November 21. 1903 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
979 
Exotic Fruits in London. —Avocado Pears, Mandarin 
Oranges, Persimmons, Mangoes, and Californian Plums are some 
of the exotic fruits now obtainable in the London markets. More 
familiar kinds are Pomegranates, Cranberries, Bananas, Changes, 
and Grapes. 
* •*• * 
Large Mushroom. —The other week Mr. Robert White, of 
Brotton, found growing in a field an abnormally large Mush¬ 
room, which on being measured was found to be more than 
12 in. in diameter, and weighed 2 lb. 4^ oz. It was sound and in 
splendid condition. 
* * * 
Cult of thf, Violet. —The cult of the Violet is one shared by 
many well-known women, especially in Ireland, where it is seen 
at its best in the mild, damp climate. Lady Aileen Wyndham- 
Quin has a Violet garden at A dare Manor, and Lady Inchiquin’s 
at Dromoland Castle is also a charming one. 
* * * 
Bananas in Arundance. —The other week the supply of 
Bananas was nearly 80,000 bunches. Nearly 36,000 of them 
came for Midland firms. More than half of the entire total im¬ 
ported were from the Canaries. Large bunches of Canary 
Bananas are selling at 10s. to 5s. a bunch. The Canary Hoya 
is the finest Banana imported. 
* * * 
A Giant Gourd. —Mr. Frank Webb, of St. Mark’s Road, 
Windsor, has just cut a Gourd which scales at 93g lb- It was 
grown on an allotment between St. Mark’s and the New Roads. 
Its size is merely the result of a quantity of fish offal being 
placed on the land as manure, which the rainy season toned to 
a productive agent in Gourd cultivation. The Gourd is on view 
in the shop window of Mr. John Smith’s nursery, St. Leonard’s 
Road. 
* * * 
Lady Wolseley and Gardening for Women.— Lady Wolseley 
has an excellent scheme which enables ladies wishing to take up 
gardening as a profession or a pastime to go through a course 
of indefinite duration, according to requirement, at her country 
house in Sussex. This might prove very useful to students 
unable to spare the time or money for a complete course at the 
Lady Warwick College. Each pupil of Lady Wolseley’s class 
liars a nominal fee of £10 for one year or £15 for two, and they 
are trained in all branches of gardening by a certificated lady 
gardener, and have the privilege of working in Lady Wolseley’s 
gardens at the Farm House, Glynde. This seems a capital way 
of helping ladies anxious to learn practical gardening, and the 
plan might commend itself to other philanthropic owners of 
country places. 
* * * 
Wanton Destruction at Blairgowrie.— The man appre¬ 
hended in connection with the Blairgowrie Wellmeadow depreda¬ 
tions, Dennis M'Ginlay, labourer, The Croft, Blairgowrie, was 
brought before Provost Smith at Blairgowrie on the 11th inst... 
the charge being that he had on Monday night wilfully and mali¬ 
ciously destroyed four birch trees belonging to the Town Council 
of Blairgowrie. Accused pleaded guilty- On being asked by 
the Provost if lie had anything to say for himself, he replied : 
“I have nothing to say.” The full penalty within the power of 
the Bench—60 days’ imprisonment, without the alternative of a 
fine—was imposed, and M'Ginlay was conveyed to Perth Prison. 
At a special meeting of the Town Council it. was agreed to put 
up specially high guards, with barbed wire, around the trees 
in the Wellmeadow, and to recommend to the Lighting Com¬ 
mittee to erect a lamp in the middle of the footpath. 
* * * 
Important Sale of Orchids. —A two days’ sale of Orchids took 
place at Harefield Hall, Wilmslow, the residence of Mr. Elijah 
Ashworth, on the 4th and 5th inst. Mr. Ashworth’s collection 
contains many unique and very valuable species. Cypripedium 
insigne Harefield Hall, which first appeared at Harefield Hall, 
as its name suggests, still maintains its value, and the purchaser 
considers himself fortunate if he can secure a healthy specimen 
for 20 guineas. Five of these plants were included in the sale. 
Some spirited bidding took place for Cattleya labiata alba, Hare¬ 
field Hall variety. Mr. Peeters, of Brussels, carried it away 
for 80g guineas. Several plants were offered upon which a re¬ 
serve had been placed varying from £1,000 to £50. Only two or 
three of these reached the reserve figure. Mr. Ashworth has 
until now had the whole stock of Dendrobium nobile Harefield 
Hall, but through the medium of the sale this beautiful Den- 
drobe will now be found in several collections. The same remark 
applies to Laelia finkeniana, a most beautiful natural hybrid. 
