484 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
May  28,  18*6. 
continued  increase,  the  figures  being  218,000  acres  at  the  present 
time  (end  of  1895)  against  198,000  acres  ten  years  ago,  and  155,000 
acres  in  1875,  an  average  increase  of  2650  acres  per  annum  during 
the  past  twenty  years,  yet  there  is  no  reduction  in  foreign  imports. 
The  returns  show  a  marked  extension  in  the  culture  of 
Potatoes.  The  acreage  under  this  crop  last  year  was  larger  than 
in  any  year  since  1889.  The  returns  for  the  past  three  years  are, 
in  weight  of  produce,  6,541,000  tons  in  1893  ;  4,662,000  tons  in 
1894  ;  and  7,065,000  tons  in  1895.  The  area  under  cultivation  in 
Ireland  is  considerably  reduced. 
The  value  of  the  imports  of  food  produce  is,  as  may  be 
imagined,  astounding.  Passing  the  enormous  outlay  for  meat 
and  Wheat,  we  find  the  almost  startling  information  that,  includ¬ 
ing  condensed  milk,  the  imports  of  which  continue  to  expand, 
the  sum  paid  for  all  forms  of  dairy  imports  last  year  was  little 
short  of  £23,000,000.  It  is  consolatory  to  find,  however,  that  the 
amount  is  a  little  short  of  the  amount  paid  in  1894,  though  with 
that  exception  is  the  largest  during  the  past  twenty  years. 
Turning  to  the  imports  of  such  fruits  a3  are  grown  in  this 
country  and  which  are  given  in  the  returns,  we  find  that  of  Apples 
1,504,752  bushels  more  were  imported  in  1894  than  in  1893  ;  the 
returns  for  1895  are  not  given.  In  Cherries,  Grapes,  and  Plums 
there  was  no  material  change  in  the  bvlk  imported  in  the  two 
years  named  ;  while  of  Pears  the  last  record  is  the  greater  by 
394,861  bushels.  The  imports  of  Potatoes  show  little  alteration, 
but  in  Onions  nearly  620,000  more  bushels  were  imported  in  1894 
than  the  year  preceding,  and  up  to  the  end  of  September,  1895, 
we  paid  more  than  £500,000  for  foreign  Onions. 
The  “  Returns/’5  to  which  we  have  referred,  can  be  had  for 
Is.  6d.,  and  are  worthy  of  careful  study.  They  represent  an  enormous 
amount  of  labour  on  the  part  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  and 
should  have  a  stimulating  effect  on  producers  in  this  country. 
PiEONIES. 
These  gorgeous  flowers  are  almost  as  universally  known  as 
Roses,  and  I  fancy  there  are  few  village  lads  who  are  not  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  old  dark  red  variety,  officinalis  rubra  plena. 
Certainly  it  is  one  which  I  have  the  earliest  distinct  recollection  of, 
for  it  was  usually  seen  in  full  glory  on  the  annual  gala  day  of  our 
village  benefit  society,  and  as  the  gay  procession  passed  through  the 
street  bearing  aloft  fluttering  flags  and  marching  to  the  vigorous 
strains  of  the  village  band,  many  of  the  crowd  might  be  seen  with 
a  gigantic  Pseony  doing  duty  as  a  buttonhole.  Few  will  perhaps 
consider  them  as  particularly  suitable  for  that  purpose,  but  I  think 
all  must  admit  Pseonies  are  worthy  of  a  prominent  place  in  all 
gardens  where  there  is  plenty  of  space.  Now  that  their  flowers  are 
rapidly  unfolding  a  suitable  time  occurs  for  drawing  attention  to 
tteir  merits,  so  that  the  names  of  a  few  varieties  may  be  jotted 
down  among  the  good  things  to  be  ordered  next  autumn,  or  better 
still,  ordered  now  for  delivery  during  the  planting  season. 
