June  6,  190 J. 
481 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
Table  Decorations. 
I  have  been  making  inquiries,  and  can  hear  of  no  more  modern 
manual  than  the  one  written  by  Annie  Hassard  so  far  back  as  1840,  and 
now  only  obtainable  second  hand  from  old  bookstalls.  Surely  here 
seems  to  be  a  good  opening  for  anyone  with  the  ability.  I  am  of 
opinion  that  a  book  on  the  above  subject  would  be  extremely  welcome 
and  would  be  eagerly  sought  after,  since  this  particular  branch  of  our 
profession  is  undoubtedly  demanding  more  attention  every  year.  I  pen 
these  few  remarks,  hoping  our  kind  Editor  will  permit  its  publication, 
as  it  may  meet  the  eye  of  some  of  our  more  enlightened  friends  that 
may  take  the  hint. — G.  H.  C. 
[We  replied  to  a  query  on  page  380,  May  2nd,  1901,  in  which  we 
referred  to  Miss  Mailing’s  book  on  “  Flowers  for  Ornament  and 
Decoration,  and  How  to  Arrange  Them,”  which  was  published  in  1862. 
This,  we  expect,  is  only  obtainable  second-hand. — Ed.] 
- 1  • - 
A  Problem  in  Heating  Solved. 
The  friendly  criticism  of  “  Aqua  ”  concerning  this  subject  (page  417) 
is  welcomed  by  me,  because  it  is  a  matter  which  is  fully  worthy  of 
being  threshed  out,  and  the  more  it  is  discussed  the  better  pleased  I 
shall  be,  as  I  was  not  so  unwary  as  to  rush  into  print  before  being 
“sure”  of  my  facts.  Let  me  assure  “Aqua”  that  the  practice  of 
dipping  pipes  under  a  walk,  and  even  of  placing  self-acting  air  pipes 
at  such  points,  is  by  no  means  new  to  me,  as  even  now  I  have  keen 
recollections  of  lonely  midnight  hours  spent  in  trying  to  force  the  water 
past  such  points.  What,  however,  is  new  to  me  is  the  fact  that  notwith¬ 
standing  the  deep  dips  in  Mr.  Marsh’s  pipes  the  water  circulates 
thoroughly.  I  am  well  aware  that  this  is  against  all  established 
theories,  but  “  facts  are  stubborn  things,”  and  it  is  quite  useless  for  my 
critic  to  assure  me  in  so  impressive  a  manner  that  “  the  water  will 
never  circulate  down  one  pipe  and  up  the  other,”  when  I  have  seen  it 
done  with  ease.  Contra  to  the  supposition  of  “Aqua,”  only  a  very 
small  boiler  is  employed  to  heat  the  water,  and  the  circulation  begins  as 
soon  as  the  water  gets  warm,  and  I  question  if  it  has  ever  been  heated 
to  anything  like  the  boiling  point.  Mr.  Marsh  is  quite  prepared  to 
show  the  boiler  at  work  to  “  Aqua  ”  or  anybody  else  who  likes  to 
call  on  him  at  any  time  ;  and,  personally,  I  am  quite  sure  that  anyone 
arranging  hot-water  pipes  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  shown  in  the 
illustration  given  on  page  378  need  have  no  fear  of  the  result. — H.  D. 
- <•••► - 
Grape  Gros  Maroc. 
“  R,  M.’s  ”  query  is  based  on  the  failure  of  this  variety  when  subject 
to  the  ordinary  and  commonly  practised  short-spur  pruning.  No  doubt 
the  variety  does  disappoint  when  so  closely  pruned,  but  it  is  not  alone 
in  this  failing,  and  thus  should  not  be  condemned  because  of  it.  There 
are  qualities  possessed  by  Gros  Maroc  that  certainly  commend  it  to 
many  growers,  even  though  its  quality  is  not  equal  to  the  homely 
Hamburgh  or  the  aristocratic  Madresfield  Court.  From  an  exhibition 
or  market  point  of  view  it  certainly  has  a  large  claim,  because  of  its 
noble  berry  and  fine  sloe-blaok  colour,  points  justly  emphasised  both  by 
Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr.  Kitley  on  page  418. — J. 
