DECE>tBER 30. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
237 
some tliree miles, we reached the place about half-past 
four or five o’clock. It is curious to traverse the roads 
; and streets of T.ondon at this early hour. Where, 
, twelve hours before, all was life and hustle, din and 
I noise, now a calm, still, sepulchral gloom pervades the 
! whole. Rut as we draw nearer our object of attraction, 
I we hear and see approaching signs of life and activity, 
I wliich gradually increase till we lind ourselves in a per- 
i feet bee-hive of hum and industry. Every approach to 
[ the market is literally stemmed with waggons, carts, 
I vans, donkey trucks, wheelbarrows, and every descrip¬ 
tion oi' wheeled vehicle it is possible to think of. These 
are being laden with the market produce, to be again 
conveyed to the shops of town and suburbs. For many 
I miles some of these vehicles have travelled to be there 
at the market hour; some even far in the country, 
where the very vegetables were grown they have come 
to purchase; for, as the gardeners never sell anything 
elsewhere than in the public market, a neighbouring 
greengrocer may have to repair some miles to Covent 
Garden to purchase the cabbages he has watched grow¬ 
ing from the windows of his own house. 
Having now made our way right into the centre of the 
throng, the sound that met our ears was “ Mi.sle, Misle, 
Jlisle-to-o-o-oe!” “Holly, Holly, Holly-o-o-o!” shouted 
in a noisy bawl, which terminated something in the way 
of what musicians would call a soprano part, hut cer¬ 
tainly far from musical. There were many waggon¬ 
loads of both. The former chiefly from Gloucestershire 
and Bucks, and the latter from Surrey, and the suburbs 
of London. As regarded the Misletoe, we had no doubt 
the former proprietors of it were right glad to get rid 
of it; but the Holly called up other thoughts and 
recollections, and carried us back to six years ago, when 
spending a few days in the country during the Christ¬ 
mas week, we looked out one morning and saw 
two handsome hollies, each twenty-five feet high, 
completely bare, with no vestige of leaf or berry, 
except a sort of mop which had been left on the 
top. The evening before, when we last saw them, they 
wei-e the handsomest pair in all the country for many 
miles round, feathered to the very ground, and rising 
straight as an arrow, as if they would shoot far away up 
into the blue sky; they were covered with a perfect 
shower of bright coral berries, and therein lay the 
temptation. Great was our grief, and great and nume)-- 
ous were the invectives we poured out on the villanous 
depredators, but they were miles away by this time, and 
very likely enjoying the fruits of their ill-gotten prey. 
How many shrubberies have been damaged and demo¬ 
lished during the past week it would be difficult to 
reckon; but we feel assured some of our readers could 
tell of a few, and of many a handsome holly shorn of its 
beauties. These wanton Vandals do not restrict them¬ 
selves to cropping and trimming, but in many instances 
entire trees are borne away. Wo observed many speci¬ 
mens of handsome well-grown pyramidal trees, from 
eight to ten feet high, which had been cut off close by 
the ground, sold for halfa-crowu and throe shillings, 
which it must have taken many years to grow. Resides 
the Misletoe and Holly, there was a considerable quan¬ 
tity of Laurustinus, common Laurel, and Yew. Spruce 
Firs, for German trees, were also in great abundance, 
and exhibited a perfect forest of little sombi'e moun' 
taineers, 
\ EGET.\iu,ES. —The supply of vegetables has been 
unusually great, which is attributable chiefly to the 
mildness of the weather bringing everything in at 
once; the consequence is, iirices have been rather dull, 
and sales heavy. S.wovs were making Is. per dozen. 
Greens, that is Coleworts, which are getting unusually 
large and coarse from the state of the weather, realised 
2s. per dozen bunches, and when a quantity was taken, 
such as ten or twelve dozen, they were done at 1 s. 9d. 
Brocoi.i was very plentiful, more so than it has been 
for some time. One grower alone had as many as 
seventy dozen bundles. Now each of these bundles 
consists ot from six to eight heads, according to the 
size, but taking the average at seven, this would 
give 5880 heads of Purple Brocoli supplied by one 
man. These made fis. per dozen bundles, or 7d. 
for a single one. Celery was also very plentiful, 
and made from fid. to 9d. per bundle. Onions 
very fine, 3s. per bushel. Parsley, 2d. per bunch. 
Potatoes continue plentiful, and realise from L'5 to L7 
per ton. There have been a few parcels of Sea-Kale 
offered during the week, which were sold at from Is. fid. 
to 2s. fid. per punnet, according to the quality, some of 
it being very weak and small. We observed also one or 
two bundles of Rhubaru. These last articles were, of 
course, both forced, and were of home growth, not im¬ 
ported, as a correspondent says his gardener would have 
him believe. We thank our correspondent for that 
communication, which shall form the subject of a few 
remarks on a future occasion. 
Fruit.— There has been a good supply, but not a very 
brisk demand for Apples; that is, not such a demand 
as the salesmen had made up their minds to expect. 
Baking sorts made from 4s. to 7s. per bushel; and des¬ 
sert, from fis. to 10s. fid. We observed some fine hand¬ 
some parcels of the old Royal Russet, which realised the 
latter price. Blenheims and Wellingtons made 7s. fid. to 
8s., and small Golden Winter Pearniains, 3s. There 
still continues a good supply of Neivtown Pippins and 
Lady Apples, and there have been several arrivals of the 
old French dessert apple, Reinette Gris. In PRars, we 
have only the sorts which have been enumerated in 
former reports. 
Plants and Flowers. —There has been a great show 
in this department. The Cur Flowers have been par¬ 
ticularly fine and choice. They consist of Camellias, 
Scarlet Geraniums, Epiphyllum truncatum. Azalea indica 
alba. Begonia eoccinea, Cliorozemas, Cypripedium venns- 
tum, Roses, Christmas Roses, Violets, Chrysanthemums, 
Euphorbia splendens, Chinese Primroses, Polyanthus^ 
Narcissus, and Lily of the Valley; the two last being 
forced. Flowers in Pots, were Erica gracilis. Mig¬ 
nonette, Chinese Primroses, Van Thol Tulips, and Cine¬ 
rarias. —H. I 
