige  in  every  respeob.  Be 
content  with  moderate  sized  berries,  and  they  will  colour  up  to  the 
stalks,  but  set  your  heart  on  large  ones  and  invariably  you  must  forego 
density  of  colour,  particularly  near  the  stalks. — H. 
Balancing  tl\e  Growtlj  of  Peach  Trees. 
Ir  is  quite  true,  “  H.  D.”  (page  237),  what  you  say  about 
balancing  the  growth  of  Peach  trees,  and  it  is  surprising  how  many  are 
deluded  by  those  rank  vigorous  growths  that  bear  little  or  no  fruit,  but 
rob  the  rest  of  the  tree  of  its  strength.  Only  recently  I  was  in  the 
company  of  a  young  gardener,  who  pointed  proudly  to  the  growth  his 
Peach  trees  had  made.  There  was  no  doubt  about  it  ;  strong  vigorous 
shoots  here  and  there  had  left  the  others  far  enough  behind,  but  it  only 
required  an  experienced  eye  to  see  that  they  were  ruining  the  future  of 
the  tree.  The  young  man  was  disappointed  ;  he  had  pinned  his  hopes 
on  that  strong  wood,  and  it  was  nob  without  some  misgivings  that  he 
removed  it.  But  he  saw  the  logio  of  it  when  explained,  and  I  do  not 
think  he  wilL  be  deluded  in  the  same  way  again.  It  points  to  the 
necessity,  however,  of  repeating  suoh  lessons,  and  though  the  aged 
praotitioner  may  scan  impatiently  “  H.  D.’s”  practical  notes  as 
something  he  learnt  years  ago,  they  may  be  in  time  to  prevent  a  young 
or  inexperienced  Peach  grower  from  falling  into  a  serious  error. — L.  L. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  Ireland. 
On  reading  the  correspondence  under  this  head  (page  290),  the  first 
question  which  naturally  occurs  is,  Whose  property  were  those 
Chrysanthemums  whioh  Mr.  Brock  exhibited  at  the  show  in  question  ? 
The  answer  to  this  does  not  appear,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  in  the  letters 
quoted. — W.  R.  Raillem. 
Late  Keeping  Culinary  Apples. 
I  want  to  have  a  word,  and  a  very  serious  word,  too,  with  “  G.”  on 
his  most  grave  omission  from  his  list  of  late  keeping  Apples  of  the  very 
king  of  late  Apples,  the  “finest  Apple  on  earth,”  Bramley’s  Seedling. 
My  dear  brother,  how  could  you  do  it  ?  To  leave  out  the  Apple  which 
is,  after  our  glorious  and  ancient  cathedral,  Southwell,  the  pride  and 
boast  and  glory  of  our  oity ;  the  Apple  born  in  our  midst;  the  Apple 
whioh  is  the  best  cropper,  the  longest  keeper,  and  the  richest  cooker ; 
why  it  makes  us  Southwellites  blank  with  astonishment.  Pray  see  to 
it,  and  when  you  write  again,  as  of  course  after  this  you  will,  I  am  sure 
you  will  also  recognise  the  reasonableness  of  this  remonstrance  and 
make  ample  amends  for  your  lack  of  memory.  Tour  list  of  late  keeping 
Apples,  “  G.,”  would  be  improved  by  the  inclusion  of  another  of  our 
Notts  good  Apples,  I  mean  Newton  Wonder ;  and  then,  why  should  the 
old  friend  Rymer,  or  Caldwell,  commonly  called  “  Cawdle,”  be  left 
out  ?  and  if  you  will  put  the  word  New  before  your  Northern  Greening, 
then  I  am  with  you  completely.  But  then  these  are  details.  It  is  your 
amazing  and  most  regrettable  slip  of  memory,  “  G.,”  with  respect  to 
Bramley’s  Seedling,  which  has  Caused  me  to  write  these  few  words  of 
respectful  expostulation. — A  Southwellite. 
Stable  Manure  versus  Artificial. 
Having  been  interested  in  the  current  discussions  by  Mr.  J.  J. 
