

THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



■n 



[Dec. 15, 1855. 



or clouds ; were they then carried by the revolving 

 action of the storm from the ground in which they were 

 located, and removed bodily to the court-yard of her 

 Majesty's palace at Osborne ? Why are we asked to 

 believe this ? We have heard of no Moss, or detritus, 

 or broken sticks, or tiles, elates, or mortar being found 



beyond the limits of our atmosphere, or that they could , November, then remove the loose soil, top-dress with 

 by any possibility be retained in a mass of aqueous vapour equal parts turfy loam and farm manure, introduce 

 r - - • • • ' " ' -*-— ' them to the forcing-house, and plunge them in a bottom- 



heat of 70°. Let the atmospheric heat be from 50° to 

 55° ; syringe daily 2 or 3 times ; give air freely on all 

 favourable opportunities, to insure the buds breaking 

 strongly about the end of December, then raise 

 the temperature gradually 5°, both bottom and top ; 



with them. Would the storm have selected the shells syringe in fine mornings, but be careful to get the 

 alone, and placed them upon the clean, well swept, and foliage dry before sunset ; stop the shoots one joint 



poisoned yard \ Even supposing that the position of the 

 court-yard were such as to forbid the supposition of their 

 being out on a feeding excursion, as Suggested in my 

 former communication, there are many other roads open 

 to solve the question before we arrive at the improbable 

 or non-natural. Are there no trees, or tops of walls, or 

 roofs to the house from which they could have been 

 swept by the wind \ No crevices in the slates — no 

 gutter to carry off the water from the court-yard, by 

 which they might have found ingress ? Why choose 

 the most difficult when there are so many more pro- 

 bable modes of solving the question ? Mr. W. says 

 they were not in the court half-an-bour before they were 

 found. Were they looked for? Why, they were not 

 A lines long and hardly 1 broad. How easy then to 

 have escaped detection ! Mr. W. says I have not 

 accounted for the dead shells. A little reflection will 

 tell him that if they were carried up by a whirlwind, and 

 deposited like rain by their specific gravity, that the 

 live and dead shells ought not to be found together. 

 To a casual observer, however, live shells might easily 

 be mistaken for dead ones, because the mollusk will 

 sometimes not stir for a long time, and you cannot 

 always see it when coiled up. They certainly did not 

 take an excursion and " leave their shells behind them," 

 for the mollusk never separates from its shell. I hope 

 Mr. Winchester will find out the whole matter. I am 

 glad to find he has taken up the study of natural 

 history. Let him go into the nearest wood at Osborne 

 and collect carefully a quantity of Moss from the ground, 

 and place it in a bag. When he gets home let him 

 shake it a little at a time on to a sheet of white paper, and 

 look at the detritus which falls thereon through a mag- 

 nifying glass. He will not only find Zua lubrica, but 

 probably Helix pygmea and aculeata (a most beautiful 

 little shell, covered with little spines), Azeca tridens, 

 Achatina acicula, Pupa edentula,&c, &c. The examina- 

 tion will well repay the trouble. C. ii. Bree 9 Stricklands, 



Dec. 10. 



