i8Si.] RAINFALL IN 1880. 91 



name herbaceous embraced a great variety of plants, which, strictly speaking, 

 did not belong to that class. Many plants, too, were truly hardy under skilful 

 and liberal culture, which, under indiiferent or unnatural cultivation, were 

 merely annual or biennial. Many of our hardy mountaineers will not live in 

 our borders if we overlook their natural requirements, whereas, with some 

 forethought and attention, they will live and thrive for years. A plant whose 

 native soil is bog-peat or rocky grit, cannot be expected to thrive in a stiff 

 tenacious soil without some other preparation for its reception beyond making 

 a hole of sufficient size to hold its roots, and then covering them, even with 

 care. Yet this kind of cultivation, or some such closely akin to it, is by far 

 too common. In any ordinary good garden-soil a considerable number of even 

 our more rare hardy herbaceous and alpine plants will thrive fairly well, but 

 there are others again that require to be specially cared for, and these well 

 repay the extra labour expended to suit their individual requirements. Many 

 plants (especially alpines) which otherwise would perish, did well when 

 planted in a mixture of leaf-mould and small stones, such as surface-rakings, 

 placing a few flat stones round the collar of the plant, and covering them with 

 a thin sprinkling of soil. The stones thus act as a mulch, and keep the roots 

 moist and cool. 



Mr Miln then spoke of the most approved methods of planting and arrang- 

 ing a herbaceous border, the distances required between the plants, and the 

 necessity of thinning some of the more robust-growing kinds. He thought it 

 best to thin out principally from the centre after the plants had attained a 

 height of from 15 to 18 inches, then to gather the stems together and tie 

 tightly at about a foot from the ground ; in many cases no stake is needed 

 as the stems tied thus act as so many supports, the one standing against the 

 other in a slanting position. As the season advances it becomes requisite, 

 for the sake of tidiness, to remove the haulm of some of the stronger - growmg 

 species. In this case it is sometimes necessary to make compensation, as the 

 crowns of some plants will be too much exposed by being deprived of their 

 natural winter protection ; and for this purpose a spadeful of soil from a brake 

 that has been well manured for kitchen crops answers very well, affording both 

 a protection and a supply of nourishment at the same time. The speaker then 

 made some remarks on behalf of those old-fashioned flowers, portrajing the 

 picturesque and interesting style of the mixed border, the favourite fashion of 

 a flower-garden in the days o' langsyne. Hardy border flowers display a 

 great variety in habit, much diversity and beauty of foliage, while they pre- 

 sent a wonderful variety both in form and colour. Most of them bloom 

 abundantly, and are excellent for cut -flowers, and by a proper selection a 

 continual bloom may be kept up from early spring till late in the autumn. 

 They are also to be recommended as meeting the wants of more people with 

 limited means than any other class of plants. The speakers received the 

 hearty thanks of the meeting ; and after the usual vote of thanks to the 

 chairman, the proceedings terminated. 



RAINFALL IN 1880. 



Inches. 



At Lowther Castle, Westmoreland 32.54 



At Thoresby Park, Nottinghamshire 34.02 



At Drumlanrig, Dumfriesshire 33.15 



