October 18,1894. 
JOURNAL OF RORTIGULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
363 
- Garden Flowers of New South Wales.—T he ease with 
which garden flowers can be cultivated is almost incredible, most of the 
ordinary English flowers, such as Geraniums, being in bloom nearly all 
the year round. The Geranium, it may be mentioned, is in New South 
Wales a very different plant to what it is found in England, often 
attaining the size of a Gooseberry bush, covered during eight months 
■out of the twelve with a profusion of large blossoms. Violets do not, as 
commonly supposed, lose their fragrance on Australian soil, but thrive 
to an extent unknown in English gardens. Sweet Williams, Convol¬ 
vuluses, Daisies, Stocks, Wallflowers, and other common English flower¬ 
ing plants grow in a most luxuriant manner even in the poorest soil, 
while in some districts the rapidity with which the Sweet Briar overruns 
the land causes it to be regarded as a noxious weed, to be extirpated at 
any cost. It is the same with the Cactus, better known as the Prickly 
Pear. Although grown with much diflSculty in English greenhouses, it 
has thriven to such a wonderful extent in New South Wales that the 
Government have had to take steps for its eradication. Roses, Lilies, 
Camellias, &c , flourish everywhere, the most tender kinds being grown 
with the greatest ease, except in districts where the rainfall is lightest. 
—John Plummer. 
- Historical Trees.—A daily paper furnishes the following 
interesting figures anent some very old trees in the British Islands. 
According to this writer the oldest appears to be the Brabourne Tew, 
in Kent, the age of which was estimated by De Candolle to be 3000 
years, and he attributed the same age to another Yew, that of Fortingall, 
in Perthshire. The Oak of Swilcar Lawn, in the Forest of Needwood, 
Staffordshire, was still robust in 1822 at the age of 600 years, and 
about the same time there might have been seen at Chipstead Place, 
Kent, a large Elm, around which a fair was annually held during 
the reign of Henry V. (fifteenth century). An Oak still living at 
Tilford, near Farnham, is mentioned in a charter of Henry of Blois 
under the date of 1250. The Hethelthorn in Norfolk is the old 
Hawthorn spoken of in an Act of 1200. Perhaps the most reliable 
information respecting the age of trees is found in the report of the 
German Forestry Commission, published some years ago. This assigns 
to the Pine an age of 500 to 700 as a maximum, 425 years to the Silver 
Fir, 275 years to the Larch, 245 years to the Red Beech, 210 years 
to the Aspen, 200 years to the Birch, 170 years to the Ash, 145 years 
to the Alder, and 130 years to the Elm. The heart of the common 
Oak commences to decay at about the age of 300 years. 
-Ginger Cultivation in Jamaica. — Mr. W. Faucett, 
Director of the Public Gardens, Jamaica, has made an admirable report 
on the collecting and curing of ginger in Jamaica. According to 
Meehan’s Monthly,” it appears that very much of the value of ginger 
depends on the method of curing. After being scraped it should be 
kept from dampness, and be exposed to the hot sun until hard. The 
slightest mildew will injure it, and if put away spongy it is likely to 
mildew. The best ginger is prepared late in the season when there is 
constant sunshine. When dug the roots are at once scraped and peeled 
with thin knives especially imported, and known as ginger knives. 
They are then washed once or twice, and turned out on mats to dry. 
Some varieties are said to be better than others. The best ginger brings 
profitable prices. Poor ginger hardly pays. It is said that there are 
two distinct forms of the plant, one producing what is known as yellow 
ginger, and the other blue ginger. The yellow is regarded as being the 
best. A ginger patch has to be plantel every year. They commence 
planting at Christmas time, and continue until March and April; from 
thence to December it is being harvested. Small pieces of the root¬ 
stocks are planted in the same manner as we plant Potato sets. In 
judging ginger, the more brittle it is the better the quality, and yet 
care has to be taken to keep it from being broken, which depreciates 
its value. Lime juice is often used in washing the roots to make them 
look whiter, which insures a better price, but the quality of such 
ginger is said to be inferior. Ginger is one of the principal paying 
agricultural crops in Jamaica, 
- Muscats at Longleat. — Through the courtesy of Mr. 
Trollope I had the privilege of looking through the Longleat Gardens 
a few days ago, the primary object of my visit being to see the Grapes 
in the large vinery. I have many times seen Grapes from this house 
on the show boards, but I have never before had the opportunity of 
seeing the Vines. It is a well-known fact that Longleat has for many 
years been famous for its Grapes, and that reputation is still maintained 
as is at once apparent by a look through the vineries at the present time. 
The first compartment I entered had been cleared of its crop, the next 
compartment being all Muscat of Alexandria, except one rod of Gros 
Colman at the end of the house. Finer Muscats I have never seen. 
