April  7,  1904. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
prftty  .shrewd  judges  many  are- and  tlierefore  I  again  repeat 
that  “no  manipulation  of  the  markets  will  induce 
cultivators  to  pay  fabulous  sums  for  a  tunv  thiiig  uidess  they 
think  there  is  a  fair  prospect  of  getting  something  out  of  the 
bargain.” 
The  vast  sums  paid  for  Eldorado  have  been  given  almost 
entirely  by  men  in  the  trade,  who  expect  to  reap  some  financial 
benefit  for  their  bargain,  and  if  the  few  who  hold  the  stocks 
can  get  such  piices,  who  can  blame  them?  If  “  T.  A.  W.”  held 
stocks  he  would,  I  trow,  exact  his  price  like  the  rest  of  the 
dealers. 
In  regard  to  Xortheiii  Star,  “T.  A.  AV.”  is  evidently  piqued 
becau.se  he  has  failed  to  grow  it  satisfactorily,  but  he  need  not 
decry  the  variety  on  that  account,  or  show  the  pettiness  of  a 
small  mind  becau.se  others  have  succeeded  where  he  has  failed. 
Few,  if  any,  varieties  are  equally  satisfactory  on  all  classes  of 
soils,  and  in  every  district,  but  the  majority  of  tho.se  who  have 
grown  Xortheni  Star  are  well  .satisfied  with  original  outlay  in 
obtaining  a  stock.  If  it  could  have  been  purchased  at  a  cheaper 
rate  most  of  us  would  have  been  better  pleased,  and  those  who 
thought  Evergood  as  good  should  have  put  their  money  on 
that. 
U)uler  gaiden  culture  I  have  seen  a  pound  of  Xorthern  Star 
produce  1431b,  and  under  field  culture  I  have  seen  the  same 
vaiiety  produce  crops  immensely  superior  to  British  Queen,  and 
Up-to-Date  growing  beside  it.  In  fact,  I  have  .seen  enough  to 
satisfy  me  tliat  the  “  Star  ”  is  a  variety  everybody  should  grow 
where  the  soil  suits  it. 
In  the  third  paragraph  of  “  T.  A.  AV.’s”  notes  he  wastes  a 
good  deal  of  energy  in  beating  the  air,  for  anyone  who  has  read 
my  remarks  on  disease-resisters  must  see  that  they  vary  but 
little  from  “  T.  A.  AY.’s.”  It  is  not  a  question  of  paying  a 
high  price  for  a  variety  which  will  always  be  a  disease-resister  ; 
the  point  is,  we  have  so  few  that  can  lay  any  claim  to  being 
such,  but  now  that  a  .strain  has  been  rai.sed  that  brings  us 
appreciably  nearer  the  goal,  we  may  look  foi'ward  in  a  few  years 
to  having  numbers  of  such  varieties,  and  therefore  normal  prices 
will  prevail,  as  new  ones  of  the  right  type  will  be  continually 
brought  forward  to  take  the  place  of  older  ones  which  show 
signs  of  deterioration. 
“  T.  A.  W.”  .seems  to  think  he  has  quite  naiied  me  to  the 
fence  in  regard  to  Sutton’s  Discovery,  because  I  have  quoted 
it  as  a  kidney.  Well,  I  have  two  distinct  samples  which  have 
been  grown  from  .seed  obtained  direct  from  the  I'aiser.  I  have 
also  Sutton’s  .special  pamphlet  on  that  variety,  and  yet  I  still 
maintain  that  Discoverv  is  quite  as  much  a  kidney  as  a  round. 
“  T.  A.  AV  .”  again  shows  his  capacity  for  di.stinctions  when 
he  takes  me  to  task  for  including  Sir  J.  Llewelyn  among  the 
.second  earlies.  That  is  simply  a  matter  of  comparison.  It  is 
a  second  early  when  compared  with  May  Queen  or  AA’ebbs’ 
Express,  l)ut  when  the  compaiison  is  with  Duke  of  A"ork  or 
Puritan,  Sir  .1.  Llewelyn  might  be  termed  an  early,  but  neither 
of  the  three  are  among  the  rir.st  flight  of  earlies.  In  regard  to 
A1  ay  Queen,  I  care  imt  whether  “  T.  A.  AAY”  dubs  it  a  frame 
variety  or  a  monstrosity,  I  know  it  is  a  gj-and  one  to  grow  for 
the  earliest  crop  in  the  open  air,  and  if  he  (or  anybody  else) 
can  tell  me  of  a  better  one,  just  as  eaily,  I  .shall  welcome  the 
information. 
