34 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  14,  19C4. 
A  Medley  in  Poppies. 
No  one  delights  more  than  I  do  in  the  beautiful  form  and 
gorgeousness  of  colour  in  the  species  of  Papaver  (Poppy) 
together  with  the  “  Shirley  ”  race,  the  new  “  Iceland  ”  strain, 
the  well-known  Pseony-flowered  varieties  (selections  from  tlie 
Opium  Poppy),  and  within  these  limits  might  we  not  rest 
content?  for  surely  the  variations  are  curious  enough  and 
sufficiently  numerous.  Yet  I  observe  in  the  report  of  the 
Poppy  trial  at  Chiswick  in  1903,  125  stocks  were  sent  in,  and 
there  were  Mnrselli  flore-plenos,  Ranunculus-flowered,  Pseony- 
flowered,  Japanese  pompons,  “  Cardinals,”  and  Carnation- 
flowered.  To  what  extent  are  the  differences  between  these 
various  so-called  types  permanent  or  definable?  To  me,  though 
it  may  be  my  ignorance,  the  hair-.splitting  di.stinctions  are 
wor.se  than  ab.surd. — Befogged, 
Happy-Go-Lucky  Fruit  Culture. 
I  myself  have  often  a  feeling  akin  to  that  expressed  by 
“  Patriot  in  last  week’s  Journal ;  and  I,  at  any  rate,  thank 
him  for  mentioning  my  lovely  adopted  county  of  Devon.  How¬ 
ever,  I  fail  tO'  see  in  rvhat  way  the  “papers  and  the  County 
Councils’  instructors  ”  can  be  of  .service  to  a  gentleman  who 
has  sense  enough  to  ask  for  the  rightly  named  railway  ticket 
that  will  take  him  toi  Paddington  or  to  Waterloo,  but  does  not 
exhibit  the  same  sense  as  to  the  trees  that  mu.st  bring  him  loss 
or  profit.  Many  men  have  consulted  me  before  taking  any 
steps  in  imirrovement  of  old  plantations  or  making  new  ones, 
irrcluding  the  present  Duke  of  Bedford’s  advanced  tenants. 
Some  seven  or  eight  years  .since  Mr.  Tillicrapp,  farmer.  Nether- 
bridge,  near  Launceston,  attended  my  lectures.  He  greatly 
improved  his  orchards  by  pruning  the  old  and  planting  new 
trees.  He  afterwards  consulted  me  about  a  field  for  making  into 
an  orchard.  Well  known  named  sorts  Avere  planted,  including 
Warner's  King,  Blenheim,  Bramley,  Alfriston,  and  Cox’s  Orange 
Pippin.  I  inspected  the  rvork,  and  I  know  that  it  was  done 
well.  In  the  same  parish  ("Werrington)  Mr.  John  Ambro.se 
Reed,  yeoman,  Collacott,  would  tell  the  tale  of  improvement  in 
his  orchard.  If  “  Patriot  ”  would  like  more  instances,  rvhen  he 
is  again  this  way  I  shall  be  plea-sed  to  give  them.  My  article  in 
the  Journal  of  Horticulfurr  on  “  Devonshire  Orchards  ” 
(March  19,  1903)  indicated  decided  improvement.  That  article 
Avas  copied  by  the  DeA'on  Press. 
The  Avorker  in  my  subjects  in  Devon  is  not  equal  to  the 
demand  made  upon  his  time,  and  places  Avill  have  again  to  stand 
over  till  1904-5  se.ssion.  Quite  recently  I  had  an  average  attend¬ 
ance  of  nearly  forty,  many  of  whom  Avere  farmers  and  their 
sons.  This  Aias  in  a  parish  Avith  no  A’illage,  in  the  ordinary 
meaning  of  the  word.  So  far  for  orchards  held  by  farmers. 
Noav  for  gentlemen  Avho  plant.  One,  in  the  autumn,  Avrote  for 
advice  and  help.  The  gardener  had  neA-er  planted  trees  in  the 
manner  in  Avhich  he  planted  that  neAv  orchard.  The  gentleman 
said  somewhat  thus  to  me :  “  That  Avas  exiiensive  AA  ork,  but  I  had 
faith  in  your  judgment,  and  I  see  it  is  feasible.”  I  selected  the 
trees,  the  orchard  Avas  measured  by  me,  and  the  holes  Avere  dug 
under  mj’  instructions,  and  the  manures  applied,  farmyard  and 
chemical.  If  “Patriot”  calls  I  Avill  shoAV  him  this  orchard,  if  I 
be  free. 