Having  had  a  fair  amount  of  experience  with  this  Grape,  nothing 
surprised  me  more  than  “  R.  M.’s  ”  note  on  page  395.  Is  this  variety 
worth  growing  P  is  a  question  that  has  two  answers.  To  the  private 
gardener,  who  grows  exclusively  for  private  consumption,  the  answer  is 
negatively ;  to  the  market  grower  and  exhibitor,  affirmatively.  I  have 
no  fault  to  find  with  its  non-cropping  properties,  as  it  stands,  in  my 
experience,  overcropping  far  better  than  any  Yine  I  know.  I  have 
seen  rods  on  the  spur  system  carry  twenty-five  bunches  annually  (this  is 
under  the  average),  and  finish  them  well;  but  when  once  well  coloured 
they  ought  to  be  cut,  as  they  (the  berries)  soon  become  red.  Apart 
from  the  outer  appearance  of  the  Grape,  it  is  not  worth  considering,  as 
its  flavour  is  decidedly  third-rate.  Only  once  have  I  seen  the  Vine  in 
question  behave  like  your  correspondent’s,  and  that  not  nearly  so  bad  ;  it 
certainly  did  break  very  strong,  and  the  size  and  strength  of  “breaks” 
belied  themselves,  for  it  bore  no  great  orop,  a  dozen  bunches  at  the 
most ;  but  it  was  grown  under  high  cultivation,  and,  for  the  variety, 
in  excessive  heat.  If  “  R.  M.”  is  a  private  gardener,  with  an  employer 
who  is  fond  of  quality  and  not  external  showiness,  I  advise  him  to 
discard  the  Grape.  Either  grub  out  or  inarch,  for  it  is  a  fine  “  stock  ” 
Vine,  and  by  inarohing,  a  fruiting  rod  is  obtained  quickly.  —  W.  H.  R. 
Root-pruning. 
That  is  a  remarkable  statement  for  a  fruit  grower  of  Mr.  B unyard’s 
position  to  make  (page  410),  that  fruit  trees  root-pruned  too  late  “  mav 
die,  or  at  best  go  to  sleep,”  and  it  surely  requires  some  explanation.  If 
a  tree  has  been  so  neglected  as  to  be  killed  by  root-pruning,  the  method 
the  careful  man  would  pursue  would  be  to  cut  only  a  portion  of  the 
roots  one  year,  leaving  the  others  to  be  overtaken  in  future  years,  when 
no  harm  oould  possibly  follow.  The  remarks  as  to  permitting  hardy 
fruit  to  hang  to  the  latest  possible  moment  to  insure  good  keeping  are 
exactly  to  the  point.  May  I  supplement  the  teaching  by  noting  the 
fact  that  late  Apples,  if  not  too  much  damaged  by  falling,  keep  almost 
as  well  as  those  gathered  from  the  tree  ?  I  know  this  statement  goes 
against  all  preconoeived  notions,  but  it  is  tru3  nevertheless. — B. 
Potato  Up-to-Date. 
Whether  Up-to-Date  is  subject  to  the  vagaries  “  N.  H.  P.”  (page  351), 
writes  of,  according  to  my  experience  (and  I  know  that  I  am  not 
singular  in  this  respect),  Up-to-Date  is  about  the  most  miserably 
flavoured  Potato  I  ever  had  experience  of,  and  this  when  grown  from  a 
good  Potato  soil,  being  a  warm  sandy  loam,  with  a  gentle  fall  to  the 
south-west;  quite  the  opposite,  mark  you,  of  “  N.  H.  P.’s  ”“  strong, 
clayey,  and  close  holding  land.”  I  have  often  wondered  what  are  the 
distinctions  claimed  for  this  much  over-praised  variety.  A  Potato  that 
I  can  thoroughly  recommend  is  Syon  H°u80  Prolific.  Whether  this 
variety  is  subject  to  any  “vagaries”  I  don’t  know;  I  never  heard  of 
any  but  the  very  highest  enoomiums  passed  upon  it.  My  experience 
dates  back  from  the  year  it  was  first  sent  out ;  then  it  was  an 
“  eye-opener,”  and  it  has  increased  in  my  estimation  ever  since.  I 
depend  upon  this  variety  solely  for  my  main  crop.  Syon  House  Prolific 
is  a  heavy  cropper,  quite  free  from  attacks  of  disease,  of  very  handsome 
shape,  and,  what  is  best  of  all,  of  super-excellence  in  quality. —  A..  Young, 
Witley  Court  Gardens,  Stour  port. 
