468 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
June  r,  1904. 
Mitpapia  coccinea. 
This  dense-growing  evergreen  greenhouse  plant,  with  its 
handsome  scarlet  flowers,  which  are  produced  in  summer  and 
autumn,  is  of  easy  culture.  It  grows  well  in  a  compost  con¬ 
sisting  largely  of  i^eat  and  coarse  sand,  flowering  freely  even  in 
a  small  state.  The  plant  is  remarkable  for  the  length  of  time  it  I 
continues  to  produce  flowers. 
Kew  Guild  Gapdeneps’  Dinnep. 
This  annual  festival  was  held  on  the  eve  of  the  Temple  Show 
in  the  Holhorn  Restaurant,  London,  Mr.  W.  Watson,  curator  of 
the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  in  the  chair.  About  120  attended, 
and  an  enjoyable  evening  was  spent.  Lord  Onslow,  President 
of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  and  Fisheries,  was  present,  in  com¬ 
pany  with  Sir  William  Thiselton-L)yer. 
Fpuit  and  Railway  Rates. 
Gooseberries  have  experienced  almost  a  “slump”  for  this 
time  of  the  year,  and  rule  very  much  under  previous  annual 
prices.  Indeed,  this  pai’ticular  frtiit  may  be  regarded  as  a 
forecast  of  the  coming  season.  Everything  points  to  abun¬ 
dance  and  low  prices— to  the  benefit  both  of  producer  and -con¬ 
sumer ;  but  the  “fly  in  the  ointment”  remains  in  railway 
rates.  Unless  there  is  some  amendment  in  this  direction, 
quantities  of  produce  will  be  left  to  rot  in  the  fields.  Soon’ 
however,  it, is  to  be  hoped  the  railway  companies  will  awake  to 
their  own  interests,  and  find  that  it  is  more  profitable  to  send 
100  tons  at  5s.  per  ton  than  ten  tons  at  one-half  more  money. 
Sppaying  of  Chaploek. 
The  East  of  Scotland  Agricultural  College  authorities  have 
issued  a  bulletin  giving  a  brief  account  of  their  experiments  in 
the  spraying  of  Charlock  in  corn  crops.  The  bulletin  states 
that  at  the  time  the  Edinburgh  College  took  the  matter  up  it 
had  been  proved  that  a  3  per  cent,  solution  of  sulphate  of  copper 
in  50  gallons  of  water  per  acre,  distributed  by  means  of  a 
Strawsoniser,  ivas  the  best  means  of  destroying  the  Charlock. 
The  college  authorities  made  some  experiments  on  these  lines 
m  diflterent  counties,  and  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
facts  which  had  been  previously  proved  in  regard  to  efficacy  of 
spraying  with  the  sulphate  of  copper  solution  stood  in  no  need 
of  fuither  proof,  and  “the  governors  of  the  college  do  not  con¬ 
sider  Lirther  free  demonstrations  in  Charlock-spraying  neces¬ 
sary.”  The  bulletin  may  be  usefully  read  by  those  who  have 
any  trouble  with  the  “  Skellach  ”  pest. 
The  Countpy  GentZemen’s  Estate  Book,  1904. 
This  compendious  book  dealing  with  wide  subjects  of  rural 
interest  lately  reached  us,  and  we  would  briefly  refer  to  some 
of  its  contents.  The  work  is  divided  into  sections  dealing  with 
(1)  estate  management,  (2)  estate  work,  (3)  farming  (4) 
forestry,  (5)  gardening,  (6)  sports  and  pastimes;  and  under ’each 
of  these  divisions  there  are  numerous  highly  interesting  and 
valuable  articles.  We  might  quote  some  of  the  titles,  as  :  The 
accounts  of  the  estate  office ;  the  individuality  of  the  land 
agent ;  estate  laiv ;  motor  tramsport  for  goods ;  application  of 
refrigerating  machinery  to  modern  dairy  practice;  an  estate 
brickyard ;  inexpensive  cottages ;  gates  on  the  farm ;  water 
supply ,  engine  power ;  land  drainage ;  the  farmer  of  to-day  • 
relative  values  of  feeding  stuffs ;  on  .showung  poultry ;  pitfalls 
of  poultry  farming;  British  egg  trade;  bacteria  in  agriculture- 
preserving  eggs  in  water-glass;  woods  and  coppices  of  Hamp¬ 
shire;  fruit  culture;  motor  lawn  mowers;  grou.se  driving;  and 
the  moral  effects  of  country  .sports.  The  “Country  Gentle¬ 
men’s  Estate  Book”  is  a  mine  of  information  on  all  the  sub¬ 
jects  that  agriculturists,  horticulturists,  foresters,  and  rural 
craftsmen,  and  landowners  are  most  likely  to  desire  information 
upon,  and  as  it  is  admirably  illustrated  and  beautifully  printed, 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  recommend  it  to  those  who  are  not  yet 
acquainted  with  it.  The  book  is  obtainable  from  the  Country 
Gentlemen’s  Association,  ltd.,  2,  Waterloo  Place,  Pall  Mall, 
S.W.,  price  10s.  6d. 
“Small  Culture.” 
This  is  the  title  of  a  book  on  “  Orchards,  vegetables,  allot¬ 
ments,  glass  culture,  and  bee-keeping,”  and  each  subject  i.s 
treated  by  a  separate  author  under  the  general  editorship  of 
Mr.  W.  J.  Malden.  The  book  numbers  80pp.,  each  Tin  by5in, 
and  there  are  some  illirstrations.  We  notice  quite  a  number  of 
mis-spelt  names  in  the  lists  of  varieties  of  Apples,  and  the 
amount  of  cultural  information  vouchsafed  will  hardly  satisfy 
the  needs  of  tho.se  for  whom  the  book  is  intended.  It  is  pub¬ 
lished  by  Messrs.  E.  Marleborough  and  Co.,  51,  Old  Bailey,. 
