49G 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  June  9,  1904. 
The  Seed  Trade  and  the  Gardeners’  Association. 
As  a  seedsman’s  assistant,  may  I  inquire  through  your  pages 
wliether  I  am  eligible  for  membership,  and  to  enjoy  the  advan¬ 
tages  derivable  from  membership,  of  the  llritish  Gardeners’ 
Association  ?  Might  I  throw  out  the  suggestion  of  having  a 
northern  office  (say  in  Edinburgh)  for  Scotland  and  the  North 
of  England,  to  be  managed  by  a  secretary  (not  necessarily  per¬ 
manently  engaged),  who  would  co-operate  vuth,  but  be  sub¬ 
servient  to  the  chief  secretary  in  London  r’  Northern  gardeners 
must  be  brought  close  into  touch  with  headquarters,  and  some 
such  means  as  this  would  assist. — A. 
Tomato  Acquisition. 
The  desire  of  the  present  day  Tomato  grower  is  not  a  multi¬ 
plicity  of  varieties,  as  maiked  an  earliei'  period,  when  the  cwt. 
served  the  same  purpose  as  twenty  times  the  amount  do  now'. 
Jiarge  fruits,  the  fashion  of  past  ages,  have  a  vaiue  exactly 
opposite  to  that  of  those  well  remembered  days.  Very  few 
sorts  represent  the  present  day  demands,  and  all  must"  have 
the  smooth  outline,  bright  skin,  and  medium  sample  to  be  re¬ 
tained.  Lbster’s  and  Holmes’  have  held  sway  for  some  time, 
both  in  commercial  and  private  sources,  but  allowing  these  all 
that  are  due  to  them  individually,  there  is  a  di.stinctly  pleasing 
merit  embodied  in  the  variety  above  named. 
At  Tyntesfield  recently,  standing  on  the  floors  of  the  lofty 
vineries,  I  saw  Acquisition  Tomatoes  growing  with  a  dwarfness 
cf  habit  and  such  prolific  fruitfulness  as  I  have  rarely  seen, 
especially  when  one  remembers  the  position  occupied.  Though 
short  jointed  and  robust  in  leaf,  the  crop  was  remarkably  heavy; 
the  fruits,  though  they  had  not  quite  the  same  smoothness 
of  outline  as  that  of  the  better  selections  of  Lister’s,  were  never¬ 
theless  faultle,ss  in  other  respects.  The  plants  under  notice 
were  not  more  than  2ft  high,  yet  the  cordon  of  fruit  seemed 
continuous  from  the  pot  to  their  tips.  The  lofty  structures  in 
these  gardens,  their  sharp  pitch,  and  ample  ventilation,  seemed 
to  provide  ideal  conditions  both  for  Vines  and  Tomatoes,  con¬ 
ditions  certainly  not  found  in  such  combinations  generally.  Mr. 
\Yilkinson  is  a  keenly  observant  gardener,  but  the  success  with 
vinery-grown  Tomatoes  seemed  to  have  surpassed  even  his  own 
expectations. — Western. 
British  Gardeners’  Association. 
I  have  read  with  intere.st  the  note  by  “  Alethos  ”  anent  the 
insuperable”  ( f)  difficulties  which  stand  in  the  way  of  the 
successful  working  of  a  gardener’s  association.  The  substance 
of  “  Alethos’  ”  note  is  that  all  gardening  is  a  luxury,  and  he 
a.sks,  ”  How  far  does  the  employer  consider  it  necessary  to 
employ  gardeners  at  all  ?  ”  It  may  not  be  imperative  that  he 
should  do  so,  yet  neither  is  it  imperative  that  he  should  spend 
enormous  sums  on  many  other  luxuries.  If  Lord  So-and-So 
spends  hundreds  or  thousands  of  pounds  on  decorating  the 
ceiling  of  his  drawing  room,  requiring  skilled  men  to  do  the 
work,  then  why  should  he  not  pay  a  fair  wage  to  the  men  who 
decorate  his  garden  and  grounds,  and  produce  a  large  portion 
of  his  food?  A  certain  amount  of  comfort  and  pleasure  may  be 
derived  from  many  sources,  but  that  particular  kind  of  comfort 
and  pleasure  derived  from  gardening  cannot,  I  think,  be  derived 
from  any  other  source  whatever,  and  a  garden  in  the  hands  of 
capable  men  is  not  half  so  expensive  as  many  other  luxuries. 
