324 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  3,  1895. 
-  Apple  Blossoms  in  September. — A  singular  phenomenon, 
pays  the  *•  Kural  World,”  is  reported  from  Hungerford.  An  Apple  tree 
in  the  garden  of  Mrs.  John  Matthew  is  to  be  seen  in  full  blossom,  a  sack 
and  a  half  of  Apples  having  already  been  gathered  off  the  same  tree, 
which  is  an  old  one. 
-  Railway  Gardening.  —  To  encourage  the  cultivation  of 
flowers  at  the  railway  stations  on  the  Midland  Railway  Company’s 
system,  that  Company  offered  £200  in  prizes  among  their  station 
masters,  covering  nearly  2000  miles  of  rail.  There  were  upwards  of 
200  entries  for  the  competition,  and  the  first  prize  has  just  been  awarded 
to  the  station  master  at  Matlock  Bath. 
-  Keeping  Apples  under  Water. — Moisture  is  generally 
supposed  to  be  unfavourable  for  the  keeping  qualities  of  fruit.  It 
hastens  fermentation,  especially  if  warmth  accompanies  it.  Yet  there 
have  been  successful  experiments  made,  says  a  transatlantic  journal,  in 
keeping  Apples  under  water.  This  excludes  the  air,  and  if  the 
temperature  is  reduced  to  nearly  freezing  there  can  be  no  decay. 
We  remember  in  boyhood  an  Apple  tree  which  stood  beside  a  small 
pond.  Some  of  the  fruit  fell  in  the  water  and  was  frozen  in  by  ice.  It 
came  out  in  good  condition  in  spring.  Of  course,  this  fruit  was  not 
bruised.  A  slight  bruise  would  admit  air  to  the  inside  of  the  Apple,  and 
this  would  injure  its  keeping  qualities. 
-  Glut  of  Fruit  at  Preston. — Preston  Market,  says  a  con¬ 
temporary,  has  been  recently  glutted  with  fruit  from  the  Fylde, 
Leyland,  and  other  neighbouring  districts.  Prime  Damsons  fetched 
only  8J.  to  lOJ.  per  dozen  quarts,  and  not  even  those  prices  for  larger 
quantities.  Fourpence  and  5d.  per  score  pounds  was  as  much  as  good 
Apples  could  command,  and  Pears  were  sold  for  less.  Small  Plums 
have  been  growing  in  clusters  like  Grapes,  and  were  never  so  cheap. 
There  was  also  an  extraordinary  supply  of  Potatoes,  and  good  sound 
large  tubers  were  selling  at  Ss.  6J.  per  load  of  240  lbs.  Prices  for 
almost  every  kind  of  farm  produce  have  scarcely  ever  been  known 
so  low. 
-  Composition  op  Amber. — Amber  is  a  resinoid  body  exuded 
from  certain  plants  of  the  coal  epoch,  and  most  of  the  ambers  found  in 
various  parts  of  the  world  differ  in  their  physical  and  chemical  proper¬ 
ties,  and  sometimes  in  their  geological  age.  The  most  important  amber 
is  the  Succinite,  found  in  the  Baltic  ;  English  amber  belonged  to  the 
same  kind,  and  was  found  mostly  on  the  coasts  of  Norfolk,  Suffolk,  and 
Essex.  This  amber  contained  insects,  and  wood,  leaves,  and  flowers  of 
plants  probably  belonging  to  the  oldest  Tertiary  formation.  From 
microscopical  sections  made  by  Professor  Couwentz  of  Danzig  it  has 
been  found  that  those  plants  represented  the  Pines  and  other  Conifers  of 
those  ages.  Some  specimens  of  English  ambers  also  contained  fragments 
of  more  tropical  plants,  such  as  Magnolia  and  Cinnamon.  A  detailed 
examination  of  all  plants  found  in  this  amber  justify  the  conclusion 
that  the  flora  of  the  amber  period  was  not  the  same  as  the  vegetation  of 
modern  E  urope.  It  was  more  similar  to  the  recent  flora  of  North  America 
and  East  Asia. 
-  Ananassa  sativa  variegata.— While  the  ordinary  Pine 
Apple  plant  is  not  remarkable  for  its  beauty,  this  variegated  form 
takes  a  high  rank  among  plants  with  striking  foliage.  The  leaves  are 
2  or  more  feet  long,  spreading,  canaliculate,  with  slightly  spinate  edges. 
