1879.] NOTES FROM THE PAPERS. 75 



parations in midwinter, and even before Christmas additional assistants are 

 engaged, and men 'work overtime' in preparing packets and parcels of the 

 seeds most likely to be in demand. Thus, everything that the vendors can do 

 is done to accelerate the dispatch of the parcels with the utmost celerity. 

 Could the seed-purchasing public see the efforts that are made to execute the 

 orders with as little delay as possible, and hundreds of men working at high 

 pressure until almost midnight for weeks together, they would endeavour to 

 make out their orders early ; they would then be better served, an important 

 industrial section of the community would be benefited, and the wheels of an 

 important trade would move the more smoothly." 



In the same paper the genial 'Wiltshire Rector,' in his annual homily, 

 has an interesting and true story to tell of gardeners who have actually as a 

 colony gone on, fathers succeeded by sons, from a.d. 1422 to this very year — 

 that is, for 456 years, and in the same place. It is in France, the land of fruit 

 culture. Tnere is a Scottish colony of gardeners at St Martin d'Auxigny near 

 Bourges. Its history is this : "When Charles VII. of France was in retirement 

 at Bourges he had a Scottish guard, whose High Constable was John Stuart of 

 Darnley. In 1422 this gentleman established himself with his companions-in- 

 arms at St Martin's. Special privileges were granted to the settlers until the 

 revolution of 17S9. The colony now numbers three thousand inhabitants ; and 

 the people, thus in some degree isolated, have maintained their nationality to 

 the present day, the members marrying among themselves. Even now the 

 people of the surrounding district call them 'the English,' but they call them- 

 selves 'the Scotch.' They have a strong regard for the country of their fore- 

 fathers ; they are Protestants in religion, and are very industrious and honest. 

 They devote themselves, as they have always done since their settlement as a 

 colony, to the culture of fruit. Each male possesses a small plot of ground, 

 and the produce is sent to Bourges, Orleans, and Paris. Who knows but these 

 interesting people had Scotch gardeners for their remote ancestors, and when 

 they dropped soldiering resumed gardening." 



Who killed the Culford Grape-Vine sport ? Did it perish for want of gem- 

 mules in its system? or has it been laughed out of existence? Will Mr D. T. 

 Fish sing its requiem ? Will the ' Gardener's Chronicle ' come out with a black 

 border? Dejection reigns in Wellington Street, and there is gloom around 

 Bury St Edmunds ! 



Ye still may see the Culford Vines 



In summer when they're green, 



But Culford's Golden Champion " sport" 



Will never more be seen. 



Alas ! we are afraid it is ' The Gardener ' and Mr William Thomson that 

 have slain the "sport." But for this journal the Culford apparition would, 

 without doubt, have been "chronicled" as a fact — if an unexplained and un- 

 accountable one. It would have gone forth to the world as a reality, and 

 backed by "scientific" authority that did not hesitate to set reasonable evi- 

 dence and probabilities aside, to make room for mere assertions that were con- 

 fessedly opposed to the best ascertained facts of vegetable physiology bearing 

 on the case. Individuals may occasionally be excused for declining to be 

 " convinced against their will," but what are we to think of the professedly 

 philosophical exponent of the truth so far forgetting itself as to descend to such 

 a position, and lend its influence to support a phenomenon that, to say the 

 least, cannot stand to be tested fully and fairly by the common rules of evi- 

 dence. Yes ! it was ' The Gardener ' that all but thrashed the life out of the 



