558 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 28, 1888. 
THE ANTIQUITY OF CULTI¬ 
VATED PLANTS. 
The history of cultivated plants must necessarily be 
closely associated with the history of civilised com¬ 
munities of man, of the existence of which we have 
abundant evidence on every hand, written or unwritten. 
The progress of civilisation has neither been universal 
nor continuous for any extraordinary period of time, 
but has fluctuated like everything human or earthty, 
and has been, and probably will be, marked by rise, 
progress and fall, and a shifting of the great centres 
of power and activity. De Candolle states that within 
the last 2,000 years no plant has been discovered equal 
in importance as food to mankind as Wheat, Barley, 
Oats, Maize, Bice, the Banana, Date, and similar 
things are ; and I consider the estimate as a very 
moderate one. The late Mr. Bentham gave it as his 
firm belief that none of the cereals exist or have existed 
in their present form, a remarkable fact, considering 
that Wheat, dating back 2,000 years, and previous to 
the Roman invasion of Britain, is equal to an average 
market sample of the present day, demonstrating how 
little progress we have made in its improvement as to 
size since then, even with the boasted scientific skill of 
the present day. The thirty-two plants already 
mentioned, and which do not exist in a wild state, are 
entirely proteges of man. According to the astronomi¬ 
cal observations of the Assyrians and Egyptians, it is 
stated that men had attained a high degree of civilisa¬ 
tion 11,542 years before the Christian era, and if so, 
cultivation, or in other words, agriculture (it is not 
unreasonable to suppose) had made considerable 
advance by that time. Geologists, moreover, claim 
that human remains discovered in the caves of Europe, 
carry us back for 500,000 years. We have historical 
evidence of cultivation extending back for more than 
4,000 years. 
Nothing is more probable than that civilised man in 
his migration from country to country carried with 
him his choice and favourite food-producing and other 
economic plants—a fact which makes it all the more 
difficult to define with certainty what was the original 
home of certain plants, which even now exist in a wild 
state. The close affinity or actual identity of many Old 
and New World plants would seem to indicate that 
those two continents were once connected by land, and 
that civilised man then existed, and assisted in the 
transmigration of such as the Banana, which is seedless, 
and which was widely cultivated in the tropics of both 
hemispheres even before the discovery of America by 
Columbus in 1492. Other evidence of this land com¬ 
munication is furnished by the fact that of more than 
800 fossil remains of flowering plants found in 
Switzerland belonging to the Miocene age, the majority 
are now to be found in America. The late Asa Gray 
says that of 155 species found in the forests east of the 
Rocky Mountains, only seventy-eight are to be found 
west of them, plainly indicating an eastern origin. 
Scientific research goes far to prove that at a former 
period of our globe there existed an Atlantic continent, 
the latest submergence of which was the lost Atlantis, 
an island described by Plato where civilisation in olden 
times had reached a very high degree. The Deluge of 
the Bible, of the Chaldeans, and the deluge legends of 
other nations are believed to refer to the terrible 
catastrophe by which, amidst earthquakes and floods, 
the whole island sunk into the sea, carrying with it 
nearly the whole of its inhabitants. The peaks of 
the mountains alone are believed to remain above the 
level of the ocean, and are represented by the islands of 
the Azores. The soundings of H.M. ship Challenger, 
and those of others, go far to confirm the existence of 
such a highway between the Old and New Worlds for 
the transmigration of plants and animals, including 
man. It has even been suggested that Atlantis was the 
original home of many plants, including the cereals, 
now the proteges of man, and that it was the Ante¬ 
diluvian world. The antiquity of the cultivated plants 
noticed is made all the more emphatic from the fact 
that all plants whose cultivation is known to have 
originated in Europe, still exist there in a wild state.— F. 
-->:£<-- 
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS. 
Mildew ox Leaves.—IF. K. B.: The kind of sulphur to he 
used for the recipe given ia the number for March 24th, is 
“ flowers of sulphur,” which may be obtained of the chemist. 
Chrysanthemums Spotted. — Edwin Beevers : We consider that 
you have rightly hit upon the evil with regard to the presence 
of the old roots as drainage, not that we consider the old ones 
greatly charged with ammonia, but the fresh roots aie in any 
case prejudiced. We lay greater stress, however, upon the 
manurial material which you have used, as we knew of a case 
last year where too strong a dose of an artificial manure was 
used. This was laid on the top when the plants were stronger 
and older than yours ; a heavy thunderstorm, a day or two after, 
washed down and dissolved the manure all at once, the effect of 
which was seen a day or two after by the whole of the plants 
dying from the top downwards. Too much of the strong arti¬ 
ficial manure was given, and to this fact we would call your 
attention in this case. Your plants would enjoy the rich feeding 
better when they attain a larger size. 
