March  10,  19C4. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
221 
A  Provident  Society :  Its  Committee  and  a  Question  of  Payment. 
Will  you  kindly  permit  me,  through  your  columns,  to  appeal 
to  the  members  of  the  United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provi¬ 
dent  Society?  The  annual  meeting  will  be  held  on  Monday, 
14th  March,  and  I  would  urge  members  to  come  in  strong 
numbers.  I  have  recently  heard  that  our  committee  have  for 
years  been  attending  meetings  month  after  month,  at  not  only 
personal  inconvenience  and  loss  of  time,  but  also  at  their  own 
expense.  I  have  given  notice  of  a  motion  which  I  trust  will  be 
supported  unanimously,  that  the  travelling  expenses  be  paid, 
or  rather  that  a  fixed  sum  be  paid,  for  attending  general  com¬ 
mittee  meetings. — A.  J.  Brown,  Chertsey. 
• - - 
The  Darrah  Collection  of  Cacti. 
There  is  something  perhaps  typically  corporational,  if  one 
may  say  so,  in  the  deliberations  of  the  Manchester  Council 
Chamber  on  the  question  of  finding  fit  quarters  for  the  valuable 
Darrah  collection  of  Cacti.  The  Parks  Committee,  it  would 
seem,  have  to  choose  between  Heaton  Park  and  Whitworth 
Park ;  but  the  main  and  vital  question  is  not  at  which  of  these 
twain  the  collection  would  be  the  more  “  serviceable  — a  word 
with  possibly  an  ugly  utilitarian  ring  about  it!  The  chief  anxiety 
should  be  for  the  welfare  of  rare  plants,  accepted  as  a  trust. 
Cacti  should  be  housed  where  they  will  have  the  be.st  possible 
light,  the  least  po.ssible  smoke  and  other  fumes,  a  place  to  call 
their  own,  and  an  expert  in  their  culture  to  look  after  them. 
The  public  are  an  altogether  secondary  consideration  in  this  case 
— in  fact,  an  admittedly  “  negligible  quantity.”  The  few  who 
truly  love  these  most  distinct  and  wondrous  plants  would  follow 
them  anywhere;  but  some  of  the  City  Fathers  are  reported  to 
have  said  that  “  none  but  a  few*  faddists  w'ould  ever  look  twice 
at  such  plants,”  and  that  “  at  Kew-  the  Cactus  house  is  known  as 
‘  the  chamber  of  horrors  ’ !  ”  The  Darrah  collection  is  worthy  of 
all  care;  and  though  Cacti  are  in  some  ways  long-suffering,  yet 
the  effects  of  this  treatment  are  very  marked  and  lasting,  while 
in  the  rare  and  aristocratic  family  of  “  Pilocereus,”  the  beautiful 
white  hair  that  in  different  fair  fashions  clothes  them  is  soon 
disfigured  in  a  dirty  atmosphere. — Francis  D.  Horner,  V.M.H. 
The  Gardeners’  Association, 
The  proposed  Gardeners’  Association  has  been  very  freely 
criticised,  and  happily  it  has  survived  the  ordeal,  and  bids  fair 
to  become  an  established  fact.  In  these  criticisms  a  great  deal 
has  been  said  about  the  condition  of  gardeners,  which  condition 
is  unsatisfactory ;  conditions  have  not  advanced  w  ith  the  same 
rapidity  as  those  of  other  professions,  and  the  remuneration  is 
not  adequate  to  the  knowledge  and  skill  we  must  possess,  or 
for  the  responsibility  we  must  take.  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  the  gardeners  of  this  generation  are  superior  to  those 
of  the  past,  for  they  have  had  more  advantages  for  acquiring 
knowledge,  and  they  have  in  a  more  accessible  form  the  sciences 
of  botany,  chemistry,  and  geology  to  assist  them  in  understand¬ 
ing  the  principles  that  underlie  horticultural  operations  and 
practice.  They  are  thus  consequently  better  equipped  for  their 
duties,  and  .should  command  better  conditions;  but  increase  of 
remuneration  does  not  always  follow  increase  of  ability. 
