5—1 33 5 .] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



G9 



matter from the 



StoDitwii of putrefactive 



j parts above, and the consequent de- 



f vitality. At this stage the walls of the 



nearly of their normal tinge ; but in a few 



° T * 17 together with the stem, it becomes yellow, and 



rapid , 



..* 



* 



make strong stems at this age, have a neat appearance, 

 and flower as freely as when grown in the shape of low 

 bushes. Four-feet stems are high enough, for when 

 taller the plants are apt to be injured by wind. 

 „ m , - Ackimenes and Gesneras. — These should now be 



m the common panicle* In a few instances J started into growth. The Achimenes should be planted 



in shallow pans in light sandy soil, covering them very 

 lightly so as to allow of their being separated when 

 fairly started with the least possible injury. Where 

 these plants are grown largely and in a long succession, 

 such as have been the longest at rest should be selected 

 for early work. A few tubers of Gesnera zebrina for 



*J*f*it ^eif begins to swell, but probably, in those 



l^Li dIv where the stigma or style has been affected 

 C flj**'nipre fT nation. The stamens in the same blossoms 



*^ften perfect and produce pollen, but sometimes 



nf the styles, though more rarely, they become black.* 



f blossoms occur, which are almost blind with the 



^rion of rudimentary styles ; but these suffer equally 



with the others. ;• ■ . 



9-9 it is probable tnat a far greater degree of frost 

 . . p ene nJ requisite to injure the male than the female 

 ^Lm. It is very possible, however, after the anthers 

 ^^eir pollen may have escaped all injury from frost, 

 ♦hit excessive moisture, even though it may not affect 

 the sti^Tnatic tissue, may render the pollen grains effete. 

 In general, the moisture secreted by the stigma is quite 

 sufficient for the development of the pollen tubes, and in 

 KUDO cases they travel so slowly that an injury to the 

 upper portion of the style is not necessarily fatal, pro- 

 Tided do contagion from the dead matter take place ; 

 but if the moisture is excessive, the grains may burst 

 either before or after they reach the stigma, and in con- 

 sequence no pollen tubes can be emitted. As, however, 

 pollen grains will germinate between two slips of glass, 

 as proved by Reissek, if immersed in water, or in other 

 ituations than the stigma, this cause of evil may not be 



powerful as might at first sight be expected. 



260. Sterility is sometimes ascribed to the blasting of 

 lightning, but this, like other general effects of electricity 

 il very doubtful. The violent rain with which thunder- 

 storms are usually accompanied may be injurious, and 

 may sometimes account for the evil effects attributed to 

 thejightning. 



261. Fungi again may have a direct influence on fer- 

 tility by attacking the organs of fructification. Some, 



Microbotryon, infest the male organs, but a far greater 

 Bumber the female, to which they are more or less per- 

 nicious, according to the stage of progress at which they 

 hive arrived. Ergoted seeds, for instance, are sometimes 

 only partially affected, insomuch that they are capable of 

 germination. Such cases are figured by Tulasne in his 

 memoir on Ergot, but we are not aware whether the 

 seedlings have ever arrived at perfection. 



262. Insects may produce sterility either by the 

 direct destruction of the flowers or their constituents, or 

 by the deposit of eggs in their tissues causing a hyper- 

 trophy of particular pans at the expense of the ultimate 

 fertility ; or without any hypertrophy, as in the case of 

 the Curculio of the Hazel nut, and many other instances, 

 by feeding on the fruit. In many cases the balance between 

 tne supply and demand of food is so nice that at the 

 moment of perfection of the larva the seed is perfectly 

 destroyed, in other cases, kowever, as in those weavels 

 winch attack Beans and Peas the seeds may be capable 

 « .germination provided the radicle and plumule be 

 wajured. The seedlings, however, which arise from 

 wca seeds will be proportionally weak, and will not 

 atanately succeed if there is not a plentiful supply of 

 wtnment from without. 



263. As the sarcocarp may be developed though no 

 «a arrive at perfection, so the seeds may be matured 

 JJ2J • ^ rcocar P is dwindled, as in more than one 

 *«** with which Grapes are affected. Such cases, 



wgn as disastrous as perfect sterility to the cultivator, 

 ««g to a different head, under which they will be 

 Orally treated. M.J.B J 



early flowering may also now be potted. 

