384 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  23,  1902. 
Newton  Wonder  Apple  in  Kent. 
I  notice  that  in  a  reference  to  this  fine  Apple  it  is  stated 
that  it  does  not  succeed  in  Kent.  [The  reference  should  have 
been  better  qualified. — Ed.]  Newton  Wonder  succeeds 
admirably.  I  know  many  instances  in  which  it  is  represented 
and  growers  generally  speak  highly  of  it.  Mr.  Bunyard,  Maid¬ 
stone,  in  his  catalogue  speaks  of  it  as  being  “  One  of  tke  best 
among  recent  sorts,”  and  he  would  not  be  likely  to  do  so  unless 
it  succeeded  in  Kent.  Some  of  the  best  examples  I  know  grow 
in  the  somewhat  retentive  soil  in  the  Weald  of  Kent,  and  I  can 
hardly  believe  that  Newton  Wonder  could  possibly  succeed  better 
than  it  does  there. — G.  H.  H. 
- <♦#♦> - 
The  Gardener’s  Position. 
Changes  everywhere !  Nature  herself  is  now  preparing  to  put 
on  her  winter  garb,  changes  in  gardens,  change  of  master,  change 
of  man,  horticulture  generally  undergoing  an  upheaval,  causing 
some  to  doubt  if  the  private  gardener  in  the  future  will  really 
exist!  Still,  on  the  whole,  the  trend  of  things  is  towards  a 
higher  standard — greater  cultural  skill  shown,  in  spite  of  croakers 
of  the  old  school,  better  taste  exhibited  in  the  discernment  of 
ioi m  and  colour,  and,  it  must  be  admitted,  too,  a  better  class 
of  men  employed  generally  in  the  sphere  of  gardening.  To  many 
it  brings  a  note  of  sadness,  as  all  changes  usually  do — sad,  because 
the  brightness  of  summer  has  faded,  and  the  winter  of  the  future 
for  them,  although  buoyed  with  hope,  is  full  of  uncertainty  and 
apprehension.  It  is  very  questionable  if  the  life  of  the  gardener 
of  to-day,  in  spite  of  his  immense  advantages  over  his  prede¬ 
cessors  in  ways  and  means,  is  cast  in  as  pleasant  lines  as  was 
theirs.  The  hurrying,  scurrying,  irritable  spirit  of  the  age  is 
as  much  a  reality  to  him,  although  far  removed  from  populous 
centres,  as  it  is  to  the  toiler  in  the  great  cities.  True,  he  has 
that  around  him  to  delight  both  ear  and  eye,  which  the  latter 
has  not,  but  the  petty  annoyances  and  indignities  to  which  the 
average  gardener  is  subjected,  and  which  appear  inseparable 
from  domestic  service,  and  which,  unlike  the  artisan  or  trade 
grower,  he  cannot  resent  ;  coupled  with  the  precariousness  of 
his  position,  and  the  possibility  of  being  out  of  permanent 
employment  for  several  years,  more  than  overbalance  the  fact 
that  he  is  not  a  pecuniary  loser  by  a  bad  or  indifferent  season. 
Had  he  to  face  the  question  of  profit  and  loss  in  addition,  his 
life,  indeed,  would  not  be  worth  living. 
Tndoubtedly,  there  are  employers  who  look  on  their  domestic 
servants  as  human  beings  and  fellow-men,  and  not  just  simply 
instruments  to  minister  to  their  pleasure;  but  those  best 
acquainted  with  service  know  that,  although  the  feudal  system 
do  longer  exists,  the  spirit  of  it  is  as  rampant  as  ever.  As 
“  G.  H.  H.,”  page  349,  pointed  out  last  week,  the  gardener  is  not 
a  “unit  in  combination  to  accumulate  wealth;”  therefore,  is  not 
entitled  to  fair  treatment.  It  is  only  the  man  who  acquires 
wealth,  or  who  can  place  money,  the  spending  of  which  he  is 
entrusted  with,  in  other’s  hands,  who  is  entitled  to  any  con¬ 
sideration  whatever  from  any  quarter.  It  would  be  absurd  to 
expect  anything  different.  If  a  man  can  neither  spend,  for  lack 
of  possession,  nor  dispense  money,  for  the  reason  that  he  does 
not  happen  to  be  entrusted  with  any  what  earthly  good  can  he 
be? 
