August 9, 1883 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
117 
- “ J. E.” wishes to know if the “ perpetual Strawberries ” 
alluded to in the Journal last week by Mr. Prestoe are merely im¬ 
proved Alpines, and whether the pollen of the Alpine or Hautbois Straw¬ 
berry will fertilise pistillate flowers of the commonly grown sorts. 
- A correspondent writes —“ I have just cut a Bromham Hall 
Melon 16 J lbs. in weight. Several gardeners told me this is a very 
remarkable size. Will your readers kindly tell me the weight of the 
largest they have heard of 1 ” 
- A charming little plant that is far too seldom seen in gardens 
is Galium rubrum, which might be applied to many uses in decorative 
purposes, particularly for bouquets and stands of flowers. It is dwarf, 
and produces such a number of small dark red flowers on slender feathery 
inflorescences that the plant appears quite a cloud of bloom, the foliage 
not being visible. The panicles or cymes of flowers are so light and 
graceful that their value is apparent at a glance, the stems being quite 
tine and hair-like. Any ordinary garden soil suits the plant, which at 
this time of year is in its best condition. It is a native of Italy, but has 
been an occupant of English gardens for something like 300 years. 
- The extent to which Chrysanthemums for affording cut 
blooms FOR market are grown is perhaps not fully appreciated by 
the public. A correspondent, who called on Mr. Stevens of Putney 
the other day, found some 3000 plants in pots, 500 of them being 
Elaine, in splendid condition, dwarf free-branching examples that are 
sure to produce fine blooms. Mr. Mahood of Putney, it is said, grows 
quite as many, and those who have seen the groups of plants arranged 
by both these cultivators at metropolitan shows know that they grow 
them well. In Mr. Stevens’ collection are many seedlings, some of 
which are expected to prove valuable, and are being propagated accord¬ 
ingly. These are only two out of dozens of growers of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums for market, and the demand for white blooms especially must 
be enormous. 
- The Waterloo, Seaforth, and Crosby Horticultural Society 
held their eighth annual Exhibition in grounds adjoining the station, 
instead of the Hydropathic Establishment, as in previous years. The 
Exhibition on the whole was a gigantic success, and the exhibits 
much superior to those staged at previous exhibitions. The most 
successful exhibitors, amongst others, were Mr. Woolham, gardener to 
•Colonel Blundell; Mr. E. R. Muspratt. Mr. J. Evison, gardener to the 
Hydropathic Company, was awarded the premier award for a group 
of plants arranged for effect. The first-named exhibitor was awarded 
the silver cup for the best model flower garden shown in the two 
classes provided for these in the schedule. 
- Hops from Australia.— A parcel of 900 cwt. of hops arrived 
in London from Australia last week, and as they are the first shipment 
-exported much interest has been created on the Hop Market. Although 
they have not paraded the matter much before European farmers, 
Australian agriculturists have for some years been devoting their 
attention to Hops, and the season which closed in March last has 
been a very successful one, the crop weighing about 19,000 cwts. The 
hops that have recently arrived were grown in several parts of Australia, 
also in Tasmania and New Zealand ; they are described as being of 
fair quality and well suited for brewing. Much attention is now being 
■given to hop cultivation in the Antipodes, the climate and soil being 
admirable, and vermin never destroying the plant. The harvest season 
is very different from ours, lasting, as it does, over two months, February 
and March. 
-A correspondent writes—“ I have recently seen some of 
the finest and best-grown specimens of Lilium speciosum roseum 
which have ever come under my attention before. They are in one 
of the houses at Shirecliffe Hall, Sheffield, the residence of J. Watson, 
Esq., and under the charge of Mr. J. Udale, who has evidently care¬ 
fully studied the requirements of these handsome Lilies, and with the 
most satisfactory results. The majority of the plants are 6 to 7 feet 
high, and bear from forty to sixty blooms, some of the flowers being 
8 to 9 inches in diameter from tip to tip of the petals. The colour, 
too; is extremely rich, and the beauty of this Lily can be most fully 
appreciated when seen in this condition. Many of your readers would 
undoubtedly be glad if Mr. Udale would record the treatment he has 
found so successful.” 
-Three additions to the excellent little holiday handbooks 
by Mr. Percy Lindley (125, Fleet Street) have reached us, which are 
well worthy of the attention of intending tourists on the Continent. 
