342 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 28, 1899. 
Sciadopitys verticillata.—In the current volume of 
Tijdsclirift voor Tuinbouw, facing p. 143 is a photo¬ 
graphic reproduction of a fine, pyramidal specimen 
of the Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) in 
the pinetum at Schovenhorst, Holland. It stands 
4-15 metres high, or just over 13 ft. The Japanese 
names of this Conifer are Koja-Maki and Kane- 
Matsu ; the Chinese names Kin-Sung and Kin-Sjo. 
Cherries in France.—In staid, sober old Britain 
Cherries ate looked upon more as a luxury 
than as food. In volatile France they are re¬ 
garded by the peasantry more in the light of a 
common food. As evidence of this we have the 
proverb, " A Cherry year, a merry year,” which we 
may take to mean that an abundant crop of Cherries 
means prosperity, During the last century a law 
was passed ordering the preservation of all the 
Cherry trees in the woods and forests. Consequently 
there became so many Cherry trees that the pendu¬ 
lum of policy swung to the other extreme, and the 
trees were nearly all cut down. This caused a 
great deal of hardship to the peasants, who were thus 
deprived of a great part of their food. Cherry soup, 
with a little bread, and a still more meagre allowance 
of butter, used to be the ordinary food of charcoal 
burners and wood cutters, but civilisation has altered 
all this. 
The French Horticultural Society of Loudon —On 
the evening of Saturday, the 14th inst., this society 
celebrated the 10th anniversary of its formation. 
Many members and friends were present, and 
amongst the latter were M. Clere the Secretary of 
the French Chamber of Commerce of London ; M. 
, Lelasceur, of Mitcham ; Mr. T. Bevan, Mr. Tucker 
(Messrs. Hurst and Son), Mr. C. Harman Payne, 
Mr. Geo. Schneider, Mr. Gaskell (Cooper, Tabor & 
Co), and Mr. Arnold Moss. Mr Drost, ofKew, 
presided, being introduced by Mr. Schneider. In 
proposing the health of the chairman, Mr. Schneider 
reminded the audience that he had always been a 
good friend, and had employed many of them. Mr. 
Drost, in responding, said that, looking back on the 
past history of the society, its members had every 
reason to congratulate themselves. The balance at 
the bank was bigger this year than last, whilst there 
had been a big increase in the list of members, and 
notable additions had been made to the library. Mr. 
Arnold Moss replied for the visitors, saying that 
international gatherings of that kind created friendly 
feelings between the nations concerned, and said he 
was sure that all Englishmen would wish France to 
be happy and prosperous. M Gachelin, in proposing 
the horticultural press, spoke of the necessity there 
was for all Frenchmen to learn English. Mr. C. 
Harman Payne responded. 
British Produce Association.—In the current num¬ 
ber of The Agricultural Economist, Edward Owen 
Greening, discusses the situation of the British 
Produce Association at Winchilsea House, or rather 
gives an explanatory article on the results of the 
experiment to push a retail business limited to the 
sale of British grown produce. From this it would 
appear ihat it is by no means a lucrative occupation, 
for th; simple reason that the British public cannot 
live upon home grown produce, the result being that 
the matrons of households have to divide their orders 
between .Winchilsea House and some other which 
supplies foreign as well as home produce necessary 
for making up the daily menu. When the home 
grown article becomes scarce its price goes up to 
twice or three times that of the foreign article, as in 
the case of Tomatos. When the foreign supply was 
selling at 3 d. per lb., home grown Tomatos could not 
be sold under 2s. for the same quantity. After this 
and similar experiences the customers would be 
likely to call at the general stores first, where they 
would get everything they want at reasonable prices. 
The cost of the delivery of half orders would practi¬ 
cally amount to the same as that of whole orders 
delivered from stores, where both British and foreign 
produce is kept. Being tied down to the sale of 
British produce only, the prices of Tresh fruit are 
artificially raised; and this alone will limit the 
number of customers. Moreover, a weekly loss to 
the establishment of nearly £200 a week is said to be 
going on. Mr Greening also comes to the conclusion 
that the idea of selling British produce through 
retail stores especially established in London is a 
delusion. 
Several Fine Elm Trees in the celebrated Long 
Walk at Windsor have been condemned as unsafe, 
and are coming under the axe. 
Le Chrysantheme, the official organ of the French 
National Chrysanthemum Society, is an unusually 
bulky issue and runs to eighty pages. It contains 
a good deal of interesting Chrysanthemum matter, 
principally relating to the shows and conference held 
last autumn at Troyes. M. Saleites, the delegated the 
F. N. C. S. who visited the November show of the 
English N. C. S. at the Royal Aquarium this year, 
continues his interesting account of the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum in England. 
-—- 
PEOPLE WE HAVE MET. 
Mr. George Monro. 
We have now the pleasure of placing before our 
readers the portrait of Mr. George Monro, of 
Covent Garden, a man of whom many all over the 
country have read and heard in connection with the 
most important fruit, flower, and vegetable market 
in the country, and with various charities. 
