October  3, 1895 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
323 
-  The  Windsor  Elms. — The  Elm  tree  is  one  of  the  most 
graceful  trees  in  nature.  The  avenue  of  Elm  trees  at  Windsor  Casile 
is  three  miles  long.  These  trees  were  planted  as  memorials  of  the 
accession  of  Charles  11.  to  the  throne.  A  curious  feature  is  their 
number,  1G60,  the  year  in  which  they  were  planted,  at  least  so  says  the 
“  Rural  World.” 
-  September  Weather  at  Driffield. — Mean  temperature 
at  9  A  M.,  G0.30°.  Mean  maximum,  68  71°  ;  mean  minimum,  4GT8°. 
Highest,  78“  on  the  26Dh ;  lowest,  34’8  on  the  22nd.  Mean  radiation 
temperature  on  the  grass,  40'07°  ;  lowest,  27  4°  on  the  22nd.  Rainfall, 
1 '23  inch.  Number  of  rainy  days,  eight.  Greatest  amount  on  one  day, 
0'67  on  the  6th. — W.  E.  Lovell,  York  Road,  Driffield. 
-  A  Giant  Water  Lily  at  Sheffield.— Sheffield  has  a 
Victoria  Regia  rivalling  the  one  at  Regent’s  Park.  The  flowers  are 
large  and  numerous.  Four  leaves  have  been  cut  from  the  plant,  each 
measuring  more  than  7  feet  across,  but  ten  leaves  remain,  one  7  feet 
lOJ  inches  in  diameter,  including  the  turned-up  rim.  The  next  largest 
measures  7  feet  2  inches,  and  there  are  three  of  7  feet  1  inch,  and  two  of 
7  feet  apiece. 
-  Verbascum  OLYMpicuM. — This  comparatively  rare  Mullein 
deserves  to  be  better  known  as  a  decorative  plant,  and  especially  as  an 
isolated  specimen,  particularly  on  a  small  mound  or  sloping  bank,  where 
its  noble  rosette  of  soft  woolly  glaucous-coloured  leaves  could  be  seen 
to  advantage.  It  is  a  veritable  giant  amongst  such  plants  of  a  similar 
hue.  Its  spike  of  yellow  flowers  grows  to  a  height  of  9  and  10  feet, 
and  in  this  state  the  plant  is  exceedingly  pictoiesque.  Its  congeners, 
V.  Chaixi,  or  V.  vernale  as  it  is  also  called,  and  V.  phoeuiceum,  are 
also  handsome  border  plants.  A  group  of  either  of  the  species 
enumerated  when  in  bloom  makes  a  singularly  and  attractive  object* 
— William  Gardiner. 
-  European  Forests. — The  wasteful  destruction  of  forest  areas 
undoubtedly  has  a  baneful  effect  on  the  climate  and  regular  water 
supply  of  the  section  in  which  the  cutting  is  done.  Dr.  Felix  L.  Oswald 
states  ;  “  Since  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  the  population  of 
the  four  Mediterranean  peninsulas  has  decreased  more  than  55,900,000, 
the  loss  of  a  larger  population  than  that  of  the  United  States  in  1880, 
while  the  value  of  their  agricultural  products  has  decreased  by  at  least 
60  per  cent.  This  remarkable  decline  is  attributed  to  the  destruction  of 
the  forests,  which  in  that  region  were  more  essential  as  a  protective 
influence  from  excessive  summer  heats  than  in  other  portions  of  Europe,” 
Some  of  the  most  fruitful  portions  of  Asia,  Asia  Minor,  and  northern 
Africa  have  undergone  the  same  experience. — (”  American  Cultivator.”) 
