Covent Garden Market. 207 



flowers drop off shortly after expansion. Professor Morren, " having seen 

 at Paris that M. Adolphe Brongniart had succeeded by artificial fertilisation in 

 causing Brassza maculata to bear fruit, undertook some similar experiments at 

 Liege, in the course of which he obtained capsules from Bonatea speciosa, 

 Brassy maculata, CEceoclades maculata, Epidendrum cochleatum, Cymbfolium 

 sindnse, four species of Calanthe, &c. This led him to observe the effect of 

 applying its pollen to the stigma of Vanilla ; and the result was the perfect ma- 

 turationof a fruit, which filled the air of the hot-house with its fragrance, espe- 

 cially in the morning, and during the hotter part of the day. As the vanilla 

 plant flowers in great abundance at Liege, advantage has been taken of this 

 circumstance to convert it tb commercial purposes, and it appears that the 

 abundance of excellent fruit, which it may be made to produce, renders it of 

 some importance in this respect in a country where vanilla is in much use. 

 The first crop obtained in the commencement of the present year, from a single 

 plant, consisted of 54 ripe pods, and the second crop shows signs of amounting 

 to more than 100. Professor Morren states that the Vanilla thus successfully 

 cultivated by him is V. planifolia, and not the V. aromatica of the Hortus 

 Kewensis. From Mr. Thomas Naylor of Brixton, flowers of picolees, carna- 

 tions, and heartsease. From the Society's garden, a collection of various 

 plants in flower, among which the Calandrini« discolor was particularly con- 

 spicuous. This species is hardy during the summer, when it becomes an object 

 of great beauty in the flower-garden. It resembles C. grandiflora, but its 

 flowers are four times as large, and they have the valuable property of not closing 

 when the sun is absent; on the contrary, they remain fully expanded even in 

 the most cloudy weather. There was also a fruit of the Trinidad Pitch Lake 

 Pine, weighing 5 lb. 12 oz. It is known to pine-growers that this variety has 

 the reputation of acquiring as much as 26 lb. weight in the Island of Trinidad, 

 but there is an opinion that its quality is not good. It appeared, however, from 

 the specimen now exhibited that its flavour is much above, rather than below, 

 the average of pine-apples, and that it is a ver\ T valuable variety. 



The following medals were awarded : — The silver Knightian to James 

 Bateman, Esq., for Mormodes pardina; and to Mrs. Lawrence for her heaths. 

 The silver Banksian to Messrs. Chandlers for Campanula fragilis ; to Mr. 

 Thomas Naylor for picotees ; to Mr. Thomas Hogg for carnations; to Mr. 

 Errington for his nectarines; and to Mrs. Lawrence for Crassula coccinea. 



Art. IX. Covent Garden Market. 



Since Christinas the weather has been generally open, and genial to the 

 productions usually supplied to the market during the season. Most articles 

 have been furnished regularly and in good condition. The prices for all green 

 vegetables have been fairly remunerating. Onions and potatoes alone have 

 been cheap. Asparagus and sea-kale (forced) have become articles of such 

 general demand, that from November to May it is found in good supply. 

 French beans have also been furnished freely. Strawberries are just begin- 

 ning to appear, but as yet in very small quantities. Grapes to-day (March 22.), 

 for the first time, have been exhibited; the price, of course, quite arbitrary. We 

 have had, since Christmas, several parcels of green peas imported from Lisbon 

 and Gibraltar by steam ; but few of them have come to hand in good condition, 

 consequently they have not realised very high prices : how far the taste or 

 desire for them, at this early season, may induce further efforts to introduce 

 them in better condition, remains to be proved ; as yet they have afforded but 

 little encouragement to those who have attempted it. The openness of the 

 season, and the general prevalence of moisture throughout the winter, afford 

 good prospect, if not of an early natural supply, of a general and rather 

 abundant spring. 



