April  6,  leSi 
Journal  of  horticulture  anu  cottage  gardener. 
325 
-  Vegetable  Marrow  Culture.  - —  “  Gardener  ”  writes 
(pages  305-6)  “  their  fruiting  quarters  may  be  a  manure  or  refuse  heap, 
or  small  mounds  on  a  south  border.”  When  I  was  in  a  situation  I 
used  to  grow  them  so  ;  but  now  1  have  to  pay  5s.  per  load  for  manure, 
and  7s.'  or  8s.  for  turfy  loam,  it  does  not  pay.  I  find  if  ground  is 
manured  and  dug  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  the  Marrows  planted  on  the 
level  the  results  are  quite  as  good,  with  less  labour  and  expense 
—A,  L.  G. 
-  Tree  Temperatures. — These  have  been  investigated  by  Mr. 
R.  W.  Squires,  and  the  results  of  his  investigations  are  embodied  in  a 
paper  contributed  to  the  “Minnesota  Botanical  Studies”  for  1895. 
The  observations  were  made  on  a  specimen  of  Acer  negundo,  and 
extended  over  the  first  six  months  of  the  year.  From  January  to  June 
the  temperature  of  the  tree  was  lower  than  that  of  the  air  in  the 
morning  and  at  noon,  but  higher  in  the  evening  ;  the  lowest  tempera¬ 
ture  recorded  was  in  February. 
-  Paradise  Apples. — Dwarf  Apples,  properly  so  called,  seldom 
grow  more  than  5  or  6  feet  high.  An  occasional  one  will  reach  10  feet* 
When  they  grow  taller,  it  is  caused,  as  sometimes  iin  the  Pear  or  the 
Quince,  by  the  part  grafted  on  the  root  throwing  out  natural  roots  of 
its  own.  The  Paradise  stock  is  a  small  species  of  wild  Apple,  growing  in 
the  mountains  of  Asia  Minor,  and  naturally  only  a  strong-growing 
shrub.  It  is  the  Pyrus  pumila  of  botanists.  Dwarf  Apples  are  very 
pretty  ornaments  for  small  gardens. — (“  Meehan's  Monthly.”) 
-  The  American  Florist.  —  We  have  just  received  a  copy  of 
the  spring  number  of  our  enterprising  American  contemporary,  and  as 
on  previous  occasions  of  a  similar  nature  the  publication  is  creditable 
to  everyone  concerned.  The  cover  is  an  artistic  reproduction  of  the 
Franco-Japanese  style  of  art,  while  the  “  process  ”  illustrations  in  the 
letterpress  are  admirably  worked.  The  major  portion  of  the  number  is 
devoted  to  Cannas,  and,  as  will  be  readily  understood,  much  valuable 
and  useful  information  is  imparted.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that 
advertisements  have  a  goodly  share  of  the  seventy  pages  comprising  the 
issue. 
-  Self-iieal.  —  The  little  flower  called  Self-heal  (Prunella 
vulgaris)  is  very  common  in  most  meadows,  except  in  such  as  have  a 
growth  of  very  tall  and  luxuriant  grass.  It  is  a  labiate  plant,  with  a 
square  stem,  about  a  finger’s  length,  and  a  dense  oblong  short  cluster 
of  blossoms  of  rich  violet,  with  brownish  purple  cups  and  floral  leaves. 
The  deep  purple  of  this  charming  blossom  is  often  bo  beautiful  that  one  of 
our  eminent  artists  has  been  heard  to  declare  that,  except  in  old  stained 
glass  windows,  he  had  never  seen  so  rich  a  hue  in  any  work  of  art ;  but 
the  flower  is  not  conspicuous  on  the  meadow.  The  “  Rural  World  ” 
says  that  it  had  the  old  names  of  Sickle  Herb  and  Carpenter’s  Herb,  being 
in  early  times  in  daily  use  as  an  application  to  wounds.  It  has  slightly 
astringent  properties. 
