36 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 18, 1897. 
Francoa sonchifolia is flowering freely as a herba¬ 
ceous plant in the open border in the grounds of the 
Glenburn Hydropathic, Rothesay, N.B. 
A Big Cabbage—Mr. Wylie, M.P., was recently 
told by a clergyman that a Cabbage weighing 47 lbs. 
was shown at one of the Condorrat flower shows. It 
required the whole of his friend’s eloquence to make 
Mr. Wylie digest it—that is, the story.— Snaggs. 
The Duchess of York, it is rumoured, is about to 
make an appeal on behalf of the Irish, who are 
threatened with famine on account of the failure of 
the Potato crop. The appeal will be on the same 
lines as that issued by the Princess of Wales for the 
poor of London. 
Mr. Alexander Lister, Rothesay, secured the special 
prize for the best exhibit at Larbert on Saturday 
last, on the occasion of the flower show there. He 
also won the first awards for twentv-four Dahlias 
and twenty-four Carnations. He had ten entries 
and took five first and five second prizes. 
Fuchsia Riccartoni, which originated at Riccarton, 
near Edinburgh, the seat of Sir James Gibson-Craig, 
Bart., is a common shrubbery border plant in almost 
every villa garden of Rothesay, Scotland, descending 
the slopes all round the bay to the high road running 
along the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Some of 
the plants cover a considerable area of ground, 
particularly at the gates leading to the residence of 
Lord Bute. On the steep slopes of Glenburn 
Hydropathic, facing the north and west, the plants 
run up to 8 ft. or 10 ft in height, the stems being 
stout and corky in appearance. 
Messrs. Barr <fc Sons’ Bulb Catalogues for the 
autumn are to hand. One of them is devoted to 
Daffodils, in the cultivation and improvement of 
which the firm has taken, and is taking, so great a 
part. Several fine novelties are included, and will 
doubtless be eagerly snapped up. We observe that 
the general bulb catalogue, which runs to sixty 
pages, exclusive of the covers, is arranged in a purely 
alphabetical manner, which must facilitate easy 
reference on the part of intending buyers. Moreover 
this catalogue contains much useful information, 
especially with regard to Tulips, which are classified 
in such a a manner as to inform amateurs and all 
others in need of such information what sorts to 
plant together. 
The Preservation of Fresh Fruit has been the sub¬ 
ject of a number of experiments in France. Apples 
and Pears were found to keep in first-rate condition 
when each fruit was wrapped separately in tissue 
paper. Wood wool was also tried, but the results 
were not at all satisfactory. Hay and sawdust 
packing gave bad results. It was discovered, how¬ 
ever, that the fruits packed in sand came out the best 
of all, but even in this case each fiuit was separately 
wrapped in tissue paper before being covered with 
the sand. The colour, plumpness, and flavour were 
well maintained, and the expenses of storing were 
not great. This would suggest to fruit growers a 
new method of storing their best fruit. It might be 
tried by them on a small scale, and if found satis¬ 
factory could subsequently be practised extensively. 
The sand, of course, should be dry and clean. 
Gardens of Ancient Egypt.—Gardening in all 
branches suitable to the country seems to have been 
well understood in ancient Egypt. The garden was 
generally of large size and surrounded by a battle- 
mented wall, with the principal entrance through a 
lofty ornamented doorway which served as lodges 
for the keepers and gardeners or labourers. Inside 
of these lodges was a vineyard surrounded by rows 
of Palm trees. Irrigation was well understood and 
tanks and reservoirs held the water conveyed by 
canals from the river. Summer houses were situated 
where they overlooked the flower beds. The 
Egyptians also conducted experiments. Sycamores 
(Ficus Sycomorus) and Palms shaded the reservoirs. 
The vines were trained on horizontal wooden poles 
or bars supported by columns. Bowers and avenues 
of vines were also planted, and boys employed to 
scare the birds during the ripening of the fruit. 
Grapes for the wine press were put into deep wicker 
baskets, but those for dessert into flat baskets. The 
Date Palm supplied the natives with food for the 
greater part of the year. The Gingerbread Palm 
was also grown, together with Peaches, Almonds, 
Olives, Figs, and Pomegranates. 
