170 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
t August 25, 1881. 
Doyennes, and I hope to have some perfect fruit of Red 
Doyenne and Doyenne Defais, two of the most difficult Pears 
to bring to perfection. I hope to give a detailed account of 
the Pears later on. 
Apples are also plentiful upon trees trained and untrained, 
pruned and unpruned, so that no merit can be claimed on the 
score of culture ; the palm for quantity being certainly borne 
away by many a huge old standard with its twenty or more 
bushels of fruit. Joanneting is now in use for dessert, and 
Duchess of Olden burgh for cooking. There are plenty of 
Quinces and Medlars, both of the large Dutch Medlar and the 
better-flavoured little Nottingham variety. The trees of 
Siberian Crab, too, are very attractive with a heavy crop of the 
bright-coloured clusters of fruits. 
Bush fruit of all kinds is in profusion. The Raspberries 
in trenches, mentioned on page 149, have a magnificent crop, 
which was much benefited during the excessive heat by heavy 
soakings of sewage water, ■which was also given freely to 
Gooseberries and Currants. Why is not that remarkable Red 
Currant Raby Castle more generally grown ? It is an abun¬ 
dant cropper, the fruit is large, hangs late, and the bunches 
are so long as to be singularly ornamental. A bunch now 
beside me on my desk is almost 8 inches long, and it has up¬ 
wards of two dozen fruit upon it. The American Blackberry, 
always abundant, appears to be unusually so this year. Even 
where its fruit is not cared for for making jelly, a place 
should be afforded it for the sake of its ornamental appearance. 
The Walnut trees here have a heavier crop of nuts than 
they have had for nine or ten years. Filberts, too, are very 
plentiful, Pearson's Prolific as usual having a much heavier 
crop than any other, not even excepting Kentish Cob, which 
in comparison appears to have only half a crop, so heavily are 
all the trees laden of Pearson’s most valuable seedling.— 
Edward Luckhurst. 
DEATH AND FUNERAL OF MADAME VAN IIOUTTE. 
Horticulturists in all lands will regret to learn of the 
death of this estimable lady, which occurred under peculiarly 
sorrowful circumstances on Thursday last, the 18th inst., at the 
Royal Nurseries, Gendbrugge, Ghent. Madame Van Houtte 
descended from a Flemish family of honourable position, and was 
the second wife and fellow labourer of her husband, who founded 
the great businsss, which she has, since his death on May 9th, 
1876, assisted by her family and skilled foremen, so successfully 
conducted. 
The deceased lady combined with a singularly kind and sympa¬ 
thetic disposition an extraordinary capacity for business, and for 
twelve hours every day she laboured unceasingly in the conduct 
of the establishment, and with her accomplished daughters gave 
to everything, including business and foreign correspondence, 
personal attention, the practical management of the nursery 
devolving on her son, Mr. Louis Van Houtte, and the highly 
skilled and confidential foreman Mr. Charles Van Eechaute. Still, 
Madame Van Houtte was the head of the family, and the mourn¬ 
ful blank caused by her death is felt as a calamity throughout 
the establishment. 
A few weeks ago—the deceased lady being then in her usual 
health—two men employed in the establishment were drowned in 
the river that skirts the nursery. Immediately on the occurrence 
of the fatality, a man who had witnessed the accident rushed into 
the room of his mistress in a state of terror, and the shock to her 
system, consequent on the manner in which the lamentable news 
was communicated, was so great that it ended in her death in the 
71st year of her age. The nursery on the day of our visit was a 
scene of woe that cannot be described, as a great bond of sympathy 
has always existed between employers and employes in the estab¬ 
lishment. This is evident by the fact that there are twelve men 
there occupying positions of trust whose united term of servitude 
amounts to four hundred years—a circumstance sufficiently rare 
to merit record. 