-  Rhododendron  mucronulatum. — This  deciduous  leaved 
shrub,  raised  in  the  Arnold  Arboretum  from  seed  gathered  on  the 
mountains  near  Pekin,  and  sent  in  1883  by  Dr.  Bretschneider,  at  that 
time  surgeon  of  the  Russian  Embassy  in  the  Chinese  capital,  is  closely 
related  to  the  Siberian  and  Manchurian  Rhododendron  dauricum, 
although,  for  garden  purposes  at  least,  it  will,  perhaps,  be  well  to 
consider  it  distinct.  In  American  gardens,  says  the  “  Garden  and 
Forest,”  it  is  now  a  robust  shrub  from  3  to  4  feet  in  height,  with 
slender  stems,  and  branches  clothed  during  their  first  year  with  smooth, 
rather  light  yellow  bark.  The  leaves,  which  do  not  unfold  until  after 
the  flowers  have  begun  to  fade,  are  oblong,  gradually  narrowed  to 
both  ends,  and  mucronate  at  the  apex,  very  finely  serrate,  thin  and 
firm,  dark  green  above,  pale  and  pubescent  below,  from  2  to  2J  inches 
long,  about  1  inch  wide,  and  short  stalked,  turning  in  the  autumn, 
before  falling,  bright  scarlet.  The  flowers  are  broadly  campanulatei 
about  1  inch  across,  and  light  clear  rose  coloured,  with  broad  rounded 
corolla  lobes,  and  are  produced  in  two  to  four  flowered  clusters  ;  they 
\ppear  in  Eastern  Massachusetts  during  the  last  week  in  April,  before 
bose  of  any  other  plant  of  this  class,  and  at  a  time  when  comparatively 
w  other  shrubs  are  in  bloom.  Their  brilliancy  and  cheerfulness,  and 
e  splendid  colour  the  leaves  assume  late  in  the  autumn,  make  this 
lie  Rhododendron,  which  is  very  hardy,  a  most  desirable  inhabitant  of 
uthern  gardens.  Rhododendron  mucronulatum,  which  the  Russian 
b».nist,  Maximowicz  (who  had  made  a  special  study  of  these  plants), 
coi.dered  merely  a  geographical  variety  of  Rhododendron  dauricum, 
inlita  South-Eastern  Siberia,  Russian  Manchuria,  and  Northern 
Chi, 
-  Potato  Growing  in  Lincolnshire.  —  A  large  acreage  of 
land  in  South  Lincolnshire  is  this  season  being  planted  with  Potatoes. 
Not  only  are  the  big  farmers  and  little  holders  planting  extensively, 
but  several  well  known  London  salesmen,  who  previously  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  purchasing  the  crops  as  they  stood,  are  themselves  hiring 
land  for  Potato  growing,  whilst  in  some  instances  they  have  bought  land 
for  the  purpose.  The  southern  part  of  Lincolnshire  is  noted  as  a  very 
fine  Potato-growing  district. 
-  Californian  Oranges.— According  to  an  American  con¬ 
temporary  the  prices  of  California  Oranges  have  advanced  somewhat  in 
New  York  markets  with  the  greater  scarcity  of  the  West  India  fruit, 
and  Navel  Oranges  from  the  Pacific  coast  sell  readily  for  3  to  4  dols.  a 
box  at  wholesale,  seedlings  commanding  2-50  to  3'25  dols.  Jamaica 
Oranges  bring  9  to  10  dols.  a  barrel,  repacked,  and  the  few  now  coming 
from  Havana  sell  for  5  to  6  dols.  a  barrel,  in  original  packages.  Of 
Oranges  from  the  Mediterranean,  Catanias  now  bring  3  to  3'50  dols.  a 
box,  and  Valencias  4-75  to  6  dols.  a  case.  The  stock  of  California 
Navel  Oranges,  it  is  estimated,  will  be  exhausted  by  about  the  middle 
of  April.  A  small  lot  of  Florida  Oranges,  which  arrived  in  New  Y  ork 
recently,  sold  for  5  to  6  dols.  a  box. 
