JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
486 
much cheaper than at home, flour being £9 per ton, bread 5d. 
per 4 lb. loaf, beef and mutton from 2 \d. to 5 d. per lb. according 
to cut ; so that it is very evident that a wide difference exists 
between the labouring classes of England and Tasmania. 
“Wiltshire Rector” suggests that to further the greater 
use of vegetables, a daily visitation of all streets and alleys with 
carts and barrows should be made. Such a course would, I 
think, result in increased sales, as it has done here in the colonies ; 
although not by carts and barrows only, but latterly more espe¬ 
cially by the Chinamen, who with bamboo baskets carry Carrots, 
Parsnips, Potatoes, Beans, Peas, Cabbages, Cucumbers, Marrows, 
salading, &c,, and fruit in season, daily tread through every street 
and corner, so that consumers have any vegetable they wish thus 
brought before them daily. 
It is surprising the amount of patience and perseverance that 
“ John ” exhibits in carrying such heavy loads upon the bamboo 
day after day, often under a scorching hot sun. They start early 
in the morning upon their rounds, taking separate districts, and 
after serving their customers return to work in their gardens after 
their own peculiar fashion of multitudinous beds and alleys ; all 
their beds being about 3 feet wide and flat on the top, and raised 
about 6 or 9 inches by the taking-out of the alley between, just 
allowing room enough to work between. Thus the ground after 
being worked is never trod upon, as all operations are carried on 
from the dividing alleys. They appear to be excellent judges of 
what to grow and how to grow it profitably, as they reject all 
crops that are a long time in coming to maturity, selecting princi¬ 
pally small things, such as salading, Cucumbers, Vegetable 
Marrows, Kidney Beans, and Tomatoes, which they grow largely 
and well, preferring to buy the heavier vegetables off European 
growers. Although there is a great outcry in all the colonies 
against the Chinese as immigrants, yet they are patronised to a 
great extent in the sale of their vegetables. 
Launceston is said to possess the most abundant supply of water 
for domestic purposes of any town in the Australian colonies, 
which is brought into the town by iron pipes from the St. Patrick 
river, some twelve miles distant. The Municipal Council grant a 
supply of water for gardening purposes upon payment of special 
rates, which is an inestimable boon in this dry and, in summer, 
very hot climate. This year has been very trying to gardeners ; 
the spring was late and very wet, with quite a plague of slugs, 
which made havoc amongst the Peas and Carrots especially, two 
and three sowings having to be made. After a wet spring hot 
and dry weather set in early in December, as on December 4th I 
planted out a large breadth of Cauliflower, Savoys, and Broccoli, 
and after this date until March 25th no rain fell in sufficient 
quantity to penetrate the soil to much advantage to the crops. 
English gardeners can form some idea of the effect of such a 
drought on tender crops under a burning sun, a cloudy day being 
very rare, and often high winds prevail, drying up everything. 
Under these circumstances a water tap is a great help, as without 
its aid not many tender crops would survive and be fit for market. 
Tomatoes have during the present season been largely grown 
here, and have done remarkably well. Year by year the con¬ 
sumption of Tomatoes increases, and as this climate suits their 
growth the fruit forms a leading article of food during the season. 
The land is prepared for them as for Potatoes—by ploughing 
twice, harrowing fine, and planting 3 feet 6 inches apart each way, 
then keeping the land clean. This is all the attention they 
receive (no stakes, tying, stopping, See.), and they continue to 
ripen up till the end of April, when they are cut by frost. 
If of any interest to your readers I will endeavour to send you 
a few occasional notes from Tasmania.—F. Walker. 
[Such notes as you can send will be very welcome.] 
The action brought by Her Majesty’s Commissioners of the 
Exhibition of 1851 against the Royal Horticultural So¬ 
ciety and the debenture holders to recover possession of South 
Kensington Garden was yesterday morning decided in favour 
of the Society, and dismissed with costs, by Mr. Justice Fry, 
after an elaborate j udgment, which we shall give in extenso next 
week. 
—- We have received a plant of Pauline Strawberry from 
[ June 16, 1881. 
