December  31,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENEli. 
6:^9 
owiug  to  the  very  f;re>ifc  tenderness  of  their  skins.  I  do  not  think  that 
trade  will  develop  here  ;  and  then,  you  see,  the  United  States  can 
bake  nearly  all  the  fruit  grown  in  the  land  of  Mayne  Beid’a  ‘  Ooeola.’ 
As  a  matter  of  fact  you  may  take  it  from  me  that  the  Spanish  Oranges 
have  crashed  every  rival  by  their  quantity  and  their  consequent  cheap- 
aese.  But  there  is  a  large  production,  too,  in  Sicily  and  in  the  south  of 
Italy.” 
The  Humble  Sorrentos. — “Woen  does  the  Italian  Orange 
come  ?  ”  “  The  Neapolitan,  or  Sorrento  Orange,”  returned  my  informant, 
“is  with, *8  English  folk  towards  the  end  of  the  season.  Its  exterior 
however,  is  not  smooth,  but  rather  rough  and  unprepossessing,  and  its 
skin  thick.  Hence  this  Orange  does  not  find  favour  with  the  smarter 
folk  who  have  regard  to  appearances.  It  is  most  frequently  to  be  found 
on  the  carts  of  the  costers.  Still,  in  my  humble  opinion,  this  is  the  best 
Orange  of  the  lot,  arriving  here  in  fine  condition,  and  being  of  a  most 
excellent  flavenr  and  sweetness.” 
Jamaica.  Ceanues  for  Enola-nd.  —  A  determined  attempt  is 
being  made  to  introduce  Jamaican  frait  into  England  to  relieve  the 
depression  in  Jamaica  caused  by  the  failure  of  the  sugar  crop.  The  cargo 
of  the  “Elderslie”  is  the  first  consignment,  and  amounts  to  0,000 
packages  of  Oranges  and  Bananas. 
Index. — In  consequence  of  the  preparation  and  publication  of  the 
index,  of  matter  for  the  closing  half  year,  articles  arriving  after  Monday 
could  not  be  inserted  in  the  present  issue  ;  tbeir  value,  however,  is  not 
impaired  by  keeping. 
-  Weather  in  London. — ^The  Christmas  of  1896  cannot  be 
said  to  have  come  and  gone  with  seasonable  weather.  Our  last  issue 
went  to  press  on  the  Tuesday,  the  following  day  proving  fine  save  for  a 
little  rain  in  the  evening.  Thursday  was  foggy,  and  Christmas  Day 
bright  and  clear.  Saturday  was  a  thoroughly  wet  day,  while  on  Sunday 
the  conditions  were  those  usually  looked  for  in  September.  Monday) 
again,  was  wet,  and  Tuesday  hazy  at  times,  Wednesday  being  damp 
and  dull. 
- — -  Weather  in  the  NoRTH.~The  fortnight  ending  on  the 
morning  of  the  28th  has  brought  the  extremes  and  all  sorts  of  weather, 
from  frosts  of  from  5°  to  to  heavy  rains  and  violent  winds.  Christmas 
Day,  fine  in  the  morning  with  just  a  touch  of  frost,  was  extremely 
disagreeable  in  the  latter  part,  with  high  wind  and  rain.  The  afternoon 
of  Saturday  was  extremely  tempestuous  and  wet,  Sunday  showery  and 
cold,  the  morning  of  Monday  bright  and  mild. — B.  D,,  S.  Pert?i)iMre. 
— —  Messrs.  JaS.  Vettch  Sc  Sons.-— We  learn  that,  for  family 
reasons,  Messrs.  James  Veitch  &  Sons  of  the  Eoyal  Exotic  Nursery, 
Chelsea,  are  converting  their  business  into  a  private  limited  company 
under  the  name  of  James  Veitch  &  Sons,  Limited.  None  of  the 
capital  will  be  issued  to  the  public,  and  the  conversion  will  in  no 
way  ailect  the  general  conduct  of  the  business,  which  will  be  carried  on 
as  heretofore  under  the  direct  superintendence  and  management  of  Mr. 
