October 12, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
87 
and on lattice-work trays by currents of moderately hot 
dry air, thereby retaining their natural colour, flavour 
and aroma. This stage of the process requires the 
greatest care and attention, so as to keep the tem¬ 
perature constantly at the level as ascertained by 
experience to be necessary for each kind of vegetable. 
The vegetables and herbs are then carefully mixed in 
the proportions given above, and then compressed to 
one-eighth of their original bulk (when fresh) by 
powerful hydraulic pressure into moulds, thus forming 
square slabs about f in. thick, grooved, so as to be 
divided into cakes of five rations each, at the rate of 
1 oz. per ration, easily separated for convenience of 
issue. These slabs are then wrapped in paper, and 
packed by machinery into square tins, which are her¬ 
metically soldered. Before the lid is soldered down a 
punch stamps it automatically from the inside with the 
season of manufacture. AVhen two years appear on 
this stamp, as “1888-89,” the first is the year of the 
crop and the second the year of compression. The tins 
are now made of bright “coke” tin-plate of the best 
quality, it having been found by experience that the 
vegetables keep much better in this material than in 
the dull terne-plate formerly used. 
The vegetables and herbs are also prepared separately, 
as there is a great demand in some quarters for some 
kinds than for others, as, for instance, in South Africa 
for compressed Celery, as a cure, when stewed, for 
rheumitism caused hy sleeping on the open veldt; in 
India for compressed Onions, to make a soup considered 
a sovereign remedy for the effects of over indulgence in- 
spirituous liquors ; in the Hudson’s Bay Territory for 
the same article as a generator of warmth in the 
stomach ; and in Burmah for compressed Apples and 
Bears, which are prepared in a similar manner to the 
vegetables and herbs. All these vegetables, herbs, and 
fruits are also obtainable in their dried and desiccated 
condition, without being compressed into cakes. In 
either state they are extremely convenient, portable, 
and useful, as are also the prepared and condensed 
soups and flours made from the Fotato, Pea, Lentil, 
Haricot Bean, Carrot, Chestnut, &c. They are, more¬ 
over, wholesome, and the use of these vegetables, 
fruits, &c , will probably become more widely extended. 
— Soc'ety of Arts Journal. 
-- 
PARKS AND GARDENS OF 
PARIS.—II. 
The Pakc Monceaux. 
Though small and only covering about 18 acres of 
ground, the Parc Monceaux is one of the prettiest 
about Paris. Of course, on entering it the visitor is 
very much impressed with the large number of trees 
scattered about in densely-planted clumps everywhere. 
It must be remembered, however, that the summer in 
France is much warmer and the sky clearer than in 
England, and the Parisians are very fond of trees for 
the sake of shade. This may be seen in the parks, 
gardens, and streets everywhere. Besides the ordinary 
kinds there are also specimens of the Judas Tree (Cercis 
Siliquastrum), 20 ft. high, Robinia Pseud-Acacia 
aurea, 35 ft., Yirgilia lutea, 20 ft., and many others 
with a beautiful leafage. There are some fine 
clumps of Hazel, cut back in winter so as to develop 
large leaves, and interspersed amongst them are 
bushes of Negundo aceroiles variegata. Elsewhere 
are clumps of Prunus Pissardi with dark purple 
foliage intermingled with the silver-leaved subject 
previously mentioned. There, again, are small groups 
of Cratregus Pyracantha in contiguous beds, and loaded 
with their fiery red fruit. Dotted here and there over 
the grass are standard specimens of Plumbago 
capensis, Robinia Pseud-Acacia angustifolia, and 
Lantana3, with broad heads laden with their umbels 
of scarlet or white, Verbena-like flowers. The latter 
are exceedingly showy. There are large bushes of 
Bambusa Falconeri, Polygonum euspidatum, Pampas 
Grass, and grand specimens of Musa Ensete, with 
leaves 8 ft. to 10 ft. long and 2 ft. broad. Very con¬ 
spicuous is a large two-forked old standard of 
Erythrina Crista Galli, whose trunk is 6 ins. or 8 ins. 
in diameter and its head 8 ft. high, laden with brilliant 
coral-red flowers. A beautiful grass is Panicum vir- 
gatum, with green foliage and flower stems 6 ft. high, 
bearing large gracefully drooping and finely branched 
panicles of rich brown flowers. 
Many of the beds are also very striking, and filled 
with plants that are quite novel when compared with 
those to be seen in this country. The Paper Reed 
(Cyperus Papyrus) is frequent about Paris, and grows 
splendidly, producing a fine appearance. Here is a 
large bed of it about 4 ft. high, vigorous and healthy, 
beaiing large heads of its slender-flowering branches. 
