'  82 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  25,  1895. 
-  Sir  J.  T.  D.  Llewelyn,  Bart.,  the  well-known  President  of 
the  HorticultHial  Club,  has  been  elected  Member  of  Parliament  for 
Swansea,  of  which  town  he  was  Mayor  a  few  years  hence — a  good  one, 
too,  and  one  of  the  most  respected  gentlemen  in  the  principality. 
-  The  Greek  Currant  Crop  promises  to  be  remarkably  good, 
but,  so  far  from  rejoicing  on  this  account,  the  farmers  are  petitioning 
the  King  to  prevent  the  markets  from  being  glutted  and  the  prices 
forced  down.  Should  this  happen,  they  significantly  add  that  they  will 
be  unable  to  pay  their  taxes. 
-  Harvest  Prospects  in  America. — A  telegram  from  *the 
“New  York  Herald  ”  reckons  that  the  Government  reports  of  the  next 
harvest  indicate  a  yield  of  397,000,000  bushels  of  Wheat,  which  is  a 
decrease  upon  1894  of  14  per  cent.  ;  and  Maize  a  possible  yield  of 
2,353,000,000  bushels,  which  is  nearly  double  last  year’s  crop.  The 
final  result  is,  however,  still  liable  to  the  chances  of  the  weather. 
- The  Wesley  Tree. — It  is  represented  that  the  “Wesley  Tree’’ 
at  Cambo,  Northumberland,  is  greatly  decayed.  Various  appliances  have 
been  used  to  keep  the  parts  together,  supplemented  and  fortified  by  a 
substantial  fence.  A  new  tree  has  also  been  planted  close  by,  and  a 
stone  monument  erected  by  Sir  George  Trevelyan  bears  the  simple 
inscription  :  “  John  Wesley  preached  here  on  his  seven ty-ninth 
birthday,  June  17th,  1782.’’ 
-  Horticultural  Club. — The  annual  excursion  of  the  members 
and  their  friends,  to  which  ladies  are  specially  invited,  will  take  place  on 
Tuesday,  July  30th.  The  members  will  meet  at  King’s  Cross,  Great 
Northern  Eailway  (SuburlJan)  at  9.30,  and  proceed  by  9.45  train  to 
Finchley,  to  view  Mr.  Peter  Kay’s  graperies.  Brakes  will  be  ready  to 
convey  the  party,  at  1.15,  through  Barnet  to  Hatfield,  where  the  gardens 
will  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  members,  under  the  guidance  of 
Mr.  Norman,  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury’s  head  gardener.  Members  will 
return  by  8.45  p.m,  train  from  Hatfield  to  King’s  Cross, 
-  Prickly  Lettuce  a  Noxious  Weed.  —  Prickly  wild 
Lettuce,  Lactuca  scariola,  says  the  “  American  Agriculturist,”  is  a  very 
abundant  and  common  weed  in  the  Central  States  and  is  sparingly 
scattered  throughout  the  whole  country,  having  been  introduced  from 
Europe.  It  is  an  annual  weed,  flowering  in  midsummer,  and  is 
closely  related  to  the  garden  Lettuce,  but  has  the  leaf,  edge,  the  midrib, 
and  the  lower  stem  covered  with  prickles.  As  in  the  Compass  Plant  or 
Kosin  Weed,  the  stem  leaves  are  twisted  vertically,  with  the  edges 
directed  north  and  south  so  that  the  sun  may  shine  equally  on  both 
sides.  Dr.  J.  C.  Arthur  of  the  Indiana  Station  believes  that  the  plant 
has  many  of  the  weedy  characteristics  of  a  successful  intruder,  and 
that  though  its  extermination  may  be  impracticable,  it  should  be  kept 
in  thorough  subjugation  by  timely  mowing  and  uprooting,  so  that  the 
seed  cannot  be  ripened.  Unless  the  stem  is  cut  off  well  below  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  the  plant  will  persistently  throw  out  sprouts, 
which  if  unchecked  bear  a  profusion  of  seeds.  Its  noxious  qualities 
have  caused  it  to  be  mistaken  for  the  Kussian  Thistle  or  Tumbleweed. 
