86 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September, 18, 1886. 
have become popular, and some recent funerals in high 
society have even shown pieces made of the deep- 
coloured Jacqueminot Roses. Perhaps there is a change 
in the sentiment as well as in the colour. White 
flowers suggest the cold cerements of the grave; 
coloured ones, the bright fields of Paradise.” 
A correspondent of Notes and Queries states that 
the name Cedar has been given very indiscriminately 
to Cedars, Cypresses, and Junipers. It ought to be 
confined to that noble tree the- Cedar of Lebanon, to 
which it was first given. This genus has but one true 
species, for the B. atlantica, C. taurica, and C. deodara, 
are mere varieties of the C. libani. Their cones are in¬ 
distinguishable. This 1 learned from the late Sir W. 
Hooker, and his son, Sir Joseph Hooker, has confirmed 
it. There is no higher authority. The timber is of 
extraordinary durability, but it is quite devoid of 
fragrance. The sweet-smelling wood of which so-called 
Cedar pencils are made is Juniper, commonly called the 
Bermuda Cedar. There is a boudoir in Warwick 
Castle entirely wainscoted with it. 
British Guano !—A good story is told of Mr. G. H. 
Hawtayne, the genial Commissioner of British Guiana 
at the Colonial Exhibition. Mr. Hawtayne was in a 
shop one day recently making purchases, and asked 
that the goods should be sent to the British Guiana 
Court. “Ah !” said the shopkeeper, “I know you, 
and to tell you the truth, I don’t think very highly of 
you. I gave your British Guano a very thorough trial, 
but for all you say in its favour it does not come up 
to the Peruvian.” The Commissioner slid away, lost 
in wonder that there are men in the world who do not 
know of the existence of British Guiana. 
Plants from Ancient Egyptian Tombs. —In the 
biological section, at the recent meeting of the British 
Association, Mr. W. Carruthers, F.R.S., of the British 
Museum, gave some very interesting facts concerning 
the specimens found in ancient Egyptian tombs. It 
was the custom to lay the mummies upon biers formed 
of branches of the sacred Sycamore, and then to wrap 
the winding-cloths over all. The friends who came to 
visit the tomb used also to bring wreaths of flowers and 
votive offerings of fruits ; and all these furnish speci¬ 
mens to the colonists of to-day. The wonderful thing 
is that when they have been placed in warm water they 
revive, and the colour becomes as fresh and brilliant as 
if they had been gathered yesterday. In this way we 
can look upon crimson Poppies, blue Larkspur, Vine- 
leaves and Grapes gathered by loving hands for the 
dead 2,000, 3,000, and even 4,000 years ago. To our 
scientific men the great point of interest in these won¬ 
derful things is that most of them are identical with 
the species growing in the open air at the present day ; 
so that there seems to have been absolutely no change 
in these plants, and it ought to be a cause of shame to 
us that we have not during 3,000 years materially im¬ 
proved our wheat. 
-- 
SOCIETY OP AMERICAN 
FLORISTS. 
An American reader of The Gardening World, who 
was present at the recent annual gathering of American 
florists, at Philadelphia, writes:—This is a Society of 
almost phenomenal growth. Its first annual meeting 
was held at Cincinnatti last year, its second at Phila¬ 
delphia last week, and its third will be held at Chicago 
next year. Three years ago who thought it possible 
that 600 florists, representing nearly every state in the 
country, from Alaska to Maine, and Louisiana to 
Georgia, could be brought together at any one place 
and time, and for one common object ? Certainly, I 
did not. But such is the case, and the Canadas, too, 
are represented. 
Last -week’s, the second meeting, was held in Horti¬ 
cultural Hall, a spacious building in the most central 
and accessible part of Philadelphia, and under the 
auspices of the Philadelphia Florists’ Club. Papers of 
vital interest on Eoses, Carnations, and kindred 
subjects, were prepared and read by specialists, and 
discussed by the members. Essays on new and 
improved methods of building greenhouses and heating 
greenhouses by steam and hot water, were also read 
and keenly discussed. The essays were the practical 
experience of able men, hence they were able papers, 
and when we bear in mind that every man and woman 
in the audience was a practical florist, it is easy to 
understand that the discussions were pithy, pointed, 
and extremely instructive, and no padding, platitude, 
or expletives were needed or tolerated. 