Then  he  a.sks  ;  “  What  good  Avill  Government  Departmental 
Committees  of  Inquiry  do,  in  the  face  of  .such  Fuegian 
obscurity?”  I  cannot  tell,  because  his  word  is  so  obscure  to  my 
poor  self;  and  my  dear  “  Ogilvie,”  of  1,294  pages,  does  not  ex¬ 
plain!  Perhaps  I  am  more  in  “  Avant  of  knoAv ledge”  than  that 
poor,  unfortunate  gentleman  AAhom  “Patriot”  met  in  the  train. 
[Fuegian — The  inhabitants  of  Tierra  del  Fuego^  are  “obscure,” 
being  grossly  ignorant  of  the  outer  Avorld. — Ed.]  But  I  do 
knoAA’  that,  if  the  Committee  appointed  by  the  Government  care 
to  ask  about  the  Devon  Committee’s  Avork  in  horticulture,  Mr. 
Garnsay,  the  neAvly-appointed  secretary,  aaIio  visited  Devon  last 
Avinter,  can  give  a  most  hopeful  account  of  progress  in  fruit 
culture. 
For  some  time  previous  to  the  Franco-German  War  of  1870 
the  French  Ambassador  at  Berlin  sent  regular  and  detailed 
infonnation  to  Paris,  Avarning  his  Government  that  they  Avere 
not  at  all  equal  to-  fighting  the  Avcll-prepared  Germans.  If  the. 
instructors  in  horticulture  be  as  faithful  as  that  French  Ambas¬ 
sador.  they  do  their  dut.v  avcH.  The  French  Government,  it  is 
noAv  Avell  kuoAvn,  ignored  the  'ctei'.  of  their  faithful  servant. 
and  the  capitulation  of  Metz  resulted.  M  ill  that  gentleman  who 
bought  thousancls  of  pig.s  in  a  sack  (I  beg  his  pardon,  trees,  I 
mean)  some  day,  too  late,  learn  better?  Cheer  up,  "Patriot”! 
“  The  clouds  you  so  much  dread  are  big  Avith  mercies,  and  Avill 
break  in  blessings  on  your  head,”  but  not,  I  fear,  on  your 
friend’s  head  until  he  learns  tO'  knoAv  Avhat  he  is  doing. — X. 
Methods  of  Teaching. 
I  read  with  interest  the  note  on  the  teaching  of  horticulture 
(page  000)  in  describing  Mr.  C.  Ilott’s  s.y.stem.  I  have  but  a 
poor  opinion  of  reading  papers  to  an  audience,  and  not  a  very 
high  one  of  displaying  diagrams.  I  am  also  aAvare  that  the 
latter  method  is  at  times  the  only  one  of  illustrating  certain 
subjects  and  points  in  those  subjects.  Where,  hoAvever,  it  is 
possible,  I  approve  the  more  practical  and  instructive  methods 
such  as  employed  by  Mr.  Ilott.  For  instance,  a  lecture  is  to 
be  given  on  fruit  culture ;  hoAv  much  more  instructive  and 
interesting  it  is  for  an  audience  to  see  the  actual  trees  operated 
upon.  Take  a  small  tree — a  Avild  Cherry  Avill  suffice^ — .sIioav 
hoAv  to  prune  the  roots,  cut  the  head  back  the  first  and  second 
years,  and  Avith  branches  shoAv  the  results  in  after  years  of 
close  pruning,  no  in-uning  at  all,  and  so  on.  My  experience  is 
that  listeners  like  to  knoAV  hoAv  not  to  do  certain  things  as  Avell 
as  they  do  the  proper  methods,  and  no  sy.stem  of  teaching,  I 
am  positive,  equals  the  employment  of  natural  branches  and 
material  generally.  Even  the  simple  operation  of  staking  a 
tree  is  much  more  effectual  Avhen  Avitnessed  than  Avhen  illus¬ 
trated  on  a  diagram  or  any  other  means.  The  same  when  deal¬ 
ing  Avith  Vine  culture ;  a  piece  of  a  rod  from  a  properly 
managed  Vine  as  Avell  as  the  reverse  Avill  teach  infinitel.v  more 
than  all  the  talking  possible. — A  Lecturer. 