Harry  J.  Veitch  and  his  two  nephews,  Mr.  James  H.  Veitch  and  Mr; 
John  G.  Veitch,  who  will  act  as  Directors  of  the  Company. 
- - Death  of  Mb.  Randall. — This  Exeter  nurseryman  passed 
away  on  the  16th  inst.  Mr.  Randall  was  engaged  as  foreman  in  the 
laying-ont  of  Victoria  Park,  London,  and  for  some  time  after  its  forma¬ 
tion  had  the  nianagement  of  that  Paik.  Before  entering  business  upon 
his  own  account,  Mr.  Randall  was  foreman  in  the  firm  of  Lucombe, 
Pince  &  Co.,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners’ 
Association  since  its  formation. 
-  A  Curious  Tradition. — In  Japan  there  is  a  tradition  regard¬ 
ing  the  Indian  Saint  Daruma,  who  is  represented  in  Japanese  art  as 
sitting,  a  mdiiument  of  patience,  with  hie  hands  in  bis  sleeves.  He  is 
called  the  father  of  the  Tea  plant.  After  years  of  sleepless  watching 
and  prayer  he  snddenly  got  drowsy,  and  at  last  his  eyelids  closed  and 
he  peacefully  slept.  When  he  awoke  he  was  so  ashamed  of  his  pardon¬ 
able  weakness  that  he  cut  off  the  offending  eyelids  and  threw  them  on 
the  ground.  They  took  root,  sprouted,  and  grew  into  a  shrub  whose 
leaves  how  produce  onr  tea,  that  ever  since  has  had  a  tendency  to  keep 
the  world  awake. 
-  Russian  Flora. — The  preparation  of  a  flora  of  Russia  Is 
being  arranged ,  according  to  a  “Daily  News”  correspondent,  by  the 
Imperial  Natural  History  Society  of  St.  Petersburg.  An  appeal  is  to  be 
Bent  to  all  institutions  and  persons  occupied  with  the  study  of  botany  to 
assist  in  the  work.  The  flora  of  European  Russia  will  be  published  flrgt, 
and  followed  in  time  by  those  of  Asiatic  Russia  and  the  Caucasus,  the 
material  being  acquired  from  voluntary  workers.  It  is  hoped  that  the 
undertaking  will  meet  with  support  and  encouragement  because  of  its 
great  scientific  importance. 
-  Death  op  the  Rev.  Charles  Felloweb. — This  well- 
known  florist,  Rector  of  Shotesbam,  and  President  of  the  National 
Dahlia  Society,  died  at  the  Rectory,  Shotesbam,  on  the  17th  inst.,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four  years.  A  more  ardent  and  enthusiastic  florist  never 
lived.  He  commenced  the  cultivation  and  raising  of  flowers  when 
young,  and  this  delight  remained  with  him  to  the  end  of  his  life.  Three 
flowers  in  particular  he  cultivated  with  remarkable  succe.w — the 
Dahlia,  Picotee,  and  Fink  ;  and  so  constant  and  unremitting  was  he 
in  his  attention  to  them  that  he  may  be  said  to  have  almost  lived  in  his 
rectory  garden. 
- Reading  Gardeners’  Association.  —  A  well  attended 
meeting  of  this  Association  took  place  recently,  Mr.  T.  Neve  presiding. 
Mr.  J.  T.  Strange'  of  Aldermaston  gave  a  most  interesting  and  practical 
lecture  on  “  Boses,”  dealing  more  particularly  with  the  operation  of 
budding,  and  with  the  various  stocks  on  which  Roses  are  worked.  Mr. 
Strange  illustrated  his  lecture  with  examples  of  stocks,  Including  the 
aeedling  Briar,  Briar  cutting,  Manetti,  and  Polyantha,  some  of  which 
had  been  budded  during  the  past  season,  and  served  to  illustrate  in  the 
best  possible  way  how  the  operation  should  be  performed.  Well-grown 
Cyclamens  and  charming  plants  of  Begouia  Gloire  de  Lorraine  wore 
I  exhibited  by  Mr.  Woolford,  gardener  to  Alfred  Palmer,  Esq.,  J.P. 
