January  7,  19C4. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
3 
one  who  endeavoured  to  carry  out  the  cultui'e  of  the  Grape 
Vine  on  the  walls  of  that  historic  castle  and  the  neighbour¬ 
ing  vineyard,  and  manufactured  some  very  fair  wine  from 
the  Grapes  grown  there.  How  is  it  that  we  find  in  the 
various  parts  of  the  south  and  south-eastern  counties  places 
called  “  The  Vines,”  although  no  attempt  to  cultivate  the 
Grape  is  made  there  now  1  fSurely  the  climate  must  have 
altered  considerably  since  then '1  Another  gentleman  who 
contributed  very  much  to  the  cause  of  horticulture  is  Mr. 
William  Thompson,  of  Ipswich,  a  large  importer  of  seeds 
and  grower  of  tlie  plants  raised  from  them.  It  was  difficult,  of 
course,  to  keep  them  perfectly  distinct,  yet  one  never  heard  of 
persons  finding  fault  and  of  the  wrong  seeds  being  supplied 
to  them.  There  was  also  James  Smith,  of  Mentmore,  a 
giant  amongst  British  gardeners,  and  one  of  the  most  love¬ 
able  of  men. 
The  gai’den  literature  of  the  past  vear  has  been  copious 
enough.  The  days  of  illustrated  periodicals  have  passed  by, 
and  the  four  principal  journals  supply  the  wants  of  all 
gardeners.  “  The  Gardeners’  Chronicle  ”  takes  the 
scientific  side  of  horticulture.  The  Journal  of  Horticulture 
is  essentially  the  paper  for  gardeners  and  gardening.  “  The 
Gardeners’  Magazine  ”  appeals  to  the  practical  gardenei-, 
while  “  The  Garden  ”  brings  before  its  readers  anything 
connected  with  that  branch  of  horticulture  which  its  origi¬ 
nator  tended  to  make  so  popular,  the  herbaceous  and  alpine 
border. 
Speaking  of  myself,  I  cannot  now  personally  do  so  much  as  I 
used,  but  I  am  thankful  to  say  that  in  my  eighty-sixth  year  I  can 
keep  in  touch  with  many  of  those  who  have  been  my  fellow 
labourers  in  times  past.  And  now  once  more,  my  friends, 
farewell.  I  have  to  thank  many  of  you  for  your  kindly 
sympathy  in  my  severe  trials,  for  to  have  lost  one’s  sight 
and  powers  of  walking  are  great  trials ;  yet  our  Heavenly 
Father  has  enabled  me  to  bear  them  with  patience  and  sub¬ 
mission  to  His  will,  and  I  can  look  forward  with  hopefulness 
to  the  end  which  must  soon  come.  May  God  give  you  all 
grace  while  engaged  in  a  pursuit  which  must  continually 
remind  you  of  Him,  and  that  you,  too,  may  be  able  to  reply 
to  the  “I  come  quickly,”  “Even  so  come.  Lord  Jesus.” — 
D.,  Deal. 
The  Season  of  Hopefulness. 
With  the  beginniug  of  auother  year,  Hope  will  be  the 
guiding  star  which  will  lead  millions  onward  to  future 
achievements.  Nothing  of  much  importance  can  be  accom¬ 
plished  in  the  world  by  an  individual  who  lacks  a  fair 
share  of  hopefulness  as  well  as  energy.  From  the  very 
nature  of  a  gardener’s  calling  those  who  follow  it  must 
imbibe  and  develop  a  spirit  of  hopefulness,  and  in  truth 
gardeners  as  a  body  are  no  pessimists. 
Storms  may  have  raged  in  the  past,  deluge  followed 
deluge  week  after  week  ;  the  failures  of  the  year  may  have 
been  many,  but  rising  superior  to  all  the  true  gardener 
starts  the  new  year  with  a  firm  determination  to  make  a 
great  fight  and  win  from  Nature,  by'  hook  or  by  crook, 
improved  results  in  many  directions.  ’Tis  indeed  fortunate 
for  Britain  that  this  keen  spirit  of  hopefulness  is  abroad 
among  so  sturdy  a  section  of  her  sons  who,  during  the  last 
century  have  done  so  much  to  spread  knowledge  concerning 
methods  of  high  culture  throughout  the  land.  The 
numerous  well-managed  private  gardens  which  form  a  net¬ 
work  throughout  Britain  have  in  the  past  been  splendid 
training  schools  from  which  apt  pupils  have  worked  their 
w'ay  to  responsible  positions  in  many  parts  of  the  world, 
where  they  have  given  an  excellent  account  of  themselves, 
and  stand  as  monuments  to  the  wisdom  of  their  early 
training. 
