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May 9 , 1896 . 
572 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
The discussion which followed the read¬ 
ing of the paper showed that the interest in 
the subject is considerable and likely to 
increase. Captain Addison Smith who has 
been a grower in California furnished some 
statistics as to the remarkable growth of 
the business in that country. In 1871, 
California shipped 1,832,310 lb. of fresh 
fruits, and 182,090 lb. of canned fruits. The 
first shipment of dried fruits of any impor¬ 
tance was 548,227 lb. in 1875 By 1895 
the quantity of fresh fruits from California 
had increased to 132,508,0001b. ; dried fruits 
to 102,652,000 lb. ; and canned fruits to 
62,590,0001b. In 1871, before the evapor¬ 
ator was introduced to California the 
value of the products of deciduous 
orchards was £ 10,240, but in 1895 this had 
risen to ^3,334,152. Mr. A. Ludwig said 
that in Germany the business of evaporation 
was making progress as in America, and he 
was surprised that only about twenty 
machines had been sold in England. Mr. 
B. G. Berry doubted some of the figures 
given as to values and wished to know 
whether they had been realised. As a 
fruit grower he wished to know how to 
make a decent price for the lower 
grades of fruit, as they could always 
sell the best samples to advantage. 
Mr. W. W. Berry spoke of some 
failures with machines, but probably 
they had been of antiquated types. 
He found great difficulty, however, in 
creating sufficient interest in fruit drying 
to induce people to co-operate for the 
establishment of a business of this kind. 
Sir Henry Trueman Wood said that 
whatever else might be wanting in 
California, there were plenty of dry air 
and sunshine ; and if artificial dryers were 
found to be so much more advantageous, 
surely they must even be more so in 
England where sunshine was relatively 
limited, provided the fruit was of equal 
quality. It might be worth while consider¬ 
ing whether it would answer to take the 
evaporator round the country to the 
different fruit farms in the same way as 
threshing machines. 
* Mr. Badger replied to numerous questions 
put to him, and amongst other replies 
stated that he spoke not only of high-class 
and saleable fruit, but of the best 
varieties for evaporating. It was no use 
trying to evaporate material that would 
not cook well. The old worn-out orchards 
of this country were filled in many cases 
with sorts unsuitable and worthless either 
for cooking or evaporating. 
-—— 
Prolonged drought has seriously injured the crops 
in Spain and Portugal. 
Green-dyed Carnations were sold in various parts 
of the United States on St. Patrick's Day. 
Mr. E. Gilman, of Ingestre, has been appointed head 
gardener at Alton Towers, the gardens of which are 
beautiful and extensive. 
Royal Appointment.—T. Jannoch Dersingham, 
Norfolk, Lily of the Valley Grower to H.R.H. the 
Prince of Wales, has been appointed (by special 
warrant) Florist to H.R.H. the Princess of Wales. 
Nottingham Arboretum.—The spring bedding at 
this public park has been very attractive for some 
weeks past, and although the plants are all of 
common kinds, they have been a source of great 
attraction. The Hyacinths had been splendid, but 
gave over about a fortnight ago, when the Tulips, 
including the scarlet Vermilion Brilliant, and the 
showy Keizer Kroon, took their place. In some 
parts of the grounds the scarlet Tulips 
spring from an undergrowth of the white-flowered 
Arabis albida. Wallflowers are grown in 
quantity, and admired as much for their fragrance 
as their beauty. Mr. Bardill, the superintendent for 
the Corporation of Nottingham, deserves credit for 
his work. 
The perfume of flowers is said to disappear as soon 
as the starch in them becomes exhausted ; but by 
placing them in a solution of sugar the formation of 
starch recommences and perfume is again emitted. 
Sobralia Imperatrix.—A healthy plant of this 
Orchid consisting of some half-a-dozen stems and 
some young ones just starting, was sold at the 
central rooms of Messrs. Protheroe & Morris on the 
1st inst. for 4$ guineas. 
