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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  14, 1895. 
-  Kew  Guild. — We  are  requested  to  state  that  the  annual 
general  meeting  of  the  Kew  Guild  will  be  held  on  February  27th,  1896. 
- Birmingham  Show. — From  the  great  Chrysanthemum  show 
which  opened  at  Birmingham  on  Wednesday  our  representative  wired 
that  Mr.  Pearce,  Weedon,  secured  the  premier  place  for  twenty-four 
incurved  ;  Mr.  P.  Blair,  Trentham,  being  successful  in  the  corresponding 
class  for  Japanese.  For  eighteen  Japanese  Mr.  Jones,  Barford  Hill, 
was  a  splendid  first.  The  exhibition  was  in  every  way  magnificent, 
and  a  great  credit  to  its  promoters  and  managers. 
-  Weather  in  South  Wales. — The  weather  here  since  the 
5th  has  been  remarkable  for  the  heavy  rainfall,  From  the  4th  to  the 
9th  the  total  fall  was  3'21  inches,  the  maximum  being  1'77  inch  on 
the  5th.  This,  however,  has  been  put  greatly  in  the  shade  by  the  rain¬ 
fall  of  the  10th,  namely,  3’18  inches,  which  is  a  record  here  for  any 
twenty-four  hours.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  very  strong  N.W.  by  W. 
wind.  The  total  for  six  days  was  6  39  inches. — W.  Mabbott, 
Qwernllwyn  House,  Dowlais. 
-  The  Weather  last  Month. — October  was  changeable  and 
showery  until  the  17th,  when  7°  of  frost  on  the  glass  killed  all  tender 
plants  in  the  open.  On  the  26th  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  occurred,  which 
covered  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  If  inch,  and  much  of  it  remained 
during  the  following  day.  It  equalled  017  inch  of  rain.  The  wind  was 
in  a  westerly  direction  eighteen  days.  Total  rainfall,  3 TO  inches,  which 
fell  on  twenty-five  days,  the  greatest  daily  fall  being  0  97  inch  on  the  8th. 
Barometer,  highest  reading,  30-342  at  9  a,m.  on  the  18th  ;  lowest, 
28  896  at  7  A.M.  on  the  9th.  Thermometer’s  highest  in  the  shade,  61° 
on  the  15th  ;  lowest,  24°  on  the  26ch.  Mean  of  daily  maxima,  51  80°  ; 
mean  of  daily  minima,  38°.  Mean  temperature  of  the  month,  44  90°  ; 
Lowest  on  the  grass,  19°  on  the  26th,  27th,  and  28th;  highest  in  the 
sun,  126°  on  the  1st.  Mean  temperature  of  the  earth  at  3  feet,  52-51°. 
Total  sunshine,  98  hours  40  minutes.  There  were  nine  sunless  days. — 
W.  H.  Divers,  Belvoir  Castle  Gardens,  Grantham. 
-  Chrysanthemum  uliginosum.— Mr.  Arnott  refers  to  this 
fine  late-blooming  plant  as  too  tall.  That  is  so,  and  to  correct  that 
natural  defect  I  have  both  layered  the  stems  when  3  feet  long,  and  have 
also  taken  off  the  tops  at  that  height  as  cuttings  and  inserted  them  into 
pots  in  sandy  soil,  standing  in  a  cool  frame  to  root,  and  in  that  way 
have  obtained  charming  plants,  blooming  at  about  2  feet  in  height. 
But  then  I  have  also  noticed  that  these  topped  or  beheaded  stems  have, 
if  blooming  a  little  later,  at  least  done  so  much  dwarf er  than  are  those 
unstopped.  Why  not  try  to  correct  this  tall  habit  by  pinching  out  the 
tops  of  the  shoots  at  2  feet  in  height,  and  compel  the  stems  to  break  low 
down  ?  It  is  at  least  easier  in  that  way  to  correct  a  tendency  to 
height  than  it  is  to  add  height  when  too  low.  Summer-rooted  plants 
in  pots  are  admirable  if  stood  in  a  greenhouse  when  the  flowers 
open — D. 