Growing Vines in Pots. — The following remarks on 

 this subject carefully carried out will be found to pro- 

 duce satisfactory results. The first week in January 

 select eyes from well-ripened wood, fill a few shallow 

 pots, or seed-pans, with a mixture of two parts turfy 

 loam, one part peat and a little leaf mould; in each pot 

 insert 10 or 12 eyes, plunging them in a bottom-heat of 

 90?, maintaining a moist atmosphere, and keeping the 

 top-heat at from 68° to 72°. In four weeks' time they 

 will have emitted roots sufficient to enable them to be 



f>otted singly in 4 inch pots ; secure good drainage, and 

 et the compost be as before, except that farm manure 

 should be substituted for leaf soil. Plunge them in the 

 same bottom-heat and as near the glass as circumstances 

 will admit ; syringe lightly a few mornings, and let the 

 night temperature rauge from 65 Q to 70°, with an ad- 

 vance of from 5° to 8° during the day, when air must be 

 admitted to insuie a strong, robust, yet short-jointed 

 growth. The shoots will be two feet long by the 

 first week in March, tie them carefully, and re- 

 potting will also be necessary, but before doing so 

 see that the roots are in a moist state; shift 

 into a 9-inch pot, and plunge again ] in bottom 

 heat, letting the atmospheric heat range from 68° to 

 72° ; syringe also in fine afternoons ; from this period 

 never allow the house to be closed. The air during 

 night should be admitted through small iron ventilators 

 in the front wall, and it should come in contact with the 

 heating apparatus, so as to prevent cold draughts ; in- 

 crease the amount of air as soon as the thermometer 

 rises 3° or 4° in the morning. The plants will now 

 grow vigorously ; attend to pinching laterals, leaving 

 one leaf, and stop all tendrils ; the latter, if neglected a 

 few days, will cling to adjacent Vines, and often 

 cause the plants to lose their leaders, which I have 

 proved to be highly injurious instead of beneficial, 

 although some recommended them to be stopped two 

 or three times during their growth. About the second 

 week in April the shoots will be from 4 to 5 feet long, 

 transfer the plants then to their fruiting pots, which 

 should be 16 inches in diameter, but 1 inch more or less 

 is immaterial. Let the compost be 3 parts strong turfy 

 loam, 1 part good farm manure, to which add a small 

 quantity of bruised bones. The bottom-heat may now 

 be permitted to decline gradually to 80° ; stop the 

 leader when 7 feet long ; allow the laterals to ramble a 

 little, which will tend to strengthen the Vines. At the 

 same time freely admit light and air ; water alternately 

 with liquid manure and clear water ; when the Vine 

 begins to change colour remove part of the laterals ; 

 keep the foliage clean and healthy, and by the beginning 

 of July the wood will be ripened, then remove the 

 remaining laterals. Transfer the Vines carefully to a 

 south aspect in the framing ground, or other convenient 

 place. Set the pots on coal 



above the fruit, selecting 6 or 8 of the strongest 

 and disbud all others. They will be in flower by the 

 first week in February. Maintain a dry temperature not 

 lower than 65° at night, advancing 10° during the day. 

 Keep the air in motion, shake the Vines two or three 

 times daily until set, maintain a moist growing atmo- 

 sphere, syringing no more over head. In many in- 

 stances there will be two or three bunches on one shoot, 

 but leave only the largest, you will have six or eight 

 bunches on each Vine weighing as many lbs. Thin the 

 berries well, be liberal with manure-water, preferring 

 that from sheep-dung gathered from the pasture. They 

 will show signs of colouring about the end of March. 

 Diminish the moisture as usual at this stage, and give 

 air freely. The fruit will be ripe by the second week 

 in May, when you may expect an abundant crop, good 

 in quality, and in the brief period of 16 months. Black 

 Hamburgh and Muscat of Alexandria will give the 

 greatest satisfaction. Archd. Henderson, Gardener to 

 W. C. Hemming, Esq., Spring Grove, Bewdley. 



Holly Plunder. — If it comes within the scope of your 

 Paper I wish you would call attention to the subject of 

 Holly. At this season of the year no tree bearing 

 berries within 30 miles of London is safe ; the owners 

 must either watch them at night or expect to find them 

 mutilated or destroyed. The plunder has become quite 

 wholesale. Parties go about with horse, cart, and saw ; 

 the trees are marked in the day, and before the following 

 morning they are cut to pieces and deposited in Covent 

 Garden Market. It may be said I think that the whole 

 trade is one of robbery, and if you called attention to 

 this it might cause the police to interfere, and save from 

 destruction thousands of trees which at this moment are 

 unusually loaded with berries. 7. B. Lawes. [Certainly 

 tbe police are responsible for this sort of robbery. We 

 protect ourselves with spring guns.] 



Knives, — I send you a drawing of a knife that I have 

 used many years, and for general purposes I have not 

 seen one I think to supersede it ; the length altogether 

 is 8 inches, the thickness of the back and rivet 3-16ths 

 of an inch ; the haft is the root of some kind of tree, 

 and perfectly round, smooth, and easy to the hand. 

 There are three sizes of them, one larger and one 

 smaller than the one figured, and manufactured by 



Ashworth. The 

 by beautiful 

 sects :- 



president 

 drawings of 



read notes accompanied 

 the following rare in. 

