NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



careful study of the subject in France, 

 gives a number of instances in the coun- 

 try districts around Paris, where com- 

 paratively ignorant farmers have made 

 small market gardens enormously pro- 

 ductive. One farm is mentioned by 

 him of two and seven-tenth acres which 

 produced annually 125 tons of market 

 vegetables of all kinds. The owner of 

 this farm, by building walls to protect 

 his land from cold winds, by whitening 

 the wall to secure all possible radiated 

 heat, and by the constant and judicious 

 use of fertilizers, has his little farm in a 

 productive condition from the first of 

 January till the last of December. By 

 simple and inexpensive means he has 

 practically located his farm in the 

 tropics. 



Prof. Robertson called on the 

 Grimsby fruit shippers on Thursday the 

 loth of August, to make plans for a 

 continuation of the experimental ship 

 ments of tender fruit. Notwithstanding 

 our urgent pleading for it, no grapes 

 are to be forwarded this season, but 

 shipments of early apples and pears will 

 be continued as freely as possible, 

 because in these there is considerable 

 encouragement. This season pears are 

 especially in demand in Great Britian, 

 because of the failure of the English 

 and French crop. It is proposed to 

 ship chiefly to Bristol, London and 

 Manchester, for these are the finest 

 markets for our produce ; Glasgow 

 would be included, but sailings are less 

 regular from this latter port. 



It is advised that the cases be not 

 filled too full, so as to avoid bruising 

 the top layer in nailing on the lid, and 

 excelsior or other packing is to be used 

 to make the fruit tight. 



The grading for this trade will be A. 

 No. I, apples over 2^ inches in diam- 

 eter : No. I, over 2^; and "Small," 



2 inches or thereabout. Pears will be 

 graded similarly, only using 2^ and 2 

 inch diameters respectively, while those 

 over 2jS^ inches will be extra. 



Some limited experiments with Craw- 

 ford peaches may be tried in Veneer 

 grape baskets, to hold one dozen each. 

 They will be packed in cotton batting. 

 Tomatoes are just now too cheap in 

 England to be worth shipping. 



A Cheap Heater. — So many of our 

 readers are amateur horticulturists, with 

 little or no convenience for keeping 

 their plants safely through the cold 

 parts of our severe winters, that many 

 of them will be pleased to see repro- 

 duced from American Garden, S. G.'s 

 article and illustration of a cheap 

 heater. 



Fig. 1655. 



The very picture of the enormous 

 iron monsters advertised, with their 

 many valves and doors, strikes terror to 

 a timid soul, and she gives up the idea 

 of having a greenhouse, for where is the 

 money to pay even for a small heater ? 

 But take courage and examme the pic- 

 ture of my boiler, and see if your can't 

 take your beloved plants through zero 

 weather. My conservatory, 6x 13 feet, 

 with double windows, is connected with 

 the parlor by a large arched door. In 



365 



