JOUllNAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGia GAKDENEE. 



t Apiil i, ItiTi. 



with broad flat branches, and the hitter suialltr-growiug, with 

 semiterete branches, which, together with its wliite hau-s, made 

 it look like some smaU-growiiig hoary C^ereus. These two 

 plantB I have been experimenting upon for two years in my 

 London garden, having planted them in the border as well as 

 upon the rockeiy, where they have lived and gi'own to my 

 satisfaction, although they have not yet flowered; indeed, at 

 the present moment they are not larger than when I bought 

 them. This, however, is easily, though not satisfactorDy (to 

 me) explained, for in the first place my neighbour had a cut- 

 ting from each ; that was so far good, but lately the plants have 

 suffered severely from the raids of cats. "We can, however, use 

 for the rock garden plants that have maintaiued a presentable 

 appearance during the past two years, and which are totaUy 

 distinct from any others in habit and appearance ; such are 

 certainly well deserving our attention. 



The flowers of Opuntia Kaffinesquiana are large and showy, 

 in addition to wluch it has a tropical appearance, but whether 

 the other species produces showy flowers or not I am unable 

 to say. I am extremely proud of my hardy Cactuses, as most 

 of my visitors call them, and I sincerely hope some of our 

 plant-collectors may be able to contribute to our enjoyment 

 stUl more by the introduction of other hardy species of this or 

 any aUied genus. — Experio Ckede. 



AGEICULTUKAL EETUKNS. 



The total acreage retmned for holdings under 20 acres was 

 1,897,984 acres for Great Britain, or 6 per cent of the acreage 

 returned for holdings of all sizes. Of the 1,897,984 acres, 

 830,223 acres, or 44 per cent., were under tUlage, and 1,067,761 

 acres, or 56 per cent., were under permanent pasture. The 

 live stock returned as belonging to occupiers of less than 

 20 acres, consisted of 109,029 horses out of a total of 1,2.54,450; 

 of 582,555 cows and cattle out of a total of 5,337,759; of 

 1,414,041 sheep and lambs out of a total of 27,119,569 ; and of 

 502,719 pigs out of a total of 2,499,602. 



It will be interesting to see, so far as relates to the particu- 

 lars just described, to what extent the smaller and larger 

 classes of holdings differ in theh' agricultural condition and 

 resources. Thus, of the total acreage returned by the two 

 classes of holdings in Great Britain, holdings under 20 acres 

 had 44 per cent, of the acreage mider tillage, and 56 per cent, 

 under permanent pastui'e ; and holdings of and above 20 acres 

 bad 61 per cent, under tillage, and 39 per cent, under perma- 

 nent pastm'e. As regards live stock the proportionate numbers 

 to evei7 100 acres were : horses 5-7 on holdmgs under 20 acres, 

 and 4 on holdings of and above 20 acres ; cows and cattle 30-7 

 on holdings under 20 acres, and 16'4 on holdings of and above 

 20 acres ; sheep and lambs 74-5 on holdings under 20 acres, 

 and 88-8 on holdings of and above 20 acres ; lastly, pigs 26-5 

 on holdings under 20 acres, and 0'9 on holdings of and above 

 20 acres. The difference in the number of sheep upon the two 

 classes of holdings in Great Britain is effected hy sheep being 

 rather numerous in the small holdings in the hilly parts of 

 Great Britain, or in Wales and Scotland. In fact, as regax'ds 

 Scotland, from the large proportion of the acreage of the small 

 holdings which is imder tillage, and the large number of sheep 

 returned by the occupiers of small holdings, it is probable that 

 the occupiers in certain of the highland counties, especially in 

 Argyle, Inverness, and Eoss, have access to mountain pasturage 

 for their sheep in addition to the land held and returned by 

 them as occupiers. In England the jjroportions for sheep per 

 100 acres are upon holdings under 20 acres 32'7, and upon 

 holdings above 20 acres 76'5. 



As regards orchards in 1871, no additional acreage is brought 

 under notice, as the land appropriated to the growth of fruit 

 trees, being under tillage or grass, has been retui-ned as under 

 crop or in pasture. The agricultural fruit crop, as it may be 

 termed to distinguish it from the garden fruit crop, which is 

 not ascertained, was returned as occupying as many as 206,583 

 acres in Great Britain in 1871. Of this total acreage under 

 fruit trees of any kind in orchai'ds, 176,685 acres were in 

 England, 23,033 acres in Wales, and 6865 acres in Scotland. 

 The coimties in England with the largest acreage under 

 orchards are Devon with 30,013 acres, Hereford with 20,811 

 acres, and Somerset with 16,267 acres. 