Trade  v.  Private  Exhibitors, 
I  am  very  glad  to  find  there  is  someone  aaJio  realises  that  the 
private  groAver  can,  and  should,  compete  against  the  trade 
groAvers  at  exhibitions.  All  the  more  honour  to  the  private 
groAvers  if  they  Avin.  And  Avhy  shouldn’t  they  Avin  ?  The  private 
man,  or  his  gardener,  have  the  same  facilities  for  studying  the 
nature  of  any  particular  floAver,  exactly  in  the  same  Avay  as  the 
trade  groAver.  It  is  an  absurd  idea  to  think  that  it  is  no  good 
exhibiting  against  any  particular  individual,  as  that  particular 
person  is  sure  to  Avin.  Why  does  he  AA^in  ?  Because  he  has 
studied  the  proper  treatment  of  the  plant,  Avhile  others,  in  too 
many  cases,  expect  their  flowers  to  groAv  fit  for  exhibition  with¬ 
out  studying  their  nature!  Every  opportunity  is  given  to  the 
large  or  small  grower  of  exhibiting  floAvers,  Avhether  private  or 
trade,  and  it  is  only  necessary  that  the  conditions  should  be 
.sufficiently  binding.  The  big  man  should  not  be  able  to  compete 
against  the  small  one,  as  the  latter  Avould  naturally  not  have 
a  large  enough  selection.  A  floAver  groAvn  Avell  is  a  pleasure,  and 
one  groAvn  badly  is  an  eyesore  to  anyone  calling  himself  a 
florist  or  loA'er  of  floAvers. — E.  J.  W. 
It  Avould  appear  from  the  remarks  of  "  E.  M.”  that  he  con¬ 
siders  my  feAv  Avords  as  a  concession  of  dignity  on  the  part 
of  private  gardeners.  That  may  be  so  to  such  men  as  “  E.  M.,” 
Avho,  in  all  probability,  have  had  unlimited  means  at  disposal 
to  compete  Avth  the  Trade.  But  contrast  his  le.ss  fortunate 
brother  in  the  fraternity.  Although  a  first-rate  groAver  of 
Chrysanthemums,  he  must  be  content  to  spend  a  feAv  shillings 
yearly  on  the  purchase  of  up-to-date  varieties,  Avitli  the  object 
of  putting  up  for  competition  12  or  24  blooms  at  his  local 
shoAv.  He  is  also  compelled  by  various  reasons  not  to  exceed 
one  or  tAA'O  hundred  plants  against  the  trade  groAver  Avith  his 
thousands,  including  the  neAvest  and  best  varieties.  One  need 
say  nothing  of  the  extra  time  spent  in  evenings  on  them,  as 
is  the  case  Avith  a  feAv  gardeners  I  happen  to  knoAv  ;  and  all 
to  be  SAvamped  by  the  preponderance  brought  to  bear  by  the 
Trade,  and  possibly  only  by  a  feAv  points.  And  “  E.  XI.”  asks. 
Why  should  a  tradesman  not  compete?  The  reasons,  I  hope, 
Avill  be  obvious  to  all  Avith  a  keen  sense  of  justice.  Of  course, 
I  quite  agree  Avith  “  E.  M.’s”  remarks  respecting  Mr. 
Chandler’s  gratification  and  the  honour  due  to  him  AA'hen  he 
beat  IMr.  Vallis  at  Bradford  in  November  last — but  hoAv  often 
does  it  happen  in  a  similar  Avay?  Very  seldom,  Avhich  goes  all 
the  more  to  prove  the  inequality  in  the  generality  of  cases. 
And  to  make  the  remark  that  the  trade.sman’s  glass  accommo¬ 
dation  is  insufficient — I  question  it  A'^ery  much.  Tlien  again, 
Why,  even  if  the  Trade  do  not  compete,  are  the  public  depriAmd 
of  their  knoAvledge?  Trade  groAA'ers  such  as  Norman  Davis, 
Wells,  Godfrey,  and  .Jones  often  sIioav  “  not  for  competition,” 
and  are  the  public  then  depriA'ed  of  their  knoAvledge?  Will 
“  E.  IM.”  kindly  inform  readers  if  he  thinks  it  an  absolute 
necessity  for  nurserymen  to  compete  Avith  priAate  gardenei's. 