-  ScHiZANTHUS. — To  a  certain  extent  this  charming,  half-hardy 
annual  has  recovered  from  the  undeserved  neglect  to  which  earlier 
cultivation  had  in  some  degree  consigned  it.  Nearly  all  are  suitable  for 
growing  in  the  open  border  during  the  summer  months  ;  but  it  is  not 
generally  known  what  charming  plants  they  are  when  well  grown  in 
pots  either  for  the  embellishment  of  the  conservatory  or  indoor  decora¬ 
tion,  while  the  flowers  individually  when  wired  are  also  very  serviceable 
in  the  making  up  buttonholes  or  sprays  ;  in  fact,  we  have  no  more 
elegant  annual  for  general  purposes  than  the  varieties  of  this  very 
distinct  plant.  The  seed  can  be  sown  at  almost  any  time  of  the  year  if 
required  for  summer  flowering.  Sowings  may  be  made  in  heat  during 
March  and  April,  and  the  seedlings  can  be  either  potted  for  indoor 
flowering  or  planted  in  the  open  border  in  June  ;  but  to  obtain  fine 
conservatory  specimens  it  is  advisable  to  make  another  sowing  in  August 
or  September,  using  well  drained  pans  filled  with  light  sandy  soil.  A 
cool  shady  frame  will  be  found  a  very  suitable  place  to  ensure  germina¬ 
tion  of  the  seeds.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  the  young  plants  will 
make  an  appearance,  and  when  large  enough  to  handle  should  be  potted, 
using  3-inch  pots  well  drained,  placing  them  in  the  frame  until 
re-established.  Afterwards  a  light  airy  house  or  pit  sufficiently  heated 
to  exclude  frost  will  be  found  a  very  suitable  place  in  which  to  grow 
them  during  the  winter,  taking  care  to  keep  them  close  to  the  glass  at 
all  periods  of  their  growth.  The  final  shift  into  their  flowering  pots 
should  take  place  early  in  January,  using  a  light  but  rich  compost  for 
the  purpose  with  a  rather  liberal  addition  of  sand.  I  have  found  the 
varieties  of  S.  retusa  the  most  suitable  for  pot  culture.  These  grow 
from  2  to  4  feet  in  height  under  good  cultivation,  and  fully  repay  the 
cultivator  for  the  trouble  taken  in  growing  them. — G.  W.  H. 
-  Flowering  of  Jerusalem  Artichokes. — Although  the 
ordinary  variety  has  flowered  freely  this  season,  the  newer  Lily  White 
has  given  a  greater  quantity  of  blooms. — E.  M. 
- Apple  Cockle’s  Pippin. — How  seldom  do  we  see  this  Apple 
growing  in  private  gardens,  yet  in  some  market  gardens  it  is  common. 
From  Christmas  onwards  for  three  months  this  Apple  is  in  good  condition 
as  a  dessert  fruit.  As  a  bush  or  loose  pyramid  it  succeeds,  and  fruits 
freely  in  a  young  state.  It  is  said  there  are  two  sorts  of  this  Apple,  one 
quite  russety,  and  the  other  pale  green.  Whether  this  is  so  or  not  I 
cannot  say  ;  fruit  answering  both  these  descriptfons  I  can  gather  from 
one  tree. — E. 
-  Potatoes  in  Canada. — I  learn  from  my  daughter,  in  a  letter 
just  to  hand,  that  Potatoes  are  as  cheap  in  Canada  as  at  home.  She 
states  they  have  just  lifted  500  bnshels,  but  cannot  obtain  more  than 
Is.  per  bushel.  The  variety  is  not  mentioned,  but  one  referred  to  as 
being  very  productive,  though  not  yet  much  known,  is  Glory  of  the 
World,  an  appellation  which  shows  that  even  our  boldest  home  names 
are  modest  as  compared  with  Canadian  ones.  Nauton,  the  part  of 
Canada  referred  to,  is  fifty  miles  beyond  Calgary  in  Alberta  Territory, 
near  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  where  in  winter  the  thermometer  falls 
30°  below  zero.  I  do  not  know  how  tender  tubers  such  as  Potatoes 
are  wintered  when  frost  is  so  severe,  but  it  is  information  worth 
knowing. — A. 