Willis  and  “  W.  D.”  on  the  above,  I  conclude  that  the  following 
expressions  from  a  lecture  by  Dr.  Wilson  of  Carbeth,  delivered  before 
the  Dumbartonshire  Agricultural  Society  recently,  may  be  allowed 
consideration  in  this  controversy.  The  doctor’s  opinions  seem  closely 
to  corroborate  what  “  W.  D.”  asserted  in  his  last  contribution  to  the 
discussion — viz.,  “  artificial  fertilisers  are  supplementary  manures,  and 
can  be  nothing  more.” 
Dr.  Wilson  specially  emphasised  the  fact  that  the  proper  basis  of 
all  successful  manuring  is  well-made  farmyard  manure,  and  that  the 
proper  function  of  artificial  manures  is  to  supplement,  and  act  as 
auxiliaries  to  the  natural  manure.  As  the  doctor  very  justly  pointed 
out,  farmyard  manure  not  only  provides  the  fertilising  matter  required 
by  the  crops,  but  it 'is  also  the  great  seat  and  centre  of  that  bacterial 
activity,  without  which  there  can  be  no  fertility  ;  and  it  also  improves, 
as  no  other  manure  oan  do,  the  physical  condition  of  the  soil,  rendering 
the  heavy  soil  more  open  and  friable,  and  the  light  soil  less  liable  to 
damage  by  drought,  the  dung  acting  as  a  sponge  for  the  retention  of 
moisture,  besides  generating  a  moisture  by  its  own  decomposition. 
Dr.  Wilson’s  lecture  was  notable,  not  only  for  the  useful  and  practical 
information  it  contained,  but  also  for  the  evidence  it  contained  as  to  the 
due  recognition  which  the  biological  or  bacteriological  branch  of  soil 
science  is  now  receiving  at  the  hands  of  our  leading  agricultural 
scientists.” — Northern  Spy. 
Scarcity  of  Journeymen  Gardeners. 
I  was  much  interested  in  reading  the  remarks  by  “  W.  L.”  in  your 
late  issue,  page  261,  and  quite  agree  in  all  he  has  to  say.  The  khaki 
fever  has,  no  doubt,  something  to  do  with  it,  but  to  my  mind  it  is  the 
very  low  wage,  together  with  so  few  privileges  attached,  which  is  the 
real  cause  why  so  tew  young  men  care  nowadays  to  take  to  the 
profession  for  a  living.  To  my  mind  it  is  sad  to  see,  in  many  cases, 
very  well  educated,  smart  young  men,  from  eighteen  to  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  working,  “  often  very  long  hours,  and  taking  their  turn 
on  Sunday  duty,  for  such  a  wage  as  16s.  or  18s.  per  week  and  bothy, 
and  very  often  for  less.  Why  should  they,  when  there  are  so  many  other 
employments  open  for  young  men  of  good  character  and  appeaiance? 
If,  after  a  long  period  of  probation,  they  were  likely  to  rise  to  a  good 
position  as  heads,  they  would  not  mind.  Unfortunately,  really  good 
head  places  are  few  and  far  between,  and  the  wage  paid  for  headships 
is,  in  many  cases,  far  too  small.  Do  I  hear  someone  say  that  a  man  at 
eighteen  or  twenty-two  years  of  age  receiving  16s.  or  18s.  per  week  is 
very  well  paid  ?  I  ask  how  many  there  are  over  twenty-two,  aye,  and 
over  twenty-five,  getting  no  more  ?  W”hatever  position  in  life  a  man  is 
placed,  he  ought  to  do  his  very  best  for  his  employer,  and  the  employer 
should  show  his  or  her  appreciation  by  paying  a  reasonable  wage.  How 
often  one  sees  an  advertisement  for  head  with  the  following  words,  not 
afraid  of  work,  which  to  my  mind  seem3  an  insult,  and  very  often  not 
more  than  20s.  per  week  and  a  small  cottage  offered  as  salary  ? — One 
Who  has  Been  Through  the  Mill. 
