524 THE GARDENER. [Nov. 



Grapes came from Mr Bannerman, Blithfield Gardens, Rugeley, and consisted of 

 Barbarossa, Lady Downes, Alicante, and Blithfield Seedling, a Black Hamburg 

 type in the way of Mill Hill Hamburg — these being the best ; also Gros 

 Guillaume, Mrs Pince's Muscat, Black Prince, and West's St Peter's. Messrs 

 Lane & Son, Berkhamstead, was second; their collection contained some nice berries 

 of Muscat Hamburg and Frankenthal. Two somewhat indifferent collections of 

 white Grapes were staged by Messrs Lane & Son, and Douglas, Loxford Hall 

 Gardens, and equal second prizes were awarded them, the first prize being withheld. 

 Mr Douglas had a small bunch of Golden Champion, with some nice berries on it, 

 and a very good bunch of Buckland Sweetwater. In the class for a single dish of 

 black Grapes, Black Alicante took the first and second prizes ; a glorious bunch 

 came from Mr Mattram. The best single bunch of white Grapes was Muscat of 

 Alexandria, from Mr C. Turner, a truly regal bunch, large, handsome, fine berries, 

 and beautifully coloured. 



Mr Barron of the Chiswick Gardens exhibited a fine bunch of the Madresfield 

 Court Black Grape, in grand condition, and its excellent development and flavour 

 was rewarded with the high approbation of the Committee. This appears to be 

 in every respect the best new Grape of modern introduction ; and Messrs J. & C. 

 Lee deserve praise for their unfaltering faith in the high qualities of this variety. 

 A green-skinned Fig, named Monaco bianco, having a deep-red flesh, and of 

 most excellent flavour, was also sent from Chiswick. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



The Gardener's Magazine for October. 



The Food Journal for October. The continuation of the papers on "Tea" 

 in this number furnishes some interesting and even startling information as to 

 the adulteration of this favourite article of food. Tea is both adulterated by the 

 foreign makers and by the importers or dealers in this country. The last is of 

 far less importance than in the first case. From this paper we learn that — 

 "The adulterations practised before import are varied and disgusting. They 

 consist in ' facing ' common tea with deleterious substances, in drying up foreign 

 leaves (chiefly those of the willow) along with tea, and in re-drying leaves which 

 have already passed through the pots of the celestials, and which are doubtless 

 considered quite good enough for us barbarians. A great trade has lately sprung 

 up in this branch of industry, and the result is known as ' Maloo mixture.' It 

 seems that the leaves are industriously collected and spread out to dry in the 

 sun, when they again become shrivelled, and besides being thus, after a little 

 facing, rendered saleable, they form a most excellent resting-place for the pigs 

 and other domestic animals attached to the cottage where the manufacturer 

 resides." A coloured illustration is given as a pictorial delineation of this wonder- 

 ful mixture, which was taken by the artist from a saucer, in which had been 

 spread the various constituents as picked out from the several samples. These 

 included rice husks and straw, rice blackened with plumbago, silk-worms' drop- 

 pings, maggots, iron-filings, fragments of limestone, minute seeds, scorched tea 

 buds and husks, and fragments of willow leaves and stalks. Truly this " Maloo 

 mixture " is one of a not very inviting character. 



Transactions of the Scottish Arboricultural Society, giving the proceed- 

 ings of the Sixteenth Annual General Meeting held in November 1869, with the 

 various papers read on that occasion. 