 Hygrotus bisulcatus, Curtis (described in the 

 Annals of Natural History, Btill unique) ; Apion Curtisii 

 of Kirby's manuscripts, which had remained unique 

 until found at Little Hampton and Bury Hill, near 

 Arundel, by Mr. S. Stevens ; a remarkable variety of 

 Vanessa Urticae, from Hampstead ; a singular variety 

 of a Sphinx larva supposed to be that of S. celera • 

 and notes on the genus Con ops. Mr. Stain ton read 

 some remarks on the spirit with which scientific books 

 should be read and studied. Mr. S. Stevens exhibited 

 various beautiful Lepidoptera sent by Mr. Plant from 

 Natal, together with drawings of their transformations. 

 Mr. Plant also made some observations on the habits of 

 the Paussidse, which he had observed in ants' nests, 

 where, contrary to the received opinion, they appeared 

 to be strictly guarded as prisoners, and not voluntary 

 guests. 



Notice* of Book*. 



Popular Astronomy. By Francois Arago. Translated 

 from the original, and edited by Admiral W. H. Smyth 

 and Robert Grant, Esq., in 2 vols. Vol. 1. Long- 

 mans. 8vo. pp. 707- 



It is not often that men so well versed in science as the 

 late M. Arago will condescend to attempt to impart to 

 those who know nothing of the matter anything like 

 satisfactory knowledge. Such men usually address 

 themselves to persons already more or less well 

 acquainted with what they themselves so well know* 

 According to some it is impossible to popularise science ; 

 according to others science popularised is science 

 degraded. Far different, however, were the views taken 

 by the highly gifted author of the remarkable book 

 before us. His steady aim was to spread a knowledge 

 of the science of which he was so great a master 

 amongst those who had had no such education as by 

 astronomers in general was thought absolutely indispen- 

 sable to its study. 



In his introductory 

 M. Arago said that it was a great, a solemn experiment 

 which he and his hearers were about to continue 

 together. The experiment was made. A course of 

 lectures was given, the necessity of any previous 

 mathematical knowledge was expressly disclaimed, and 

 nothing was taken for granted by the lecturer. A 

 similar course had been given before and was given 

 afterwards, and the substance of 18 courses delivered in 

 13 consecutive years is now laid before the public in 

 the work of which the first volume is already trans- 



The work in its present form demands, it is 



address delivered in 1846, 



Holmes & Son, Rotten Row, Derby ; it is, however, lated - A " e T^ K "L 1K * F*"°H1 T? !T"!Z2 ZZ 

 many years since I bought it there, and I do not know *™ e > no knowledge of mathematics, but any person who 



if the same party still continues to manufacture them do€S not possess such knowledge must proceed step by 

 or not. Their strength is such that they will stand step, and must concentrate his who e attention on each 

 almost any kind of work, and not clumsy either. Rich. ste » as he advances. The first book sets forth certain 



Rilott, Nurseryman, Donington, by Spalding, Nov. 29. 

 [The pattern of this knife is a good one ; though we 

 should say that the blade was a full 1 6th of an inch too 

 narrow near the point.] 



&atittit$* 



L 



ideas on geometry necessary to the understanding of 

 what follows. Then there is a book on mechanics and 

 horology ; after that come the elements of optics, and 

 lastly we have the great treatise on astronomy. Every 

 proposition is stated with great clearness, and every 

 step which is made is a logical deduction from what has 

 preceded. The reader, moreover, has not to rest con- 

 tented with vague generalities ; the whole subject is 

 gone into in detail, and even curious speculations are 

 not passed unnoticed. The following is the great astro- 

 nomer's mode of dealing with the question, — Is the sun 

 inhabited? 



"If this question were simply proposed to me, Ms tne 

 sun inhabited V I should reply, 'that I know nothing 



, Dee. 4. — The President in the chair. J. F. 

