408 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November 2 , isss. 
field was referred to as being particularly good, but its characters 
having now more fully developed, it may be observed that its 
appearance is somewhat spoiled by the florets being strangely 
infolded towards the centre of the flower. 
- A correspondent writing in reference to the increased 
consumption of Tomatoes in recent years observes that 
“ Though these fruits are so much more largely consumed now 
than they were ten or even sis years ago, yet the production does 
not appear to have kept pace with the demand, and in conse¬ 
quence good Tomatoes are only procurable at about twice the 
price they formerly realised. A West End fruiterer assures me 
that ten years ago he sold Tomatoes for 6d. per pound equally as 
good as those for which he now easily obtains Is. per pound. 
This, however, does not mean a larger profit for the retailer, as 
the wholesale price has advanced so much that less profit is really 
secured than when the prices were generally lower.” 
- “ L’Illustration Horticole ” states that a few small 
plants of a new Palm, Pritchardia nobilis, are included in 
some continental establishments, and that it is likely to prove a 
rival to P. grandis, P. macrocarpa, and P. aurea. The Germans 
have named it Bismarckia nobilis. We recently saw some fine 
young plants of a new Pritchardia in one of the London nur¬ 
series with large, rounded, bright green leaves and vigorous habit, 
that appears to resemble the above in its chief characters. 
- The same Journal gives a coloured illustration of six 
NEW Sonerilas of considerable beauty, with diversely coloured 
leaves. In Comtesse de Flandre, Madame Legrelle, and Madame 
Secretan the green body colour predominates, with silvery spots 
and marbling, the first and third having reddish petioles, and the 
under surface of the leaves is of a similar tint. The other three— 
viz., Madame Alfred Marne, Madame Charles Heine, and Princesse 
Mathilde, are of a silvery colour with green veins. 
- A Bedfordshire correspondent writes :—“ The gale of 
the 24th ult., accompanied by heavy rain, hail, and snow, was 
severely felt in the Biggleswade district. The gale was severe 
but short, and happily the damage has not been so great as the 
memorable gale of the 14th October, 1881 ; but some fine old trees 
have been uprooted in Old Warden Park, and others were severely 
shattered by the violence of the gale. Several fine old Oaks have 
suffered very much, owing to their still being heavily clad with 
autumn foliage. Much rain has fallen since the 24th ult., conse¬ 
quently the ground is saturated, and the land in low districts is 
very much flooded. Gardening and farming operations are 
almost at a standstill.” 
- Mr. J. Clarke, Brynkinalt, writes as follows respecting 
a new Melon, Sir Garnet Wolseley :—“When visiting the 
gardens at Brogyntyn a short time since I was agreeably surprised 
by a new Melon grown there by Mr. Lambert, the head gardener. 
It is a handsome, oval-shaped, green-fleshed Melon, beautifully 
netted, of exquisite flavour, and very prolific. Mr. Lambert 
informs me he has grown ten good fruits on a single plant, but 
the average weight of fruits is about 4 lbs. It is a very free 
setter.” 
- Messrs. Ja.mes Carter & Co., High Holborn, send us 
some flowers of their Crown Jewel Begonias —a strain of con¬ 
siderable merit, to which we have previously referred in com¬ 
mendatory terms. The flowers are white, creamy, yellow, rose, 
and scarlet of many shades ; the white very pure, and the others 
rich, bright, and clear. They are of moderate size, except the 
scarlet and white varieties, which have blooms of good size and 
substance, the petals broad and rounded. 
- To ascertain the amount of SUGAR IN the stalks of 
common field corn (Maize), some stalks of the Waushakum 
variety were stripped of leaves at the New York State Experi¬ 
ment Station, September 15th, and crushed in a mortar. The juice 
removed by an ordinary jelly press amounted to 57-06 per cent, 
of the whole substance, and contained 2-77 per cent, of sugar. 
- Few persons except dealers have any idea of the enormous 
extent of Cucumber-growing in America. It is estimated, 
says the American Prairie Farmer , that the Long Island farmers 
alone grow. 300,000,000 per year, the average price in large lots 
being about one dollar a thousand. A Chicago commission man 
estimates that 100,000,000 of the abominations are handled 
annually by the trade in the city. 
-A correspondent who has visited Mr. Witherspoon’s 
vineries at Chester-le-Street informs us that the crop of Grapes 
is marvellous, and he was not surprised to hear that Mr. Mclndoe 
observed on inspecting the houses that “ no man living could 
have persuaded him that such crops of splendid Grapes were in 
existence; but seeing was believing.” We saw the first crop of 
fruit in these vineries, which was of extraordinary weight and 
quality, and are glad to learn of the continued success of this 
excellent amateur cultivator. 
- Mr. T. S. Ware of Tottenham sends us a collection of 
very beautiful Michaelmas Daisies and single Dahlias, 
well showing the value of such plants in autumn as late as 
the last week of October. The best of the Asters were the 
following : — A. ericoides, a graceful species with small white 
flowers produced in great numbers at the points of short lateral 
closely 6et branches, thus forming wreaths of blooms. A. Amellus 
bessarabicus is one of the most telling varieties, having large 
purple blue flowers. A. novse-angliee has neat rose-coloured 
flowers very abundantly produced ; A. novse-belgii, bright pur¬ 
plish blue, large and free ; A. Isevis, lilac flowers of moderate size 
and numerous. The Dahlias included most of those recently 
noticed in these columns, together with others of great beauty, 
two of those certificated at the last meeting of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society at South Kensington—namely, Mrs. Goldring and 
Mrs. Burbidge, both very handsome. The “ Black Dahlia ” (Cosmos 
diversifolius atrosanguineus), figured in the last issue of this 
Journal, was also represented by a number of its velvety maroon 
flowers. 
- Mr. Bunyard of Maidstone has published an appendix 
to his useful manual on Fruit Farming for Profit. A great 
portion is devoted to comments on the press criticisms of that 
work. The great scarcity of fruit of the present year is alluded to, 
but still Mr. Bunyard is convinced that where different kinds of 
fruit are grown one or other of them will be sufficiently produc¬ 
tive to prevent failure. On this point he says :—“ As showing 
how little the crop is affected where a variety of fruit is grown in 
established orchards, I learn that one East Kent grower has this 
season sold his ‘ top ’ fruit for £1000, and this with the smallest 
crop ever known in this part, while his under fruit has brought 
£700 more, and I believe this is the experience of most growers 
on a large scale. And were landowners in a better position than 
they are, after the many bad years experienced by their agricul¬ 
tural tenants, I have no doubt that a very much larger area would 
be laid down in orchards ; as such give, so to speak, three crops 
in a year—wool, mutton, and fruit. In sheltered spots our Cluster 
Damson has done well, one grower taking 2500 bushels, which 
realised 13s. per bushel. Fruit-growing is an occupation where 
there is some risk, but the prizes far outweigh the blanks.” 
- A DAILY contemporary gives the following particulars of 
the extraordinary rainfall of the past fortnight 
“ It appears that in the west and south-west of England the amount 
of rain measured in the course of the past fortnight has been about 
double the average for the entire month of October, while over the 
midland and south-eastern counties it has been about half as much 
again as the monthly average. In London rain has fallen every day, 
and on five days out of the fourteen the amount has been at least 
