December 22, 1888.] 



THE GABDENEBS' CHRONICLE. 



743 



scriptions of Clover seeds the tone is quiet but firm. 

 Offerings from France have of late fallen off some- 

 what, whilst cable advices from America report 

 values there as exceedingly strong. Alsike, white, 

 and Trefoil are held at farmer rates. In Rye-grasses 

 there is no change. Choice samples of Blue Peas 

 have become scarce ; Haricot Beans are now good 

 and cheap. For Hemp and Canaryseed the trade is 

 slow. 



CORN. 



Averages. — Official statement showing the average 

 price of British corn, imperial measure, in the week 

 ended December 15 : — Wheat, 30s. Wd. ; Barley, 

 27s. Id. ; Oats, 16s. lOd. For the corresponding week 

 in 1887 :— Wheat, 31s. 2d. ; Barley, 29s. Id. ; Oats, 

 16s. 2d. 



CATTLE. 



London : Dec. 17.— The supply of cattle for the 

 Christmas trade at the Metropolitan Cattle Market 

 to-day was rather larger than in several recent years. 

 There were on offer 7518 beasts and 12,890 sheep. 

 Respecting cattle, it is stated that altogether the 

 show, on the score of both magnitude and merit will 

 rank among the best exhibitions of.'thekind foryears 

 past, all the various breeds being fully and well re- 

 presented. Partly from the foggy weather, but more 

 from the diminished attendance of country buyers, 

 the trade dragged very heavily, and was very dis- 

 appointing to sellers. For the best Scots 5s. was 

 the current top price. In exceptional cases 5s. 2d. 

 may have been made, but there were very many cases 

 where 4s. Wd., and even 4s. 8d. per stone had to be 

 taken for really prime beasts to effect even a partial 

 clearance. The sheep were an excellent collection, 

 in which the Down breeds were the most largely re- 

 presented. The trade was fairly good, and prices 

 were fairly supported ; 13 to 12 stone half-breds and 

 Downs sold at 5s. 8rf. to 5s. lOd. ; 11 to 10 stones, 

 6s. to 6s. 2d. ; and small choice 8 stones. 6s. 4d. per 

 8 lb., sinking the offal. 



Enquiries. 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. 



Spitalfields : Dec. 19 — Very good supply of all 

 kinds of fresh vegetables, Apples, &c. Trade very 

 dull. Quotations : — Pears, 2s. 6d. to 5s. per bushel ; 

 English Apples, 3s. to 5s. do. ; do., Is. %d. to 2s. 6d. 

 per half-bushel; American Apples, 8s. to 12s. 6d. 



?er barrel ; Savoys, Is. Gd. to 3s. per tally ; Cabbages, 

 s. 6d. to 2s. 6d. do. ; Guernsey Cauliflowers, Is. 6d. 

 to 2s. per dozen ; Guernsey Broccoli, Is. to Is. Od. do.; 

 Spinach, Is. to Is. 3d. per bushel ; Brussels Sprouts, 

 Is. to Is. 3d. per half-sieve ; Seakale, Is. to Is. 3d. 

 per punnet ; Parsnips, 6d. to 8d. per score ; Greens, 

 Is. to Is. 9d. per dozen bunches ; Turnips, Is. 3d. to 

 Is. Od. do. ; Carrots, Is. 6d. to Is. $d. do. ; Beetroots, 

 8d. to 9d. per dozen ; Parsley, Is. 6d. to 2s. Qd. per 

 dozen bunches; Horseradish, Is. to Is. 2d. per 

 bundle ; Celery, 6s. to 12s. per dozen bundles ; 

 English Onions, 4s. 3d. to 4s. 9d. per cwt. ; Dutch 

 do., 2s. 9d. to 3s. per bag ; Belgian do., 2s. 9d. to 3s. 

 do. ; pickling do, 4s. to 4s. 9<2. do. ; Endive, Is. 6d. 

 per dozen ; Carrots, 26s. to 32s. per ton ; Mistleto, 

 30s. to 50s. per large crate ; do., 9s. to 15s. per 

 small crate; Holly, 4s. 6d. to 8s. 6d. per dozen 

 bundles. 



POTATOS. 



Borough and Spitalfields: Dec. 18.— There has 

 been a fairly good demand for best qualities, for 

 which prices are rather firmer, but secondary sorts 

 do not move off so readily. — Regents, Scotch, 80s. to 

 125s. ; English, 60s. to 90s. ; Hebrons, 70s. to 110s. ; 

 Magnum Bonums, 60s. to 100s. per ton. 



Spitalfields : Dec. 19. — Quotations : — Beauty of 

 Hebron, 70s. to 85s. ; Magnums, 60s. to S5s. ; Im- 

 perators, 65s. to 85s. ; Regents, 83s. to 95s. ; Cham- 

 pions, 60s. to 65s. per ton. 



