60 



JOTJENAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ Januaiy 17, 1865. 



out, but they gained deservedly a fii-st-class certificate for 

 Mr. Frisby, g;ardener to H. Clmpmiin. Esq., Sleaford. If Mr. 

 Frisby should see this, might I request bim to let us know 

 the description of soil that he gi-ew them in ? 



TrnnscU's Seedlinj;, which received a first-class certificate, 

 was a handsome, white, round Potato, which I have down in 

 my note-book as a desirable vai'iety ; as well as Early Ten- 

 week, a medium-sized round, with a pretty pink eye — one of 

 those firmly-mealy class of tubers, I suspect, so much ap- 

 proved of now-a-days. Both the above sorts were shown in 

 the collection of Mr. Moffat, gardener to Viscount Maynard, 

 Easton Lodge, Dunmow, Essex. 



A good stamp of Potato, I should say either for table or 

 cattle, and gaining a third-class certificate, was shown by 

 Mr. J. Masters, West Hill, Highgate. It was unnamed, and 

 in form like Sutton's Finest Kegent. I took it for that 

 desirable variety. 



Early Frame, not the small Early Frame I remember from 

 boyhood, but a lai'ge, rough-jacketed, Kegent-looking Potato, 

 was doubtless good either for table or cattle. Although I 

 have partly vowed not to grow this class of tuber any mora 

 in. this garden, I feel almoiit inclined in regard to the above, 

 to break my vow. It was e.^hihited by Mr. J. A''eitch, Royal 

 Exotic Nursery, King's Koad, Chelsea, and received a fii'st- 

 closs certificate. 



Morning Star, worthy its poetical name, and quite deserv- 

 ing a certificate. A handsome, medium-sized, round Potato, 

 shown by Mr. S. Westbrook, Abingdon. 



Courtenhall Seedling, a flattish-round, medium-sized 

 Potato, and the finest sample I ever saw of Sutton's Early 

 Baeehorse, were to be seen at the foot of Messrs. Sutton and 

 Sons' glass case containing seeds, which was a show of itself. 



Of the coloured class of Potatoes I at sight singled out as 

 kinds I should desire : — London Ked, a self-colour of that 

 hue, round, and medium-sized, shown by Mr. Frisby, gar- 

 dener to H. Chapman, Esq. ; a Bluish-self, exhibited by Mr. 

 B. Heather, gardener to E. Pulford, Esq. ; and a new Potato, 

 running out in form from pear-shaped to oblong, and stated 

 to have been brought from Australia, by Captain Walter, 

 and as being a " very TjroliCc, excellent Potato." 



The above are what I considered the pick of a very 

 good show — that is, in the way of what to me were novelties ; 

 but I shall always consider a show of Potatoes incomplete 

 tm we can arrive at some palatable testing process, and I 

 for one do not cjre ever to exhibit the tuber again unless a 

 cooking process, for new table sorts at least, can be added, 

 and which I hope will eventually be the case, and why not ? 

 Emit is very properly tested for flavour, and of quite as 

 much consequence is it that the Potato should bo so also. 

 I know if this could have been done at the Koyal Horticul- 

 tural Society's Show, I should have been there as an exhibi- 

 tor, and I would have paid our housekeeper's expenses to 

 London in order that she might have been on the spot to 

 have cooked the Potatoes. A leading Society ought to feel 

 sufficiently interested to provide a room, fires, and sauce- 

 pans, and then the judges would be able to inform the 

 public which sorta were best cultivated for flavour, and 

 most worthy to be grown. The only thing to fear would be, 

 that the judges of the fruit would want the cooking test to 

 be applied in their department also. But be that as it may, it 

 would create in the women an interest to cook om- Potatoes 

 well all the year round, when they knew that their science 

 was likely to result in a trip to London. I am certain that 

 no one would be the loser, only, unfortunately, the Council 

 of the Eoyal Horticultural Society as at present constituted 

 would not feel sufficiently interested, I fear, to entertain the 

 idea. 



There were some very fine examples of cattle Potatoes 

 exhibited at the Smithfield Cattle Show, which was a very 

 good one, and one may say of it, that it has safely esta- . 

 olished itself at Islinp^ton for the future. I noted monster 

 Walker's and DunVar Regents, on Messrs, Gibbs' magnificent 

 stand of roots, and a seedling from the Fluke, having the 

 shape of its parent with a yellow cast of countenance, pur- 

 ported to be grown by F. Murton, Esq., Ashford. There 

 were also two other Fluke seedlings suitable for the table 

 called, the one " Fluke Seedling, late," and the other " MUky 

 "White, earliest." Daw's Matchless, a large Fluke-shaped 

 Potato; and Dundee Kidney, a red, many-eyed, oblong 

 Tttriety, were shown on Messrs. Carter's stand. Sutton's 



Finest Regent told well for itself amongst many other well- 

 known varieties, on Messrs. Sutton & Sons* fine stand of 



roots. — XJPWAEDS AND OnwAEDS. 



