October 10, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
85 
Peas have been a Heavy Crop this year in Germany. 
This, together with a surplus in Canada, and the 
United States will keep the prices rather low. 
Up-to-Date-—A bulb dealer of New York of an 
enterprising character has posted up in his window 
a placard inscribed with the following:—"Chinese 
Sacred Lilies—Li Hung Chang’s Favourite Flower.’’ 
The Egg Plant.—Wrathful housewife : " Merciful 
heavens! Bridget, what is this you’ve bought ? I 
ordered an Egg Plant.” Bridget: " I couldn’t get 
no hen, so I thought two ducks would be better, as 
they will lay twice as many eggs. By putting them 
in the greenhouse it would be like forcing them.” 
Hurst & Son Cricket Club.—The past season was a 
most successful one; sixteen matches were played, 
nine won, two drawn, and five lost. Most enjoyable 
games were played with Messrs. Sutton & Sons, also 
Messrs. Carter’s, both of which were won by Hurst 
and Son. Nearly all fixtures have been made for 
1897, but matches could easily be arranged and would 
be much appreciated with other seed-trade houses. 
Dr. Woodman Memorial.—A copy of the balance 
sheet relating to this subject has been sent us by the 
hon. secretary, Mr. Win. Napper, 489, King's Road, 
Chelsea, S.W. He writes to inform us “ that a 
plain, substantial stone cross has been erected over 
the grave of his old master, and dear departed 
friend. The fund closes to-day (Michaelmas), but 
should anything come in later, the same could, of 
course, be handed to the widow.” The subscrip¬ 
tions received for the Dr. Woodman Memorial 
amounted to £32. The expenses were as follows : — 
printing, £1 8s.; stamps, £2 ns.; stationery, &c., 
iis. ; headstone and curbs, £10 9s. 6d.; cemetery 
fees, £2 4s. 6d.; gift to the widow, /14 16s. ; the 
whole make a total of £32. 
New Palm House, Liverpool.—On Monday, the 
5th inst, the new Palm house erected in Sefton 
Park, by the munificence of Mr. H. Yates 
Thompson, was formally opened. Prior to the 
ceremony, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool (the Earl of 
Derby), entertained a distinguished company to 
luncheon at the Town Hall. A large company of 
ladies and gentlenmen were present, when Alderman 
Ball, Chairman of the Parks and Gardens Com¬ 
mittee, introduced Mr. Yates Thompson, who in a 
charming speech referred to the Palm house at some 
length from the inception to the completion of the 
building, acknowledging the gratifying results of the 
builders, furnishers, and Mrs. Herbert for the general 
arrangements of the plants, of which a full descrip¬ 
tion was given on page 25. In conclusion Mr. Yates 
Thompson formally presented the house, through 
the Lord Mayor to the citizens of Liverpool. The 
Lord Mayor, warmly expressed the thanks of the 
citizens for the magnificent building, and presented 
Alderman Ball an 18-carat gold key to open the house. 
Alderman Ball briefly replied, and declared the 
house open amidst applause. 
Heavy Potato Crops. - In reference to a paragraph 
which appeared on p. 72, Mr. A. Findlay, Markinch, 
N.B., writes to say that if the paragraph gives the 
figures as written by Mr. T. C. Steel, he is inclined 
to think that our correspondent has made a slip in 
his calculation, and that the 3J lbs. of Potato 
" Up-to-Date ” planted in spring and giving a return 
of 14 st. should have worked out at 34 tons to the 
acre, if planted at proportionally the same distance 
apart as The Sutton Flourball. As to this we may 
say that the figures were published as supplied to us. 
Not knowing at what distances apart the Potatos 
were planted, we did not care to recast the statistics 
furnished by our correspondent. Concerning this 
Potato, we note in the agricultural report for Fife- 
shire, that in gardens the crop is very heavy. In 
Cupar five different varieties of Potatos harvested in 
a garden, varied from 15 to 20 tons per acre. The 
40-ton sort was Findlay’s “ Up-to-Date,” the crop 
of which beat everything the writer had seen, but 
many of the tubers were too large for profitable 
market use, numbers of them weighing from 2 lbs. to 
2j-lbs. each. Though large, the tubers were wdl- 
shaped and of good quality. While on this topic we 
may say that the heavy storms of rain recently 
experienced in Scotland, have washed the soil from 
the Potatos in many cases, so that the exposed 
tubers have become green. A good deal of disease 
exists among the earlier kinds, and the haulm is now 
completely blackened and gone, both in field and 
garden, late and early varieties alike. Mr. Findlay 
is thoroughly in accord with our leader of last week, 
" Experiments with Potatos,” and describes it as a 
thoroughly sound and common-sense leader. 
