the gardening world 
December 17, 1898. 
The old-fashioned Wallflower is grown in great 
quantity for spring bedding, for which it is as popular 
as ever in the northern capital. To this may be 
added East Lothian Stocks, the beauty and rich 
fragrance of which cannot be ignored in gardens of 
any dimensions or repute. Pinks are also grown in 
quantity, to be succeeded later by the more popular 
Carnations of which Messrs. Grieve 8c Sons grow a 
fine collection of their own raising. The merits of 
several of them have already been recognised by 
others. Named varieties of other raisers are also kept 
in stock, including Germania, Huntsman, scarlet, and 
the lovely pink Duchess of Fife. 
Striped French Marigolds are annually subjected 
to careful selection and grown for the production of 
seed. The lemon and orange varieties of the African 
Marigold receive similar attention. Gaillardias of 
Messrs. Kelway's strain find favour on account of 
their variety and the successive production of bloom 
over a long period. Striped and self Antirrhinums 
here form dwarf, and very floriferous, bushy plants. 
A small flowered, crimson Calceolaria is grown here 
in some quantity for bedjding purposes, and proves 
very serviceable for that purpose. 
Although soft-wooded subjects monopolise the 
greater portion of the nursery, ornamental trees and 
shrubs for gardens and pleasure grounds are not 
neglected. Rhododendrons do well in the natural 
soil, which is dark and contains a considerable 
amount of vegetable matter, having been long under 
cultivation. Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora is a 
favourite and does well. The same may be said of 
several other flowering shrubs, such as Genista 
tinctoria elata, Azalea mollis, &c. Weeping Willows 
remind us that they might much more often be 
planted in pleasure grounds and on the margins of 
lakes, ponds, and other ornamental sheets of water 
than they are. 
From the ornamental one is directed to the 
useful in such things as Raspberry Superlative, the 
white Jerusalem Artichoke, Tomatos against walls 
in the open air, and the Lyon Leek, which is grown 
for seed, being a great favourite with exhibitors. 
Box is grown for the making of edgings in gardens. 
The firm also supplies their customers with Apple 
trees, including the variety James Grieve, now rising 
in popular favour, also Bailie Neilson and others that 
are yet comparatively new. 
The glasshouses accommodate a great variety of 
subjects useful for market, for spring and summer 
bedding, and garden work generally. Some of them 
are devoted to the cultivation of Ferns of all the 
more popular sorts for decorative purposes, such as 
Pteris tremula, P. straminea, P. cretica cristata, 
Aspleniums, Cyrtomium falcatum, Gymnogramme 
schizophyllagloriosa.and Adiantum Capillus-Veneris 
imbricatum, one of the most handsome of Maiden¬ 
hairs grown. Selaginella emiliana is grown in 
quantity, having recently risen in popular estimation 
as to be seen everywhere. 
Something like 30,000 Hyacinths, Tulips, and 
Narcissi are grown in pots and boxes to supply 
various wants during the flowering season. Bulbs of 
these and other kinds, such as Scillas and Snowdrops, 
are also stored in the dry state for sale, while those to 
be flowered are stored in ashes. Saxifraga sar- 
mentosa tricolor is much more vigorous than the 
other variety of the species, which runs too much to 
variegation to be easily managed. Aralia Sieboldi, 
shrubby Veronicas and Araucaria are useful subjects 
for windows, dwelling rooms, &c., especially during 
autumn and winter. 
In other houses such things as Dendrobium nobile, 
Darlingtonia californica, Ficus and fine foliage 
Begonias may be seen. Tuberous Begonias for 
bedding purposes are held in some repute, as the 
climate suits them admirably. Zonal Pelargoniums 
both for pot culture and bedding out cannot be 
ignored by those whose business it is to supply the 
general wants of the garden. A considerable amount 
of bedding is done by the firm in spring in various 
town gardens. Marguerites are grown in consider¬ 
able quantity in pits. Many houses are devoted to 
the cultivation of Tomatos in pots, boxes, and planted 
out. They indeed constitute a catch crop in several 
of the houses when otherwise unoccupied between 
spring and autumn, at which seasons they are greatly 
request for other subjects. Several varieties of 
Tomatos are grown, including Stirling Castle, which 
fruits freely. 
