238 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Stptember 15, 1892. 
- Death of M, Jolibois. — The death is announced of 
M. Jolibois, head gardener at the Luxembourg, at the too early age of forty- 
nine. The French horticulturist was an able gardener and his loss 
will be much felt. He held various distinctions, such as Officier 
d’Acaddmie, Chevalier du M6rite Agricole, and Chevalier de la Legion 
d’Honneur. He was also a member of the Council of the French Horti¬ 
cultural Society and a Professor of Arboriculture. 
- Clematis Davidiana. —A notable feature of the miscellaneous 
collection of hardy flowers exhibited by Messrs. Pitcher & Manda at 
the last Earl’s Court Exhibition was Clematis Davidiana, a hardy 
herbaceous species growing about 2 feet high. The flowers are pro¬ 
duced in whorls, of which there are two or three on a stem, the lowest 
close to the ground, so that the plant has the appearance of being a 
mass of bloom. The individual flowers closely resemble Hyacinth bells, 
and are of a clear lavender colour. It appears to be well worth adding 
to the mixed border. 
- A Handbook of Iride.e, — The “ Kew Bulletin ” for 
September contains special articles on CaraguatA Fibre, Lagos Palm 
Oil (with illustrations), and commercial Vanillas, also a considerable 
amount of miscellaneous information. We note an announcement that 
Mr. J. G. Baker, F.R.S., has in the press a handbook of Irideas, uniform 
with those which he has already published on the neighbouring orders 
Amaryllideas and Bromeliaceae. The order contains about sixty genera 
and 800 species, nearly half of the latter being concentrated at the Cape. 
The large garden genera of the order are Crocus, Iris, and Gladiolus. 
More than one-half the book is already printed, and it will be completed 
in a few weeks. 
- Francoa RAMOSA.—An indispensable plant for greenhouse or 
conservatory decoration at this season of the year is Francoa ramosa. 
When associated with other plants, more especially in grouping, its long 
spikes of white flowers suffused with pink have a telling effect, and 
add a charm to a group which cannot be denied. Small plants in 
5 or 6-inch pots are most useful for house decoration, especially if they 
have been well grown and the foliage kept perfect. It is also a most 
accommodating window plant, scarcely requiring any heat, and always 
sure in flowering. Plenty of seed may be secured, -which if sown as 
soon as ripe, and placed in a warm temperature, will yield abundance 
of useful little plants for another season. It may also be increased 
from cuttings or by dividing the plants. As to soil, any good loamy 
soil with a little sharp sand will answer all requirements.—R. P. R. 
- Apple Irish Peach.—I make no apology for bringing before 
the notice of your readers such an excellent early Apple as the Irish 
Peach. It is not by any means a new variety, but there is no reason 
why it should not have attention called to it on that account, for it 
generally takes a long time to establish the merits of a good fruit; it 
took half a century to establish the fame of Cox’s Orange Pippin. The 
Irish Peach is, for juiciness and flavour, as far ahead of all other early 
English grown dessert Apples I have tasted as Cox’s Orange Pippin is 
of the later kinds, and it should take first prize for quality against all 
inferior sorts, however pretty they may look. I have had a capital crop 
this season of fine, clean, healthy, and well ripened fruit, and with me 
Irish Peach is a good grower and an abundant bearer ; care is, however, 
needed in pruning, as its tendency is to bear on the points of the shoots- 
—F. Boyes, Beverley. 
- Strike against Market Tolls. — Some excitement was 
caused at the Brighton Market on Saturday morning by the seizure of 
several bushels of Potatoes and a bushel of Apples from a market 
gardener named Cuddington of Shoreham in consequence of his refusal 
to pay the market tolls. At Brighton there is no covered vegetable 
market, and the gardeners who come into the town are compelled to 
stand out in the streets in the vicinity of the flower market, and to sell 
their produce exposed to all kinds of weather. For some time past a 
feeling has been growing that the Corporation have no right to charge 
tolls without supplying adequate market accommodation, and on Thurs¬ 
day morning many of them refused to pay the tolls when demanded. It 
was subsequently arranged on both sides that a seizure should be made 
from Mr. Cuddington, and that the goods should be sold by auction to 
cover the amount of the toll he refused to pay and the costs. This it 
was decided should be done as the basis of a test case. The arrange¬ 
ment was duly carried out, and the sale took place amidst some good- 
tempered excitement. Mr. Cuddington urged the crowd not to bid for 
the goods, declaring that their seizure amounted to nothing less than 
robbery, and that the purchasers would be buying stolen goods. Despite 
this protest the lots were disposed of, more than one being purchased 
by Mr. C. Sutton, a member of the Corporation. The sale realised 17s., 
and after deducting the toll, Is. 6d., and the costs, there remained an 
overplus of 4s. This was offered to Mr. Cuddington, but was refused. 
