1068 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
December 26, 1903. 
NEWS OF THE WEEK. 
Lemons. —Sicily has sent ns about 20,000 cases of Lemons, 
worth £10,000. Last year 70,000 cases were sent. 
* * * 
Nuts.- Brazil, France, Spain, and Naples have sent us a 
greater quantity of nuts than last year, and good prices have 
been realised. 
* * * 
Roses at Falmouth. —Some fine bushes of the Cabbage Rose 
are to be seen in full bloom in the garden of Mr. Thomas Spargo, 
Burnt House, Falmouth. The mild weather is responsible for 
this unseasonable liowering. 
* * * 
Valencia Raisins and Greek Currants are lower in price 
than usual this year, owing to the enormous quantities sent. 
Nothing can be said against the quality of these articles. The 
harvest of Grapes in Asia Minor has been unusually good. 
* * * 
Rood Garden in London. —In Harley Street, London, W., 
is a roof garden with asphalt paths. The Fig, Almond, Vine, 
Plum trees, Poplar, and other subjects flourish here. Several 
varieties of Cacti and an Agave have also bloomed on that roof 
garden in summer. 
* * * 
Potato with an Iron Ring. —A Potato was recently dug up 
in the garden of a resident of Bevkhamsted, Herts, which has 
created a considerable amount of curiosity in the district. 
During its growth the tuber had grown around, enclosing one 
side of the iron ring in its tissue. 
* * * 
Where Oranges come from. —Spanish Oianges were three 
to four weeks late in reaching our markets this year, owing to 
drought. About 150,000 cases have been sent, valued at £75,000. 
Jaffa (Palestine) has sent ns about 50,000 boxes of Oranges, 
valued at £18,000, but they were rather green, owing to drought 
and the impatience of the merchants to place them early on our 
markets. 
* * * 
American and Canadian Apples, during the period from, • 
August to the third week of December, amounted to something 
like 1,200,000 barrels m Liverpool, whereas during the corre¬ 
sponding period of last year the imports were only 750,000 
barrels. Portugal and Spain sent 100,000 cases of Apples, as 
compared with 50,000 last year. The value of the American 
and Canadian Apples would be £850,000, those from Portugal 
and Spain £50,000. 
* * * 
Right-of-Way Case. —Sheriff Armour, in Cupar Sheriff Court, 
was engaged most of the day on December 17th in hearing 
evidence in >an action raised by David Melville, Saltcoats, 
against Wm. Simpson, market gardener, Loanhead of Erack- 
mont, Balmulls, for £10, being half-year’s rent of ground used 
by defender as a market garden. The defender resisted pay¬ 
ment because a road in use from time immemorial had been 
appropriated by pursuer to the service of a cottage he had re 
modelled. The Sheriff, after hearing the evidence, gave decree 
for the defender, holding that the latter was entitled to rely on 
the use of the road during the whole period of his lease. ' His 
Lordship also gave decree to the defender for expenses, amount¬ 
ing to £3 8s. 2d. 
* * * 
History and Improvement of the Potato.— At a meeting of 
the Wimbledon and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Society, held recently, Mr. Alex. Dean, lecturer on horticul¬ 
ture for the S.C.C., gave a most interesting and instructive 
lecture on “ The Potato." The lecturer stated that this lowly 
and humble vegetable does not create so much interest and 
competition amongst gardeners as the more popular flowers, 
such as Chrysanthemums, Begonias, etc., but the latter could 
be dispensed with better than the former, because as an article 
of food in this country the Potato stood next to Wheat, and, 
with a sufficient supply, we should not starve. Mr. Dean then 
gave a short history of itk introduction, and the improvements 
which were chiefly brought about during the latter half of last 
century, with a list of varieties most suitable for inter-crossing, 
so as to obtain varieties of good table quality ; and' he als°o 
spoke of the methods employed to obtain the best results, and 
gave sound advice for the proper storage of the tubers during 
winter. 
Madras Industrial Exhibition. —Mr. R. L. Proudlock, the 
Curator of the Government Botanical Gardens, Ootacamund is 
busy preparing a large number of exhibits for the coming Madras 
Industrial Exhibition. Mr. H. Hillier has also secured 
space to exhibit preserves from all Nilgiri products, as well as 
JNiigiri cured ham and bacon. 
