406 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
May  16,  1901. 
age  is  reached,  and,  perhaps,  health  begins  to  fail,  the  advantages, 
which  at  one  time  appeared  so  great,  seem  like  phantoms  of  the  past, 
and  a  desire  to  return  to  the  country  fields  of  youth  is  great  and 
I  ressing  ;  but,  alas !  there  seems  no  prospect  there. 
Neither  is  the  outlook  bright  for  old  age  spent  In  town.  The 
wages,  which  at  one  time  looked  so  high,  seem  to  have  vanished  in 
'he  higher  expenses  of  living,  and  in  tiding  over  difficulties  when 
iradewas  slack  or  health  fa  ling.  On  the  oiher  hand,  the  expenses 
connected  with  country  life  are  small  indeed  in  comparison,  and 
when  health  is  good,  each  day  spent  under  the  clear  blue  sky  is 
a  day  of  pleasure,  or,  peihaps  I  should  write,  happiness.  There  aie 
many  who  enter  in  the  race  for  wealth,  and  some  who  win,  though 
it  dees  not  always  bring  happiness  in  its  train;  but  when  the  gold 
t3  won  a  home  in  the  country  is  often  one  of  the  first  things  sought 
for.  How  surely  does  this  show  us  that  we  cannot,  wi  hout  paying 
some  penalty,  be  drawn,  for  any  length  of  time,  from  the  only 
natural  life — viz;.,  one  spent  to  a  great  extent  among  country 
surroundings. 
The  whole  question  as  to  how  such  matters  are  to  be  successfully 
dealt  with,  is  fraught  with  great  difficulties,  but  at  various  times 
during  our  national  existence  difficul  ies  as  great  have  been  faced  and 
overcome,  and  I  for  one  believe  that  out  of  the  present  evil  good  will 
in  the  near  future  come,  for  although  English  people  move  slowly,  by 
degrees  they  manage  to  adapt  themselves  to  altered  circumstances. 
In  a  thickly  populated  country  like  our  own  it  seems  absurd  to  believe 
fehat  the  land  will,  for  any  length  of  time,  cease  to  yield  a  profitable 
return  when  cultivated  fur  the  purpose  of  providing  a  supply  of  food. 
Rents  have  fallen  to  a  very  low  point  ;  land  in  agricultural  districts 
can  be  bought  very  cheaply,  and  there  are  now  so  many  facilities 
for  acquiring  it  that  the  number  of  men  who  own  the  land  they 
cultivate  is  now  rapidly  increasing.  Thus  having  a  direct  interest  in 
maintaining  the  full  fertility  of  the  soil,  they  are  managing  it  in  a 
way  likely  to  be  of  benefit  to  themselves,  their  ofL-piing,  and  their 
oountry. 
I  have  travelled  a  good  deal  of  late,  and  have  usually  found  that 
the  owners  of  small  farms  and  market  gardens  are  prospeiing  steadily, 
notwithstanding  the  great  competition.  In  many  districts,  however, 
one  great  want  is  felt — v  z.,  better  means  of  commutdcation  with  the 
large  towns.  When  the  produce  has  to  be  changed  from  one  line  to 
another  the  cost  of  carriage  is  greatly  increased,  and  it  often  happens 
that  in  outlying  districts,  far  from  a  main  line,  the  soil  and  situation 
is  splendidly  adapted  for  market  gardening.  If  a  netw  >rk  of  light 
railways  could  only  be  established  all  over  the  country,  for  the  purpose 
of  collecting  and  conveying  produce  to  central  points,  they  would 
offer  immense  advantages  to  market  gardeners  and  farmers. 
Telegraphic  and  telephonic  communication  with  the  principal  markets 
is  now  pretty  well  established  throughout  the  country,  and  growers 
have  therefore  good  opportunities  of  ascertaining  the  state  of  the 
markets  before  sending  their  produce  ;  but  there  is  far  too  much 
difference  between  the  price  rece'ved  by  the  grower  and  that  paid 
by  the  consumer.  The  produce  sent  to  la'ge  towns  usually  passes 
through  the  hands  of  the  commission  a^ent,  who  is  interested  in 
selling  quickly,  as  his  profit  is  assured,  whereas  if  such  profit  were 
regulated  by  the  price  obtained  for  the  produce  the  agent  would  be  as 
much  interested  as  the  grower  in  obtaining  the  highest  prices.  In 
smaller  towns,  where  there  are  few  commiss’on  agents,  the  grower 
takes  his  produce  to  the  market,  when  the  shopkeepers  buy  from  him 
direct,  but  they  have  a  way  of  forming  themselves  into  a  “ring,”  so 
that  they  can  practically  buy  at  their  own  price,  which  accounts  for 
the  absurd  figures  at  which  produce  is  sometimes  sold. 
