February 17, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
387 
Grand New Pea. 
“ I beg to inform you that Webbs' 
Enterprise Pea was satisfactory in 
every way, yielding a good crop of 
excellent quality.”—Mr. S. Derri- 
court, Tamwoith. 
« ENTERPRISE.” 
A new and valuable variety, producing its dark 
green pods abundantly, which contain from 8 to 9 
large Peas, of the finest quality when cooked. 
3/- per quart, post free. 
See Webbs' Spring Catalogue, post free, Is. 
WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
H. «J. JONES’ 
Ryecroft Collections of Vegetable Seeds contain a 
very liberal quantity of all the most approved kinds 
to give a supply of Vegetables throughout the year. 
JgF Try my 12/6 Collection, 
Smaller Collections, 5 /- and 7 / 6 . 
Ryecroft Collections of the most advanced types 
in Sweet Peas :— 
36 Beautiful Yars , named, 100 seeds of each, 51- 
24 ,, „ „ 100 „ „ 3/6 
18 . 100 „ „ 2/6 
12 .100 „ „ 1/9 
Carriage free on receipt of remittance. 
Catalogues free on application. 
Ryecroft Nursery, Hither Green, LEWISHAM. 
DANIELS BROS., 
Seed Growers, NORWICH, 
Offer One Hundred Guineas for Competition 
during 1900, and have selected such subjects as 
can be easily grown by amateurs, Peas, Broad 
and Runner Beans, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, 
Potatos, Parsnips, Carrots, Beet, Leeks, Onions, 
and Tomatos; Asters, African Marigolds, and 
Stocks. 
Before purchasing Garden Seeds, send for 
Catalogue (post free), which gives full informa¬ 
tion as to the above Prizes, which are in addition 
to the very large number given by the Firm 
through the numerous Shows. 
DANIELS BROS. 
Seed Growers, NORWICH; 
CUTHBERT’8 GARDEN GUIDE 
And Illustrated Seed Catalogue for 1900 
Is now ready, and may be had free on application. 
R. & G. CUTHBERT, Seed Merchants, 
SOUTHGATE, 
ESTABLISHED 17S7. 
“Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. , 
at^ius 1 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 17th, 1900. 
NEXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Thursday, February 22nd.—Annual Meeting of the Kew Guild. 
Wruit Growing Under Glass.— Frpm 
^ time to time we hear growls about 
foreign competition when one speaks of 
developing any industry in the avay of 
fruit, flowers and vegetables. /There is un¬ 
doubtedly a large market for these things, 
both in London and many of the large mid¬ 
land and northern cites and other populous 
centres ; and it is to the credit of foreigners 
that they should have discovered it. At 
the same time a considerable section of the 
gardening fraternity in this country have 
also discovered the fact and turned their 
knowledge to practical account. We have 
seen evidence of this fact in several direct- 
tions, independently of the fruit and 
vegetables which come from the Channel 
Islands and the flowers from the Sciily 
Islands. The foreigners themselves feel 
the effect of the competition now marshalled 
against them, for the open air produce grown 
by them cannot compare with the article 
grown under glass in this country,and there¬ 
fore properly ripened within a few miles of 
the market. 
Mr. William E. Bear has been continuing 
his summaries and statistics about “ Flower 
and Fruit Farming in England” in the Journal 
of the Royal Agricultural Society; and the 
expansion of the hot-house industry during 
the past thirty years, as here revealed, is 
something remarkable. That this will 
continue there is little doubt. The new 
industry (new as compared with ordinary 
farming) is not likely to be taken over to 
any great extent by the old farmers, but by 
young men who are in training for present 
day requirements, armed with the necessary 
technicalities of the business, as well as with 
a greater knowledge of the physiology of 
plant life than has been at the command ot 
past generations of pushing young men. 
They have to grow into and up with the 
new business as it were. The Continental 
growers had the start of us, but as we are 
slow in adopting new methods it takes time 
to get the Saxon up to date, but our onward 
march is sure once a commencement has 
been made by the more enterprising. Thirty 
years ago, says Mr. Bear, there was only 
one hot-house in Cheshunt, Herts, but at 
the present day there are at least 125 acres 
covered with glass, exclusive of outside 
borders and roadways in the market gardens 
or nurseries of that paiish. Therehas been 
a similar increase in neighbouring parishes. 
