238 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
crossing the Champion Hamburgh with the 
Canon Hall Muscat; and the Committee again 
expressed a high opinion of its Frontignan 
flavour, as also of that of Troveren Frontignan, 
which is bearing at Chiswick fine bunches and 
large berries with a rich vinous flavour. An 
examination of the pyramid Plums resulted in 
the following being recommended as first-class 
dessert varieties—viz., Angelina Burdett, Bel¬ 
gian Purple, Heine Claude Yiolette, Jefferson, 
Prince Engelbert, and Denniston’s Superb. 
Grapes. —Mr. Meredith, of Vine Cottage, 
Garston, who has in this as in previous seasons 
astonished visitors to the London shows with 
the enormous bunches and berries which he 
has exhibited, had at the Crystal Palace 
autumn Show, on the 7th of last month, three 
splendid bunches of Black Hamburghs, the 
collective weight of which was 11 lbs. 4 ozs. 
With Child of Hale, a greenish Grape of by 
no means prepossessing appearance, Mr. Mere¬ 
dith was first for the heaviest single bunch of 
any kind, the weight being 8^ lbs. It may 
be remarked in passing that the out-door fruit 
exhibited on the above occasion, though well 
ripened, was of less size than last year. 
New Apple. —A very showy dessert Apple 
called Marvellous, was exhibited at the Crystal 
Palace Show, by Mr. Taylor, of Nursling, 
Southampton. It is oblate, of a beautiful 
bright red where exposed to the sun, pale 
green or almost white where shaded. The 
flavour is pleasant, but not sufficiently brisk 
and rich for most tastes; but the present it 
must be remembered is an exceptional season. 
On account of the beauty of the fruit it is 
well worthy a place in the dessert. It is said 
to keep better than most early Apples. 
Winter Lettuce.— The French obtain a 
succession of small Lettuce during the winter 
by sowing the Petite noire or Petite crepe in 
the beginning of October on banks sloping 
towards the south, and covering with cloches 
(large bell-glasses 15 or 16 inches in diameter). 
When the first pair of rough leaves make 
their appearance the young plants are care¬ 
fully pricked-out under the bell-glasses at 
2 or 2-| inches apart. No air is given at any 
time, and if the nights are frosty the glasses 
are covered with straw mats, and if necessary 
surrounded with dry litter. In the second fort¬ 
night in November a hotbed affording a heat 
of 55° to 60° is put together and covered 
with a frame or bell-glasses, the latter being 
generally preferred. In the former case the 
Lettuces are planted 6 inches apart and close 
to the glass 7h inches asunder; in the latter 
case four or five are placed under each bell- 
glass. Protection is given in frosty weather 
by covering with litter and straw mats, which 
should be taken off whenever the temperature 
permits ; fresh linings are applied if the heat 
of the bed sinks; and if the weather is very 
severe the frame or bell-glasses are packed 
round with litter and covered with a double 
thickness of straw mats. All decayed leaves 
are taken off from time to time, but beyond 
what is admitted whilst this is being done no 
air is given. The Lettuces are fit for use in 
the end of December and in January; a 
second, third, and even a fourth plantation 
from the same sowing are made at intervals 
of a fortnight to afford a successional supply 
till the end of February. The Black-seeded 
Gotte, a small quick-hearting kind which 
blanches well, is treated in a similar manner 
as to sowing and pricking-out, but it is not 
finally planted out till the end of December, 
or from that time till the middle of February, 
and instead of being kept close throughout 
its growth air is given when the plants are 
about three parts grown and ready to heart. 
The crop comes in from the beginning of 
March to the beginning of April. This kind 
succeeds better in frames than the Petite 
noire. Cutting Lettuce, which are taken 
when about 2 inches high and before heart¬ 
ing, are sown thickly on hotbeds in January, 
February, and March. The two kinds al¬ 
ready named are those usually sown for this 
purpose. 
Cotton. — At a meeting of the Cotton 
Supply Association, extracts were read from 
a dispatch of Her Majesty’s Charge d’ Affaires 
at St. Petersburgh, respecting the amount of 
cotton exported from Bokhara to Russia dur¬ 
ing the last few years. In 1859 the exporta¬ 
tion amounted to 1,562,040 lbs., of the value 
of £25,652; in 1860 it had increased to 
6,722,800 lbs., in value £103,350; but this 
year it is represented on good authority, that 
the amount of cotton expected from Bokhara 
is 20,000,000 lbs., of the value of £1,650,000, 
that is to say, equal in value to the entire 
export trade from Bokhara to Russia for a 
period of ten years, from 1849 to 1852 inclu¬ 
sive. For Figi the return shows the total 
area planted with Cotton to be from 300 to 
350 acres, and the expected yield to be from 
170 to 200 tons of cotton in the seed. The 
greater part of this land was planted in the 
latter part of 1863 or early in 1864; only one 
plantation is now in the third year, and it is 
anticipated that it will produce 2000 lbs. of 
seed cotton per acre. The exportation of 
cotton from the several provinces of Brazil in 
1862-3 was 15,508 tons, in value £1,892,003 
8s. 2d. The planters although suffering 
greatly from the want of roads, are fully 
alive to their own interests; the culture of 
cotton has increased and spread, and there is 
little fear of its diminishing. From Algeria 
the returns show that the produce of 1863 
was 879,800 lbs. of clean cotton, and that 
from two to three times that quantity may be 
expected this year. From the district of the 
Dardanelles the returns show that 2800 acres 
were planted in 1863, and 14,000 acres in 
1864, In the Vice-Consular district of Adrian- 