Mr. Monro belongs to the gardening fraternity by 
descent, inasmuch as his father was a nurseryman 
and market gardener. He started as a salesman in 
Covent Garden twenty-eight years ago, with a 
capital of /100, and is now one of the leading 
salesmen in the market. He deals mostly in Grapes 
and the better class of fruit generally, both home, 
colonial, and foreign, the latter comiDg from France, 
Belgium, and other countries that send us their pro¬ 
duce. Any quantity of Canadian Pears and Apples 
passes through his hands, the supplies from that 
source greatly increasing within the last year or two, 
for reasons that are well known to everybody. Tons 
of fruit annually come from the Channel Islands, 
and Peaches and Grapes constitute the more impor¬ 
tant supplies from the Cape. Our readers have 
often heard of the Tasmanian Apples, which come 
to our shores during the summer months, when we 
have none of our own, and do not receive any from 
the countries that supply us during the autumn and 
winter. Apples also come from various other parts 
of Australasia, and pass through Mr. Monro's hands 
in great quantities. The same may be said of 
Florida Oranges. The Canary Islands send us new 
Potatos and Tomatos, and Mr. Monro deals only 
with new Potatos, never with old ones, which 
come in quantity, and require a great amount of 
space for storage. 
He has five warehouses in the Market and the 
streets immediately surrounding it. He commences 
at 4 a.m., and continues throughout the day, all the 
business done being by private sale to his customers. 
Some years ago, not finding sufficient space for his 
business in the huge Flower Market, he took a shop 
opposite the Tavistock Street entrance to that build¬ 
ing. The business in the Flower Market is concluded 
at 9 a.m. and the doors closed, but the shop in 
Tavistock Street remains open for business all day, 
and is found to be a great accommodation both to 
senders and buyers. Only those in direct touch with 
Covent Garden can have any conception of the 
amount of fruit that passes through his hands in the 
course of a year or even a day in the busy seasons 
for the respective fruits. His three sons are all in 
the business, and he employs a large staff of men 
besides. 
On the 17th inst., the eve of his *' silver wedding,” 
about seventy of his employees assembled by per¬ 
mission in the offices of Messrs. Wheeler and MoDro, 
King Street, Covent Garden, for the purpose of 
presenting him with a handsome and valuable, solid 
silver centrepiece, otherwise describable as a flower 
and dessert stand. In the presence of Mr. and Mrs. 
Monro, Mr. North explained the object of the 
assembly, and explained the interest, sympathy and 
kindness shown by Mr. Monro to his employees. He 
was always anxious to improve their welfare, a feel¬ 
ing that culminated in the formation of a pension 
fund, to which he subscribed not only by donation, 
but doubling each man’s contribution, In the name 
of the employees, therefore, Mr. North asked him to 
accept an illuminated address (executed by one of the 
staff) and the silver centrepiece (above mentioned), 
suitably inscribed as a token of their respect, esteem 
and appreciation, and hoped that the good feeling 
between employer and employed might ever continue. 
Mr. Monro, who was taken by surprise, thanked 
them for their expressions of goodwill, and hoped in 
the near future to invite them to help him to find a 
suitable place in his house for the very handsome 
presents. 
On the 19th inst., Mr. Monro took the chair on 
the occasion of the annual friendly supper of the 
Mr. George Monro. 
Gardener’s Royal Benevolent Institution, with which 
he has been connected, subscribing to its funds since 
1880. He has also been a member of the committee 
of that institution for over a decade. We may also 
state that he is a subscriber to the Royal Gardeners' 
Orphan Fund; and is on the committee of the 
London Fruit and Potato Salesmen's Benevolent 
Association. Mr. Monro is an unassuming gentle¬ 
man, a steady business man, and honourable and 
straightforward iu all his dealings, for which he has 
enjoyed an exceptional reputation from the time he 
commenced business. 
— - ■»««■ 
MESSRS. R. VEITCH & SON, EXETER. 
Mid-winter is not the best season to go travelling in 
Devon, but rarely is it otherwise than mild so that a 
visit to it then may be enjoyed as much as in 
summer. In the course of our peregrination we 
called upon Messrs. R. Veitch & Son, The Nursery, 
New North Road, Exeter, inspecting their hothouses 
and splendid collections of herbaceous and alpine 
plants, as well as shrubs. 
Hothouses. 
Great attention is given to the cultivation of hardy 
and half haidy subjects in this nursery; though 
many of the reputedly half hardy plants are really 
hardy in Devon. The collections are also very 
extensive, as a visit to the nursery will amply testify. 
In the propagating pit large quantities of Notospar- 
tium Carmichaeliae nanum are being raised from 
seeds; it flowers and fruits profusely in the open. 
Sciadopitys verticillata is also being raised by 
hundreds. A collection of insectivorous plants, both 
here and in other houses, includes Sarracenia 
purpurea, S. exoniensis, S. Drummondi, arid Dionaea 
muscipula. Other things being raised in this house 
are Nertera depressa, Himalayan Rhododendrons, 
Sibthorpia europea variegata, Hedera madeirensis 
variegata, and other Ivies, Pratia angulata, bearing 
purple berries, and hardy here, and Tasmania 
aromatica a pretty, dwarf, evergreen shrub also 
hardy, and to be seen in the open. Russellia juncea 
makes an elegant basket plant for a stove or warm 
greenhouse. Greenhouse climbt rs include Plumbago 
capensis alba, Passifloras, Jasmines, and Tecomas in 
variety. The silvery-leaved Convolvulus Cneorum 
is hardy, as far north and east as London, and is a 
striking plant. 
The warm division of the same hcuse contains 
useful specimens of Aralia gracillima ajid Paulinia 
thalictrifolia in fine condition. Cases are filled with 
Marechal Niel and other Roses of that class being 
