499 
Now ready, price 4s. 6d., 
RvRat C HE Mr §’T*R’ Y- 
By Epwarp Sou.y, Esq., Jun.. F.R.S., 
Experimental Chemist to the Horticultural Society of London, 
Mem. of the Royal Agricultural Society, and Lecturer 
on Chemistry at the Royal Institution. 
London: 3, Charles-street, Covent Garden. 
Che Gardeners’ Chronicle, 
SATURDAY, JULY 22, 1843. 
“MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEBS. 
‘Tuesday, July 24. . . . SouthLondon . . . . Lm, 
Tuesday, Aug.1 =. . . Horticnitural . . . . 3 ae 
Friday, Aug.4 . . |. Botanical 
Counzay Snows.— Wednesday, July 26. ‘Tottenham and Edmonton. 
We must beg our readers to believe that the article 
published last week on watering plants was not written 
Y US, as some suppose, but by a correspondent, for 
whose opinions we are therefore not answerable. We 
Considered it a clever picce of ingenious speculation, 
(which is all that its author intended it for,) without in 
any way pledging ourselves to defend the writer’s 
opinions—a task which he will be well able to execute 
for himself, if it should be necessary. As, however, it 
Yelates to a matter of considerable importance at this 
Season, we shall now offer a few observations upon it, 
Our correspondent objects to the common practice 
of watering plants at night, because of the cold pro- 
duced ‘by the operation, in consequence of the united 
action of evaporation and radiation. And he is, no 
doubt, right in supposing that the temperature is thus 
Owered to some extent. But the real questions to be 
determined are, Ist, Whether such a loss of heat is 
detrimental to plants ? and 2ndly, Whether there may 
Not be some compensating advantages ? 
We believe that all plants are retained in a more 
healthy State by lowering their temperature at night, 
and that no error is greater than that of supposing 
Warm nights advantageous to them. In all countries 
nature cools down the soil very considerably at those 
Seasons when plants are growing, and she ceases to do 
80 only when vegetation 1s exhausted—or, perhaps, we 
ought rather to say, vegetation is exhausted when she 
ceases todo so. It is doubtless true that this cooling 
Process may be carried too far; but whether that is 
done when plants are watered at night is a question to 
© answered by experiment, and experiment alone. 
tis worth while to place two registering thermometers 
80ng on all day long ; the sooner that loss is supplied 
better ; and during the night, when perspiration 
» Or very greatly diminishes, a plant is enabled 
‘0 absorb by its roots the water it Wants, so that by 
the return of day it istfilled with fluid, anil in the best 
Possible state to resist the renewed action of the sun, 
But when water is applied in the morning the result 
'8 Very different. The plant is called on to throw off 
Moisture by its skin before it has been refilled by the 
so bing action of the roots; the ground, too, which 
calieeee retains its water and conveys it to a plant, is 
ie on to give it up immediately to the dry, warm, 
Water dually heating air. So that, m fact, a morning’s 
thing aE cannot convey to the interior of a plant any- 
ing hi € so much water as that of the evening, 
ich, then, is the better,—to feed a plant with 
tee Copiously at night, at the risk of lowering its 
mop erature too far, or to feed it scantily in the 
the ae for the sake of’ keeping it warm ? That is 
frien 17 dUestion, which we refer to our experimental 
ends for an answer. 
ane? that the Dahlia season is hi 
gratifying to the patrons of Agriculture was the exhi- 
bition presented to them at the meeting of the Royal 
Agricultural Society of England at Derby, on the 
11th, 12th, and 13th. It was regretted by many of 
the latter that they could not enjoy both pleasures ; 
and we hope that another year such arrangements 
will be made by both Societies as not to interfere with 
each other. 
If Agriculture is of the first importance to the 
nation,—because food is of all the necessaries of life 
the most indispensable,— Horticulture is no less so, in 
astate of high civilization, where wealth abounds ; 
and that which ministers to the pleasures and luxu- 
ries of life is next in importance to that which merely 
sustains life. It is not the rich alone for whom 
exotic fruits and plants are brought to perfection, but 
they are gradually disseminated through the gardens 
of the middle classes, and end by adorning those of 
the day-labourer. Of all luxuries, that of the varied 
colours and perfumes of flowers, and the rich flavour 
of domesticated fruits are the simplest, and may be 
enjoyed by all ranks without any fear of enervating 
he mind. 