-  American  Opinion. — A  dispatch  from  London,  says  a  trans. 
atlantic  contemporary,  states  that  this  year  there  has  been  such  an 
enormous  crop  of  Plums  in  Great  Britain  that  the  price  for  the  fruit 
has  fallen  to  2d.  a  pound,  which  is  so  little  that  it  does  not  pay  the 
•cost  of  gathering  and  freight.  One  would  naturally  have  supposed 
that  the  growers  would  have  made  haste  to  dry  the  fruit,  since 
England  pays  annually  two  million  dollars  for  dried  Plums  imported 
from  France.  English  farmers  are  extremely  conservative,  however, 
and  they  sat  still  and  allowed  the  fruit  to  fall  ou  the  ground  and  rot. 
it  may  be  that  these  Plum  growers  can  give  some  reasonable  excuse  for 
their  failure  to  meet  such  an  emergency.  Farmers  and  fruit  growers 
are  often  accused  of  a  lack  of  enterprise,  when  in  ■  reality  it  is  practi¬ 
cally  impossible  to  solve  off-hand  the  problems  which  suddenly  confront 
them. 
- Emigrants’  Information  Office,  31,  Broadway,  West¬ 
minster,  S.W. — We  And  the  following  references  in  the  last  circular 
issued  from  the  above  office  : — Taking  New  South  Wales  as  a  whole, 
there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  opening  for  more  emigrants  at  the  present 
time,  other  than  domestic  servants.  In  many  agricultural  districts 
the  scarcity  of  employment  and  the  low  prices  of  produce  are  severely 
felt.  The  agricultural  returns  for  1894-5  show  a  considerable  increase 
in  the  area  under  cultivation,  especially  in  that  under  Wheat,  but 
the  average  yield  per  acre  of  Maize,  Sugar  Cane,  Grapes,  Oranges,  and 
other  fruit  was  less  than  it  was  in  1893-4.  In  Tasmania  there  appears 
to  be  a  good  opening  for  men  who  are  accustomed  to  rough  and  heavy 
work.  The  statistics  for  1894-5,  which  have  just  been  issued,  show  that 
there  has  been  an  increase  in  the  acreage  of  all  crops  in  the  Colony, 
except  Wheat  and  Turnips.  In  New  Zealand  recent  agricultural 
returns  show  that  the  number  of  acres  under  all  kinds  of  crop — exclu¬ 
sive  of  land  in  sown  grasses — was  64,000  acres  less  in  1895  than  in  1894, 
but  that  land  in  sown  grasses  increased  by  131,000  acres.  The  number 
of  holdings  of  1  acre  and  upwards  increased  by  138G. 
-  Wood  for  Street  Paving.— In  the  pavement  of  one  Paris 
street  not  less  than  six  different  kinds  of  wood  have  been  used — viz., 
pitch  pine,  pine  from  the  Landes,  teak,  red  karri,  box,  and  a  particularly 
hard  wood  from  Borneo.  From  time  to  time  a  committee  will  report  on 
the  most  durable  of  the  woods. 
■  Vegetation  and  Sunshine. — Herr  J.  Weisneir  has  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  all  luxuriant  vegetation  is  produced  under  con¬ 
ditions  of  comparatively  feeble,  and  especially  of  diffused,  daylight. 
Intense  sunlight  is  not  an  advantage  to  a  plant  growing  in  unfavourable 
conditions,  and  especially  in  poor,  dry  soil.  Tropical  plants  receive 
more  sunlight  than  temperate  ones  on  the  whole,  yet  the  latter  receive 
a  more  intense  light  than  the  former  in  the  spring  time. 
-  Opening  of  Kirkstall  Abbey,  Leeds.  —  This  line  old 
ruin  has  been  formally  reopened  after  the  work  of  renovation.  The 
Mayor  and  Corporation  were  present,  and  an  appropriate  address  was 
delivered  by  the  Bishop  of  Ripon.  The  Abbey  and  grounds  were 
purchased  by  Colonel  North  ten  years  ago  at  a  cost  of  £11,000,  and 
presented  by  him  to  the  Corporation,  who  have  spent  £5000  in  laying 
out  and  extending  the  grounds,  while  the  work  of  preserving  the 
ruins  has  cost  nearly  another  £8000. 
