208 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September G, 1&83. 
Leeks and Onions being always extraordinary. This year he has 
surpassed himself, if one may judge from appearances, and though he 
has shown none yet they will likely be heard of ere long. In the 
same gardens the Grape and Peach houses are very badly situated, 
being placed in a bog, in fact. In the stokehole is a spring of water 
largely impregnated with iron. Under these circumstances mildew 
is a constant enemy, and has constantly to be fought. Dusting with 
sulphur Mr. Glass finds quite useless for this purpose ; but a preparation 
made by boiling lime and sulphur in water, afterwards decanting the 
brandy-looking liquid into bottles, using a little in the water with 
which the trees are syringed, he finds effectual.” 
A \\ iltshire correspondent writes :—“ "We have recently cut 
an Autumn Giant Cauliflower 4 feet in circumference. This may 
possibly be interesting to some of your readers. Such a production 
however, is quite unfit for a gentleman’s table, and at best should be 
regarded only as a monstrosity.” 
The nineteenth annual Exhibition of the Kickmansworth 
Cottagers Horticultural Society was recently held in the Old 
Pleasure Grounds, Moor Park, the seat of Lord Ebury, by permission 
of his lordship, who is President of the Society. The vegetables and 
fruit shown were of excellent quality and more largely shown than 
usual, especially Potatoes and Apples, which this year exceed the 
average. 
Relative to examining the subsoil of gardens, “ F. J.” asks 
If there is an instrument made something like a carpenter’s gouge that 
could be worked into the soil and take up a sample from 3 or 4 feet 
deep, for the purpose of seeing whether it is moist enough P It would be 
much more expeditious than digging a hole.” 
The statistical bulletin of the German Empire reports that the 
number of persons who cultivated the Tobacco Plant in Germany 
was 215,249, and that the area under cultivation was about 55,000 acres 
showing a decrease of 30,000 planters and 13,000 acres on the year 1881 [ 
The largest area of land under Tobacco cultivation last year was in the 
Grand Duchy of Baden (17,000 acres), and then came Prussia (8,200 
acres), Bavaria (8,000 acres), Alsace-Lorraine (7,500 acres), and Hesse' 
Darmstadt (2,400 aeres). The total weight of the Tobacco crop when 
dried was 38,850 tons, as compared with 61,315 tons in 1881, and of this 
quantity 11,670 tons came from the Grand Duchy of Baden, 9,884 from 
Prussia, 8,383 from Bavaria, 6,674 from Alsace-Lorraine, and 1,129 from 
Hesse. 
- The finest specimens of Darlingtonia californica to be 
found in any private collection, or, we almost incline to add, public 
collection either, is one in the gardens at Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin- 
In height, size, and breadth of dome its pitchers exceed even those of the 
famous specimen in the Glasnevin Gardens, and nothing can exceed the 
health, cleanliness, and vigour of the plant, which numbers, large and 
small, some score of its marvellous leaf-developments, some of them fully 
3 feet high, their tessellated and semi-transparent domes being fully a 
span or more across. Whatever Mr. Duncan Welsh, the deservedly 
esteemed and very capable gardener at Mount Merrion, takes in hand he 
is sure to make it a success, and he is to be congratulated on having been 
pre-eminently so in his treatment of this, one of the most singular pro¬ 
ductions of the vegetable kingdom.— (Irish Farmers' Gazette.') 
The result of planting operations in the Government Cinchona 
plantations in Bengal during 1882-83 shows a total of 50,000 trees 
less than in the returns of 1881-82, which is attributed to the uprooting 
of a large number of hybrid varieties, and about 160,000 Red Bark trees. 
The total number of Cinchona trees of all sorts at the close of the year 
was 4,/11,168, and the crop was the largest yet harvested, amounting to 
396,980 lbs. of dry bark. The whole of the produce was made over to 
the factory, except about 41,800 lbs. of bark, which, at the request of 
the Secretary of State, was sent to London to be there converted into 
various forms of febrifuge, and returned to this country for trial by the 
Medical Department, 
- The Tropical Agriculturist gives the following respecting 
Burmese Fruits. Every steamer from Moulmein and the south now 
brings large consignments of Durions to Rangoon. The fruit, the rind 
of which has a most overpowering and peculiar smell, is in high favour 
with the Burmese and with many Europeans, and is borne by Durio 
zibethinus, a member of the family Sterculiacem. Another fruit or seed 
with a still more noxious odour than the Durion finds great favour with 
the Burmese, who eat it with their nappi and curries. It is called' 
Tanienthee, and, like the Durion, is just coming into season. I never 
heard of its having any bad effect on the Burmese, who consider it an 
excellent tonic, digestive, and appetiser. I have met with some old 
stagers among Europeans who can stand this fruit too, but their numbers 
are insignificant compared to the European lovers of Durion. The Man- 
gosteen, too, is brought here in large quantities from Moulmein and the 
Straits. I never heard of anyone who did not appreciate this cooling 
and delicious fruit. We have a few trees in some of the gardens here, 
but they do not thrive well. In Moulmein the Chinese gardeners grow 
large quantities, and the fruit is very plentiful here at times. In the. 