t 
-  A  Fine  Currant. — At  the  meeting  of  the  Fruit  Committee 
of  the  Eoyal  Horticultural  Society  held  on  July  9th  there  was  shown 
from  Jersey,  under  the  name  of  Comet,  a  very  fine  sample  of  Eed 
Currants.  There  seemed  to  be  no  doubt  that  the  variety  was  Eed 
Cherry,  or  some  other  fine-berried  sort ;  but  in  some  cases  leafage  seems 
to  determine  variety  more  than  fruit.  In  any  case,  the  sample  was  a 
remarkably  good  one.  A  few  days  since,  when  judging  at  the  small 
show  held  in  Clandon  Park,  near  Guildford,  I  found  there  a  dish  of  ex¬ 
ceedingly  fine  Eed  Currants  entirely  equal  to  the  Jersey  sample.  This 
fact  served  to  render  one’s  satisfaction  all  the  greater  that  this  latter 
variety  had  not  at  the  Drill  Hall  been  admitted  as  new.  The  sample  at 
Clandon  came  from  the  Park  Gardens,  and  later  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  the  splendid  crop  growing  on  about  a  dozen  of  rather  dwarf 
compact  bushes— a  very  heavy  as  well  as  a  very  full  one.  Mr.  Blake, 
the  gardener,  stated  that  the  culture  was  identical  with  that  given  to 
other  bush  fruits  ;  but  the  sample  was  splendid,  and  it  may  well  be  a 
matter  for  surprise  that  anyone  should  grow  any  other  sort,  as  the 
bunches  were  longer  and  the  fruits  so  much  finer  than  are  those  of 
average  varieties.  The  bushes  came  originally  from  Messrs.  Smith  and 
Sons  of  Worcester,  who  can  probably  give  the  right  name.  Of  course,  1 
mean  the  acknowledged  name,  and  not  a  local  one.  The  wood  is  of 
fair  average  strength,  and  the  foliage  good  and  dark.  Such  a  variety 
where  Eed  Currants  do  well  should  be  planted  by  tens  of  thousands,  as 
the  market  returns  for  such  a  sample  should  certainly  be  fully  20  per 
cent,  higher  than  can  be  obtained  for  inferior  fruit. — A.  D, 
-  Hazel  Nuts. — Numerous  varieties  are  cultivated  in  Kent,  but 
Filberts  are  more  extensively  grown  than  the  Cob  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Maidstone.  Ground  which  is  good  for  Hops  is  equally  good  for 
Filberts.  Woollen  rags  make  the  best  and  most  lasting  manure  in  the 
opinion  of  many  growers. 
-  Celery  Company,  Limited. — Eegistered  by  W.  Goulton,  lA,. 
Grove  Park  Eoad,  South  Tottenham,  N.,  with  a  capital  of  £20,000  in  £1 
shares.  The  object  in  view  is  to  acquire  by  purchase  222  acres  of 
freehold  land  on  the  Shrub  Hill  Estate,  in  the  parish  of  Feltwell, 
Norfolk,  and  to  carry  on  business  as  cultivators  of  and  dealers  in  Celery. 
Eegistered  without  articles  of  association. 
-  Death  op  Mr.  T.  H.  Eabone.— It  is  with  much  regret 
that  we  have  to  announce  the  death  of  Mr.  T.  H.  Eabone,  for  the  last 
twenty-six  years  head  gardener  and  steward  to  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury 
and  Talbot,  Alton  Towers,  Staffordshire,  and  a  well-known  figure  in 
horticultural  circles.  Mr.  Eabone  has  been  ailing  for  the  past  few 
months,  and  on  Saturday  last  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty-two.  He 
was  highly  respected  by  all  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  and  we 
extend  the  hand  of  sympathy  to  his  bereaved  family. 
-  The  Council  op  the  Eoyal  Botanic  Society  has  decided 
to  open  the  gardens  to  the  public  every  Monday  afternoon  up  to  the  end 
of  September  on  payment  of  Is,,  and  on  August  Bank  Holiday,  when  a 
band  will  be  provided,  the  same  admission  fee  being  charged.  An 
evening  fete  will  be  held  on  July  Jlst,  when  there  will  be  a  geographical 
arrangement  of  plants  and  an  exhibition  of  living  medicinal  plants. 
