S38 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  21  1904 
County  Council  Instruction:  Horticulture. 
Worcestershire. 
Horticnltnral  in.strnction  in  the  County  of  Worcester  has 
consicleral)ly  extemled  since  its  commencement.  The  county  is 
divided  into  about  150  districts,  and  these  are  grouped  so  that 
eacli  group  may  he  visited  during  one  week.  Private  instruc¬ 
tion  and  advice  is  given  on  tlio  occasion  of  these  visits  to  allot¬ 
ment  liolders,  cottage  gardeners,  market  gardeners,  farmers, 
and  others  upon  the  culture  of  flowers,  fruit,  and  vegetables, 
and  the  general  management  of  orchards. 
Demonstrations  are  given  in  grafting  and  pruning,  and 
lectures  upon  general  horticulture  :  its  theory  and  practice.  In 
addition,  there  is  a  small  experimental  garden  at  Droitwich, 
where  many  experiments  are  in  progress,  and  where  youths  and 
others  receive  instruction  in  pruning,  grafting,  and  budding; 
and  there  are  eighteen  centres  where  ‘273  youths  have  during 
the  past  year  received  instruction  in  the  cultivation  of  vege¬ 
tables  and  hardy  flowers. 
Such,  briefly,  is  a  statement  of  the  extent  of  the  horticultural 
work  accomplished  under  the  County  Council  by  Mr.  James 
TTdale,  assi.sted  by  Mr.  Joseph  Ijan.sdell.  The  folloiymg  will 
show  some  of  the  other  work  done  by  the  instructors.  Visits  have 
been  paid  a*  under:  — 
To  allotment  fields 
,,  cottage  gardens 
,,  market  gardens  and  orchards 
„  other  gardens 
Total 
2020 
1073 
579 
302 
3974 
A  large  correspondence  is  also  carried  on,  many  inquiries 
being  made  upon  various  horticultural  matters,  such  as  the 
planting  of  an  orchard,  dealing  with  the  American  bheM,  or 
disease  among  Tomato  plants,  the  Turnip-fly,  growing  Daftodils 
for  market,  treatment  of  young  Strawberry  plants,  ot  Ixias, 
of  Onions  affected  by  insect  pests,  and  of  ^  ^®Sl®cted  garden. 
Mr.  Udale  further  reports:  “In  June  and  July  (1903)  Mr. 
Lansdell  and  myself  made  our  annual  inspec¬ 
tion  of  allotment  fields  in  148  districts,  and 
T  am  glad  to  be  able  to  report  distinct  im¬ 
provement  generally,  notwithstanding  the 
very  adverse  season.  Cottage  gardening 
societies  such  as  those  at  Tenbury,  Bockle- 
ton,  Hagley,  Clent,  Pedmore,  Bournville, 
Coomb’s  Wood,  Aston  Fields,  and  Selly  Oak 
do  much  to  promote  high  culture  of  the  ^ 
soil.” 
We  have  not  the  space  at  command  to 
follow  the  details  of  the  year’s  work  by  the 
two  gentlemen  named,  but  the  results  of 
their  instructions  to  boys,  to  allotment 
holders,  Ac.,  and  of  their  observations  and 
experiments  in  the  garden  at  Droitwich  are 
fully  and  succinctly  set-out  in  the  reports 
just  published,  and  which  Mr.  Udale,  we 
believe,  would  be  pleased  to  send  to  anyone 
who  is  really  interested  in  the  work.  Fruits, 
vegetables,  and  flowers  are  growui,  and 
admirable  reports  bearing  upon  each  sub¬ 
ject  are  drawn  up. 
Having  briefly,  though  imperfectly 
limned  the  outline  of  this  technical  instriic- 
tion,  a  notice  of  the  chief  instructor,  Mr. 
.James  Udale,  must  he  of  interest,  and  we 
publish  his  notes  as  they  w'ere  written. 
Meredith,  who  was  then  (1868)  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame,  and 
your  esteemed  correspondent,  Mr.  William  Taylor,  was  fore¬ 
man.  Only  those  who  had  personal  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Meredith  and  Garston  Vineyard  at  that  time  can  form  an 
approximately  accurate  idea  of  the  conditions  of  work  there, 
and  of  the  high  standard  of  culture  aimed  at  and  attained. 
