22 THE USES OF PLANTS. 



florescence of the Globe Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus, 

 L.), are other instances of the employment of unusual 

 structures as food. 



In this department of Vegetable Technology the 

 most striking feature in the progress during her 

 Majesty's reign is, perhaps, the results of the vastly 

 increased facilities of transport, steam-navigation 

 having rendered distant lands tributary, even of their 

 fresh produce, to our population, which has so long 

 outgrown its home supplies of the necessaries of life. 

 In this way many perishable articles have now found 

 their way even into the market of our streets ; whilst 

 many improved processes have added largely to our 

 supplies of preserved fruits and vegetables. In 1882, 

 for instance, we imported in all 64,240,749 cwt. of 

 Wheat, of which 24,500,000 cwt. came from the 

 United States, 11,000,000 from India, 3,000,000 from 

 Canada, and more than that amount from Russia, 

 besides 52,000,000 cwt. of other corn. Owing to the 

 continuous reduction of virgin land into cultivation in 

 the Far West of Canada and the United States, the 

 exporting capacities of these countries are rapidly 

 increasing, whilst increased railway communication so 

 facilitates this export that it is stated that Wheat, 

 which is said to cost 403. a quarter to grow in England, 

 may possibly be delivered in Liverpool in a very few 

 years at 235. We are at present importing Potatoes 

 most largely from France ; but of raw fruits our 

 supplies are drawn from Malta, the Azores, Canaries, 

 Madeira, the United States, and even the West Indian 

 islands. Thus in 1878 the Azores alone shipped over 

 410,000 boxes of Oranges, each containing 400, to 



