July 27, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



79 



It has been found necessary to remove the noble row of old 

 Elms that stood by the river side at the back of the old Palace 

 wall. One of these having been blown down daring the winter 

 it was found that it had no adequate roots, and was mainly 

 supported in itB erect position by about 5 feet of ballast that 

 had been used to raise the level of the road ; an examination 

 of the others showed that a very heavy gale might prostrate 

 the whole and cause immense damage. It was therefore de- 

 cided to remove them at once and replace them by younger 

 trees. This has been done, and in addition a row parallel to 

 them has been planted on the opposite side of the path. 



These trees served in a great measure to mask the gasworks 

 and other unsightly buildings belonging to the town of Brent- 

 ford. Their removal has brought into greater prominence 

 the rapid progress to ruin of the trees and plantations npon 

 the eyots in the river, and upon which the great beauty of the 

 reach immediately above Kew Bridge and bounding the north- 

 ern side of the Royal Gardens entirely depends. The eyots 

 are two in number, with an aggregate acreage of 4a. 2r. 24p. 

 Part of the most easterly of them (la. 3r. 35p ) was in 1626 

 oonveyed to trustees for certain charitable purposes in the 

 parish of Fulham. In 1811 it was leased to Robert Hunter, 

 Esq., on behalf of His Majesty George III., for twenty-one 

 years at an annual rent of £20. From the expiration of this 

 lease in 1832 up to 1873 the same amount of annual rent 

 appears to have been paid to Her Majesty's Commissioners of 

 Woods and Forests. Under the direction of the Charity Com- 

 mission it was sold to the Office of Woods and Forests, the 

 Office of Works undertaking to pay them the same amount of 

 rent. 



The receipts during the past year have been 7326 plants of 

 all kinds, and 2811 packets of seeds from 233 contributors. 



The Eucalyptus globulus which has been so largely distri- 

 buted on account of itB supposed prophylactio virtues will pro- 

 bably turn out to be extremely useful for its timber in countries 

 not too hot for its growth. On the Neilgherries where Aus- 

 tralian trees have been largely introduced, one of the most 

 valuable, the Acacia melanoxylon, proves to be all but value- 

 less owing to the ravages of various Loranthaceous parasites. 

 The Eucalyptus globulus is, however, reported by Dr. Bidie to 

 entirely escape their attacks. He attributes this immunity to 

 the " deciduous bark, the seeds (of the parasite) thereby being 

 dislodged before they can germinate and gain a hold." 



The production of different kinds of Caoutchouc in India 

 oontinues to engage the attention of the India Office and of 

 this establishment. One fact in connection with it which 

 seems to require very careful consideration has been pointed 

 out by Mr. Mann in his report on the Caoutchouc plantations 

 in Assam. It is found that although the Ficus elastioa will 

 grow with undiminished rapidity and luxuriance in situations 

 remote from the hills, it fails to yield Caoutchouc. Mr. Mann 

 concludes that no greater mistake could be made than to 

 start plantations of Ficus elastica in any part of Bengal. It 

 appears, therefore, judging from this case, that conditions which 

 may ensure the successful growth of Caoutchouc-yielding trees 

 may not be sufficient to determine their producing Caoutchouc. 



The Indiarubber of Para (Hevea braBilieneie) has already 

 been introduced into India. It proves to be capable of easy 

 propagation at Kew by cuttings. I am endeavouring to obtain 

 additional supplies of the Beeds, but these rapidly lose their 

 germinating power. Hardly 1 per cent, of the seeds have 

 hitherto reached us alive. 



My attention has been drawn to the great value of the Mes- 

 quit or Screw Bean of Arizona (Prosopis pubescens), for the 

 purpose of cattle-feeding in hot dry countries. It would be, 

 probably, extremely valuable in South Africa and Australia. 

 I have taken steps to procure a supply of the seeds, but nearly 

 all those at present received have been killed by the attacks of 

 a small boring beetle. 



I have received both from the " Challenger " and " Transit " 

 expeditions seeds of the Pringlea, or Kerguelen's Land Cabbage. 

 Although a large number of fine young plants were raised, they 

 have nearly all perished during last summer. As a similar ill 

 fate has befallen this interesting plant at the Botanic Gardens 

 of Paris, Cape Town, and Edinburgh, I can only conclude that 

 it is very intolerant of warmth. Its destruction has also been 

 hastened by the attacks of the White Cabbage rust (CystopUB). 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 We have reason to believe that the Great Fruit Show of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society, which is announced in the 



schedule to be held on November 8th, will be abandoned. The 

 Council will be quite justified in doing so, thereby husbanding 

 the funds of the Society for more important uses. The local 

 FellowB and the public seem to be tired of shows, and it is 

 high time that public bodies realised that fact. 