The quantity of Potatoes grown in Prussia is very large, the 

 produce in 1870 being estimated at 656,000,000 bushels, or 

 16,400,000 tons, which is nearly twice the quantity stated to 

 have been grown in France in 1869, and is more than twice the 

 \-ield of Potatoes in the United Kingdom, if estimated at an 



average of 4 tons or 160 bushels per acre. It is well knov,-n, 

 however, that the Potato is lai-gely used in Prussia for dis- 

 tillation. The production of Beetroot for sugar is specified for 

 several countries. As much as 4,360,000 tons are said to have 

 been grown in France in 1869, and 1,924,000 tons in Austria 

 in 1870. Tobacco, according to the latest returns, is grown to 

 the extent of about 7,000,000 lbs. in Holland, 5,000,000 lbs. in 

 Belgium, 55,600,000 lbs. in France, 4,700,000 lbs. in Austria, 

 3,000,000 lbs. in Greece, and 274,000,000 lbs. in the United 

 States. 



The total number of acres beariug crops in 1871 connected 

 with gardening were : — 



England. VValt^. 



Putatocs 8'J1,-531 .... 51,85a 



Tm-nips 1,592,933 .... 69,833 



CaiTots 18,634 .... 311 



In 1870 there were 1380 acres cropped with Potatoes in the 

 Island of Mauritius. In 1870-1 m Victoria 127,579 tons were 

 produced ; in South Australia 9563 tons ; in Tasmania 36,028 

 tons ; Nev; Zealand 56,040 tons. 



THE WEATHEE. 



Twelve degrees of frost here (Lincoln) this morning 

 (March 26th). This is precisely the same amount that last 

 year on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of Apiil ruined the fruit crops. 

 This morning, fortunately, ever}' twig and bud was beautifully 

 covered with snow, and herein may consist the safety of the 

 crops. The small fruits, as Gooseberries and Curi'auts, were 

 not so well protected, the foUago preventing the snow from 

 immediately covering the blossom. In these some loss is ex- 

 pected, but as, especially in regai'd to Gooseberries, the show 

 is very large, a sufficient quantity may escape to form a crop. 



Blossom on most kinds of fruit trees is plentiful. In 

 Apricots it is, perhaps, the thinnest, and Plums are not quite 

 so crowded as last year. Apples and Pears promise exceedingly 

 well, but a frost similar to that of last night, now the snow is 

 gone, will render fruit prospects gloomy indeed. Against this 

 dreaded contingency we have the favoui'able omen of a faUing 

 barometer, and all may yet be well. 



This morning, on going into the vinery, the best Vine was 

 hanging its leaves and branches, and was to all appeai'ance 

 killed. On looking for the cause it was found outside. The 

 hayband enwrapping the stem had shpped and exposed 2 or 

 3 inches to the action of the cold. The sap had received a 

 chill, or become actuaUy frozen, and in another half hour the 

 Vine would have been dead. A gardener must be ever on the 

 watch. This little incident is recorded as a caution to others. 

 —J. W., Liiii-ulii. 



I FEAU the late severe weather has made sad havoc with the 

 fruit crops. On the 21st the wind was blowing from the east, 

 and at noon the snow began to fall heavily, continuing nearly 

 all the afternoon. The same night there was a severe frost, 

 which lasted for the next six days. I append the temperatm'e 

 and snowfall taken at Loxford Hall. 



Min. Max. FaU of snow. 



Marcli 21st 21^ 40= 0.40 inch 



22na 24" ........ 40^ 0.02 „ 



23ia 38'^ 89» 0.56 „ 



24tU 31" 44° — „ 



2.5tli 27=' 42" 0.11 „ 



26tli 

 27th 



26- 



58^ 



The Pear and Plum trees were far advanced in blossom, 

 some of them in early positions were in flower. There does 

 not seem to be much blossom on the Plum trees here, but the 

 Peais are hterally covered with uuexpanded blossoms ; on 

 cutting these open it is verj' diflicult to find one in which the 

 parts of fructification are not quite black and dead, although the 

 yet unexpanded blossoms are to aD appearance sound. The frost 

 has been even more intense in some localities in this neigh- 

 bourhood. A gardener from Kent , whose place is only twelve 

 miles from Loudon, called here on the 25th, and told me that 

 he had registered 14' of frost — that is, the temperature fell to 

 18' Fahr., a temperatm'e low enough, where the blossoms are 

 sufficiently advanced, to destroy all our prospects of a crop. 

 In a small uuheatcd orchard house I had a number of trees in 

 full blossom, but not one of them is damaged as far as can yet 

 be observed. The lowest to which the thermometer fell in 

 this unheated structm-e was 31' Fahr. In the heated orchard 

 house the Peaches and Nectarines had nearly finished their' 

 flowering. Pears and Plums were in fuU flower, but no doubt 