-  Oil  op  Peppermint. — Three-fifths  of  the  oil  of  peppermint 
consumed  in  the  world  is  produced,  according  to  the  “  Detroit  Tribune,” 
in  eight  counties  of  Michigan.  The  oil  product  of  that  State  this  year 
will  amount  to  150,000  lbs.,  and  between  12,000  and  15,000  acres  are 
devoted  to  the  cutivation  of  Peppermint.  Frost  and  drought  have 
injured  the  older  plantations  this  year,  although  the  plants  set  this 
spring  have  escaped  injury.  The  Peppermint  is  cut  when  in  blossom 
like  hay,  and  when  dried  is  placed  in  wooden  vats  and  steamed  until  the 
cells  burst  and  the  oil  passes  upward  with  the  steam,  which  is  condensed 
and  conducted  into  a  reservoir,  where  the  oil  rises  and  is  skimmed  off. 
It  requires  350  lbs.  of  dried  Peppermint  to  produce  1  lb.  of  oil.  An  acre 
of  land  will  yield  from  6  to  10  lbs.,  and  in  exceptional  cases  even  as 
great  a  quantity  as  50  lbs. 
-  Variegated  Celery. — Noticing  recently  in  the  Birmingham 
wholesale  market  a  quantity  of  white  Celery  with  distinctly  variegated 
foliage,  and  which,  to  me,  was  a  novelty,  I  inquired  of  the  grower  anent 
its  origin,  with  the  information  that  he,  the  grower,  had  grown  it  in 
quantity  for  the  last  two  or  three  seasons,  and  intends  doing  so  more 
extensively.  The  strain  was  the  produce  out  of  a  packet  of  an  ordinary 
white  variety  purchased  of  a  seedsman,  and  he  purposes  to  select  for 
future  culture  the  seed  of  such  of  the  variety  in  question  as  have  as 
little  variegation  as  possible  in  the  leaves,  as  he  considers  this  feature 
does  not  commend  itself  to  the  public  eye.  The  plants  were  of  a  uniform 
length  of  about  a  foot,  robust,  and  inclined  to  a  flat,  rather  than  a  round 
form  of  growth,  well  blanched,  crisp  in  texture,  and  nutty  flavour ; 
altogether  a  desirable  variety,  and  evidently  most  suitable  for  late  winter 
use,  as  it  could  be  easily  protected  from  the  frost.  I  may  add  that  there 
was  equally  as  much  useable  a  proportion  in  the  “  sticks  ”  noted  as  in 
those  nearly  twice  the  length. — W.  G. 
-  Market  Gardens  in  Great  Britain. — According  to  the 
recent  agricultural  returns  these  have  largely  increased  during  the  past 
flve  years.  The  area  in  1891  was  81,368  acres;  in  1892,  83,081  acres  ;  in 
1893,  87,560  ;  in  1894,  88,210  acres  ;  and  in  1895,  92,837.  From  these 
figures  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  in  Great  Britain  11,469  acres  more 
of  market  gardens  this  year  than  there  was  in  1891,  the  increase 
amounting  to  about  one-seventh  of  the  total  area  of  the  earlier  year. 
The  twelve  English  counties  which  have  the  largest  areas  of  market 
gardens  are — Kent,  12,516  acres  ;  Middlesex,  9410  acres ;  Beds,  7274 
acres  ;  Worcester,  5586  acres  ;  Essex,  4740  acres  ;  Surrey,  3688  acres ; 
York,  West  Riding,  3422  acres  ;  Hants,  3137  acres  ;  Norfolk,  2638  acres  ; 
Sussex,  2465  acres ;  Gloucester,  2172  acres  ;  Cambs,  2036  acres,  The 
area  of  market  gardens  has  extended  this  year  in  all  the  English  counties 
with  the  exception  of  the  Counties  of  Cumberland,  Hunts,  London, 
Monmouth,  Northampton,  Oxon,  Warwick,  Wilts,  and  the  West  Riding. 
Only  two  counties  in  Wales  have  more  than  100  acres  of  market  gardens  ; 
these  are  Glamorgan,  562  acres,  and  Denbigh,  534  acres.  Two  Scottish 
counties  possess  more  than  1000  acres  ;  these  are  Lanark,  1684  acres, 
and-Edinburgh,  1116  acres.  Perth  ranks  next  with  636  acres,  Haddington 
with  622,  and  Aberdeen  with  428.  Three  counties — Orkney,  Shetland, 
and  Sutherland — have  no  market  gardens,  and  in  fifteen  others  the  area 
so  occupied  is  less  than  50  acres. 
