4 86 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE 



tion from the forests of old, now represented by coal. When, however, 

 we regard the gigantic forests of the world, and the immense amount 

 of wild vegetation generally distributed, and always draining upon the 

 store, and laying up as it were in Earth's bosom, as leaf-mould and peat, 

 the incipient coal beds of the future, we are puzzled to conceive how 

 the equilibrium is really maintained, and an adequate supply kept up. 



IS THE CULTURE OF SMALL FRUITS DECREASING ? 



Notwithstanding the fact that the agricultural returns for 1897 



both in habit of growth and in the shape and anr*» a " — 



at different periods, Lady Suffield attaining nST?"" ° f the fruit « «d 



the other variety, Tl" 

 Suffield will commend 



attaining maturity ten day 



J*, rip* 



characteristic of a strawberry. 



oWst 



lose who regard high quality „ th ' "* H 

 Lord Suffield U one tftfT Ib I*3 

 highly- flavoured strawberries grown at Gunton Park and as "t ^ 

 and rather late it is regarded as of special value. Mr All h * 

 gathering from it when we were at Gunton Park on the ^ }U 

 J - J *- Laxton's Latest - • - -- ine 22nd in st-. 1 



Cr °K*t 



Weedkiller 



In recording a short time 



have been so considerably amplified as to form a somewhat portly labouring man from the effects of drinking weedkiller we* the . dcalh <* * 

 volume, the information relating to bush and orchard fruits has been ' esae t * 



garden 



greatly reduced, and the tables giving the acreage of market gardens 

 have been discontinued. These changes appear to us undesirable, and 

 having regard to the importance of market gardening and fruit culture, 

 we trust that in subsequent returns these industries will obtain fuller 

 recognition. We have no longer the tables showing at a glance the 

 acreage of small fruits grown in orchards and in open quarters. The 

 two systems are lumped together, and as the acreage in 1897 only is Jj'^J^ 

 given, we have to search through the tables containing the whole of the 



casks 



appears still more so in the case of a man who°h^ LS^jffg * 

 principal universities in Scotland, and who is described as having be * 



grown 



an increase or decrease as compared with the preceding year in the acre- 

 age of small fruits. In examining these tables, we were not a little surprised 

 to find an apparently substantial decline in nearly the whole of the 

 counties of Great Britain, the aggregate being 6.453 acres. We find for so unwise 1 

 example that according to the returns there were decreases of about two but seeing 

 hundred acres in Berks, Chester, Dorset, Essex, Gloucester and Notts ;of containing 



about three hundred acres in Norfolk and the West 



hundred acres in Lancaster ; of four hundred and fifty acres in Hereford 



interested in science. It appears that a few days since the Rev T Th * 

 minister of the parish church, Arbroath^visited, with his wife Thom *»» 

 for the purpose of seeing the historic castle and the famous gardens^and 



the c 



tour of inspection. It is stated that the barrel containing the weedkMeTw'as 5 taJ 

 near the stair leading to the armoury, and that attached to it was an old" st- 

 and spigot, while on each end of the barrel was printed the word poison S 2}°° 

 withstanding these facts Mr. Thomson drank a quantity of the liquid and b 

 very short time was seized by violent pains, and suffered intense agony untiihu 

 deatn, which occurred on the following day. We cannot understand anyone bant 

 so unwise as to drink liquid from a barrel without first ascertaining its character 



n g the casks 

 applying the 



liquid to the walks, under lock and key. 



London Parks and Gardens.— In the course of the annual address on the 



on nearly one half the area of the preceding year; and of nearly six work of the Council during 1897-8, Mr. T. McKinnon Wood, Chairman of the 



hundred acres in Kent. As there has been a continuous increase in the London County Council, said that the last year had not witnessed the addition of 



acreage during the past ten years, and planters were apparently as active an y lar S e P ark within the count y to th « possessions of the people, but the committee 



in the planting season of 1896-97 as in preceding years, we turned to the ^ ere ab,e t0 * e P ort lhat it had secured seven small open spaces and playgrounds in 

 introduction with some degree of interest for the purpose of obtaining 

 some explanation of this remarkable change. Here we found the 



reduction in the figures was not due to a diminution in the area, but to P °° r f T- Tv! * \ 7?*% ? C ° mdl ^ ^ 



the use of a new schedule, which it is believed ensures more correct S^ jJ^ ^m** of one large and beautiful open space 7 Churchyud 



the poorer and more densely-populated parts of the metropolis, amounting to ninety 

 and a half acres in all. The value of these playgrounds for the children of the 



returns. Major Graigie states: "The use of the new schedule has 

 brought to light in somewhat numerous instances, cases where the older 

 entries necessitated a careful inquiry, which showed that there had been 



in some places in former 



distingush 



the 



classes 



years a failure by the 

 of fruit 



to 



properly 



occupiers 

 included under 



Wood— which, 



though just outside the county boundary, would doubtless be largely used by the 

 dense population in the north-west of the county, to whom it was easily accessible. 



Recent Flora of Great Britain. —The investigation of the geologkil 



history of the recent flora of Great Britain has engaged the attention of Mr. 