I  have  already  dealt  with  a  few  suggestions  of  “  T.  A.  AA'.’s,” 
which  show  the  inherent  modesty  of  the  man,  i)ut  there  are 
seve?  al  others  which  are  too  great  to  pass  ovei‘.  <  Here  is  one  : — 
If  I  really  have  King  Edward  A  ll.  in  my  possession,  “  T.  A.  \V 
wants  to  know  “  why  I  made  no  mention  of  its  having  pink 
flushes  on  some  parts  of  its  surface.”  Ah!  why?  Simply  liecause 
when  I  write  about  a  subject  I  do  so  in  my  own  way,  because 
I  have  no  “  T.  A.  AA\”  at  my  elbow  to  dictate  what  I  should 
or  should  not  write ;  and  considering  this  cliaracteristic  of  the 
variety  has  been  de.scribed  in  almost  every  horticultural  paper 
published  in  this  country  din  ing  the  last  twelve  months,  readers 
will  undoubtedly  apjneciate  the  omission.  Such  a  veritable 
multum  in  parvo  on  the  characteristics  of  Potatoes  as 
“  T.  A.  AAk”  should  be  of  immense  service  to  the  classification 
committee  of  the  Xatioiial  Potato  Society,  and  I  commend  him 
to  their  notice. 
Xo,  my  in.structor,  neither  is  it  news  for  me  to  learn  that 
records  exist  for  thirty  and  forty-.seven  tons  per  acre  having 
been  produced  upwards  of  a  century  ago,  and  we  want  again  to 
get  varieties  capable  of  producing  .sometliing  approaching  those 
yields,  that  is  one  reason  why  I  believe  in  Xorthein  Star.  Once 
again  my  imuial  ci'itic  .seems  to  think  it  nece.ssary  to  tell  me  how 
little  I  know  about  Potatoes,  because  I  admitted  pulling  up  the 
tops  when  the  di.sease  fir.st  appears.  I  have  no  need  to  go  back 
a  hundred  years  (in  fact,  my  memory  won’t  carry  me  so  far)  to 
find  justification  for  the  practice.  I  have  had  an  excellent 
illustration  this  year,  and  have  in  past  times  secui'ed  many  a 
crop  by  the  .same  process.  I  would  much  rather  no  disease  had 
appeared,  but  the  ju-actice  is  one  of  doing  the  best  under  the 
cii-cumstanc(‘s.  To  crown  his  edifice  of  criticism  and  advice, 
“  T.  A.  AT.”  gives  me  a  rough  outline  of  the  methods  liy  whic-ri 
tubers  are  formed,  and  the  way  in  which  the  disea.se  is'spread. 
How  kind  of  him  to  throw  me  crumbs  of  knowledge  about 
matters  which  I  have  studied  closely  since  my  “  salad  days,” 
21)7 
and  about  which  I  am  kc'pt  constantly  informed  in  regard  to 
modern  progre.ss.  AA’hen  I  really  do  want  a  lesson  on  points  con¬ 
nected  with  fungoid  diseases,  I  shall  certaimy  not  go  to 
“  T.  A.  AA’.”  for  it.  Let  me  not.  howevei’,  atteinjA  to  repiu'ss 
the  youthful  ardour  of  this  new  Goliath  of  the  Potato  world. 
I  will,  instead,  tell  him  ch'arly.that  if  he  r('ally  does  know  any¬ 
thing  about  Potatoes,  I.  and  all  other  readiu's  of  the  Journal  nf 
Hoiiicull  HI  r,  will  be  j)lea.sed  to  drink  from  his  fountain  of 
knoAvledgc',  but  he  will  never  gain  a  reputation  for  knowledge 
by  advancing  his  ideas  in  a  bellicose  manner  born'  of  arrogant 
conceit.  Such  a  course  w  ill  rather  tend  to  make  “ 'I'.  A.  \V.” 
the  laughingstock  of  all  sensible  and  fair-minded  men. — 
H0IiTTCrLTX  K.4L  iNSTUrCTOl!. 
—  - 
Gardeners  and  Benelit  Societies. 
Gardeners  seldom  or  never  pay  into  one  of  the  many  of  these 
societies  throughout  the  land.  (  ?)  They  do  not  require  to  depend 
on  such  means  of  succour  perhaps  as  much  as  other  trades. 
Their  pc'culiar  place  in  the  service  of  the  household  prevents  the 
suspension  of  pay  with  that  of  labour  at  the  time  of  .sickness; 
yet  this  may  not  alw  ays  be  so,  and  probalily  it  would  be  a  better 
and  wiser  plan  for  tln>  gaidener  who  dejiends  on  such  a  com¬ 
paratively  small  income  that  he  should  be  attached  to  a  benefit 
.society.  Xow,  as  gardeners’  societies  are  at  this  pre.sent  moment 
legion,  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  have  something 
of  this  nature  attached  to  each  of  tliem. 
