742 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[Nov. 10, 1855 



pected of turning up in the same manner — to bury them 

 in large quantities at various depths in marked spots of 

 ground, selecting fresh gathered fully ripe seeds, such 

 as are naturally shed, and leaving them exposed to the 

 various vicissitudes of drought or moisture, heat or cold, 

 to which they would be naturally subject ; and, after 

 the first two or three years, to take up a portion 

 every year and ascertain their state, to observe how 

 many will have escaped the natural tendency in the 

 moist earth to germinate or rot, as well as the ravages 

 of insects or other causes of destruction. 



As, however, the main fact, the sudden appearance of 

 large quantities of Charlock or other plants on newly 

 turned up soil, where none had been previously observed, 

 cannot be denied, it may be asked if the seed had not 

 long been lying buried in the ground, where could 

 it have come from ? It is, however, very seldom that 

 all the facts which might afford a more plausible solu- 

 tion to this question are known. Charlock is a weed 

 exceedingly common in cultivated lands all over the 

 country, and often inadvertently sown with grain or 

 other seed. Conspicuous as it is when in flower in con- 

 siderable quantities, a few plants scattered about, espe- 

 cially when in seed, would attract no notice. A single 

 plant may ripen 500 to 1000 good seeds. In ordinary 

 cases, as the average quantity of Charlock in the country 

 is about the same, year after year, 999 out of these 

 thousand seeds, or their produce, must perish before 

 coming to perfection. But if the soil i3 turned up at 

 the moment the plant has shed its seed almost every 

 one of the seeds may germinate, and the progeny of 

 some half a dozen plants, unobserved the previous year, 

 may cover an acre of ground. There are so many 

 ways in which seeds are known to be rapidly dispersed 

 over cultivated lands, that there is much to be dis- 

 proved before we can be convinced of any extraordinary 

 longevity in seeds, under circumstances which are 

 known rather to promote germination or destruction 

 than to preserve their dormant vitality. Q. B, 





But the case is important as showing that the ova of 

 the snail were accumulated in the dark places of the 

 churchyard, where portions would have become food 

 for some of the insect tribes ; and a vast proportion 

 would, like the mummy, have rested inert until the 

 vital principle had been called into play. Removal, 

 the being spread broadcast, and the genial showers and 

 warmth of spring, called that principle into play, and 

 produced a limited existence, which was put an end to 

 suddenly by the want of that support which they had 



produced. 



To sura up, here we have millions of snails brought 

 into momentary existence by the ignorant activity of 

 man. We have gnats, mosquitoes, and midges hurried 

 into precocious existence by the curiosity of man ; and 

 here we have, in the hopper, the mite, and the cheese, 

 the evidence of the power of man to play with and 

 influence vitality in insects as suits his pleasure. C. 





(To be continued.) 



Home Correspondence. 



Growing Pears in Paper Bags. — In the spring you 



three small seedlings from the Horticultural Gardens * 

 single tree of Q,. sessiliflora growing on my land 

 I observe in a communication, 184 8, p. 135 c, that 

 " Mr. Andrew Knight, who was well acquainted* with 

 the qualities of both varieties, always maintained that 

 the timber of Q. pedunculata was the firmest and best of 

 the two." Are you aware if Mr. Knight has left this 

 opinion, and the reasons thereof, anywhere on record 2 

 In a leader 1842, p. 723, is the following excellent 

 advice : — " A sickly sessile fruited tree will yield acorns 

 producing seedlings with a much worse constitution 

 than the general run of stalk-fruited Oaks ; and so 

 also, a very vigorous Oak of the latter kind may bear 

 acorns whose offspring will exceed in powers of growth 

 the average specimens of the sessile fruited. Planters 

 then, should take the utmost care to ensure a supply f 

 seedling Oaks from trees remarkable for their large 

 size and healthy state." Should this advice have been 

 seen and adopted by any nurseryman I much wish he 

 would state in your columns where the parent Oak of 

 the trees which he advertises may be seen or heard of. 

 And I would suggest to noblemen and gentlemen, or 

 their stewards, on whose estates any forest giants are 



published an account furnished by a French gentleman, yet to be found, that an advertisement in your iournal 



MEMORANDA 



Intended to show some instances in which the agency of man has 

 been brought into play in the production of plants, of insects, 

 of birds, and also on a more extended scale, on localities and 

 on climates; and to show that however these effects may 

 appear permanent, they originate in taking advantage of those 

 laws to which the Almighty Power has subjected all alike — 

 plants, insects, animals, localities, climates, and man himself. 



