4G0 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
November  19,  1903. 
Rose  Analysis. 
(Piosette  de  la  Legion  d'llonneur.) 
I  am  only  one  of  thousands  who  have  read  with  pleasure 
'T*  profit,  Mr.  Mawley’s  Rose  analysis.  But  there  is 
one  Rose— a  very  startling  absentee,  in  my  o'pinion— that  I  can 
iiot  find  m  the  list.  I  refer  to  Rosette  de  la  Legion  d’Honneur. 
Ur  course  it  belongs  to  the  class  of  Garden  or  Decorative  Roses 
and  yet  it  is  conspicuous  by  its  absence.  I  begin  to  think  I  ani 
abolutely  wrong  in  my  estimate  of  this  Rose,  but  it  is  one  that 
has  a  very  deep  hold  on  my  affection.  I  would  be  very  glad  to 
hear  the  opinion  of  “  W.  R.  Raillem,”  or  some  other  really  com¬ 
petent  rosanan,  as  to  its  merits  and  demerits. — H.  B.  B.,  Hythe. 
Large  Potatoes. 
In^  reply  to  the  question  put  under  this  heading  by  “  W.  B. 
the  Journal  of  November  12,  I  have  to  .say  that  in  the 
year  loG_,  in  Archerfield  Gardens,  there  was  raised  by  me  from  a 
portion  of  a  south  border  a  crop  of  Walker’s  Regent  Potato 
that  was  conadered  by  everybody  to  be  unusually  heayy  and 
remarkable.  One  Potato  turned  the  scale  at  3|lbs,  and  twenty- 
four  weighed  44  bs.  Mr.  Hunter,  late  of  Lambton  Ca.stle  Gar¬ 
dens  can  corroborate  this,  as  he  was  the  person  who,  with 
another,  did  the  work  of  lifting  and  weighing  the  crop,  which 
■was  quite  as  remarkable  for  its  general  bulk  as  were  the  indi- 
^dual  tubers  referred  to  above.  In  1896,  at  Drumlanrig  Gar¬ 
dens,  tliere  were  raised  from  one  row  in  one  of  the  quarters, 
scores  of  tubers  over  21bs  in  weight.  From  one  set  the  weight 
of  produce  was  1  stone  31bs,  and  few  of  the  tubers  yielded  less 
than  a  stone.  I  carried  out  many  experiments  in  Potato  cul¬ 
ture,  all  of  which  prove  that  to  plant  very  small  sets  resulted 
in  poor  results,  and  that  medium-sized  tubers,  planted  whole, 
gave  the  mo.st  desirable  results,  both  as  to  the  general  weight 
of  crops  and  size  of  individual  tubers  for  cooking.  The  secret 
cf+a  !my^i  ^  found  to  be  in  planting  the  largest  possible 
K-ets  uuole,  giving  ample  room,  and  allowing  not  more  than  two 
growth.s  from  e^h.  It  may  be  said  that  such  heavy  tubers  are 
not  desirable.  That  is  true.  Still,  the  last  order  I  got  from  my 
employer  at  Archerfield  before  he  left  for  the  season  was  to  bo 
.sure  and  grow  him  inore  of  “those  large  Potatoes”  as  they 
were  so  splendid,  baked  in  their  jackets.— D.  Thomson 
Point  Judging. 
