February  15,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
149 
grass,  as  to  remain  unmoved  by  shaking.  No  specimens  should  be  sent 
to  rest  in  the  post  office  over  Sunday,  on  which  day  there  is  no  delivery 
of  postal  matter  in  London.  Specimens  in  partially  filled  boxes  are 
invariably  injured  or  spoiled  by  being  dashed  to  and  fro  in  transit.  Not 
more  than  six  specimens  can  be  named  at  once,  and  the  numbers  should 
be  visible  without  untying  the  ligatures,  it  .  being  often  difficult  to 
separate  them  when  the  paper  is  damp.  (R.  E.  W.).  —  1,  Garrya 
elliptica  ;  2,  Spirma  palmata ;  3,  Thuiopsis  dolabrata.  {M.  G.  C.). — 
1,  Cypripedium  Spicerianum ;  2,  C.  villosum ;  3,  Cattleya  Trianaa ; 
4,  Euphorbia  splendens ;  5,  Ficus  repens,  (inquirer). — 1,  Grevillea 
robnsta;  2,  Anthericum  variegafum ;  3,  Ophiopogon  Jaburan  varie- 
gatum ;  4,  Freesia  refracta  alba ;  5,  Odr'ntoglossum  crispum,  poor 
variety.  (P.  A.  J.). — Cyperus  nepalensis;  Cypripedium  insigne  Maulei. 
COVENT  GARDEN  MARKET. — February  14th. 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE  PRICES.— FRUIT. 
B.  d. 
B.  d. 
B*  d. 
8.  d. 
Apples,  English,  per  sieve 
3  0  to  7  0 
Lemons,  case  . 
4  0tol5  0 
„  Canadian,  barrel  ... 
10  0 
15  0 
Melons  . each 
0  6 
1  6 
„  Nova  Scotian,  barrel  10  0 
17  0 
Oranges,  per  case  . 
5  0 
15  0 
Cobnuts  per  100  lb . 
60  0 
70  0 
„  Tangierine,  box... 
0  6 
1  9 
Grapes,  black  . 
1  6 
4  0 
Pears,  Californian,  case... 
6  0 
9  0 
„  Muscat . 
2  0 
5  0 
Pines,  St.  Michael’s,  each 
1  0 
6  0 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE 
PRICES.— VEGETABLES. 
B.  d. 
s.d. 
8.  d. 
s.  d. 
Artichokes,  green,  doz.  ... 
6  0  to  0  0 
Herbs,  bunch  . 
0  2  to  0  0 
Asparagus,  green,  bundle 
5  0 
5  9 
Leeks,  bunch  . 
0  3 
0  0 
„  giant,  bundle 
15  0 
20  0 
Ij0tt)QC6^  doz*  •••  •••  ••• 
1  6 
2  0 
Beans,  Jersey,  per  lb . 
2  0 
2  6 
Mushrooms,  lb . 
0  6 
0  9 
„  French  Kidnev,  lb 
1  6 
0  0 
Mustard  and  Cress,  punnet 
0  2 
0  (» 
,,  Madeira,  basket ... 
2  0 
2  6 
'  Onions,  bag,  about  1  cwt. 
4  0 
4  6 
Beet,  Red,  doz . 
0  6 
0  0 
Parsley,  doz.  bunches  ... 
2  0 
4  0 
Brussels  Sprouts,  J  sieve... 
1  6 
2  0 
Potatoes,  cwt . 
2  0 
5  0 
Cabbages,  per  tally . 
7  0 
n  0 
„  Teneriffe,  cwt... 
18  0 
28  0 
Carrots,  per  doz . 
2  0 
3  0 
Seakale,  doz.  baskets 
12  0 
15  0 
Cauliflowers,  doz . 
2  0 
3  0 
Shallots,  lb . 
0  3 
0  0 
Celery,  per  bundle . 
1  0 
1  9 
Spinach,  per  bushel . 
3  0 
6  0 
Cucumbers,  doz . 
4  0 
8  0 
Tomatoes,  per  doz.  lbs.  ... 
6  0 
8  0 
Endive,  doz . 
2  6 
0  0 
Turnips,  bunch . 
0  3 
C  4 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE 
PRICES.— CUT  FLOWERS. 
8.  d. 
8.  d. 
B.  d. 
B.  d. 
Anemones,  doz.  bunches... 
2  0  to  3  0 
Maidenhair  Fern,doz.bnch 
8  OtolO  0 
•••  •••  •••  ••• 
6  0 
8  0 
Marguerites,  doz.  bnchs. 
3  0 
4  0 
Asparagus,  Fern,  bunch... 
2  0 
2  6 
,,  Yellow,  doz.  bnchs. 
4  0 
6  0 
Bouvardia,  bunch  . 
0  6 
0  9 
Mimosa,  per  bunch . 
1  6 
2  0 
Carnations,  12  blooms  ... 
2  6 
3  6 
Mignonette,  doz.  bunches 
6  0 
8  (1 
Cattleyas,  per  doz . 