> 
We would now draw the attention of our readers 
to the great importance of the annual meetings of the 
Royal Agricultural Society of England in the coun- 
try; and if we should venture. to suggest some 
improvements which may be made in the arrange- 
ments, we hope that it will be taken by those who 
have the management of the details, not as a wish to 
criticise and find fault, but to improve and perfect, 
and render these exhibitions still more conducive to 
the advancement of the science and practice of Agri- 
culture. We have attended every annual meeting of 
the Society,—from the first held at Oxford to the last 
held at Derby,—and the impression on our minds is 
that of a regular and rapid improvement in ever 
branch connected with the shows. The inadverten- 
cies and inconveniences perceived in one year have 
almost invariably been corrected in the next. Cattle- 
shows had been long familiar to most of the leading 
members. The increase in the number of the ani- 
mals in each class soon suggested more convenient 
arrangements ; and our general impression of the 
cattle-show at Derby was thatof the greatest order, if 
not perfection. Before the public were admitted into 
the yard, the judges appointed for each class had 
carefully examined and compared the qualities of the 
animals submitted to their judg - They were 
fully acquainted with every point by which the per- 
fection of an animal of that class could be ascertained ; 
and in listening (to the observations of practical 
farmers, we heard “not the slightest expression of 
doubt as to the perfect justice with which the prizes 
were awarded. In short, the cattle-show was the best 
we ever saw, or probably has ever been seen before ; 
there was a greater number of fine animals to com- 
pare; and every farmer who paid any attention to 
the show must have greatly increased his knowledge 
of every kind of stock. If we are asked whether the 
individual improvement in the shape and profitable 
qualities of the best animals was very conspicuous 
when compared with those formerly exhibited, we 
must reply in the negative. The breeding of cattle, 
horses, sheep, and even pigs, has been for many years 
brought to great perfection ; and we recollect having 
seen animals exhibited many years ago that would 
probably have gained prizes at Derby. The supe- 
riority of that show consisted in the number of fine 
animals brought together, affording opportunities of 
nice comparison, and consequently rendering the task 
of the judges more difficult. ‘To them every praise is 
due, and we believe has been generally accorded by 
the body of farmers, 
We come now to another part of the exhibition, 
which has increased in importance every year: we 
mean that of Agricultural implements ‘and machi- 
nery, to make perfect work and economise manual 
labour. The most rapid strides have been made in this 
‘The show of implements at Oxford was 
not very good; nothing very new or perfect was exhi- 
$ was much better ; Liver- 
pool and Bristol surpassed the preceding ; andat Derby 
a PP 8) we 
the liberty of reminding those country friends 
° favour us with reports of country-shows how 
sortgeemsable it is that the names of the winning 
aoe ould be furnished as well as those of the win- 
ae exhibitors, This would be easily effected if it 
ie the sisted of all exhibitors that they should deliver 
the fonabager of the exhibition, at the time when 
te ers are entered, a fairly-written list of their 
ae aad Unless this is done, no prizes should be 
hishing ic There would then be no difficulty in fur- 
a ne the reporters with the evidence required, with- 
the Posing ungrateful and unreasonable labour upon 
Norary Secretaries, 
ae friends and patrons of H orticulture, and the 
thie or fine gar en scenery had a great treat on 
4Y, the 12th instant, at Chiswick, no less 
But, alas! except a tolerably systematic arrangement 
of the various machines, anda copious catalogue, there 
was nothing to guide the scientific or unscientific 
observer to any invention or improvement of merit. 
On the last day, Friday, no award of the judges had 
yet been published, although certain tickets might be 
seen here and there inscribed with the words “ Prize 
of 10/., 5/., 32,” &c., and the reporters for the papers 
collected from these a list which was obtained by 
great labour, and without authority, or certainty of its 
\ being correct, We will not say where the fault lay, 
because we do not know it; but we May venture to 
suggest how this may be avoided in future. 
Experience has fully proved that a public trial of 
implements is unsatisfactory, and even impracticable. 
