THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Potato Organising Secretary tor Becks.—M r. Philip 
Mann, the horticultural instructor to the Bucks County Council, 
has been appointed organising secretary for the county m con¬ 
nection with the newly-formed National Potato Society. 
* * * 
An Old Haunt for Botanists.—W hile speaking at the open- 
in 0, ceremony of Nelson Square Garden, Lord Monkswell sug 
gested that perhaps the London County Council might grow 
some of those plants which once made it a haunt for botanists. 
* * * 
Lily of the Valley is now so plentiful that its votaries must 
be getting somewhat satiated with it. Nevertheless the British 
public seems satisfied with a few kinds of flowers. Lily of the 
Valley no longer marks a point of time in the floral calendar of 
the year ; it has no winter. 
J . ■ * * * 
•‘Dumping” Foreign Plants in Edinburgh.—A collection 
consisting of nearly 300 species of alien plants, which had been 
collected last year in the Edinburgh district, was submitted by 
Messrs. William Evans, F.R.S.E., and W. Edgar Evans at a 
meeting of the Botanical Society, held on the lltli inst., m 
Dowell’s Rooms, Edinburgh. The majority of the plants were 
found in Leith Docks and other places where foreign gram 
siftings are scattered or put down. 
* * * 
Another Garden City Proposed.—P rofessor Geddes is at 
present lecturing on ‘‘ Cities and their Culture Besom ces 
before the University of London. A new city of 30,000 in¬ 
habitants will presently arise on the hanks of the Forth, near 
the Forth Bridge, where the new naval centre is to be estab¬ 
lished, and the Professor is going to urge the Government to 
make this something of the nature of a “ garden city,” and not 
the usual life-destroyer that other cities are. 
* * * 
Observatory Ruined.—T he owner of an observatory on Mont 
Groshas brought an action for damages against the Nice Electric 
Tramways, says Dalziel, on tli© ground that the current 
generated has ruined his magnetic instruments. Up to 1900 
these instruments .worked well, and were of great scientific ser¬ 
vice, hut since the running of the trams the records have been 
erratic and unreliable. A similar result has been experienced 
at the Kew Observatory in the Old Deer Park. 
* * * 
The Potato Boom.—M r. G. Massey -continues to have 
numerous demands for his small Eldorados at £10 each, and 
has now disposed of about 60 of them, each of which weighed 
less than an ounce. Last week a Sk-egness gentleman purchased 
ten for £100, and this week another gentleman has given £50 
for five. In addition t-o the stone which Mr. Massey sold to 
Messrs. Poad and Son, of York, for £1,400, he has dispatched 
others as far north as Montrose and as far south as Guernsey, 
the places where they have been sent- including Bedford, 
Wisbech, Kir ton, Homcastl-e, Tattersliall, Lewisham, Montrose, 
Guernsey, Doncaster, Stamford, Peterboro’, Old Peake, Point-on, 
Skegness, Dorchester, London, Loughborough, and Cheshire. 
* * * 
Duping Apple Buyers.—A “ Daily Mail ” correspondent says 
that when passing a large fruiterer’s shop near -one of the 
“ tube ” stations on Saturday, the 13th inst., he noticed some 
American Apples ticketed Australian Apples. -Such an obvious 
fraud should be exposed. The Australian Apple season has not 
yet begun ; the first shipment will not be made until February 
16th, and the steamer will not arrive until March 26th, so that 
it is absolutely impossible for an Apple from any of the Aus¬ 
tralian States to -come on the London market before March 28th 
at earliest. The Apples marked Australian must, under the 
circumstances, be at l-e-ast five- months o.ld, and yet- they were 
ticketed with a name that would imply that they are less than 
seven weeks. 
* * * 
Proposed Excursion to Shrewsbury Flower Show.—A 
number of horticulturists and others in connection with the- 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society have expressed a desire 
to visit the great flower show and fete of the 'Shropshire Horti¬ 
cultural Society, Shrewsbury, on August 17t-hi and 18th next-, 
and negotiations have been opened with the railway companies 
with that object in view. Excursionists might leave Edinburgh 
late on Tuesday night and return from Shrewsbury on Wednes¬ 
day night, or have an option to remain a day or two longer. 
Those who intend to avail tlremselve-s of this opportunity should 
intimate the same to Mr. P. Murray Thomson, 5, York Place, 
Edinburgh, at an early date, so as to facilitate arrangements. 
This will not hind anyone to- go- to Shrewsbury if circumstances 
should prevent him at the last moment. 