12  0 
24  0 
Narcissus,  white,  doz.  bun. 
2  0 
3  0 
Christmas  Roses,  doz.  ... 
1  0 
2  0 
„  Yellow,  doz.  bunches 
3  0 
5  0 
Chrysanthemums,  white 
„  double,  doz.  bunches 
2  0 
4  0 
doz.  blooms 
6  0 
9  0 
Odontoglossums  . 
5  0 
7  6 
„  yellow  doz.  blooms 
5  0 
8  0 
Pelargoniums,  doz.  bnchs 
8  0 
12  0 
,,  bunches,  var.,  each 
1  6 
3  0 
Poinsettias,  doz . 
12  0 
18  0 
Daffodils,  double,  doz.  bnch 
8  0 
10  0 
Roses  (indoor),  doz . 
6  0 
8  0 
,,  single,  doz.  bnch. 
6  0 
12  0 
fii6df  doz*  •**  ••• 
6  0 
8  0 
Eucharis,  doz . 
8  0 
10  0 
„  Safrano,  packet 
3  6 
4  0 
Gardenias,  doz . 
6  0 
8  0 
„  Tea,  white,  doz.  ... 
3  6 
6  0 
Geranium,  scarlet,  doz. 
„  Yellow,  doz.  (Perles) 
5  0 
7  6 
bnchs . 
6  0 
9  0 
„  Marechal  Niel,  doz. 
6  0 
12  0 
Hyacinth,  Roman,  doz.  ... 
6  0 
8  0 
Smilax,  bunch . 
5  0 
7  fi 
Lilium  Harrisi,  12  blooms 
6  0 
8  0 
Tulips,  scarlet,  bunch . 
0  6 
0  8 
„  lancifolium  album  ... 
3  6 
4  6 
,,  yellow,  bunch . 
1  0 
1  6 
,,  ,,  rubfum... 
3  6 
4  6 
,,  bronze,  bunch . 
1  0 
1  6 
„  longiflorum,  12  blooms 
8  0 
10  0 
Violets,  Parma,  bunch  ... 
4  0 
6  0 
Lilac,  white,  bundle 
4  0 
6  0  : 
,,  dark,  French,  doz. 
2  0 
3  0 
„  mauve,  bundle 
4  0 
8  0 
,,  ,,  English,  doz. 
2  0 
3  0 
Lily  of  the  Valley,  12  bun. 
9  0 
18  0 
Arbor  Vitae,  var.,  doz.  ... 
PLANTS 
s.d.  s.d. 
6  0to36  0 
IN  POTS. 
Ferns,  small,  100  . 
B.  d* 
4  0 
B.d* 
to  8  0 
Arums,  per  doz . 
Aspidistra,  doz . 
18  0 
24  0 
Kicus  elastica,  each . 
1  6 
7  6 
18  0 
36  0 
Foliage  plants,  var.,  each 
1  0 
5  0 
Aspidistra,  specimen 
15  0 
20  0 
Lily  of  Valley,  per  pot  ... 
1  0 
2  0 
Chrysanthemums,  each  ... 
1  0 
4  0 
Hyacinths,  Dutch,  doz. ... 
10  0 
18  0 
Crotons,  doz . 
18  0 
30  0 
Hyacinths,  Roman,  per  pot 
0  8 
1  0 
Cyclamen,  doz . 
8  0 
12  0 
Lycopodiums,  doz . 
3  0 
6  0 
Daffodils,  pot  . 
1  0 
1  6 
Marguerite  Daisy,  doz.  ... 
12  0 
15  0 
Dracaena,  var.,  doz . 
12  0 
30  0 
Mignonette,  doz . 
8  0 
12  0 
Dracaena  viridis,  doz. 
9  0 
18  0 
Myrtles,  doz . 
6  0 
9  0 
Erica  various,  doz . 
30  0 
60  0 
Palms,  in  var.,  each 
1  0 
15  0 
Euonymus,  var.,  doz. 
6  0 
18  0 
„  specimens  . 
21  0 
63  0 
Evergreens,  var.,  doz.  ... 
4  0 
18  0 
Poinsettias,  per  doz. 
15  0 
20  0 
Ferns,  var.,  doz . 
4  0 
18  0 
Solanums  per  doz . 
9  0 
18  0 
GARDENERS’  CHARITABLE  AND  PROVIDENT 
INSTITUTIONS. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  —  Seoretary, 
Mr.  G.  J.  Ingram,  175,  Victoria  Street,  S.W. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society. — Secretary, 
Mr.  W.  Collins,  9,  Martindale  Road,  Balham,  London,  S.W. 
Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund. — Secretary,  Mr.  Brian  Wynne, 
8,  Danes  Inn,  Strand.  London,  W.C. 
HOW  TO  SATISFY  THE  MALTSTERS. 
