164 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  25,  1904. 
Free=flowering  Varieties. 
Below  I  give  a  list  of  varieties  that  are  especially  adapted 
for  culture  on  account  of  the  freedom  with  which  they  produce 
their  flowers.  Many  persons  with  limited  glass  accommodation 
cannot  cultivate  those  varieties  suitable  for  large  blooms ;  the 
free  flowering  type  is  then  most  serviceable.  Even  where  large 
blooms  are  grown  for  exhibition,  these  free  flowering  sorts  are 
al.so  required  in  considerable  numbers.  To  avoid  repetition  in 
colour  description  I  have  placed  them,  as  far  as  possible,  in 
blocks  of  one  colour. 
Commencing  with  white  flowered  varieties,  which  generally 
are  the  most  in  demand,  I  cannot  do  better  than  recommend  the 
following: — Nivens,  Elaine,  Mdme.  Carnot,  Mdlle.  Lacroix, 
Mdme.  Ad.  Chatin,  Miss  Anna  Hartshorn,  Mdinei.  Phillip 
Rivoire,  Mrs.  Simpson,  Mdme.  Herrewege,  Princess  Victoria, 
L.  Canning,  Mrs.  H.  Weeks,  and  Western  King.  Yellow: 
Phoebus,  .W.  H.  Lincoln,  IMrs.  S.  Fogg,  R.  Hooper  Pearson, 
Golden  Prince,  Sunbeam,  Soleil  d’Oetobre,  Lizzie  Adcock,  Edith 
Tabor,  Kimberley,  J.  R.  Epton,  G.  J.  Wari'cn,  Miss  Edith  Pil- 
kington,  Mrs.  W.  Mease,  Scottish  Chief,  and  Modesto. 
Other  colours  are:  Bertier  Rendatler,  yellow,  shaded  red; 
Etoile  de  Feu,  orange  red;  Mdme.  Felix  Perrin,  soft  rose; 
Source  d’Or,  bright  orange  red,  shaded  gold;  William  Holmes, 
rich  crimson;  Australia,  rosy  amaranth,  silverv  lilac  shading; 
Charles  Davis,  yellow  and  bronzy  buff;  Lady  Hanham,  golden 
cerise;  Edwin  Molyneux,  crimson  and  gold;  Etoile  de  Lyon, 
lilac  rose,  shaded  silver  ;  G.  W.  Childs,  rich  dark  velvety  crimson  ; 
Henry  Weeks,  rosy  crimson,  flushed  carmine  ;  H.  J.  Jones,  bright 
crimson  ;  Lord  Salisbury,  yellow  suffused  with  crimson ;  Mrs. 
A.  R.  Knight,  golden  bronze;  Rev.  V/.  Wilks,  bright  rose; 
Viviand  Morel,  blush  mauve ;  Roi  des  Precoccs,  dark  crimson  ; 
Violet  Lady  Beaumont;  W.  R.  Church,  ro.sy  crimson,  bronze 
reverse;  Exmouth  Crimson,  crimson;  Sensation,  rich  orange, 
shaded  bronze;  Lord  Ludlow,  yellow,  edged  and  lined  crimson; 
Henry  Perkins,  reddish  crimson,  flushed  yellow  ;  M.  Louis  Remy, 
chrome  yellow  ;  Pride  of  Madford  and  Pride  of  Exmouth,  white, 
delicately  shaded  with  pink. — E.  Molyneu.x. 
A  National  Gardeners’  Association, 
It  is  with  the  greatest  satisfaction  that  we  are  able  to  say 
that,  as  the  result  of  the  second  general  meeting  to  consider  thi.s 
scheme,  and  which  was  held  in  London  last  Tuesday  afternoon, 
there  is  every  likelihood  of  a  national  gardeners’  association  being 
formed,  and  that  on  the  widest  po.ssible  basis.  Our  space  is 
limited,  and  it  is  therefore  nece.ssary  to  compress  our  notes  of 
about  two  hours’  speechifying,  and  confine  ourselves  merely  to 
recording  the  remarks  there  made.  ■  We  may  return  to  the  sub- 
,iect  at  another  tim.e.  The  matter  is  one  of  the  most  important 
gardeners  have  before  them  at  this  juncture,  and  on  the 
succe.ss  of  the  new  form  of  the  scheme  will  largely  deiJend  the 
welfare  of  the  gardeners  of  the  future. 