So  argue  our  smart  business  men,  and  undoubtedly  right,  too, 
from  their  point  of  view.  Can  we  expect  that,  with  the  advent 
of  the  woman-gardener,  who,  we  are  told,  has  come  to  stay,  if 
not  actually  usurp  the  “mere  man”  gardener,  matters  will  improve 
in  this  respect?  Probably  we  may  find  that,  in  addition  to 
horticulture,  she  will  be  giving  her  wealthier  sister,  in  whose 
employ  she  may  happen  to  be  successful,  lessons  in  those  qualities 
of  heart  which  go  to  make  up  a  lady. 
Many  an  unfortunate  male  practitioner,  forgetful  of  all  usur¬ 
pation,  will  here  exclaim  :  “  Alas!  might  these  things  be!” 
The  boys  of  the  bothy,  too,  are  anxious  to  know  more  of  the 
general  drift  and  ultimate  position  of  the  lady  gardener,  and  to 
know  as  well  “  where  they  will  come  in  ”  if  “  mixed  ”  bothies  are 
to  be  a  feature  of  the  gardening  of  the  future ;  but  to  a  sugges¬ 
tion  that  the  associations  of  such  might  improve  their  manners, 
proclaimed,  in  professional  pride,  that  tlieir’s  were  above  re¬ 
proach,  and  to  another,  respecting  the  advisability  of  developing 
their  power  of  observation,  said  it  wasn’t  their  fault  if  the  where¬ 
abouts  of  the  boss  was  unknown  to  them  ! — G. 
Perpetual  Fruiting  Strawberries. 
I  have  been  anxiously  waiting  for  a  further  report  on  the  above 
from  “  W.  R.  Raillem,”  and  am  glad  he  has  gone  back  to  his  old 
love  St.  Joseph.  I  think  that  attention  is  much  better  placed 
on  St.  Joseph  than  on  St.  Antoine  de  Padoue,  which  is  found  to 
be  a  poor  cropper,  and  has  coarse-looking  fruit,  and  wanting  in 
flavour  in  my  district  of  Lincolnshire.  I  was  induced  through 
“  W.  R.  Raillem’s  ”  first  article,  recommending  St.  Joseph,  totry  it, 
and  find  it  a  continuous  and  good  cropper,  of  fair  quality,  and 
of  medium  size.  At  the  present  time  (October  17)  there  is  a 
good  crop  in  various  stages  in  bloom,  also  green  and  ripe  fruit. 
It  may  interest  “W.  R.  Raillem”  to  know  I  have  anticipated  his 
suggestion,  and  have  raised  a  number  of  seedling  St.  Josephs, 
and  consider  some  of  them  are  improved  forms,  having  larger 
and  better  shaped  fruit.  I  have  other  seedlings,  not  St.  Josephs, 
which  are  now  producing  fruit  freely  in  the  open. — W. 
- - 
Gardeners’  Education. 
As  a  young  gardener,  it  is  with  great  interest  that  I  devote 
a  few  moments  weekly  to  follow  the  opinions  of  a  few  of  my 
brother  horticulturists  respecting  the  already  “much-worn” 
subject  of  the  young  gardeners’  education.  I  venture  to  ask  : 
Which  of  the  worthy  chiefs  are  we  young  gardeners  to  follow  ? 