Cattleya superba alba, a unique plant in every way, realised 
50 guineas- A very fine spotted Od. crispum fell at 190 guineas. 
The two days’ sale realised nearly £1,700. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply in this column. These 
enquiries may cover any Wanch of gart'emng. Questions should he 
put as briefly as possible , and written on one side of the paper only ; 
a separate sheet of paper should be used for each question. 
Readers are also invited to give their fellow gardeners the benefit 
o+ their experience by sending supplementary replies. 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped , addressed 
envelope is enclosed, and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken. 
Anonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial manner. 
Address letters: The Editor, “The Gardening World,” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
Raising Clematis from Seeds. (B. T.) 
The seeds should be sown as soon as they are ripe, to prevent 
them from drying kip. Under the circumstances the best plan 
would be to so>v the seeds in a box of light sandy soil, and to 
stand it in a cool greenhouse, or in any other structure from 
which frost will be excluded. This gives the seeds some time to 
prepare for germination, as they take some time before they show 
any growth. In March the box may be stood in a moderately 
warm greenhouse or pit, but anything at all approaching a stove 
temperature is-unnecessary. Cover the box with a sheet of glass, 
and the seeds will germinate more uniformly after they have been 
placed in the warmer temperature. As soon as the seedlings are 
well up the glass should be removed, so as to inure them to the 
atmosphere of the house. They should also be kept in a cool 
place, and allowed to come along slowly, making sure that they 
always have plenty of air and light. 
Transplanting Autumn-Sown Onions. (J. V.) 
This may be done at various times when the weather is open, 
but it had best be done in spring, after the plants begin to 
grow. This saves the danger of their being thrown out of the 
ground by means of frost, because, however carefully you plant 
them, they can never be so firmly fixed in the ground as when 
they have grown there. The soil intended for their growth 
after they have been planted may, however, be thoroughly 
manured and dug, so as to be ready for their reception in spring. 
If yon must have the ground empty at the present time, you 
must be prepared to take a little risk in losing some of the 
bulbs during winter, provided we get much frost. An open 
situation, fully exposed to light and air, should be selected for 
them, as the plants retain a much healthier condition than if 
under the shade of trees or walls. 
Green Moss on Asparagus Bed. (Veld) 
From what you say it would appear to us that the land is either 
very moist naturally or it is shaded by trees or walls. The 
heavy rainfall would, of course, be responsible for the same 
thing to some extent- If our surmise about the dampness of 
the soil is correct, it would be well to have another bed prepared 
in a more elevated site, or on the same site after it has been pro¬ 
perly drained. You can easily destroy the moss by dressings of 
salt and by stirring the surface of the ground with a fork. If 
you are obliged to use the same site or one close by the present 
bed, you should endeavour to elevate the bed a little above the 
general surface by digging out the soil and putting in a good 
layer of brick-bats, mortar-rubble, or something of that nature, 
on which a layer of turves may be placed to keep the soil out 
of the drainage. These are suggestions we should make foi 
remedying the matter. You say also that only one or two 
stems arise from the root, and this would indicate that the plants 
are not quite happy in the present soil, or that you cut them too 
extensively or too late in the season. Stools in a bed about four 
years old should produce many more crowns than what yon 
say. From these hints you will be able to draw your own con¬ 
clusions according to the treatment you have been giving the 
stools in summer. 
Violets with Yellow Leaves. (Omega.) 
The specimens of leaves you sent were perfectly free from 
insects and fungi, but we should term them anaemic. This is 
usually due to a scarcity of nitrogen in the soil. It may be 
that it contains too much vegetable matter in the form ot de¬ 
caying manure, but in a more or less inert condition, and though 
it would contain nitrogen it is locked up in the vegetable matter, 
and the Violets are not able to avail themselves of it. In this 
latter case you can improve matters by trenching the soil and 
giving it a good dressing of lime, more particularly if the soil 
is of a rich or heavy character inclined to clay. The plants 
under glass should have improved by being put into fresh soil, 
but if not improving in tliis respect it would improve them to 
have a light dressing of nitrate of soda, or you might use it in 