The gardeners have not yet decided what course they will take to raise 
the question of the legality of the tolls in the law courts. Several 
courses are, it is said, open to them. 
- August Rainfall in Sussex.—T he total rainfall at Cuck- 
field, Sussex, for the past month was 2'61 inches, being 031 inch above 
the average. The heaviest fall was 0 70 inch, on the ISth. Rain fell on 
sixteen days. The highest temperature was 79°, on the 17th ; the lowest 
46°, on the 11th. Mean maximum, 72°; mean minimurv, 53°; mean 
temperature, 621°. Partial shade readings the average. The last ten 
days have been very showery, with occasional high winds.—R. I. 
■- Seakale at Oakley Hall. —“ South Hants ” has been in a 
little too much haste to make merry at my expense. In the remarks 
which he quotes in relation to the above I was not assuming surprise 
that Seakale came good from cuttings. Of course I should exhibit no- 
such ignorance of so very simple a subject. If the context is read it 
will be seen that I had remarked on the peculiarly ungenerous nature of 
the soil, which would not grow Raspberries or Black Currants, and 
added, “ curiously enough Seakale from cuttings is first-class.” That 
was a natural corollary. I was surprised to find a root of this nature, 
which always seems to do best in deep rich soils, to be in such first-class- 
form as Mr. Weaver had it in his garden at Oakley Hall.—A. D. 
- Lobelia Milleri. —This Lobelia is occasionally seen labelled 
as L. speciosa, but its strictly botanical name is L. syphilitica hybrida ; 
notwithstanding this plurality of names the one heading this note is no 
doubt the one under which it is most generally known. L. Milleri is 
supposed to be a hybrid between L. syphilitica and either L. fulgens or 
cardinalis. The leaves are acuminate, sessile, serrated, and light green. 
The stems grow 2 to 3 feet high, carrying spikes of large flowers very 
much like those of cardinalis in shape, but of a beautiful rich purple 
colour ; the spikes elongate and continue to flower until frost comes. 
To produce fine spikes the plants should be placed in a somewhat 
sheltered position and in good soil ; a deep corner in a rockery will suit 
them admirably. It is one of the very finest of the late flowering hardy 
herbaceous plants.— C. K. 
- Apples at Chiswick. — The Apple trees in the gardens of 
the Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick were a pleasant and instruc¬ 
tive sight on the occasion of a recent visit. Many varieties were loaded 
with fruit. New Hawthornden was weighed down with it, and the 
branches have had to be supported with stout props. Lane’s Prince 
Albert was carrying an excellent crop, and Dutch Mignonne was roped 
with fruit. Others that were heavily laden were Calville St. Sauveur, 
Golden Noble, Stirling Castle, Gloria Mundi, Barchard’s Seedling, 
Cellini, Cox’s Pomona, and Baumann’s Red Winter Reinette. Frogmore 
Prolific, as represented by small bushes on the Paradise stock, was 
bearing a heavy crop of its large handsome fruits, and the little trees 
were a truly striking sight. That it would prove a profitable Apple 
when grown under similar conditions to those at Chiswick is unques¬ 
tioned, but 1 know of an instance where it has proved a complete 
failure in Kent.—P. 
- Earlier Opening of Kew Gardens. —Mr. Shaw-Lefevre 
has received the following communication, bearing upon the re-opening 
of Kew Gardens, from Mr. Francis Geo. Heath:—“A consideration of 
your well-known desire to give facilities for the public enjoyment of 
open spaces, of your admirable service to the Commons Preservation 
Society and kindred institutions, and of your labours for the rescue of 
Epping Forest and Burnham Beeches from the hands of the spoilers— 
labours which I'have myself had the honour and pleasure of joining in 
—tempts me to take advantage of your appointment to the Cabinet 
post of First Commissioner of Her Majesty’s Works and Public Build¬ 
ings by calling your attention to the great desirability of a somewhat 
earlier opening of the splendid Botanical Gardens which, amongst 
many other important open spaces, now come under your supreme control. 
I am fully aware of the important and weighty reasons which can be 
urged against a too wide relaxation of the present rules as to the open¬ 
ing of Kew Gardens, and I do not desire to ask for any urgent considera¬ 
tion of the matter. But knowing how strong is the feeling on the part 
of the public on the subject that at least some little compromise should 
be made in the direction of an earlier opening of these beautiful and 
well-managed grounds—a feeling not only shared by the people of Kew 
