62 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[July 21, 1888. 



Council every rural element should be repre- 

 sented and commercial. Jibbing on the part 

 of the leading horses attached to the various 

 local " coaches " may surely thus be corrected, and 

 fair work got from every bearer of a collar. 



It is admitted on all hands that agriculture 

 must be made more and more of a mixed industry 

 — that much of the food (grain, fruit, and meat) 

 now imported could be as well grown at home as 

 it is in foreign countries — that the millions of 

 money now placed year by year by us to the 

 credit of the foreign producer oould, or at least 

 a very large proportion of it could, be retained 

 in our local banks and homely thrifty "stockings " 

 — that much of the over-population of our cities 

 might be prevented by taking back the labourer 

 and his family to the land — from demoralising, 

 filthy city " slums " to health-giving, body- 

 satisfying, rural occupation — possibly nruch 

 of the flood of emigration stayed, and that the 

 education of children at home (at the expense of 

 the ratepayers) for the special benefit of dwellers 

 in other lands might cease. 



Work for such a Grand Council ? There are 

 years full of hard work before it, under the 

 guidance of a far-seeing secretary. One subject 

 for consideration would be the action of the 

 existing Land Laws on rural industries in 

 general. A recently issued Parliamentary Return 

 furnishes us with some interesting figures rela- 

 tive to unoccupied arable land and land capable 

 of cultivation. The return is made up to June 4, 

 18S7, and, summarised, the figures show a total 

 of 212 unoccupied arable farms in England, of 

 20,989 acres ; in Wales, twelve farms, of 1328 

 acres ; unoccupied detached plots of land (ex- 

 ceeding 5 acres) capable of cultivation, foot up 

 at 133 in number, of 2969 acres collectively ; or 

 a grand total of 25,284 acres ! 



In contrast with this brief note of " vacant 

 plots 1 and " farms to let," it may be of interest to 

 summarise the return of " acreage of small fruit 

 (such as Gooseberries, Currants, &c.) growing 

 between trees in orchards, as returned upon June 

 4, 1887, in each county of Great Britain, in the 

 Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands." The total 

 acreage for England is given as 17,153, for 

 Wales at 71, for Scotland at 1252 ; or, for Great 

 Britain, of 18.476 acres. To this is added 71 for 

 the Isle of Man, 56 for Jersey, and 9 for 

 Guernsey, &c. 



Reverting to the " unoccupied land " return, 

 some of the remarks made by the Editor of the 

 valuable document quoted from, may be cited 

 with advantage. He says : — 



" The broad fact shown in the return for 1887 of 

 a diminution of 48,533 acres, as compared with that 

 obtained in 1881 in uncultivated land in England 

 and Wales, appears at first glance irreconcilable 

 with the undoubtedly intensified depression in agri- 

 culture which is generally believed to exist at pre- 

 sent in a more acute form than has been known 

 within recent years. There is, perhaps, a slight 

 tendency to exaggerate the extent of land out of 

 cultivation ; but, assuming that the principle of in- 

 cluding only such land as was actually uncultivated 

 was closely adhered to in 1881, and as carefully con- 

 sidered by the returning officers of that date as it 

 has been this year, the facts remain, and the solution 

 must be looked for in the circumstances attending 

 each of the two periods in question. The replies to a 

 memorandum addressed to collectors, calling their 

 attention to the results shown, and requesting that 

 the accuracy of their returns of 1887 might be 

 further investigated, appear to leave no doubt on 

 this point, for in those counties where the acreage of 

 unoccupied land now shown is less than in 1881 

 the figures given in 1887 have, so far as it was 

 possible to test them, been found correct, while there 

 appears to be no reason to suppose that those of 



1881 were otherwise. It is suggested in the expla- 

 nations of some of the officers that in 1881 the 

 existing depression in the farming industry was less 

 felt, and that landlords had not then resolved upon 

 reducing rents or taking farms into their own hands 

 for cultivation, notwithstanding the number of hold- 

 ings which had become vacant immediately prior to 

 the date of the return in 1881 ; and that many such 

 farms were for a time allowed to run waste owing to 

 owners being reluctant, probably from regarding the 

 depression as temporary merely, to re-let them at 

 reduced rentals, and unwilling themselves to occupy 

 and cultivate them. Owners of land are now, it is 

 mentioned, either partially or completely cultivating 

 land which is at present untenanted, or they have felt 

 compelled to make very material reductions in rents, 

 and, as a consequence of these altered conditions, 

 the quantity of unoccupied land, which in very many 

 cases has been re-let at a merely nominal rental, or 

 sometimes on payment of the tithes only, has actually 

 decreased." 



We extract the following "averages of a 

 certain series of years," from an extended return 

 of the " proportional value per head of the popu- 

 lation of the several principal kinds of agri- 

 cultural food products, comprising corn, flour, 

 meal, fruit, vegetables, sugar, live and dead 

 meat and other provisions imported into the 

 United Kingdom from foreign countries and 

 British possessions in each year from 1866 to 

 1886 (inclusive)." Total No. 1, represents " far- 

 inaceous substances ;" No. 2, " other vegetable 

 produce ;" No. 3, " live and dead meat ;" and No. 

 4, " other animal produce " : — ■ 

 Yearly Averages. 



New or Noteworthy Plants. 



Years. 



Total 

 No. 1. 



Total 

 No. 2. 



Total' 

 No. 3. 



Total 

 No. 4. 



Grand 

 Total. 



1866-70 



25 8 



11 9 



5 1 



7 8 



2 10 2 



1871-75 



33 5 



16 1 



8 



9 11 



3 7 5 



1876-80 



37 8 



IS 1 



12 3 



12 4 



4 4 



1881-85 



35 3 



17 1 



13 11 



13 4 



3 19 7 



A very pretty sum would be the result of mul- 

 tiplying the value per head by the total of the 

 population. 



