December 26, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
261 
The Custard Apple from Madeira generally makes 
its appearance in greater or less quantity, but is not 
in any way an attractive, although a curious fruit. 
Bananas are both plentiful, good, and reasonable in 
price. Pomegranates and Medlars, the latter at 6d. 
per pound, also claim their votaries, notwithstanding 
their lack of any attractive colour. American Cran¬ 
berries sell at is. per quart, and appear up to the 
standard of former years. Their culture in this 
country is more often talked of than attempted, al¬ 
though quite practicable and worthy of attention in 
the peat)' and boggy districts of Ireland. Tomatos 
of small size and moderate quality fetch from lod. to 
js. per poupd. 
Nuts of various kinds seem as plentiful as ever, in¬ 
cluding Coco-nuts, Alrqonds at ^d. or 6d. per pint, 
BLACK GRAPES. 
In our last issue we discussed the merits of certain 
new and old Grapes; in the present we are enabled, 
by the courtesy of some Scotch friends, to give an 
illustration of certain varieties of Black Grapes 
which figured conspicuously at the Great Interna¬ 
tional Fruit Show in September last. We may say 
that the whole of the bunches illustrated were staged 
by one grower — a man who has made his mark in 
this particular department of gardening during the 
last few years, but whose name — by reason of his own 
excessive modesty, that of his employer, or perhaps 
of both—we are not at liberty to mention. We regret 
this the more because his triumphs at Edinburgh 
were honestly won, and where hotujur is due there 
Alicante and Black Hamburgh, and all first-rate. 
The bunches in the second row represent three 
varieties (still reading from left to right), viz.. Black 
Hamburgh, Alicante and Gros Maroc, the two last- 
named being especially fine. The first bunch in the 
top row, formed with the first in the third one a very 
handsome pair of Madresfield Court, the next pair 
being large, solid bunches of Black Hamburgh, not 
large in berry, but well coloured and carrying a 
beautiful bloom. The pair next succeeding are 
Alnwick seedling, beautifully finished ; and the last 
bunches in this and the top line make another pair 
of Gros Maroc, perfectly developed and grandly 
coloured. The prize cards indicate the position they 
held in the estimation of the judges, and the justice 
of the awards was not questioned, 
Varieties of Black Grapes Exhibited at Edinburgh. 
Brazil Nuts at 5 d. per pint, or 6 d. per pound, Cob¬ 
nuts and Filberts, 8 d. to gd. per pound, Hazel-nuts 
3 d. per pint, Spanish Chestnuts at 6 d. per pound, 
and Walnuts at gd. per pound, or 2 s. per hundred. 
Royal Horticultural Society’s Meetings in 1892 . —The 
following are the dates of the committee meetings 
and shows for the forthcoming year :—January 12th ; 
February gth (annual general meeting) ; March 8th 
and 22nd ; April 12th and igth (National Auricula 
and Primula Society’s show) ; May 3rd and 17th ; 
25th and 26th (Temple show) ; June 7th and 21st 
(National Rose Society’s show) ; July 12th and 26th 
(National Carnation and Picotee Society’s show) ; 
August gth, 23rd and 24 (exhibition and conference 
on Begonias, Apricots, and Piums at Chiswick) ; 
September 6th and 20th ; October 4th and iSth ; No¬ 
vember 1st god 15th ; December 13th, 
ought to be no false modesty in proclaiming it. 
However, it is with the Grapes that we must most 
concern ourselves, and a superb lot we can assure 
our readers the eighteen bunches illustrated repre¬ 
sent. We cannot of course say that on the score of 
mere size of bunch they have not been excelled. A 
statement of that kind would certainly not be true, 
because larger bunches have often been seen at Edin¬ 
burgh and elsewhere ; but judge them as a whole—for 
neatness of outline, perfect thinning, the grand size 
of the berries, their perfect colour and bloom ; con¬ 
sider them as the production of a man who grows a 
comparatively small quantity—and no one could say 
that they were not of the highest order of merit, and 
their grower worthy of all praise. 
The central four bunches in the top row represent 
one each of four varieties, which are (taking them 
from left to right) Madresfield' Court, Gros Maroc, 
RIVINA AURANTIACA. 
The garden name of the plant above given refers to 
the colour of the fruit, which may be described as of 
a bright apricot-orange. The flowers are small, 
white, and produced in racemes from the forks of 
the branches, although in the early stages they appear 
in the axils of the leaves, but really terminate the 
shoots to which they belong. The fruit for some 
time after it is formed and increasing in size is white, 
but ultimately deepens to the colour above described 
when mature. The leaves are ovate, or more or less 
cordate at the base, and pubescent or downy as in 
R. hnmilis. For winter decoration it is valuable for 
contrast with the red berried kinds. 1 he cultural 
treatment it requires is precisely identical with that 
of the commoner Rivinas. A few seeds ot each 
should be sown at once, if not already done, with the 
view of raising a : t ick of young plants for next year’s 
work. 1 his is better than going to the trouble cf 
raising plants from cuttings. 
