898 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
November 5, 1904. 
Fortune in a Potato. —Many Fen farmers hope to make a 
handsome fortune out of their experimental Potato crops this 
year. At Peterborough a single Eldorado Potato, purchased for 
£10, has produced 4241b., many of the specimens weighing lOoz. 
Hardy Fruit at Woking.— An interesting and valuable 
feature of the monthly meeting of the Woking Horticultural 
Association, held at the Onslow Hall, was a lecture on “ Hardy 
Fruits,” by Mr. S. T. Wright, superintendent of the Royal 
Horticultural Society’s Gardens. 
* ■* * 
Big Crop of Onions. —The gardener at Mr. Man nil’s, Puts- 
borourii House, Georgeham, Barnstaple, has succeeded m grow- 
ing an enormous crop of Onions (Sutton’s Al). Two perches and 
three-quarters have produced no less than 8 cwt. 66 lb., 120 
onions weighing 1 cwt. 
° * * * 
Unseasonable Apple Blossom. —There was to be seen at Clay- 
croft, Dalbeattie, N.B., a few days ago an Apple tree carrying 
no fewer than twenty-five trusses of bloom. Some are still in 
the bud, some full bloom, some have shed their petals, and in 
at least one instance fruit has set. It is rare in late autumn to 
find such a full crop, and rarer still to find fruit set. 
* * * 
Malicious Theft of Grates. —On the night of the 26t-h-27th 
ult. some person or persons broke into the greenhouse belonging 
to Mrs. Mantle, of Tichborne Street, Leicester, and stole fifty 
or sixty bunches of grapes, the value of which was considerable. 
A number of bunches which the thief or thieves did not consider 
worth taking were picked from the Vine and smashed on the floor 
of the greenhouse. 
* * * 
Potato Disease at Spalding. —During the past week a .great 
amount of disease has been discovered in the Spalding district. 
Amongst the later varieties of Potatos the old Up-to-Dat© is, in 
many instances, half, and in some cases two-thirds, blighted. 
The Scottish Triumph proved very little better. This will be a 
' serious matter in this district, as both kinds are yielding good 
crops so far as weight is concerned, and the area, planted is 
chiefly of these kinds. 
J * * * 
Northern Star Potato. —Mr. J. Astbury, Plas Evan, 
Northbp, Cheshire, raised 41b. of Northern Star Potatos set 
last spring, and the produce is 1801b. of large Potatos and 201b. 
small ones—2001b. in all. Mr. Breen, the head gardener at 
The Righi, Te-ttenhall, says that on raising a crop of the 
Northern Star Potato, for curiosity lie counted and weighed the 
very last root. There were 143 tubers, and they scaled the 
weight of 14Albs. 
* * * 
Fruit Porters on Strike. —About 350 Covent Garden porters 
came out on strike- on the 26th ult. as a protest against a pro¬ 
posed reduction in the carrying rates of from ^d. to just over Id. 
a package. It was only the Floral Hall section of the market, in 
which most of the foreign fruit trade is- clone, which was affected 
by the strike. The places of the porters who refused to go in 
were taken by casual labourers, and with the exception that the 
new men were rather slower, there was not much difference in 
the way the work was dealt with. By the end of the week the 
strike came to- an end, some of the men being reinstated. 
* * * 
Apple Newtown Piptin. —The Apple known as- Newtown 
Pippin, grown almost exclusively near Watsonville, California, 
for the English market, is almost a failure this year. Owing 
to unseasonable hot weather the fruit was baked on the trees, and 
the crop will not be half the average, while probably none of 
it will be fit for export. In north-western Oregon extra fine 
Newtown Pippins are being grown in large quantities, and com¬ 
mand high prices. The crop there is very fine this year, and a 
considerable part of it will doubtless find its way to England. 
* * * 
A Fine Autumn Grass. —The striking effect of the Pampas 
Grass has been noticeable for some time past at Horsell, near 
Woking. The silvery plumes rise to a height of 5ft., and catch 
the eye of the visitor directly he descends the hill below the 
village church. These plumes are- far more ornamental than 
some of the foreign grasses which reach our markets in a- dried 
state. Cultivators in this country are neglecting their oppor¬ 
tunities who do not grow this noble grass for the sake of cutting 
and drying the plumes to supply the market with such decorative 
material.—P. C. 