Scores of subjects will readily suggest 

 themselves to the reader as well suited for the 

 consideration of the suggested Council. A far- 

 seeing, quick-witted, energetic Secretary would 

 soon find work enough and to spare ; and he 

 would soon prove to the nation at large that all 

 possessed of the franchise are also entitled to 

 subscribe towards clearing the expenses of the 

 work done in the nation's interest, either as 

 members of the great societies whence it is pro- 

 posed to draw the Council, or as simply interested 

 in the benefits to be derived from perpetual 

 agitation. Surely also the societies representing 

 the greatest of national interests are entitled to 

 a free " home," such as other societies have — at 

 the nation's expense. In other lands which we 

 are sometimes pleased to consider infinitely less 

 important than our own, such societies as those 

 here concerned are most honourably treated and 

 esteemed — a wonderful contrast to the treatment 

 afforded to the Royal Horticultural Society by 

 the Commissioners of the 1851 Exhibition. The 

 time must come — its distance may even now be 

 measured — when Agriculture and Horticulture, 

 working amicably because interestedly together, 

 will receive fitting recognition at the hands of 

 Government. The new Minister — when ap- 

 pointed — will find this "home " question a " burn- 

 ing '' one — he might even see his way to have 

 the " home " located, after all, at South Kensing- 

 ton ! — a fitting sequel to the story told in the 

 last report of the Royal Horticultural Society. 



We confidently leave this subject of an Agri- 

 Horticultural Council to the consideration of 

 the millions so very deeply interested in it. 



THUNIA MARSHALLIANA TRILOBA, n. var. 



Me. B. S. Williams has kindly sent me this ex- 

 cellent variety, which has a very broad, really 

 abruptly trilobed lip, with dark reddish - brown 

 veins, and twelve darker rows of processes of crests, 

 I have to add, that I was aware of the description o( 

 Thunia nivalis when describing Thunia candidissima. 

 Impossible to judge it, when there is not a word said 

 as to the spur or the crests. Such descriptions 

 become an intolerable nuisance. Thus I cannot 

 name a beautiful variety of Aerides odoratum which 

 may be Aerides odoratum purpurascens poorly de- 

 scribed, but which may be quite distinct from it. 

 H. G. Hchb.f. 



Thunia Maeshalliana purpueata, n. var. 



This is a fine variety coming rather near to triloba, 

 but not so much trilobed, though the lip is very 

 broad. The superior half of the lip is pure white 

 with five yellow keels running across the disc. The 

 anterior part having numerous bright purple nerva- 

 tions outside, viz., on the sides covered with yellow 

 filiform processes. The middle is nearly white with 

 very numerous yellow filiform processes. The fringed 

 and wavy border is of the purest white, which affords 

 an admirable contrast to the large purple spots, the 

 numerous purple nervations giving the effect of 

 spots at a distance. 



It was kindly sent me by Mr. B. S. Williams, my 

 assiduous correspondent for nearly a quarter of a 

 century. It was obtained from W. E. Brymer, Esq., 

 Ilsington House, near Dorchester. H. G. Echb.f. 



Helichrtsusi devium, n. spr 

 A bush between 2 and 3 feet high, with scented 

 flowers that appear in April and May. The leaves, 

 which are not in the least viscid, are usually crowded 

 towards the ends of the stout branches. They are 

 from 40 to 70 mm. long, and from 4J- to 6J times 

 longer than broad. As in the case of H. melanoph- 

 thalmum, the black discs form a strong contrast with 

 the white scales and peduncles. The cymes rise 

 well above the leaves. Erom H. melanoph- 

 thalmum (Lowe) this plant differs, inter alia, by 

 having the leaves sessile, semi-amplexicaul, three- 

 nerved, with greyish-green surfaces, and white irre- 

 gularly sinuate borders, in place of stalked, one- 

 nerved white, very entire leaves ; also by having the 

 tips of the outer scales broad aud semicircular, and 

 the receptacle without a central papilla. When 

 specimens of the two plants are placed side by side, 

 the difference in their appearance is at once seized by 

 the eye. 



H. Monizii, Lowe, has scentless flowers, with 

 brown discs, and the scales, at first green, become 

 chestnut-brown, edged with purple, the tips being 

 scarious and colourless. Moreover, H. Monizii has 

 stalked leaves and smaller heads. 



The plant now described was discovered by Senhor 

 J. M. Moniz, the well known botanist of Funchal, 

 growing in tolerable abundance upon the barren islet 

 at the eastern extremity of Madeira which bears the 

 name of Ilheo Vermelho or Ilheo dos Embarcadores, 

 and I am indebted to him for the specimens from 

 which this account of it has heen drawn up. J. Y. 

 Johnson, Funchal. 



* Shrubby, branching, bushy ; branches densely tomentose, 

 snowy-white ; leaves sessile, semi-amplexicaul lanceolate, 

 narrowed downwards, with greyish-green surfaces and white 

 somewhat sinuate borders ; distinctly 3-nerved. Heads hemi- 

 spherical, broader than high, peduncles distinct, stout, snowy- 

 white, in few (10—30) flowered, terminal, often compound 

 cymes; scales las in few rows, outer ones opaque, white, often 

 pale brown below, not shining, without scarious tips or 

 borders, ovate, broadly rounded above, sometimes toothed or 

 laciniate ; inner scales oblong, brown or purplish along the 

 middle. Disc black: receptacle slightly convex, without a 

 conical papilla at the middle, rough, with umbilicated discs. 

 Pa.ppus shorter than flower, closely echinulate, not clavellate. 

 Achenes dark brown, four angular truncate, sprinkled all over 

 with white resinous particles. /. Y. Johnson. 



