Foreign Notices. — Russia ^ Jamaica. 149 



Boos, who has been rendered incapable of service by a fit of apoplexy. We 

 had in May, last year, for the first time in Vienna, a prize exhibition of 

 plants. The prizes given were rare exotics. The principal prize was a 

 Camellm, given by the Archduke Antony, for Diplothemium {diploos double, 

 thema a sheath ; its double spathe) littorale ; the second, Astrapae^a Wal- 

 lichii, for ^rica tubiflora coccinea ; the third, Paeonia Moutan, for Primula 

 longiflora, the rarest cultivated plant of Austria ; the fourth, another Paibnia 

 Moutan, for Campylia carinata ; and the fifth, a Camellia, for Azalea pontica. 

 The prizes were given to the masters, and not to the gardeners, which has 

 very much disheartened the latter. The emperor gave especial orders that 

 no plants froni the imperial gardens should be sent for competition ; doubt- 

 less because it would be no great wonder if an emperor had more rare 

 plants than any of his subjects. The exhibition was held in the garden of 

 Prince Schwarzenberg; the judges were, Professor Jacquin, and Drs.Brede- 

 mayer and Schott. 



I shall now give a short report of our vegetable markets of Vienna, which 

 are at this season very miserably supplied. Carrots, potatoes, savoys, horse- 

 radish (sometimes from 1 to 2i in. in diameter, and from 20 to .50. in. in 

 length), very dear and half-rotten cauliflowers, and mushrooms at 2 groschens 

 (about a penny) each, are all that they contain at present, but you shall 

 very soon hear of the supply from our hot-beds.— Charles Ranch. Laxen- 

 burg, March 3. 1828. 



RUSSIA. 



St. Petersburgh, February 1. — In the southern parts of our empire 

 gardening has made a very poor appearance this winter. In Odessa there 

 was 30° Reaum. of cold (.37° below Fahr.), in Astrachan there was 24° 

 Reaum. (22° below Fahr.), in Sarepta they had 32° (40° below Fahr.), 

 and in Nikita, where seldom any frost occurs, 12° (5° below Fahr.). In 

 Nikita is the great imperial nursery for all kinds of fruit and forest trees. 

 The orange, sweet bay, olives, and pistacliios are there, as in Italy, the or- 

 naments of nearly all the gardens. How will these plants look next spring, 

 after having suffered a frost of 12° Reaum. (5° below O Fahr.), for several 

 days, when the sun with its usual vigour is darting its rays upon each tree 

 and shrub? In St. Petersburgh we had only 28° Reaum. (31° below 

 Fahr.), and only for a few days, and our average of daily frost is between 

 10° and '18° (9° above and 9° below Fahr.). In Moscow, although not a 

 great distance from St. Petersburgh, but a little more to the east, they had 

 .32° Reaum. (40° below Fahr.). In the imperial botanic garden here 

 we lost, during the months of December and January, many of our young 

 seedling plants ; as the weather was all that time very severe, and the sun 

 did not appear for six weeks, during which period the glass was covered 

 with ice for liin. thick. I am proceeding with the description of our 

 garden for the Gardener's Magazine. — J. Faldermann. 



JAMAICA. 



Jamaica Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture and other Arts and 

 Sciences. — Sir, I send you, in detail, the proceedings of what was formerly 

 called the Horticultural Society of Jamaica, but which has now assumed 

 the above title; beginning with December, 1825. In making this abstract, 

 I have been particularly careful to preserve the names of the slaves who 

 have gained prizes, and also of the estates to which they belong, as I can- 

 not doubt but that the slaves themselves must be excellent persons, and the 

 management of the estates to which they are attached liberal and kind. I 

 am satisfied that nothing ccin contribute so much to the prosperity of the 

 colonies as the cultivation of science, and more particularly of botanical 

 science; and I therefore hope that this article may be acceptable to you. 



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