— —  The  Potato  Harvest. — In  the  extensive  Potato-growing 
districts  of  Lincolnshire  and  the  Fens  the  work  of  lifting  the  tubers 
has  commenced.  There  is  a  larger  acreage  this  year  than  usual,  and 
the  crops  give  promise  of  good  results.  Disease  has  already  been  noticed 
amongst  some  of  the  delicate  varieties,  but  this  does  not  prevail  to  any 
serious  extent.  Some  growers  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  Potatoes  will 
turn  out  so  large  as  usual  on  account  of  the  dry  season,  but  they  believe 
that  this  will  be  compensated  for  by  the  ease  with  which  they  can  be 
dug  and  picked.  Those  tubers,  however,  which  have  already  been  raised 
appear  to  be  well  grown,  clean,  and  free  from  disease,  and  the  standard 
sorts  are  expected  to  produce  more  than  average  crops. — (“Rural 
World.”) 
-  Vine  Pruning  Competition  in  South  Australia, — The 
first  of  these  events  was  held  in  1892  under  the  auspices  of  Professor 
Perkins,  who  has  devoted  much  time  to  the  development  of  the  art  cf 
pruning  in  the  best  style.  A  recent  affair  of  this  character  took  place 
at  Tanunda,  a  German  settlement  next  to  the  Angaston  district.  No  less 
than  twenty-seven  competitors  entered  the  lists,  and  so  fine  was  the 
quality  of  the  work  that  the  Judges  experienced  great  trouble  in  placing 
one  pruner  before  another.  Between  the  first  and  the  fourth  there  was 
only  three  points,  and  the  work  was  wonderfully  well  done.  The 
pruning  throughout  was  acknowledged  to  be  the  best  that  has  been, 
done  in  South  Australia.  The  third  and  fourth  places  were  won  by 
pupils  at  the  Roseworthy  College.  This  was  more  creditable  to  them 
because  there  were  only  2J  acres  of  Vines  for  thirty-seven  pupils  to 
practise  on.  The  result  does  great  credit  to  the  instruction  imparted 
by  Professor  Perkins  to  his  college  pupils,  the  work  being  done  by  the 
spur-pruning  system  exclusively. 
-  The  Botanical  Magazine  for  the  current  month  con¬ 
tains  the  following  suojects  : — Anthurium  Gustavi  (Aroidem). — A  hand¬ 
some  Aroid  coming  from  New  Grenada.  The  spathe  is  deep  purple, 
and  more  than  a  foot  in  length,  while  the  spadix  is  slightly  longer,  and 
of  a  redder  purple.  The  very  short  and  tuberous  stem  is  surrounded  by 
small  red-brown  sheaths,  from  which  rise  leaves  extending  to  4  feet  in 
height.  Momordes  Rolfeanum  (Orchideas). — This  is  a  native  of 
Peru.  The  leaves,  which  attain  to  a  length  of  almost  a  foot,  are 
speckled  with  dark  green.  The  terminal  racemes  have  but  few 
flowers.  These  are  erect,  and  there  is  a  distance  of  4  inches  between 
the  end  of  the  deflexed  sepals  and  the  tip  of  the  erect  lip.  Their 
general  aspect  is  that  of  deep  orange  or  chestnut  brown,  streaked  with 
red.  Polygala  Galpini  (Polygalese).— This  flourishes  naturally  in  Natal 
and  Swaziland  up  to  an  elevation  of  from  4000  to  5000  feet.  It  is  a 
very  graceful  greenhouse  plant.  The  inflorescence  is  arranged  in  light 
pink  racemes  of  a  somewhat  papilionaceous  aspect.  The  rachis,  the 
stems,  the  leaves,  and  indeed  the  whole  plant  is  strongly  hispid  ulous  ; 
the  style  up-curved,  trumpet  shaped,  with  a  punctiform  stigma  in  front. 
Tulipa  violacea  (Liliaceae). — A  beautiful  Tulip  from  Persia,  where  it 
grows  to  an  altitude  of  8000  feet.  The  perianth  is  of  a  mauve  red 
colour,  and  each  of  the  segments  has  at  the  base  a  large  black  blotch 
bordered  with  white.  The  stamens  are  black  and  half  an  inch  ia 
length.  Sternbergia  Fischeriana  (Amaryllidete). — This  comes  from  the 
North-east  of  Asia  Minor.  It  is  very  like  S.  lutea,  otherwise  Amaryllis 
lutea.  The  outer  tissues  of  the  bulb  are  brown  above  the  neck,  and  the 
flowers  have  the  well-known  bright  yellow  appearance. 
