

470 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



™v*™.*i -! ry -, ,g y . on lhe su PP ! y- For the two 

 next months *t wiU require an extraordinary rain fall 



to increase the supply m the least degree. The amount 

 Of evaporation and the quantity taken up by vegetation 

 will prevent this. Dalton's rain-guage, as used by Mr. 



and constructed to register the amount of 



Dicki 



1118011 



percolating 3 feet of soil, shows that during the 

 ix summer months from April to September inclusive, 



nly O.o7 parts of an inch of an average rain fall of 



rain 

 six 



o 



no intention oi either justify iog or defending the afore- 

 said Guide Book, which fa . I know, not free from error 

 on other subjects ; the latter, however, have nothing to 

 do with the J nt in question. Having myself lately 

 visited the Society's gardens I particularly noticed the 

 Talegalla, whose strong and powerful legs seem well 

 adapted for throwing up or forming mounds of leaves, 

 earth, or other matter. This fact must have been 

 apparent even to '< G. W. L." himself. We will suppose 

 it then to be a settled point that it is capable of collect- 

 ing or throwin up enormous mounds of fermentable 

 matter, more especially when we are informed from a 

 very creditable f ource that the mound is not the result 

 of the labours of a single pair, but is produced by the 

 combined efforts of many. This mound or nest, when 

 completed, is then in itself nothing more than a self- 

 acting incubator, in which the bird deposits its eggs, at 

 the depth (we may premise) which nature teaches it \\ill 

 be proper to secure a sufficient heat to hatch them. 

 Thus far, at least, the nidification of this singular bird 

 is plain and probable enough. But we now come to the 

 chief point in dispute, viz, the possibility of a young 

 bird being able to extricate himself from a mound of 

 this description, or as "G. W. L." puts it, "with its 

 tender feet and legs, scratching its way out from under 

 an enormous mass of fermenting leaves and earth." 

 Comment on (I suppose the absurdity of) this subject 

 your correspondent deems needless, and asks the ques- 

 tion " does any one in their senses believe this ? " Now, 

 I myself adhere to the statement set forth in the Guide 

 Bool-. One thinjr, at least, is certain, viz, if the eggs 

 are deposited, and consequently hatched, in the mound, 

 as we have every reason to believe they are, nature 

 must have provided the chick with some means or other | 

 to extricate i self from the nest, otherwise the ends of 

 natural reproduction would be defeated. That the old 

 birds may assist the young to escape from their confine- 

 ment is probable, but still more so that nature has pro- 

 vided the young bird with a more certain means of 

 liberation in the strong and well developed feet with 

 which it is furnished. And may not the same instinct 

 that teaches the callow and unfledged nestling to gape 

 for its food have laugh t the young Talegalla, in like man- 

 ner, with the aid of its powerful feet, to work its way to both 

 food and day. Speaking of fl analogous reasoning," take for 

 instance the nidification of the mound making Megapoda 

 Tumulus, which, although considerably smaller than 

 the Talegalla, constructs a mouiyl of earth and leaves, 

 and deposits its eggs in like manner. Again, why- 

 should it be considered so preposterous for a bird whose 

 structure is admirably adapted lor its mode of life, to 

 begin that life, as the case may be, by either swimming 

 or scratching ? Look, for instance, at the conduct ot 

 some of our water birds ; ere they are scarcely an hour 

 old, we see them apparently both experienced and skilful 

 swimmers. Why then may not the Brush Turkey 

 enter life not by swimming, as with the water fowl, but 

 by a process infinitely more congenial to its general 

 habits \ For myself, I can see no great difficulty in the 

 matter, or any impediment offered by a foot or two of 

 leaves and earth, beyond what may be easily removed 

 by the exertions of a young and vigorous bird like the 

 one in question. Difficulties, however, may exist, and 

 insurmountable obstacles present themselves that I am 

 not aware of, But, in conclusion, I must own candidly 

 that I do not peTceive either the one or the other. For 

 further and full information on this subject, let me refer 

 your correspondent to the excellent and able work on 

 the " Birds of Australia," by our eminent ornithologist 

 Gould, who has spent several years (two of them per- 

 sonally on the spot), in investigating, collecting, and 

 classing the hitherto almost unknown birds of that 

 extensive country. J. /., StratMtldsaye. 



New Garden Pots (see p. 453).— I find in looking over 



last week's impression that the engraver has made a 



slight mistake in the form of my blanching pot. In 



the engraving the hole is made to go through the pot, 



instead of which it is made only partly through, from 



which about three smaller holes radiate to the outside 



of the pot. This provision is made with the view of 



excluding light, and as the whole surface is entire on 



the outside, for whatever purpose the pot may be used 



no wet can possibly find its way into the interior amongst 



the plants, &c. When these pots are used in growing 



summer plants this subterraneous mode of drainage will 



not only be found to be perfect, but where the pots are 



placed on the ground entirely prevent the ingress of 



worms, &c. George Fry. 