In  reading  Mr  Brotherston’s  attack  on  this  method  of  award 
mg  prizes  (page  411),  one  cannot  help  wondering  if  the  re 
actionary  tirnes  in  which  we  live  have  not  unduly  influenced  hii 
judginent.  That  judging  by  points  has  had  a 'fair  trial  mo.si 
people  are  perfectly  lyell  aware,  and  many  of  us  are  fully  cogni 
sant  of  thei  haphazard  method.s  it  was  intended  to  displace.  It: 
supporters  have  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  result; 
obtained  from  its  application  in  numberless  in.stances ;  and  if  i1 
IS  not  perfect,  what  then?  In  view  of  the  benefits  derived  fron 
Its  use,  IS  Mr  Brother, ston  prepared  to  discard  the  system,  anc 
revert  to  the  older  method  ?  I  imagine  not!  It  must  be  admittec 
that  there  liave  been  times  when  judges  would  have  been  plea.sec 
that  their  names  should  have  been  sunk  in  oblivion  when  pub- 
is  ed  in  connection  with  awarded  points.  Have  we  not  here  one 
ot  the  strongest  reasons  in  support  of  “  point  judging  ”  ?  Shreh 
■the  publication  of  the  number  of  points  with  the  names  of  the 
judges  should  tend,  save  in  the  case  of  the  mo.st  hardened  sinners, 
to  cause  tliose  worthies  to  be  more  than  usually  careful  in  theii 
decision  Too  much  stress  is  also  laid  on  the  variability  of  the 
standard  of  judgment;  and  when  the  writer  of  the  article  asserts 
that  the'  numbers  provieled  as  a  standarel  are,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
no  value  whatever,  he  steps  at  once  over  the  border  line  of 
prudence  and  care  of  statement.  These  numbers,  to  some  judge^ 
at  least,  are  not  employed  to  give  self  opinion  expres,sioii ;  that 
they  could  form  a  standard  inflexible  and  unchanging  is  much  to 
be  desired,  but  more  than  can  reasonably  be  expected.  Judges 
are  not  automatic  machines,  and  though  the'  vagaries  of  some  few 
niay  be  deplored,  the  standard  of  judgment  with  the  best  of  them 
is  maintained  on  a  fairly  even  keel,  and  the  fluctuations  and 
variations  which  Mr.  Brotherston  would  have  us  believe  exist  to 
a  great  extent,  are  only  existent  to  a  very  small  degree;  espe¬ 
cially  is  this  the  case  with  those  who  ai'e  in  ccnstant  and  con¬ 
tinuous  practice. 
I  am  tempted  to  ask  Mr.  Brotherston  what,  apart  from  the 
“  point  judging  ”  method,  would  he  employ  in  awarding  the  prizes 
over  a  wide  area  of  gardens  and  allotments?  It  is  obvious  to  the 
simplest  minds  that  where  competing  patches  of  land  lic'  half  a 
mile  apart  it- is  not  by  any  means  easy  to  carry  their  comparative 
merits  in  one’s  mind’s  eye ;  particularly  is  this  the  case  when 
there  are  many  competing,  and  the  competition  close.  If  point¬ 
ing  is  not  satisfactory  under  such  circumstances,  it  is  scarcely 
likely  that  decision  by  view  alone  would  redound  to  the  credit 
of  tile  judges.  “  Of  pointing,  as  a  means  of  aiding  judges  to 
arrive  at  a  correct  decision  in  cases  where  the  competition  is 
close,  I  have  nothing  but  praise,”  says  Mr.  B.  As  this  was  the 
strongest  point,  urged  in  its  favour  by  supporters  at  the  very  out¬ 
set  of  its  inception,  I  fail  to  see  the  value  of  the  condemnatory 
remarks  preceding  its  utterance,  or  why,  in  conclusion,  it  is 
stated  that  its  public  and  compulsory  applications  should  be  of 
doubtful  benefit. — John  Weight,  Neweiit. 
Criticism  from  Sheffield. 
Referring  to  the  show  of  the  Sheffield  Chrysanthemum 
Society,  a  corre.spondent  writes  :  “  Unfortunately  for  the  society, 
it  is  handicapped  by  a  very  heavy  rent— between  £50  and 
£60  for  the  two  days ;  while  the  City  Council  has  a  large  halt 
standing  idle,  and  has  declined  to  let  it  to  the  society  on  the 
ground  that  ‘  they  hope  to  let'  it  permanently.’  This  is  the  hall 
that  was  for  very  many  years  the  home  of  the  society,  but 
which  they  had  to  leave  on  its  coming  into  the  hands  of  the 
City  Council.  Verily  the  ‘Markets  Committee,’  like  the  ‘Parks 
C-ommittee’  of  Sheffield  (save  the  mark!),  are  antagonistic  to 
all  that  tends  to  the  education  and  elevation  of  the  people  by 
floriculture.  In  probably  no  town  or  city  do  the  authorities 
hamper  such  societies  so  much  as  in  Sheffield.”  Pro  bono 
publico  ?  ^  ^ 
A  Gardeners’  Association. 
