Mr. Gladstone made an interesting speech at a flower-show . in
Hawarden Park, on Thursday, on the opportunities for a
greater development, of profitable gardening. He pointed out that we import yearly,into the country, fruits such- as we can grow in it to the amount of 4,200,000, and vegetables to the amount of 23,000,000, and he did not see why those fruits and vegetables could not be profitably produced at home. Quoting from an admirable article on the subject in Mriomilldmo's McCgasin,e, to which some weeks ago we called the attention of our readers, Mr. Gladstone told his audience that a gentleman on' the Hudson' River, in the Northern States of Ainerica, has got an apple- garden of 200 acres, and all of those, apples' which are direct descendants of English apples of former generations. Yet those apples are now sent back to England. If, at the high rate of wages paid for labour in America, it paid this gentleman to send us his apples, would it not pay English cottagers to grow such apples for the English market themselves P He believed that weeds robbed farmers and cottagera of more sub- stance than all other robbers put together. No weed should ever be allowed to seed, for "one year's seed is seven years' weed." Mr. Gladstone also insisted on the profit which the culture of flowers for sale might bring, mentioning the many nosegay-shops which London can now boast of, and which pro- vincial towns would soon emulate. The whole speech, indeed, was full of flower and fruit in the best sense, though as far as possible from being flowery.
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