Supply of Water to Wells, dr.— The shortness of the 

 stock of water in the water-bearing strata is now 

 becoming a serious question. Reference to the rain- 

 guage guides us to the cause, the remedy is beyond our 

 reach ; though the inconvenience suffered in some 

 places nay in some measure be met, especially in 

 supply to wells, The rain-guage for the 19 months 

 ending with April last gives us rather under the 

 average for 12 months. Wells in the chalk and other 

 strata showed at the beginning of May an unusual 

 depression, at a season when on the average the sub- 

 terranean stock of water is at its height. In May we 



Slfc ? n Verage r f ?}*> in June above the average, 

 which told verv shVhtv n* «l~ t_. t*. „ .» . 6 ' 



It is shown 



12.29 inches is so registered. 



a paper read by Mr. Dickinson before the Royal Society 



in 1851, that in the month of July in 15 years there 



i 



fell 36.03 inches of rain, of which only 0.34 was re- 

 gistered by Dalton's guage; in the same period m 

 August of 36.00 inches only 0.29, nnd in September of 

 36.76 2.95, of which 1.50 was registered in 1839 and 

 1.30 in 1842. Thus, till the end of September, we 

 have no reason to calculate upon any percolation of 

 rain to increase the subterranean stock of water ; we 

 must, therefore, make the best of that we now have. 

 It must be borne in mind that all subterranean water 

 lies at a certain inclination in the stratum in which it is 

 held, the dip of this inclination being towards the 

 vent or outfall ; that the angle described by a line 

 indicating its surface increases as the stratum through 

 which the water percolates is more or less retentive ; 1 

 and that the alternation of level caused by the infiltra- 3 oz. 

 tion of rain is represented by a line fixed at the vent, 

 and rising at an angle increasing with the distance 

 from the vent. When a well fails by the depression of 

 this line, the obvious remedy is to deepen the well ; if 

 it becomes perfectly dry, this is the only course. But 

 if it should only fail after a certain amount of exhaus- 

 tion, and the water should rise again to a certain level, 

 however slowly, it will often be better to increase the 

 diameter of the bottom of the well if the nature of the 

 stratum into which it is sunk will permit ; more fissures 

 and a greater surface of infiltration will be spread, and a 

 subterranean reservoir formed, whence a larger supply 

 at one time might be drawn. It is often dangerous to 

 deepen a well, lest a clay below the porous stratum 

 should be pierced, and so expose the water to contact 

 with substances such as iron pyrites, &c, which impart 

 a new chemical character to the water, and impregnate 

 it with deleterious matter. There is another expedient, 

 namely, boring, which seldom effects a good commensu- 

 rate with the expense and trouble. We are not speaking 

 of Artesian wells, which can only be had under certain 

 geological conditions. Thousands of pounds have been 

 thrown away on experiments which never ought to have 

 been made, and which have been suggested by ignorant 

 or interested parties, who have persuaded the owners of 

 wells to try to make their wells Artesian, or to bore in 

 the hope of getting the water to rise in weils in which the 

 water has failed ; but no boring into a water-bearing 

 stratum, except it be covered by a stratum impervious 

 to water, wiil cause the water to rise one inch. It is 

 true that the supply to wells in chalk and other such 

 strata may be increased by boring, but generally a 

 deepening of the shaft a few feet will be better than the 

 deepest boring, and in no case will boring supply water 

 to a well that has become dry. The failure is simply 

 because the water level (as now) has became depressed 

 below its usual alternation. I could name wells in the 



.. .,. «^fferson Plums ; verv fin* i t-~^^ 



and Bellegarde Peaches, Murre? wP 5 ^ 

 Hamburg and Royal Mnscadin? G^&S 

 Black Eagle Cherries, and Prince tf-' Uu *~ 

 berries. Mr. M'Ewen, gr. to the Duke 



of NW 



were 



Arundel, also had a collection in which 

 Plums, Royal George and Walburton P tac h« a. 

 Tawny and Murrey Nectarines, a Queen Fi»7 

 Black Hamburgh and Muscat Grapes red 



A * 



Gooseberries, Elton Cherries, and BrunUickSjjj 



Queen Pine Apples, good Elruge "iSri^i* 

 drapes somewhat unripe, Black Circass' -^ m 



r«- -nr Vi 7 "-"*■■* aklKX Brunswick 



t igs. Mr. Watson, market gardener, Ealin? 



™-r~» „„^„ A . M ul ,xi F c, .omcK Circassian (W. 

 two Melons, and British Queen and Keens' ^* 

 Strawberries. 



