January 12, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
317 
hue were to be seen darting about quite as much 
among the fruit as the flowers, and adding yet one 
more spot of colour and beauty to my already lovely 
garden. With what a pang of sorrow I left it! for 
although I had only lived there a short time, yet 
everything seemed to have grown up under my eye 
and to have "done well with me," and I feared that 
my favourites would fare but badly once my motherly 
care had been removed far from them. However, I 
am sure that whoever succeeds me in the tenancy of 
the British Agency will love the garden quite as 
much, and extract, perhaps, even more beauty and 
use from it than I did, though it would be impossible 
for them to derive more pleasure and amusement, or 
take greater care of all that grew within its fragrant 
hedges.—From The Ladies' Field. 
HURST & SON’S CLOVER AND GRASS 
SEED CIRCULAR. 
January 1st, 1901. 
We have pleasure in presenting our annual report 
upon the Clover and Grass Crops of 1900. 
English Red Clover and Cowgrass. —We 
must .expect a restricted supply this season; less 
than for several years. The acreage of early 
harvested seed was probably two-thirds of the whole 
crop, but of this we hear very poor reports, samples 
are uneven and yields light; in many cases it will 
not cover the cost of threshing. The later saved 
lots on the colder lands received the benefit of the 
bright sun at the end of September, and from these 
will come the best samples and the largest yields; 
this applies to the eastern counties chiefly. Some of 
the few yearling samples remaining over are really 
bolder and more attractive than any new we have 
seen. 
Single Cut Cowgrass. —Very scarce indeed. 
Foreign Red Clover. — American advices have 
long foretold short yields and reported active 
demands for their home consumption. The samples 
we have seen are poor in quality, and up to the 
present a comparatively small quantity has been 
shipped to Europe. Whether, as the season 
advances, they will be able to send increased sup¬ 
plies remains to be seen ; at present their market rules 
firm, and as the Canadian crop is not large, high 
rates may be maintained. Probably over the half of 
Europe the smallest crop for some years has been 
produced, but on the other hand the south-eastern 
districts of Germany and seme parts of Russia have 
lately been offering large lots of fine quality at rather 
high prices; these may be justified should the 
demand of the deficient districts be up to their 
average consumption. 
White Clover. —A rather large English crop is 
reported, although we cannot say that we have had 
an abundance of samples at present, probably with 
cold and dry weather for threshing, offers will 
increase. We believe Germany has an average crop, 
bat fine samples command high prices. 
Alsike. —Possibly the very low prices that pre¬ 
vailed in Canada and the States for several years 
proved unremunerative to the growers and, there¬ 
fore, a large decrease in the acreage saved has taken 
place, for offerings this season are comparatively 
light, and prices have advanced to a much higher 
level, and if reports are correct, will continue so, but 
some parts of Germany have large crops, although 
samples sadly lack the cleanliness of the American 
and Canadian seeds. 
Trefoil. —A far below average crop in every pro¬ 
ducing district. Fine samples of English seed are 
scarce and command high prices. 
Lucerne. —A fair crop in France, but a medium 
one in America. 
Sainfoin, Giant and Common. —About an aver¬ 
age crop in England of both varieties, and the same 
conditions have been reported from France. 
Italian Ryegrass. —Again a much smaller crop 
in France than last year's, which was far below the 
average. Pure French seed is held for extreme 
rates and will be so throughout the season. The 
Irish crop was good, and considering the shortage in 
the French and English, a larger demand will be 
created for it. 
Perennial Ryegrasses. —An advance on last 
season’s prices was established as scon as the 
markets opened last summer, and has been well 
maintained. 
Natural Grasses. —Are generally scarce and 
high in price. Cocksfoot is an exception, the crops 
of this were large and the quality good. Timothy, 
a strong advance on last season, Meadow Fescue, 
very scarce. The Poas, with the exception of Poa 
pratensis, are all scarce. Crested Dogstail dear, and 
Sheep’s and Hard Fescue above last year's values. 
White Mustard.— Fine seed, scarce. 
Rape.—V ery short crops in every district. 
Spring Tares. — In short supply up to the 
present. 
Winter Tares.— A considerable lot held over, 
but prices are high and very firm. 
Offices and Sample Rooms, 152, Houndsditcb, 
London, E. 
ARDENING JflSCELLANY. 
NEW ROSE, FLUSH OF DAWN. 
American florists have lately given us some very 
brightly flowered and meritorious hybrid Tea Roses. 
In the H. T. Flush of Dawn we would seem to have 
another charming novelty. It was raised by Mr. H. 
Walsh, of Wood’s Holl, Massachusetts. The 
flowers are a lovely light pink colour, changing to 
white, and are very fragrant. They are, moreover, 
large and finely built. They should prove useful for 
a l decorative purposes. The fact that the plants 
are vigorous, and bear their flowers on long stems, 
stands well in favour with this new variety. The 
foliage is said to be dark, glossy, and abundant, and 
so far the variety has proved a continuous bloomer. 
TOMATO SOUP. 
A dainty summer siup is made by putting a quart 
of Tomatos in a saucepan with a quart of white stock. 
Cook until tender. Mix a tablespoonful of flower 
with a little milk to a smooth paste, add to the 
Tomatos, then strain. Return to the fire, season 
wiih salt and pepper, and a generous lump of butter. 
Serve at once, with croutons of bread, or add a little 
finely-chopped Parsley. 
NERTERA DEPRESSA. 
This pretty little mossy plant is sometimes used in 
Germany as a suitable plant for carpet beds and vases. 
