130 
•WeRJ^AL  OF  HORTTCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Augdst  6,  1966. 
-  Potatoes  in  New  Yobk. — The  receipts  of  new  southern 
Potatoes  at  this  season  have  been  smaller  in  this  city  than  the  average 
f!:r  ’  e  na-'  five  ai  d  ■"cf  tb<‘ pi  Ves  have  been  lower  than  they 
..  '  w'  le,  partly  because  there  were  so  many  old  Potatoes  on  hand 
when  the  season  began,  and  pa  tly  because  there  has  been  a  light  call 
for  them  in  that  part  of  the  country  which  receives  its  supplies  from 
this  market.  Good  sound  Potatoes,  says  an  American  contemporaryi 
sell  for  sixty  cents  a  barrel,  fair  ones  bring  no  more  than  fifty  cents,  and 
poor  ones  even  less,  which  means  that  the  season  has  been  a  disastrous 
one  to  the  Southern  Potato  grower. 
-  An  Intebesting  Law  Case. — The  “  Revue  de  I’Horticulture 
Beige  ”  reports  a  case  which  was  tried  before  the  Tribunal  of  Commerce  at 
Brages,  in  which  Monsieur  Vincke  brought  action  against  Messrs. 
Sander  &  Co.  for  one  thousand  francs,  the  price  of  a  plant  of  Cypripedium 
Harrisianum  in  flower,  which,  when  purchased,  showed  remarkable 
colouring.  Next  year,  however,  when  the  plant  bloomed  the  flowers 
were  of  the  ordinary  character,  and,  therefore,  Messrs.  Sander  claimed 
that  it  was  according  to  the  custom  of  trade  for  the  vendor  of  a  plant  to 
guarantee  the  existence  of  special  characteristics.  Mr,  Vincke  held 
that  there  was  no  such  guarantee,  that  the  plant  was  bought  in  flower 
as  it  stood,  and  that  the  Messrs.  Sander  took  the  risk  of  the  variety  being 
a  permanent  one.  The  court  held  that  since  the  plant  was  offered  with¬ 
out  stipulation  or  without  any  guarantee  that  the  colour  of  the  bloom 
was  fixed,  and  that  since  there  was  no  concealment  or  attempt  to  deceive, 
the  conditions  did  not  justify  the  annulment  of  the  contract.  Since 
hybrids  and  their  offspring  are  specially  prone  to  vary,  and  this  is  true 
of  Chrysanthemums,  Rosea  and  other  commercial  flowers  as  well  as  of 
Orchids,  buyers  under  this  decision  always  take  some  risk. 
-  Royal  Gardens,  Kew.  —  A  contemporary  says,  “Some 
important  alterations  are  now  being  carried  out  at  Kew.  The  temperate 
house,  projected  by  the  late  Prince  Consort,  was  originally  designed  to 
comprise  a  central  structure,  two  octagons,  and  two  wings.  The  wings 
were  not  added  ;  but  the  Government  has  now  granted  the  necessary 
funds,  and  already  such  progress  has  been  made  that  the  south  wing  is 
nearly  completed,  and  the  north  wing  will  be  constructed  at  the  earliest 
possible  date.  When  finished,  the  temperate  bouse  will  be  one  of  the 
most  striking,  and  probably  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  existence.  Its 
central  avenue  will  be  600  feet  long,  and  there  will  be  a  clear  view 
from  end  to  end.  This,  it  may  be  added,  will  be  just  double  the  length 
of  the  present  largest  house — the  Palm  house — in  the  gardens.  The 
south  wing  will  be  used  especially  for  the  accommodation  of  succulent 
plants,  Agaves,  the  taller  Cacti,  and  the  like,  from  such  sub-tropical 
countries  as  the  Cape,  the  highlands  of  Mexico,  and  the  Canary  Islands. 
Limited  in  the  area  of  their  growths,  the  plants  have  hitherto  been 
necessarily  confined  in  tubs,  but  in  their  new  quarters  they  will  be 
out  in  beds,  where  they  may  be  expected  to  flower  and  add  a  new 
attraction  to  the  Royal  Gardens.  Two  interesting  oflSicial  publications — 
one  in  course  of  being  issued  and  the  other  projected  by  the  staff  at 
Kew,  have  the  promise  of  proving  of  much  value.  The  former  is  a 
complete  list  of  the  plants  cultivated  in  the  gardens,  which  it  is  hoped 
will  fix  a  standard  nomenclature,  thus  doing  away  with  the  confusion 
of  identical  plants  known  under  two  or  more  names.  The  other  book 
will  be  a  guide  to  the  economic  plants,  and  will  include  a  summary  of 
their  qualities  and  uses.” 