 Clement Reid for many years past, and the results he has obtained are of muck 



mis nead, and errors were found in many counties in the interest. From the recent report on his investigations it is evident that much new 



measurement of the small fruit areas lying within orchards and gardens, information has been obtained during the past ten years. In the table showing 



but occupied at the same time by fruit-bearing bushes." It follows, there- the geological range of the various species of British plants which have been 



fore, that the apparent total reduction of upwards of six thousand acres is found in a fossil state, about one-seventh of our flowering plants are recorded- 



made up of revisions and corrections, and it is surprising steps should not The orders most strongly represented are mainly those which possess bard 



have been taken to obtain a greater degree of accuracy in previous years fruits or seeds specially adapted for dispersal, and those with deciduous leaves, 



than appears to have been the case. It is stated that there are instances Mr ' Reid "remarks that it is doubtful whether a single one of our flowering plants 



in the collectors' reports where the discontinuance of fruit growing is is » strictl y speaking, a native of Britain. The whole flora has originated probably 



noted, and the contraction of area is ascribed to the competition of fruit in otl ] er ji a i nd various parts of the world. We find many of the species were merely 



imports from the Channel Islands, and elsewhere. We have no doubt " ^ " ** *"* **" 

 there has been a contraction in some districts, but there has been 

 an increase in others, and we are fully persuaded that the imports 

 of soft fruits have not had the effect of diminishing the area by a 

 single acre in Great Britain, and that the increase in the actual area was 

 as large in 1897 as in the preceding year. There has of late years been 

 a material increase in the imports of gooseberries and currants from the 



stranded by successive waves of migration, which have brought together a variety 

 of continental forms, some Arctic, some Southern, a few even American. These 

 migrations were, in Mr. Reid's opinion, mainly compelled by climatic changes, 

 though other agencies have played an important part. He thinks it probable that 

 a far larger proportion of our plants was introduced by human agency than u 

 generally believed to have been the case. 



Potato Spraying.— The Bill promoted with the object of providing the 



( ontinent hu* l* • ~ T — T" Irish f a™ers with machines and materials with which to spray their poUtos was 



IZ « ^ , 1 ^ ? aVC n0t b . Ce ? SUftlCient t0 a PP rec,abl .y "duce the read a second time in the House of Commons on Wednesday. In the course of 



prices, and it may be assumed that a substantial reduction in values 

 would alone bring about a material contraction of area. The imports 

 of soft fruits from the Channel Islands that can be grown in the open, 



are so small that they certainly have not influenced prices or the area 

 devoted to them. 



the discussion Colonel Lockwood complained that the Essex farmers had not yet 

 enjoyed similar privileges, and expressed the hope that in the next session the 

 necessary steps would be taken by the Government to provide the farmers wi 

 spraying machines. The gallant colonel received the assurance of support hm 

 some other Members, and we would suggest that he should go several slept 



New Strawberries formed a remarkably interesting feature of the meeting 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society on Tuesday, and it was satisfactory to have 

 such conclusive evidence of continued efforts in the improvement of the strawberry. 

 « essrs. Laxton Brothers exhibited a Urge basket uf fruit of their new variety, 



in our issue of the 23rd inst. This variety 

 and *7 * 3 a he -y -PPer, and the fruits are large, handsome! 



"il v lue £ main U ^ ?° ^ ° f ^ ^' * Dd * *™<™> « 



S tVeen T' ^ °fh ^ ^ L"S* 



seison if u • l , . Uessrs - Laxton in lengthening the strawberry 



Committee his new strawberry Ladv *1 u ^ A ,ubm,tted t0 the Fruit 

 opinion wc expressed *SSJdS it ' ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 



of seeing the strawU-rries at Gunton tT^l ^ " °PP 0rtunit y 



in 1897, Lady Suffield was bearing JiT & ° rt time SinCe » and » was the 



were somewhat afrardthauht lsfn 7 "° P - " 



but on Tuesday Mr. Allan submitted^ ^ WaS t0 ° mUCh Hke L ° rd Suffield » 

 commitf». — .1 . . . . utea plants and : 



ize the chi 



two strawberries are perfectly distinct 



lifted 



the 



Last 



th,™ tk *° ,c 10 tu »ly recognize 



Ul'.ni. There is a family liL-»n— . L b 



varieties 



points of difference between 



t J 0 .1 I I, L'V* V . I 



and marketed at the expense of the State. 



Early Peaches have had a full share of attention given the 

 Gardeners' Magazine, for we have from the first recognized the importance^ 

 prolonging the season of these delicious fruits by the introduction or o'»<^ 

 attaining maturity early in the summer. At no time are peaches and nee ^ 

 more thoroughly enjoyed than during hot weather, and the fruit of variet,e ' Jt 

 ripen in July, if not equal in size and flavour to that of the best of those in W ^ 

 in August, is invariably highly appreciated. Our esteemed coadjutor, * u. • 

 Cook, of Compton Bassett, has reminded us of the value of the early oeac : . ^ 

 sending us two fruits each of Amsden Tune and Waterloo, which, it not ^ i 

 size and flavour to Bellegarde or Noblesse, are large enough to form an m ^ 

 dish and sufficiently luscious to satisfy the epicure. Mr. Cook states 

 gathered the first dish from the outdoor trees on July it, and that be B0« 

 from the open walls exceedingly useful thus early in the season. 4 

 readily believe, as they commence to ripen when strawberries are becoming 

 and in advance of the finest of the dessert plums and the early — 1 



fruit 



comparatively scarce 



pears, 



l,TAms. where tae 



paratively 