Their  colour  is  green  in  the  centre,  edged  with  ivory  white  and  often 
suffused  with  bright  orange  or  scarlet,  or  shades  between  the  two.  The 
white  and  scarlet  in  the  leaves  is  generally  clearly  marked,  and  some¬ 
times  there  are  only  faint  lines  of  green  in  the  centre.  This  variety 
will  flower  and  fruit,  just  as  the  ordinary  Pine  Apple  does,  at  a  height 
of  about  3  feet.  It  will  stand  plenty  of  rough  usage,  extreme  heat^ 
drought  and  sunshine,  without  apparent  injury.  Its  rosette  of  leaves  is 
compact  and  regular,  and  few  better  plants  can  be  found  for  a  choice 
collection.  It  can  be  grown  either  in  hanging-baskets  or  pots  in  a 
compost  of  equal  parts  fibrous  peat,  sphagnum,  and  broken  pieces  of  dry 
cow  manure.  It  will  also  do  well  in  ordinary  soil,  provided  the  pots  aie 
well  drained.  It  prefers  a  sunny  position,  and  while  an  occasional 
drying  is  not  injurious,  moderate  moisture  at  the  roots  is  best.  It 
should  be  sponged  occasionally  to  keep  it  free  from  dust,  but  it  is  not 
under  ordinary  conditions  subject  to  insect  pests.  Propagation  by 
means  of  the  young  growth  above  the  fiuit  is  slow,  but  easy.  Strong- 
growing  plants  can  be  topped  to  induce  them  to  form  several  new 
growths,  which  in  their  turn  may  be  taken  off,  potted  in  fibrous  peat 
in  small  pots,  and  placed  in  bottom  heat,  where  they  soon  root.  This  is 
the  best  way  of  propagation.  Ordinary  summer  heat  is  sufficient  during 
all  stages  of  growth,  but  a  somewhat  higher  temperature  facilitates 
propagation. — (”  Garden  and  Forest.”) 
-  Uses  of  American  Timber. — The  variety  of  Wisconsin  Elm 
known  as  “  Blue  Rock  ”  is  the  one  used  so  extensively  in  making 
bicycle  rims.  A  Chicago  lumber  concern  has  a  contract  with  a  bicycle 
rim  factory  at  Plymouth,  Ind.,  for  3,000,000  feet  of  this  wood.  For 
special  purposes  requiring  lightness,  flexibility,  and  strength  it  is  taking 
the  place  of  Hickory,  the  supply  of  which  north  of  the  Ohio  River  is 
running  low. 
-  Imports  of  Potatoes. — For  the  six  months  ending  June 
last,  says  the  “  Rural  World,”  our  imports  of  Potatoes  amounted  to 
900,000  cwts.  more  than  for  the  same  period  last  year.  Of  course,  most 
of  these  are  “  new  ”  Potatoes.  All  the  same,  there  is  no  suflScient  reason 
in  our  opinion  why  this  growing  importation  should  be  allowed.  We 
can  understand  that  the  farmers  of  the  Channel  Islands  have  a  slight 
advantage  over  those  in  the  Midlands  and  in  the  north  of  England,  but 
the  same  argument  scarcely  holds  good  when  applied  to  the  southern 
counties.  In  this  connection  we  may  mention  that  the  quantity  of 
butter  imported  for  the  six  months  ending  last  June  amounted  in  value 
to  £7,243,861,  as  against  £7,169,332  for  the  same  period  last  year.  On 
the  other  hand,  our  exports  of  butter  for  these  two  periods  amounted 
respectively  to  £47,999  and  £45,308.  It  will  strike  some  people,  perhaps, 
as  a  little  bit  surprising  to  find  that  we  export  any  butter  at  all. 