There  will  also  be  an  exhibition  of  artificial  flowers,  and  the  girls 
engaged  in  the  trade  will  give  a  practical  illustration  of  work  in  this 
important  industry. 
-  Forcing  Lettuces  in  Pots.— A  transatlantic  contemporary 
states  that  this  has  been  carried  out  with  much  success  at  the 
Geneva  Experiment  Station,  New  York.  The  seeds  were  sown  in 
shallow  boxes,  and  the  young  plants,  when  2  inches  high,  were  put  into 
2-inch  pots  filled  with  a  mixture  consisting  of  three  parts  loam  and  one 
part  each  of  sand  and  well-decayed  manure.  A  bed,  consisting  of 
3  inches  of  manure  and  3  inches  of  compost,  similar  to  that  used  for 
potting,  was  made  up  on  the  side  stages  of  the  forcing  house,  and  the 
pots  were  plunged  in  this  with  the  bottom  resting  on  the  manure. 
The  pots  were  placed  from  8  to  10  inches  apart,  according  to  the  space 
required  by  the  variety  ;  but  it  was  found  that  when  grown  in  pots,  the 
several  varieties  make  a  more  compact  growth  and  produce  hearts  more 
quickly  than  when  the  roots  have  the  run  of  a  bed  of  rich  soil.  When 
the  plant  is  ready  for  market  it  is  turned  out  of  the  pot  and  dispatched 
to  its  destination  without  disturbing  the  roots.  In  forcing  Lettuces,  it 
is  important  to  ventilate  freely  when  the  weather  is  favourable  to  the 
admission  of  air,  and  cultivators  are  advised  to  maintain  a  steady 
temperature  of  about  55°  by  day,  and  from  45°  to  50°  by  night. 
-  Exhibition  Peas. — A  dish  of  Sutton’s  Matchless  Marrow, 
shown  the  other  day  at  Clandon,  was  one  of  the  finest  samples  of  a  Pea 
on  the  show  table  I  have  yet  seen.  With  regard  to  requirements  in 
Peas,  I  find  various  opinions,  as  some  judges  are  taken  with  size  and 
appearance  of  pod,  others  like  colour,  others  judge  by  flavour  or  sweet¬ 
ness,  or  tenderness,  and  so  on.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  but 
that  colour  is  a  strong  feature  in  show  Peas,  and  there  is  in  that  feature 
almost  unanimous  opinion.  It  is  not  true  that  colour  always  indicates 
flavour  and  sweetness,  but  it  does  generally.  A  green  pea,  too,  seems 
to  retain  its  softness  longer  than  a  white  one  does.  Seeing  that  we  have 
now  such  a  wealth  of  fine  cropping  and  podding  Peas,  and  certainly 
large  enough  for  anything,  if  not  in  many  cases  too  much  so,  I  should 
like  to  see  raisers  aiming  to  secure  depth  of  colour — greenness — to  a 
greater  degree,  and  more  of  flavour  and  tenderness  of  the  peas  when 
shelled.  Eather  tight  pods,  long,  straight,  and  narrow,  yet  not  too  hard 
filled,  of  rich  colour,  if  peas  be  of  good  flavour  and  tender,  will  invariably 
secure  more  prizes  on  the  show  table  than  will  the  huge  puff-podded 
Peas  of  which  we  have  seen  so  much  of  late,  and  are  now  going  out  of 
fashion.  Sharpe’s  Queen  type  of  pod  is  one  of  the  best,  and  when  well 
presented  is  found  to  give  the  best  satisfaction,  Whitish  or  pale  green, 
pods  and  peas  are  instinctively  avoided  when  handsome  well  filled 
green  pods  are  near.  I  have  been  somewhat  surprised  to  find  such 
capital  Pea  samples  shown  this  season  in  spite  of  the  drought,  but 
I  fear  the  days  of  Peas  for  exhibition  are  nearly  over  for  this  season. 
Only  where  the  soil  has  been  deeply  trenched  and  well  manured,  and 
where  the  rows  are  well  mulched  and  watered,  is  there  likely  to  be 
found  good  late  crops, — D, 
