IRISH GARDENING 



183 



Britain, which .shows the gitat siguifieanee of 

 Strawberry cultivation in this district. 



A lengthier description is required for the very 

 extensive " Cabbage Centre "' — an area in the 

 province of North Holland, called the " Langen- 

 dyk," and including ten towns, of which the in- 

 habitants mostly find their living in the cultiva- 

 tion of Cabbage. Since 1865 this cultivation — 

 already a long time practised on a small scale — 

 l)ecame of great importance through the inclusion 

 of this area in the railway traffic by which they 

 were able to export their products to foreign 

 countries. Ten thousand acres consisting of a mild 

 and strong clay soil are here devoted to the culti- 

 vation of the following kinds of Cabbage — namely, 

 AVhite Cabbage, Red Cabbage, and Savoys — while 

 nuich of the area is sometimes cultivated in early 

 summer with other products, as Carrots, early 

 Potatoes, &c., and afterwards a second crop of 

 Cabbage. 



The whole area is divided into numerous small 

 ]ilots separated by innumerable broad and narrow- 

 ditches, and here and there the area of cabbage is 

 only broken by a bit of pasture land. As in other 

 centres where we find many ditches, these provide 

 a great deal of the needful manure in the form of 

 mud, thrown out in the winter time. It is 

 necessary to gather the Ca)il);ige regularly a great 

 part of tiie year as in foreign countries, and especi- 

 ally in Germany, the Cabbage is also used as a 

 summer vegetable. (In Holland itself the Cabbage 

 is only used as an autiunn and winter vegetable.) 

 One has to apply oneself to having an early and 

 a late crop, and a regular delivery takes place 

 from July till April. For this purpose they sow a 

 ])art of tiie Cabbage seeds in January under glass, 

 afterwards being planted out, and they gafher the 

 crop from the beginning of August. Seeds 

 sown in cold frames in the autumn, and, after 

 having passed through the winter, are planted out 

 in early spring, and the crop is gathered in July. 



The largest export is, however, in the autumn 

 and the winter, and as the Cabbage does not resist 

 frost they keep them, to ensure a regular delivery, 

 during the winter in specially-arranged sheds, 

 called " Cabbage sheds." In October and Novem- 

 ber, having cut the Cabbage from the roots and 

 removed weak leaves, they bring them into thi' 

 cabbage sheds and heap them up in piles. Much 

 care has to be taken to keep the Cabbage from 

 rotting, and the temperature in the sheds must 

 be from the first very low. 



The export of Cabbage to various foreign coun- 

 tries amounts to nearly one million cwt. yearly, 

 which clearly shows the importance of the trade. 

 A good deal of the white Cabbage serves for the 

 making of " sour-crout," which is especially con- 

 sumed in Germany. Besides the cultivation of 

 Cabbage, Cauliflowers and Onions are also con- 

 siderable products in this centre; and over the 

 whole of the Netherlands half a million cwt. of 

 the former is yearly exported, for the most part to 

 Germany, and one million cw4. of the latter mostly 

 to Great Britain. 



For the production of seed the town of Enk- 

 huizen, in the province of North Holland, is very 

 well known, and round this place 5,000 acres are 

 iised for seed-growing. Vegetable seeds are the 

 principal kinds of seeds, although flower seeds are 

 also raised. Here the smaller seed-growers culti- 

 vate the seeds merely for the bigger firms, who ex- 

 port them, together with their own, abroad. 



To conclude, we may mention that several large 

 and up-to-date nurseries in Holland are also to be 

 found near the places : Arnhem, Dedemsvaart, 

 Hoogeveen, Steyl Tegelen, Utrecht, Veendam, 

 &c. 



MR. 



Obituary. 



REGINAJ.D FARRER. 



All gardenuig people in Ireland will hear with 

 sorrow of the death of Mr. Reginald Farrer. For 

 years he has been known through his writings on 

 the Alpnie Flora of Europe, and latterly his brilli- 

 ant work ni Kansu and the Tibetan borderland and 

 iimong the Burmese mountains has gained him a 

 ]jlace of honour among the great plant collectors 

 of the day. His death in the midst of his triumphs. 

 at the early age of forty, will be deeply deplored 

 l)y all connected with botanical science an J horti- 

 cultui'e. 



Mr. Farrer's enthusiasm for rare and beautiful 

 plants was boundless; his very love for plants led 

 Inm frequently into exaggerated descriptions of 

 his favourite.s— descriptions, in fact, which, whilst 

 kindling the readers' enthusiasm, were useless as 

 a means of identification. 



Nevertheless, Mr. Fai-rer had a shrewd eye for 

 the horticultural value of a plant, quite apart from 

 its scientific interest, and his work in Kansu. in 

 conjmiction with Mr. William Purdon. was fruitful 

 of many rare and beautiful plants. His introduc- 

 tions from China and Burma number many hun- 

 dreds, among them some which have created no 

 little stir ainong gardeners and botanists. They 

 include Gentiana Farrrri, claimed by many as the 

 most beautiful of the genus, and Lilium Farreri, 

 which has taken pride of place in this beautiful 

 family. Asters, Menconopses, Primulas, Rhodo- 

 dendrons, and hmidreds of others still to be proved 

 in gardens but giving great promise, will keep his 

 memory green for years to come. A man of in- 

 domitable spirit and marvellous energy, Mr. 

 Farrer's death, while scarcely more than in the 

 prime of life, is a loss which cannot easily be esti- 

 mated, but, for many years to come his wonderful 

 enthusiasm will continue to inspire all who love 

 plants and gardens. 



Agricultural Conditions in Ireland on 

 the 1st November. 



The Pot.4to Crop. 



From the above return we learn that most of the 

 crop in the three southern provinces, but only 

 one-third to one-half in Ulster, has been dug and 

 pitted by 1st November. The yields are exceed- 

 ingly variable, but, though the crop is better 

 than was at one time anticipated, there is no 

 doubt that, on the whole, the yield is under 

 average. Arran Chief, Lochar, and Great Scot are 

 reported to have cropped well in all districts rela- 

 tive to other varieties, and in addition, compara- 

 tively good results have been obtained from 

 Shamrock in Leinster and Munster, from Arran 

 Victory in Ulster, and from Irish Queen in Con- 

 nacht. The old Champion has been a disappoint- 

 ment everywhere. The yield from Up-to-Dates is 

 smaller than in other years. Little of the Potato 

 crop has yet been marketed. The following prices 

 are quoted: — £8 to £10 per ton (Carlow) ; 12s. to 

 14s. nep cwt. (Kilkenny) ; 13s. p^ cwt. (Longford^ ; 

 Is. 6d. to 2s. per stone (Meath); 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. 

 per stone, retail (Clare, Northi); 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. 

 per stone (Clare. South) ; 20s. per cwt. (Cork South 

 East) ; 2s. to 2s. 6d. per stone (Kerry South); 2s. 6d. 

 l)er stone (Tipperary North); lis. per cwt. (Sligo) ; 

 20s. per cwt. (Mayo South East). In Ulster prices 

 range from £5 10s. per ton in Co. Derry to £8 10s, 

 in parts of Donegal. 