Although  Paeonies  are  accommodating  plants  and  succeed  fairly 
well  under  varying  conditions,  yet  few  plants  pay  better  for 
superior  culture.  When  planted  in  front  of  shrubberies  they  make 
a  fine  display  during  the  month  of  May,  and  with  an  annual  coating 
of  manure  may  be  kept  strong  and  vigorous  for  years,  but  if  the 
application  of  manure  is  neglected  the  flowers  each  year  become 
smaller  and  the  plants  far  from  strong.  When  growing  in  light 
soils  they  suffer  considerably  from  drought  during  hot  seasons 
unless  mulched,  and  the  use  of  manure  as  a  mulching  is  objection¬ 
able  in  pleasure  grounds.  Leaf  soil,  however,  is  not  so,  and  I  find 
a  coating  of  this  applied  some  time  during  April  is  very  beneficial. 
We  have  numbers  of  clumps  in  such  positions,  and  with  the 
treatment  above  indicated  they  yield  quantities  of  good  flowers  ior 
cutting.  To  secure  the  best  effect  they  should  be  planted  in 
beds  or  masses.  It  is  then  an  easy  matter  to  give  the  exact 
treatment  required,  and  a  large  bed  of  Pseonies  in  flower  is  a  sight 
not  soon  forgotten. 
When  preparing  such  beds  for  planting  the  soil  should 
be  removed  to  a  depth  of  2  feet,  the  subsoil  be  broken 
up,  and  liberally  enriched  with  fresh  manure,  partially  decayed 
manure  being  mixed  with  the  upper  strata.  Beds  prepared 
in  this  way,  and  planted  early  in  November,  may  confidently  be 
expected  to  produce  superior  flowers.  During  the  growing  season 
up  till  their  flowers  are  half-opened  fortnightly  applications  of 
liquid  manure  are  of  immense  service  in  giving  substance  and 
brightness  to  the  petals.  Blooms  grown  under  such  conditions  are 
always  prized  where  extensive  arrangements  in  cut  flowers  have 
to  be  carried  out.  When  thinly  disposed  in  large  trumpet-shaped 
glasses,  and  intermixed  with  the  striped  Ribbon  Grass,  such  flowers 
have  a  very  imposing  effect.  They  should,  if  possible,  be  cut 
just  before  they  are  fully  expanded,  when  they  have  reached  that 
stage  a  day  before  they  are  required  for  use.  It  is  a  good  plan  to 
cut  and  place  them  in  water  in  a  cool  dark  room  rather  than  leave 
them  longer  on  the  plants.  I  always  make  a  point  of  cutting  a 
piece  off  the  stem  immediately  before  they  are  placed  in  vases  ;  this 
helps  to  prolong  their  freshness. 
The  following  varieties  are  some  of  the  most  useful  and  showy 
in  the  herbaceous  section  : — al biflora  chinensis  plena,  pure  white, 
very  large  ;  albiflora  edulis  superba,  bright  rose,  slightly  scented  ; 
amabilis,  a  beautifully  shaded  flower,  guard  petals  deep  pink,  centre 
petals  lilac  pink  shaded  salmon  ;  amabilis  grandiflora,  creamy 
white  ;  Arethusa,  rosy  pink  and  creamy  white  ;  atro-sanguinea, 
brilliant  crimson,  shaded  purple  ;  candidissima,  guard  petals  white, 
centre  petals  pale  primrose  at  the  base,  an  old  and  popular  variety  ; 
Charles  Binder,  lilac  purple  ;  Comte  de  Neippert,  carmine  ;  Comte 
de  Cussy,  a  bold  flower  of  lovely  rose  colour  ;  Dr.  Brettoneau, 
satin  rose  ;  Eclatante,  a  fine  rose  coloured  variety,  which  should  be 
grown  in  quantity  ;  Faust,  blush,  very  large  ;  globosa,  deep  pink  ; 
Jeanne  d’Arc,  guard  petals  rosy  pink,  centre  petals  white,  large 
and  fine  ;  lutea  plenissima,  pale  yellow  ;  Madame  Lemoine, 
delicate  pink  ;  nivea  plenissima.  Three  early  varieties  to  grow  in 
quantities  are  officinalis  alba  plena,  o.  rosea  plena,  and  o.  rubra 
plena.  These  always  prove  extremely  useful,  coming  in  flower  as 
they  do  just  before  the  bulk  of  varieties.  Rosamond,  deep  pink  ; 
tenuifolia  plena,  deep  blood  red  ;  and  Triumphans  complete  my 
list  in  this  section. 