Mr. George Paul of Cheshunt, bearing a heavy crop of fine ripe 
fruit. The plant has been dug from the ground, and in the 
absence of any communication to the contrary we presume has 
been grown without protection. The distinct earliness with the 
good size and quality of the peculiar elongated fruit now before us 
are particularly noteworthy. This Strawberry was figured and 
described on page 53 of our last volume. 
- The weather last week was of an extraordinary character, 
snow having fallen in northern districts ; and a Lincolnshire 
correspondent informs us that “frosts on the night of the 7th 
and 8th inst. quite killed rows of Scarlet Runners, and blackened 
the growths of the Potatoes in many gardens.” We are able to 
confirm this statement, as we travelled through the county this 
week and observed by the side of the railway similar results to 
those alluded to of frost in June. 
- At a General Meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society held on Tuesday last, Major F. Mason in the chair, the 
following candidates were duly elected Fellows of the Society— 
viz., Capt. G. W. Archer, r.e. ; Capt. 0. Barwell, Lowther Bridger, 
George Frederick Butt,lfi|eyald Carew, Octavius L. Ciare, John 
Collinson, W. L. Corey,^S mbs F. de Witte, John F. Yesey Fitz¬ 
Gerald, Mrs. Joseph Gibbs, Capt. J. C. GifEard, Capt. H. L. 
Hallewell, Viscount Hawarden, Sigmond HofEunny, J. C. Hum¬ 
phreys, Henry James, Mrs. Kearsey, Wm. Ramsay L’Amy, D. P. 
Loe, Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart., E. D. Morgan, Mrs. Moul, Mrs. 
Murphy, J. D, Paul, Sir Ughtred Kay Shuttleworth, Bart., Colin 
W. Simson, George M. Smith, Lt.-Col. J. Stanley, Wm. Swinscow, 
Mrs. Arthur Tower, George T. Y. Wills, and Henry Maitland 
Wilson. Mrs. Swinscow was elected a guinea Member, 
- Dai-kou.—A correspondent asks what is the botanical 
name and description of this very large Radish-like root so called 
by the Japanese. He states that a traveller has suggested it 
would be valuable as food for cattle. 
-- We are informed that Mr. Clark, gardener, Whitley Park 
near Tynemouth, was very successful last winter in Forcing the 
Common Wood Hyacinth. He simply lifted clumps of bulbs 
from the ground, potted and placed them in the forcing house, 
and treated them as ordinary forced plants. It stands well when 
cut, and is invaluable for mixing with all kinds of white flowers. 
- “ Cornish Subscriber ” writes as follows on Crickets 
on Cucumbers —“ Twelve months since I erected a forcing house 
for the growth of Cucumbers. As soon as forcing was com¬ 
menced I heard a cricket or two. No notice was taken of them 
at the time ; now the house is swarming with them. They eat 
the leaves, but worst of all they bite the fruit, the least touch 
turning the Cucumbers very crooked, and I have scarcely one 
straight. If anyone can inform me through the Journal of a 
good method of extirpating the pest I shall be very grateful.” 
- Gardeners or horticulturists who visit Newcastle-on- 
Tyne this summer may spend an enjoyable, easy, and profitable 
day by leaving that town by the 10.25 A.M., book for Pensher or 
Fencehouses. If the former, after a short walk you arrive at Bed- 
dick Hall, the seat of Mr. Morton, a fine old-fashioned place ; 
from thence Lambton Castle is easily reached. A quick half 
hour’s walk takes you from thence to Chester-le-Street, close to 
which is the celebrated Red Rose Vineries of Mr. Witherspoon. 
Southill, the residence of Lindsay Wood, Esq., is highly worthy 
of a visit, and can be easily reached in twenty minutes by walk¬ 
ing from the Red Rose Vineries, and the scenery is perhaps not 
excelled in the north of England. Mr. Thomson is the able 
gardener at Southill, and has much to show the friends who visit 
him. A train returns from Durham at about 8 P.M., which 
speedily conveys you back to Newcastle. 