 I be started singly in small pots. 



These should 



COTTAGERS' COMFORTS. 



on three 



was the 



1 have 



Seeing my gardener lying uncomfortably 

 chairs ill, I thought how much more easy 

 old settle, now only found in country inns, 

 had two made of Elm, of which 1 send drawings 

 and plan. If the labourers, or even farmers, had the 

 choice, they would and do prefer the vulgar, dear, 

 and (in draughty cottages) not nearly so comfort- 

 able sofa. The two uprights and the seat (which pro- 





decrease of temperature at Nice was preceded by a 

 violent storm, which raised the se\i to a great height, 

 and did much damage to the roads, and also to many of 

 the fishing boats. 



The Ferns found here are in nearly full foliage, com- 

 prising the Adiantum Capillus Veneris, which is very 

 abundant, and in some places the fronds are from 18 to 

 20 inches in length. Ceterach officinarum is also very 

 abundant. Polypodium vulgare and a serrulated variety, 

 Adiantum nigrum, Scolopendrium vulgare, Asplenium 

 Trichomanes, Ruta muraria, and Pteris cretica ; the 

 two latter rarely to be met with. 



There are several sorts of Palm trees, many of them 

 very fine specimens, more than 20 feet high. One of 

 them, a Date Palm, has two immense hanging bunches 

 of fruit, and is a splendid object. There are also some 

 trees of the Asclepias in full flower ; and a purple Poly- 

 gala 8 feet high, likewise in full blossom : all in the 

 open air. The recent frosts do not seem to affect them 

 so much as they would in England, on account of the 

 peculiar dryness of the atmosphere ; and from this 

 cause damp is seldom seen on the windows in the morning. 

 The Acacia tomentosa has been looking very handsome, 

 with its large bright yellow blossoms. The Tuberoses 

 are now over ; until recently good-sized bunches of 

 them might be purchased for 6d. I yesterday saw a 

 large bouquet, beautifully made up, consisting of an 

 outer border of double Neapolitan Violets, then a circle 

 of eight white Camellias mixed with the white Aspique, 



then an inner circle of Violets with a red Camellia in 

 the centre. 



- One of the many handsome Evergreen trees in the 

 vicinity is the Carob or Carrubia, some very large. It3 

 leaf resembles our Acacia, but is thicker. It bears a 

 long pod, with Beans something like the Scarlet Runner, 

 which is very sweet and much esteemed by the mules 

 and donkies, which are kept here in great numbers. 



The following is the account of the Thermometer in the Shade since 



my last. 





January 



\Z ••+ ## , 



it 



1*5 t 



it 



14 



« 



lo «•• ••• 



a 



16 



tt 



17 



rt 



lO • •• *• - 



n 



1<) 



A*7 ■ * # ••• 



n 



£\J . • * . • . 



it 



21 (snow) 



tt 



22 



If 



*>o • • • , ,« 



Jf 



24 



tf 



— t) ... ■•■ 



• * • 



• •• 



• «• 



• 1* 



• ■ ■ 



• • • 



• • • 



• •• 



• •• 



• • • 



• • 9 



• •• 



• • • 



• • - 



• • • 



• • t 



- ■ « 



• •• 



■ I 



• •• 



• •• 



• • • 



•• 



f • * 



• • • 



• • 



• •• 



• • • 



• • • 



*•» 



• • 9 



* t * 



• • + 



• i . 



• . i 



• • • 



• • « 



• • 



7 a.m. 



12 r.M. j 



10£ r.M. 



45 



63 



42 



37 



51 



44 



38 



65 



45 



44 



43 



38 



37 



43 



40 



40 



43 



39 



39 



44 



40 



43 



44 



41 



41 



42 



28 



35 



36 



30 



26 



4S 



32 



33 



47 



38 



38 



44 



43 



43 



48 



1 37 



Persons who have been resident here many years, 

 say they do not recollect so cold a week as the last has 

 been. — E. C. 





jects 3 inches beyond them) are of ]i-inch Elm, the 

 back is of £-inch Elm, with coverings to the joints to 

 exclude draught, and reaches to the ground. The seat 

 is let quite through the uprights, and is H pinned " on 



„ COMMON THINGS. 