Young  Gardeners’  Pay. 
Having  perused  with  great  interest  the  remarks  made  on  the  above 
subject,  I  beg  to  offer  the  opinion  of  a  modern  gardener.  “  Old  Boy” 
appears  to  me  to  be  a  real  old  typical  gardener,  and  man  who  looks  on 
his  journeymen  as  so  many  children,  and  consequently  treats  them  as 
such.  [We  do  not  think  thus  of  “  An  Old  Boy.” — Ed.]  It  is  time,  and  I 
am  pleased  to  note  that  young  gardeners  have  at  last  awakened  to  the  fact, 
that  they  are  men,  not  serfs,  to  be  driven  at  the  will  of  some  high- 
minded  man,  whose  past  life  in  the  bothy  would  no  doubt  bear  the 
strictest  investigation.  What  has  been,  and  is,  in  many  case3,  the  lot 
of  the  journeyman  ?  He  is  bound  down  to  hard  and  fast  rules,  scarcely 
able  to  call  his  soul  his  own,  working  for  wages  far  under  that  of  the 
average  labourer,  expected  to  be  of  good  address,  and  his  profession  de¬ 
manding  a  good  education.  What  re  ward?  16s.  per  week.  Hours  ?  from 
six,  perhaps  earlier  during  the  summer  months,  until  whatever  time  the 
kind-hearted  master  thinks  proper  to  allow  one  to  leave  off.  If  the 
said  master  sees  his  young  men  going  out  for  enjoyment,  what  is  the 
result  ?  It  will  then  be  said  that  that  young  man  takes  no  interest  in 
his  work ;  he  must  not  smoke  when  walking  through  garden,  or  hold 
conversation  with  the  labourers,  or  even  smile  at  his  fellow  journeymen 
in  working  hours.  Why  does  “  An  Old  Boy”  clas8  the  labourer  with  the 
professional  gardener  ?  Is  the  garden  labourer  a  more  skilled  man  than 
his  brother  the  farm  labourer  ?  I  am  afraid  “  An  Old  Boy  ”  is  trying  to 
pose  as  a  benefactor,  but  do  not  think  the  many  journeymen  who 
peruse  his  well-meaning  paragraph  will  accept  him  as  suoh.  “An  Old 
Boy  ”  refers  to  the  youth’s  love  for  more  money  ;  bub  what  youth  of  the 
present  day  is  not  that  way  inclined  ?  There  is  nob  much  of  the  “  bright 
young  journeyman  ”  about  the  youth  who  is  not.  As  for  the  love  of 
gardening  being  first  and  foremost  in  the  hearts  of  youths,  I  think  if 
the  wages  were  £1,  instead  of  the  paltry  14s.,  there  would  be  more  real 
love.  Surely  it  is  quite  time  a  champion  sprang  up  to  fight  for  the 
rights  of  the  long-suffering  journeyman. — Modern  Thinking  Gardener. 
A  Schedule  Blunder. 
Mr.  Iggulden,  page  459,  is  evidently  in  a  tight  corner,  and  in  trying 
to  extricate  himself  obscures  the  question  at  issue,  as  was  to  be 
expected ;  moreover,  he  does  not  fight  fairly  when  he  quotes  only  half  a 
sentence  of  mine  instead  of  the  whole.  On  page  418,  line  15,  my 
words  read  thus  : — “  Tnere  are  plenty  of  other  varieties  to  select  the 
remainiag  eight  bunohes  from,  even  if  confining  the  olass  to  any  of  the 
‘white’  Muscat  varieties.”  The  words  added  to  his  statement,  or  part 
quotation,  entirely  ohange  the  meaning  of  the  sentence  in  question,  as 
regards  the  exclusion  of  Canon  Hall.  After  this  fact,  why  does  Mr.  I. 
introduce  foreign  matter  about  blaok  Musoat,  or  other  assumed  varieties 
of  Grapes,  the  imagined  pets  of  the  modern  exhibitor  ?  Or  why  concern 
himself  and  us  about  what  Mr.  Goodaore  or  other  exhibitors  may  or 
may  not  show  ?  After  this  let  the  public  say  who  it  is  that  “  muddles.” 
The  facts  of  the  case  are  as  plain  as  a  pike-staff  to  all  exoept  those 
who  cannot,  or  will  not,  climb  down  gracefully,  or  own  up  to  their 