* * * 
Felling Trees by Electricity.— In the forests of France it 
is reported that the felling of trees is now being carried on by 
means of electricity, and that the operation of cutting down a 
tree by this means only requires about one-eighth of "the time 
taken by the old-fashioned method with the saw. A piece of 
platinum wire is heated by an electric current to a white heat, 
tins is then used in place of a saw, and has the effect of searing 
the end of the trunk and preserving the wood. 
* * -I: 
Plants from Porto Rico. —Dr. M. A. Howe, who was 
despatched by the director of the New Yoi'k Botanical Garden 
early in May to conduct an expedition to Porto Rico to collect 
specimens of the plant life of that country, has, with his expe¬ 
dition, just returned, with a valuable collection of 6,000 plants 
and tales of interesting experiences. In an interview with the 
representative of a New York paper Dr. Howe has made the fol¬ 
lowing statement :—“My time was given almost exclusively to 
the collection and study of marine algse, although I took photo¬ 
graphs of various subjects of more general botanical interest on 
the northern and eastern shores of the island. The shore about 
San Juan offers a great variety of physical conditions, such as 
coral reefs, surf-beaten littoral rocks, sand beaches, nearly 
enclosed bays and lagoons, and mangrove swamps. The region 
yields a correspondingly large, number of sea plants. The 
warmth of the sea water made possible a mode of collecting 
which in former experiences, even in Florida, Bermuda, and 
California, I had been able to employ only to a limited extent. It 
may be characterised as the bathing suit method. One may 
work three or four hours, daily in the water without ill effects. 
The shallow water made dredging unnecessary, except occasional 
efforts with a boat and long-handled rake.” 
* * * 
State Encouragement to Planters— The Selangor Govern¬ 
ment Gazette issues the following Government notice:—“Notice 
is hereby given that, with a view fo encouraging the introduction 
of agricultural products not under general cultivation in the 
.federated Malay States and neighbouring countries, the Govern 
ment is prepared to grant to any bond .tide planter who can 
satisfy the Government that lie is the pioneer in the introduc¬ 
tion, as a business operation, of a new and commercially valu¬ 
able product, freedom from payment of export duty in respect 
to such product for a period of five years from a date to be fixed 
by Government in each case. The period of freedom from pay- 
ment of export duty'may be increased to ten years in the case 
of such new product in regard to which the planter can prove, 
to the satisfaction of Government, that he has introduced or 
been instrumental in introduc ing into the Federated Malay 
States the use of special machinery necessary for the prepara¬ 
tion of such product for the market, and the practical utility of 
which machinery shall be demonstrated to the satisfaction of 
Government. Each application under the notification will be 
dealt with on its merits, and the Government reserves to itself 
the right of granting or refusing any application without assign¬ 
ing reason for it^ action.” 
* * * 
Oranges at Edinburgh. —Though Edinburgh is abundantly 
supplied with Oranges, yet the fruit will not be in such quan¬ 
tities as usual at this period. The crop is under the average. 
Still there will be from 50,000 to 100,000 cases a week all Decem¬ 
ber, so that there will be millions of single fruits. The usual 
imports for December recently have.been about 1,500,000 cases. 
The Valencia is the most popular Orange. Huge cargoes of 
Spanish Oranges alone are unloaded daily in theBritish ports 
now. The giant, oval Java is largely bought. So is the 
Almeria. Prices will again bring them into every home, almost, 
at Christmas. Sw'eet Oranges are always 1 appreciated at this 
time, and the City fruit shops, as prices show, are catering for 
a large sale at popular values. The miniature Tangerines are 
plentiful. The fruit is put up in one and two layer boxes, mostly 
the former, and decorated with stamped red paper and 
coloured pictures. These perfumed dainties are popular. Some 
fine quality Jamaica Oranges are obtainable. Lemons are 
dearer than usual, but good. They come in from Naples and 
Malaga. Shaddocks, from the West Indies, and Cranberries, 
from Russia and Cape Cod, add to the attractions of the varied 
list of fruits on sale.. 
