166 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
Fcbruai’}'  25,  19C4. 
Richmond,  wlio  deplored  the  low  wages  paid  by  many  retail 
firms,  and  which  amounted  to  “  sweating.”  The  members  ( f 
the.«e  firms  nevertheless  contributed  liberally  to  the  charities, 
showing  that  they  had  still  the  good  of  gardeners  at  heart. 
On  the  motion  being  put.  the  amendment  was  supported  by 
all  except  four,  and  put  again  as  a  substantive  motion,  was  all 
but  unanimous.  The  following  provisional  committee,  repre¬ 
senting  all  sections  of  horticulture,  rvas  elected,  with  power  to 
add  to  their  number; — Messrs.  Geo.  Gordon,  R.  Hooper  Pearson, 
H.  J.  Cutbu.sh,  F.  Sander,  F.  Rochford,  Peter  Kay,  W. 
Watson,  C.  Jordan,  A.  Dean,  J.  Weathers,  W.  H.  Divers, 
K.  Beckett,  and  V.  H.  t'urtis. 
A  vote  of  thanks  was  made  to  the  committee  for  tlieir 
labours. 
- 1  I - 
The  Inquiry  into  Fruit  Culture, 
Scotland. 
A  Departmental  Committee  on  Fruit  Cnltnie  haviiig  been 
appointed  by  Government,  a  meeting  of  fruit  growers,  nur.sery- 
men,  and  others  interested  in  the  liome  development  of  fruit 
production  was  held  in  the  rooms  of  the  Highland  and  Agri¬ 
cultural  Societv,  George  IV.  Bridge,  Edinburgh,  on  Tuesday 
afternoon,  the ’23rd  inst.,  to  meet  and  confer  with  iMr.  Hodge, 
of  Blairgowrie,  the  Scottish  representative  of  the  Committee. 
Mr.  Jolin  Methven,  nurseryman,  Edinlmrgh,  occupied  the 
chair,  and  amongst  tho,-.e  present  were  iMr.  D.  P.  Laiid,  Air. 
James  Fraser,  Air.  W.  H.  Alassie,  and  Air.  Jas.  Grieve,  nur.sery- 
men,  Edinburgh  ;  Air.  AIcHattie,  of  the  Edinlmrgh  City 
Garcleiis  ;  Air.  Whytock,  Dalkeith  Palace  Gardens  ;  Air.  Smith, 
gardener  Oxenford  Castle ;  and  Air.  Kidd,  gardener  Carlierry 
Tower,  as  private  growers.  The  mai'ket  fruit  growers  present 
Avere  numerous:  among  them  ivere  Air.  R.  Alacfarlane,  East 
Linton;  Air.  Wm.  Baillie,  Haddington;  Air.  John  AIcLaren, 
Ballencrieff ;  Air.  J.  Wright,  Preston;  Air.  Jas.  Scarlett,  of 
Sweet  Hope;  Air.  George  Sinclair,  East  Linton;  Air.  Aliirray 
Thomson,  &c.,  Ac. 
Air.  Hodge  made  a  short  statement  as  to  the  objects  of  the 
meeting,  and  invited  expressions  of  opinion  from  the  gentle¬ 
men  present  as  to  the  prospects  of  extended  fruit  culture  in 
the  Edinburgh  district,  and  the  difficulties  and  hindrances  which 
were  in  the  way.  A  large  number  of  gentlemen  spoke,  and  the 
points  of  view  from  rvhicli  the  subject  ivas  approached  were 
many  and  varied.  A  generally  held  opinion  was  that  in  the 
matter  of  small  fruits,  such  as  Strawberries,  Raspberries,  Goose¬ 
berries,  and  Currants,  Scotland  could  hold  her  own,  both  as  to 
(jiiality  and  productiveness,  and  could  not  only  be  self-supply¬ 
ing,  but  could  .send  large  supplies  to  the  large  city  centres  of 
the  South  if  railway  rates  and  other  conditions  be  adjmsted. 
With  regard  to  Apple  culture,  there  rvere  many  more  diffi¬ 
culties,  and  the  opinions  expressed  as  to  the  cau.ses  of  failure 
Avere  numerous  and  varied.  On  one  point  every  speaker  was 
agreed,  and  that  aauxs  that  Scotch  gi'OAA  ii  Apples,  especially  cook- 
iirg  sorts,  Avere  infinitely  superior  to  those  of  any  other  nation. 