One of the halls in the building was used as an ex¬ 
hibition hall, and here many of the florists showed 
collections of Asters, Pelargoniums, Verbenas, Pansies, 
Gladioluses, and other flowers, of which they have 
especially good strains. Some of the local florists 
of Philadelphia contributed groups of Palms, other 
tropical exotics, new Ferns, Gloxinias, &c. A 
collection of Cactuses shown by Mr. Blanc, of Phila¬ 
delphia, was quite extensive, the plants were thrifty 
and clean, and many of them rare. But the glory of 
the exhibition was Sturtevant’s aquatics ; two large 
water-tanks were filled with them. The plants com¬ 
prised Xymphaea Devoniensis, X. ccerulea, X. Zanzi- 
barensis, X. odorata var. rosea, X. candidissima, X. 
dentata, and X. rubra ; double-flowered Saggittaria, 
Limnocharis ILumboltii, flowers and leaves of the 
Victoria Regia, and dozens of blossoms of Xelumbium 
speciosum, together with immense leaves 6 ft. to 8 ft. 
high above the water. Everyone of these is grown out 
of doors in summer. 
Models of greenhouses, boilers, fumigators, methods 
of ventilating, glazing, and the like, together with 
samples of many implements and other appliances 
used in horticulture were exhibited, explained, much 
handled, and critically investigated. 
Mr. La Moult, of Xew York, with his assistants, 
gave an exhibition of ingenuity and speed in making 
up cut-flow T er “pieces.” 
So destructive to greenhouses are our summer hail¬ 
storms, that many of the members of the society have 
resolved to institute a hail insurance company. 
What a happy idea it -was to bring the florists of 
America together in convention once a year. They all 
get acquainted with each other, and what a genial, in¬ 
telligent, mannerly, and brotherly lot of people they 
are ! There is no formality, no restriction, but all are 
happy, interested, and polite, and the joyful sociability 
of the whole convention is one of its most charming 
and valuable features. The florists of the ivest become 
familiar with the progressive ways and means of their 
brethren in the east, and the florists of the east learn 
many a valuable lesson from the ingenuity and push of 
their fellow craftsmen of the west. It is a mutual 
benefit to all concerned. 
Philadelphia emphasised its “brotherly love,” and 
the hospitality of the Philadelphia Florists’ Club was 
paramount. The Club entertained the members of the 
convention to a day’s outing and banquet at Atlantic 
City—a rare treat to the members from the interior 
States. While the convention was in busy session the 
wives and friends of the members were entertained and 
banqueted by the ladies of the Florists’ Club. One 
afternoon was spent at “Wootton,” the country home 
of Mr. George W. Childs, one of Philadelphia’s most 
beloved and wealthiest citizens, and who entertained 
and banqueted right royally 800 members of the con¬ 
vention and their friends. 
In fact, it was, from first to last, a week of brilliant 
sunshine, and peace and good will prevailed on every 
hand. We dispersed in love and harmony, contented 
with our business, proud of our associates, knowing 
more than when we met, and resolved to practice what 
we had learned. 
The society elected as officers for 1887:—Robert 
Craig, of Philadelphia, president ; J. C. Vaughan, of 
Chicago, first vice-president ; Edwin Lonsdale, of Phil¬ 
adelphia, secretary ; and Myron A. Hunt, of Chicago, 
treasurer. A vice-president is also elected from each 
state. 
-- 
TOTLEY GRANGE. 
This country residence is pleasantly situated on 
the edge of the Derbyshire moors, about five miles 
from Sheffield. It was built some few years ago 
by its owner, Thomas Earnshaw, Esq., one of the 
many successful business men of Sheffield, who have 
judiciously selected a site that is well beyond the 
smoke radius of that town, which is so noxious to both 
animal and plant life. We approach the Grange from 
the Baslow Road through a pair of massive iron gates, 
on the right of which stands the pleasant and well- 
built lodge. On each side of the well-kept carriage 
drive are sloping grass banks ; beyond the left bank 
runs a belt of ornamental trees and shrubs, which 
prevents the public gazing from the highway on to the 
Grange and its pleasant surroundings. 