It is also made to take the place of Selaginella on 
the surface soil of pots, or even on ground under the 
stages. The idea of employing it in the place of 
Herniaria, in carpet beds in this country, seems 
feasible. If its pretty orange-scarlet berries could be 
got in profusion the plant would be one of the finest 
we could use. The plants are readily grown from 
seed, which should be sown in pans in early spring, 
the soil being composed of equal parts of peat, leaf 
mould, and sand. Prick out the seedlings into other 
pans when they are large enough, and grow in 
frames. 
CHOISYA TERNATA AS A POT PLANT. 
Those who cannot always hope to be successful 
with this plant out of doors should raise it to the 
importance of a pot plant. If there were many times 
more temperate houses ia our gardens than at pres¬ 
ent is the case, this would be the house in which it 
could be planted, and in which it would do 
immensely well. The beautiful white blossoms of 
the Mexican Oraoge flower can be had by April 
when the plant is grown in pots. It is of simple 
culture, and so long as it is carefully potted in the 
first instance there are reasonable hopes for its doing 
well afterwards. After it has done flowering regu¬ 
late the shoots by pruning, but very little use of the 
knife is required. The plants may be plunged in the 
open during the summer. 
-- 
LEGAL NOTES. 
The Agricultural Holdings Act. 
The Royal Agricultural Society has just published, 
through Mr. John Murray, a useful sixpenny 
pamphlet on the new Agricultural Holdings Act. 
1900, which came into force on January 1st, 1901. 
In addition to the text of the new Act (which is only 
an amending and not a consolidation Act), the 
pamphlet contains a summary by Mr. S. B. L. 
Druce, barrister-at-law, on the whole of the existing 
statute law on the subject. This should prove very 
convenient to landlords, farmers, valuers and others 
who are affected by the present Acts, by saving them 
the trouble of referring to different volumes of the 
statistics.— Irish Farming World. 
OBITUARY. 
Mrs. George Field Morris. 
We regret to learn of the death of Mrs. George 
Field Morris, of Madeira, Cambridge Park, Wan 
stead, Essex, on Wednesday, the 2nd inst. The 
wide circle of friends of her husband, Mr. George 
Field Morris (of Messrs. Protheroe & Mori is, 
Cheapside), will sympathise with him in his 
bereavement. 
Mr. George Thomson. 
We are sorry to learn of the death of Mr. George 
Thomson, at his residence, Urtica Villa, Knapp Hill, 
Woking, on December 3rst, aged 77. Few of the 
present generation of gardeners, probably, will 
remember him, as he has been practically living in 
retirement for some years. He was for some years 
a contributor to our pages, and a reader of The 
Gardening World to the last: Mr. Thomson was a 
sturdy Scot who came from the southern end of the 
“ Land of the mountain and the flood." 
He first came into prominence in the London dis¬ 
trict when he left Stanstead Park, Hants, to take 
up his appointment as garden superintendent at the 
Crystal Palace in 1873, which he did on the death 
of his predecessor, Mr. Gordon, in that year. He 
worthily held this post till May gth, 1879. when he 
tendered his resignation to the then Board of Direc¬ 
tors. His reason for this step was owiDg to the desire 
of the Directors to reduce the working expenses of 
the Palace by selling surplus cut flowers and plants, 
a practice which was, probably, much less common 
than it is at present, and then considered as touching 
the honour of the profession Both the gardens and 
the plants in the Crystal Palace had been vastly im¬ 
proved under Mr. Thomson’s care, and the whole 
establishment brought to the first rank amongst 
public horticultural establishments in Europe 
through his skill and energy, though the whole had 
been effected at a saving of something like £2,000 a 
year, on the expenditure of his predecessor in efflee. 
These facts about his resignation of the superin- 
tendentship of the Cyrstal Palace we glean from the 
pages of our esteemed contemporary, The Gardeners' 
Chronicle. Mr. Thomson was succeeded by the laie 
Mr. Head, whose decease we recorded a few years 
ago. 
Since his resignation he has been living practically 
in retirement so far as the general public, horticul¬ 
tural, or otherwise, was concerned, and maintained 
a sturdy independence to the last. So long as he 
was able, however, he did not allow his energies to 
rust, but frequently acted as landscape gardener for 
Mr. Anthony Waterer, of Koapp Hill, Woking, 
superintending many of the operations he had in 
hand ; and otl^rwise kept himself in touch with 
horticulture as we indicated above. 
Previous to his coming to the Crystal Palace, in 
1866, to wit, he acted as judge at the great Inter¬ 
national Show of that year at South Remington. He 
was also in frequent request as a judge at various 
leading flower shows all over England. There is 
something for reflection in the fact that this sturdy 
Scot weathered out the old century to its very close 
—the century that has seen such vast improvements 
and advance in horticulture as in other arts, and 
men to lead and direct the same. 
-—X—- 
READ THIS. 
A weekly award of 5s. will be made by the pro¬ 
prietors of The Gardening World, to the person 
who sends the most interesting or valuable item 0 ) 
news upon passing events likely to interest horticult¬ 
urists at large ; hints containing suggestive facts of 
practical interest to gardeners or growers of plants, 
fruits, or flowers ; successful methods of propagating 
plants usually considered difficult ; or any other 
tobic coming within the sphere of gardening proper. 
The articles in question should not exceed 250 words, 
and should be marked " Competition." The address 
of the winner will be published. The Editor s 
judgment must be considered final. The communi¬ 
cations for each week should be posted not later 
than Monday night. 
The prize last week was awarded to Mr. A. 
Thatcher, Aldenham, Elstree, for his article on 
" Chimonanthus fragrans," p. 293. 