''  Alethos  ”  gives  an  example  of  how  an  employer  may,  through 
force  of  circumstances,  feel  compelled  to  ttirn  his  establishment 
into  a  market  garden,  which  he  would  not  do  unless  there  was 
money  in  it.  Are  the  market  gardeners  of  Great  Britain  con- 
triljuting  nothing  to  the  national  wealth?  I  rather  think  they 
are,  and  will  contribute  moi'e  in  the  near  future.  Then  why 
•should  they  not  be  paid  a  reasonable  wage?  Prom  time 
immemorial  gai’dening  has  occupied  a  leading  place  among  the 
arts  and  crafts  of  all  civilised  nations,  and  the  “policy  of 
tclerance  ”  .stated  by  “Alethos”  is  absurd.  Finally,  the 'con- 
;  hiding  sentence  of  “Alethos’  ”  letter,  that,  in  the  event  of  a 
strike.  “  labourers  would  meet  all  the  requirements,”  gives 
evidence  of  .sheer  ignorance  of  the  principles  of  horticulture. — 
Gowuie. 
Ad  Interesting  Letter  from  China. 
After  a  pleasant  voyage  I  duly  arrived  here  on  the  2nd  of 
March.  Bespecting  the  voyage  I  need  say  but  little;  it  was  a 
real  holiday.  On  sea  one’s  only  thoughts  are  for  meal  times 
and  amusements.  As  a  cure  for  worry  there  is  nothing  to 
compare  to  it.  No  one  ever  appears  to  think  of  anything  beyond 
enjoyment,  and  everyone  appears  happy  and  ready  to  laugh  at 
anything.  If  ever  you  contemplate  a  voyage,  try  to  travel  by 
a  slow  steamer.  The  mail  boats  are  much  too  hurried  for  one 
desiring  instruction  ;  for,  excepting  at  Hong  Kong,  we  had  at 
the  other  ports  such  a  short  time  that  we  were  unable  to  see 
anything.  At  Hong  Kong  we  had  a  Avhole  day,  mo.sb  of  which 
I  spent  in  the  gardens.  These  were  beautifully  built  in  terraces 
on  the  side  of  a  hill.  The  flower  garden  in  the  last  days  of 
March  was  gay  with  such  things  as  Freesias,  Poinsettias,  Bego¬ 
nias,  Phlox  Drummondi,  Verbenas,  etc.  ;  but  what  struck  me 
most  were  the  bushes  of  Bougainvillea  on  the  lawn,  and  Jas- 
minum  primulinum.  There  this  Jasmine  was  in  reality  a  most 
desirable  and  highly  decorative  shrub.  A  walk  round  with  Mr. 
Tucher  (who  is  now  on  his  way  home  for  holidays)  was  both  very 
pleasant  and  instructive. 
Now  for  a  description  of  my  adopted  town,  popularly  known 
as  the  “Model  Settlement,”  but,  honestly  speaking,  it  is  the 
most  up-to-date  and  best  town  in  the  East,  a  fact  I  gleaned 
long  before  I  saw  it,  from  men  who  have  for  years  traded  in  all 
ports,  from  Port  Said  to  Port  Arthur.  The  foreign  settlement 
of  Shanghai  covers  an  area  of  ten  square  miles.  This  area  is 
not  entirely  built  on,  but  it  is  very  nearly,  and  at  last  year’s  rate 
of  increase — i.e.,  450  new  houses  per  month,  it  soon  will  be.  In 
addition  to  this,  however,  residences,  mills,  factories,  &c.,  are 
built  miles  beyond  the  boundary.  Since  the  Chino-Japanese 
war  it  has  increased  to  five  times  its  former  size,  and  is  rapidly 
extending,  till  soon  we  shall  have  a  miniature  London.  In 
addition  to  the  “foreign  settlement”  there  is  a  French  settle¬ 
ment,  which  is  quite  distinct  from  ours.  Then  there  is  the 
native  city,  also  w'ith  a  large  population.  Our  settlement  is 
governed  by  the  municipal  council,  a  body  con.si.sting  chiefly 
of  Britons,  the  chairman  being  a  Scotsman.  This  body  frames 
all  the  laws,  rules,  and  regulations  by  which  we  are  governed, 
the  only  exception  being  that  crimes  are  tried  by  the  Consular 
body.  As  the  settlement  is  open,  we  have  Consuls  from  every 
country  in  Europe,  also  from  the  U.S.  America  and  Japan. 