- - French  Horticultural  Society  of  London.— On  the 
occasion  of  Mr.  George  Schneider’s  appointment  as  Chevalier  of  the 
Merite  Agricole,  the  Committee  of  this  Society  in  Paris  opened  a  sub¬ 
scription  list  for  the  purpose  of  celebrating  the  event  in  a  fitting  manner. 
Many  friends  of  the  Society,  and  of  Mr.  Schneider  in  particular,  con¬ 
tributed  to  the  fund,  with  the  result  that  the  Cross  of  the  Order,  set  in 
brilliants,  and  a  bronze  (statuette  of  a  1789  volunteer  was  presented  to 
him  last  Wednesday  week  at  a  banquet,  specially  held  in  his  honour, 
at  the  Restaurant  Ledoyen,  Paris.  Mr.  H.  Martinet  presided,  being 
supported  by  about  thirty  eminent  French  horticulturists,  old  and  young, 
some  of  whom  had  travelled  long  distances  to  be  present  on  the  interest¬ 
ing  occasion.  Mr.  Foukouba,  Director  of  the  Imperial  Gardens,  Japan, 
was  among  the  company,  and  speeches  were  made  by  Messrs.  Martinet, 
Duval,  Truffaut  fils,  Sallier  and  Fatzer.  Many  letters  and  telegrams 
were  received  from  friends  whose  non-attendance  was  unavoidable,  and 
the  whole  proceedings  passed  off  in  the  most  enthusiastic  manner,  Mr. 
Schneider’s  response  being  received  with  the  utmost  applause.  A  beauti¬ 
fully  designed  address,  bearing  the  names  of  the  subscribers  to  the  fund, 
also  accompanied  the  presentation.  We  are  pleased  to  find  that  Mr. 
Schneider’s  efforts  to  improve  the  relationship  between  English  and 
Continental  gardeners  has  met  with  such  a  well-deserved  recognition. 
and  that  those  whom  he  has  befriended  while  making  their  stay  in  this 
country,  have  taken  part  in  such  a  gratifying  function.  The  French 
Horticultural  Society  of  London,  under  Mr.  Schneider’s  presidency,  is 
doing  an  excellent  work,  and  we  trust  he  may  long  be  spared  to  continue 
his  active  co-operation  in  all  that  concerns  it. 
-  Pineapple  Culture  in  Florida.— Professor  H.J.  Webster, 
Eustis,  Florida,  gave  the  following  figures  relating  to  the  Pine  Apple 
industry  of  Florida  in  his  paper  before  the  Florida  Horticultural  Society  : 
— Number  of  acres  of  Pine  Apples  in  1894  in  the  Avon  Park  region,  100  ; 
Orlando  region,  30  ;  Myers,  3  ;  on  the  quays,  300  ;  the  Bast  Coast,  2056, 
making  a  total  of  2389  acres.  The  figures  were  obtained  by  diligent 
inquiry  in  visits  to  many  fields  of  the  regions.  The  freight  department 
of  Florida  railroads  shipped,  according  to  the  same  authority,  56,209 
crates,  or  about  3,000,000  fruits  in  the  same  year.  This  does  not  Include 
the  local  consumption,  those  sent  out  of  the  State  by  express,  or  those 
carried  from  the  quays  in  boats  and  not  transferred  to  railroads. 