Four brothers in the district have 90 
acres of glass, and they only commenced 
about eighteen years ago. There has also 
been an enormous increase of the hot-house 
industry, during the last ten to thirty years 
at Ponder’s End, Finchley, Enfield, Totten¬ 
ham, Edmonton, Whetstone. Mitcham, and 
other districts within easy reach of the 
Metropolis. To the southward again the 
industry has beengrowingrapidly at Bexley, 
Swanley, Enth, Belvedere, Worthing, &c. 
Thirty years ago the area covered with glass 
in England could scarcely have exceeded 
100 acres, whereas to-day it is estimated at 
1,100 acres. Another method of calculation 
is based upon the area of glass insured 
against hailstorms. About a year ago this 
was 25,108,197 sq. ft., which is reckoned 
less than half the area of commercial hot¬ 
houses in England. Mr. Bear estimates 
the total at 60,000,000 sq. ft. Many private 
establishments market fruits, flowers and 
vegetables, but they are not included in the 
above calculations. Another way of taking 
a mental glance of the area covered with 
glass is chat if the houses were placed end 
to end they would extend to 600 miles, at 
15 ft. wide. 
By far the greater proportion of the glass 
is occupied with fruit, mainly Grapes, but 
also including Tomatos and Cucumbers. 
According to the estimate of the superin¬ 
tendent of Covent Garden Market about 
1,000 tons of Grapes are grown in the 
United Kingdom, annually ; also 6,000 tons 
of Tomatos, and 500,000 dozens of Cucum¬ 
bers. The weight of Grapes per acre under 
glass varies according to the variety and 
to the condition of the Vines; but 14 tons 
per acre is reckoned a good average for 
Vines in full bearing. The highest recorded 
weight is here put down at 19 tons 8 cwt. 
104 lbs. per acre. The heaviest cropping 
varieties are Gros Colmar and Alicante. 
Muscat of Alexandria and Black Hamburgh 
are extensively grown, but the yield is much 
lighter, and only half the weights above re¬ 
corded if they have been forced. Two or 
three crops a year are taken out of houses 
devoted to Tomatos. The weight per acre 
is variously estimated, but at 3 lb. per plant 
this would give i6£ tons ; 4 lb. would give 
22^ tons ; 5 lb.. 27J tons ; and 6 lb., over 
33 tons. A fair average is estimated to be 
20 tons per acre of Tomatos. 
—=*=—— 
Attar of Roses is the oil which floats to the top in 
the distillation of Rose petals. 
The Smell of Fresh Earth.—We have it from a 
scientific source that Nuttall has determined that 
the smell of fresh earth is due to the growth of a 
bacterium, the Cladothrix odorifera. This bacterium 
multiplies in decomposing vegetable matter, more 
rapidly when heat and moisture are also present. 
From this cause it is that earth is said to smell so 
strongly after a shower, or when moist earth is dis¬ 
turbed. But we are perhaps nowaday ascribing tco 
much to bacteria. They seem convenient means 
by which to bolster up a theory. Could not the 
smell of earth be caused by certain chemical changes 
independently of bacterial presence ? 
Death of Hubert Jean Yan Hulle.—Th eReiue de 
l'Horticulture Beige et Etrangere mourns the death of 
its editor, which took place on January 13th last. Ha 
was buried on the iSih of that mon L. M Hubert 
Jean Van Hulle was one of the founders of the 
Belgian monthly above mentioned, and on the day of 
the funeral obsequies there was an imposing mani¬ 
festation of grief and regret. An enormous crowd 
pressed around his grave. Le Comte de Kerchove de 
Denterghem, president of the Royal Agricultural and 
Botanical Society of Ghent, and of the Belgian 
Circle of Arboriculture, as well as M. Rodigas, 
director of the State School of Horticulture, made 
speeches, and recalled in affectionate terms the part 
played by the deceased in the development of the 
Belgian horticultural industry. The Revue pro¬ 
foundly regrets the death of its devoted editor. 
Hubert Van Hulle has been veritably a model horti¬ 
cultural publicist. During almost forty years he has 
enjoyed great popularity with all those who have 
any horticultural title whatever in Belgiam. The 
Revue takes a very active share of the mourning of 
his family, and associates itself .vith the regrets which 
the Comte de Kerchove de Denterghem expressed at 
the grave of the deceased. 