Orchids for Cool House. — E. Beevers: Besides those kinds 
which you mention, you might add Odontoglossum Rossii majus, 
O. Pescatorei, O. luteo-purpureum, O. triumphans, O. odoratum, 
O. Sanderianum, and others we have no doubt could be kept 
well enough in the temperature you mention. Add Dendrobium 
nobile, Cypripedium venustum, C. spectabile, Masdevallias (in 
variety), Maxillarias, Zygopetalum Mackayi, Ccelogynes, 
Lycastes, Bletia hyacinthina, several of the Oncidiums, &c. 
Lily Bulbs. — Metheglin: When newly imported bulbs of 
Lilium auratum and L. speeiosum are received we should advise 
covering up, or embedding them in moist Coco-nut fibre to 
recover their plumpness, afterwards potting in light soil that 
may be rich, but contains no rank, fresh manure or leaves of 
any kind, and water very sparingly until they have made roots, 
establishing themselves and commencing to grow. Being late in 
the season we should advise you to flower them in pots, always 
exposing them well to the light, except when in flower, and they 
will be quite as dwarf as if grown in the open air. They do not 
lequire any bottom-heat whatever, and should not be urged to 
grow rapidly until the pots are well filled with roots and the 
crown pushing. Re-pot the bulbs after they die down. A small 
quantity of soil may be used at first, leaving room to top-dress 
after growth has commenced. By proper and natural treat¬ 
ment you may flower your bulbs year after year. It is ti lie 
they are more difficult to preserve than Hyacinths in our vari¬ 
able climate; but a great deal of the difficulty lies in over-feed¬ 
ing and unnatural stimulation, especially in the case of L. 
auratum, in the fashionable craze to obtain large flowers. Do 
not over-feed them, nor keep them too wet even when making 
their growth. Hyacinth Bulbs renew themselves several times 
in the course of eighteen years. 
Dendrobiums. —IF. Driver : The flowers of Dendrobium nobile 
are all good and well coloured, but the variety you marked is 
certainly the most richly coloured, although the flowers are not 
the largest. The deep rich rose-purple of the sepals and petals, 
especially of the latter, is very marked and fine. The blotch on 
the lip of D. fimbriatum oculatum is almost jet-black, while the 
flowers themselves are large and well coloured. The old and 
much-neglected Lycaste Handsome usually bears one flower only, 
and although yours have two on a scape they suffer no diminu¬ 
tion in size, but on the contrary are large, well coloured and deli¬ 
ciously scented. 
Cineraria. —/. B.: A showy decorative flower, but by no 
means first-class judged by the florist’s standard. The colour, 
rose-pink, is common in all good strains. The Auriculas are 
pretty border flowers—nothing more. 
Old Cattleya Pseudo-bulbs.—/. M. : There would be no 
harm in cutting off old pseudo-bulbs, such as that you sent us, 
and which were thoroughly shrivelled. Even if you were to 
cause them to become plump again, it would only be at the 
expense of the younger and useful ones. We should not advise 
you to cut away those that are yet green and plump, whether 
they have leaves or not; but the old shrivelled and unsightly 
ones may be cut away without injury to the plants, and the 
latter will look all the better after the removal of those half-dead 
stumps. 
Cress.— IF. H.: Two varieties are grown for market, the 
plain-leaved and the curled, but the former, being the cheapest, 
is almost invariably used by the growers. We suspect what 
you have is much larger than “ the market variety” only 
because you keep it too long. Cut it quicker, and jou will be 
all right. What is sold as Mustard is really Rape, which is used 
because it is cheaper, and grows more quickly. 
Names of Plants.— H. Mayne : Muscari racemosum. IF. 
Driver: Coelogyne ochracea. F. G. : 1, Daphne mezereum ; 2, 
Puschkinia scilloides; 3, Pulmonaria saccharata; 4, Thuja 
gigantea. T. Horn: 1, Dendrobium fimbriatum oculatum; 2, 
D. luteolum ; 3, D. barbatulum ; 4, Lycaste Harrisonae ; 5, 
Odontoglossum Halli; 6, O. eonstrietum. 
Communications Received. —J. J. & S.—W. D. M.—J. R, M. 
-C. A. G.—I. I.-G. F. W.-H. R.-R. C. F.-E. C.-T. S. W. 
_W. G.—A. E. S.—B. & S.—S. & S.—G. T.—E. S. D. 
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TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
William Bull, 536, King’s Road, Chelsea, S.W.—New, 
Beautiful, and Rare Plants and Orchids. 
