Domestic Notices : — Scotland. 333 



now in the husk, and very promising. The finer sorts of pears on south 

 aspects are in flower, and look well ; as likewise early plums. The fruit 

 trees on an inferior aspect, and standards, are still very backward ; but the 

 buds appear strong and healthy, and are free from insects and blights. 

 Gooseberries and currants are in flower, and promise an abundant crop. 



Culinary vegetables are now getting scarce, the winter stores being nearly 

 exhausted. The spring supply is yet very scanty, and unless the weather 

 take a very sudden and favourable turn, there will be a great deficiency 

 for the kitchen before the end of May. 



Little progress has been made this month in the forcing departments, 

 from the long want of sunshine, accompanied by cold damps ; this has been 

 more particularly felt in the framing department adapted for pine-apples, 

 melons, cucumbers, &c., where no fire heat could be applied. It has been 

 truly teasing to the anxious horticulturist, who has laboured hard to little 

 purpose ; and these fruits are still hanging back, notwithstanding every 

 exertion has been made to forward them. Pine-apples, grapes, peaches, 

 &c., although less forward than might have been expected from their ap- 

 pearance last month, will swell to a good size and be a fair crop. 



In the flower-garden the beds and borders exhibit a naked appearance, 

 more like the beginning than the end of April ; and it appears as if winter 

 would linger in the lap of May, {Caledonian Mercury, May 4. 1829.) 



We have to thank our unknown friend who sends occasionally the news- 

 paper containing these reports, and he will much gratify a number of our 

 readers if he will continue to do so regularly. VVe have sent a communi- 

 cation to the Editor, and a copy of our pamphlet on Education to the 

 author of the maxims in the Caledonian Mercury, Rochefoucault the younger. 

 These maxims have not been read without interest, and we hope they will 

 be continued. — Cond, 



Vegetable Market. — April 17. A number of booths are now tastefully 

 decorated with a profusion of spring flowers. New potatoes are selling at 

 from Is. Gd, to 3s. a quart; an ordinary dish of sea-kale, \s, Cd. Besides 

 the common vegetables, there are rhubarb, cresses, cauliflowers, and broc- 

 coli. Some strawberries, completely ripe, were yesterday exposed in the 

 shop of Boyd and Bayne, Prince's Street, for the first time this season. 

 {Scotsman, April 18. 1829.) 



Ajnil 24. Within these three weeks the prices of common kitchen 

 vegetables have been fully doubled. There is, however, little alteration in 

 the richer and rarer articles. Yesterday asparagus was offered at from 4s. 

 to 5s. a hundred ; sea-kale at Is. 6d,; an ordinary dish of rhubarb, 2f/. ; ra- 

 dishes, \\d. a bunch ; and broccoli at 2d. to 4d. a head. {Ibid., April 25. 

 1829.) 



Alay 2. The effects of the unfavourable weather were this day very 

 obvious. There were in all fifty-eight carts of vegetables, but instead of Sd. 

 to Is., a good number were " bulked" to the tacksman at Id. each, and the 

 remainder at from 3d. to 6d.; indeed, the whole supply could have been 

 easily put into twenty carts. There was, of course, a material advance on 

 the prices ; not a single green blade of any description remained unpur- 

 chased at 8 o'clock, and a number of the retailers went away disappointed. 

 The horticulturists were unanimous in their opinion that vegetation is at 

 present three weeks later than usual. 



May 5. The stock did not amount to one half of the limited supply 

 of the 2d, and, though wet and stormy, the market was cleared before six 

 o'clock in the morning. {Ibid., May 6.) 



Caledonian Horticidtural Society. — In stating the proceedings of last 

 Meeting of the Caledonian Horticultural Society (p. 215.), we had not room 

 to take notice of the curious and interesting horticultural information 

 contained in the minutes of meetings of committee and council held sub- 

 sequently to the previous General Meeting of the Society, which, in the 