The Weather Plant.—Lady of the house: 
"Gardener, have you got the weather plant?” 
Gardener: " No mem, and I wouldn't advise you to 
get one; there are only samples to be had, and bad 
at that." 
Signs of Winter.—The higher peaks of Snowdon on 
Monday last were covered with a mantle of snow. 
Last Sunday night, and on Monday morning a wild 
storm of wind and rain prevailed over the western 
and central portions of Perthshire, to be followed by 
sleet and snow later on. The higher Grampians 
were white with snow. A good deal of corn is still 
exposed in that part of the country, and much of it 
has been destroyed by the boisterous nature of the 
weather. 
An Impromptu Concert.—The first annual meeting 
of the Newport (South Wales) Gardeners’ Mutual 
Improvement Association was held at the Tredegar 
Hall on the 23rd ult. under the chairmanship of 
H. J. Manley Power, Esq. There was a good atten¬ 
dance. After a review of the past session had been 
read by the treasurer, Mr. Treseder read an interest¬ 
ing and instructive paper on " The Cyclamen.” 
After the conclusion of the paper an impromptu 
concert was carried on during the rest of the 
evening. 
Orchids at the Sale Rooms.—The Central Sale 
Rooms of Messrs. Protheroe & Morris were packed 
with Orchids of all descriptions, imported and 
established, on the 2nd inst. A very fine variety of 
Cattleya Wageneri was knocked down at 10 gs. 
Cattleya Skinneri alba fetched £3. Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart., bought two plants of Odonto- 
glossum praestans at 4 gs. each. The popularity of 
Cattleya exoniensis still continues, for a plant of six 
pseudo-bulbs fetched 6J gs. Cattleya dowiana 
aurea varied from 30s. to 2J gs. apiece. A spotted 
variety of Odontoglossum crispum brought 4 gs. F. 
T. Pitt, Esq., secured a rich blue variety of Vanda 
caerulea for 12 gs. Cypripedium insigne Sanderae 
was withdrawn after 44 gs. had been offered for it, 
thus showing the estimation in which this fine 
variety is still held. Cattleya Trianaei back- 
houseana reached 4 gs. at the fall of the hammer. A 
small piece of Dendrobium nobile Cooksoni found 
a buyer at £2 7s. 6d., and Phalaenopsis gloriosa 
went for 2 gs. 
Devon and Exeter Gar ners’ Association —The 
annual meeting of the members of this association 
was held in the Guildhall, Exeter, on the 30th ult,, 
under the presidency of the Right Worshipful the 
Mayor of Exeter. The hon. secretary (Mr. Andrew 
Hope) read the committee’s report of the session of 
1895-96, and here it was stated that at the commence¬ 
ment of the sixth session, the committee could look 
back with genuine satisfaction upon the accomplished 
work of the society. Last year’s work was marked 
by the same practical character as former ones. 
The report also referred to the establishment of a 
branch of the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institu¬ 
tion at Exeter last spring. The spring flower show 
had been a great success, and showed a marked im¬ 
provement upon former ones. The committee 
recommended that it be an annual fixture. Hand¬ 
some gifts to the library were acknowledged, 
including “ A Traveller's Notes,” by Mr. James H. 
Veitch, Chelsea. At the conclusion of the report, 
the committee thanked the Mayor for the use of the 
Council Chamber for their meetings and the local 
and gardening Press. Mr. Mackay submitted the 
financial statement showing that last year commenced 
with a balance of ^29 16s. 2d. and finished with a 
balance in hand of /12 6s. 5d. This was explained 
by the fact that there had been fewer subscribers to 
the spring show than on former occasions; yet the 
small balance was sufficient to commence a new 
session. The Mayor considered the report highly 
satisfactory and moved its adoption. The election 
of officers for the ensuing year was next proceeded 
with. Mr. J. I. Pengelly, in proposing the election 
of the committee, said he looked upon the association 
as doing a good work, and might well claim from the 
municipality some grant from the technical educa¬ 
tion fund, and if placed before the authorities it 
might be obtained. It was decided to hold a spring 
show. Mr. Hope referred to the classes on " Plant 
Life” now being held in connection with the univer¬ 
sity extension, and proposed that the association give 
a prize of 10s. 6d. to the student who should be 
adjudged to have passed the best at the examination. 