The Duke and Duchess of York planted two trees in 
Dalmeny Park, on Sunday last. 
Young Rhubarb, according to Dr. R. Otto, contains 
oxalic acid, but as the plants mature this is changed 
into malic acid and sugar. 
One thing Lacking.—"What do you think of my 
new hat, Tom ? ” " Well, it seems fairly represen¬ 
tative. I only notice one thing you have missed, and 
that is a bunch of Carrots."— Scraps. 
Pear Beurre Hardy. — I see this Pear is again on 
sale in the shops in London, and looking even finer 
than it did last year when I sent you a line in 
reference to it. It is, I am informed, grown in 
California, and in addition to its excellent quality as 
an eating Pear, it has the finest skin of any Pear I 
have ever come across, and is, even for its sightliness 
alone, a decoration to any dinner-table.—/. C. Stogdon. 
Moss and Lichen on Fruit Trees arise from want of 
drainage in the soil, and from lack of sunlight. It is 
chiefly to be found on closely planted trees in grass 
land, and on undrained soils. Moss may be got rid 
of by scraping it from the trees with an iron scraper, 
and by afterwards washing the branches and trunk 
with lime water. A cleansing of this kind cannot 
■fail to do trees good, but the causes of the presence 
of the moss have also to be dealt with. The land 
should be drained if it needs it, and closely planted 
trees must be thinned to let in the sunlight. 
The Dutch and Cauliflowers. — Until a compara¬ 
tively recent date the Dutch used to supply all our 
pickle manufacturers with Cauliflowers. Of late 
years English growers have got a little of their own 
back, however, and have beaten the Dutch growers 
out of the market. This is in a large measure due to 
Mr. R. H. Bath, of Wisbeacb, who first entered into 
an engagement with a well-known pickling firm in 
London to supply them with Cauliflowers. He now 
grows over 200 acres of this esteemed vegetable, 
the best heads going to one manufactory. 
Apples on Grass.—A series of trials and experiments 
recently conducted in Bedfordshire with relation to 
profitable fruit culture have yielded some interesting 
facts. It was found that the growth of young Apple 
trees in grass was seriously interfered with by the 
grass. The effect was most marked in the leaves, 
reducing their growth by 35 per cent, in dwarf trees, 
and 41 per cent, in standards. The loss of wood 
growth from the same cause was 87 per cent, for 
dwarf trees, and 74 per cent, for standards. In the 
dwarf trees the fruit yield was reduced 71 per cent., 
from the same cause. That trees grown in grass 
are especially liable to become covered with moss is 
a matter of common knowledge, and it needed not 
the confirmation which it received in this case. An 
open, cultivated soil is recommended for Apples, 
Pears, and Plums. 
Wolverhampton Gardeners.— A lecture on Orchids 
was given to the members of the Wolverhampton 
Gardeners' Horticultural Club, on the 7th inst., by 
Mr. H. A. Burberry. He treated his subject from 
the standpoint of gardeners having but little glass 
accommodation, and dwelt chiefly on those species 
requiring but little warmth so far as the hot water 
apparatus is concerned. After reviewing the general 
situation, and pointing out how extremely simple 
were the wants of those species we already 
thoroughly understand, he expressed an opinion that 
those now known as refractory species will be 
managed equally as easily when we become more 
familiar with the conditions of their native habitats. 
The lecturer then entered most fully and extensively 
into the culture of cool Orchids generally, dividing 
them into two classes, viz., the warmer and the cooler 
sections of cool growing Orchids, the former differing 
from the latter only because more sun-heat should be 
given during summer when they are growing. He 
also fully described the conditions which should pre¬ 
vail in each department, and enumerated an 
enormous quantity of the most popular and showy 
species which grow and flourish under exactly the 
same conditions. This at once made the frequently 
difficult matters of culture and selections very 
ready and easy to understand. The hearty and 
cordial manner in which the concluding vote of 
thanks was proclaimed by those present sufficed to 
show how greatly Mr. Burberry's remarks were 
appreciated. 