Stbatfoed : 'Dec. 13. — Quotations: — Scotch 

 Magnums, 80s. to 100s. ; English, do., 65s. to 70s. ; 

 Regents, 80s. to 90s. per ton. 



HAY. 



Averages. — The following are the averages of the 

 prices obtained at the various metropolitan markets 

 daring the past week : — Clover, old, prime, 120s. 

 to 145s. ; good second, 81s. to 110s. ; inferior, 45s. 

 to 75s. ; prime meadow hay, 120s. to 130s. ; good new 

 hay, 60s. to 100s. ; inferior, 40s. to 70s. ; old straw, 

 42s. to 49s. ; new, 29s, to 42j. per load. 



"Me that questioneth much shall learn much." — Bacon. 

 Christmas Roses and Slugs. — Our Christmas 

 Roses are this year very plentiful and fine, but the 

 appearance of the blooms is, as usual, much impaired 

 by the ravages of a small black slug. Can anything 

 be done to destroy or trap this pest? Leirion. 



Notices to Correspondents. 



Addeesses, &c. : G. Mantin. For the South African 

 Philosophical Society address to Prof. McOwan. 

 Botanic Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa. The 

 address of the Garden and Forest is Tribune Build- 

 ings, New York, U.S.A. My Garden is a book by 

 A. Smee, containing an account of horticulture, at 

 his residence, The Grange, Hackbridge. We have 

 never heard of the " Union Centrale des Sciences 

 Naturelles d Angleterre." " Indian Orchidology " is 

 a paper published many years ago in the Journal of 

 the Linnean Society. An account of the Indian 

 Orchids is in course of publication in the Flora of 

 British India, by Sir J. Hooker (published by L. 

 Reeve & Co., Covent Garden). The last part 

 issued contains few of theOrchids. 

 Ahum Flower : B. Primrose. The doubling of the 

 spathe of the flowers of this aquatic is by no 

 means a rare occurrence. 

 Bees : C. B. Apply to Mr. Neighbour, 149, Regent 



Street, London, W.C. 

 Books : G. Matthews. — Ferns : Select Ferns, by B. S. 

 Williams, Paradise Nursery, Upper Holloway, N. 

 Bee-keeping : Bee-keeping, by A. Rushbridge, E. 

 W. Allen, Ave Maria Lane, E.C. Roses: The 

 Bose Garden, by W. Paul : The Rose Amateur's 

 Guide, by T. F. Rivers, Longmans, Green & Co., 

 London ; and Bases in Pots, by Shirley Hibberd, 

 Kent & Co., Paternoster Row. Orchids: The 

 Orchid Grower's Manual, by B. S. Williams, Hollo- 

 way, published and sold by the same. 

 Certificated Plant : H. J. B. The list published 

 in our last number only contains, as is stated, the 

 names of plants certificated during the latter half 

 year. Your plant was shown early in the year, 

 and you will find we record it in the list of certifi- 

 cates for the first half year, published in our issue 

 for June 30 last, p. 799. 

 Correction. — In report of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, in our last issue, at p. 709, col. a, third 

 line from the bottom, for " former," read latter. 

 Cyfripedium : H.J.B. The forms you name have not 

 been botanically described, so far as we know. 

 They are probably forms of C. prsstans, except the 

 one said to come from Nepal. 

 Hot-water Pipes : A Head Gardener. Lamp-black 

 and boiled Linseed-oil may be used to paint hot- 

 water pipes without any ill-effect being observed 

 on plants ; but it is always advisable to heat the 

 pipes several times whilst the house is empty of 

 plants. It is nonsense to say that painted pipes 

 give off an appreciably less amount of heat than 

 unpainted. 

 Insects : J. C. The very minute white scale-like 

 insects on the leaves sent are the immature states 

 of a tiny four-winged fly belonging to the genus 

 Aleyrodes, which has the same habits as the 

 Aphides. I. O. W. — E. M. A form of cockroach. 

 As the trap has failed to catch them, why not try 

 arsenic in treacle ? or, drive them away by placing 

 carbolic acid in their haunts. Are you sure they 

 have ever got into the traps ? for it seems to be 

 next to impossible that such a creature could 

 escape after once getting in. 

 Life History of Mignonette : Beseda. We know 



of no work where you will find what you require. 

 Names of Fedit: H. Burry. Your Pear is Jose- 

 phine de Malines. — W. H. Cutbush. Apple Hol- 

 landbury. — A. Neilson. 1, Beurre Ranee ; 2, 

 Winter Crassane ; 3. Colonel Vaughan. — W. 

 Fisher. Large fruit, Warner's King ; small, Non- 

 such.— F. S. 1, Vicar of Winkfield ; 2, Easter 

 Beurre ; 3, Josephine de Malines. 

