460 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  30,  1901. 
Pear  Bergamotte  Espereij. 
Will  you,  Mr.  Editor,  spare  me  a  short  spaoe  to  add  my  mite  of 
panegyric  to  those  well-known  experts  in  Pear  culture,  Messrs.  Diver 
and  Young,  as  to  the  high  merits  of  Bergamotte  Esperen  ?  I  am  well 
aware  it  is  but  “  painting  the  Lily  and  adorning  the  Rose,”  in  vulgar 
parlance  “  buttering  parsnips,”  to  intrude  further  on  the  notice  of 
your  readers,  but  scientific  authorities  are  not  unfrequently  given  to 
be  crotchety ;  in  a  word,  do  not  oare  to  be  convinced.  And,  really, 
the  failure  of  this  excellent  Pear  under  consideration  to  obtain  a 
certificate  would  seem  to  be  a  case  in  point.  I  have  grown  Bergamotte 
Esperen  for  over  forty  years,  both  as  a  wall  cordon  and  as  an  orchard 
standard  grafted  on  perry  Pear  trees.  Under  both  styles  of  treatment 
it  snoceeds  admirably,  and  is  most  useful  and  reliable  against  a  wall, 
for  its  large  size,  and,  as  a  standard,  for  its  keeping  properties  ;  indeed, 
Nec  Plus  Meuris  is  the  only  very  late  Pear  that  with  me  at  all  comes  up 
to  this  variety  (I  can  make  nothing  of  Olivier  des  Serres),  and  utterly 
fails  in  the  competition,  from  its  want  of  texture  and  poorness  of 
flavour,  which  is  decidedly  of  the  Turnip,  “turnipy.”  I  well  remember 
Bergamotte  Esperen  at  Holm  Lacy  before  Mr.  Young  succeeded  to  his 
excellent  predecessor — old  Wells — when  the  celebrated  cordon  wall  was 
in  the  zenith  of  its  reputation,  and  that  the  late  Earl  of  Chesterfield 
(who  was  no  mean  authority  on  Pear  culture  from  his  long  sojourn  in 
France),  as  well  as  his  gardener,  had  the  highest  opinion  of  this  variety. 
Blackmore,  certainly,  speaks  disparagingly  of  it ;  but  does  not  this 
celebrated  author  of  fiction  condemn,  or  damn  with  faint  praise,  almost 
every  fine  of  the  finest  varieties  grown,  for  some  reason  or  other,  as 
more  or  less  worthless  at  Teddington  ?  Dr.  Hogg,  in  his  description 
in  the  “  Fruit  Manual”  (as  given  in  full  by  Mr.  Young)  speaks  most 
highly  of  Bergamotte  Esperen  as  “a  fit  successor  to  Winter  Nelis.”  I 
have  always  found  this  so;  and  another  instance,  if  wanted,  of  the 
marvellous  accuracy — even  in  the  most  minute  details — of  this  invaluable 
standard  work,  the  practical  value  of  which,  to  the  fruit  grower,  embryo 
or  expert,  every  year  enhances. 
I  should  like  to  take  this  opportunity  to  reoommend  a  midseason 
Pear,  Baron ne  de  Mello,  not  so  much  known  and  grown  surely  as  its 
sterling  merits  deserve ;  it  absolutely  bears  out  the  description  given  of 
it  in  the  fruit  catalogues  and  the  “  Manual.”  It  is  as  good  in  flavour  as 
Beurre  Superfin,  but  much  hardier  and  more  prolific,  with  a  thick, 
rough  skin,  and  never  a  rotten  core,  while  the  flavour  is  exquisite.  It 
never  misses  bearing  with  me,  at  least  on  a  S.  W.  cordon  wall,  and  at  any 
rate  in  our  warm  Herefordshire  soil  succeeds  well  as  a  bush  or  pyramid. 
I  have  never  tried  it  as  a  standard.—  Herefordshire  Incumbent. 
The  Land  aqd  its  Culture. 
I  was  muoh  interested  in  “  H.  D.’s  ”  article  of  the  16th,  under  the 
above  heading.  Having  been  born  on  the  land  and  connected  with 
it  all  my  life,  I  have  watched  with  the  deepest  concern  the  rapid 
emigration  from  the  hills  around  me — viz.,  the  Cotswolds.  What  are 
the  reasons  of  this  wholesale  depopulation  of  agricultural  districts  ? 
There  are  several.  In  the  first  place  a  love  of  excitement,  which  can 
only  be  obtained  in  large  towns,  low  wages  on  the  farm,  high  wages  in 
the  towns,  and,  as  ‘‘  H.  D.”  says,  the  loDg  hours  on  the  land,  as  against 
shorter  hours  in  the  towns,  and  the  dreadful  monotony  of  farm  life. 