The funeral took place on the following Saturday, and as it was 
so different in its ceremonial from English interments it may be 
briefly described. We must premise that Belgium is a Catholic 
country. The entrance hall of the residence was transformed 
into a chapel, adorned with rich hangings, and the coffin was 
surrounded with tall tapers, and floral crowns were arranged at 
the foot. These so-called crowns are offerings of the family and 
friends, and are really huge wreaths, mostly oval in form and 
8 to 4 feet high. There were a great number of them, and some 
were extremely beautiful. Nearly every crown had what may be 
termed a framework of leaves of Cycas revoluta ; the base of two 
leaves are secured together, and the tops being also brought 
together, form a natural and most elegant oval. When the leaves 
were not long enough for this, they simply formed a cross in the 
centre of the crown ; but it is quite evident that they are con¬ 
sidered indispensable in ceremonies of this kind, and the result is 
that, in Germany especially, the demand for large plants of this 
Cycas is always great, as the leaves can be readily sold by those 
who possess them at remunerative prices. Attached to each 
crown is what is termed “the ribbon.” This is a ribbon of silk, 
about 3 inches wide and perhaps 4 feet long, each ribbon con¬ 
taining some motto in ornamental letters—an expression of regret 
or sentiment of esteem of the contributor in memory of the 
deceased. These ribbons are preserved by the family and 
cherished. 
On the coffin being brought outside, the crown-bearers, two to 
each floral tribute, were arranged around it, and addresses were 
delivered by Messrs. Auguste Van Geert and Rodigas. The pro¬ 
cession then formed ; three acolytes, boys in scarlet and white, 
bearing a large silver cross and banners, then three priests in 
black velvet robes trimmed with silver, with their servitors in 
black and white. Boys bearing the smaller crowns preceded the 
coffin, and men bearing the larger followed, with the relatives, 
friends, and attendants, the whole forming an immense cavalcade. 
The priests chanted the service as they proceeded through the 
nursery, and at the gate a brass band lent its accompaniment. 
This then headed the procession and performed funeral marches 
to the cemetery. It should be said the ladies of the family left 
in carriages before the coffin was removed from the house—not 
funeral coaches, as with us, nor at what we understand as a 
“ funeral pace,” but ordinary carriages, the horses starting at a 
brisk trot. The whole ceremony was strange to English eyes, and 
imposing, especially by the great concourse of followers. The 
150 nurseries of Ghent must have been represented, and 160 men 
from the establishment besides other friends were there. Had 
the funeral been postponed for another day or two the assemblage 
would have been much larger, for not in Ghent only, but in 
Brussels and Antwerp, the one theme on the lips of all horticul¬ 
turists was the death of Madame Van Houtte, accompanied with 
expressions of deep regret at her loss, and sympathy with the 
family, which is evidently held in great esteem by all. 
Such is a brief description of the funeral ceremony of the 
lamented head of a great establishment, and the record of it may 
not be unacceptable to the readers of this Journal, in consequence 
partly of its novelty, but especially in having reference to a name 
that is “ familiar as household words ” in this country, and pro¬ 
portionally respected. 
The business of the Royal Nursery will, it is expected, be 
conducted as usual, Mr. Van Houtte having foremen of more than 
twenty years’ standing in every department, acting under the ex¬ 
perienced supervision of Mr. Van Eechaute who has been engaged 
for thirty-seven years in the establishment. He is still in the 
prime of life, and is devoted to the business as if it were his own 
possession ; therefore little if any change from a trade point of 
view can be expected to occur. 
AUTUMN PROPAGATION OF BEDDING PLANTS. 
Pelargoniums .—One of the effects of the past dry summer—I 
say “ past,” as it does not appear we are to have much more real 
summer weather—will be to delay the propagation of a stock of 
plants for next season’s display. Pelargoniums in most districts, 
and especially where the soil is very poor consequent upon being 
constantly occupied by either winter or summer bedding plants, 
without fertility being restored by either manure, leaf, or other 
soils, Pelargoniums have made but little growth, and will yield 
but few cuttings without disfiguring the beds. The growth then 
made was, however, of the best description for either flowering or 
propagating purposes. That formed since the commencement 
of the showery season is of a very succulent character, and 
will not easily strike. The undergrowth, which we are naturally 
inclined to cut out, will be altogether unfit, and the most exposed 
shoots should be selected if a stock of really good plants be 
desired. In either case, unless there is a very marked improve¬ 
ment in the weather, the cuttings, after they are made, should be 
allowed to flag for two or three days, as much of the super¬ 
abundant moisture they contain is thus evaporated. How they 
are to be stored, or rather in what they are to be struck, must 
depend entirely upon the facilities for wintering them. Where 
there are plenty of houses containing dry roomy shelves, or where 
there are well-heated pits, and which are also in good condition, 
then shallow we?l-drained boxes may be employed, the cuttings 