Eric F. Such, Maidenhead, Berks. — Dahlias and other 
Florists’ Flowers, Herbaceous Plants, &c. 
-- 
THE WEATHER. 
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean reading 
of the barometer during the week ending April 21st, 
was 29’53 in. ; the highest reading was 29 77 in. on 
Monday at noon ; and the lowest was 29’38 in. on 
Friday at noon. The mean temperature of the air was 
48’5°, and 0’6° above the average in the corresponding 
weeks of the twenty years ending 1868. The mean 
exceeded the average during the first four days of the 
week, hut showed a deficiency during the last three 
days of the week. The general direction of the wind 
was south-westerly, and the horizontal movement of 
the air averaged 12 - 3 miles per hour, which was O 'l of 
a mile above the average in the corresponding weeks of 
sixteen years. Rain fell on five days of the week, to 
the aggregate amount of 0'65 of an inch. The duration 
of registered bright sunshine in the week was 357 hours, 
against 301 hours at Glynde Place, Lewes. 
LONDON SEED TRADE. 
April 25th. 
Messrs. Hurst & Son, 152, Houndsditch, and 39, 
Seed Market, Mark Lane, London, report a moderate 
demand for Agricultural Seeds, the cold and wet 
weather having delayed sowing. Prices are firmly 
maintained, and White Clover is held for an advance, 
though this article is still exceedingly cheap. Spring 
Tares are dearer. Bird Seeds unchanged. 
-- 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET. 
April 25th. 
Fruit.—Average Wholesale Prices. 
s.d. s.d. I s.d. s.d. 
Apples, i sieve. 2 0 5 0 Pine-apples, St. 
Grapes .per lb. 3 0 6 0 Michaels, each_ 2 0 5 0 
Kent Cobs_100 lbs.40 0 45 0 Pine-apples, Eng., lb. 10 2 0 
Pears, French, doz. ..3 0 6 0, Strawberries ..per lb. 4 0 6 0 
Vegetables.—Average Retail Prices. 
s.d. s.d. 
Artichokes, Globe,doz. 2 0 3 0 
Beans, French, per lb. 5 0 
Beet, per dozen. 2 0 3 0 
BrusselsSprouts.perlb 0 4 
Cabbages_per doz. 2 0 2 6 
Carrots.per bun. 0 6 
Cauliflowers, English, 
per dozen . 40 60 
Celery, per bundle ..20 
Cucumbers, each_0 9 13 
Endive, French, doz. 2 6 3 6 
Herbs, per bunch.... 0 2 0 4 
s.d. s.d. 
Horse Radish, bundle 3 0 5 0 
Lettuces .. per dozen 2 0 3 0 
Mushrooms, p. basket 0 9 13 
Onions, per bushel .. 7 0 9 0 
Parsley, per bunch ..06 
Radishes, per dozen ..16 
Sea Kale.. per punnet 2 6 3 0 
Smallsaladingjpunnet 0 4 
Spinach, per strike ..20 
Tomatos, per lb. 2 6 3 0 
Turnips.... per bun. 0 6 
Potatos.— Kent Regents, 80s. to 100s. per ton; Kent Kidneys. 
80s. to 100s. per ton ; Champions, 70s. per ton. 
Plants in Pots.—Aver 
s.d. s.d. 
Aralia Sieboldi, doz.. 6 0 18 0 
Azalea .per doz. IS 0 30 0 
Calceolaria .per doz. S 0 12 0 
Cineraria ..per dozen 6 0 12 0 
Coleus .per doz. 4 0 6 0 
Cyclamen_per doz.12 0 24 0 
Cyperus ..per dozen 4 0 12 0 
Dracaena term., doz.. 30 0 60 0 
— viridis, per dozen 12 0 24 0 
Epiphyllums, per doz.12 0 24 0 
Erica ventrieosa doz. IS 0 30 0 
— various .doz. 9 0 IS 0 
Evergreens, in var., 
per dozen . 6 0 24 0 
Ferns, in var., do .. 4 0 18 0 
Foliage Plants, vari¬ 
ous, each. 2 0 10 6 
Out Flowers.—Avera 
s.d. s.d. 
Anemone (French), 
doz. bunches 16 4 0 
— fulgens, 
doz. bunches 2 0 4 0 
Arum Lilies, 12 blms. 2 0 4 0 
Azalea .... 12 sprays 06 10 
Bouvardias, per bun. 0 6 10 
Boxes of Hyacinth, 
Dutch 2 0 5 0 
Camellias_per doz. 10 3 0 
Carnations, 12 blooms 16 3 0 
Cineraria, per doz.buu.6 0 12 0 
Cyclamen.. 12 blooms 0 4 0 6 
Daffodils (double), 
12 bun. 2 0 4 0 
— single. „ 2 0 4 0 
— (or Lent Lily) ,, 10 6,0 
Deutzia.12 bun. 4 0 9 0 
Eucharis, per dozen.. 4 0 6 0 
Gardenias, 12 blooms. 2 0 6 0 
Heliotropes, 12 sprays 0 6 10 
Hyacinths, Roman, 12 
sprays 0610 
Lilium longiflorum, 
12 blooms 3 0 5 0 
GE Wholesale Prices. 
s.d. s.d. 