- A  West  Indian  Botanical  Garden. — Professor  McDougal 
gives  some  very  good  reasons  in  the  current  number  of  Appleton’s 
“Popular  Science  Monthly”  for  the  establishment  of  a  botanical  garden 
in  the  West  Indies,  so  that  tropical  plants  could  be  studied  without  going 
to  Bnitenzorg  or  some  other  garden  on  the  other  side  of  the  world.  A 
laboratory  and  garden  in  the  West  Indies  could  be  reached  from  any 
important  city  in  America  in  four  or  five  days,  and  it  would  be  much 
more  accessible  for  the  European  botanist  even  than  are  those  established 
among  the  antipodes.  Such  a  garden  would  be  of  direct  benefit  to  a  great 
number  of  working  botanists  in  America,  and  furnish  investigators  and 
graduate  students  of  this  country  with  unequalled  facilities  for  biological 
research. 
-  Wakefield  Paxton  Society,— On  Saturday,  19th  inst. 
there  was  a  good  gathering  of  the  members,  Lieutenant  Goodyear  pre¬ 
siding  and  Mr,  J.  G.  Brown  in  the  vice-chair,  when  Mr.  W.  H.  Vere, 
girdener  to  Alderman  Stewart,  J.P.,of  Milntborp,  read  a  very  interesting 
and  practical  paper  on  “  The  Exotic  Fernery.”  There  was  a  splendid 
show  of  Pern  fronds  on  the  table— about  fifty  different  specimens— most 
of  them  being  provided  by  the  essayist.  In  the  course  of  hii  remarks 
Mr.  Vere  dwelt  on  the  selection  of  the  most  suitable  varieties  and  the 
best  cultnral  treatment,  both  in  hothouses  and  in  the  open.  He  also 
described  the  method  of  planting  rockeries  with  Ferns  so  as  to  produce 
the  most  beautiful  effect.  A  lively  discussion  on  the  heating  of  Fern 
houses,  the  application  of  stimulants,  the  eradication  of  pests,  and  the 
process  of  sexual  reproduction  was  raised. 
-  Moralitv  in  Exhibiting. — Mr.  Wm.  Standring  brings  such 
a  serious  charge  against  a  section  of  exhibitors  on  page  581  of  your  last 
issue  that  in  justice  to  them  it  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass  unnoticed. 
So  far  as  my  experience  goes,  1  have  found  amateur  exhibitors  an 
honourable  class  of  enthusiastic  gardeners,  who  are  proud  of  their  pro¬ 
ductions,  and  exhibit  in  a  spirit  worthy  of  much  more  honourable  notice 
than  it  frequently  receives  from  their  professional  brethren,  who,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  I  have  too  frequently  heard  make  remarks  similar  to  those 
referred  to  when  looking  over  a  stand  of  blooms  grown  by  amateurs 
under  difficulties  of  which  the  critics  little  dream.  I  will  go  further 
than  this,  and  say  it  would  be  no  easy  task  for  them  to  find  blooms,  at 
any  rate  in  their  own  district,  which  would  bo  useful  to  them  on  the 
show  board.  Again,  what  standard  of  morality  exists  among  the  pro¬ 
fessional  friends  of  Mr.  Standring  2  If  amateurs  buy  blooms  for 
exhibition  purposes  there  must  be  those  who  do  not  scruple  to  sell. 
Which  is  the  worse?  In  conclusion  I  will  say,  if  practices  such  as 
these  have  come  under  his  notice,  why  did  he  not  at  once  bring  them 
under  the  notice  of  the  committee  concerned,  and  prove  hla  cases  there 
and  then,  or  if  he  has  not  the  proof  keep  silent?— W,  BAXTER,  Wokinff. 