If  the  service,  in  the  first  instance,  di.scourages  tJie  ordinary 
system  of  benefit,  it  by  no  means  does  that  in  the  case  of  old 
age.  X"o  one  appears  to  want  the  old  and  venerable  hoary- 
headed  gardener,  howevei'  superlative  his  (|ualities,  or  however 
skilful  his  cunning  in  the  .secrets  of  his  profession.  He  is  thrown 
aside,  as  we  have  all  .seen,  often  in  the  heighday  of  his  .strength 
and  vigour.  This,  then,  is  the  man  who  needs  and  certainly 
de.serves  help  if  he  has  not  got  anything  to  his  credit  in  the 
hank.  AA'ell,  if  he  has  he  must  have  severely  denied  him.self, 
for  few  can  be  much  better  off  than  Goldsmith’s  parson,  who 
lived  on  £40  a  year.  Perhaps  there  are  not  many  gardeners 
so  very  low  paid,  but  times  have  changed  since  Goldsmith  wrote 
his  “  Deserted  A’illage,”  and  gardeneis  and  parsons  certainly 
have  higher  wages,  but  they  also  have  higher  demands. 
And  now  when  the  horticultural  spirit  is  at  this  moment  .so 
highly  imimed  xvith  devotion  for  greater  cohesion  and  unity,  is 
it  not  meet  that  some  of  that  zeal  should  find  a  happy  response 
in  .something  more  tangible  and  liefitting  the  exuberance  of 
pent  up  energy,  than  yet  compromised  in  gardeners’  associa¬ 
tions?  Gardeners’  pensions  are  certainly  day  by  day  becoming 
less  the  rule  in  even  the  service  of  our  be.st  ari.stocratic 
families.  Indeed,  before  the  veteran  reaches  .sixty  his  presence 
in  the  service  to  which  he  has  devoted  the  best  part  of  his  life 
is  scarcely  reciprocated  with  that  geniality  and  sunshine  of 
manner  that  always  con.spires  to  make  master  and  servant  more 
united  in  the  great  purjio.se  foi-  which  both  exist.  AA'hy  should 
he  not,  therefore,  agitate  for  some  memns  whereon  he  can  look 
forward  to  a  day  of  independence— a  day  which  brings  comfort 
and  not  sorrow  and  painful  thoughts  of  charity  to  embitter  the 
last  3’ears  of  a  Avell-spent  life? 
A.s.sociation.s  for  the  promotion  and  development  of  horti¬ 
culture  are  good,  but  surely  it  is  va.stly  better  to  make  due 
provision  first  for  the  Avelfare  of  the  humane  side  of  the  que.s- 
tion.  To  myself  this  has  been  always  a  matter  of  astonishment, 
and  I  often  ask  my.self.  Is  the  gardener  a  blind,  improvident 
creatui'e  who  spurns  the  nece.ssary  pi'ecautions  to  ensure  a  com¬ 
fortable  life  in  old  ag(‘?  Xo,  tliat  is  not  it.  I  rather  think 
the  negligence  is  the  outcome  of  two  very  important  causes. 
The  gardener,  on  account  of  his  close  as.sociation  Avirh  Xature, 
absorbs  a  good  deal  of  fatalism  into  his  being.  AATth  this  and 
a  strong  dependence  upon  the  permanency  of  an  appointment,  he 
shuts  out  the  inevitable  vista  of  the  future  from,  bis  view,  and 
rolls  on  with  the  years  olilivious  of  con.sequences,  till  at  la.st  he 
finds  himself,  alas!  an  old  and  pennile.ss  man,  insufficiently  fitted 
to  combat  with  the  ciiciimstances. 
AA’hat  is  wanted,  and  that  badly,  is  a  means  whereby  this 
unfortunate  climax  — call  it  crisis  if  you  prefer— can  be  .success¬ 
fully  averted,  and  bow  it  is  to  lie  accomplished  depends  entirely 
upon  the  measure  of  indeix^ndence  that  stamps  the  character 
of  the  gardening  profession.  If  we  much  longer  per.si.st  in 
denouncing  any  need  for  old  age  gardeners’  pemsions,.  we  nece.s- 
sarily  forfeit  all  right  to  be  considered  a  provident  profession, 
and  must  be  termed  enuatures  of  circumstances..  AW  have  no 
right  to  expect  anything  of  a  miraculous  nature  to  meet  us  at 
the  end  of  our  labour  journey.  The  ju'obability  is  that  the 
greater  number  reach  that  goal  just  about  as  well  equipjxcd 
for  the  exigencies  of  the  position  as  they  were  when  beginning 
their  career  much  less,  indeed,  for  then,  though  wanting 
AA'ealth,  the  invaluable  ass(>ts  health  and  strength  were  there. — 
Lnitas. 
[AA'hat  of  the  Uxiited  Horticulfura!  Benefit  and 'Provident 
Society,  whose  address  is  9.  Martindah'  Hoad,  Balhani.  S.AA’.? 
-Em]  '  , 