* * * 
Accident to a Gardener Gathering Apples. —On the 
24th ult. as John Gamble, gardener to Mr. E. Blott, Hatton 
House, Wellingborough, was engaged gathering Apples, the 
ladder on which he was standing suddenly turned round, and 
caused Gamble to fall head foremost on to the asphalt. He was 
picked up in an unconscious condition and carried into the 
kitchen. Mr. Cuthbert Nicholson, of the St. John Ambulance 
Brigade, rendered first aid. Gamble had received a nasty cut 
on the head, and was bruised about the shoulders. He was 
afterwards attended by Dr. Saunders. 
* * * 
Potato Crop in Fifeshire. —Potato lifting is being carried on 
briskly in the district of St. Monans, Anstruther. The fine 
weather has been favourable- for harvesting the crops, and 
farmers have not been slow in taking advantage of it. A few 
have already finished, and with a continuance of the fine weather 
the crop will soon be all secured. The crop is a heavy one over 
all, and on some fields the tubers are very large, and as yet 
there is no sign of disease. Farmers have little reason to com¬ 
plain of the crops, but there is a fear that prices will be under 
former years. The crop around Blair Atholl, Perthshire, has 
also been-good, and the tubers clean and healthy. 
* * * 
Golden Wedding Presentation. —Mr. and Mrs. Alexander 
Dean will celebrate their golden wedding on November 4th. 
lvingston-on-Thames gardeners, members of the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Society, and of the Mutual Improvement Society met on 
Friday last, when there was a demonstration on wreath making 
by Mr. Hayward, which was ably carried out, after which dis¬ 
cussion took place on the flowers and greenery used and plans 
adopted by Mr. Hayward. About seventy members attended, and 
the chair was taken by Mr. Jenkins. Mr. Cox spoke- as to the 
high esteem in .which Mr. A. Dean was held by the gardeners of 
Kingston, both as to his wide knowledge of gardening generally, 
as an expert in the knowledge of fruit and vegetables, his kind 
disposition in giving advice freely, his experience, his zeal and 
integrity, his work for the Surrey County Council, as a lecturer, 
etc. Mr. Hayward, hon. sec. to the Chrysanthemum Society, 
also spoke as to the way in which Mr. Dean assisted in saving 
the Chrysanthemum Society from disaster. Mr. Blincoe, hon. 
sec. to the Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society, spoke of 
its formation through the instrumentality of Mr. Dean. Mr. 
H. -Smith, of Moseley, then made the presentation to Mr. Dean 
from the members of the above societies of a very handsome 
marble timepiece, and the chairman read an address. Mr. Smith 
in doing s-o also- spoke of the high esteem in which Mr. Dean was 
held by all who had become acquainted with him, his abilities as 
a writer for the gardening papers, his good knowledge as an 
adjudicator at the exhibitions, and also- his wise counsel, and of 
the rapid progress which had been made with allotment gardens 
generally, and the assistance rendered in forming societies. Mr. 
Dean replied thanking all the members-. The present he had no 
expectation of ; it came quite as a surprise, and would be valued. 
What he had done was owing to his love for horticulture and his 
fellow gardeners. His father and grandfather having been 
gardeners, -his ambition had always been to raise the standard 
of that profession. May Mr. and Mrs. Dean be spared many 
years, enjoy good health, and carry on each their own good 
work!—G. S. 
* * # 
Scheme for Fruit Culture in Limerick. —A practical scheme 
for the development of fruit culture in Co. Limerick was recently 
proposed by Rev. Father Liston, P.P., Kilmeady, Limerick, and 
the- system, which is an excellent one, has been favourably 
received by the Limerick County Technical Committee. Father 
Liston’s scheme empowers local committees to rent plots of land 
for the purpose of growing fruit, under the supervision of a 
trained instructor, who should give instruction how fruit trees, 
shrubs, and plants are to be put into the ground, matured, 
pruned, grafted, and looked after, and provides, amongst other 
things, for the awarding of prizes to pupils attending the demon¬ 
strations, It is proposed that Kilmeady be selected as the first 
centre, the- village holdings there being well adapted to fruit¬ 
growing, and the cottier-holders being willing to' take up the 
industry. The experiment, which is being looked forward to 
anxiously, is to be put into operation immediately, thus provid¬ 
ing much needed remunerative employment and happy condi¬ 
tions of existence for the inhabitants of Kilmeady. 