-  Nettles. — These  are  common  both  on  walls  and  at  their  base, 
and  luxuriating  and  branching  out  far  more  fully  when  growing  on 
long-neglected  stone  heaps,  where,  by  the  size,  we  see  how  plainly  and 
truly  the  Nettle  is  the  flower  of  the  waste  places.  There  are  three  kinds 
— the  smallest,  Urtica  urens,  is  known  from  the  others,  not  alone  by  the 
lesser  leaves,  but  by  its  greenness,  which  is  often  bright,  or  though  dull, 
is  never  of  the  greyish  hue  of  the  larger  Nettles,  and  this  remark  applies 
equally  to  its  little  cluster  of  flowers.  The  Nettles  are  named  from  uro, 
to  burn  ;  but  though  this  smaller  species  has  a  tolerably  sharp  sting,  yet 
it  is  not  so  virulent  as  the  other  kinds.  Most  lovers  of  flowers  know 
well  the  stinging  properties  of  the  common  Nettle,  Urtica  dioica,  so 
frequent  in  all  parts  of  our  land  in  waste  places,  and  which  has  large 
egg-shaped  leaves  tapering  at  the  point,  and  sharply  serrated  at  the 
edges,  and  clusters  of  grey  green  flowers,  often  reddish.  Little  white 
hairs,  with  a  bulb  of  acrid  liquid  at  the  base  of  each,  wound  him  who 
touches  the  plant,  and  pour  into  the  aperture  the  sharp  poison.  Still 
more  sharp  are  stings  of  the  groat  Roman  Nettle,  Urtica  pilulifera,  which 
grows  under  walls  and  on  refuse  heaps  at  a  few  places  in  this  kingdom, 
and  is  remarkable  for  its  stalked  clusters  of  green  globose  fruits,  which 
are  larger  than  Blackberries.  This  plant  is  said  to  have  been  introduced 
by  the  Romans,  and  does  not  indeed  seem  to  be  native  to  the  soil,  as  it 
does  not  spread  over  the  land.  The  fibre  of  oar  common  Nettle  has  been 
used  for  paper,  and  as  the  plant  is  astringent,  the  gargle  still  in  use 
made  from  its  leaves  is  probably  a  good  one  for  soreness  of  the  throat. 
The  leaves  boiled  for  the  table  were  once  common.  The  roots  give  a 
good  yellow  dye. — (“Rural  World.”) 
-  Carshalton  Show. — The  annual  exhibition  of  the  Beddington, 
Carshalton,  and  Wallington  Horticultural  Society,  of  which  A.  H.  Smee, 
Esq.,  is  Treasurer  and  Mr.  G.  W.  Cummins  Honorary  Secretary,  was  held 
ia  Carshalton  Park  on  Bank  Holiday,  and  was  in  every  way  a  great 
success.  Though  essentially  what  may  be  termed  a  cottager’s  show  and 
a  most  meritorious  one,  prizes  were,  as  usual,  offered  for  gardeners  and 
amateurs,  with  special  prizes  for  floral  decorations  by  ladies,  and  the 
competition  in  these  sections  added  materially  to  the  diversity  and 
attractiveness  of  the  exhibition.  The  vegeiables  staged  by  both  amateurs 
and  cottagers  were  splendid,  bat  the  class  which  excited  the  most  interest 
was  that  for  a  collection  of  nine  distinct  kinds  of  vegetables  open  to  all 
amateurs,  gardeners,  and  cottagers  in  the  district,  high  quality  rather 
than  great  size  of  the  products  to  be  the  primary  feature.  Every  item 
had  to  be  accorded  the  points  to  which  it  was  entitled,  and  £5  divided  pro¬ 
portionately  with  the  numbers  of  such  points  or  marks  of  merit  gained 
by  the  exhibitors.  The  results  were  as  follows  : — Mr.  Stevens,  57  marks 
(ISs.  8d.)  ;  Mr.  Davis,  49  (158.  lid.)  ;  Mr.  Hopkins,  46  (14i.  lid.)  ;  Mr, 
Shoebridge,  45  (148, 7d.)  ;  Messrs.  Clayson  and  McRae,  each  38  (123.  5d.) ; 
and  Mr.  W.  Henn,  34  marks  (11s.  Id.).  Mr.  Smee’s  prizes  of  £2,  £1  lOs,, 
£1,  and  lOs.  for  a  dinner  for  five  persons,  cost  not  to  exceed  28.  6d.  (the 
value  of  each  article  to  be  stated)  brought  out  some  wonderfully  meri¬ 
torious  spreads  containing  abundance  for  the  purpose,  with  variety  and 
attractive  presentation,  and  great  praise  was  ungrudgingly  bestowed  on 
the  successful  competitors.  Large  cards  containing  the  marks  of  merit 
accorded  for  allotments  and  cottage  gardens  in  the  district  were 
suspended,  and  it  was  noticed  that  Mr.  Harvey  Hopkins  headed  the  list 
with  the  extraordinary  total  of  162,  the  greatest  number,  it  is  believed, 
ever  recorded  for  an  allotment  in  this  country.  This  remarkable  achieve¬ 
ment  was  considered  by  the  Judges  as  worthy  of  a  silver  medal,  and  they 
are  not  without  hope  that  one  may  be  forthcoming  from  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society.  The  Richmond  allotment  holders  (in  combination) 
were  so  honoured  for  exhibited  produce,  and  the  splendid  work  of  Mr. 
Harvey  Hopkins  cannot  be  less  worthy  of  similar  recognition. 