■ The thunderstorm: of Sunday night broke over 



Hornsey and Tottenham with terrific force at eight o'clock, 

 and appears to have expended itself upon the district of High 

 Cross, Tottenham, where the destruction to property has been 

 very serious. Scores of residences with large grounds and 

 conservatories have suffered with a severity unexampled in the 

 history of the village. The hailstones were the size of a 

 marble, and not even plate-glass was proof againBt them. The 

 splendid vineries of Mr. Rochford, Mr. Leschellas, and Sir 

 Charles Reed have scarcely a pane of glass left, and the roads 

 and gardens are covered with the debris of fine Elms and 

 Chestnuts forming the well-known avenues near the Friends' 

 School by Page Green. Birds were killed and lamed, and 

 rookeries were disestablished. The poor have suffered greatly. 

 Heaps of ice stones are still lying on the roadsides, and when 

 examined these stones are of a green colour in the centre, 

 while the outer crust bears a close resemblance to an acidulated 

 ball. The market gardeners in the neighbourhood have lost 

 all their season fruits, and damage by water is extensively 

 reported. 



One of the finest sights to be seen in the way of Grape- 

 growing at the present moment is the Muscat house at 

 Messrs. Lane & Son's nurseries at Berkhampsted. Fre- 

 quenters of all the great exhibitions ha°e for many years been 

 familiar with the wonderful collections of Grapes that have 

 been shown by Messrs. Lane, but the past presents no com- 

 parison with the present. The size and symmetry of the 

 bunches, the size and colour of the berrieB, and the wonder- 

 fully even and abundant crop, are Bights worth seeing. There 

 are-other houses consisting of Frankenthal, and many of the 

 newest kinds, which are also highly worthy of inspection. 



Dr. Schomburgk, Director of the Adelaide Botanic 



Garden, has issued, as usual, his very full and satisfactory 

 report. He Btates that the large trunks of Encephalartos 

 will lie for years in a dormant state before showing signs of 

 fresh growth. " In 1873 the Direotor of the Botanio Garden, 

 Natal (Mr. Keith) informed me that, by a vessel bound for 

 Melbourne, he had sent a case with very large trunks of En- 

 cephalartos natalensis. This ship arrived in Melbourne ; but, 

 notwithstanding my inquiries, I could hear nothing of what 

 had become of the oase, and I believed that it had been lost 

 or got into other hands. Nearly half a year after a friend 

 of mine viBited Melbourne, and having some business in one 

 of the Government bonded stores, saw there a case with my 

 address. On making inquiries he was informed that the caBe 

 had arrived from Natal, and had been lodged in the bonded 

 store and not yet claimed. I received the case about half a 

 year after arriving at Melbourne. The Encephalartes showed 

 not the slightest sign of life ; the straw in which they were 

 packed had rotted, and I gave them up for loBt. They were 

 planted, however, in large pots, and placed in one of the stove 

 houses ; but, in the course of nearly two years showing no signs 

 of life, they were placed underneath the plant Btage, where they 

 stood another half-year, until about four weeks since, when, 

 to my surprise, I observed the appearance of young growth, 

 and the leaves expanded with such rapidity that in the course 

 of four weeks they have reached the length of nearly 5 feet, 

 show a healthy appearance, and will form two magnificent 

 specimen plants. After being three years in a dormant state 

 I never expected that life still remained in their large ovoid 

 stems." 



In reference to the cracking of Golden Champion 



Grape, a correspondent states as a remedy that "if the lateral 

 on which the bunch grows be cut half through as soon as the 

 first berry cracks no more of them will crack. This and several 

 other Vines of similar luxuriance of habit should be cropped 

 very heavily, or else have the laterals cut just as the Grapes 

 are taking the second swelling." 



Bones rendered soluble are one of the most generally 



useful of manures, and as many of our readers do not know 

 of the readiest mode of rendering them soluble, we copy the 

 following notes from " The World of Science :" — " In a well- 

 made mixture of wood ashes, lime, and fresh bones that is 

 kept well moistened with manure water or house slops for six 

 or eight weeks, the bones would probably become softened to 

 such a degree that they could be broken-up with the spade on 