The best cork comes from Algeria, where there are 
2,500,000 acres of cork forest. 
Sensitive plants are so abundant in some tropical 
forests that the path of a man is distinctly discernible 
for a long distance behind him. 
Cedar Trees for Pencil Making are said to be 
practically exhausted in the Old World. Several 
forests of the tree in Europe have been consumed by 
this industry. 
Grandeur and Decadence. —Under this heading the 
Nord-Horticole discusses the fate of Symphytum 
asperrimum and Polygonum sakhalinense, which 
were announced to the world a few years ago as 
exceedingly productive and valuable fodder plants 
for dry climates and droughty seasons, or where 
Clover and Lucerne could not be cultivated to any 
advantage. The Symphytum produces very few 
seeds and can only be propagated by pieces of the 
fleshy rootstock and by suckers. Many of these 
fail to grow and would-be cultivators paid dearly for 
them. Cattle were by no means fond of it. The 
same might be said of the Polygonum, the stems of- 
which soon get hard and uneatable. The roots of 
this plant are difficult to eradicate when once they 
have become established. Neither of the two thrive 
well in poor dry soils. 
Ensilage of Potatos.—According to the Bulletin de 
Seances de la Societe Nationale d'Agriculture de France, 
experiments have been made for the purpose of de¬ 
termining whether Potatos can be stored in silos. In 
one case the Potatos were buried amongst crimson 
Clover (Trifolium incarnatum) in a silo. The tempera¬ 
ture of fermenting green clover rises to i6o = Fahr , 
and it was found that the Potatos had practically 
been cooked. They also acquired the characteristic 
colour of that plant, and the flavour due to the pro¬ 
cess of fermentation. Potatos were also tried amongst 
Maize, stored, stalks, cobs and all. The hardness 
and lumpiness of the Maize did not lie so closely as 
the Clover, with the result that the temperature did 
not rise so high The Potatos when taken out of the 
silo parted rapidly with their moisture,becoming very 
hard, in which state they may be kept for a long time. 
Before being used as cattle food they must be soaked 
in water, when they will soften,regaining their digesti¬ 
bility. 
NEPENTHES. 
Mr. H. J. Veitch delivered a most interesting 
lecture upon Nepenthes at the last meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society at the Westminster 
Drill Hall, J. T. Bennett Poe, Esq., occupying the 
chair. The lecture was illustrated by diagrams, and 
also by specimens of the living plants brought from 
the Chelsea nurseries 
In his opening remarks Mr. Veitch averred that he 
wished to treat the subject from a horticultural 
standpoint, and would therefore omit mention of the 
exact part played by the pitchers, for this had been 
done by others. Dealing with the history of the 
Nepenthes, Mr. Veitch said that they were first 
mentioned by Etienne da Flacourt in “ L’Histoirede 
lagranadilede Madagascar," published in 1661, under 
the name of " Aromatica," They were then 
apparently forgotten for nearly 130 years. The 
species mentioned by Flacourt, N. madagas- 
cariensis, was the last to be introduced having been 
brought to this country by Curtis in 1878—79. 
Linnaeus brought Nepenthes into notice in the iSth 
century, but N. distillatoria was the only species 
known to him. The earlier literature relating to the 
genus is very scattered. 
N. rafflesiana, introduced in 1845, N. hookeriana, 
brought to this country from Borneo in 1847, and N. 
ampullacea are some of the first introduced species. 
Thos. Lobb, sent a lot to the nursery at Exeter, in¬ 
cluding N. albo-marginata, N. phyllamphora, N. 
sanguinea, and N. Veitchii, and these formed the 
nucleus of the Chelsea collection. Blume and 
Koethals, two Dutch botanists at the botanic 
gardens at Buitenzorg in Java, also brought several 
species to light. Sir Hugh Low had an interesting 
find in 1851 when he ascended Mount Kina Balu in 
Borneo, and found four of the finest species ever dis¬ 
covered, viz , N. Rajah, N. Lowii, N. villosa, andN. 
edwardiana. He only succeeded in bringing dried 
specimens to this country. Other attempts to secure 