This was seconded and carried. 
The Conservatory can be kept gay for some weeks to 
come by those who have a plantation of seedling 
Begonias in the open air. The boisterous weather 
will prevent the flowers from opening properly in the 
open air after this date, so that the best and most 
beautiful varieties may be lifted and transferred to 
pots. Here the yet unopened buds will open with 
all their purity and brilliancy as if the summer season 
were young, instead of autumn in all its blustering 
roughness with storms of wind and rain. 
Errata.—In an article on Leighton Buzzard Sands, 
p. 73, the filter sand is supplied from the Mile Tree 
Road pit, Shenley Hill, and from the Stone Lane 
Hill pit at Heath, and not from the Grovebury pit. 
White sand, not gray, is used for filtration purposes. 
Filtering and sewage sand, and that used for 
particular purposes, is screened and otherwise pre¬ 
pared. The west upper side of the Stone Lane Hill 
pit, is the oldest; the upper side was next opened ; 
and the Mile Tree Road pit was the next in age. 
Mr. Arnold is the sole agent for cutting and selling 
the peat and loam on the Stock Grove Estate. 
Reach Green Farm, adjoining Stone Lane Hill, is Mr. 
Arnold’s own property, and comprises thirteen and 
a half acres cf sand of all descriptions, of the same 
depth as the last mentioned pit. 
Assaulting a Gardener—At Reading, on the 19th 
ult., William Sellwood and Charles Wise, of 
Tilehurst, were charged with assaulting Thomas 
Carver, at Tilehurst. The complainant is gardener 
to J. Omer Cooper, Esq., and on September 14th 
when he was working in the garden, the defendants, 
who were strangers to him, came and asked if he 
could give them employment. He replied in the 
negative, and said he would not employ men who 
came as they did, through a hedge and over a ditch. 
They went the way they came after some words. As 
the plaintiff was going to dinner about 1 p.m., the 
defendants came out of a public-house and began 
abusing him. Wise seized him by the collar and 
threatened him with his fists. Sellwood took him by 
the arm, and asked for money, at the same time 
using filthy language. Defendants were each fined 
6d. and 7s. 6d. costs, or seven days; they were allowed 
a week to pay. 
-——®«—- 
THE CHANNEL ISLANDS RE-VISITED. 
{Continued from p. 38). 
Five Oaks and The Cesarean Nurseries. 
One of the most interesting details of my stay in 
Jer.-ey was the visit to Mr. H. Becker’s series of 
establishments, of which the two principal are the 
nurseries at Five Oaks—a comfortable walk within 
easy reach of the town—and the Cesarean Nurseries, 
which are well within the township of St. Helier. 
At the latter it is principally fruit that is cultivated, 
and from the cursory inspection there was ample 
evidence that Mr. Becker thoroughly deserves the 
high reputation which he has made for himself in 
cultivating and raising fruits. There is a multitude 
of varieties of Pears, Apples, Plums, and, in fact, 
all the good things dear to the heart of the pomo- 
logist. The Cesarean Nurseries are situated on a 
slight declivity sloping towards the genial sunshine 
of the south, and well sheltered ; but nevertheless 
the hardier sorts receive their proper treatment, and 
the cultivation of these for purposes of planting out 
is carried on with successful results. 
It was, however, at the Five Oaks Nursery that 
we had a most striking illustra'ion of what has been 
done in recent years in the development of nursery 
work in the island. Skirted by a well-arranged 
boundary the nurseries are approached through a 
noble gateway of the Old Baronial order, and the 
visitor is struck by the evident precision with which 
the stock is arranged, and the various departments 
conducted. A spacious drive leading from the main 
gateway extends right through the nursery to the 
other roadway. The larger section is devoted to 
the growth of Dahlias, the collection being a very 
fine one, and at the time of our visit the colour of 
the massive blooms was remarkable. Moreover, we 
were surprised to notice such large numbers of extra 
sized blooms on individual plants, indicating a 
highly suitable soil, coupled, undoubtedly, with 
skilled cultivation. A little further ahead was a fine 
regiment of young vines of one year’s growth out- 