■«, 



Pine Apples.— Mr. Jones, gr. to Ladv 



Schroiber, furnished a Providence weighing 12k 



3 oz.— a noble looking fruit, but green towards the Z 

 Mr. Fleming, gr. to the Duke of Sutherland, had a p£ 

 vidence weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz , and a fruit of Z 

 same variety, weighing 5 lbs. 12 oz., came from Mr 

 Turnbull, gr. to the Duke of Marlborough at Bled**' 

 the last-named exhibitor also sent a Cayenne 



4 lbs. 12oz. A Providence weighing 5 lbs. 12oz!* 

 furnished by Mr. Dodds, gr. to Col. Baker ; and fa* 

 Mr. Taylor, gr. to H. C. Ingram, Esq., came two 

 mens of Black Prince, the best of which wdgfaj 

 7 lbs. 12 oz. These were large and beautifullj^rwi 

 fruit, but overripe towards the base. The best Qua 

 Pine came from Mr. Gostling, gr. to Mrs. Deacoa • j| 

 weighed 4 lbs. 15 oz. Mr. Spivey, gr. to J. A. Hotbit, 

 Esq., Mr. Davis, gr. to T. W. Booker, Esq.,Mr. Fieaiaj, 

 gr. to the Duke of Sutherland, Mr. Barron, gr. to Ma 

 Vivian, Mr. Jones, gr. to Lady Charlotte Schroft^ 

 Mr. Merryfield, gr. to H. J. Grant, Esq., Mr.DoJ^ 

 and Mr. Taylor also all exhibited Queen Pines, tfc 

 heaviest of which weighed 4 lbs. 10 oz. 



Grapes. — Excellent Black Hamburgh, large both a 

 bunch and berry, and extremely well coloured, 



chalk where this alternation is 100 feet in perpendicular 

 height, yet there is water below, for in no case have I 

 found the water in the chalk to stand at a less inclina- 

 tion than 10 feet in the mile above the vent or outfall. 

 Suppose a mass of chalk resting on a clay at a dead 

 level, at one mile from the vent, spring, or river, there 

 would be 10 feet of chalk charged with free water in its 

 cracks and fissures. The adjustment of the water level 

 in all pervious or porous strata is a most beautiful 

 exemplification of the law of hydrostatics, regulated by 

 the friction or amount of resistance presented by the 

 stratum through which the water flows to its vent in 

 springs and rivers — hence the inclined line ; without 

 this the springs and rivers would not, as^DOw, be virtu- 

 ally perennial, for the whole stratum would be drained 

 in seasons of drought, before the period of replenish- 

 ment arrived. Hence, too, the security to wells, and the 

 almost certainty that when they fail there is still water 

 beneath. James C. CluUerbuck, Vicarage, Long Witten- 

 ham, Abingdon. 



Wasps, dc. — Allow me to acquaint the gardening 

 world that I have during May and June at a penny and 

 a halfpenny got during May 305 wasps and in June the 

 large number of 1778, making a total of 2083 large wasps, 

 mostly Queens, during the last two months. During 

 May they were mostly found on the Gooseberry bushes, 

 and during June upon the Snowberry. My gardener 

 killed about 40 or 50 upon a Snowberry bush in my 

 garden. I am of opinion that the swarm we had must 

 have come from some foreign clime. I remember 

 when in Berkshire in the summer of 1794, that my Aunt 

 Lisle's house and gardens and neighbourhood were 

 covered with a large flight of that small insect called 

 ladybird ; and we had no doubt then that they were 

 wafted over by the wind from France. I hope our 

 fruit may not be again destroyed as it was last year 

 /. Lisle, LL.D., St. Foam, Cardiff. 



from Mr. Stent, gr. to W. Herbert, Esq. ; Mr. Fkak 

 gr. to the Duke of Sutherland, also had admiriS 

 examples of this variety ; but scarcely so perfect u 

 Mr. Stent's, the point of one of the bunches to; 

 deficient in colour. This last mentioned bunch m 

 stated by Mr. Fleming to weigh upwards of 3 lbs. At 

 same exhibitor likewise showed specimens of Ml 

 Hamburghs, which were in all respects perfect ; mi 

 the bunches in this exhibition must also have weifW 

 more than 3 lbs. Mr. Williamson, gr. to the Etrid 

 Lonsdale, Mr. Forsyth, gr. to Baron RothschiW, 

 Tillyard, gr. to the Rt. Hon. the Speaker, and Ml 

 Hill, gr. to R. Sneyd, Esq., also showed black H» 

 burghs, which though good, were all inferior to dl 

 magnificent bunches produced by Mr. Stent and Ifc 

 Fleming. Three good bunches of Black Prince, *■■ 



nf r^#\f lovirra ?n V»awv_ were wiwwlv 8 V f l • 





An 



coloured, but rot large in berry, were wrongly 

 this class by Mr. Turner, cr. to J. Hill, Esq., of am* 

 ham. In the Market Gardeners' ClasB Mr. Harri- 

 son, of Oatlands, had a basketful of Black Hi* 

 burgh, not large either in bunch or berry ; 