Then  it  is  evident  that  the  cheap  weekly  excursions  provided  by 
every  railway  company  during  the  summer  months  must  be  reckoned 
with.  Once  a  lad  from  the  farm  takeB  his  first  excursion  to  the  large 
town  or  seaside,  the  chances  are  that  he  will  not  settle  down  on  the  farm 
again.  To  make  my  statement  clear,  I  should  like  to  record  what  some 
railway  officials  told  me  at  a  large  station  some  two  years  since.  They 
stated  that  these  weekly  excursions  were  the  best  and  cheapest  means 
of  advertisement  for  the  companies,  for  they  knew  from  experience  that 
these  country  lads  kept  their  eyes  open  when  out  on  an  excursion.  They 
saw  the  porters  waiting  about  for  their  various  trains  to  arrive,  and 
concluded  that  their  duties  were  light  and  wages  large,  and  forthwith 
they  made  an  application  to  the  nearest  stationmaster  for  appointments. 
These  hills  are  being  literally  drained  of  young  men  in  this  way. 
Again,  there  is  the  matter  of  education.  Is  it  reasonable  to  expect 
a  lad  who  has  passed  the  fifth  standard  in  an  elementary  school  to  spend 
hiB  life  on  the  farm  for  weekly  wages  of  14s.  or  15s.  ?  It  is  utter 
nonsense  to  expeot  anything  of  the  kind.  Holidays  are  another  obstacle. 
The  average  farmer  has  a  great  aversion  to  holidays ;  he  likes  long 
hours  and  a  fair  amount  of  work,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  he  is  not  always 
sympathetic.  These  are  a  few  of  the  causes  we  have  to  combat.  Now 
for  a  solution.  At  present  one  is  inclined  to  write  the  word  “insur¬ 
mountable.”  I  might,  however,  be  allowed  to  make  a  few  suggestions. 
First  of  all,  create  a  true  love  of  gardening,  teach  the  labourer  to  grow 
some  of  the  choicest  kinds  of  vegetables — viz.,  Asparagus,  Seakale, 
Rhubarb,  which  can  always  be  disposed  of  at  a  profit,  even  in  this 
neighbourhood.  Pay  better  wages,  or  better  still,  let  the  labourer  have 
an  interest  in  the  profits  of  the  land,  or  let  him  have  a  plot  to  himself. 
I  shall  be  told  no  doubt  that  this  won’t  work,  because  he  will  want  to 
spend  the  whole  of  his  time  on  his  own  plot ;  but  I  am  sure  this  could  be 
mutually  and  agreeably  arranged.  Thirdly,  make  his  cottage  and  its 
surroundings  more  comfortable  (most  decidedly. — Ed.),  and  above  all, 
let  Parliament  grant  Old  Age  Pensions.  I  believe  the  latter  would  have 
a  great  effect.  The  labourer  must  be  able  to  see  a  bright  future,  or  he 
will  continue  to  leave  the  land. — T.  A.,  Cirencester. 
Certificated  Plants. — No.  10. 
Hydrangea. 
Commencing  with  Hydrangea  japonica  rosea  in  1865,  which 
obtained  for  Messrs.  E.  G.  Henderson  &  Son  the.  doubtful  award  of 
a  second-class  certificate,  eight  additional  varieties  of  this  species 
have  obtained  awards,  the  latest,  the  double  form  of  H.  japonica  in 
1890,  but  which  one  does  not  find  in  cultivation  in  the  present  day. 
The  most  lasting  and  the  most  distinct  and  useful  is  the  white  flowered 
Thomas  Hogg,  which  was  shown  by  Messrs.  Yeitch  &  Sons  in  1887 
and  duly  certificated.  In  common  with  the  type  it  is  a  valuable 
market  plant,  and  when  well  cultivated  both  are  valuable  decorative 
agents  in  the  greenhouse  and  conservatory. 
Heliotropium. 
Fifty  years  ago  the  varieties  of  the  Heliotrope  were  but  few, 
and  it  was  not  until  the  early  eighties  that  any  award  was  made, 
Swanley  Giant  and  White  Lady,  both  exhibited  by  Mr.  Henry 
Cannell,  leading  the  way.  M.  Lemoine  of  Nancy  was  at  work 
improving  the  Heliotrope,  and  succeeeded  as  satisfactorily  as  he  has 
with  other  plants.  Bouquet  Parfum  and  Madame  P.  Athles,  both  of 
which  received  certificates  of  merit,  being  of  M.  Lemoine’s  raising; 
as  also  A.  Delaux,  Madame  de  Bussy,  Princesse  de  Sagan,  and  others. 
During  the  last  two  years  varieties  of  vigorous  growth,  and  carrying 
huge  heads  of  bloom,  also  raised  by  M.  Lemoine,  have  put  in 
appearance,  and  they  make  very  fine  and  attractive  subjects  both  for 
pot  culture  in  the  greenhouse  and  for  outdoor  beddiDg  purposes. 