Many  varieties  of  Pceonia  arborea,  commonly  known  as  Tree 
Pasonies,  produce  flowers  of  immense  size,  the  colour  blending  in 
them  being  invariably  soft  and  pleasing.  They  ought  to  be  planted 
in  the  most  sheltered  positions,  as  the  young  shoots  are  liable  to 
injury  by  spring  frosts.  The  following  varieties  will  supply  flowers 
giving  a  good  range  of  colour  : — Belle  de  Mornza  (light  salmon), 
Carolina  (deep  crimson),  Clara  (deep  rose,  very  large),  George  Paul 
(large,  deep  lilac-violet),  Imperatrice  Josephine  (bright  rose, 
Anemone-shaped),  Lactea  (pure  white),  Louise  Mouchelet  (a 
brightly  coloured  flower  of  fine  form),  Moutan,  fl  -pi.  (double 
white),  Manetto  (white  tinted  flesh  colour),  Orgueil  of  Hong  Kong 
(bright  clear  purple),  Reine  Elizabeth  (reddish  salmon),  Ville  de 
St.  Denis  (white,  lightly  tinted  violet, carmine  centre), Weisse  (white). 
If  the  plants  are  well  treated  Paeonies  are  flowers  which  never 
disappoint,  and  among  all  the  floral  gems  it  is  our  good  fortune  to 
admire  and  eojoy,  there  are  none  more  gorgeous  than  the  grand 
flowers  of  which  these  notes  have  briefly  treated. — H.  Dunkin. 
Orchids  at  the  Temple  Show. 
The  great  show  of  the  year  has  come  and  gone  once  again,  and 
thousands  of  visitors  have  enjoyed  the  floral  feast  provided  by  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society.  All  phases  of  floral,  fruit,  and 
vegetable  horticulture  that  are  now  seasonable  were  admirably 
represented,  but  at  this  moment  Orchids  alone  claim  attention. 
That  the  display  of  these  was  magnificent  no  one  will  deny,  and 
many  were  the  rare  and  beautiful  species  and  varieties  to  be  seen, 
on  the  first  and  second  day  at  any  rate.  The  system  of  exhibiting 
showed  only  one  novelty,  of  which  more  will  be  said  later. 
Readers  will  have  noticed  the  words  “  on  the  first  and  second 
days  at  any  rate,”  in  reference  to  the  special  Orchids  in  the  fore¬ 
going  paragraph,  and  they  will  have  gathered  that  on  the  third 
day  they  were  non  est.  Of  course,  the  plants  removed  are 
valuable,  but,  at  the  same  time,  if  they  are  staged  for  a  show  it  is 
only  reasonable  to  expect  that  they  will  remain  to  the  close.  It  is 
rather  hard  that  third-day  visitor#  should  be  debarred  seeing  the 
choicest  of  the  gems.  Last  year  one  plant  disappeared  after  the 
first  day,  this  season  more  than  one  after  the  second.  The  writer 
was  one  of  the  many  who  left  with  just  a  suspicion  of  discontent 
for  the  above  reason.  . 
After  closely  inspecting  the  various  exhibits  in  this  section  the 
opinion  that,  generally  speaking,  the  plants  were  not  up  to  last 
*  Eyre  &  Spottiswood,  East  Harding  Street,  London,  E.O. 
