74 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ January 25. 1883. 
cost incurred under the arbitration was £109,505, Os. 8 d. The 
total sum expended in improvements since the formation of this 
Committee for roads, ponds, green rides, clearing and thinning, 
draining and planting, and also for levelling the surface by filling 
up gravel pits and destroying the artificial boundaries and fences 
set up by enclosers, has been £15,779. Referring to the with¬ 
drawal of the Great Eastern Railway Company’s proposed ex¬ 
tension to High Beech, the Committee express a strong opinion 
as to the necessity for this line to be made. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT KINGSTON. 
In your issue of January 11th, page 29, I find a communication 
from Mr. Douglas. 1 have tried to understand the felicity of his 
remarks, but quite fail. Surely the question is not debatable 
whether the Chrysanthemum of to-day is not infinitely superior 
to what it was twenty-five years ago. It is useless to try and find 
excuses for what our grandfathers did not do. However, my ob¬ 
ject in writing you is quite different from dissenting from Mr. 
Douglas’s remarks on the advance of the Chrysanthemum. 
I am astonished that Mr. Douglas can come forward and make 
a statement in reference to my exhibit, which is not only unfair 
but devoid of truth. My plants were sent “ not for competition,” 
not that I feared competition, as the more the better, but I find 
that showing has its drawbacks, and therefore I have now for 
some time exhibited only “ not for competition.” It appears, 
however, that to exhibit anything above the usual mark, whether 
in competition or not, calls down the same amount of jealousy. 
I shall not say a word more in reference to the spirit manifested 
by Mr. Douglas. Why, I am at a loss to understand ; but I shall 
take especial care that no more Chrysanthemum exhibitions will 
find my plants included. I have informed Mr. Jackson that I 
wish my name removed as a Vice-President of the Kingston and 
Surbiton Society, and withdraw my subscription.—T. H. Bryant, 
Glencairn , Surbiton Hill. 
REVIEW OF BOOK. 
les Plantes Potageres: Description et Culture des Principaux 
Legumes des Climates Temperes. Par Vilmorin, Andrieux 
ET ClE. Paris. 
The ancient house of Vilmorin of Paris has conferred many 
benefits on horticulture and agriculture, and they have added 
another to the former by the publication of a bulky volume 
entitled “ Les Plantes Potageres." Some years ago Messrs. 
Vilmorin gave to the world another work of great usefulness 
entitled “ Fleurs de Pleine Terre" which has passed through 
several editions : and this which we have now under notice is 
one of a similar character devoted to the like treatment of garden 
vegetables. A work of more importance or more greatly needed 
we could not name, for the confusion that exists in the nomen¬ 
clature of vegetables is undoubtedly great. 
The responsibility of producing such a work could not have 
fallen into better hands than those of Messrs. Vilmorin. Andrieux 
and Cie., whose connection with every country on the face of the 
globe, coupled with the literary and scientific attainments which 
are known to exist in the establishment, give them an advantage 
in the preparation of it. It consists of upwards of six hundred 
pages of matter copiously illustrated with well-executed figures 
of nearly all the subjects treated of. As an example of the letter- 
press we give the following translation. 
American. —Early May Cabbage. German. —York’sches aller- 
friihestes weisses Kraut, Fiiiher Zucker Maispitzkohl. 
“ We commence the description of Cabbage by this variety, 
because without being the earliest of all it is one of the best 
known and that which is generally cultivated as an early Cabbage. 
It will be more easy to estimate analogous varieties by comparing 
them with this. Head oval or in the form of a reversed cone, 
oblong, almost twice as high as wide, small, pretty firm. Leaves of 
a dark green colour, somewhat bluish, glaucous or greyish on the 
under side, the outer ones of those that form the head enveloping 
the others in the way of a hood ; the loose outer leaves are not 
numerous, reversed, often crumpled in the course of the midrib, very 
smooth ; ribs greenish white, pretty wide. Stalk slender, about 
the height of the head. 
“ The Superfine Early is a variety of the Early Dwarf York. 
It differs little from it in its exterior characters, and is principally 
distinguished by its smaller growth and being about eight days 
earlier.” 
There are thirty varieties of Cabbage treated in this manner, 
and nearly all of them figured, and there are many other sub- 
varieties which have more or less copious paragraphs devoted to 
them. 