The  whole  country  side  is  as  flat  as  it  is  possible  to  be,  and 
inclined  to  be  mar.shy.  It  could  not  be  otherwise,  as  it  is  so 
little  above  the  water  level,  and  subject  to  tidal  influence.  The 
whole  filace  is  intersected  by  creeks,  narrow  water-ways,  navi¬ 
gable  as  far  as  the  barges  are  concerned,  and  some  are  even 
navigable  for  small  steamers  By  those  numerous  water¬ 
ways  you  can  almost  go  anywhere,  but  you  must  not  be  in  too 
great  a  hurry — that  is,  if  you  are  poor,  for  boats  of  all  sizes 
with  motor  power  and  steam  are  available  to  those  who  can  pay. 
The  same  applies  to  all  things  conveyed  from  the  interior ; 
it  does  not  cost  much  to  convey,  but  it  takes  time.  For  in¬ 
stance,  if  I  want  turf,  I  must  order  it  ten  days  before  I  want  it, 
yet  on  its  arrival  it  only  costs  0.75  cts.  (sic.)  per  100  sq.  ft. 
You  may  ask  why  have  I  to  send  for  turf  ;  are  there  no  pastures 
at  hand  ?  No,  there  is  no  pasture  land  to  speak  of  in  the 
vicinity.  The  Chinaman  is  at  heart  an  agriculturi.st,  and  he 
cultivates  every  available  inch  of  land.  He  does  not  even  have 
grassy  embankments;  that  would  be  waste,  for  he  will  get  two 
crojjs  from  it  in  the  year,  and  more  if  it  is  near  his  home — 
then  he  will  grow  vegetables  on  it.  For  the  same  reason  he 
dete.sts  trees ;  in  fact,  beyond  those  planted  along  the  roads  and 
a  few  on  the  graves,  trees  here  are  not  to  be  seen. 
The  land  belongs  to  the  people,  it  either  being  inherited 
or  purchased  ;  they  but  rarely  rent  it,  the  only  rent  they  pay 
being  a  nominal  land  tax.  So  it  is  apparent  that  if  he  is  to 
support  himself  and  family  on  the  small  piece  he  usually  has, 
the  native  must  make  the  most  of  it.  As  a  farmer  he  is  very 
primitive.  When  he  uses  a  plough  it  only  resembles  two  handles 
with  a  piece  of  iron  attached.  Generally  the  land  is  cultivated 
by  a  “hoe.”  This  resembles  a  Potato  digging  fork  with  four 
broad  tines,  bent  so  as  to  resemble  a  hoe  fork.  With  this  he 
will  turn  over  the  ground  rapidly  to  a  depth  of  6  to  9ins.  Owing 
to  the  wet  state  of  the  soil  his  land  is  ridged,  forming  round 
ridges  4ft.  wide,  the  hollows  between  each  being  about  1ft. 
deep.  Despite  his  primitive  methods  his  crops  are  excellent  i 
but  then,  of  course,  his  land  is  rich,  and  I  frequently  wonder 
what  would  be  the  result  were  the  land  tilled  according  to  our 
ideas. 
In  respect  to  culture,  there  are  three  things  he  pins  his  faith 
on.  The  first  is  “night  soil.”  This  is  forcibly  brought  to 
one’s  notice,  firstly  by  its  effluvia,  secondly  if  one  wishes  to 
avoid  typhoid  fever  he  must  never  eat  uncooked  vegetables. 
Secondly,  he  utilises  cow  manure.  Horse  manure  is  of  no  value 
to  him,  and  so  much  is  this  the  case  that  when  I  want  some  I 
just  fetch  it.  taking  the  precaution  to  remove  it  about  5  a.m. 
Lastly,  digging  in  everything  he  does  not  want  off  the  land — 
green  crops  especially.  If  the  weather  ruins  his  barley,  ho 
merely  digs  it  in  vhil.st  green,  assured  that  his  next  crop  will  be 
improved  thereby.  There  are  one  or  two  hints  we  enlightened 
creatures  might  glean  from  the  “Heathen  Chinee,”  —  i.e.. 
f 
>1 
u1 
t 