Elsewhere we came upon such choice Ferns as 
as Asplenium fabianum, Pteris Wimsettii, now one 
of the most popular of decorative Ferns ; P. serrulata 
plumosa, heavily and beautifully tasselled, and 
Asplenium pumilum laxum, notable for its dark 
green and gracefully arching fronds, having thinly 
arranged pinnae, and quite distinct from any other 
sort. 
EXAMINATION IN HORTICULTURE. 
(Concluded from p. 230.) 
7. 300 marks will be given as a maximum. Can¬ 
didates gaining 200 marks and over will be placed in 
the First Class. Those gaining 150 to 200 will be 
placed in the Second Class, and those gaining be¬ 
tween 100 and 150 will be placed in the Third Class. 
Candidates failing to obtain 100 marks will not be 
classed. 
8. The Royal Horticultural Society will award a 
Silver Gilt Medal to the candidate gaining the 
highest number of marks, and will also, if the 
county council or other body promoting the 
lectures wish it, deliver to their candidates certifi¬ 
cates of the class in which they shall have passed. 
9. County councils, lecturers, &c., must send in to 
the society the actual number of candidates at each 
proposed centre at least ten days before the examina¬ 
tion takes place. 
10. Gardeners and students wishing to sit for the 
examination, but who have not attended any parti¬ 
cular series of lectures, must send in their name and 
address, and also the name and address of some 
responsible person willing to conduct the examina¬ 
tion (see par. 14), to the Secretary^ R.H.S , 117, 
Victoria Street, Westminster, at least three weeks 
before the date of examination. 
11. Every Student wishing to be examined must, 
as far as possible, give the information asked for on 
a coloured form enclosed with the syllabus. 
12. A small capitation fee of 3s. will be charged 
for every student, in order to partly defray the ex¬ 
penses of the examination. 
13. County councils, lecturers, and others desiring 
to have an examination held in their neighbourhood, 
must also send in the full name and address (with 
designation or occupation) of one responsible person 
for each proposed centre, who will undertake to 
supervise the examination in accordance with the 
society’s rules. 
14. N.B.—The Society is willing to hold an ex¬ 
amination wherever a magistrate, clergyman, 
schoolmaster, or other responsible person accus¬ 
tomed to examinations will consent to supervise one 
on the society's behalf, and in accordance with the 
rules laid down for its conduct. 
A stamped and directed envelope must be enclosed 
with all communications requiring a reply. 
Scholarships. 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., President of the 
Society, and Master of the Worshipful Company of 
Gardeners, very kindly offered a Scholarship of £25 
a year for two years, to be awarded after the examina¬ 
tion of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1894, t0 
the student who should pass highest, if he were 
willing to accept the conditions attaching thereto. 
The main outline of these conditions is that the 
holder must be of the male sex, and between the 
ages of 18 and 22 years, and that he will study gar¬ 
dening for one year at least at the Royal Horticultural 
Society's Gardens at Chiswick, conforming to the 
general rules laid down there for students. In the 
second year of the scholarship he may, if he likes, 
continue his studies at some other place, at home or 
abroad, which shall be approved by the Master of the 
Worshipful Company of Gardeners, and by the 
Council of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
A similar Scholarship was presented by Baron 
Schroder, V.M.H., after the 1895 examination. 
The Worshipful Company of Gardeners continued 
this scholarship to the end of 1895. 
Another similar scholarship was given after the 
1897 examination by N. N. Sherwood, Esq., V.M.H., 
Master of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners. 
Another was given for 1898-9 by G. W. Burrows, 
Esq., a member of the Court of the same Worship¬ 
ful Company of Gardeners. 
Another is promised for 1899-1900 by the Right 
Hon. the Lord Amherst, who presents it also through 
the Gardeners' Company. 
And yet another for 1900 by Henry Wood, Esq , 
which will be continued in 1901 by F. G. Ivey, Esq., 
both gentlemen being members of the Court of the 
Worshipful Company, 
251 
Scholars 
1894- 5-6 
1895- 6-7 
1897- 8-9 
1898- 9 
Mr. W. N. Sands. 