Camellias, 



tin* !? la T ourite P^nts, and the necessary accommoda- 



v. » "^y Dave a an mil v «f 1.1,™ e.r. — a * ±- 



May 



Any person possessing a sufficient stoc* 



uuirnnrnrriuruwiMuiz cL 



a 





the other side, which plan gives the settle great strength, 

 and does away with any other framing. It is a perfect 

 invalid labourer's couch. Somerset. 





*y cave a supply of blossoms from August to 

 , f^ thi s, it is necessary to place a portion 



in 



rf the plants 



«( » mnnrtT y in Februai T> and others at intervaJs 

 nake*^ 0V ^ lx weeks ' lea ™>g the latest portion to 

 IbJJ and 8et fl ower buds in a cool-house ; it may, 



ti&a tan* Decessar y t0 remove the late plants to a 

 H excent int ? Te > to indu ce them to form flower buds ; 

 this win h \ case of ver y vigorous young plants, 

 wh »t easily y be rec l u ' red - The Camellia is some- 



in a SrowiJ nj ? red by the direct ra >' s of Uie sun wllile 

 Vi °es for in?t ' '* en J°y s a sh ady situation, under 



with weak » The plants should be f ree, y 8u PP lied 



while .r n „.™ anure water at all seasons, and especially 



srrbgL 8 D f> and they will be benefited by frequent 



formed tLv a Soon as tne ? have made their wood and 



w flower buds, they must be removed to a 



oooler 



F 



^ ier Situation a ' K *v *" uo '' wc xciuuveu tu a 



**} be uu JS - ' as soon ** the wcath *r will permit, 

 ^ PtofaS^* sheltere d shady place out of doors. 



rtruArv *,n, Were P laced in heat in January or 



^%mavhl° bablybe m flower in Au 8 ust ' butif 

 ^ouraffp *u rem <>ved to a warmer atmosphere, to 



* ^<E? m ^ devel «Pe their buds. 

 ^<Kdr^ M . Standards. — To 



VEGETATION AND CLIMATES OF FOREIGN 



COUNTRIES.— No. II. 



Nice, Jan. 26, 1855. — During the last fortnight some 

 unusually cold weather has been experienced here, 

 which has much checked the progress of vegetation, so 

 there will not be anything material to report on that 

 head. I also see by the newspapers that there has been 

 severe frost in England, and it may be interesting 

 to trace the progress of the late general decrease of 

 temperature in most parts of Europe. 

 various foreign papers which I see here I 

 the following information : 



Jan. 17 



Max. Min. 



18 



• • • 



Paris 

 Brussels 

 Lyons, 7 a.m. 

 Nice 



■ - . 



• • • 



• »• 



Max. 

 14 



• •• 



• • a 



44 



Min. 

 10 



* • • 



25 



39 



19 



Max. 



15 

 2t 



■ • ■ 



44 





Min. 



11 



12 

 17 



41 



have standard 



t? "*! an? 8 ? U th€ir own root8 > take them from the 

 ^*ould k* P nt them abou t « inches apart, where 



y**t% 



permuted to remain for three or four 



It* ^kh all lu ning - When the P lan ts are from 4 to 

 •k* *oald L 4 Slde shoot8 bhou,d ** Pinched off, 

 2L**rt h^° n \ COnstaml y tU1 tew h ave attained 

 ' " ] f thev S 1 ' 7 en the head ma y he allowed to 

 * Thk ZlP^djnjpod bog mould, they will 



***** W0 ^T^Son W wW I *^ unt ^ ** R !? wh0 i» 



non wher » be observes for himself. 



The French keep their register per centigrade. 



At Strasburg on the 17 th the thermometer was down 

 to 14°, and on the 19th to 13° ; at Nantes on the 20th, 

 to 14° ; at Havre on the 19th, to 14°, and on the 20th, 

 to 10°; at Rouen on the 19th the max. was 14°, and 

 min., 10^. But the lowest temperature in France was 

 in the department of the Yonne, where on the 19th it 

 was down to 5°, or 27° below freezing ; and at Auxerre 

 on the 18th, to 4°; at Orleans, to 12°. 