Another bed of very attractive appearance from a 
distance consists of Solarium marginatum, scattered 
through a ground-work of Iresine Verschaffelti. 
Cannas are also very popular, and may be seen from 
3 ft. to 5 ft. high, mixed in various colours, both as to 
foliage and flowers. French Marigolds are grown in 
quantity everywhere as edgings to the beds, and flower 
profusely. 
Begonias are quite a feature here as in other well- 
kept parks in and around the city, and many different 
species are grown. For instance, one bed consists of 
B. ascotensis, mixed with the large-leaved B. heraclei- 
folia, and edged with B. incarnata atropurpurea ; the 
dark purple leaves of the latter being simply splendid. 
Another bed of much the same kinds is interspersed 
with fine plants of what appear to be a species of 
Trevesia, with digitate shining green leaves. On the 
opposite side of the path is a bed of seedlings of the 
tuberous-rooted kinds flowering profusely, and edged 
with B. Carrieri. A sloping somewhat shaded bank 
is also planted very effectively with B. semperflorens, 
B. ascotensis, and B. fagifolia in alternate lines. 
Jaiidin lies Plantes. 
This rvas originally founded in 1626 as a botanic 
garden, and was of considerable note as such for more 
than a century ; but in 1794 a zoological collection 
was formed in connection with it, and this is the 
condition of the place at the present time. The 
menagerie portion is not equal to that at the Jardin 
d’Acclimatation situated in the north-west corner of the 
Bois de Boulogne. As a botanic garden the Jardin des 
Plantes is a long way inferior in keeping and in col¬ 
lections to that of the leading establishments of that 
kind in this country. Collections of annuals or her¬ 
baceous plants are grown in formal beds or borders, 
but are generally fenced round, so that the public 
cannot in all cases get near enough to examine the 
occupants closely, nor decipher the names. Panicum 
virgatum is an ornamental grass that might be grown 
for its bold and graceful appearance in this country. 
The cats in Paris would seem to have a predilection 
for Basil (Occimum Basilicum), for here it is completely 
enclosed in a wire cage. An attempt has been made at 
ornamental effect, for some things are grown in large 
quantities, and both in the borders and in a sunk 
garden are large beds or banks of sub-tropical subjects, 
such as Cannas, Tobaccos, Solanum marginatum, 
S. laeiniatum, Maiz°, Polymnia grandis, Ferdinanda 
eminens, Ricinus, Datura qucrcifolia, Lantanas, and 
others. Carpet bedding is also done apparently by 
way of sample, and is tolerably neat. Gladioli are 
grown in some quantity ; but here, as well as in the 
Paris flower markets, it is evident that the soil or 
climite, or both, are unfavourable, for the flowers are 
small. 
The Late Mr. R. C. Fraser, Gardener, 
Ardarroch. —The personnel of our ranks is ever 
changing. Every week gives record of victory in the 
“silent rest” of some aged and honoured horticulturist. 
AYe miss them much—men whose loves and energies 
have nobly advanced the record and carried forward 
the standard of our profession. AVith regret we know 
them no more, but in the fulness of their labours we 
find solace, not despair. But how touchingly sad 
when, without warning, in the fulness of youth and 
strength, brimming over with energy and love for his 
flowers, one who we knew to-day, with us has no to¬ 
morrow! On Saturday morning, September 28th, Mr. 
R.C. Fraser, gardener tc R. B. AVhite, Esq., Ardarroch, 
Loch Long, left home, as stated in your last issue, in his 
employer’s yacht, in company with Mr. Hall, of Tulse 
Hill, London, to see Mr. Gair’s collection of Orchids at 
Falkirk. On the return voyage, the yacht was run 
into and sunk by one of the Clyde steamers, the 
captain only being saved. The bodies of Mr. Fraser 
and Mr. Hall have not been recovered. This much 
the world knows ; we knew him as a faithful friend, a 
genial brother gardener, and one who, had he been 
spared, would have made for himself a name, while 
horticulture would have profited by his energy and 
example. A skilful gardener in all respects, but especi¬ 
ally as a successful cultivator of Orchids, Mr. Fraser 
was rapidly coming to the front, and only a few weeks 
ago he was at the Edinburgh autumn exhibition, full of 
pride in the victory he had w T on. To-day a widowed 
woman lays prostrate with grief for him who yesterday 
wat the joy of her life, the stay of a little daughter. 
Our own full hearts weep with, but cannot comfort 
her.— William McLean, Finnart Gardens, Loch Long, 
October, 1889. 