-  Cucumber  Mildew. — This  pest  has  this  season  been  a  very 
unwelcome  guest  in  many  a  Cucumber  house  or  frame,  and  even  in  the 
open  where  ridge  Cucumbers  are  grown.  The  fungus  is  known  as 
Oilium  balsami,  and  its  presence  is  readily  detected  by  the  white 
patches  that  at  times  cover  the  surfaces  of  the  leaves  ;  the  mycelium 
does  not  penetrate  the  substance  of  the  leaf  attacked,  but  spreads 
itself  over  each  surface,  preventing  respiration,  and  soon  rendering  the 
plant  unhealthy  and  unproductive.  The  same  species  of  fungus  also 
attacks  Swedes  and  Turnips,  causing  the  foliage  to  whiten  as  though 
powdered.  In  houses  and  frames  this  mildew  may  be  successfully 
combated  by  the  use  of  finely  powdered  sulphur  dusted  on  the  parts  of 
the  plants  attacked.  In  the  case  of  outdoor  Cucumbers  the  sulphur 
should  be  dusted  all  over  the  plants,  while  for  Swedes  or  Turnips 
spraying  with  bouillie  bordelaise  is  the  best  remedy  where  the  area 
infested  is  a  large  one. 
VEGETABLE  JUDGING  AT  SHREWSBURY. 
I  SHOULD  like  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  editorial  note  which 
was  appended  to  my  communication  under  the  above  heading  in  last 
week’s  Journal  of  Horticulture'  In  my  first  letter  on  this  subject  I 
pointed  out  that  criticism,  when  done  in  a  fair  and  impartial  spirit  by 
a  competent  person,  is  productive  of  good.  Especially  is  this  remark 
applicable  to  judges  of  all  kinds.  Their  sentences  or  awards  may  and 
are  frequently  reviewed  by  duly  qualified  persons  with  ultimate 
advantage  to  the  general  public  ;  but  when  the  prizes  had  been 
awarded,  after  due  consideration  had  been  given  to  size,  shape,  and 
quality,  to  the  best  all-round  exhibits  by  men  well  known  in  the 
horticultural  world,  and  the  awards  are  then  criticised  in  an  unfair, 
unpractical,  and  insulting  manner,  simply  for  the  sake  of  saying 
something  smart  and  fault-finding,  it  is  expecting  too  much  of  frail 
man,  even  from  judges,  to  expect  them  to  remain  silent  under  the 
circumstances  indicated.  I  think  it  would  be  interesting  to  the  readers 
of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  and  just  to  the  four  Judges  who  made 
the  awards  in  the  vegetable  section  of  the  late  Shrewsbury  show,  if  their 
names,  together  with  that  of  your  Shrewsbury  vegetable  reporter, 
were  given,  as  then  they  would  be  better  able  to  form  an  opinion  on  the 
question  at  issue. 
The  suggested  list  of  dates  when  your  Shrewsbury  vegetable  reporter 
was  engaged  judging  this  year  would  be  of  no  use  unless  the  namea 
of  the  shows  were  also  given.  Moreover,  I  would  like  to  point  out  that 
your  reporter  was,  and  I  believe  is  still,  open  to  accept  every  invitation 
he  received,  and  may  yet  receive,  providing  that  the  dates  do  not  clash. 
Gentlemen’s  gardeners,  as  well  as  gardeners  to  “  great  noblemen,”  are, 
by  reason  of  their  home  duties,  only  able  to  accept  a  few  of  the  invitations 
which  managers  of  shows  are  good  enough  to  send  them — these,  of 
course,  being  to  officiate  at  the  most  important  shows. — One  of  the 
Judges. 
[We  do  not  think  “  One  of  the  Judges  ”  has  quite  remained 
“silent,”  nor  do  we  think  he  has  always  done  so  when  other  judges  have 
not  pleased  him  as  an  exhibitor.  It  is  not  the  custom  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  to  entrust  the  reporting  of  shows  to  incompetent  men. 
We  have  not  had  one  letter  from  an  unprejudiced  person  complaining 
of  the  references  in  the  report  to  the  large  size  of  vegeta  bles  at  Shrews¬ 
bury,  but  we  have  had  several  expressions  of  opinion  that  the  vegetables 
at  the  show  in  question  are  notorious  for  their  gigantic  proportions. 
Whether  it  is  right  or  wrong  that  “size”  or  “quality”  should  be  the 
predominating  factor  in  determining  awards  is  essentially  a  question  of 
public  interest,  and  as  such  perfectly  appropriate  for  public  discussion. 
As  to  the  acceptance  of  invitations  by  persons  who  are  requested  to  act 
as  judges,  there  only  seems  this  difference  between  our  reporter  and 
correspondent — namely,  that  “home  duties”  are  more  pressing  in  one 
case  than  the  other  as  influencing  suc’a  acceptances  ] 
