436 



FOREIGN NOTICES. 



in our market ; yet ihey are sold here at 3 to 6 

 cents each. 



The English people have fairly given up grow- 

 ing apples for market, unless it be Codlins, &c., 

 that come in early for cooking, and B eaujins , &ic . , 

 for drying. They see it will be impossible for 

 them to compete with American orehardists. Yes- 

 terday I examined two or three hundred varieties 

 in the fruit rooms of the London Horticultural So- 

 ciety, and among them all there was not a single 

 large, clear coloured fine looking specimen. One 

 would suppose, at first sight, that they were all 

 wind-falls, gathered from under the trees last Au- 

 gust. The Roxbury Russet, Fall Pippin, and 

 Rhode Island Greening, were among the best spe- 

 cimens, and they were not half the size we grow 

 them. The most esteemed varieties pointed out 

 to me by Mr. Thompson, such as Pearson's Plate, 

 Warmsley's Pippin, Pomme Royal, (not our Pora- 

 me Royal) Golden Harvey, Sturmer Pippin, &c., 

 are small inferior looking things, — in size from that 

 of a small Pomme Gris to that of a Siberian 

 Crab, — but they are generally harder and richer 

 than ours. The Newtown Pippin and Roxbury 

 Russet come nearer the English taste than any 

 thing we cultivate. I had some Northern Spy 

 and Melon w-ith me, that I have here now in Lon- 

 don, in fine condition. They have elicited the ad- 

 miration of all who have seen them. There are 

 indeed, no such apples to-day in England. The 

 Northern Spy may be sent to Covent Garden mar- 

 ket, just as well as to Fulton or Wasliington mar- 

 kets. New- York. The pears in the markets here 

 now, are from France or the Island of Jersey. 

 They come in half-bushel baskets, containing 50 

 to 100, accoruing to tiie size of fruit. They are 

 packed in very dry soft meadow hay — a layer of 

 this hay two or tlirec iuclies deep, is laid on the 

 bottom, tlien a layer of fruit, tlien another of hay, 

 and so on to the top, — the fruits arc not allowed to 

 touch, and in this way they go any distance with 

 entire safety. I saw at Liverpool little baskets 

 of Glout Murceau and Chaumontel, 50 in each, 

 sold for $3 to $4 each, to the confectioners and 

 market-women to retail. 



In Covent Garden Market, which is head-quar- 

 ters for all rare and choice Garden commodities, I 

 sec fine St. Germains, (the old one,) Marie 

 Louise, Passe Colinar, Winter Nelis, Beurre 

 Ranee, Easter Beurre, S^-c, sold at 12^ to I84 

 cents each. If we ever succeed in raising pears 

 beyond what may be required for home consump- 

 tion, they will find market and good prices here. 

 Not one person in a thousand, I might say five 

 tlionsand, ever tastes a fine pear. There is also, 

 a fair supply of new potatoes from Holland, sold 

 at about twenty-five cents per quart. There is a 

 plenty of Asparagus, Brussels Sprouts, Rhubarb, 

 M.ushrooms, and all other vegetable luxuries. The 

 F ower Market is very rich. Bou([uets are made 

 u' very tastefully by women who buy the flowers 

 fom the Florists and make a business of prepar- 

 ing and selling the bouquets. You can have a 



nosegay for a pcnn)' — a single rose and a leaf. 

 For a shilling (25 cents) you can have a pretty 

 bouquet of Roses, Primroses, Heliotropes, Aza- 

 leas, &.C. Go higher, and you get Camellias, 

 Epaeris, &.c. — liigher still, and you get Orange 

 Flowers, Cape Jasmines, Cyclamens and Eu- 

 phorbias ; and if you offer half a guinea, ($2.50) 

 you get a gem of beauty, combining all these, ar- 

 ranged with exquisite taste. So much for fruits 

 and flowers, and I find that I must close on that 

 head. 



I found on my arrival in London, that the 

 Smithfield Club was holding its Annual Christmas 

 Show of Fat Cattle. I embraced the opportunity 

 to see it. The ani\nals were all enormously fat, 

 even to a downright deformity, — in many cases, 

 huge vmwieldly masses of fat, not inappropriately 

 termed by some, " animated oil-cake and beet-root 

 machines." The fattening process in the case of 

 tliese animals appears to be carried to an extreme ; 

 no market requires it, and no profit can result 

 from it, nor is any expected, I believe. 



The purposes of the clab are to induce experi- 

 ments that will test the capacities of the various 

 breeds for fattening, and the effect of different 

 sorts of feed and modes of feeding. It undoubt- 

 edly brings out results that will be highly useful 

 to the breeders and feeders of animals. Those 

 who are engaged in these experiments are able 

 to carry them out to any extent, and the pub- 

 lic at large have the benefit of them. No restric- 

 tions as to feed are imposed ; but the articles of 

 food must be certified, as well as the age of the 

 animals. The oxen and steers are divided into 

 six classes, according to age, weight, &.e.; cows 

 and heifers into three classes, according to age j 

 sheep into ten classes, according to breed and age ; 

 ])igs into four classes, according to age. In the 

 first class of oxen and steers, three premiums, 

 amounting to £50 ($250) were awarded; in the 

 second the same; in the third $225, and so on. 

 From this you will see how considerable, I aught 

 to say iiow princely, the premiums are ; and so 

 they ought to be, for most of the competitors are 

 Princes, Dukes, Earls, and other nobles. 



His Royal Highness Prince Albert, the Queen's 

 husband, is an active member of this Club, and is 

 showing masterly skill in the breeding and feeding 

 of various sorts of live stock. He carried off' the 

 first prize of £30 ($150) in the first class of oxen 

 and steers, for a Hereford ox 4 years and 6 months 

 old, fed on oil-cake, roots, been meal, hay, and 

 green food. The animal was very attractive. 

 When I saw him, three of the best artists were 

 taking his portrait. He was a low, small animal, 

 of a dull red colour, with a white face and chest. 

 He belongs to what is called the white faced, or 

 new Hereford breed. There were specimens of 

 Short Horns, Devons, Scotch, Welsh, &e., all the 

 most perfect of their kind. The .show of pigs and 

 sheep was varied and highly [interesting ; hut I 

 will not trouble you now with^^further details. P. 

 B., ift Gen, Far. 



