20i 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  27,  1903. 
“Handy  Clip"  Tnbeholders. 
Canning  Interests  in  New  Jersey,  U.S.A. 
Mr,  W.  J.  Godfrey,  nurseryman,  of  Exmouth,  Devon,  baa  invented 
and  patented  an  arrangement  for  flowers  which  we  figure  on  this  page. 
It 
1 
No.  1. — The  wire  clip. 
Nc.  2.— The  clip  simply 
fixed  to  a  bamboo 
cane,,  with  a  zinc 
tube  inserted. 
No.  3.  —  Illustrates  the 
No.  2  with  ten  clips 
and  tubes,  ready  to 
be  dressed. 
No.  4  is  dressed  with 
Winter  Queen  Chrys¬ 
anthemum,  as  exhi¬ 
bited  at  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Exhi¬ 
bition,’  London,  in 
February  last. 
and  also  print  the  remarks  the  patentee  has  sent  to 
us :  “  There  has  been  found  hitherto  a  difticulty  to  flx 
flowers  (in  vessels  of  water)  in  awkward  places,  such 
as  altar  screens,  pulpits,  pillars,  mirrors,  curtains,  Ac. 
The  ‘  Handy  Clip’  supplies  the  thing  so  long  desired, 
and  will  prove  a  boon  in  decorating  churches,  halls, 
and  rooms  in  general.  It  is  a  simple  arrangement  by 
which  a  tube  to  hold  flowers  can  be  affixed  in  positions 
where  it  is  not  possible  to  drive  a  nail,  or  otherwise 
fasten  a  support  for  flowers  in  water.  Altar  screens, 
pulpits,  pillars,  mirrors,  can  easily  be  decorated  with¬ 
out  the  aid  of  nails.  A  piece  of  string,  cord,  or  small 
rope  is  tied  around  and  suspended  from  any  projection 
on  which  the  ‘  Handy  Clips  ’  can  be  fixed.  By  their 
aid  curtains,  draperies,  Ac.,  may  be  quickly  festooned 
with  flowers.  A  bamboo  or  any  other  stick  or  rod 
may  be  stuck  among  the  foliage  or  other  plants,  or  in 
a  flower  pot  of  soil,  and  can  be  readily  dressed  with 
flowers.  They  only  require  to  be  used  once  for  their 
merits  to  be  fully  appreciated,  and  their  adaptability 
to  many  uses  to  be  readily  understood.  The  principle 
is  a  holder -made  of  wire.  The  ring  to  hold  the  water 
tube  is  pressed,  which  causes  the  smaller  ring  to  open. 
This  open  ring  forms  a  grip,  and  when  the  tapering  vase  to  hold  the 
flowers  is  inserted  and  pressed  down,  the  grip  is  made  firm.  They 
are  very  quickly  fixed  and  removed.  The  No.  1  size, 
clip  and  tube  complete,  cost  3s,  fid.  dozen,  post  free  ; 
and  No.  2  size  cost  6s.  per  dozen.” 
Heywood  and  Horticulture. 
The  following  letter  from  Dean  Hole  was  read  at 
a  meeting  held  at  the  Technical  School,  Heyw’ood, 
Lancs.,  to  consider  the  proposal  to  form  a  horticultural 
society  for  Heywood  and  district : 
“  The  Deanery,  Rochester,  August  13th. 
“  Dear  Sir,— Having  found  in  gardens  and  with 
gardeners  a  chief  happiness  of  my  life  and  many  of 
my  dearest  friends,  knowing  the  good  influence  which 
horticulture  has  upon  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men, 
I  rejoice  to  hear  of  the  new  society  which  you  propose 
to  form  for  Heywood  and  district,  and  heartily  wish 
you  success.  It  might  be  beneficial  to  ask  the  Mayor 
to  call  a  meeting  and  to  appoint  officers  and  a  com¬ 
mittee.  The  secretary  should  be  an  enthusiastic 
gardener  and  a  good  man  of  business.  Obtain  the 
sympathy  (and  the  subscriptions)  of  the  most  in¬ 
fluential  neighbours,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  your  M.P., 
and  clergy,  but  at  the  same  time  do  all  you  can  to 
interest  the  cottage  gardeners.  If  you  can  induce  a 
working  man  to  take  some  pains  with  his  vegetables 
and  teach  his  wife  how  to  cook  them,  you  will  do 
more  to  keep  him  sober  than  all  the  blue  ribbons 
and  pledges  worn  or  signed.  —  Sincerely  yours, 
Fi^s.  2.  S.  Reynolds  Hole.” 
Fig.  3. 
Canning  in  New  Jersey  had  its  birth  about  the  close  of  the 
Civil  War.  At  that  time  Tomatoes  were  the  principal  article. 
To-day  the  industry  has  broadened  until  almost  every  kind  of 
fruit  and  vegetable  is  put  up.  The  market  is  no  longer  confined 
to  that  country,  but  large  quantities  are  exported  to  England, 
which  is  the  chief  country  for  consumption  of  American  goods  in 
tins.  For  many  years  the  packers  tried  to  use  glass,  but  this 
kind  of  package  for  Tomatoes  has  almost  entirely  disappeared, 
the  tin  being  cheaper  and  in  every  way  preferable. 
It  has  been  estimated  that  there  are  close  to  500,000,000  cans 
of  fruit,  vegetables,  meats.  &e.,  put  up  in  the  Enited  States  annu¬ 
ally,  and,  accepting  this  as  approximately  correct, it  is  remarkable 
how  few  cases  of  sickness  arise  from  the  use  of  these  goods.  It 
would  seem  that  nature  intended  New’  Jersey  for  a  Tomato  grow’- 
ing  state;  the  soil  is  peculiarly  adapted  for  this  purpose,  and  in 
the  high  quality  of  the  goods  packed  she  is  not  excelled.  It  is 
estimated  that  there  w’ere  22,000  acres  grown  in.  the  State  last 
year,  sufficient  to  pack  say  900,000  cases,  and  including  the  early 
crop  this  past  year,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  750,000  dollars  was 
receiv’ed  by  the  farmers  of  New  Jersey  for  their  Tomato  crop. 
The  berry  crop  of  New  Jersey  has  grown  to  large  proportions. 
For  the  production  of  certain  varieties  of  Pears  it  is  not  excelled. 
Sweet  Potatoes  (Ipomcea)  have  also  become  an  important  article 
for  the  canner.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  at  least  1,250,000  dollars 
Fig.  4. 
is  annually  paid  by  the  canners  to  the  farmers.  In  the  early 
days  of  the  industry  the  notion  prevailed  that  any  kind  of  an  old 
place  w  as  good  enough  for  a  cannery ;  an  old  shed,  a  barn,  or  a 
threshing  floor  would  answer.  The  embryo  packer  appropriated 
his  wife’s  cook  stove  and  wa.sh  boiler,  or  used  a  large  iron  kettle, 
such  as  farmers  use  for  trying  out  lard. 
There  have  been  seen  goods  and  cases  piled  out  in  the  weather, 
subject  to  the  storms  and  changes  of  temperature,  the  owner 
having  no  thought  of  injury,  the  appearance  of  his  goods  being  a 
secondary  consideration.  In  the  evolution  of  the  business  these 
things  have  passed  away,  and  now’  are  to  be  seen  fine  large  fac¬ 
tories,  substantial  and  well  kept. 