Ficus elastica each ..16 76 
Genistas.per doz S 0 12 0 
Hyacinths, 
per doz. pots 6 0 10 0 
Heliotrope .. per doz. 6 0 9 0 
Lily of Valley ,perdoz.l5 0 IS 0 
Marguerites per doz. 9 0 12 0 
Mignonette .. per doz. 9 0 IS 0 
Musk.per doz. 3 0 4 0 
Palms in variety, each 2 6 21 0 
Pelargoniums,scarlet, 
per dozen . 40 90 
Pelargoniums, dozenlS 0 24 0 
Primula sinensis, doz. 4 0 6 0 
Roses .per doz.12 0 24 0 
Spiraeas.per doz. 9 0 15 0 
ge Wholesale Prices. 
s.d. s.d. 
Lily of the Valley, 
12 sprays 0 6 10 
Marguerites, 12 bun... 3 0 6 0 
Mignonette, 12 bun... 3 0 6 0 
Narcissus, various, 
12 bun. 2 0 4 0 
Paper-white Narcissus, 
12 bun. 2 0 4 0 
Pelargoniums,12spys. 10 16 
— scarlet, 12 sprays.. 0 6 0 9 
Primroses .... 12 bun. 
Primula, double, bun. 10 16 
Roses (coloured) .... 2 0 4 0 
— Tea _per dozen 10 3 0 
— Red.per doz. 2 0 6 0 
— Saffrano .. per doz. 16 3 0 
Snowdrops ...12 bun. 
Tropseolums . 20 30 
Tuberoses, per dozen. 16 2 0 
Tulips ....12 blooms 0 6 10 
Violets.12 bun. 0 6 10 
— French.... 12 bun.lS 0 24 0 
-Parme.. 1 bun. 2 0 3 0 
White Jasmine, 
per bun. 0 9 16 
White Lilac per bun. 4 6 6 0 
CONTENTS 
Acacia cordifolia 
Allium neapolitanum .... 
America, notes of a trip to 
Androsace Laggeri . 
Auriculas. 
Auricula Show, National.. 557 
Austrian Pine, the. 54S 
Bee-keeper, the . 557 
Caladiums at Forest Hill.. 54S 
Coprosma Baueriana varie- 
gata. 550 
Cytisus rhodophena. 554 
Daffodil, Sir Watlrin. 554 
Dahlia Planting. 552 
Gardeners’ Calendar. 555 
Gardenias, notes on . 553 
Ghent Nurseries, the - 550 
page . 
Gooseberries, training-550 
Harebells. 549 
Hollies at Highgate . 554 
Horticultural Societies.... 556 
Hyacinths at Forest Hill.. 552 
Law notes .557 
March in the Pyrenees .... 54S 
Musssenda evythrophylla.. 553 
Orchid Notes and Gleanings 555 
Pinks. 552 
Plants, New, Certificated.. 557 
Polyanthuses . 547 
Primula rosea . 555 
Saxifraga retusa bryoides 555 
Scottish Notes. ^51 
Triteleia uniflora.548 
Vanilla planifolia . 555 
PAGE 
554 
554 
553 
554 
552 
SITUATIONS WANTED. 
G ardener (head).—a first-class man 
and thorough Orchid grower, now disengaged, is seeking 
a fresh appointment. Has had many years' experience in ail 
branches of gardening, gained many prizes at exhibitions, and 
been very successful in Fruit and Vegetable culture. Character 
and references of the best description.— S. M. L., Gardening 
World Office. 
Orchids. 
R C. ERASER (age 32, married), for the 
a past two years gardener and Orcliid-grower to R. II. 
Measures, Esq., The Woodlands, Streatliam, is open for re¬ 
engagement. Extensive experience in Orchid cultivation, plant 
and fruit growing, and general gardening. Address, Gardening 
World Office, 17, Catherine Street, Strand, W.C. 
'1 ARDENER (Head or good Single-handed), 
X understands Vines. Melons, Stove, Greenhouse, Kitchen 
•den, &c. Married. Five years' good character. Age 61. 
SHARP. 90. Brighton Road, Upper Clapton, E. 