Bread  is  the  staff  of  life,  Barley  the  body  of  the  beer,  and  it  is 
a  provoking  and  aggravating  thing  to  see  English  beer  which  has 
not  an  English  body  ;  in  other  words  we  wish  to  see  malt  made  from 
our  own  Barley  rather  than  from  that  of  our  continental  growers. 
Well,  but  the  big  brewers  are  masters  of  the  situation  ;  they  lay 
down  certain  rules,  and  from  those  rules  they  will  not  swerve  a  hair’s 
breadth.  They  will  have  Barley  of  good  colour,  good  shape,  fine  skin, 
of  one  or  two  fixed  varieties  that  have  been  proved  to  be  reliable  for 
malting.  Failing  all  this,  they  take  their  money  and  send  their  buyers 
far  afield,  with  instructions  to  bring  back  at  any  price  a  certain  article 
and  that  alone.  As  the  field  is  wide  they  get  what  they  require,  and 
hold  themselves  under  no  obligations  to  trade  at  home.  Hence  the 
disappointed  grower  has  to  do  what  best  he  can,  either  sell  at  low 
prices  to  small  maltsters  who  are  not  so  particular,  or  to  dealers  who 
either  sell  the  Barley  as  meal,  or,  combining  it  with  other  ingredients, 
form  a  feeding  cake.  The  farmer  has  another  alternative,  and  that  is,  of 
course,  to  use  the  despised  grain  at  home  for  his  stock.  But  that  is 
not  quite  what  he  wants ;  he  would  prefer  hard  cash,  but  this  year  jn 
nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  has  had  to  do  without. 
Of  course  we  all  know  of  what  tremendous  importance  the 
“  season  ”  plays  in  the  comedy,  or  rather  tragedy,  of  Barley  growing, 
and  the  “  season  ”  we  cannot  alter.  There  are  many  little  points^ 
however,  that  we  can  adjust,  and  it  is  well  we  should  just  recall  them 
before  sowing  the  Barley  crop  of  1900.  We  have  treated  of  the 
Barley  crop  limes  and  times  again;  it  is  a  subject  to  which  we  must 
ever  recur  if  we  do  our  duty  towards  the  readers  of  “  Home  Farm.” 
We  are  learners  ourselves,  and  shall  be  till  the  Daisy  grows  above 
us,  and  we  attentively  read  all  we  can  find  that  bears  on  the  agricul¬ 
tural  subject.  Some  time  ago  we  remarked  on  an  excellent  article 
“On  the  Quality  of  the  Barley  Crop,”  by  Professor  Wrightson,  and 
as  that  article  covers  the  whole  subject  so  well,  and  is  so  in  accord 
with  all  our  humble  efforts  and  all  our  observation,  we  will,  with  the 
Professor’s  leave,  recapitulate  the  main  points  of  his  remarks  here* 
We  are  all  agreed  upon  the  first  point,  that  without  quality  we  have 
nothing ;  that  is,  we  need  expect  no  great  maltster  to  look  at  o  ir 
Barley  samples  unless  those  samples  are  of  the  best. 
The  first  two  requisites  are  soil  and  climate.  If  you  possess  neither 
the  one  nor  the  other  pray  turn  your  attention  to  some  other  industry. 
You  can  easily  prove  whether  or  not  the  soil  is  of  the  right  kind. 
Have  you  luck  with  your  sheep,  that  is  with  reasonable  management  ? 
Can  you  grow  good  Turnips  ?  If  you  answer  those  questions  in  the 
affirmative,  you  may  sow  Barley  and  hope  for  a  decent  sample.  As 
for  the  climate,  well  warmth  and  dryness  are  the  two  principal 
essentials.  There  are  districts  in  England  that  have  been  noted  for 
fine  Barleys  for  generations.  There  is  something  in  the  soil  that  no 
cultivation  puts  there,  and  which  is  not  supplied  by  the  most  cunningly 
devised  of  fertilisers. 
If  there  is  one  crop  more  than  another  dependant  on  the  seaso  .  it 
is  Barley,  and  this  is  a  factor  that  upsets  our  cleverest  calculations. 
One  man  says,  “  Sow  early.  My  best  crops  were  from  early  sown 
seed.”  The  next  man  says,  “  Yes,  but  what  about  that  Barley  on 
the  last  sheepfold  ?  Where  did  you  see  better  ?”  Both  men  are  right  ; 
right  for  the  year  and  the  season  of  which  they  are  talking.  After  all, 
it  is  a  sort  of  game  of  “hit  or  miss,”  and  our  best  laid  schemes 
disappoint  us.  We  think  if  we  took  the  opinion  of  a  room  full  of  good 
farmers,  the  majority  would  say,  “Sow  early;”  the  plant  then  ha^  a 
chance  of  getting  away  from  frosts  and  early  summer  drought.  But, 
again,  we  have  seen  such  forcing  weather  end  of  May,  that  the  later 
sown  Barley  has  more  than  overtaken  the  earlier.  Our  idea  is  this — 
never  lose  an  opportunity  if  land  is  fit  and  weather  favourable,  get  your 