About  two  dozen  persons  attended  the  meetings — ([uite 
sufficient  for  a  useful  discussion.  Mr.  A.  Dean,  lion.  ,sec.  to  the 
committee  which  had  had  the  matter  under  consideration,  was 
absent  through  illness.  Mr.  Owen  Thomas  was  elected  to  the  chair, 
and  Mr.  Geo.  Keif  read  the  lengthy  minutes  of  the  December 
meeting.  Mr.  W.  H.  Divers  was  called  upon  (as  the  originator 
of  the  movement)  to  make  a  statement.  He  had  written  to 
.Me.ssrs.  R.  Barnes  (Eaton  Hall),  Whillans  (Blenheim),  Gardner 
(Woburn  Abbey),  Hazleton  (Knowsley),  Sutton  (C'hcveling  Park), 
and  other  prominent  private  gardeners  for  their  opinions.  These 
were  all  favourable  to  a  workable  scheme.  To  test  the  feeling 
of  the  meeting  assembled,  he  proposed  a  resolution  to  the  follow¬ 
ing  effect  :  — 
‘■That  this  meeting  of  horl iculturists  is  of  opinion  lliat  the  time 
is  favourable  for  the  formation  of  a  pa-ivate  gardeners’  association  for 
the  promotion  of  the  well-being  of  members  in  all  matters  ]icrtaining 
to  their  daily  life  and  labours. 
This  was  seconded  by  Mr.  J.  Jaques,  who  said  that  all  other 
professions  have  a  central  rallying  point.  Mr.  Divers  again 
observed  that  the  objects  would  specially  be  to  try  to  prevent 
overcrowding  in  the  profession,  and  to  improve  wages.  Many 
gardeners  were  cuffed  about  all  through  life  from  pillar  to  post, 
and  at  the  end  had  to  subsist  on  the  charity  of  more  fortunate 
fellows. 
Mr.  Owen  Thomas  remarked  that  the  average  head  gardener’s 
position  had  fallen  greatly  during  the  past  thirty  or  forty  years. 
A  situation  worth  £2  per  week  brought  300  or  400  applications. 
Could  this  not  be  altered?  He  proposed  making  a  barrier  to 
exclude  the  sloths  and  dullards  by  imposing  an  examination  in 
theory  and  practice.  All  young  gardeners  at  the  end  of  their 
first  .year  in  joining  the  association  would  require  to  pass  this  ere 
being  registered.  This  would  induce  men  to  stud.y,  and  would 
debar  the  unqualified — the  dullard,s  and  drones.  Dr.  M.  T. 
Masters  thought  the  populace  generally  expected  too  much  from 
examinations.  The.se,  however,  would  show  that  the  men  had 
a  love  for,  and  interest  in,  their  work. 
Mr.  J.  Weathers  expected  failure  to  the  association  were  it 
to  he  confined  to  private  gardeners:  it  should  embrace  all  ranks. 
Gardening  was  of  many  grades,  and  is  becoming  more  highly 
specialised  each  year.  Was  there  to  be  no  association  for  the 
commercial  horticulturists?  He  cited  the  case  of  a  park  .superin¬ 
tendent,  devoid  of  training,  who  was  receiving  £400  per  year. 
Abuses  like  this  ought  to  be  checked. 
Mr.  Geo.  Gordon  felt  disappointed  that  the  committee  had 
submitted  no  tangible  scheme  that  gardeners  could  go  upon. 
He  agreed  that  an  as.sociation  should  embrace  all  clas,ses  and 
ranks  of  gardeners — public,  private,  commercial.  The  “middle 
men”  in  gardening,  those  receivdng,  say,  25s.  per  week,  ought 
to  be  remembered,  and  the  evils  of  the  bothy  s.ystem  should  be 
diminished.  Lastl.y,  a  .strict  registration  should  be  established. 
He  then  proposed  an  amendment  to  Mr.  Divers’  resolution  as 
follows  :  — 
“  That  this  meoling,  having  heard  the  report  of  the  liead  gardeners’ 
committee,  resolves  to  form  a  i)rovisional  gardeners’  association,  and 
to  elect  a  provisional  committee  to  prei>are  a  scheme  to  bo  submitted 
at  a  future  meeting.”  [About  tlic  time  of  the  Temple  Show.] 