The fall of snow appears to have been very general 

 on the 21st (Sunday) at Paris, Lyons, Marseilles, &c, 

 nearly a foot in depth. The French mail was much 

 delayed in consequence. No letters or papers were 

 received here on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. The 



WELLINGTONIA GIGANTEA, OR THE GREAT 



TREE AND THE GREAT MAN. 



The above was the title of a very interesting lecture, 

 delivered on the 15th ult., by J. Bateman, Esq., M.A., 

 F.R.S., of Biddulph Grange, in the Assembly Room, 

 Congleton. The lecture was delivered in connectiou 

 with the Congleton Mechanics' Institution, before a 

 numerous and highly respectable audience. 



Mr. Bateman commenced the lecture by observing that perhaps 

 some present would be already acquainted with the extraordinary 

 tree which had recently been discovered in North America, and 

 to which had been given the name of a still more extraordinary 

 man. The subject of the lecture might strike some as strange 

 and curious, but he hoped that, as they proceeded, they would 

 find that it opened out into interesting and profitable trains of 

 thought. The arrangement of the lecture would be briefly this :— 

 He should first give some information as to the district in which 

 the Wellingtonia was discovered ; then he should describe the 

 tree itself, and afterwards make some allusions to the great man 

 from whom the great tree had derived its name ; and, in conclu- 

 sion, offer some general reflections, which it would be seen that 

 the subject naturally suggested. If they were to ask for a detailed 

 description of the scene in which the subject of the lecture was 

 laid, it would be requisite that he should refer to an atlas pub- 

 lished within the last four or five years, as on the maps issued 

 previously to that time, they would find the country described 

 under the vague designation of "unknown." But how great a 

 change had taken place within those few years ! Where at t at 

 time stretched a wild and unknown desert, now stood a magni- 

 ficent city ; and in the bay of San Francisco, which was then 

 scarcely ruffled by the oars of a solitary canoe, now floated vessels 

 from ail countries. The magician that had waved his hand over 

 the desert and the waters, and produced this fairy change, was 

 gold. They would already have discovered that he alluded to 

 California. (Loud applause.) The discovery of gold in Cali- 

 fornia caused a great tide of emigration to set in that way, and, 

 as miirht have been expected, a large proportion of those who 



immigrated from all coun- 

 tries were characters of the 

 very worst description. Then 

 followed those scenes of rapine, 

 violence, and blood, the re- 

 cital of which made Europe 

 shudder; and what should 

 have been the inauguration 

 of the " golden age " more 

 nearly resembled the break- 

 ing loose of hell. These 

 I have altered mine to Fahrenheit. scenes, he said, were occur- 



ring on one side of the great range of hills dividing the Cali- 

 fomian coast from the inland territories of North America ; and 

 at the foot of the hills on the other side was going on a spec- 

 tacle equally strange and deplorable. For on the other side of 

 those hills lay Utah, the Great Salt Lake, around which swarmed 

 a great Mormon population, under the rale of that licentious 

 potentate, Mr. Brighara Young. He would not, however, dwell 

 upon these painful scenes, but alike leave the Mammonites and 

 the Mormonites, and turn to the calm and peaceful solitudes of 

 primeval nature. (Loud applause.) Among the travellers who 

 visited California when the gold discoveries began to attract 

 the attention of Europe was Mr. Lobb, who travelled as the agent 

 of the most enterprising nurserymen this country ever produced-— 

 he alluded to Messrs. Veitch of Exeter and London, who sent him 

 out, not to carry away auriferous spoils from the country, but to 

 examine into its vegetable productions. Mr. Lobb made numerous 

 interesting discoveries, and after ascending the hills to a height 



From the 

 have taken 



20 



Max. 



15 

 20 



42 



Min. 



10 

 14 

 17 



28 



21 



Max. 



16 



■ • « 



• • a 



36 



Min. 

 13 



• • • 



11 

 30 



22 



1 ^ 



Max. 



Min. 



28 

 28 



• • • 



48 



20 

 18 

 17 



26 ; 



. .. 