These trials ought to be first made in private, before 
competent judges, by persons fully acquainted with 
the ideas of the inventor or improver, in such soils 
and situations as they are suited to, and not in a field 
chosen at random, without proper preparation, and 
where a dense crowd prevents all just appreciation of 
the merits of the implement. This should have been 
done some time before the meeting ; and where a 
public exhibition of an ingenious machine is desirable, 
it should already have been stamped with the appro- 
bation of the judges. Allowance would then be made 
by the bystanders for any failure caused by circum- 
stances over which the exhibitor had no control, and 
on the recommendation of the judges farmers would 
purchase such instruments with some confidence, and 
their use would soon be proved. 
The manufacturers complained that, after all the 
trouble and expense they had been at to bring highly- 
finished and improved instruments to the show, they 
were only gazed upon, but no minute examination 
took place by the public; and few orders were given 
for want of that guide which the award of the judges 
would have supplied. It is said that, in the next 
Number of the Journal, which will probably come 
out after Christmas, an elaborate report of the judges 
of implements will appear. Had only a slight outline 
of such a report been distributed before the opening 
of the Exhibition on Tuesday, all that is now com- 
plained of would have been obviated. 
fter we had rather minutely gone over the different 
stands, not scrupling to ask many questions, whic 
were invariably answered with the greatest alacrity, 
we went away with a strong impression that much of 
the mechanical ‘ingenuity and accurate execution of 
the makers of nice and delicate machinery, such as is 
used in manufactures, was transferred to the makers 
of agricultural machinery ; and, for a sanguine imagin- 
ation, it was not difficult to anticipate improvements 
and inventions as great and useful in Agriculture as 
machines for making stockings, lace, or bobbin-net 
have been in manufactures, and productive of equally 
important results ;—but we are launching out a little 
beyond our province, and we shall be reproved by the 
old saying, Ne sutor ultra crepidam.—M. 
Constperine how very large a part of the expense 
of a garden consists in the glass used in the construc- 
tion of its buildings, it is a matter of the greatest 
moment to know what is the most economical form 
of this substance that can be employed. Here we find, 
as in so many other cases, that the cheapest material 
is the dearest. It is usual to employ crown glass, and 
very often a bad description of that kind—thin, 
brittle, ill-annealed, and cheap. It looks very 
well when new, but after a few weeks’ use a sash is 
suddenly struck an accidental blow, and smash goa 
few panes. Then comes frost, and chip go others in 
all directions from the laps ; so that in the short space 
of a twelvemonth the glazed sashes are full of 
broken squares, or of new ones in the room of those 
which have dropped out. 
What is called sheet-glass is a dearer material at 
first, but so thick, elastic, and well-annealed, that itis 
liable to none of the inconveniences just described ; 
on the contrary, it resists all the ordinary accidents of 
Usage; its elasticity prevents its being broken b 
frost, and after many years it scarcely deman 
Tepair. We leave our readers to judge for themselves 
which it is preferable to employ under such circum- 
Stances. 
At the Garden of the Horticultural Society, the 
reat iron conservatory is glazed with this material ; 
and up to the present time not a score of squares has 
been broken in the roof by frost or accident. It was, 
however, more particularly for the power which this 
glass was expected to possess of resisting hail that it 
was employed by the Horticul Society in the 
construction of their conservatory; and although it 
has been hitherto exposed to no trial in that place, 
yet it has proved so thoroughly efficient elsewhere 
that we have been desirous of introducing with these 
remarks the following important letter from Mr. 
Paxton, dated Chatsworth, J aly 19:— 
‘A most terrific hail-storm raged here, and in some 
part of Yorkshire and Lancashire, on the 5th inst., 
doing great damage to the crops by breaking, in 
many places, nine-tenths of the stems of Wheat, and 
other grain. The Horticultural buildings have also 
suffered most Severely. At the Sheffield Botanic 
Gardens 5,000 squares were broken ; in the aii 
gardens, at Darfield, about 1,000 feet were destroyed ; 
and at Mr, Young’s, near Sheffield, and many other 
places, the greenh were completely riddled, and 
re 
the plants in them much damaged. But at Mr, 
Roberts's, of Queen Mary’s Tower, Sheffield, whose 
houses are glazed with the German sheet-glass, and 
where the storm raged in its utmost fury, only two 
Squares were broken, and a few starred, and these 