(Continued from p. 725.) 

 SECONDLY, OF INSECTS. 



1. Every one may see in a piece of decayed cheese 

 two marked kinds of insects, the hopper and the mite, 

 the hopper existing in the moist portions, the mite in 

 the dry portions of the same cheese. Every one may, 

 at his pleasure, produce and alternate this effect by 

 making an incision, and thus confining a supply of mois- 

 ture to a distant part of a cheese, and by keeping the 

 cheese at a high temperature without a general supply 

 of moisture. Here man plays with two kinds of insects 

 in different stages of existence, the annular hopper and 

 the more highly organised mite. 



2. It is a well known fact, that if a small quantity of 

 water be taken from a clear puddle below a bush, and 

 be carefully placed in a clean phial, and, if the phial 

 be well corked and be kept at a summer heat, although 

 the water appear perfectly bright and pellucid to the 

 human unaided eye, yet in course of two or three months 

 a number of gnats, or mosquitoes, or midges, as the case 

 may turn out, will make their appearance, will exist 

 for a time, and die rapidly, in proportion as this period 

 is more or less precocious, and the means of sustaining 

 their life are wanting. 



3. The following circumstance occurred in the 

 spring of 1819 to 1820 :— Bow Church stands in the 

 midst of the turnpike road from London to Romford, 

 &C. The churchyard is of very small extent, and had 

 become so much raised above the high road on all sides, 

 that it was decided to lower it, and to sell the earth. 

 The earth was black rich mould, such as a farmer could 

 broadcast. A farmer who bought it applied it to such 

 purpose on a field of young Wheat, which just greened 

 the ground. The field was in Layton, near Walwood 

 House. At the time the mould was spread broadcast, 

 the wind was so high that a considerable portion of it 

 was carried over an adjoining field, which was in the 

 occupancy of a different person. The genial weather 

 and rains of spring came on — everywhere the crops 

 looked well, when the Wheat over which the mould 

 had been cast gradually disappeared. The astonished 

 fanner proceeded to his field, and was surprised to find 

 that not only his field but that of his neighbour were 

 covered by bushels (the word of the farmer) of flat 

 snails, of about the size of a sixpence, having a broad 

 white band on their lower side. The farmer was dismayed. 

 But the weather changed soon, to unusually dry. An ex- 

 traordinary foe tor proceeded from the Wheat field, which 

 led the farmer to examine it again, when he found all 

 the snails were dead, and that the smell proceeded from 

 them. Some of these shells were given to me 

 in this state, and the donor added that they 

 extended over at least 12 acres, and must have 

 amounted to millions upon millions. The ultimate 

 effect upon the Wheat was highly beneficial. I hap- 

 pened to be on a visit at Layton at the time ; I ex- 

 amined the devoured Wheat, and found traces of the 

 shells throughout ; I put some by, bat unfortunately 

 was hurried away without making any memoranda. 

 The shells were lost in my hurry, so that the circum- 

 stance rests only on a tenacious memory.* 



* From & sketch communicated by oiiTcorresponti^t it would 

 ■Gem that this snail was some flat Helix in tue way of Ik. virgata. 



to the effect that if Pears as soon as they were set were 

 enclosed in paper bags, and allowed to remain in them 

 until within three weeks of ripeness, they would not be 

 gritty. Being fond of experiments I bagged one Pear 

 on almost every tree. As, however, I grow no gritty 

 variety except the Rousselet de Rheims, my garden is 

 insufficient to test the truth of the asserted fact. But 

 the bagged Rousselet did not seem freer from grit thau 

 its neighbours. As to such other varieties as have 

 already ripened and are eaten, Marie Louise was neither 

 improved nor injured, but in every other instance the 

 flavour was deteriorated. I ought, however, to mention 

 that in consequence of the number of blackbirds, I was 

 obliged to put on gauze bags immediately on taking off 

 the paper ones. But though the experiment has been 

 so far unsatisfactory, it is not without useful results. I 

 have a handsome pyramidal tree of Glou Morceau, 

 which for years past has never borne a single good 

 frnit They are always blackened, speckled and cracky. 

 This is owing, I believe, to the coldness of my situation. 

 But the one bagged specimen has this year swollen 

 into a most beautiful Pear, externally all one can 

 desire. The same result has followed on an espalier 

 Passe "Colmar. Assuming that an ungenial climate is 

 the cause of these defects in Pears, is it not possible 

 that by bagging the tender sorts in the spring, and un- 

 covering them after midsummer, we may combine 

 external beauty with internal perfection and flavour ? — 

 at any rate some of your readers may like to try the 

 experiment next year. G. S. 



