FOREIGN NOTES. 



The Narcissus Fly (Merodon narcissi) is reported to 

 be increasing at a rapid rate in the Scilly Islands, and 

 much damage has been done to the bulbs during the past 

 season. 



Sweet Rose, Lady Penzance. — This is a charming 

 single variety, with metallic, rosy bronze flowers, yellow 

 at the base of the petals. The flowers are about two 

 inches in diameter, and the foliage fragrant. The plant 

 was obtained by crossing the common sweet briar with 

 the Austrian copper briar. — Journal of Horticulture . 



Spain has about 500,000 acres of cork forest. In local- 

 ities exposed to the north the cork oak does better than in 

 those exposed to the south, and it is seldom found in cal- 

 careous soil, preferring always that of feldspar. It grows 

 and develops in soil of very little depth, and sometimes 

 in very stony ground. — Gardeners' Magazine. 



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Fruit Production in the Caucasus is receiving at- 

 tention, and for the first time a shipment of fruit has 

 recently been made to England. It is believed that the 

 region of the Caucasus is capable of great development in 

 the production of fruit, especially apples, cherries, figs 

 and pears. 



Cypripedium Bragaianum is a handsome hybrid ob- 

 tained from a cross between C. Boxallii var. atraiuin and 

 C. hirsittissimnm var. Cisrulescefzs The flowers are com- 

 paratively large, the dorsal sepals maroon, passing to 

 green, with white margin ; the petals undulate, bright 

 rose with green base, freely spotted with maroon, the la- 

 bellum greenish yellow, shaded purple brown. — Lindenia. 



Flower Culture in the Alpes-Maritimes. — The an- 

 nual productions of flower culture in this section of France 

 represent a sum of about $3,025,000. Nearly 4,000,000 

 pounds of orange flowers are grown for the perfume market, 

 2,000,000 pounds of roses, 314,000 pounds of violets, 

 294,000 pounds of jasmine, and smaller quantities of 

 tuberoses, jonquils, etc. 



Variegated Rose. — Messers. Hannaford & Son, of 

 Teignmouth, send us leaves of a rose of the type of 

 Charles Lefebre beautifully blotched with gold, and the 

 younger ones flushed with bronze and crimson. The varie- 

 gation has proved constant for the last four years, and 

 that being the case, the rose appears to us well worth propa- 

 gation as a variation. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



The Fig promises to become of much greater economic 

 importance than has yet been the case. The fruit is now 

 being utilized in some parts of France and in Algeria in 

 the manufacture of wine, which is said to differ but little 

 from that wine from grapes, and the extract obtained 

 from the fruit and young shoots contains a principle which 

 it is believed will prove valuable as a medicine. — Gar- 

 deners' Magazine. 



Phajus hybridus, var. Cooksonii. — This distinct and 

 handsome hybrid is the product of seeds saved from 

 Phajus IVallichii crossed with the pollen of P. itcberculo- 

 SHS. The plant is intermediate between the two parents 

 and seems to have a much stronger constitution than its 

 parent. The hybrid was submitted to the orchid com- 

 mittee of the Horticultural Society, and obtained the 

 highest award given to new orchids. It is said to have 

 flowered in a little over two years from the the time of 

 sowing the seed. — Keichenbachia. 



Primula Obconica is a flower of rising importance, in 

 spite of the hurtfulness of the leaves to sensitive skins. 

 Mr. Bones, of Chiswick, has worked successfully with 

 the flower, and has obtained varieties that show a marked 

 advance on existing types. The flowers are larger, fuller 

 and less "starry" than the original P. obconica, so that 

 a new race of greenhouse primulas is in prospect. — 7%^ 

 Gardeners' Magazine. 



Himalayan Rhododendrons are fast proving them- 

 selves to be the coming flower for house decoration. 

 The flowers can be cut with long stems, as, when estab- 

 lished, the plants make growths from fifteen to twenty- 

 seven inches long in a season. These, when bearing 

 three or four shoots, carrying each a truss of bloom with 

 from three to ten flowers in each, make a grand display. 

 I can particularly recommend the following for cut flow- 

 ers ; P. fragantissiiiium, R. Icevigatum, P. Edgeworthi, 

 P. ciliatum, etc. — A. Evans, in The Garden. 



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French Sugar Beets. — The deficit in the French beet 

 crop is estimated at 1,500,000 tons, and this will probably 

 seriously affect the sugar trade. The industry is, to a 

 great extent, subsidized by the government. At present 

 there are 413 factories at work, with steam up to 72,000 

 horse power, giving employment to 25,000 workmen, 

 among whom about $6,000,000 are annually distributed. 

 The beet crop is the second most important in French 

 agriculture, and its failure — which means a deficit of 

 600,000,000 pounds of sugar — is attributable to the com- 

 bined effects of a wet spring and a sunless summer. — 

 The Garden. 



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Agricultural Education in Wurtemburg is cared 

 for by numerous schools and societies, and appears to 

 be fully appreciated by the peasants and others. Al- 

 most every institution of this sort had greater demands 

 made upon it in 1889 than in the previous year. The 

 number of pupils in the schools increased so that new 

 schools were established. The travelling teachers of 

 husbandry, as well as those especially devoted to or- 

 chards and vineyards, were in great request among local 

 societies and by the communal authorities. Altogether, 

 some 23,400 persons attended agricultural schools or 

 lectures on husbandry during the year 1889. — Nature. 