London,  E.C.,  price  Is.,  or  in  cloth,  Is.  6d. 
Recent  Supplies  of  Fruit. 
The  Whitsun  fruit  supply  was  very  plentiful,  most  espe¬ 
cially  as  regards  Apples  and  Bananas.  Despite  the  varied  nature 
of  the  Apple  imports  from  Australasia,  America,  and  Canada 
the  arrivals  of  Bananas  for  Whitsun  were  so  enormous  that  in 
weight  they  were  equal  to  them.  The  Apple  arrivals  for  the 
week  preceding  Whit  Monday  in  1903  were  ll,073cwt.  This- 
year  for  the  same  period  they  were  42,340cwt.,  nearly  four 
times  heavier.  The  weight  of  the  Banana  imports  for  the  past 
six  days  exceeded  42,000cwts.  About  a  quarter  of  a  million 
bunches  of  Bananas  were  stocked  for  Bank  Holiday.  The- 
Cherry  arrivals  are  heavy  in  comparison  to  what  they  were  at. 
this  time  last  season.  Loquats  have  been  sold  as  low  as  six¬ 
pence  a  dozen  in  Covent  Garden  Market  to  seaside  fruiterers. 
Australasian  Pears  have  met  a  free  inquiry  from  dealers  in 
holiday  making  centres.  Most  fruits,  including  green  Figs,. 
Grapes,  forced  Strawberries,  and  Nuts,  are  abundant,  and  very 
reasonable  in  value.  Paris  Apricots  have  been  marketed  in 
large  quantities.  They  are  meeting  a  brisk  sale,  and  are  highly 
appreciated  by  retail  fruiterers.  Over  100,000  ca.ses  of  Oranges,, 
more  than  50  per  cent,  of  which  were  from  Valencia,  have  been 
put  upon  the  market.  The  latter  are  the  cheapest  and  most 
popular  Oranges  obtainable  at  Whitsuntide.  Forced  Grapes 
are  now  cheaper,  but  the  best  Muscats  are  selling  retail  as  high 
as  10s.  a  pound.  Hamburghs  are  being  sold  at  Is.  6d.  and  2s. 
Almerias  are  worth  Is.  The  nut  supply  is  always  heavy  at  this 
time.  Barcelonas  and  Cocoa-nuts  are  excellent,  and  very- 
reasonable  in  price.  Small  Spanish-nuts  are  abundant,  but 
cost  more  than  Barcelonas. 
Some  Daffodil  Notes. 
Skirting  the  South-Western  Railway,  near  Surbiton  Station, 
are  the  Ditton  Hill  Nurseries,  -^vhere  the  passenger,  as  he  glides 
along,  observes  between  six  and  seven  acres  of  ground,  wholly- 
occupied  in  the  growth  of  Daffodils.  By  the  morning  light  the- 
orange  deepens  the  colour  of  the  peiianth,  and  in  the  evening 
the  leading  colour  is  imparted  by  the  corona — a  creamy  white 
or  gold,  as  the  variety  may  chance.  The  beds  vary  in  character 
to  suit  the  educated  taste  which  now  prevails.  There  are  still 
to  be  seen  in  these  Barr  Nurseries  the  very  old  stock  from  which 
all  modern  varieties  have  been  developed.  The  tiny  three- 
quarter  inch  yellow  Narcissi  cyclamineus,  with  reflexed 
perianth,  and  the  creamy  w-hite  Triandrus  albus,  with  two  to- 
three  flowers  on  each  stem,  perianth  reflexed,  with  cup  ain  in 
length,  first  brought  to  this  country  by  Mr.  Barr,  sen.,  from  the- 
Spanish,  and  French  Pyrenees,  to  their  grandest  forms  in 
Madame  de  Graaff,  a  white  trumpet,  and  the  Gloria  Mundi, 
yellow,  with  stained  cup.  As  it  takes  from  seven  to  eight  years 
from  hybridising  to  produce  the  first  bulb  of  a  new  variety,  the 
public  taste  was  slow  to  recognise  the  beauties,  the  varieties, 
and  the  possibilities  pertaining  to  the  simiile  yellow  flower  of  the 
field  with  which  they  were  famihar.  But  now  the  fashion  has 
set  in,  and  the  Daffodil  will  long  remain  the  favourite  spring 
flower  of  the  English  garden.  The  Chalice  Cup  is  a  cross  between 
the  poeticus  Narcissus  and  the  trumpet  Daffodil ;  a  cross  between 
poeticus  and  triandrus  albus  produces  a  new  race  of  chalice 
cups,  pure  white,  and  from  two  to  three  cups  on  the  same  stem. 
Of  this  variety  the  Alice  Harvey  is  one  of  the  best  types.  The 
Queen  of  Spain  is  a  hybrid  between  the  Lent-lily  and  the  trian¬ 
drus  albus ;  the  perianth  is  semi-reflexed  and  yellow.  The  Glory 
of  Leiden  has  the  trumpet  boldly  raised  before  the  perianth, 
while  in  the  Sentinel  the  trumpet  droops  and  the  perianth  is 
raised  and  fixed  like  a  star.  These  flowers,  planted  in  the 
gra.ss,  fringing  meadows,  in  copses  by  the  side  of  streams  and 
lakes,  and  in  woodland  glades,  produce  a  beautiful  effect.  There 
are  over  two  millions  of  these  flowers  now  in  the  Barr  Nursery 
grounds. 
