852 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 20, 1892. 
_ Cut Flower Trade in London.—T he report of the Flower 
Girls’ Mission states that the trade in cut flowers in London amounts 
to £5000 a day. Although this includes the profit of the florists, a large 
amount of this sum still remains to be accounted for by the earnings of 
the flower girls. 
- About Ants. —It is well known that ants harbour a variety 
of other insects in their nests, particularly Gamasid mites ; and Mr. 
A. D. Michael, from a study of ants in Corsica and at Innsbruck, has 
come to the conclusion that the ants willingly tolerate the presence of 
the Gamasids, and even protect them. The mites are found to ride 
away on the backs of the ants when the nest is disturbed ; and some¬ 
times the ants carry off the mites and their young just as they do their 
own. Mr. Michael thinks the mites repay the ants for their hospitality 
by removing the bodies of their dead, which they devour. 
- Potatoes. —The crops with us are very satisfactory, the yield 
being good and not one diseased tuber, the results being the same on 
medium and heavy soils. We do not plant many varieties, but good 
breadths of Sharpe’s Victor, Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf, Mona’s Pride, 
Snowdrop and Magnum Bonum, the last mentioned being the most un¬ 
satisfactory cooker amongst them. Snowdrop, on the other hand, is an 
excellent cooking Potato, as also it is a cropper. The rows of the two 
last named are 3 feet apart and the yield is better than when planted 
closer, yet I cannot induce some of our allotment men to adopt this 
system ; they seem to think that the more sets put into the ground the 
better the crop must be, but they are wrong.—J. Tunnington, Ripley 
Castle Gardens. 
-The Fruiterers’ Company.— One of the few surviving cus¬ 
toms of old London was observed at the Mansion House on Wednesday 
evening, the 12th inst., when the Fruiterers’ Company made their yearly 
presentation to the Lord Mayor. In remote times the municipal 
authorities levied a toll in kind upon all the fruit that was brought into 
the City. Their right to do so was far from being acknowledged by the- 
vendors, who, however, had no alternative but to pay the tax. Even 
tually, after a long series of acrimonious disputes between the two 
bodies, a sort of compromise upon the point was come to, the Lord 
Mayor waiving his claim in return for a free offering of good will in the 
shape of ten bushels of Apples every October. Neatly packed in new 
white baskets, covered with spotless napkins, the fruit was gravely 
borne from Farringdon Market to Guildhall by a procession of porters in 
single file, headed by the Company’s beadle in his gown. On the baskets 
being emptied a bottle of port was placed in each for the good of those 
who had brought them. In course of time the tribute came to include 
the best procurable samples of the various fruits in season, and the pre¬ 
sentation was made an occasion for entertaining the court of the Com¬ 
pany at dinner. Now that the guild, like so many others, has gradually 
ceased to have much or anything to do with the trade it continues to 
represent, some well-known firm of fruiterers are employed to make up 
the gift, the cost of which, including gratuities to the Lord Mayor’s 
servants, amounts to about £25. It is understood that the present 
beadle of the Company has seen no fewer than 57 of these annual 
ceremonies. 
_The Lord Mayor on the Fruit Question.—A t the dinner 
which followed the above presentation, the Lord Mayor, in proposing the 
toast of the evening, “ The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers,” said 
that the guild was not one of the wealthiest institutions of its kind in 
London. Its merits, however, were to be judged rather by its deeds than 
by its position. Most of them know something of the good it had done 
in the way of furthering the interests of fruit culture in this country, 
especially since Sir James Whitehead had taken part in the work. The 
exhibition of English-grown fruit in the Guildhall two years ago had 
not been forgotten, and but for an accident there would have been a 
much larger show this year. In all probability one would be held in 
1893. The progress of fruit culture in this country of late had been 
such that even the extensive Guildhall would be insufficient for the 
purpose, and they might have to resort to the larger area of the Thames 
Embankment. Thi^ progress was due in a large measure to the 
Fruiterers’ Company, which set a noble example both to the poor and 
the rich guilds of London. England had various industries, but he 
thought that more depended upon agriculture than any other. Horti¬ 
culture was closely allied to it, and, as far as they knew, horticulture 
had not yet received sufficient care and attention. His experience as a 
hunting man taught him that the weakest fence in the poverty-stricken 
acre of many homesteads was the orchard ; there were twenty gaps there 
for one elsewhere. 