State of the Weather at Callton Mor, Argyleshire, 

 during October, 1855 : — 



- 



,2 



c 



C 



t 



1 Clear; fine throughout 



2 Overcast; foggy 



3 Showery throughout 



4 Rain ; fine ; overcast 



5 Rain; fine; thunderstorm 



6 Boisterous; cold air; showery 



7 Dull ; showery throughout 



8 Fine ; cold air ; fine 



9 Overcast; cold; clear 



10 Fine; cloudy; rain 



11 Showery throughout 



12 Cloudy ; showers ; cold air 



13 Much rain 



14 Heavy showers throughout 



15 Rain ; hail ; fair at short intervals 



16 Cloudy ; fine ; clear frosty air 



17 Frosty; cloudy; fine 



IS Showery ; fine ; showery [showers 

 19 Light showers; cloudy; heavy 

 '20 Fine and showery throughout 



21 Showery; fine; boisterous j 



22 Cloudy; fine; showery 



23 Boisterous ; showery at intervals 

 Stt Very boisterous ; hail ; rain ; 



25 Rain ; very rough ; rain [stormy 



26 Rain ; sharp wind ; frosty and 

 clear 



Frost and clear ; cold air; clear 

 Clear; stormy; frosty air 

 Rain ; cloudy ; cold air 

 Cold ; cloudy ; clear ; boisterous 



27 



2!' 



80 

 31 



Fine; clear; fine 



i 





Temperature 





ind. 



of the air. 



.2 



• 



• 



• 



*3 



£ 



H 



09 



a 



a 







3 



62 



3 



49 



55.5 





S. 



• • • 



S.E. 



64 



49 



56.5 



• ■ ■ 



S. 



57 



47 



52. 



.26 



S.E. 



57 



46 



51.5 



.27 



N.E. 



55 



35 



40.1 



.22 



S.E. 



52 



45 



48.5 



.08 



S.W. 



50 



45 



47.5 



.16 



S.W. 



56 



41 



48 5 



• • « 



S.E. 



52 



41 



465 



• • • 



N.W. 



61 



38 



44.5 



• • • 



N.W. 



50 



41 



45.5 



| .38 



W. 



49 



39 



44. 



.28 



N.W. 



48 



38 



43. 



.58 



S.W. 



46 



36 



4t. 



.62 



S.E. 



48 



35 



41. 



1.29 



N. 



45 



34 



39.5 



.06 



N.W. 



45 



29 



37. 



• • * 



N.W. 



53 



44 



48.5 



.11 



W. 



54 



48 



485 



.31 



w. 



53 



45 



48.5 



.53 



N.W. 



55 



45 



50.0 



.46 



N.W. 



55 



43 



48.0 



.07 



N.W. 



48 



39 



435 



.36 



N.W. 



42 



35 



38.5 



37 



W. 



48 



38 



43.0 



.92 



N.W. 



4S 



36 



41.0 



• ■ ■ 



N. 



40 



29 



34.0 



.28 



N.W, 



.» 



28 



33.1 



■ ■ ■ 



N.W. 



42 



33 



48. 



: .46 



N. 



45 



37 



41. 



■ • ■ 



N.E. 



43 



34 



38.5 



a ■ a 





In. 8.3 



J. Russell. 



British Oaks. — I rejoice to see by your remarks at 

 p. 728 that there is some chance that your correspond- 

 ents will, from their personal knowledge, enable you to 

 solve the difficult question at issue between Q. pedun- 

 culata and Q. sessiliflora. On that account I the less 

 regret that I trespassed upon you with the query which 

 you answered at p. 696, which had I seen, as I since 

 have, the editorial remark at the foot of the notice of 

 * Rufus," 1844, p. 53 c, I should not have done. I have 

 to thank you for much forbearance and courtesy in the 

 answers to the questions with which I have from time 



stating the size of the tree 3 and its locality, and that 

 sealed bags containing warranted Acorns therefrom 

 would be delivered at a railway station in London at 

 per peck, would probably produce applications to 

 exchange acorns for money, the effects of which 

 would be visible, in the country for centuries to come. 