THE WEATHEE OF 1864 IN LANCASHIRE, 



Jamiary. — This was a cold dry month. The mean tem- 

 perature was 35''.03, or 2°.098 below the average of the last 

 ten years, and 5°.62 below January 1863. The 7th was a 

 remarkably cold day, the maximum temperatui-e being only 

 19°, .and the minimum 16°; excepting the 24th and 25th 

 December, 1860, it is many years since we had so cold a day. 

 The amount of rain was 1.21 inches, being 0.91 inches less 

 than the average of the last ten yeai-s. It fell on seven 

 days, which is 6.S days less than the average. The baro- 

 meter on the 4th at 10 a.m. stood at 30.55 inches, which was 

 the highest point it reached on any day during the year. 

 The prevailing winds were from the S.W. 



Fchnmry was also very cold. The mean temperature was 

 only 34''.74, being 2°.478 below the average, and 6°.4 below 

 February of last yeai'. It was the coldest Februaiy we have 

 had since 1S60, on seventeen days it was below freezing-point. ' 

 The amount of rain was 3.45 inches, or 1.639 inches more 

 than the average of the last ten years ; it fell on thirteen 

 days. The prevailing winds were from the east. 



March. — The temperature was stiU below the average of 

 the last ten years 1°.449, the mean temperature being 

 39 '.48. Eain fell every day from the 4th to the 14th, when 

 the weather became fair, and we had some beautiful weather, 

 with frost at night, so that by the end of the month garden- 

 ing and farming operations were in a forward state. The 

 amount of rain was 2.80 inches, being 0.065 inches below 

 the average. The prevailing winds were fi-om the east. 



April was very dry and warm, the mean temperature 

 being 47°.68, or 1°.536 above the average of the last ten 

 years. The thermometer only once indicated as low a tem- 

 perature as 32° on the night of the 13th. Rain fell on only 

 eight days, the amount being 1.26 inches, and 0.815 inches 

 less than the average. The prevailing winds were from the 

 west. 



May. — This was the most remarkable month on record for 

 its extreme heat and cold. On some of the days from the 

 15th to the 21st the thermometer indicated 84° in the shade, 

 and 127° in the sun, which was the greatest heat ever known 

 here in May. The nearest approach to it was in 1858, when 

 the thermometer indicated 82° in the shade, and 116° in the 

 sun. This heat brought vegetation very rapidly forward, 

 but the frosts at the end of the month disappointed all cal- 

 culations of an early harvest, and did very serious damage 

 to the Potatoes, Kidney Beans, &c. The mean temperature 

 was 55°.87, being 2°.241 above the average. The amount of 

 rain was 3.66 inches, or 1.450 inches above the average. It 

 fell on twelve days, but only on one day from the 7th to the 

 27th. The prevailing winds were from the east. 



Jvne was wet and cold, and tlie frost on the 1st cut down 

 the Potatoes, and even the young shoots of the Ash. Pota- 

 toes advanced in value fifty per cent. The greatest cold 

 registered' before in June since 1794 (taken^ at the Eoyal 

 Society and Royal Observatory) occurred in 1797, 40°; 

 1802, 40°; 1841, 40°.3; 1848, 38.''7 ; and 1849, 38°.6. The 

 mean temperature of the month was 580.32, being 0''.302 

 above the average ; the day temperature being 10''\37 higher 

 than June 1863. It rained on twenty days, the amount 

 being 3.98 inches, or 0.495 inches more than the average. 

 The prevailing winds were from the west and south-west. 



July. — This was a dry warm month. The mean temper- 

 ature was 61°. 95, being 1^.555 above the average. Rain 

 fell on six days only, which was the least number of days in 

 any month during the year The amount was 1.59 inches, 

 or 1.278 inches less than the average. The hny harvest was 

 secured in prime condition, but very light on some grounds. 

 The prevailing winds were from the south-west. 



A urjud. — This was again a very dry month, but the tem- 

 perature was 1''.584 below the average of the last ton years, 

 the mean temperature being 58''.47. Rain fell on twelve 

 days, the amount being only 2.20 inches, or 1.98 inches 

 below the average. The drought was very severely felt in 

 some ]mrt8 of England, many brooks and springs being 

 quite dry, that had never been known to be dry before in 