-  Mahernia  verticillata. — This  is  a  sub-shrub  or  woody 
perennial  which  has  been  cultivated  for  seventy-five  years,  and  yet  it  is 
seen  more  rarely  now  than  it  was  thirty  or  forty  years  ago.  The  bright 
yellow  bell-shaped  flowers  are  very  pretty  and  abundant,  and  it  used  to 
be  Been  often  drooping  about  vases  and  sometimes  in  hanging  baskets* 
for  it  is  not  a  compact  upright  grower,  but  rather  spreads  around  in  a 
straggling  fashion.  In  Florida,  where  it  flourishes  out  of  doors,  in  a 
single  season  it  will  creep  over  the  ground  so  as  to  cover  a  space  a  yard 
across,  and  in  a  window  at  the  north  or  in  a  cool  conservatory  it  will 
bloom  through  the  winter  and  spring,  and  it  may  also  be  flowered  out  of 
doors  in  the  summer  time.  After  all,  Bays  the  “Garden  and  I orest, 
perhaps  the  most  interesting  quality  of  this  plant  is  its  fragrance,  the 
flowers  being  as  sweet  as  Lilies  of  the  Valley,  so  that,  indeed,  it  takes 
rank  with  Boronia  megastigma  among  the  plants  which  are  conspicuous 
for  a  distinct  and  pleasing  odour. 
_  Tea  Cultivation. — This  forms  one  of  the  greatest  industries 
in  the  Indian  Empire,  yet  few  imagine  the  enormous  areas  of  land 
devoted  to  the  Tea  plant.  According  to  information  published  by  the 
Revenue  and  Agricultural  Department  of  the  Indian  Government  it 
appears  that  at  the  end  of  1894  not  less  than  422,551  acres  were 
planted  with  Tea,  the  principal  districts  being  Assam,  Cachar,  Aylhet, 
and  Bengal,  with  smaller  areas  in  the  Punjaub,  Madras,  Travancore,  and 
Cochin.  During  the  past  ten  years  the  area  has  increased  nearly  49  per 
cent.,  and  during  that  period  the  tea  produced  has  increased  over  88  per 
cent.  In  1894  383,505  persons  were  permanently  employed  on  the 
plantations  in  addition  to  156,120  others  who  received  employment 
temporarily.  Of  the  total  Indian  tea  production  about  96  per  cent,  is 
exported  to  the  United  Kingdom.  The  home  consumption  of  tea  in 
India  is  estimated  at  Beven  million  pounds,  and  of  this  quantity  about 
two  and  a  half  million  pounds  are  foreign  produce,  although  one 
million  pounds  of  the  latter  are  from  Ceylon.  Roughly  speaking,  the 
Indian  consumption  per  annum  is  one-fortieth  of  a  pound  to  each 
person,  while  in  the  United  Kingdom  the  annual  consumption  per  head 
is  from  5£  to  5£  lbs. 
_  The  Castor  Oil  Plant. — This  plant  grows  luxuriantly  in 
the  humid  coastal  districts  of  New  South  Wales  ;  as  it  does,  indeed,  in 
most  tropical  and  sub-tropical  countries,  and  in  the  regions  bordering 
the  Mediterranean — viz.,  Greece,  Italy,  and  Spain.  I  he  annual  con¬ 
sumption  of  castor  oil  in  Australasia  is  over  600,000  gallons,  of  which 
130,000  gallons  represent  the  requirements  of  New  South  Wales.  Nearly 
the  whole  of  the  supply  is  derived  from  India  ;  and  the  wholesale  price 
of  the  oil  in  Sydney  is  about  2s.  6d.  per  gallon.  The  initial  cost  of 
establishing  the  industry  would  b6  heaviest  in  the  item  of  machinery 
for  expressing  the  oil,  although  the  price  of  labour  would  also  have  to 
be  considered  carefully,  as  the  Calcutta  oil  is  produced  at  a  minimum 
outlay  in  this  particular.  Flax  cultivation  is  another  neglected  industry 
in  this  Australian  colony.  As  is  well  trnown,  the  plant  not  only  supplies 
flax  and  tow  fibre,  but  also  the  valuable  linseed,  of  the  greatest  use  as  a 
fodder  for  cattle,  in  the  form  of  oil-cake,  of  which  it  formB  the  chief 
ingredient,  also  for  medicinal  purposes;  and,  above  all,  says  a  con¬ 
temporary,  linseed  oil,  which  forms  the  base  of  all  paint  mediums. 
Cotton-seed  oil  is  imported  to  some  extent,  although  it  could  be  locally 
obtained,  the  cotton,  plant  being  capable  of  easy  cultivation  in  many 
districts, 
