of Rand Aii and Taste. 



221 



Green Guye flum. Orifjin of Nnute. 



The origin of this name is said by Notes 

 and Queries to be as follows : " The plum was 

 brought into England about the middle of 

 the last century, by the Rev. John Gage, a 

 Roman Catholic priest, connected with a 

 Monastery near Fontainebleau, France. The 

 laws of that time against Roman Catholic 

 priests were so severe, that Mr. Gage lived 

 abroad, but frequently visited his brother Sir 

 Thomas Gage, of Hengrave Hall, neat Cold- 

 ham, in the county of Suftblk, 5th baronet. 

 In one of these visits he brought over from 

 the garden of the Monastery, grafts of the 

 fruit which were cultivated in the garden at 

 Hengrave Hall, and soon were spread through- 

 out England. This story is vouched for to 

 absolute accuracy. 



Suh-Jiosa. 



The origin of this custom seems to date 

 back as far as the 16th century, where it is 

 mentioned by Newton in his " Herball to the 

 Bible in 1587," as follows: "I will heere 

 adde a common country custom that is used 

 to be done with the rose. When pleasant 

 and merry companions doe friendly meete to- 

 gether to make goode cheere, as soone as their 

 feast or banket is ended, they give faithfull 

 promise mutually one to another, that whatso- 

 ever hath been mei-rily spoken by any in that 

 assembly, should be wrapped up in silence 

 and not to be carried out of the doores. For 

 the assurance and performance whereof, the 

 tearme which they use is, that all things there 

 saide must be taken as spoken under the Rose. 

 Whereupon they use in their parlours and 

 dining roomes to hang roses over their tables, 

 to put the companie in memorie of secresie, 

 and not rashly or indiscreetly to clatter and 

 blab out what they heare. Likewise if they 

 chaunce to shew any tricks, wanton, unshame- 

 fast, immodest, or irreverent behaviour, either 

 by word or deed, they protesting that all was 

 spoken under the rose, do give a strait charge 

 and pass a covenant of silence and secrecy 

 with the hearers, that the same shall not be 

 blowne abroad, nor tattled in the streets 

 among any others," 



Jio.te Ji^in'/iict.s. 



Cleopatra is said once to have purchased 

 roses for a banquet, on which occasion the 

 floor of the apartment was covered with roses 

 to the depth of a cubit, or 1;^ feet. 



Suetonius relates of Nero that he spent 

 upwards of $150,000 at one supper in the 

 purchase of roses. 



Hovtieultitml Hwnhit(/.s. 



The gardeners of England are considerably 

 puzzled over a new seed which is most as- 

 tonishing in its merit, and of which the 

 introducer claims the following qualities : 



Persia?i Asparagus. — "This is a new 

 and rare variety, surpassing all others for its 

 size, tenderness and delicacy. It is fit for 

 table 3 months after planting; each seed at 

 this short season producing 8 stalks as large 

 as a candle, and will, during the year, jiro- 

 duce at least half a bundle. It is fit for use 

 all the year except the winter months ; is not 

 susceptible to frost, and will grow in any 

 country or soil." Whether the genius who 

 put that out was successful or not, he has a 

 smart rival in America, who has been admir- 

 ably successful in selling another humbug, viz. : 

 The Arctic Morning Glory. The following 

 story we tell on the authority of Messrs. 

 Briggs Bros. : " Late last fall a plausible 

 appearing, farmer-like man, made his appear- 

 ance in this city and vicinity offering seeds of 

 the Arctic Morning Glory. The great feature 

 of this new rura avis of flowering plants, con- 

 sists in its being naturally scented with a 

 very agreeable and desirable perfume ! The 

 said sharp soi-disant florist had with him the 

 veritable Simon pure seed growing very 

 thickly out of a piece of sponge, to exhibit to 

 and convince the most skeptical of the truth 

 of his assertions. Of course he kept away 

 from us, as he knew his customers by his 

 previous experience. One, and the most 

 current of his stories was, that he had several 

 acres of it growing on his farm at Astoria, 

 N. Y., that it was recently imported from the 

 regions of ice and reindeer, and, consequently, 

 very hardy — Avas totally unlike any other 

 Morning Glory, and, taking all its virtues 

 into consideration, it was the rarest novelty 