In  all  departments  of  labour  and  commerce  prices  are  regu¬ 
lated  by  supply  and  demand.  The  service  of  gardeners  is  in  no 
way  exempt  from  this  rule,  for  the  supply  is  in  excess  of  the 
demand,  and  to  that  cause  I  attribute  the  ill-paid  condition  of 
the  gardener  of  to-day.  This  has  been  brought  about  by  gar¬ 
deners  themselves,  to  their  own  discomfort.  Year  by  year 
apprentices  are  taken  into  almost  every  garden  in  the  country, 
be  it  great  or  small ;  in  many  cases  merely  for  the  sake  of  the 
premiums  that  are  paid  ;  in  other  cases  because  they  are  indis¬ 
pensable.  They  pass  through  the  various  regulation  .stages, 
and  ultimately  require  head  places.  Other  ways  and  mearrs 
there  are  by  which  anyone  may  enter  the  gardening  profession, 
but  they  are  insignificant  compared  with  the  one  just  stated. 
And  were  it  not  so,  who  is  to  prevent  the  amateur  or  other 
persons  without  training  posing  as  professionals,  or  hinder  them 
from  becoming  head  gardeners?  Open  examination,  though  not 
perfect,  is  the  only  means  .so  far  devised  for  .sifting  the  capable 
from  the  incapable,  and  for  that  purpose  it  should  be  adopted. 
Many  people  hold  the  idea  that  if  a  person  has  been  trained  in 
ducal  establishments  he  is  tlierefore  a  skilful  and  competent 
gardener  ;  but  this  is  not  so  by  any  means,  and  thus  it  i.s  not 
.safe  to  judge  a  gardener’s  ability  by  the  great  or  small  estab- 
li.shments  in  which  he  \vas  trained.  By  all  means  let  us  have 
an  association  of  gardeners  for  mutual  benefit,  but  let  it  be 
on  a  broad  and  workal)le  basis ;  and  let  ns  have  a  registei’  of 
gardeners  and  gardens  ;  but  let  us  not  forget  to  enlist  the 
sympathy  and  help  of  those  for  whose  plea>ure  and  enjoyment 
the  garden  exists.— S.  P.,  Wilts. 
A  Gardener  and  His  Employer. 
The  advice  yon  gave  on  page  189  to  the  young  head  gardener 
is  sound  and  good.  I  hope  he  may  profit  from  it.  I  find  what 
you  say  quite  correct,  because  I  have  been  reduced  to  a  small 
place,  and  my  employer  has  given  me  far  more  necessary 
tools  and  seeds  and  manures  to  work  with  since  taking  more 
interest  in  gardening  himself.  I  found  it  very  hard  to  put 
up  with  at  first,  but  I  might  have  been  with  the  unemployed 
had  I  taken  the  advice  of  some  of  onr  higher  gardeners,  who 
may,  perhaps,  l)enefit  by  the  proposed  Gardeners’  Associatio'i. 
— “  iMucH  Reduced.”  ^ 
Apple,  Allington  Pippin. 
I  agree  with  Mr.  Ellison’s  remarks  as  to  this  Apple.  I  can 
get  fair  growth  from  Cox’s  Orange,  but  not  healthy  foliage  or 
good  fruit ;  so  I  got  some  grafts  of  Allington  from  Mr.  Bunyard, 
and  was  pleased  w’ith  the  healthy  foliage  and  eventually  abun¬ 
dant  crop  which  resulted.  I  was  much  disappointed  when  I 
found  the  Apples  were  simply  not  worth  eating.  I  am  giving  it 
one  more  year’s  trial,  but  fully  expect  that  I  shall  have  to  do 
away  with  it. — W.  R.  Raillem. 
A  number  of  letters  are  unavoidably  held  over. — Ed. 
Young  .Gardeners’  Domain. 