Amongst  the  hindrances,  the  chief  Avas  the  undesirable  nature 
of  tenure  of  land  in  Scotland.  Ijandlords  Avould  either  not  let 
land  for  market  garden  purpo.ses,  or  the  rents  and  conditions 
Avere  prohibitory.  A  feAV  years  ago  an  Act  Avas  pa's.sed  giving 
market  gardeners  compensation  for  all  permanent  fruit  trees 
and  bu.shes  Avhich  had  bettered  the  position  of  present  holdei’s 
of  land,  but  had  through  its  drastic  conditions,  made  landlords 
very  chary  of  letting  land  at  all  Avliere  such  heavy  claims  for 
compensation  could  be  made  at  the  close  of  a  lease.  Other 
difficulties,  such  as  small  birds,  Avant  of  .shelter,  proper  .storing 
hou.ses,  cheap  transit  to  markets,  diseases,  and  insect  pests 
Avere  also  mentioned. 
One  speaker  pointed  out  that  most  holdings  in  the  Lothians 
had  had  fruit  trees  too  long  on  the  same  land,  and  that  fresh 
plantations  AA'ere  urgently  needed.  Air.  Whytock  exhibited 
fruit  of  tAA'elve  different  sorts  of  Apples,  of  Avhich  he  had  still 
good  supplies,  and  stated  that  though  the  .season  of  1903  had 
been  the  Avorst  for  fruit  for  forty  years,  he  had  had  a  fair 
crop,  and  had  been  able  to  supply  daily  a  very  large  family 
from  the  autumn  till  noAv.  Air.  Whytock  had  no  fears  but  that 
by  good  cultivation,  regular  top-di'essing,  and  care,  first-rate 
crops  of  good  quality  Avould  he  the  rule  and  not  the  excejAion. 
Other  speakers  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  more  shoAvy, 
thong  hnot  so  good.  Apples  of  America  and  other  foreign 
countries  proA'ented  the  I'eady  sale  of  home  fruit. 
Air.  Hodge  thanked  the  gentlemen  Avho  had  spoken  for  the 
trouble  they  had  taken  to  attend  the  meeting  and  express' their 
opinions.  He  also  gave  ;some  very  interesting  details  as  to  fruit 
mdture  and  the  tenure  of  small  holdings.  He  said  that  the 
BlairgoAvrie  district  had  heen  found  so  suitable  for  the  growth 
of  Raspberries  that  groAvers  Avere  confining  themselves  almost 
exclusively  to  that  fruit.  Air.  Hedge  asked  the  meeting  to 
name  a  representatiAm  from  the  Edinburgh  district  to  give 
evidence  before  the  Departmejital  Committee.  Air.  George 
Sinclair,  market  gardener,  Prestonkirk,  Avas  appointed. 
Gardeners  and  the  Study  of  Eotany. 
Never  Avas  a  greater  truth  expressed  than  in  the  Avords  (in 
the  notes  on  page  92) :  "  How  many  are  there  who  regard  botany 
for  young  gardeners  as  all  nonsense  ”  In  all  my  experience  of 
young  gardeners  I  have  never  met  Avith  but  one  Avho  evinced  the 
most  casual  disposition  for  the  veriest  I’luliments  of  botany.  I 
am  not  by  any  means  a  botanist  myself,  but  I  am  not  ashamed,  if 
it  is  egotism;  to  say  that  it  has  formed,  Avithout  interruption, 
something  like  a  passion  throughout  my  life  from  my  earliest 
remembrance.  And,  be  it  for  good  or  for  evil,  it  Avas  the  cause 
Avhich  decided  for  me  the  donning  of  the  blue  apron.  At  that 
time  I  saAV  that  gardening  Avithout  botany  Avas  as  little  interesting 
to  gardeners  as  the  ploughing  of  a  field  Avas,  or  is,  to  the  passive 
intellect  of  the  ordinary  ploughman.  But  hoAv  different  did  1 
find  matters  to  exist !  The  poetry  of  my  dream  AA  as  rudely  tossed, 
but  Avas  not  overthroAvn.  This  aaus  my  finst  great  disappointment 
in  gardeners.  Did  I  lift  a  Aveed  from  before  the  hoe,  my  felloAvs 
Avould  have  some  complimentary  reference  to  Dr.  Buchan  No.  2, 
and  a  loud  laugh  at  my  expense. 