The  gardens  and  gardeners  of  Britain  have,  however, 
been  instrumental  in  doing  much  more  than  this.  For  years 
they  were  the  chief  causes  which  helped  to  raise  the 
standard  of  cottage  gardening  all  over  the  country.  The 
labourers  in  large  gardens  put  into  praetice  on  their  own 
plots  the  lessons  learned  at  their  daily  work.  These 
methods  were  copied  by  others,  and  thus  good  gardening  j 
gradually  permeated  the  land.  The  early  market  gardeners  1 
also  learned  the  majority  of  their  rules  concerning  crops 
grown  under  glass  or  in  the  open  air,  from  the  private 
gardener,  who  was  really  the  pioneer  of  all  methods  of 
intensive  culture,  and  yet  to-day.  judging  by  the  trumpet 
blasts  of  some  of  the  market  men,  and  the  writers  in 
periodicals  devoted  to  their  interests,  the  uninitiated  might 
be  tempted  to  believe  that  the  alpha  and  omega  of  all  that 
is,  or  ever  was,  good  in  gardening,  must  have  emanated 
from  the  swelled  cranium  of  a  sage  whose  weekly  vapour- 
ings  are  enshrouded  in  a  greenish  or  bluish  coat.  No,  the 
private  gardeners  of  Britain  have  played  a  mighty  part  in 
the  development  of  Horticulture,  and  their  record  will  not 
be  effaced  by  mere  clap-trap  assertion. 
The  future,  however,  undoubtedly  holds  out  great  pro¬ 
spects  of  a  wide  development  of  various  forms  of  garden¬ 
ing,  and  those  who  are  looking  ahead  are  already  taking 
steps  to  grapple  with  difficulties  which  may  arise,  or  have 
been  before  us.  In  this  connection  the  steps  that  have 
been  taken  to  establish  a  National  Potato  Society  will  prove 
of  immense  importance  and  interest  to  gardeners  of  all 
descriptions,  and,  indeed,  the  whole  nation. 
The  rising  generation  of  gardeners  have  splendid 
opportunities  of  gaining  a  sound  knowledge  in  the  various 
scieutific  principles  which  underlie  their  calling,  and  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  for  them  to  grasp  such  opportunities 
in  order  to  rise  to  a  high  position  in  their  profession. 
There  is  still  plenty  of  room  on  the  top,  and  the  brightest 
hopes  for  the  future  lie  in  the  association  of  “  practice  with 
science,”  backed  up  by  untiring  energy. — Onward. 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
A  Tomato  Society. 
One  can  hardly  suggest  the  formation  of  a  Tomato  Society, 
but  could  it  not  be  made  a  branch  of  the  new  National  Potato 
Society,  which,  we  believe,  will  eventually  be  exceedingly  strong 
and  do  most  excellent  work.^  Three  years  ago  we  imported 
793,991cwt  of  this  fruit,  valued  at  £734,051.  Both  the  weight 
and  the  value  have  increased  annually  since.  The  demand  being 
thus  established,  home  growers  have  awakened  to  possibilities, 
and  there  are  more  home-grown  Tomatoes  in  the  market  to-day 
than  ever  there  were  before.  Of  course  prices  have  sunk,  and 
growers  were  selling  tons  of  Tomatoes  in  July  and  August  this 
year  at  Manchester  for  2d.  per  ponnd.  The  late  D.  T.  Fish 
declared  in  his  lectures  that  Tomatoes  could  be  profitably  grown 
at  2d.  per  pound ;  but  that  is  only  so  when  huge  quantities  are 
turned  out  at  the  least  possible  expense.  In  the  Isle  of  Wight 
Mr.  E.  C.  Goble  sometimes  finds  his  supply  to  be  greater  than  the 
demand,  unless  at  unremunerative  prices. 
Ware’s  Nursery  at  Feltbam. 
Since  the  reorganisation  of  the  directorate  of  Messrs.  T.  S. 
Ware,  Limited,  in  1902,  considerable  alterations  have  been 
effected.  There  are  now  some  seventy  nursery  hands  employed, 
and  their  presence  furnishes  animation  in  the  grounds,  which 
have  been  arranged  anew,  and  large  breadths  of  fresh  young 
stock  have  been  planted.  Paths  and  roadways  are  completed; 
the  pot  Rose  department  has  been  greatly  developed,  while 
hardy  plants,  as  of  yore,  form  a  leading  feature  of  the  firm’s 
business.  Seeds  and  bulbs  in  their  season  engage  the  energies 
of  special  staffs  of  the  employes.  And  to  this  one  is  very 
pleased  to  be  able  to  add  that  a  shop  urns  recently  opened  for 
transactions  in  London,  the  address  being  at  25,  York  Road, 
near  the  Waterloo  Station. 
My  visit  was  made  while  the  Hollyhocks  and  Dahlias  were 
at  their  best.  The  Meadow  Saffrons,  too,  showed  their  bluish 
and  rose-mauve  Crocus-like  flowers  in  quite  a  dozen  frames 
near  the  offices,  so  that  following  upon  the  recent  notes  in  these 
pages  as  to  the  desirability  of  having  more  of  the  Colchicums 
about,  this  points  to  where  they  may  be  got.  C.  speciosus 
stood  half  a  foot  high,  and  with  its  orange-red  stamens  within 
the  lavender  perianth,  was  a  gem  unrivalled  amongst  autumn; 
flowering  dwarf  plants.  C.  zonatus  is  rosy-mauve.  Then  we 
have  the  Zephyr  Flow'cr  or  Swamp  Lily,  called  Zephyranthes 
Candida,  which  is  used  as  an  edging  plant  to  narrow  borders 
in  gardens  here  and  there,  for  its  rush-like  foliage  (which  only 
grows  Sin  or  Gin  long  however)  makes  a  fairly  suitable  verge. 
The  flowers  are  i^ure  white,  rising  above  the  dark  leaves. 
Though  I  did  not  see  Sternbergia  lutea  (the  Winter  Daffodil) 
yet  as  it  blossoms  along  with  the  Colchicums  and  Zephyranthes, 