I do not know how many bunches were hanging on the Vines, but it 
looked to me a heavy crop. Many of the bunches were large and hand¬ 
some, the others being medium sized, and upon a close examination 
every berry seemed to be perfectly finished, being of a beautiful amber 
colour, and not a spot on them. When we remember that we did not 
have much sunshine through July and August, it would seem that 
Muscats do not require so much sunshine to colour them as some 
gardeners think they do, and I noticed that these Grapes were carrying 
a good deal of foliage over them. This seems a case in support of what 
Mr. Iggulden wrote in a leading article in the Journal a few weeks ago 
respecting the colouring of Muscat of Alexandria.—R. Morse. 
THE ACHAN PEAR. 
Fruits of this distinct Pear have been sent to us from Ireland, and 
a correspondent from the north of England “ wants to know something 
about a Pear called Black Bess.” 
The Achan and Black Bess are identical, and we cite what Dr. Hogg 
has written about this Pear in his Fruit Manual. 
“ Fruit, below medium size; turbinate, but frequently also of an 
obovate shape when grown to a large size, flattened at the apex. Skin, 
greenish yellow on the shaded side, and strewed with grey russet patches 
and dots. On the side next the sun it is of a dull brown ferruginous 
red, covered with large grey russety dots or freckles. Eye, large and 
open, with broad dry reflexed segments, and slightly depressed. Stalk, 
an inch long, obliquely inserted under a large prominent lip, and 
surrounded with thin russet. Flesh, tender, buttery, juicy, sugary, with 
a rich and aromatic flavour. 
“ A Scotch dessert Pear of first-rate quality ; ripe in November and 
December. The tree is a very abundant and regular bearer, particularly 
when it has acquired age. 
“ The description here given is as the fruit is grown in Scotland, 
where it is justly reckoned one of the finest, if not the finest, winter 
Pear; but, singularly enough, when grown in the southern counties 
of England, it loses entirely its good properties. It is evidently 
one of those fruits that require to be grown and ripened gradually, 
for in the south, where it acquires much greater dimensions than 
it does in the north, the flesh is pasty and insipid, and the fruit 
does not last beyond the middle part of October. I have seen this 
variety grown in some of the cold and exposed parts of England in 
great perfection, as from Delamere Forest in Cheshire, and some parts 
of Yorkshire. 
“ Now that so many new varieties of Pears have been introduced of 
late years, our northern gardeners are not so confined to the Achan as 
their ancestors were, and it has now to encounter many a formidable rival. 
But the time was when this variety was with them the very ideal of a 
winter Pear, to which nothing could even approach. Some years ago, 
before the railways were in existence, a Scotch gardener of the old 
school set out from a northern port by sailing-smack on a visit to 
London. Being a man in easy circumstances, a little adventurous, and 
of an inquiring mind, he wanted to extend his knowledge and see how 
gardening was managed in the south. This good man was one of the 
old school even in those days, and had formed his own notion of things. 
His attire consisted of the time-honoured blue coat, with large yellow 
buttons, yellow waistcoat, and his nether garments and leggings were 
drab. He carried a stout umbrella, which, like himself, was inclined to 
corpulency. Among the places he visited was the Chiswick Garden of 
the Horticultural Society, and, being in the autumn, he was introduced 
to the fruit-room. His attendant showed him all the new Pears, 
which at that time had not long fruited in this country. He 
tasted first one and then another, but none of them in hia esti¬ 
mation could approach the Achan. He was assured that they were 
infinitely superior to that variety, and that in the south it 
was not of any account. Still he insisted there was no Pear like the 
Achan. Beurr6 Diel, Beurr6 Bose, and even Marie Louise, were all tried 
in succession, but the invariable reply was, ‘ There’s nane o’ them like 
the Achan.’ At last a fine showy fruit of bright yellow colour and a 
glowing red cheek was presented. ‘ What ca’ ye that ? ” said our friend. 
‘ That’s the Achan,’said the attendant. This argumentum ad hominem 
seemed too much for him, as he stared at his informant in blank 
astonishment; but he was not to be driven from his position, and, 
with an indignant assurance, he replied, ‘Na, na, that canna be oor 
Achan.’ 
“ I have never been able to trace the origin of the name of this 
Pear but I have no doubt but that it was Introduced into Scotland 
from Norway at a very early period. When it is considered how 
close the relations were that existed between Scotland and Scandinavia, 
there is every reason to believe that this is its origin. I am 
strengthened in this belief from having seen it at the International 
Fruit Show of 1862, in a collection from Norway, under the name of 
Bouchrefin. 
“ The variety that is grown in some parts of Scotland under the name 
of Grey Achan is the Chaumontel.” 