Let  me  give  one  instance.  I  am  acquainted  w  th  a  grower  who, 
early  last  autumn,  took  a  good  sample  of  highly  coloured  Apples  to 
the  market  of  a  small  town  ;  the  hiihest  price  he  could  obtain  was 
£d.  per  lb.,  yet  those  very  Apples  were  labelled  in  the  shop  window  at 
4d.  per  lb.  This,  I  think,  shows  up  one  of  the  weakest  points  in 
connection  with  market  gardening.  Shopkeepers  have  been  able  to 
buy  very  cheaply  in  the  wholesale  markets,  they  have  retailed  at  a 
great  profit,  and  a  few  years  ago  some  quickly  made  their  fortunes. 
What  is  the  result  ?  Why,  by  far  too  many  people  opened  green¬ 
grocers’  and  fruiterers’  shops.  There  are  now  two  oi  three  where  there 
should  be  only  one.  Under  such  circumstances  the  limited  amount  of 
produce  which  each  can  sell  makes  it  necessary  for  them  to  obtain  a 
large  profit  on  each  article  to  ob  ain  a  living  ;  and  as  the  shopkeepers 
are  shrewd  enough  to  keep  their  prices  pretty  unilorm,  the 
maintenance  of  so  many  shops  has  to  come  out  of  the  pocket  of  the 
grower.  If  there  were  fewer  shops,  each  would  sell  a  far  grea  er 
amount  of  produce,  and  the  shopkeeper  would  be  satisfied  with  less 
profit  on  each  article.  Both  the  retailer  aud  the  grower  would  then  be 
more  prosperous  than  they  are  to-day,  yet  the  public  would  pay  no 
more,  because  the  expenses  of  distribution  would  be  lessened.  As 
matters  stand  at  present  the  grower  has  to  pay,  indirectly,  the  rent 
and  expenses  of  two  or  three  shops,  where  one  could  supply  the  public 
equally  well.— H.  D. 
Dalflia  Analysis. 
The  Dahlia  season  of  last  year  was  by  no  means  a  favourable  one. 
The  dry  spring  and  early  summer,  and  the  scorching  weather  in  July, 
proved  very  trying  to  the  plants,  particularly  to  those  growing  on 
anything  like  porous  soils.  Indeed,  it  was  only  after  the  exhibition 
season  was  over  that  sufficient  rain  fell  iu  the  south  of  England  to 
euable  the  moisture-loving  Dahlia  to  grow  and  flower  with  its  usual 
freedom.  From  that  time  until  after  the  middle  of  November  the 
conditions  remained  so  moist  and  genial  that  seldom  has  there  been 
known  such  a  profusion  of  bloom  so  late  in  the  year.  I  mention  these 
particulars  in  order  that  it  may  be  better  understood  the  adverse 
circumstances  under  which  the  last  exhibition  of  the  National  Dahlia 
Society  was  held.  The  unfavourable  character  of  the  season  is  no 
doubt  to  some  extent  answerable  for  the  small  number  of  Show  and 
Fancy  Dahlias  staged  at  that  exhibition,  and  also  for  the  quality  of 
the  flowers  not  being  up  to  the  usual  high  standard.  In  fact,  at 
no  previous  show  held  by  the  Society,  with  the  single  exception  of 
that  of  1893,  have  these  two  important  sections,  taken  together,  been 
as  indifferently  represented.  On  the  other  hand,  only  once  before  in  the 
last  eleven  years  have  the  Pompons  been  as  largely  shown.  The  singles 
were  rather  better  represented  than  at  most  of  the  recent  exhibitions  of 
the  Society.  Bunches  of  Cactus  Dahlias  were  not  as  numerous  as  in 
1897  or  1898,  but  shown  singly  on  boards  three  times  as  many  Cactus 
blooms  were  staged  as  at  either  of  the  two  previous  exhibitions. 
The  number  of  blooms  or  bunches,  as  the  case  may  be,  set  up  in 
competition  at  the  National  Dahlia  Society’s  exhibition  at  the  last  five 
shows,  in  each  of  the  five  sections  into  which  Dahlias  are  now  divided, 
will  be  found  in  the  following  short  table : — 
1896 
1897 
1898 
1899 
1900 
Shows,  No.  of  blooms  ... 
