Domestic Notices. — England. 231 



of the present day, is a gratifying proof of the spread of physiological 

 knowledge. For this knowledge we are almost entirely indebted to Mr. 

 Knight ; for though vegetable physiology was nearly as far advanced in the 

 closets of philosophers in the time of Duhamel, as it is now, yet it is to 

 Mr. Knight that we owe its confirmation by additional experiments, and its 

 application to practice. — Some very large blossoms of Camellias were sent 

 us by Mr. Donald, of Woking, in the third week of December. 



Samples of Horticultural and Agricultural Seeds were exhibited at the 

 Smithfield Cattle Show, on the 15th of December, by Mess. Cormack, 

 Son, and Sinclair ; among the latter were some beautiful seeds of the 

 permanent pasture grasses and clovers for which they are so celebrated ; 

 also some remarkably fine roots of the most approved sorts of turnips, 

 namely, Swedish, both the purple topt and yellow varieties, white globe, 

 red round, stone or stubble, and green round, being the only specimens 

 exhibited there this season in the seed and root department. The roots of red 

 mangold wurzel, and of the golden, or French variety, were remarkably large 

 and of a fine shape. In saving seed from superior varieties of cultivated 

 vegetables, in order to improve the value of the plant or root, or to keep 

 up the maximum of value which the root or plant may have obtained, the 

 principles of form or shape are of more importance than mere bulk; for the 

 analogy between animals and vegetables as regards this important point, 

 that of reproduction, is found to be very great. 



Tarpaulins, and other goods in their line required by the farmer, were 

 exhibited by Messrs. Edgington. Messrs. Deacon and Orchard also ex- 

 hibited similar articles. Mr. Cherry's horse-pads, for defending tender feet 

 in horses, were again much looked after and approved ; and Mr. Webb, a 

 veteran in the service, attended with his American fluid, and other vete- 

 rinary articles. — {A Correspondent who was present.) 



Mildness of the Winter. — Ripe strawberries were pulled from the 

 natural ground, without any artificial heat, on January 1. in the neighbour- 

 hood of Knaresborough, {Farm. Journ.) A plateful of ripe strawberries 

 was gathered from the garden of Mr. Smith of Hampton in Arden, War- 

 wickshire, in the second week of December ; and an apple tree in the 

 same neighbourhood was in full blossom at the same time. (C. F. W.) 



Extreme Cold during Night for 1826. — The following are the averages 

 for the last year, as indicated by a self-registering thermometer, kept by Mr. 

 Sinclair, at New Cross, Surrey. January 50°, February 58°, March 38°, 

 April 40°, May 31°, June 55°, July 56°, August 58°, September 52°, Octo- 

 ber 48°, November 39°, December 41°. Coldest nights in the year, 

 January 15th, 15°, and 16th, 15°; second coldest January 14th, 16°. Mr. S., 

 who sent us the details at length for every night in the year, observes, that 

 " dry and tedious as such a register may seem, when fully considered and 

 investigated, it will account for appearances on vegetation, which the ob- 

 servations made during day are quite imcompetent to explain. We retire 

 to bed with our thermometer at 40°, and again, by the first peep of dawn, 

 find it at 39°, perhaps higher ; yet when we go out we find various plants 

 frost bitten, if not entirely destroyed by frost." G. S. 



Mangold \Wurzel. — " I have a field of mangold wurzel which has 

 produced from sixty-eight to one hundred and seven tons per English acre, 

 tops included. Above one-fourth less when the tops are deducted. The 

 average of the field was sixty-eight tons ; of the best acre eighty-five and 

 a half tons ; and of the best patch of ten yards square, at the rate of one 

 hundred and seven one-third tons per acre. I believe this to be the best 

 crop ever raised in England." Extract of a letter from Mr. John Bracken- 

 bridge, the Land Steward of Mr. Stanhope, of Cannon-Hall, Yorkshire, to 



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