 extremely well coloured, and covered with a mo* •»■ 

 tiful bloom. Muscats, though not possessed of 

 fine golden tinge which they should have when m p* 

 fection, were riper and better on this occasion t&an * 

 have seen them at any previous show this season. M 

 best came from Mr. Turnbull, gr. to the Duke jf/*~ 

 borough ; these were large both in bunch and M?| 

 good exhibitions of this variety also came from** 

 Strachan, of Beach Hall, near Chester ; MrJ Hi«£| 

 of Brighton ; Mr. Allport, gr. to H. Akroyd,^ 

 Mi. rinrVA nf Hortdesdon : Mr. Tillyard ; Mr. » 



Mr. Clarke, of Hoddesdon ; 



to S.Ricardo, Esq.: and Mr/Taylor, gr. to J. 



er, Esq. Frontignan 

 .^Uition by Mr. Flemii_ 

 named exhibitor likewise showed beautiful 



gr. to z>. xticaruo, 1^4. -> — «~ -r^f .- - jg 

 Coster, Esq. Frontignans were furnished in eWJ 



condition by Mr. Fleming and Mr. Ti W »^ ^ 

 j ___i.t lA — i:i^«.:^ aim W 0!l firtiutinil bandies* 



^urietfesf* 



On 



Horticultural, July 11 



: Garden Exhibition. 

 this occasion fruit was unusually abundant and 

 excellent, and formed, as it was intended it should do 

 the most attractive feature of the show. Of Pine 

 Apples there were no fewer than 50 specimens, most of 

 them large and handsome ; Black Grapes numbered 

 20 dishes, and of White varieties there were 21 exhi- 

 bitions ; Peaches and Nectarines amounted to some 

 60 dishes, and Cherries, Strawberries, and Melons were 

 proportionately numerous. 



Collections op Fruit.— Of these, considerably the 

 best came from Mr. Ingram, gr. to her Majesty at 

 Frogmore. It contained a Queen Pine Apple weighing 

 4 lbs., and beautifully ripened ; admirable specimens of 



White Muscadine, as did also Mr. Shrimpton, gr. to 



Doxat, Esq.; Mr. Busby, gr. *° * C ^M| 

 exhibited three excellent bunches of to m» ^^ 

 Grape called Stockwood Golden H a mbuigi, » w 

 acquisition, which at first sight might easi y be* 

 for a Muscat of Alexandria ; it is, however, « JJJ/J, 

 a different thing, having no muskiness ™* e y^ 

 flavour, which may be described asm «™f^^ 

 that of the Sweetwater and Black HambuTgb^ rf 

 ceilent addition to White Grapes we are , into 

 ripen in perfection in the same house witn *» 



Hamburgh. Tnmbullf P- *°*I 



Peaches and Nectarines.-^. To^V^rf 



Duke of Marlborough, showed very ^ nne y ^ 

 Bellegarde Peaches and Elruge Nectarines ; ^ 



George Peaches, and ^\^^t^r^ 

 ^„.ii„ «n^ ™ms from Mr. Mitchell, w^^ 



Smith, Bart., 



equally good, came from Mr. ^ > conffiw^ 

 Mr. Miller, gr. to Sir W. ^«*s =^ . tife >** 

 Grosse Mignonne Peaches and V ' ioie j 



rines ; and good Royal 9^^* ^«^* 

 Elruge and Violette H^tive Nectarines, ^ 



Munro, gr. to Lord Clarendon, and Mr. ^ ftj 

 Mrs. Oddie. Mr. Ingram, gr. to J . ^ M dAjJ 

 sent Noblesse, Bellegarde, Ruyd gejj^ rf p*g 

 Scott Peaches. In the class of *»gtoj ^ ^ 

 Mr. Judd, gr. to Earl Spencer ^>we ^^ 

 mens of Grosse Mignonne ; Mr. ^.^ g, lo jg 



Esq., sent Royal George ; Mr. W o( 

 Wenlock, Bellegarde; Mr. Cjem^ .^ 



Mr, Busby/I g* 



to 



Oik 



era***?' 



Noblesse ; Mr, ?» D /?J«£, an d Mr. *W Lrf 

 Violette Hative_; Mr. 1.U*** •»* Ro r^ W*t 



L. Betts, Esq., Noblesse ; M «^(&Uo*r.J* 

 and Mr.'Macqualter, gr. to , Colonel^ ^^ 



Hav er to the Bishop of^ 

 *£JU Alette Hatire, large 



in size 



andW" 



Of 



01 