A valuable Orchid.—A contemporary states that the 
yellow variety of Cypripedium insigne was bought 
for about £70 or £80, but if put up for sale at a big 
auction could not fail to realise nine or ten hundred 
guineas. 
New Potatos in excellent condition have been dug 
from an open and unprotected field by Mr. William 
Stoddart, gardener to Mrs. Edwards, The Island, 
Rochestown. The variety is known as the Flounder. 
Mr. Stoddart takes pride in thus outdistancing his 
neighbours. 
Cabbage Flower of Spring—Out of a number 
of kinds grown this spring, this is the best. All 
points considered. Both in our own and other gar¬ 
dens in the neighbourhood, a large percentage of the 
plants run away to seed. But Flower of Spring 
had scarcely one out of several hundred in this con¬ 
dition.— Chard. 
Strange name for a Rhododendron. A daily con¬ 
temporary describes a variety of Rhododendron 
under the name of Hebeclinum Janthinum, with pure 
white sweet-scented flowers, as growing in the con¬ 
servatories of the Royal Botanic Society, Regent’s 
Park. Both the label of the plant and the reporter 
must have gone astray. 
Tividale Gardener's Association.—A lecture on 
■■ Sowing Seeds, Uses of Manures &c.” was delivered 
in the Tabernacle Schools, Tividale, Wolverhampton, 
on the 24th ult., by Mr. R. Cock, instructor on 
horticulture to the Stafford County Council. It was 
illustrated with lantern views showing various dis¬ 
eases to which plants are subject and was well 
received by a large audience. 
Mr. John Dunbar, the assistant superintendent of 
the parks at Rochester, New York, still retains his 
position there in virture of having passed the civil 
service examination imposed upon the officials by the 
new Mayor of that city. The Mayor some time ago 
gave notice to the various departments that the 
heads of the same, in order to retain their charges, 
would have to pass an examination, and Mr. Dunbar 
scored 98 per cent of the possible marks. 
Dutch Horticultural and Botanical Society—The 
Floral Committee of this society at the meeting 
of April nth last, awarded First-class Certificates 
to Mr. C. G. Van Tubergen, Jun., of Haarlem, for 
Arum palestinum Eggeri and Erythronium 
Johnsoni; and to Messrs. E. H. Krelage & Son, of 
Haarlem, for Fritillaria aurea Bornmulleri. An 
Award of Merit was accorded to Messrs. E. H. 
Krelage & Son, of Haarlem, for a new species of 
Allium. There were several honourable mention- 
ings for collections of hardy plants. 
Chrysanthemum Show at Aberdeen.—We see by the 
schedule before us that, under the name of " Chrys¬ 
anthemum, Fruit and Vegetable Show," an exhibition 
of the favourite autumn flower is to be held at 
Aberdeen on the 20th and 21st November next, under 
the auspices of the Aberdeen Chrysanthemum Show 
Committee. There are seventy-nine classes for pot 
plants, cut flowers, fruit and vegetables, which may 
be considered bold for a first attempt. For various 
reasons the committee has not guaranteed paying 
prize money ; but it is now believed that, by the 
generous support being given to the movement, the 
prizes will be more encouraging than it could have 
at first offered without funds. The use of the Art 
Gallery has just been secured, in which to hold the 
show, and everything at present augurs well for its 
success. The competition for pot plants is open to 
all, and besides Chrysanthemums, the thirteen 
classes in this division will include Palms, Ferns, 
Chinese Primulas, Cyclamen, Orchids, Roman 
Hyacinths, Primula obconica, &c. There are 
numerous classes for cut flowers of Chrysanthemums. 
Mr. A. Grigor, The Gardens, Fairfield, Aberdeen, is 
chairman of the committee ; and Mr. William Reid, 
8, Hadden Street, Aberdeen, is secretary. 
The late Duke of Marlborough used to chaffingly 
declare that it cost him £8oo in putty alone to keep 
up Blenheim. 
Dr. Conan Doyle has purchased a piece of land 
for a residence near Hindhead, Surrey. Here Prof. 