Burmese times no subject was allowed to own a Durion tree, which was 
as strict a Government monopoly as the Teak tree is in our own time. 
Possibly to this fact may be attributed the small number of fruit-bearing- 
Durion trees there are in Rangoon. In the southern districts, which.’ 
have been under British rule so much longer, they are plentiful enough. 
- The Durion, or Civet Durion, specially referred to in the 
above note, is considered one of the most delicious fruits of the Indian. 
Archipelago. At first it is regarded with great repugnance, the foetid 
odour which it yields being, it is said, almost intolerable ; even the rind 
emits such an offensive smell that in Amboyna it is prohibited by law 
from being thrown near the public highways. The smell has been com¬ 
pared by some to decaying animal matter, and by others to rotten Onions ;. 
but all who have experienced these agree in stating that, when once, 
overcome, the fruit of the Durion is most enticing and delicious. The 
fruit is as large as a very large Melon, and covered on the outside with 
soft spines, like the pod of a Chestnut. The eatable part of it is that 
aril-like substance which contains the kernels, and which most resembles 
cream or blancmange. It is called duryovon by the natives, who, when, 
they have eaten too much, chew the betel to promote digestion. This 
fruit is said to be used as a bait to entrap the civet cat, which is very 
fond of it, and hence its name. 
- Mr. J. Mallender, The Gardens, Hodsock Priory, Worksop,, 
Notts, sends the following record of the weather in AUGUST —“ Amount 
of sunshine 162-7 hours, being 36 per cent, of possible duration ; only- 
one sunless day. Total rainfall, 0 99 inch ; rain fell on thirteen, 
days—less rain than in any of the previous eight Augusts. Mean, 
temperature of month, 58-7, being the lowest for several years except 
1881. The hottest day was the 26th, 76 0° ; coldest day, 24th, 41-2°„ 
Maximum in the sun, 133 - 3° ; minimum on grass, 39 2°. Mean tempe¬ 
rature of air at 9 A.M., . 60-7°; mean temperature of soil 1 foot deep, 
59-5°. Highest reading of barometer on the 23rd, 30-311°; lowest on 
the 10th, 29-411°. The harvest began generally about the 20th ult_ 
Wasps very numerous, I have destroyed thirty-six nests during the. 
last fortnight within half a mile of these gardens, and still the wasps, 
come.” 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
CHISWICK, August 30th, 1883. 
At a meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Committee, held at Chiswick 
on the above date, Charles Silverlock, Esq., in the chair, the collections of 
Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Onions growing in the garden were severally ex¬ 
amined, first-class certificates being awarded to the following :_ 
Tomato Improved Large Orange (Henderson).—Fruits large, round smooth • 
deep orange-yellow in colour. Very handsome. 
Tomato Chiswick Red. —A selection from General Garfield. Fruits medium¬ 
sized, obovate, smooth : deep red. Very productive. 
Onion White Globe (Vilmorin).—Bulbs medium size, of a true globular- 
shape, remarkably firm and solid, with a very white silvery skin. Very 
handsome and distinct. 
Potato Welford Park Kidney (Ross).—White kidney, fine handsome shape 
clear skin. Excellent cropper. r 
Potato Beauty of Eydon (Hughes).—Large, oblong, fine clear skin. Very- 
heavy cropper. Fine quality. J 
Potato Midsummer Kidney (Dean).—Large, long, clear skin. As early as- 
the Ashleaf and with larger tubers. Fine quality. 
Potato Snowdrop (Perkins).—Somewhat resembling Snowflake but of 
firmer texture, and better colour and quality. An extraordinary cropper. 
Potato Clarke's Maincrop (Clarke).—Type of Magnum Bonum. Early.. 
Great cropper and fine quality. 
Potato Desideratum (W. Smith).—Long kidney, skin of a dull fawn colour^ 
Moderate cropper. Extra fine quality. 
GAILLARDIAS. 
The genus Gaillardia, though small, includes some of our most useful 
hardy flowers, and it is surprising in how few collections these beautiful, 
plants are cultivated. 
G. pulchella, the subject of the accompanying woodcut, is a perennial 