Tuberous Begonias at Beechhill, Edin¬ 
burgh. —This popular and highly decorative plant 
seems to be gaining ground rapidly in Scotland, if one 
may judge by the excellent display which I had the 
pleasure of seeing in Mr. Downie’s nursery at Beechhill 
the other week. Several houses were filled with 
hundreds of capitally grown healthy plants. These are 
all seedlings raised in the nursery, and many excellent 
varieties are amongst them. Several of the best among 
them have been certificated, but there might be many 
more selected which are well worthy of the same 
honour. Those who only saw the table which Mr. 
Downie had of these gorgeous flowers at the Royal 
Caledonian Horticultural Society’s Show, bright and 
gay though it was, and well worthy of admiration, can 
have little idea of the imposing appearance the plants 
have, as they are massed together in the houses at 
Bjechhill. The crimsons and scarlets are perhaps the 
finest as regards quality and substance of bloom, but 
many of the other shades are represented by really 
excellent flowers.— Arbutus. 
Laburnum and Raspberries in October.— 
AA r e received the other day a box containing a small 
branch of Laburnum vulgare, bearing racemes of 
flowers in full bloom in the axils of the leaves, and 
some bunches of Raspberry fruits. Neither of them 
are unique in their way, at least in the 
southern counties of England, but the specimens in 
question were grown at Auchans House, Kilmarnock, 
Ayrshire. Notwithstanding the accession of frost 
sufficient to cut down Dahlias, the Laburnum flowers 
were quite fresh and unhurt. Unopened flower buds 
were very plump on the upper part of the shoot, while 
those lower down have no doubt been urged into 
premature bloom by the advent of rain acid warm 
weather, such as we had during great part of September, 
while previously the dry weather had no doubt partly 
suspended growth. Should the weather continue mild 
and open we may still expect other subjects, including 
Apples and Pears, together with many herbaceous 
plants, including Primulas and AVallflowers, to expand 
prematurely. The Raspberries sent are not so re¬ 
markable for Scotland, as we have seen good crops 
there at the en 1 of September without any special t e -t- 
ment, and the present is probably another instance of 
a similar kind. The climate of Ayrshire must, however, 
be a very genial one. 
Scottish Horticultural Association.— The 
ordinary monthly meeting of the Scottish Horticultural 
Association was held on the 1st inst., Mr. James 
Grieve, vice-president, in the chair. There was a large 
attendance of members. Mr. P. AV. Fairgrieve, Dun- 
keld, read a paper on “The Culture of Stone Fruit 
Out-of-doors.” He described his own method of grow T - 
ing stone fruit at Dunkeld, and pointed out that 
training fruit trees on walls was unnatural, yet without 
such training fruit trees would be of no use. He gave 
minute details of his own way of training and pruning 
fruit trees, and laid stress on the time of the year at 
which pruning should be done, viz., when the wood 
was neither too soft nor too ripe, but just in an inter¬ 
mediate condition. He recommended that the trees 
should not be allowed to bear a heavy crop, as the fruit 
would be inferior, and as this method would prevent 
them carrying a good crop the following year. In the 
after discussion, Mr. Mackenzie, AVarriston, described 
a visit to Dunkeld, and the excellent fruit he had seen 
there. Mr. M’Hattie, Mr. Morrison, Mr. Sutherland, 
and others also contributed to the discussion. Mr. 
Fairgrieve stated in reply that six or eight varieties of 
Plums and six varieties of Peaches were all that were 
worth growing. 
Peach, Early Silver. —I can quite endorse your 
correspondent’s (Mr. Fairgrieve’s) recommendation of 
this Peach. AEe have not tried it outside, but have a 
tree in our Peach house which annually bears fine crops 
of excellent fruit of a clear silvery colour and first-rate 
flavour. It is a capital setter, and we find it necessary 
to thin the fruit rather severely, the tree bearing treble 
the quantity that it is able to mature. It ripens early 
in the season, and is a Peach which anyone who may 
be planting may safely include in their list.— Arbutus. 
Apple, Lady Henniker.— This is by far the 
best culinary Apple we possess. It bears capitally as a 
standard in the open, and the fruit attains a large size, 
in fact it is the largest Apple we have this year, exceed¬ 
ing in size both AVarner’s King and Peasgood’s Nonsuch. 
Regarding it from the cook’s point of view it is par 
excellence the stewing Apple.— Arbutus. 
Warner's King Apple. —This variety has also 
proved itself one to be relied on. AVe have had a 
capital crop of firm solid fruits. It succeeds best on 
the Paradise when planted on not too heavy soil.—« 
Arbutus, Perthshire. 