He  who  preaches  Shakespeare  and  university  education  with  a 
loud  voice,  and  passes  over  such  small  items  as  the  proper  use 
of  the  spade  and  grape-scissors  ;  or  he  to  whom  these  “  small 
items  ”  are  indispensable,  as  the  only  sure  basis  of  a  source 
wherewith  to  obtain  young  yet  perfectly  capable  fellows,  in  whom 
the  love  of  their  profession  is  their  first,  thought  when  dawn 
breaks,  and  not  unseldom  their  last  in  the  evening?  This  leaves 
little  or  no  room  for  studying  the  immortal  Shakespeare.  Each 
would,  and,  in  fact,  does  score  in  their  own  way,  for  do  we  not 
hear  on  the  one  hand  :  “  Splendidly  educated  that  young  fellow 
is,  you  know,  but  lie’s  not  worth  his  salt.”  “  Why?  ”  “  He  can’t 
thin  me  a  bunch  of  grapes.”  And,  vice  versa :  “  That  fellow  is 
worth  his  weight  in  gold,  but  (and  this  is  added,  as  it  should  be, 
reluctantly)  his  manner,  especially  when  addressing  his  superiors, 
is,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  a  little  below  that  standard  of  efficiency 
which  to  the  twentieth  century  gardener  is  indispensable.” — H.  T. 
Gardening  Panaceas. 
WTe  find  that  credulity  is  not  unknown  in  the  courts  of  horti¬ 
culture.  Every  gardener  is  well  aware  of  the  many  cure-alls 
which  presume  themselves  upon  his  notice.  They  are  not,  per¬ 
haps,  legion,  but  still  they  come,  and  it  is  very  questionable 
what  they  will  not  be  before  the  present  century  is  completed. 
Like  the  vendor  of  pills,  tinctures,  and  syrups,  the  vendor  of 
plant  medicine  has  in  his  ample  cornucopia  an  antidote  for 
all  the  ills  of  plant  “flesh.”  Of  course,  the  wise  gardener  will  be 
on  the  alert  for  the  many-sided  man,  and  safeguard  against  his 
intrusion  into  his  province.  Unfortunately,  however,  gardening 
has  proved  a  somewhat  lucrative  field  for  the  operations  of  the 
panaceist.  This  is  to  be  regretted,  because  of  the  superior  tone 
of  common  sense,  as  well  as  intelligence,  that  marks  the 
character  of  the  average  gardener.  Though  the  mountebank, 
when  he  disposes  his  vapoury  wares  among  a  credulous  people,  in 
a  measure  encroaches  on  the  province  of  the  regular  practitioner 
of  medicine,  he  does  not  necessarily  interfere  with  the  medical 
man’s  reputation.  It  is  not  so  clear  that  the  same  can  be  vouched 
as  a  plea  for  the  gardener  who  has  come  under  the  spell  of  the 
panaceist.  The  medical  man  and  the  quack,  it  is  true.,  are  rivals 
- — competing,  as  it  were,  in  the  same  arena,  and  the  dupes  of  the 
latter  are  those  to  whom  very  often  both  administer.  The  con¬ 
sequence  of  the  labours  of  both  may  or  may  not  be  referred  to 
either. 
There  is  no  such  breakwater  of  irresponsibility  to  safeguard 
the  reputation  of  the  gardener.  He  alone  becomes  directly 
responsible  for  the  impositions  of  the  panaceist.  If  he  makes  a 
plunge  for  one  or  all  of  the  multifarious  nostrums  for  the  benefit 
of  plant  life,  and  finds  that  a  dose  of  common  sense  and  fresh 
water  would  just  as  well  suit  the  cases  of  nine-tenths  of  his 
patients,  he  surely  must  feel  that  his  reputation  is  not  on  the 
up  grade.  We  never  thought  much  of  the  gardener  who  depends 
too  much  on  the  virtues  of  his  bottles.  Indeed,  the  man  who 
uses  them  to  any  extent  is  perhaps  scarcely  worthy  of  the  dignity 
of  gardener.  In  our  own  experience  we  cannot  say  with  sincerity 
that  we  ever  yet  came  in  contact  with  a  plant  remedy  that  in¬ 
variably  fulfilled  the  prescribed  claims.  We  know  only  one 
specific  remedy  for  plant  ills — and  it  covers  a  very  few — and  that 
remedy  is  sulphur.  Cleanliness  and  plenty  of  fresh  air  where 
possible  are  the  best  and  only  curative  and  preventive  agencies 
to  cope  with  disease;  and,  of  course,  when  these  are  neglected, 
and  a  pestilence  of  mealy  bug  breaks  out  in  a  house,  the  cure 
then,  be  assured,  is  the  agency  of  fire. — D.  C. 
