THE GARDENER'S MOXTllLY 



[November ^ 



of the powdered flowers contain little of these 

 ingri'dients, and consequently to lu- of no value 

 as insecticides. — Scientific A»iiri<(in. 



Bahama Fkuits. — A largo proportion of the 

 area of the Bahama Islands is devoted to the 

 (.ultivation of fniit, of whicli Oranges and Pine 

 AppU'sare the principal, and at the present time 

 the lields in the estates on which the Pine Ap- 

 ples are growing, form a peculiar feature in the 

 landscape. The appearance of the broad ex- 

 panse of young fruit, with its clusters of deli- 

 cately tinted but sharp and serrated leaves, rising 

 only a short distance from the ground, and cov- 

 ering the unduhvting lields, produces a very re- 

 markable eflect. In no other branch of agriculture 

 can so curious a picture be produced as in the 

 growth of these Bahama fruits. As many as a 

 million and a half of the fruit has been collected 

 from a single acre at one crop. The appearance 

 of these Pine Apple estates has as little in com- 

 mon with sugar plantations, or paddy fields of 

 the tropics, as with the corn lields or vineries of 

 Europe. In a few weeks these Pine Apples 

 will be making their appearance in the English 

 markets. They are shipped in an unripe state, 

 and mature during the ' voyage, and hence are 

 not so excellent in quality as the English hot- 

 house fruit, or as if they were properly ripened 

 in the ground. The Pine Apples of Xew Provi- 

 dence, however, are superior to any other variety, 

 and often attain an enormous size. One, grown 

 in Pembrokeshire, weigliing IO2 pounds, and 

 measuring lUi inches in height, exclusive of the 

 stalk and crown, and twent3'-two inches in cir- 

 cumference, was served up at the coronation 

 banquet of George IV., and since then the im- 

 proved modes of cultivation have greatly in- 

 creased the size and quality of the fruit. There 

 is an enormous demand for the Bahama Pine 

 Apples both in Europe and America. — The Colo- 

 nies and India. 



Catalpa BiCtXOxides, variety Speciosa. 

 — The merit of noting the distinction between 

 the two forms of Catalpa appears to be due pri- 

 marily to Mr. Suel Foster, of Muscatine, Iowa. 



Trade in Flowers at Paris. — The trade 

 in flowers and plants assumes extraordinary pro- 

 portions at Paris. The rents of the stalls in the 

 various flower niarkets amount to 100,000fr., so 

 that it may be imagined that no small number 

 of Geraniums, Pansies, and pots of Mignonette 

 must be sold before any profit is made. The ; 



market of the Cite comes first on the list, with 

 40,000fr. of rent ; that of the Madeleine, 16,tRK)fr.-, 

 that of St. Sulpice, 2,7(M)fr.-, and those of the 

 Place Clichy and Place Voltaire, .')(Mifr. The 

 annual commerce in room plants is calculated 

 at more than a million of francs. 



Thanks. — The; secretaVies of the nnxny horti- 

 cultural societies in tlie country, which have 

 kindly sent complimentary admission tickets to 

 the editor, will please accept his best thanks. 



Nursery Visits. — Nurserymen complain that 

 people do not visit their grounds as formerly, 

 but the Norfolk J)ailj/ Ledger says : '' That large 

 numbers make daily calls on the beautiful nur- 

 sery grounds of Mr. Daniel Barker of that place." 



Benja^iin G. Smith. — This, and not B. J. 

 Smith, should be the name connected with a re- 

 cent interesting note on the Dwarf June-Berry 

 from Cambridge, Mass. 



The Place for the Sun-Dial.— Old Mills, 

 ■the optician of Milwaukee, sold a sun-dial to 

 Pitman, a short time ago, with the assurance 

 that it was a first-rate timekeeper. About a 

 fortnight afterwards Pitman called at the shop 

 and said: "Say, Mills, that sun-dial ain't worth 

 a cent; it's no good as a timepice anywa3\" 

 " Did you ever time it by your watch ?" '' Cer- 

 tainly I did. I've stood close to it often exactly 

 at the even hour, and the blessed thing has never 

 struck the time once." "Impossible! Why 

 you did not expect it to strike the hours, did you ? 

 It do'nt strike, of course ; it has no works inside." 

 "That's what puzzles me," says Pitman. "If 

 it ain't got no inside, how is it going to go ?" 

 " Mr. Pitman, where have 5'ou placed that sun- 

 dial — in the garden ?" "Garden! My gracious, 

 no! What do I want with a timapiece in the 

 gax'den? It's hung in the settin'-room agin the 

 wall." 



Australian International Exhibition. 



Australia is to have an International Exhibi- 

 tion at Melbourne, in 1880. The lUustrated Atis- 

 tralian, of June 10th, has plans of the buildings, 

 and is besides full of beautiful illustrations of 

 Australian scenery, and representations of Aus- 

 tralian enterprises. Any one interested in either 

 Australia or its International Fair, would do well 

 to send for a copy of this number. The price is 

 twenty-five cents, and the address, Melbourne, 

 Australia. 



