Septembei- 22, 1863. ; 



JOTJENAL OF HOKTICITLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



225 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



SEPTEMBER 22-28, 1863. 



Sun's declin. 0° 25' n. 

 Eoerhaavc died, 1728. Bot. 

 Genista pilOHa fiowe^-s. 

 Gra.=s of Parnassua flowers. 

 Bnpleurum tenuissimura flowers. 

 17 Sunday aftfr iRr^iTT. 

 Rodbeck (sen.) died, 1702. Bot. 



Average Temperature 

 near London. 



Rain to 



last 

 36 years. 



Day. 

 66.9 

 66.4 

 65.8 

 63.6 

 65.2 

 6o.2 

 64.5 



Night. 

 46.1 

 46.4 

 45.0 

 44.0 

 44.3 

 41.1 

 44.5 



Mean. 

 56.5 

 56.4 

 55.4 

 54.8 

 54.3 

 55,1 

 54.5 



Day.9. 

 IS 

 17 

 16 

 17 

 18 

 22 

 19 



San 

 Kises. 



m. h. 

 47af 5 



49 5 



50 5 



52 5 



53 S 

 55 5 



Sun 

 Sets. 



h. 

 58af5 



Jloon 

 Rises. 



m. h. 

 19a 3 

 51 



Moon 

 Sets. 



m. b. 

 morn. 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 

 after 

 Sun. 



9 



10 

 11 

 12 

 13 

 O 

 15 



7all 

 7 32 



7 53 



8 14 

 8 34 



Day of 



Year. 



265 

 266 

 267 

 268 

 269 

 270 

 271 



From obserraticns taken near London during the last thirty-sLi. years, the average day temperature of the week is 65.7°, and its nieht 

 wil^Tes^ich ■ K"'<""«»' •le"' wa.' 82°, on the 25th, 1832; and the lowest cold, 20°, on the 20th, 1855. The greatest fall of rain 



HAEDY AQUATICS. 



ATEE, when well 

 displayed, is al- 

 way.s acceptable 

 in seenei-y of any 

 kind, but more 

 especially in or- 

 namentalgarden- 

 ing, and rock- 

 work is generally 

 considered to be- 

 long to it. Eock- 

 work, however, in 

 my estimation is 

 . no ornament to 



water, for m nature rocks do not generally accompany 

 inland waters. Though they often do so in mountain tor- 

 rents, yet m lakes near them the ground partakes more 

 of the character of a bog than of high ground where we 

 generally look for rock's, and it cannot be denied that 

 Nature is the best teacher, yet the aim of the gardener 

 is mostly directed to bringing as large an amount of in- 

 terest and beauty into as small a compass as possible. 

 He cannot produce a natural effect in the compass of 

 a few yards, but he may so diversify his subject as to 

 bring a large amount of beauty into a limited compass, 

 and if the area were extended, a natui-al effect, or an 

 effective picture would be produced. 



Now, my aim being to deal practicaUy with the question. 

 I will endeavour to treat of water under the forms in 

 which it presents itself in gardens, and in giving a few 

 hints, hope to benefit those in possession of streams, 

 lakes, or pools of water, already in, or passing throuo-h 

 their grounds. " But I have no water in my ground,"^! 

 hear some one say, " and I like aquatics." For your 

 benefit I will introduce a chapter on making and fitting 

 up a basm or pool for the growth of aquatics. 



The selection of a suitable position is the first step to- 

 wards forming an aquarium, and that depends on the 

 supply 01 water quite as much as on sui'roundino- objects 

 Economy must govern us in selecting and carryins out 

 the plan when the water is conveyed in pipes. 



Any place not shaded from the sun wiU do for aquatics 

 though It is better if situated in a hollow, for then the 

 expense of digging is less, and the designer may be en- 

 abled to throw up some roclrwork over which the water can 

 trickle m feeding the reservoir, or if the fall is (rreat he 

 may mdulge m a fountain. Of course, any person can 

 have a basm with a fountain in it. a pond accompanied 

 by rockwork, or simply a pool accordmg to his taste. It 

 is not necessary even to have shade where there is rock- 

 work, for there are numerous shrubs and alpine plants 

 that are aclapted for sunny situations ; but when such 

 plants as Ferns are desired, a certain amount of shade is 

 required, which if placed so as to obscure the water will be 

 detrimental to the growth of the aquatics. Aquatics 

 require an unclouded sky, therefore shade is a disad- 

 vantage. The plants may grow in shade, but it is need- 

 No. 130— VOi. V. NhW Sr.aiFS. 



less planting them under the shade of trees, and expecting 

 them to flower. The situation, therefore, should be open ; 

 and as surrounding objects -ivill in a great measure deter- 

 niine the manner in which that situation should be fur- 

 nished or finished, I cannot do better than proceed with 

 directions for forming an aquarium for the growti; of 

 plants. 



If the aquarium is to be situated in the centre of a 

 flower garden it should have a formal outline, and be large 

 or small in proportion to the design. Little rockwork 

 should be inti'oduced in such a place, and if at all it 

 should be low, and not wider than one-quarter the widrtJi 

 of the water, extending all round ; or if openings are left 

 they should harmonise with the design of tJie beds, and: 

 be planted with plants of trailing habit that iiower at 

 the same time as those in the beds, witli which their 

 colours should harmonise. If a fountain be introduced, 

 it should be ornamental in design, and low, so as not to^ 

 break the arrangement of the design, I consider a. 

 border of stone more ornamental than rockwork round 

 an aquarium in such a situation, for then the plants can 

 be better attended, and their peculiarities examined. la 

 either ease a walk of gravel one-fourth the width of the 

 water should be made round it, unless the design be ©n 

 grass, when a walk would be superfluous. 



If the water is to be accompanied by rockwork the 

 latter should be placed on the north side, the earth that 

 comes out of the hole in forming the aquarium bei'ag- 

 raised into a mound there ; or if it be desired to have a 

 walk to the water on that side the earth may be piled up- 

 in two heaps, placing stones by the side of the proposed 

 path to keep the soil up, and makuig the path narrow where 

 it abuts on the water, and from tliat point abruptly widen- 

 ing outwards. If the walls of the path be (J feet high 

 adjoining the water, and the trunks of trees remarkable 

 ibr their peculiar shapes be thrown across it, it would- 

 appear as if the aquarium were approached by a ru.'stie 

 arch or subterraneous passage. In this passage Ferns 

 would revel ; and on the soutliern side, presuming it to be 

 formed into a rockery, alpines would be charming, whilst 

 the top of the rockery miglit be planted with Juniperus 

 procumbens, Cotoneaster microphylla, &c., which would 

 answer the twofold purpose of clothing the rockery as' 

 well as shielding the Fei-ns on the northern side from the 

 burning rays of the sun. Massive lumps of stone are 

 more effective than small ones, and more lasting than 

 trunks of trees in forming the arch. Where any attempt 

 is made to combine rockwork with water, liotli should be 

 of an irregular shape, or if the water he regular in outline 

 the rockwork should be equally so. If the outline of the 

 rockwork were regular it would be bad taste to hasre 

 water trickling down or over it, but highly ornamental 

 if it were irregular. Fountains in like manner belong to 

 the polished or regular outline, and should not be em- 

 ployed where irregularity predominates. 



Probably the most simple form of aquarium is the 

 pond with grass down to the water's edge, and in such 

 plants grow, quite as well as m more costlj' because ela- 

 borate sheets of water. But still water wherever it is in- 

 No. 7S2.— Vor. SXX , OtD SF.TLms. 



