NOVEMBER. 349 



NOTES ON THE MONTH. 

 October, commenced with glorious weather for field and garden work, 

 subsequently we had heavy showers and unsettled weather, with frost 

 on two or three occasions, sufficient to kill Heliotropes, Dahlias, and 

 other tender plants in low or exposed situations ; but where there' was 

 the least shelter, or sufficient elevation to account for a warmer stratum 

 of air, most of the above escaped. On the morning of the loth there 

 was frost of greater severity, but as rain followed immediately, its 

 effects were not so visible, though many things before got touched. 

 After a succession of rainy weather from the first week up to the 17th, 

 the weather became again more settled, wnth a rising barometer, and a 

 brilliant sun during the day ; hitherto, the 22nd, this has continued, with 

 the temperature high lor the season. This has produced a favourable 

 change in our flower gardens ; Geraniums, Verbenas, Petunias, and 

 other summer flowering plants, vv'hose petals were completely closed 

 during the w^et weather, have again unfolded them under the bright sun 

 of last week, and impart an air of cheerfulness, and our gardens in con- 

 sequence present a very creditable appearance for the season. The 

 natural order Compositse are now m full display, and their thm flowers 

 appear to gain in intensity of colour at this season. Asters, Zinnias, 

 Coreopsis, and its ally the Calliopsis, French ]\rarigolds, Brachycome, 

 and other composite plants, are invaluable for autumn display. Several 

 of the perrenial species of the Michaelmas daisy (Aster), are now beau- 

 tiful objects, and should be found in every garden. Those who do not 

 grow Oxalis Bow-ei, either as a bedding or pot plant, should do so at 

 once. We have seen beds of it lately -which on sunny days were 

 literally one mass of bright rose coloured flowers, and it certainly is one 

 of the gayest plants for the autumn, and of easy culture. Another 

 species, 0. floribunda, is a pretty plant of dwarfer habit, and flowers the 

 greater part of the summer ; nor should we forget, when speaking of 

 autumn plants, the neat growing and blooming Cyclamen autumnalis, 

 which, though not very showy, is a very interesting plant at this season 

 for a bed. 



Late Apples and Pears are now being gathered. Of the former, the 

 crop,^ speaking generally, is good ; there are, however, many exceptions, 

 and it is rather a difficult problem to solve, why cne orchard should 

 have a full crop, and the adjoining one none at all, unless we take your 

 correspondent's, INIr. Saul's theory, and suppose they are on the alter- 

 nate system. Pears are a good crop, and the quality fine ; they appear 

 to have ripened well, and carry that bright colour" on the skm which 

 indicates a goT)d condition, and we conclude they will both keep and eat 

 well. In storing fruit of the above kinds for keeping, the old story 

 about sweating apples first, is all fudge ; lay them in as thinly on the 

 shelves as your spare room will permit (for the finest Pears this is 

 indispensable), and keep the room cool, and moderately aired, to allow 

 the natural exhalation from the fruit to escape. After that is done the 

 cooler (provided frost is excluded), and more uniform the rooms or sheds 

 are in which fruit is kept the better. 



]\Iuch has been written of late in gardening periodicals on which is 