Mr. G. F. Tinley. 
Mr. H. S. Langford. 
(Not yet awarded). 
If the student who is at the head of the examina¬ 
tion is for any reason unable or unwilling to accept 
the scholarship it is then offered to the next highest 
on the list, and so on throughout the First Class. 
-- 
THE PINE-APPLE INDUSTRY OF THE 
BAHAMAS. 
After sponge, the most important productions of 
the Bahamas are Pineapples, of which no less than 
nearly 5,000,000 were shipped to the United States 
in 1897. The report of the Acting Colonial Secre¬ 
tary states that they are chiefly grown in the islands 
of Eleuthera, San Salvador, and Long Island; but 
nearly every island of considerable size possesses 
soil which is suited to the cultivation of Pineapples. 
The variety produced is known as the “ scarlet ” or 
" red Spanish,” and is of inferior quality. It is, how¬ 
ever, a good traveller, and four-fifths of the output of 
these islands go to the canning factories of Baltimore. 
The methods of cultivation are exceedingly primi¬ 
tive. As many as 20,000 plants are crammed into 
an acre of more or less rocky ground, and it is only 
during the last three or four years that chemical 
fertilisers have been used in these fields. In most 
cases the Pineapples are grown on the metayer 
system, the owners of the large tracts of land sharing 
with the cultivators the crop of fruit. These pro¬ 
prietors make advances in cash or provisions to the 
labourers until the reaping of a crop, and the culti¬ 
vator is precluded, under an agreement, from selling 
his share to any other than the landlord. The price 
to be paid for the fruit varies from is. to is. 6d. per 
dozen, according to the date of production ; and as 
the cultivator does not receive more for a fruit weigh¬ 
ing six pounds than he does for one that is only half 
the size, quantity and not quality is the object of his 
labours. From eighteen months to two years must 
elapse between the planting and the reaping of a crop 
of Pineapples, and in that interval the cultivator will 
have required so many advances in cash and provi¬ 
sions for the maintenance of his family that his 
account with the landlord in the shipping season is 
very often on the wrong side. This system is open 
to much objection. Apart from the unsatisfactory 
transactions in truck, the method acts as a bar to any 
improvement in cultivation, and tends to the elimina¬ 
tion of any independence on the part of the labourer. 
When ripe the Pineapples are cut and carried on the 
heads of men and women to the beach nearest the 
plantation, where they are shipped in large Ameri. 
can sailing vessels. The ActingColonial Secretary says 
it will hardly be credited that in most cases the fruit 
is shipped in bulk in the ship’s hold, and as a large 
schooner will carry from 75,000 to 150,000 Pine¬ 
apples, the condition of the fruit in the lowest layers, 
when it arrives in Baltimore, after a ten days’ passage, 
may be better imagined than described. In spite, 
however, of these intensely primitive methods, the 
Pineapple cultivation in the Bahamas is one of con¬ 
siderable profit and importance to the colony ; but 
there is every reason to believe, if more care were 
taken, and a superior grade of fruit cultivated, the 
results would be manifestly more profitable to every 
one concerned. Tentative efforts are now being 
made to encourage the cultivation of the finer 
varieties of Pineapples, and there seems to be no 
reason why the London market, which is now princi¬ 
pally supplied by the Azores and the Canary Islands, 
should not provide a profitable outlet for Bahamas 
fruit of a superior grade. Factories for the canning 
of Pineapples have lately been established in Nassau 
and in Eleuthera, and in 1897 they shipped more 
than 20,000 cases of preserved fruit .—Journal of the 
Society of Arts. 
Animals that store their Food.—The squirrel, the 
nuthatch, and some others store nuts and other hard 
fruits to furnish a supply of food during winter, and 
when there is a difficulty in getting it from trees or 
on the ground. The beaver is also a vegetable 
feeder, living upon the bark of trees in winter. 
Previous to this period the beaver collects branches, 
cuts them into lengths, and dragging them to the 
bottom of its dam, fastens them down with stones 
and mud till required. 