After the same manner all culinary plants, including Melons, 
Strawberries, and Tomatoes, the three latter of which the French 
always include among “ plantes potageres,” are fully described and 
in many cases their uses are explained. What makes the work 
doubly valuable is the voluminous alphabetical index, and this is 
a characteristic which is not always to be found in French books. 
Every technical word is registered alphabetically, and there is 
no hindrance to ready reference. We commend this volume as a 
valuable acquisition to horticultural literature. 
NEW AND CERTIFICATED PLANTS OF 1882. 
MR. W. BULL, KING’S ROAD, CHELSEA. 
The valuable stores of new, rare, and choice plants in Mr. W. 
Bull’s establishment at Chelsea have gained great fame in the 
horticultural world, and this is increasing yearly, for extensive 
additions are annually made of plants remarkable for the beauty 
of their foliage or flowers, or interesting for their economic uses. 
So greatly has the collection increased in recent years that the 
old quarters no longer afford sufficient accommodation for it, and 
the numerous ranges of useful houses in the other nursery, on the 
opposite side of the King’s Road, are now fast becoming as closely 
packed with floral treasures as those in the original establishment. 
An important feature is the Orchids, which have attracted some 
hundreds of visitors during the past year ; and the display promises 
to be even more magnificent in the course of the present season, 
judging by the admirable condition of the plants, and in the case 
of Cattleyas and similar genera by the number of sheaths showing. 
Even at Christmas, when Orchid flowers are usually comparatively 
scarce, the houses containing the Odontoglossums and cool 
Oncidiums were gay with flowers, and afforded most striking 
proof both of the utility and beauty of well-grown Orchids. In 
briefly reviewing the novelties of 1882 that were shown from this 
nursery, we may therefore appropriately give especial prominence 
to the 
Orchids. —With the exception of Odontoglossum Alexandras 
perhaps no Orchid can rank higher amongst the most beautiful 
and useful species than O. vexillarium, the large delicate rose- 
tinted flowers of which are produced in such freedom under good 
cultivation. This varies considerably in the colour and size of 
the flowers, and several of the distinctly marked varieties have 
been named. The one, however, which Mr. Bull has designated 
rubellum is unquestionably the most remarkable in all respects, 
and it deserves notice here, though not strictly one of last year’s 
novelties. One of its chief characters is the period at which it 
flowers—namely, in late summer and autumn, thus forming a 
succession to the ordinary type. Another distinguishing mark is 
the deep rose colour of the moderate-sized but well-formed even 
flowers; a difference will also be observed in the pseudo-bulbs 
and leaves, the former being shorter and more globular, while the 
latter are broader than the early-flowering forms. These qualities 
are quite sufficient to entitle it to the attention of Orchid growers, 
especially when its vigorous constitution is taken into consideration. 
A trio of Odontoglots were certificated at the Royal Botanic So¬ 
ciety’s Shows—viz., 0. Halli nigrum, 0. Halli pictum, and O. Pesca- 
torei album, three charming additions to a beautiful genus. The first 
has already been referred to and figured in this Journal (page 107, 
last vol.), but it may be here observed that it most fully deserves 
its title, as the flowers are extremely dark, besides being of great 
size, with broad sepals and petals. 0. Halli pictum has very dis- 
CABBAGE. 
Drassica oleracea capitata, D C. 
“ Synonymes. —Chou capu, Ch. en tete, Chou pomme, Chou 
pomme a feuille lisse. 
“ Foreign Names.—English.— Cabbage. German. —Kopf- 
kohl, Kraut. Flemish. —Kabuiscool. Dutch. —Slutkool. Danish 
—Hoved Kail. Italian. —Cavolo cappucio. Spanish. —Col 
repollo. Portuguese. —Couve repolho. 
“ The common Cabbage is divided into two classes—those with 
smooth leaves, and those with blistered or frizzled leaves, the 
former known by the name of Savoys. We conform to this 
division ; and in each of the classes we shall describe the varieties 
as much as possible in the order of earliness, but also taking into 
account the affinities of the different races. The number of Cab¬ 
bage seeds contained in a gramme (15-4 grains) is about 320. 
CHOU D’YORK PETIT HATIF. 
“ Foreign Names—English.— Early Dwarf York Cabbage. 