 Champion, Esq., D. Anbury, jun., Esq., R. Halme, Esq., 

 J. Lee, Esq., L.L.D., Lester Lester, Esq., and J. Town- 

 ley, Esq., were elected Fellows. Among the presents 

 were a series of 65 coloured drawings by native artists 



of Indian plants and animals, prepared for the late Sir — • * «— .- .» rv , — .* ., 



E. Impey, and presented by Mrs. Impey, through Col. abou t the matter.' But let any one ask of me urn 

 Sir P. Cautley, C.B. ; also photographs of 10 species of SQn can be inhabited by beings organised m a man 

 British Ferns, by Mrs. Glaisher, presented by Mr. E. I analogous to those which people our globe, and ine 

 Newman ; and Dr. Hooker's beautiful illustrations of 

 Himalayan plants. The following papers were read : 

 — 1. Extracts of two letters addressed to the President 

 by H. Evans, Esq., of Darley Abbey, near Derby, re- 

 lative to seals killed by him on the western coast of 

 Ireland. 2. Supplementary observations on some 

 genera and species of Balanophoreee, by Dr. Hooker. 

 The paper formed a continuation of Dr. Hooker's mono- 

 graph on the structure and affinities of this order, and 

 consisted of observations on the species of Mystropetalon, 

 and Cynomorium. 



hes, or on a piece of slate 

 or other flat surface, mulching with Moss or Fern, and 

 they may remain there until the end of September; then 

 lay them on their sides, and in October, when conve- 

 nient, prune and dress them with sulphur, soft soap, . . _ wmmmmg 



lime, &c ; place them on their sides in some hole or I country, and which were captured in North Wales" 



Entomological, December 3. J. Curtis, Esq., F.L.S., 

 President, in the chair. — Donations of entomological 

 works from the Entomological Society, Professor Leuck- 

 hart, the Society of Arts, &c, were announced. A 

 notice of a curious species of thrips collected in India 

 by Captain Hamilton in jungle, was communicated by 

 Mr. Newman, who also described a considerable number 

 of minute moths captured in the province of Victoria 

 New South Wales, by Mr. Oxley, the majority of which 

 were very similar in structure and colour to those of 

 our own country, with the addition of a distinct new 

 genus, to which" the name of Boydia\hispidella was 

 given. Mr. Newman also communicated a note on the 

 habits of the common prawn observed in Mr. Warring- 

 ton's marine vivarium, with, a view to disprove the 

 opinions which have been entertained respecting the 

 use of the antennae, which Mr. Newman regarded as 

 organs of smelling. Mr. Edwin Shepherd exhibited a 

 fine pair of the beautiful Trochilium scoliceforme 

 ° species not previously known to inhabit this 



tate not to reply in the affirmative. The existence in 

 the sun of a central obscure nucleus, enveloped in an 

 opaque atmosphere far beyond which the luminous at- 

 mosphere exists, is by no means opposed in effect o 

 such a conception, Herschei thought that the sun is in- 

 habited. According to him, if the depth of the sow 

 atmosphere in which the luminous chemical action 

 operates should amount to a million of leagues, it is not 

 necessary that the brightness at each point should sur- 

 pass that of an ordinary aurora borealis. In any c 

 the arguments upon which the great astronomer relies, 

 in order to prove that the solar nucleus may not 

 very hot, notwithstanding the incandescence of tne at- 

 mosphere, are neither the only nor the best tha t nug 

 be adduced. The direct observation, made by *auie 

 Secchi, of the depression of temperature w » icn JJL 

 points of the solar disc experience wherein the sp 

 appear, is in this respect more important than anj 

 reasoning whatever. ftr 



* Dr. Elliott had maintained, as early as the nw 



1787, that the light of the sun arose from what he galled 

 a dense and universal twilight. He further believeu, 

 with certain ancient philosophers, that the sun «n»gw^ 



corner, covering with straw until the third week in i near Llangollen, 



during 



inhabited. When the Doctor was brought befor !.V 

 Old Bailey, for having occasioned the death ot J» 

 Boydeil, his friends, Dr. Simmons among others, m» 

 tained that he was mad, and thought that they cou 

 prove it abundantly by showing the writings whe *Vj 

 the opinions which we have just cited were to 

 developed. The conceptions of a madman are in 

 present day generally adopted. The anecdote appear 

 to me to be worthy of figuring in the history of sc ienw. 

 I am indebted for it to the article on Astronomy by £, * 



the past summer by Mr. Brewster, inserted in the « Edinburgh Encyclopedia. 