Tyndall lived and died ; and Lord Tennyson spent 
his last days at Aldworth, not far off. 
The Chigwell Horticultural Society, Chigwell 
Essex, recently organised and carried out a very 
successful entertainment in aid of the iunds of the 
society. 
Sawdust is converted into fuel in Germany by 
heating it under high steam pressure until the resin¬ 
ous ingredients become adhesive, when it is com¬ 
pressed and moulded into bricks. A man with a 
ten-horse power machine can turn out 9,000 of these 
in a day. 
A Sweet Pea Bulletin giving the results of a trial 
of 106 varieties of this favourite flower, has been 
issued from the Cornell University Agricultural, 
Experiment Station, Ithaca, N.Y. Professor L. H. 
Bailey gives his opinions freely concerning them 
independently of all trade interests, pleasing some 
and displeasing others. 
Cocoa-nut trees are liable to be attacked by an 
insect named Mandolim, in various parts of India, 
including Goa, Madras, Cochin, Travancore and 
Juvena. They are also attacked by it in Madagascar 
and the West Indies. Although the insect may be 
removed from the trees there is no remedy against a 
renewal of the attack. 
Mr. William Falconer, the new superintendent of 
the public park at Pittsburg, writes to inform us that 
his new address is Schenley Park, Pittsburg, Pa., 
U.S.A. Some weeks ago we announced his trans¬ 
lation from the beautiful private estate at Dosoris, 
Long Island, New York. His object in making the 
change was more from professional ambition than 
financial inducement. His duties at Pittsburg will 
be more exacting than at Dosoris, but he still retains 
the editorship of Gardening, and communications will 
reach him at the above address. The park extends 
to some hundreds of acres of hilly red clay and rocky 
land. 
Mr. W. B. Hartland’s Tulips —A bazaar and flower 
show was opened at Cork on the 28th ult., in aid of 
the project to establish the Munster Convalescent 
Home. Amongst the exhibits of spring flowers, Mr. 
W. B. Hartland, Ardcairn, Cork, exhibited a splendid 
collection of Tulips, consisting largely of species, 
varieties, and garden forms used for bedding pur¬ 
poses. Some of them were T. Didieri alba, and two 
forms of T. billetiana. Better known is the dark red 
T. fulgens which was very prominent here. He had 
several fine forms of T. gesneriana, including T. 
spathulata with its handsome violet base. Other 
fine things were T. macrospeila major, T. m. minor, 
T. maculata major, T. m. minor, T. vitellina, and the 
yellow Bouton d'Or. The finest yellows in his 
collection, however, were T. gesneriana ixioides, T. 
fulgens lutea, and T. Didieri lutea. The varieties of 
the Parrot section were considered both grotesque 
and beautiful. The old-fashioned border Tulips in¬ 
cluded the pale heliotrope and yellow Fairy Queen, 
which was much admired. 
Field Botany.—A series of Field meetings for the 
systematic study of local botany has been arranged 
to take place during May, June and July, at Chelms¬ 
ford and immediately adjoining districts. The plan 
of procedure is for those attending the meetings to 
meet at certain places on certain dates and go in 
search of wild plants. The work is under the direc¬ 
tion of Mr. D. Houston, staff-teacher of biology to 
the Essex County Council, but other botanists will 
also assist in the determination and classification of 
the plants when the students meet at the Biological 
Laboratory in the evening. It is also intended to 
form a herbarium of the local flora, and a committee 
has been formed to carry this out. The first meeting 
was held at the Biological Laboratory when Mr. 
Houston gave an address on “ Field Botany," and a 
demonstration on the methods of collecting and pre¬ 
serving plants. A programme of fourteen meetings 
has been arranged and the first ramble was held on 
Saturday last. All this we agree with and can 
sanction, but would strongly impress upon Mr. 
Houston to instruct the students that rare plants 
should not be exterminated, but fostered and en¬ 
couraged at least by letting them alone 