It  Avas  amusing,  hoAA’eA'er,  to  find  hoAv  apparently  earnest  the 
attention  Avas  focussed  on  a  subject  if  only  one  of  my  chums  Avere 
present.  Often  I  attempted  a  little  lecture  on  the  subject  as 
its  merits  deserved,  but  I  found  it  as  hard  to  conAmrt  my  asso¬ 
ciates  to  botany  as  it  proAms  in  the  mission  field  to  convert 
Judaism  to  Chri.stianity.  In  those  days  there  Avere  no  Saturday 
afternoons  ;  but  that  did  not  matter,  for  “  Avhere  there  is  a  Avill 
there  is  a  Avay,”  and  on  the  strength  that  my  unbotanical  friends 
Avould  discoA’er  that  a  place  for  refreshment  Avas  on  the  Avay,  I 
often  persuaded  one  or  tAvo  of  them  to  accompany  me  to  some 
bog  or  fern  den,  flAm  or  six  miles  distant  perhaps.  And  still, 
Avhen  time  permits,  there  are  feAV  subjects  that  I  more  fully 
enjoy  than  a  day  on  the  moors  and  bogs,  or  in  the  glens  and  dales 
of  the  district,  discussing  Nature’s  endless  Avonders  and  treasures. 
1  also  fail  to  understand  hoAv  young  gardeners  cannot  rouse 
them.seh’es  to  take  an  interest  in  reading  botanical  literature. 
It  is  the  A'ery  opposite  in  character  to  Avhat  they  generally  say 
they  find  it,  namely,  dry  as  dust.  From  careful  ob.serA*ation  I 
fear  much  of  this  apathy  is  due  to  a  happy-go-lucky  form  of 
indolence,  greatly  fostered  by  the  extremely  unnatural  system 
of  bothying  or  housing  men  as  at  present  practised.  This  system, 
as  is  Avell  knoAvn,  is  inimical  to  all  that  is  refined  in  man’s  nature. 
The  restraints  of  home  and  other  society  are  rent  asunder,  and 
the  man  stands  as  near  the  aboriginal  specimen  as  an  enlightened 
tAventieth  century  ciA’ilisation  can  Avell  afford  to  permit.  Hoaa- 
ever,  there  are  indications  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  Avheu 
our  British  gardeners  Avill  have  at  least  a  .smattering  of  the  all¬ 
essential  sciences. — Digitalis. 
Good  Out  of  Evil. 
Generally  speaking,  the  fruitless  conditicn  of  trees  last  year 
Avas  looked  upon  as  being  a  great  misfortune.  The  echo  of  the 
no  fruit  Avail  Avas  heard  on  every  side,  and  both  buyers  and  sellers, 
groAvers  and  consumers,  combined  in  one  uniA'ersal  grumble.  It 
Avas  not  until  recently  that  a  certain  light  Avas  shed  on  the  matter 
that  had  never  occurred  to  me  before.  A  friend,  Avho  is  a  fruit 
groAver,  and  ha.s  been  hit  as  hard  as  most  of  us,  suggested  that 
it  might  be  all  for  the  best  in  the  long  run,  as  the  trees  have 
had  a  rest.  Has  any  reader  ever  thought  of  this  as  he  gazed  at 
his  fruitle.ss,  and  for  the  time  being,  profitless  Apples,  Pears, 
Plums,  or  Cherries?  Rest,  you  say,  but  surely  the  trees  have 
time  for  that  during  the  Avinter,  and  need  no  recreation  during 
the  season  Avhen  they  ought  to  be  bearing.  It  may  be  so,  but 
Nature  has  Avays  of  her  OA\  n,  and  it  is  a  generally  accepted  theory 
that  trees  cannot  be  expected  to  bear  heavy  burdens  of  fruits 
every  year.  Some  try  their  best  to  do  it,  and  if  by  frost  or  some 
other  means  their  endeavours  Avere  not  occasionally  checked, 
their  constitutions  Avould  suffer. 
I  carefully  Avatched  some  Aveakly  fruit  trees  last  summer,  and 
am  convinced  that  they  have  benefited  through  the  rest  they  haA'o 
had.  The  trees  in  question  are  of  A'arieties  Avhich  bear  freely  as 
a  rule,  but  do  not  make  much  groAAdh.  In  the  spring  they  Avere 
covered  Avith  bloom,  and  I  knoAv  enough  of  human  nature  to 
assert  that  if  those  blooms  had  developed  into  fruit  the  latter 
Avould  have  been  alloAved  to  stop  on  the  trees  no  matter  Avhat 
they  suffered  through  the  strain.  But  Dame  Nature  took  the 
matter  in  hand,  and  frost  de.stroyed  the  blossom.  The  conse¬ 
quence  is  that  the  trees,  relieved  of  the  strain  and  helped  by  the 