 Names of Plants : G. M. 1, Sophronitis grandi- 

 flora ; 2, Bifrenaria racemosa, probably, but pol- 

 linia absent, and flower withered ; 3, Cattleya 

 luteola ; 4 and 6, not recognised with sufficient 

 certainty; 5,Rodrigueziaplanifolia,— W.M. Cypri- 



pedium insigne var. ; Laelia peduncularis ; Vanda tri- 

 color. — M.Burne. 1, Monochoetum ensiferum ; 2, 

 M. sericeum ; 3, leaf of Haamanthus coccinens, pro- 

 bably ; 4, Diplacus glutinosus ; 5, Salvia species : 

 send again when in bloom. — E. Rylands : The 

 name Eurybia is probably correct, but we cannot 

 tell the species from such a small, unflowered 

 piece. — E. O. B. : 1, Abutilon Boule de Niege ; 2, 

 A. striatum ; 3, Abutilon — a rose-coloured hybrid. 



Patagonia : J. C. G. A good many numbers of the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle would not suffice to tell you all 

 youwish to know. Climate temperate to antarctic ; 

 good in Argentine Republic, villainous in Southern 

 Patagonia. Spanish and Italian languages, be- 

 sides the native tongues. No particularly " ferox- 

 ious " animals. Lapageria, Philesia, are two well 

 known garden plants from this region. You 

 should consult the books of travel of Darwin, 

 Ball, Hooker, &c, besides botanical books descrip- 

 tive of the flora. 



Plant Culture, &c. : N. N. E. 1, Sobralias may 

 be repotted any time after flowering and before 

 new growths commence. 2, It is natural for the 

 leaves of deciduous Dendrobes to turn " yellow 

 and fall off when drying them." It is an indica- 

 tion of the ripening of the pseudobulbs necessary 

 before flowering. 3, Phalamopsis should be kept 

 moist all the year round, but have the least water 

 between the months of October and March. 

 Direct sunlight is injurious to them in hot wea- 

 ther. As near as possible to a temperature of 00° 

 Fahr. by night, and 70° by day, all the year round, 

 is the best for them, but of course in summer that 

 will sometimes be exceeded. 4, We know of no 

 work such as you describe, but we do all we can 

 to meet the want in these columns. 



Rating Greenhouses : A Constant Subscriber. If 

 you turn to our issues, vol. xxiv., pp. 155, 183, 498, 

 720, 758, and 816, vol. i., 3rd series, pp. 422, 650, 

 and 676, you will find verv useful information for 

 your guidance, 



Skimmia : .V. D. The germination of the embryo 

 while still in the fruit is not uncommon in Oranges 

 and Lemons, to which the Skimmia is nearly 

 allied. A similar phenomenon often occurs in 

 Pernethya. 



Strawberry Pauline : Thirty-fiee Years' Subscriber. 

 This variety is not grown largely for market pur- 

 poses, so far as we know, but being large, early, 

 and of good flavour, and a heavy bearer, it should 

 give satisfaction to growers for market. If you 

 have runners for sale, advertise them in our 

 columns. 



Wasps' Nest: C. W. W. A nest of 12 inches by 

 11 inches is of an unusual size. You do not say 

 if it was a hanging nest or a nest built in the 

 ground ; the former seldom reach the dimensions 

 given. There are persons who will buy anything, 

 so there is hope for your cottager if it be adver- 

 tised. 



Propagation of Ficus: H. P. The best time to 

 make cuttings of any species of Ficus is from the 

 middle of February to the end of March ; and the 

 place — a moderate hotbed of 75° to 80° bottom 

 warmth ; and if many are to be struck, the bed 

 may be prepared with light sandy loam, covered 

 with a layer of sand, no pots or pans being 

 employed. The best part of a shoot for a cutting 

 is not the soft point, but a piece lower down, which 

 has began to get woody, and which may be cut with 

 three or four leaves. After the cuttings are made 

 by removing the bottom leaf, the wound at the top 

 being closed with grafting wax, they should be 

 lightly potted head dowuwards, covering all parts 

 except the base, with some light earth, and left for 

 twenty-four or thirty-six hours, so that the milky 

 piece may exude, and the wound get dry. This 

 proceeding holds good with all hardwood exotics 

 with milky juice, some — Euphorbias for example, 

 not being inserted in the soil for twenty-eight days 

 after being made. The buds of Ficus if furnished 

 with a leaf may be used to raise plants, but it is a 

 slow job, We have no experience of seedling 

 Ficus, but should suppose that, provided the seed 

 be good, strong plants might be raised in three 

 years from time of sowing the seed. 



Communications Received — M. B. M. (many thanks : no 

 room).— T. S.— A. O. W.— H. J. K.— D. T. F.— J. B. &. Sons. 

 W. D. (sent to the authority concerned).— G. H. — Gishurst 

 Compound.— J. H. B.— J. H. J.— A. H. J.— L. W.— E. 

 Townsend.— E. C.— F. & P.— .1. V. & Sons.— D. C. P.— J. G. 

 Baker.— S. J. S.-E. W.— J. R. J.— B.— W. J. M.— W. H.— 

 A. D. W.— T. C, (photograph reserved for consideration). 