 Again, having more than once profited by the liberality 

 of your correspondents, who now and then offer seeds 

 or specimens of rare native plants to those who will 

 send them stamped covers — and having thereby in- 

 curred debts of sundry days' work in harvest, some of 

 which I have been enabled to pay by a system of ex- 

 change, while some are still due — I would suggest to 

 such as may have access to a giant Oak that an offer of 

 acorns would be apt to produce covers in abundance, 

 and with them bags for containing the acorns, and post- 

 age stamps, if required to pay the cost of collection. I 

 am myself determined that as soon as I am by any 

 means enabled to plant Oaks that may be called the Sons 

 of the Giant, I will no longer plant the nameless produce 

 of a nurseryman's seed bed. Lastly, if you will have 

 the kindness to look at the charter of the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society, which is printed in the appendix to one 

 of their early volumes, which is probably within your 

 reach but is not within mine at this moment, you 

 will find, if I mistake not, that the growth of timber 

 trees or of woods is one of the objects of encouragement 

 for the Society, but I question whether, if you look 

 through the 15 or 16 volumes of the Journal of the 

 Society, you will find a single essay or treatise having 

 the improvement of timber for its object, and certainly 

 no prize has yet been recommended by the Journal 

 Committee to be offered for any such object. Diss. 



Yeast. — A few weeks ago I sent you an old receipt for 

 making yeast. The following appeared in the Times of 

 Oct. 22d ; I have tried it, and can confirm " D. S. Y.'s ■ 

 testimony as to its excellence : — " Monday morning boil 

 2 oz. of the best Hops in 4 quarts of water for half an 

 hour, strain it, and let the liquor cool down to new milk 

 warmth ; then put in a small handful of salt and half a 

 pound of brown sugar, beat up 1 lb. of the best flour, with 

 some of the liquor, and then mix all well together. On 

 Wednesday add 3 lbs. of Potatoes boiled, and then 

 mashed, to stand till Thursday, then strain it and put it 

 into bottles and it is ready for use. N.B. It must be 

 stirred frequently while it is making, and kept near the 

 fire. Before using shake the bottle well up. It will 

 keep in a cool place for two months, and is best at the 

 latter part of the time. The beauty of this yeast is 

 that it ferments spontaneously, not requiring the aid of 

 other yeast, and if care be taken to let it ferment well 

 in the earthen bowl in which it is made, you may cork 

 it up tight when bottled. I put mine into Seltzer-water 

 bottles, and this quantity fills four. I have used it now 

 for many months, and never had lighter bread than it 

 affords without any failure." M. N. 



Cucumber Growing (see p. 727). — Observing that Mr. 

 Massey, of Kirby Hall, doubts my veracity respecting 

 the Cucumbers I grew, I send you a statement of the 

 quantity, together with the length and dates when cut, 

 and I will vouch for the truth of it, the plant being ft 

 last year's cutting. Thos. Pollington, Bradwell Grove* 

 [Our correspondent has sent a daily account of his 

 cutting, which account tallies with his statement.] 



Result of Applying Sulphur to Hops during the period 

 of their Growth. — Here we have two things to consider ; 

 1st, whether the sulphur can be used profitably ; and 

 secondly, whether Hops so grown can obtain an average 

 market price. I am now in a position to answer both 

 satisfactorily. Some time since you published a notice 

 of mine on the state of two Hop grounds in close 

 proximity, the one to the other, in the parish of Bap- 

 child, Kent. In that article I ventured to predict the 

 result, which, though not strictly borne out, was yet 

 sufficiently approximate, as the following details will 

 confirm. On the portion or garden where sulphur was 



to time troubled you, and to regret that I am unable to used, at little more than 40s. per acre cost, the 6 acres 



enrol myself among those correspondents who have a 

 personal knowledge of the properties of the two species, 

 I was driven to make inquiries by observing that the 

 young British Oaks planted by my predecessor within 

 the last 20 years promised not to grow into timber so 

 fine as those planted at an earlier date. I then became 

 aware of the existence of two species of British Oaks, but 

 it was not till last autumn that I saw a growing tree of 

 Q. sessiliflora, nor have I at this moment, except 



I 



produced 69 cwt., or at the rate of 13 cwt. 3 quarters 

 6 lbs. per acre ; whereas the adjoining 3 acres, where 

 the mould was equally rife, and no sulphur used, pro- 

 duced together only 12 cwt. or 4 cwt. per acre. This 

 surely must convince the most sceptical. Now as to 

 the effect of the factors' manif? sto ; these Hops were so 

 clean and good that they obtained more than the average 

 price of the neighbourhood. Does not this tell us that 

 if we were careful to watch for and destroy this parasite* 