The  Editor  welcomes  short  letters  from  under  gardeners.  Letters  should  be  con¬ 
fined  to  500  words  in  length,  should  be  written  only  on  one  side  of  the  paper, 
as  clearly  as  possible,  with  one  inch  space  at  both  top  and  bottom,  as  well 
as  at  the  sides.  Uhe  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers  must  accompany 
all  communications,  not  necessarily  for  publication,  but  as  a  guarantee  of 
good  faith.  If  these  points  are  not  respected,  the  letters  cannot  be  considered 
The  Post  Office  Savings  Bank. 
Having  read  in  the  Young  Gardener.s’  Domain  the  several 
notes  from  the  pen  of  “  An  Old  Boy  ”  to  us  chaps  of  the  bothy, 
wdio  have  the  same  path  to  tread  that  our  friend  has  no  doubt 
already  trod,  let  me  say  how  pleased  I  am  to  answer  his 
inquiries.  It  is  well  for  us  that  we  have  someone  like  oui  fiiend 
“  An  Old  Boy  ”  to  speak  to  us  through  the  Young  Gardeners’ 
Domain.  I  have  been  waiting  to  see  if  an  abler  pen  than 
mine  wmuld  tell  of  what  W’e  are  doing  in  reference  to  the 
advantages  offered  to  us  by  the  Post  Office  Savings  Bank.  My 
gardening  careei’  extends  over  twelve  years,  and  I  am  very 
thankful  to  say  that  my  experience  of  bothies  and  bothyites  is 
very  favourable.  My  first  was  in  one  of  the  roughest  paits  of 
a  colliery  district  in  Yorkshire,  wdiere  I  had  the  pleasure  ot 
meeting  four  young  journeymen,  each  of  whom,  including 
myself,  had  savings  bank  accounts ;  also  I  may  add  that  they 
were  all,  excepting  myself,  total  abstainers,  and  w’lth  one  ex¬ 
ception  non-smokers.  I  may  truthfully  say  they  were  a  jolly , 
good  set  of  workmen.  ,  .  ,  1.^1 
My  next  place  was  in  Sussex,  and  had  three  in  the 
each  of  whom  knew  the  value  of  his  little  account  with  His 
Majesty.  In  my  present  situation,  although  not  living  in  the 
bothy,  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  two  young  chaps 
w'orking  in  the  houses  along  with  myself  who  also  know*  how  to 
take  care  of  their  pence.  I  myself  always  try  to  impress  upon 
the  younger  lads  working  with  me  the  principles  which  I  have 
ahvays  found  so  useful  to  myself.  I  also  bring  befop  them  the 
good  advice  offered  us  by  our  encouraging  friend  An  Old 
Bov,”  whose  notes  we  always  delight  in  reading.  May  An 
Old  Boy”  live  long  to  show*  us  the  “  .stepping-st9nes  (as  he 
does)  by  the  valuable  hints  he  gives  to  us,  and  whi^  he  gained 
no  doubt  in  the  same  .school  w*e  are  now*  in.— E.  E.  H. 
What  would  “An  Old  Boy”  have  a  young  man  to  <lo  if  the 
latter  i.s  bent  on  pushing  ahead  ?  I  am  acquainted  with  a  young 
man  who  started  professional  gardening  ate,  without  the  aid  ot 
i  bothy,  yet  his  keen  instincts,  natural  aptitude  of  grasping 
things,  and  his  ready  pen,  have  enabled  him  to  push  forward  in 
social  life  at  a  rate  surpri.sing  not  only  to  himself,  but  to  others 
Eilso  Yet  he  frankly  admits  that  he  cannot  begin  to  .save  money 
just'  yet,  although  he  earns  a  good  deal  more  than  the  averap 
Urdener  of  his  own  age,  for  the  simple  reason  that  he  must  be 
ever  buying  books  and  obtaining  novelties  for  the  purpose  ol 
gaining  knowledge.— G. 