There  is  just  now  a  movement  on  foot  to  establish  a  Head 
Gardeners’  Association  for  the  United  Kingdom.  The  proposals 
that  have  led  to  the  movement  ori^nated  with  one  or  two  earnest 
and  very  able  gardeners,  men  having  ideas  and  endowed  with  a 
great  desire  to  raise  the  gardener’s  status.  How  far  the  sug¬ 
gestions  which  have  emanated  from  these  gardeners  may  have 
proved  practicable,  or  to  whatever  extent  they  may  find  support, 
has  to  be  seen.  Without  doubt,  the  .suggestions  referred  to 
originated  from  the  recent  gardeners  dinner,  a  function  'wdiich 
brought  so  many  of  the  craft  'together  from  all  parts  of  the 
kingdom,  but  all  too  briefly,  and  in  the:  end,  to  little  effect.  But 
the  promoters  of  that  gathering  had  no  intentions  or  aims  beyond 
those  so  successfully  realised  ;  wliilst  some  who  were  present  have 
wished  that  those  intentions  had  been  wider  in  aim,  and  had  in¬ 
cluded  the  formation  of  some  permanent  organisation  for  gar¬ 
deners,  on  the  lines  of  the  proposals  now  being  made. 
When  the  final  meeting  of  the  Dinner  Committee'  wa.s  held 
for  the  purpose  of  receiving  the  statement  of  accounts  and  dis¬ 
posing  of  the  balance,  a  letter  from  an  eminent  gardener  was  read, 
inviting  the  Committee'  before  it  was  disbanded,  to  consider  the 
desirability  of  forming  for  the  United  Kingdom  an  association  of 
head  gardeners  for  certain  specific  objects.  The  Committee, 
consisting  as  it  did  of  head  gardeners,  unanimously  agreed  to  the 
request  and  I  am  authorised  to  convene;  a  further  meeting  of  that 
body  at  the  Horticultural  Club,  by  kind  permission,  on  Decem¬ 
ber  15  next,  at  two  p.m.,  when  any  head  gardener  who  may 
desire  to  take  part  in  the  deliberation, s  and  assist  in  the  organi¬ 
sation  of  a  Gardeners’  Association,  would  be  heartily  welcoined. 
It  would,  however,  be  well  that  such  persons  should  communicate 
to  me  that  desire  previously.  The  meeting  ■will,  or  course,  be 
private,  because'  no  good  purpose  ivould  be  served  in  publishing 
the  discussion.  Should  the  proposals  take  definite  fo^rm,  -then,  of 
course,  the  fullest  publicity  would  be  invited.  Priniarily,  the 
aims  of  the  proposers  of  the  organisation  are  exclusive  to  gar¬ 
deners,  although,  as  one  suggests,  members  of  the  horticultural 
trade  or  amateurs  might  be  honorary  members. 
A  feiv  of  the  objects  it  is  desired  the  proposed  association 
should  aim  at  is,  the  raising  of  the  status  of  the  gardener  to  a 
position  superior  to-  that  of  a  mere  domestic  servant,  and  more 
on  a  footing  of  equality  with  those  employes  on  an  estate  who 
are  recognised  superior  heads  of  departments.  The  gardener  is, 
as  a  rule,  a  man  of  bright  intelligence  and  of  wide  knowledge, 
and,  intellectually,  is  fully  the  equal  of  the  agent,  steward,  or 
bailiff.  Then  it  is  tliought  that  the  education  and  training  of 
under  gardeners  is  too  often  far  from  being  all  that  can  be  desired. 
It  is  too  haphazard,  and  not  sufficiently  general  and  practical. 
A  strong  association  might  do  much,  especially  through  its  mem¬ 
bers,  to  aid  in  that  direction.  Again,  it  is  thought  that  a  central 
organisation  might  be  able  to  do  much  in  aiding  members  to 
secure  situations,  a  list  of  capable  men  seeking  such  being  kept 
for  reference.  Each  member  who  may  learn  of  any  vacancy  being 
required  to  at  once  communicate  .such  information  to  the  central 
(  body.  These  are  but  a  few  of  the  ideas  ivliich  animate  the  pro- 