...  798 
930 
838 
702 
682 
Fancies  „  „ 
...  276 
312 
305 
336 
314 
Pompons  ,,  of  bunches  ... 
...  192 
234 
190 
180 
222 
Cactus  ,,  „ 
...  220 
432 
361 
297 
354 
Cactus,  shown  singly 
...  — 
— 
216 
216 
798 
Singles,  No.  of  bunohes... 
...  126 
116 
131 
117 
126 
In  the  above  short  statement  no  account  is  taken  in  the  case  of 
the  Shows  and  Fancies  of  the  number  of  blooms  set  up  iu  the  classes 
for  three  or  more  flowers  of  any  one  variety,  nor  iu  the  case  of  the 
Cactus  varieties  of  the  exhibition  blooms  staged  in  vases. 
Show  and  Fancy  Dahlias. 
Whenever  their  records  will  allow  of  this  being  done,  and  to  this  rule 
there  are  comparatively  few  exceptions  the  positions  of  the  Shows  and 
Fancies  in  the  tables  are  dependent  upon  the  average  number  of  times 
each  variety  was  staged  at  the  last  eight  Crystal  Palace  exhibitions. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  in  tffise  analyses  considerable  prominence 
is  given  to  the  Show  and  Fancy  sections.  Several  reasons  might  be 
given  for  this.  In  the  first  place,  there  are  scarcely  any  other  florists’ 
flowers  whose  records  are  so  admirably  suited  to  this  method  of 
treatment,  and  which  will  consequently  allow  of  the  different  varieties 
being  so  accurately  placed  in  their  order  of  merit  as  exhibition 
varieties.  But,  apart  from  this,  theie  are  no  other  Dahlias  which 
have  been  brought  to  such  a  degree  of  perfection,  which  present  so 
many  points  of  interest  to  the  cultivator,  and  which  are,  therefore,  so 
well  adapted  for  exhibi  ion  purposes.  Moreover,  in  the  present  dayv 
when  the  merits  of  these  fine  Show  and  Fancy  varieties  appear  likely 
to  be  somewhat  overlooked  in  the  rush  for  the  more  popular  and 
attractive  Cactus  Dahlias,  It  is,  I  think,  desirable  that  the  cultivation 
of  these  two  types  should  receive  all  toe  encouragement  that  can  be 
given  them.  The  unfavourable  character  of  recent  summers  may  in 
some  measure  account  for  the  falling  off  in  the  number  of  exhibitors, 
for  there  is  no  other  class  of  D  .hha  so  dependent  upon  favourable 
climatic  conditions  for  its  successful  culture. 
Fur  fifteen  successive  years  Mrs.  Gladstone  has  stood  at  the  head 
of  the  table  of  Show  Dahlias,  for  constant  as  some  of  the  leading 
varieties  in  this  section  have  proved  themselves  to  be,  there  has  been 
none  other  quite  as  constant  as  this,  the  premier  flower.  At  the  last 
exhibition  it  was  not  as  frequently  staged  as  the  second  Dahlia  on  the 
list,  R.  T.  Rawlings,  while  Duchess  of  York  was  set  up  an  equal 
number  of  times  to  Mrs.  Gladstone ;  but  as  yet  there  are  no  signs  of 
the  leading  flower  being  superseded  by  either  of  these  grand  sorts,  nor 
indeed  by  any  other  in  the  table.  Duchess  of  York  and  Florence 
Tranter  have  never  before  been  as  frequently  staged  as  they  were  last 
year,  while  R.  T.  Rawlings,  Miss  Cannel1,  T.  J.  Saltmarsb,  Victor,. 
Prince  of  Denmark,  Mrs.  D.  Saunders,  and  Diadem,  were  also 
except ionally  well  repre.-ented.  On  the  other  hand,  the  following 
sorts  have  seldom,  if  ever  before,  been  as  sparsely  shown — William 
Rawlings,  John  Hickling,  Henry  Walton,  Ethel  Britton,  Arthur 
Ocock,  Shirley  Hibberd,  Willie  Garratt,  and  Majestic 
The  additions  to  this  section  in  recent  years  have  not  been  as 
numerous  as  formerly,  which  is  to  be  regretted,  as  the  appearance  of 
sterling  novelties  always  adds  so  much  to  the  interest  taken  by  the 
cultivator  in  any  flower.  The  varieties  in  the  table  which  are  live  or 