The  Hyacinth. 
Between  1859  and  1884  between  fifty  and  sixty  Hyacinths  received 
certificates  of  merit.  It  was  during  the  sixties  and  seventies  that  new 
Hyacinths  were  produced  most  numerously.  At  that  time  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  held  spring  shows  at  South  Kensington,  when 
what  are  known  as  Dutch  bulbs  were  largely  and  finely  represented. 
The  Society  had  in  its  schedule  of  prizes  a  class  for  new  varieties,  and 
this  fact  operated  to  give  a  considerable  impetus  to  the  raising  of  new 
varieties.  Messrs.  W.  Cutbush  &  Sons,  Highgate  Nurseries,  and  Mr. 
William  Paul  of  Waltham  Cross  were  the  great  antagonists,  and  of 
the  certificates  of  merit  awarded  up  to  1884  they  were  pretty  equally 
divided  between  these  two  exhibitors.  Messrs.  Yeitch  &  Sons  were 
also  exhibitors  of  new  varieties  in  the  seventies  and  eighties,  and  a 
goodly  number  of  awards  fell  to  their  lot.  Since  1889  only  three 
awards  were  made  ;  the  very  fine  standard  of  the  quality  reached 
makes  it  difficult  to  secure  any  advance  upon  it.  A  fine  single  yellow 
named  Yellowhammer,  shown  by  Messrs.  Yeitch  &  Sons  was  the  last 
to  obtain  an  award ;  it  was  in  1899.  Some  new  varieties  appear  most 
seasons,  but  for  the  aforesaid  cause  they  fail  to  obtain  awards. 
Gaultonia  (Hyacinthus)  candicans,  a  very  fine  autumn-flowering 
subject,  received  a  certificate  in  1870,  and  as  it  is  included  in  most 
bulb  catalogues  under  the  name  of  Hyacinthus,  it  is  here  entered  with 
the  Hyacinths. 
Iberis. 
Both  perennial  and  annual  forms  nave  received  awards  during  the 
last  forty  years,  but  very  few  of  each.  Of  the  annual  varieties  the 
most  valuable  are  Vilmorin  &  Co.’s  flesh-coloured  Candytuft,  a  very 
distinct  and  handsome  form,  certificated  in  1887  under  the  name  of 
rosea,  and  the  white  Empress,  which  is  now  regarded  as  synonymous 
with  Messrs.  Dobbie  &  Co.’s  Hybrid  Spiral.  It  is  a  very  fine  annual 
Candytuft,  and  an  excellent  companion  to  the  flesh-coloured.  The 
large-flowered  evergreen  I.  gibraltarica  received  an  award  in  1871, 
and  in  1883  a  form  of  it  shown  under  the  name  of  hybrids,  of  dwarfer 
growth,  and  said  to  have  been  obtained  from  I.  gibraltarica  crossed 
with  an  annual  form,  and  bearing  darker  flowers,  was  similarly 
honoured.  The  double  form  of  I.  sempervirens,  distributed  some 
years  ago,  proved  very  disappointing.  As  Arabia  is  sometimes 
erroneously  confused  with  Iberis,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  double 
form  of  the  Wall  Cress  (Arabia  albida  flore-pleno),  known  as  Corbeille 
d’Argent  and  Snowdritt,  is  one  of  the  very  best  introductions  in  the  way 
of  hardy  perennials  during  the  last  few  years,  and  it  has  obtained  an 
award  of  merit  subsequent  to  the  publication  of  the  Society’s  list. 
Impatiens. 
The  Society’s  list  shows  that  two  introductions,  viz.,  I.  Sultani, 
introduced  from  Zanzibar  some  years  ago,  and  I.  Hawkeri,  the  former 
with  bright  rosy  red  blossoms,  the  latter  of  a  deep  rich  carmine, 
obtained  certificates  of  merit,  the  first  in  1883,  the  latter  in  1886.  It 
was  thought  at  the  time  oi  their  introduction  they  might  prove  of 
value  in  originating  a  new  race  of  Balsams,  but  have  not  done  so. 
The  two  forms  were  popular  for  a  time,  and  both  are  very  showy  stove 
plants,  but,  owing  possibly  to  their  requiring  stove  treatment  to  do 
them  lull  justice,  they  have  ceased  to  be  much  grown.  Even  the  tine 
varieties  of  the  common  Balsam,  which  were  such  favourites  with  the 
gardeners  of  a  generation  or  two  ago,  have  lost  their  attractions, 
though  from  their  fine  double  character  and  generous  floriferousness, 
they  possessed  a  great  value  as  decorative  plants.  They  have  almost 