_ Rats Eating Gooseberries —It would seem that rats at 
Milnthorpe, Westmoreland, have found a fresh outlet for their predatory 
impulses. A correspondent says that the ripe Gooseberries in his garden, 
there were disappearing very rapidly this year, and he supposed that 
the mischief was being done by blackbirds. However, his attention 
was called to a large rat taking the berries off with its mouth, and 
dropping them to other rats below. Presently another climbed the 
bush and helped to gather the berries. In a little time both came- 
down, each with a berry in its mouth, having a curious appearance. 
The performance was repeated several times. Then a wire cage was 
placed under the bush, and in three days nine of the intruders were caught. 
_ Carnation Winter Cheer. —Of the many beautiful winter¬ 
flowering Carnations to be seen at Messrs. Veitch’s nursery this appears 
to rank amongst the very first. For an extended period of flowering it 
is certainly unequalled, being now, after having been planted in the 
beds since the spring, in splendid flower, with abundance of buds, 
which will yet open providing the frost does not cut them down. 
In pots they are just coming into flower, and the bright scarlet blooms 
will during the forthcoming months amply justify the name that has 
been given this variety. The habit of the plant is good, being very 
dwarf and sturdy. There are other varieties now in flower at the above 
nursery, a few of the most prominent being Madame Warocque, Duke of 
Clarence, Mrs. Moore, and Mrs. Henry Cannell.—W. 
_ Deverill’s Ailsa Craig Onion.— “R. M.,” in the Journal 
of Horticulture of last week, correctly described the true character of 
this Onion up to date. When I purchased the bulbs of Mr. D. Murray 
of Culzean Castle Gardens, the raiser of this popular Onion, some were a 
very deep-fleshed flat oval, and others inclined to globe shape (I 
described it as such in my seed list). In the selection of my bulbs for 
seed purposes I have gone in for the globe shape as much as possible, 
and I think the stock of seed for the coming season will be very near to 
this type. At the same time, as « R. M.” states, “ both are large hand¬ 
some Onions,” and really I do not like to discard either type. Already 
I feel sure they have been doing duty for some would-be so-called new 
Onions, but 1 do not envy the practice. Mr. Murray has never favoured 
me with the origin of this fine Onion, only that it was a seedling of his. 
I was, however, quite content, knowing that I had got hold of the best 
exhibition Onion ever put into commerce, and I feel confident that a 
dozen bulbs of Ailsa Craig, weighing 26 or 30 lbs. would be more 
attractive to visitors at shows than 20 dozen bulbs scaling on y 
6 or 8 ozs. per bulb, which undoubtedly is the correct size for the 
kitchen. As to its keeping qualities, last year it kept better with me 
than any other kind (excepting the Wroxton). The rush of orders 
prove to me that it will be grown largely during the coming year. 
H. Deverill. 
_ Rhododendrons at Chelsea.— Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, 
Royal Exotic Nursery, have in flower some of the most charming of 
the greenhouse Rhododendrons, remarkable alike for the small state in 
which they flower and for their extreme floriferousness. They embrace 
almost all colours, from the purest white to the darkest crimson. Among 
the most striking of those at present in bloom is Neptune (which 
was figured in your issue of last week), orange-scarlet, the latter greatly 
predominating. Aphrodite is a pale blush white, one of the most 
beautiful in the whole collection. Primrose, the colour of which is 
true to its name, has remarkably substantial flowers. Ruby is a 
charming variety of a rich crimson scarlet colour, and Luteum roseum 
has blooms tinted delicate rose on a pale yellow ground, producing a 
most charming shade. Jasminiflorum carminatum, which, as its name 
implies, is of a carmine colour, and is undoubtedly a most free flowering 
variety, splendid trusses being produced on every shoot, even when 
the plants are only 6 or 8 inches high. Maiden’s Blush is one of the 
best, and is moreover useful, being very free. Favourite, rose coloured, is 
a superb flower, the truss being good and the individual blooms of much 
substance. Duchess of Connaught is a deep crimson, and Princess 
Alexandra has delicate blush white flowers, throwing large trusses most 
profusely. Princess Royal, pale rose ; two seedlings, a pure white, and 
a delicate pink with a pure white tube, were also noticeable ; and the 
same may be said of two doubles of the Balsaminmflorum section- 
album, pure white, and aureum, pale yellow. The trusses of the two 
latter are most compact, while the individual flowers are equally as 
large as a full-sized Balsam. These plants are eminently suitable for 
decorative purposes, and the blooms for bouquets or buttonholes, with 
which advantages they should become universally popular amongst 
amateurs as well as in private gardens, where it is needless to add they 
are already largely grown.—H. W. 
