July 9, 1874. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOBTIOOLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



33 



and, together with the oolumn, bright rosy-lilao, tinged with 

 purple. 



I am not aware if the native country of this elegant species 

 is liDown, but it is a fine addition to this noble genus of 

 Orchidaceous plants. — Expekto Chede. 



GAEDENEES' EOTAL BENEVOLENT 

 INSTITUTION. 



The 31st anniversary dinner of this Institution took place 

 in the London Tavern, Bishopegate Street, Alfred de Roths- 

 child, Epq., M.P., in the chair, supported by Mr. Alderman and 

 Sheriff Whetham, the Rev. W. Rogers, Rector of Bishopsgate, 

 ?il8Jor Suell, Alfred Smee, Esq., F.R.S., Messrs. Wrench, Hurst, 

 J. Burnell, B. S. Williams, John Lee, and other members of 

 the nursery and seed trade. After the usual loyal and patriotic 

 toasts had been given in appropriate terms and enthusiastically 

 received, the Chairman in proposing the toast of the evening, 

 " Success and Prosperity to the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent 

 Institution," after remarking on the beauties of flowers and 

 their influence in human affairs, said " the English gardener 

 had by his industry, skill, and enterprise brought the science 

 of horticulture to a perfection which stood unrivalled, and was 

 not even equalled in countries where the sky was sunniest and 

 the climate less capricious. He spared no trouble or expense 

 in introducing from tropical zones the rarest of Orchids and 

 other exotics, and his care was unceasing in nurturing and 

 fostering those delicate, and in many cases half-withered, 

 plants." The Chairman concluded by an eloquent appeal to 

 the company to support the charity in aid of which the enter- 

 tainment was given. 



The subscriptions of the evening amounted to 771 guineas, 

 of which the Chairman and his famUy gave 100 guineas. As 

 usual the room was profusely decorated with flowering and 

 ornamental-foliaged plants contributed by the leading London 

 nurserymen. 



PACKING FEUITS AND VEGETABLES FOE 

 TEANSIT BY EAIL. 



Gabdeneks who have to send a supply of fruit and vege- 

 tables for their employers' table long distances by rail, gene- 

 rally find out by experience what measures are best. Still, 

 judging from what we have seen, more especially at exhibitions, 

 in the way of packing, and from establishments where better 

 things might be expected, we should imagine that there are 

 not a few of the craft who are not experts at the business, and 

 others who have not had that experience which is quite as 

 essential in that as in other matters. In packing either fruit 

 or vegetables, the first point is to get rid of all unnecessary 

 bulk and weight. We recommend all fruit-boxes to be packed 

 in hampers, and not sent separately or tied in bundles. The 

 hampers should be made of the strongest white wDlows, and 

 furnished with wooden clogs, otherwise the bottoms will wear 

 out in a few months ; and they should also have stout iron 

 bolts and eyes for securing the lid effectually. The basket- 

 maker should have instructions to rivet the eyebolts through 

 the bottom of the hamper, instead of simply attaching them to 

 the rim in the usual way, in which case they get loose in a 

 short time, necessitating the use of ropes to keep the lid down. 



Two small hampers are much better than one big one. The 

 concussion is very much less with the former when they are 

 pitched about as we have seen them at the King's Cross plat- 

 form, and by the Parcels Delivery Company when taking them 

 about to their destination. We have known Melons burst and 

 other fruits to be spoiled through no other cause than this, 

 and we long ago had to discontinue using hampers above a 

 certain size for that reason. 



For packing Grapes in, there is nothing better than tin 

 boxes, IS inches or 2 feet long, 6 inches deep, and 12 inches 

 wide: these sizes wUl be found to fit suitable- sized hampers. 

 Packing materials should consist of fine paper shavings, or 

 coarse unbleached cotton wadding. It is not contact so much 

 as rubbing which destroys the bloom of the berries ; the bunches 

 should therefore be packed very firmly, first wrapping each 

 bunch in one or two sheets of soft tissue or fine drapery paper, 

 and afterwards wedging them together in the box, so that 

 when the lid is shut down they cannot move about, in what- 

 ever position the box or hamper may be laid or thrown. 