Passing the Grange, about 200 yards on tbe west 
side, is the kitchen garden and glass department, 
which is chiefly devoted to the production of fruit, and 
I may add that no expense has been spared in the 
construction of fruit houses. The first house we enter 
is a span-roof Vinery, 20 ft. by 12 ft., containing 
twelve Vines, all Muscat of Alexandria; each Vine 
bore eight bunches, which would average two pounds 
each, well finished. This small house was a picture 
such as I shall not soon forget. The next house, which 
is similar in dimensions to the last, is devoted to 
greenhouse-flowering subjects, amongt them being 
several plants of Francoa ramosa, a very useful old 
plant, too seldom seen in collections. The next two 
houses we entered, are about the same dimensions ; the 
first devoted to Cucumbers, the other containing some 
well-grown stove plants, Ferns and Orchids. We next 
enter a Tomato house 93 ft. long: the bulk of the 
plants in this house are Reading Perfection, which has 
been bearing abundantly since last April. Single fruit 
of this variety have been cut weighing 20 ozs. The 
quantity of Tomatos sold from this house in 1885, 
after supplying the demands of the family, realised 
upwards of £30. 
The next range of houses we enter, is about 90 ft. in 
length, which is in four divisions. The first two com¬ 
partments are devoted to early Peaches and Grapes, all 
of which had been gathered at the time of our visit ; 
in the third compartment there was a splendid crop of 
well-finished Grapes. The varieties were Black 
Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria, Madresfield Court, 
Foster’s Seedling, and Black Alicante ; in the fourth 
compartment, which is devoted to Peaches and Xec- 
tarines, the trees were carrying heavy crops of fine 
fruit. We next enter another range of Vineries about 
the same length, which is also divided into four com¬ 
partments, in three of which the vines are in splendid 
condition, bearing heavy crops of mid-season and late 
Grapes ; the fourth house has lately been planted with 
Gros Colmar, which have not yet established themselves. 
Mr. Earnshaw does not consume the whole of the pro¬ 
duce from the above mentioned glass, and I have been 
furnished with a statement of the produce which was 
sold last year : Peaches and Xectarines, 497 ; Cucum¬ 
bers, 1,220; Grapes, 1,056 lbs. ; Tomatos, 618 lbs. The 
total amount realised from the above, was £224 5s. $d. 
Mr. Jefferson, the gardener, is a worthy scion of a 
grand old stock, under whom he received an early 
training in the cultivation of fruits, &c ,—J. TV. S. 
-- 
THE PLUM CROP. 
Mr. Skinner, one of the largest growers in the 
country, and who has dealt in Covent Garden for over 
lialf-a-century, affirms that he has never known a year 
at all approaching this for both Plums and Damsons, 
and, indeed, stone fruit generally. Usually large quan¬ 
tities are imported into London from the Continent, 
but there is this year such a glut from English grounds 
that the Continental growers are altogether out of it. 
There are no foreign Plums in the London market. 
Indeed, it is reported from some quarters of Kent that 
great quantities of Plums are being allowed by the 
owners to rot upon the trees, as they find it does 
not pay them to gather and send them to market. 
Growers complain that this waste is due to the exorbi¬ 
tant charges of the railway companies, who are reaping 
a rich harvest from the splendid crops of our own 
grounds while they are actually bringing down prices 
in the market by giving an advantage to Continental 
growers. This is not the case this year with Plums 
and Damsons, since, as it has been said, there are no 
Continental fruits of these kinds on our market. 
But all such fruits as foreign growers find it worth 
while to send over here can be sent at rates lower than 
those charged to our own growers. For example, it is 
said that Pears and Apples are being conveyed from 
Belgium to Covent Garden at from 4 d. to 5 d. a bushel; 
from Maidstone 6 d. is the charge. Thus it would seem 
that it is not only the foreign Sugar trade that is being 
fostered by a bounty system ; there is a bounty system 
for the benefit of the foreign fruit trade also, and this 
is applied by our own railways. The plea for this veiy 
unsatisfactory state of things is, that if our railway 
companies did not cut down their rates to foreign 
growers, the traffic would be taken by steamers. They 
are, in fact, compelled to this reduction by competition ; 
that may be so, but, oue would think that where com¬ 
petition does not compel this reduction, common fair¬ 
ness to rival traders should. If this is not sufficient, 
some other means must be adopted, so at least the 
English growers think, and they are understood to be 