Morning  duty  began  at  4  or  4.30  to  5  a.m.  Night  duty  was 
not  supposed  to  end  at  any  time  before  midnight;  and  when,  in 
a  certain  department,  there  was  a  constant  change  of  young 
men  every  five  or  six  Aveeks,  the  night  duty,  morning  duty, 
and  Sunday  duty  did  not  constitute  exactly  a  holiday  for  tiie 
young  men  avIio  \\'ere  comparatively  “fixtures”!  One  year  at 
Garston  Avas  sufficient  for  me,  but  I  have  ahvays  looked  back 
with  satisfaction  at  that  period  of  long  hours  and  hard  work, 
because  there  Avas  not  only  the  unique  experience  acquired  of 
Vine  CAilture,  but  many  other  things  were  done  Avell. 
Worksop  Manor  Avas  my  next  destination,  where  I  spent 
tAVO  years  as  improver  under  the  late  Mr.  John  Miller,  who 
.served  the  family  of  Lord  Foley  so  long  and  so  honourably. 
There  I  had  general  experience  in  all  departments ;  but  the 
larger  part  of  my  time  Avas  occupied  in  attending  to  the  decora¬ 
tion  in  the  house,  attending  the  conservatory  and  floAver  garden, 
and  in  training  and  nailing  the  Peaches,  Apricots,  Nectarines, 
Plums,  and  Pears  upon  the  extensive  AA’alls. 
I  then  had  a  brief  sojourn  at  Veitch’s  Nursery,  from  Avhence 
I  was  sent  as  foreman  to  Lilleshall  House,  the  Duke  of  Suther¬ 
land’s  seat  in  Shropshire.  The  floAver  gardens  there  are  rather 
extensive,  and  at  that  time  required  about  30,000  bedding 
plants  each  summer.  Nearly  the  Avhole  of  that  number  Avere 
propagated  in  hotbeds,  and  in  no  place  have  I  seen  such  number 
of  plants  so  propagated,  and  never  more  successfully.  After  a 
sojourn  of  tAvo  years  at  Lilleshall  I  Avas  engaged  as  gardener  to 
Sigismund  Cohen,  Esq.,  Manchester,  in  whose  service  I  spent 
two  very  happy  years,  and  Avho  ahvays  treated  me  more  as  a 
friend  than  as  a  servant.  But  several  importations  of  orchids 
from  Brazil  fired  my  enthusiasm  for  a  larger  knoAvledge  of  plants 
generally,  and  after  very  careful  consideration  decided  to  apply 
for  admission  into  the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew. 
In  due  course  I  Avas  notified  to  proceed  to  Koav,  which  I  did 
at  the  beginning  of  1874,  though  I  left  my  very  kind  and 
generous  employer  Avith  reluctance.  I  soon  settled  doAvn  to 
Mp.  James  Udale. 
I  commenced  my  gardening  career  in 
May,  1865,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  my 
apprenticeship  Avas  served  at  Oldfield  Hall, 
Uttoxeter,  under  Mr.  George  Chitty,  Avho 
Avas  an  excellent  landscape  gardener.  Wider 
his  skilful  guidance  and  energy  I  received  a 
thorough  grounding  in  practical  design¬ 
ing  and  planting  during  a  period  of  three 
years.  During  this  period  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  obtain  the  friendship  of  the  late 
Mr.  Thomas  Rabone,  of  Alton  ToAvers,  but 
Avho  then  Avas  gardener  at  Woodseat,  where 
he  greAv  Avhat  Avere  then  some  of  the  best 
Grapes  in  England.  Moreover,  in  1866,  it 
Avas  my  equally  good  fortune  to  form  the 
friendship  of  Mr.  E.  T.  Gilman,  of  Alton 
ToAvers  and  Ingestre.  Mi-.  Gilman  being 
then  a  pupil  of  IMr.  Rabone’s  at  Woodseat. 
Chiefly  through  the  recommendation  of  Mr. 
Bahone  I  obtained  an  appointment  at  Gar¬ 
ston  VinPA-ard  Ainder  the  late  l\fr.  Joseph 
Lupinus  polyphyllus  albus.  (See  page  340) 