 Grapes packed in this way rarely get damaged, nor is the 

 bloom of the berries much affected. Peaches require to be a 

 little more carefully handled than Grapes. It is not an un- 



common practice to have the tin boxes for these divided into 

 compartments about 4 inches square, or large enough to hold 

 a Peach wrapped in cotton, and afterwards to enclose the 

 boxes in wooden cases ; but this plan is cumbersome and ex- 

 pensive, as a dozen Peaches so packed will occupy just about 

 double the space they would require if simply folded in cotton, 

 and packed as closely together as they will lie. Our tin Peach 

 boxes are 12 inches square and 4 inches deep, without divisions, 

 and are consequently adapted for holding either large or small 

 fruit, and the quantities can be regulated according to the 

 demand by using fewer or more boxes. Nectarines may be 

 folded in the cotton w.adding without paper ; but it is indis- 

 pensable that Peaches be first folded in the softest tissue paper 

 procurable before folding them in the cotton, as the wool 

 adheres to the skin of the fruit, and cannot easily be removed 

 without injury to the tender skin. 



Figs require even greater care in packing than Peaches, they 

 are so easily injured when perfectly ripe, as they ought to be 

 before they are pulled off the tree. In their case a soft Vine 

 leaf should take the place of the tissue paper to keep the cotton 

 wool off them, otherwise they may be treated in the same way. 

 Strawberries are the most ticklish of all kinds of fruit to carry, 

 and need to be gently fingered in packing — in fact, we do 

 not like to finger them at all. Wrapping each fruit in a leaf 

 is a good plan, but deft fingers only can perform the operation 

 without bruising the berries. We like to pull them off the 

 plants by the footstalk, and to lay them in the box in the 

 same way, simply placing a flaccid Strawberry leaf between 

 the berries. In this way they can be wedged as tightly 

 together as needful. The boxes should be 2 inches deep, and 

 before packing a thin layer of cotton wadding should be laid 

 on the bottom, and on this soft Vine leaves ; above the fruit, 

 nothing binds so well as the soft Strawberry leaves before 

 mentioned ; and above, layers of cotton or leaves to keep all 

 in their places. It is very important that the Strawberry 

 leaves for packing should be gathered some hours before they 

 are wanted, and allowed to dry and flag in the fruit room : 

 leaves freshly gathered are altogether unsuitable. In packing 

 Pines and Melons it is only necessary to guard against crush- 

 ing by using somewhat elastic packing materials. Goose- 

 berries, Currants, and Cherries, and other small fruits, may be 

 packed in boxes not above 3 or 4 inches deep, with a layer of 

 leaves above and below only. Only choice specimens of Apples 

 and Pears require to be packed singly, and in layers, with 

 some soft material between, but ordinarily no such care is 

 required. Dessert Plums, however, it is worth while to pack 

 with care in a bed of soft leaves pressed down firmly with the 

 lid ; in this way the bloom is not much injured. 



It is not necessai'y to say much on the head of vegetables. 

 We may remark, however, that hampers of moderate size are 

 best for vegetables. Too great masses of such things as 

 Spinach, Brussels Sprouts, or Greens, &c., soon ferment, and 

 if they are long on the road, or happen to be left unpacked for 

 a while, they soon spoil. Everything should be cleaned and 

 tied in bundles, as far as practicable, and packed in an orderly 

 manner ; and an invoice should accompany every hamper for 

 the convenience of the kitchen authorities and others. 



Small salads, such as cheese herbs, which we find are 

 among the daily indispensables, should be packed by them- 

 selves in shallow baskets, as even small quantities ferment and 

 rot almost directly if buried among other things. Such things 

 should also be unpacked and laid out in a cool place immedi- 

 ately on arrival. 



Vegetables are better when gathered and packed in the 

 morning ; and we think, when it is worth while sending a 

 supply regularly, that they should be sent by passenger train. 

 The railway companies are always willing to enter into arrange- 

 ments to carry such goods at so much a-hundredweight ; and 

 when we consider that the loss likely to occur through delay 

 by goods trains will probably exceed the difference in the price 

 of carriage, it is evident that the quickest tram is the cheapest. 

 We find it so at least ; but we are aware that in some cases 

 the hampers are always sent by goods train, on a two-hundred- 

 miles journey, and only once a-week. Seeing that the expense 

 of carriage is the same in the end, it is much better and more 

 convenient to send at least twice a-week, and less quantities at 

 a time ; then both vegetables and fruit will be in a fresher 

 condition.— J. S. (in The Gardener). 



Bremen Inteenational Exhieition. — A medal for merit was 

 awarded to Messrs, J. B, Brown & Co., London, for excellence 