Mr.  W.  Watson,  curator.  Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  seconded,  and 
spoke  for  a  considerable  time,  his  matter  and  manner  being 
convincing.  He  had  been  in  communication  with  several 
gentlemen  on  the  sub,ject,  and  he  had  decided  that  the  organisa¬ 
tion  ought  to  be  as  wide  as  possible.  Twenty-fivm  years  at  Kew 
had  proved  that  bodies  of  gardeners  cmdd  be  organised. 
Gardeners’  grievances  were  of  long  standing,  and  employers  had 
grown  up  in  the  knowledge  of  them,  and  care  would  be  needed 
to  change  their  point  of  view.  Wages,  especially  the  wages  of 
under  gardeners,  would  have  to  be  raised.  To  effect  a  cure, 
begin  low  down  ;  begin  at  the  roots.  Large  numbers  of  head 
gardeners  were  fairly  comfortable,  but  what  of  the  young  men  ? 
Many  can  hardly  keep  themselves  respectable.  Kew  has  a 
democratic  system  :  the  under  gardeners  are  made  to  feel  that 
they  are  men,  and  of  value  in  the  garden.  “One  must  not  grind 
them  down.”  Too  often  gardening  is  made  a  dumping  ground 
for  duffers  from  other  professions: — the  weak  in  intellect,  the 
weak  in  body.  A  fence  is  wanted  round  the  profession,  with 
only  one  door.  Mr.  Watson,  by  way  of  illustrating  his  point, 
sketched  the  Kew  system  of  training. 
He  summarised  the  main  objects  of  the  proposed  association  : 
1,  Registration;  2,  regulation  of  wages;  3,  regulation  of  work¬ 
ing  hours.  The  last  would  call  for  little  anxiety  ;  the  gardener, 
like  the  doctor,  is  prepared  for  calls  out  of  hours.  In  tlie 
matter  of  wages  :  Let  no  employer  be  supplied  with  a  capable 
man  at  a  less  wage  than  30s.  per  week  with  house.  Kew  refuses 
a  less  sum  for  her  gardeners,  and  though  difficulties  arise  fi'om 
time  to  time,  employers  are  beginning  to  realise  the  worth  of 
good  men.  Better  one  well-trained  man  at  30s.  than  two 
“duffers”  at  15s.  each.  Kew  journeymen  receive  21s.  per 
week  (no  bothy),  and  sub-foremen  27s.,  the  same  wage  as 
journeymen  in  the  London  Parks.  First-class  foremen  in  these 
parks  get  from  £2  to  £2  10s.  Paying  these  wages,  public 
bodies  are  either  guilty  of  “  wicked  extravagance,”  or  else 
private  gardeners  are  greaty  underpaid.  Regarding  the  question 
of  registration,  Kew  obtains  a  full  professional  history  of  each 
of  its  men,  and  when  they  leave  their  doings  are  still  watched 
and  recorded  in  the  Journal  ot  the  Kew  Guild.  The  knowledge 
that  eyes  are  on  them  acts  as  an  incentive  to  the  men  to  do 
their  very  best ;  and  the  effect  is  markedly  apparent. 
Regarding  the  commercial  gardener — the  employes  m 
nurseries — they  may  be  said  nowadays  to  lead  the  profession. 
Many  capable  young  men. are  “champing  the  bit”  in  private 
gardens  who  might  do  better  by  entering  the  domain  of  com¬ 
mercial  horticulture.  In  conclusion,  Mr.  Watson  said  that  an 
adverse  vote  on  the  amendment  would  have  no  effect  on  their 
course  of  action.  They  had  set  themselves  determinedly  to 
form  an  association,  and  they  meant  to  succeed.  In  that  spirit 
they  went  forward. 
Mr.  Divers,  having  been  asked  if  he  would  omit  the  word 
“  private  ”  from  his  clause,  and  so  leave  his  proposition  to  read 
that  all  gardeners  would  be  eligible,  said  he  could  not,  especially 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  number  of  the  committeemen  were 
absent.  He  must  remain  consistent. 
Mr.  J.  Simpson,  Croydon,  supported  the  amendment.  Mr.  J. 
Jaques  asked  how  many  Kew  gardeners  could  train  a  Peach 
tree! — a  diversion  seriously  meant,  but  oidy  laughed  at  by  the 
company.  The  answer  was,  “  All  can.”  Mr.  C.  H.  Curtis 
supported  the  amendment ;  as  did  Mr.  Drost,  nurseryman. 