One is devoted to “ The Moselle from the Franco-German Battlefields 
to the Rhine,” liberally illustrated and containing an abundance of 
historical and miscellaneous useful information with regard to the 
chief attractions of the leading towns, hotels, conveyances, &c. A 
second is entitled “ A Trip to the Ardennes,” briefly describing the 
towns that can be seen in a fortnight’s holiday, including Antwerp, 
Brussels, Namur, Dinant, Spa, Liege, Chaudfontaine, &c. The thiid 
is devoted to “ The Amsterdam Exhibition and Dead Cities of the 
Zuyder Zee.” This is in a similar style to the preceding, and equally 
useful. The extremely moderate price—one penny—at which these 
handbooks are issued must render them very popular, and the semi¬ 
official character of their contents renders them fully reliable—a most 
valuable recommendation. 
- Mr. T. Moore, Sutton, Surrey, sends the following additional 
note on Strawberries attacked by mice :—“ In the Journal of 
July 12th, page 24, Mr. Mathew relates an instance of losing his crop 
of Strawberries by field mice. I can also give an instance, which 
occurred last summer. On some land I used for kitchen garden I had 
a plantation of Strawberries (about two roods), which produced a 
great amount of foliage, the soil being all clay. I intended gathering 
the fruit for preserving, but to my surprise I found the best of the 
ripe fruit already gathered, and on my searching the bed I found the 
fruit had been plucked with a short portion of stalk and hidden in 
small heaps of from a handful to a pint in each heap in various parts 
of the bed, which I at once concluded had been done by mice, and 
further on searching I saw two large field mice making their escape 
by leaping above the foliage, as it was too thick for them to get 
through easily. I have not in nearly forty years’ experience ever 
noticed such an occurrence before.” 
- A colonial paper states that the Taro plant, which con¬ 
stitutes the principal article of diet amongst the natives of many of 
the South Sea islands, has been cultivated for years on many of the 
sugar plantations of Queensland for the use of kanakas. It has not 
come into general consumption amongst the white population, although 
it is said to be a very healthy vegetable, equal, if not superior, to 
the Sweet Potato. It has recently been introduced into some of the 
Southern States of America, where it is not only relished as a vege¬ 
table, but has been found a most excellent food for horses and cattle. 
The Taro grows to greater perfection in the island of Tanna than in 
any of the other islands, cn account of the great depth and freeness 
of soil in that island. The natives cultivate it, like the Yams, on the 
tops of mounds of finely pulverised earth. When grown on land culti¬ 
vated by the plough, it is usual to plant it on the tops of large drills 
prepared by hilling up together three or four furrows. A very good 
starch and a very fair arrowroot are made from the bulb. It can only 
be cultivated with success, however, on fine alluvial soil such as is to 
be found along the banks of rivers. 
- In an interesting article on forest rambles in Madeira, 
by Mr. H. G. Guillemard, published in the “Journal of Forestry” for 
the present month, occurs the following passage describing the scenery 
and vegetation:—“Leaving Funchal on a brilliant morning in early 
November, on a tour round the island, my hammock-men bore me 
steadily up one of the numerous steep paved roads leading up to the 
main mountain range, which bisects the island. The city lay round 
its blue bay, bathed in glorious sunshine, which sparkled in the dew- 
drops on the lovely clusters of Maidenhair Fern on the old walls, and 
showed up the full beauty of the crimson and purple Bougainvillea, 
which covered verandahs and trellises with superb masses of colour 
The mountain peaks were still wrapped in fleecy clouds as the morning 
mists rose slowly from the ravines and lower slopes, whose terraced 
gardens, tiny fields of Sugarcane, groves of Bananas and Oranges, and 
spreading vineyards pleated the eye with a hundred varying shades 
of green; and over the entire amphitheatre of hills the prismatic 
colours of the morning mist-bow, which forms one of the attractions 
of the mountain view from Funchal, shone in perfect beauty. Down 
the side of the steeply graded road a mountain rill of the clearest 
coldest water was rushing, white with foam ; over the walls of the 
numerous quintas hung trailers of the heavenly blue Ipomma, bright 
Plumbago and gorgeous Passion-flower, above which the feathery 
fronds of the Date Palm and the exquisite light-green leaves of the 