Fruit Culture in Berwickshire. —Mr. Henderson, of Faw- 
s-ide Lodge, has rented land frc-m Mr. Anderson, of Gordon 
Cottage, and is to start fruit growing on a pretty extensive scale. 
* * * 
Tropaeolxtm tuberosum as Edible. —At the meeting of the 
Scientific Committee of the R-.H.S. on the 9th inst., Mr. Bowles 
reported that the result of his trial was that, while the tubers 
were edible, lie could not at all recommend them as palatable. 
* * * 
Cactus Culture. —-One -of our daily contemporaries says that- 
Cactus culture is now quite a craze. Miniature greenhouses 
are sold in quantity and of a size sufficient to accommodate from 
one to quite a collection of plants. The idea is that all these 
should be portable, and be carried about wherever the owner 
moves. In this respect that would be like the portable clocks 
that som-e holiday makers require to carry about with them even 
on the train. 
* * * 
Imports of Fruit.— From the “ Board of Trade .Journal ' 
we gather that for the week ending February 6th 99,523 cwt. 
of Apples were imported to the United Kingdom, 42 cwt. of 
Apricots and Peaches, 48.162 bunches of Bananas, 139 cwt. of 
Grapes, 22,231 cwt. of Lemo-ns, 154,549 cwt. of Oranges, 267 
cwt. of Pears, 103 cwt. of Plums, and 1,566 cwt. of other kinds 
of fruits not named. 
* * * 
Prices for American Apples.— At Manchester the other 
week Baldwin Apples from America were fetching from 12s. to 
17s. per barrel, while those from- Canada were bringing 14s. to 
20s. ; American Spies were bringing 14s. to 16s. per barrel ; 
Canadian Spies 14s. 6d. to 21s. ; American Greenings brought 
14s. to 16s. per barrel ; Canadian Greenings from 13s. to 18s. 
On the same occasion Canadian Russets brought from 17s. 
to 24s. per barrel, and Ben Davis from 14s. 6cl. to 19s. If the 
Canadian Apples brought a higher price on account of their 
superiority they must have been very fine samples indeed. 
* * * 
To Keep Young Men on the Land.— A new development is 
proposed in connection with the Bidford flower show, at which 
Miss Marie Corelli was president last year. At the annual meet¬ 
ing -of subscribers Mr. Lane, of Broom Court, gave notice that 
lie should move the formation- of an association in connection 
with the flower show and sport-s, the proceeds of the show to go 
to the funds of the association. When young men had worked 
for wages on the land for a certain number of years they would 
receive a bounty when they married and settled in the district. 
This he thought would help them to procure comfortable homes. 
* * 
Coloured Photos of Orchids.— Mr. Hickley, natural colour 
photographer of Kelso, Bassett, Southampton, exhibited some 
very beautiful transparent illustrations of Orchids in their 
natural colour at the Scientific Committee meeting of theR.H.S, 
on the 9th inst. They were effected by a -special process of 
Mr. Hickley’s on plates- sensitive to the primary colours— 
red, green, and violet; but the special treatment by which the 
excellent results were secured is not yet patented. It was 
inquired as to the cost o-f such for lantern sl-ideis. These would 
be from 5s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. A vote of thanks was given to Mr. 
Hickley for Iris interesting exhibitions and description.' 
V * * 
New Open Space in Southwark.— Lord Monkswell formally 
opened Nels-on Square Garden, Southwark, to the public on the 
6th inst. Situated near Black-friars Road, it forms part of the ] 
manor of Old Paris Garden, at different times the property of 
Henry VIII., Jane Seymour, Elizabeth, and Lord Hunsdon. 
For some time past the .garden has been an enclosed space and 
allowed to fall into a very dilapidated -condition. In 1897 the 
removal of a gate in Nelson Square became necessary because 
it was obstructing the traffic. As a- corollayy to this it was sug¬ 
gested that- the garden should be made an open space. Lord 
Halifax, the owner -of the land, made a gift of it to the public. 
The surrounding roadway and footpaths were made up at a cost 
of £2,800. The London County Council paid £900 towards 
the cost. A certain sum was given by the Southwark Borough 
Council, and half the entire cost was given by owners of pro¬ 
perty adjoining. The area is about- three-fourths of an acre, 
and the cost of laying this out was estimated to he £1,175, in¬ 
cluding a boundary fence. A drinking fountain was given by 
the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. The chairman 
who presided at the opening said that the borough had a popula¬ 
tion of 200,000, an area of 1,100 acres, and only 10J acres of 
open space. Lord Monkswell said the space was at one time 
the scene of hull-baiting and bear-bailing. Mr. Wood, the sou 
of Lord Halifax, the donor, was present on the occasion. 
