November 14. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
429 
Agricultural Society, Vol. L,p. 414,) who carefully contrasted 
the returns from twenty-one departments of France with 
the information collected by M’Cullocli and others with 
regard to England ; he remarks:— 
“ The quantity of potatoes grown in these departments is 
much greater than I expected to find it. The consumption 
per head is about a bushel-and-tliree-quarters for each 
person. The fallow lands were about four millions of acres, 
being in proportion to the land under tillage for grain some¬ 
what more than as 4 is to 10. 
“ Of artificial pastures there were If millions of acres. The 
artificial grasses have been cultivated in these provinces for 
a great length of time; but the Due de Cazes told me, in 
1922, that when he first turned his attention to farming, no 
artificial grass whatever was cultivated anywhere south of 
the Loire, and that it was hardly known by name in those 
provinces. The population of the twenty-one departments 
amounts to 8,545,412 persons; and the grain of all sorts 
annually consumed by them is equal to 7.7 bushels per head. 
“Colquhoun calculated that each person in England con¬ 
sumed, on the average, annually, one quarter of wheat; or 
where other grain was eaten, in proportion of 11 of barley, 
If oats, or 1) of rye to a quarter of wheat. 
“ The consumption of wheat in these departments, com¬ 
pared with other grain, was as 5.32 to 2.35; and, reducing 
the 7.7 bushels before-mentioned, to the standard of wheat, 
in the proportion in which the different grains are consumed, 
it will appear that each person in the north of France 
consumes very little more than what is equal to 7 bushels of 
wheat per year. 
“ This is much below the consumption of grain in this 
country, and at variance with the supposed habits of the 
people. And as the quantity of butchers’ meat consumed by 
them is also less than in England, it is difficult to understand 
how they are fed. 1 believe that garden produce forms a 
material part of their diet. 
“What the French call the animalization of the depart¬ 
ments is shown as follows :— 
Cattle. 2,028,924 
Sheep 
Pigs and Goats . 
Horses 
Mules and Asses 
0,704,107 
1,399,599 
974,918 
99,000 
“ Of these, there were consumed for butchers’ meat in the 
course of the year— 
Cattle. 1,055,020 
Sheep. 741,540 
Pigs and Goats .... 1,378,730 
“ The whole weight of the above was about 184 millions of 
kilogrammes—equal to about 400 millions of pounds, or 
3,025,000 cwt. The consumption, with reference to the 
whole population, was about 481bs. of meat for each person. 
“ At the end of this paper I have given the best estimate 
which I could form of the consumption of butchers’ meat 
in this country. It is far too vague to be brought into com¬ 
parison with the French returns ; but its evidence, as far as 
it goes, seems to show that the consumption per head is, 
annually, about 92 lb., exclusive of pig meat.” 
The average weight of animals sold in London is per 
carcase— 
Bullocks. 800 lbs. 
Calves ..... 140 
Sheep.80 
Lambs.50 
Supposing that these severally weigh about one-seventh 
more than the average of the kingdom, the weight of the 
whole will be as follows :— 
Catttle slaughtered in England and Wales 
(according to M’Culloch) . . . 1,305,000 
Deduct Calves (one-tenth) . . . 130,500 
1,174,500 
Bullocks, &c. 1,174,500 multiplied by 0 cwt. 7,047,000 
Calves . 130,500 „ 1 „ 130,500 
Sheep . 5,402,101 „ § „ 3,370,000 
Lambs . 1,400,000 „ i ,, 700,000 
11,253,500 
—C. J. -- 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
GARDENING. 
VANDA MULTIFLORA.—VANDA ROXBURGHII.— 
AERIDES AFFINE.—SOWING LILIUM LANCIFO- 
LIUM. 
“ I have a large plant of Vanda mulliflora, and not being 
able to find it either in The Cottage Gardener or Cottage 
Gardeners 1 Dictionary, I should like to know whether it is 
worth growing, or fit only for the rubbish-heap. Also, 
whether I may expect any bloom next year from Vanda 
Roxburghii and Aerides affine, about six inches high, with 
six or eight leaves. By answering these you will oblige. 
“When is the right time for sowing Lilium lancifolium 
seed, saved this autumn ?—A Young Orchid-Grower.” 
[ Vanda mulliflora is a noble foliaged plant; but the 
flowers are small. If your collection is not very large, you 
might keep it till you required the room it occupies. Vanda 
Roxburghii has flowered when only the size you mention, 
though it is not usual. Aerides afline, if rightly treated, 
flowers freely when six inches high, with six or eight leaves 
on the plant. All air plants from India should be grown 
in a moist, hot air, during the summer months; but to 
flower them well they should be kept dry and comparatively 
cool during tho short days of our winter. Summer tempe¬ 
rature, by day, 85° to 95°, by night, 05° to 75° ; winter tempe¬ 
rature, by day, 00°, by night, 52°. By keeping up the abovo 
temperatures, according to the seasons, your Indian orchids 
will grow robust and flower freely. 
The seed of Lilium lancifolium should be kept in a dry, 
cool place till February; then sow it in alight, rich compost, 
rather thinly; that is, allow oach seed to have a quarter-of- 
an-inch square; cover the seed a quarter-of-an-inch, and 
place the box or pot in which it is sown in a cold frame. 
Water slightly at first, and when tho plants come up give 
plenty of air and increase tho water. Let them remain in 
this box or pot, kept dry and cool through the winter, then 
carefully pick out the small bulbs and repot them in 5-incli 
pots, four in a pot, close to the side. They will make good 
bulbs this second year, and many of them will flower the 
third season; but they ought to be potted singly the third 
spring in 5-incli pots; and when the shoots have made a 
foot or more in growth, a top-dressing of very well-decom¬ 
posed dung will be of great service to the young as well as 
old bulbs. It is well known these Lilies put out most 
freely young roots from the stems above the bulbs; and if 
this rich top dressing is applied just when the roots begin 
to appear, the roots will strike into it, and the plants will 
thrive and grow much finer.] 
CYLINDRICAL BOILERS FOR HEATING FORCING- 
HOUSES. 
“My employer having erected a couple of forcing-houses, 
wishes for information concerning the portable cylindrical 
boilers. I have inspected some, but I have seen none of 
them in use. The length of the houses are thirty-five feet, 
and the breadth about twelve feet. We were thinking of 
having a flow and return round each house, and a boiler to 
each also; but before he purchases the cylindrical boiler he 
would be extremely obliged if you, or any of your corres¬ 
pondents, could give the result of their experience of them. 
—J. Y., Enfield:’ 
i [You do not give a very clear description of the houses 
you propose to heat with portable cylindrical boilers. Are 
they each thirty-five feet long and twelve feet wide ? If so, 
for the forcing-house you require ranges of four pipes, two 
for the flow and two for return, or you will not have heat 
enough to force Vines, <fec. We know a house, thirty feet 
long and ten feet wide, heated by a cylindrical boiler eighteen 
inches deep and fourteen inches wide, and a flow and return 
pipe three-and-a-half in diameter. In this house is grown 
exotic Ferns, and some stove plants, but the heat in severe 
weather is not sufficient, and the owner will be obliged to 
add another range of pipes to give out more heat. We 
have no doubt that cylindrical boilers for small houses, one 
i to each, will answer well, providing there is plenty of piping. 
I We shall be obliged by any of our readers communicating 
! the result of their experience.] 
