February 10, 1863.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



may also fall from high clouds, or from suddenly condensed 

 mist, witheut much depressing the fluid. The existence of 

 contrary currents of wind will often interfere with the working 

 of all barometers. But, with such exceptions, this water-baro- 

 meter may be depended on, as may be seen from a register of its 

 movements carefully kept during the last thirty-two days. In 

 this table the state of the mercurial barometer, the wind and the 

 temperature, are given in order that a fair estimate maybe made 

 of the relative worth of the water weather-glass. 



It should be added, that precision in the manufacture of the 

 glasses is very important. A rough but imperfect substitute for 

 the upper glass is a common Florentine oil-flask carefully cleaned 

 out with soda. This was found out long ago. A more sensitive 

 glass may be made, and of larger range, by contracting the 

 diameter and increasing the length of the flask's neck, and then 

 the lower glass must be higher in proportion. 



The Bask should be handled as little as possible, as the warmth 

 of the hand depresses the column. — F. Copland, Chelmsford. 



115 





eg 



o - 



s 





u a 



is 



Sea 







c o 



£ 







-C= ~ 





Date. 



S = 

 52 



a = 



o 



Wind 



a S 



3 — O 



Remarks. 





a 



a 





►s 



**1 







a 



-C 





a 



& 





1862. 





H 











Morn- 















Dec. 12 



30.30 



4°5 



w. 



26 



Fine.... 



Bright day 



13 



30.10 



45 



s. 



5 



Rain . . . 



Wet day 



14 



30.30 



30 



s.w. 



27 



Fine.... 



Bright 



15 



30.35 



35 



s.w. 



25 



Fine.... 



Light cloud 



16 



30.40 



3S 



s. 



25 



Fine.... 



A dull day 



17 



30.40 



48 



s. 



15 



Rain... 



Four hours light rain 



18 



30.35 



36 



w. 



24 



Rain ... 



Light rain— High cloud 

 ( In the evening a very 



Evening 



30.00 



50 



s.w. 







Storm. 



1 heavy gale set in and con- 



Mom. 19. 



29.65 



46 



w. 



2 



Storm . 



-1 tinned till the morning of 



20 



29.45 



38 



w. 



5 



Storm. 



1 the 22nd, when the weather 

 \ moderated 



21 



29.55 



38 



X.W. 



24 



Finer. . 



Very squally 



22 



30.10 



32 



N". 



35 



Fine.... 



( Quiet — Small shower at 

 ( night 



23 



30.10 



38 



w. 



34 



Fine.... 



Foggy 



21 



30.20 



40 



s.w. 



34 



Fine.... 



Cloudy and dull 



25 



30.30 



43 



w. 



32 



Fine.... 



Bright 



26 



30.30 



44 



s.w. 



25 



Fair ... 



Dull 



27 



30.40 



44 



s.w. 



28 



Fair ... 



Dull— Misty 



28 



30.29 



49 



s.w. 



17 



Fair ... 



Cloudy— Thick 



29 



29.61 



46 



s. 



5 



Rain ... 



Gale all day 



30 



29.60 



44 



s.w. 



5 



Rain ... 



Fine at night— Little rain 



31 



30.00 



35 



\T. 



24 



Fine.... 



Bright day 



1863.Jan.l 



29.05 



50 



s.w. 



21 



Fine.... 



Cloudy and damp 



2 



29.50 



50 



s.w. 



5 



Rain... 



Gale of wind 



3 



29.50 



38 



s.w. 



18 



Fine.... 



Sunny 



4 



29.40 



44 



s.w. 



11 



Fine.... 



Cloudy 



5 



29. 5 



44 



s. 



5 



Rain ... 



Heavy and wind 



6 



28 90 



40 



s. 



10 



Rain... 



Showery 



7 



29.00 



40 



s.w. 



15 



Fair ... 



Damp 



8 



29 20 



40 



S.E. 



25 



Fine.... 



Bright 



9 



29.55 



36 



S.E. 



29 



Fine.... 



Damp 



M 



29.65 



38 



E. 



30 



Fine.... 



Cloudy, but dry 



11 



29.65 



38 



N. 



29 



Fine.... 



Scotch mist 



12 



30.10 



27 



S. 



35 



Fine.... 



Ram at night 



the foliage as little as possible. I mentioned some years ago in 

 these pages, that I save the Asparagus haulm to shade them on 

 those occasions. 



I am never in haste to mould-up Celery, but allow it to take a 

 good growth, and then with a length of tar cord, and giving it a 

 twist around each plant from end to end of the trench, they are 

 placed bolt upright like a rank of soldiers, and the Boil can be 

 expeditiously moulded to them without danger of its penetrating 

 to their hearts, which must be guarded against, and it is of very 

 little use applying more liquid to them afterwards. 



The sort I send is Coles' Red. It has never had but one 

 moulding, for what with the International Exhibition, writing 

 about that and other matters, the frost coming, and one thing 

 and the other, moulding was afterwards neglected. Neverthe- 

 less, I have not had one rotten or bolted stick. 



Our Aytoun Castle Leeks are very good ; both the former and 

 latter we use continually as stewed vegetables, and very whole- 

 some and pleasant provisions they are either with brown gravy 

 or white sauce. I cultivate the Leeks in trenches, constantly 

 plying them with plenty of sewage, and mould them accordingly 

 as they grow. — Upwabds and Onwabds. 



FIELD MICE. 

 Yotte correspondent, W. Hill, wishes to know how to 

 destroy these troublesome little animals that are barking his 

 Hollies. I beg to offer him the following suggestions to trap 

 the mice : — Bore a number of holes all over the plantations about 

 20 inches deep, and wider at the bottom than at the top ; these if 

 baited and properly tended will catch great numbers. By all 

 means preserve the barn owls and kestrel hawks, as they live on 

 mice, and are in no way injurious to game. — B. P. Brent. 



CELERY CULTURE. 



I NEVEB missed having a crop of Celery yet, and my plan of 

 cultivation is very nearly that of Mr. Hague's, though instead of 

 plying the well-rotted leaves and refuse — the remains of a 

 "muck-pie" hotbed over the roots, I place it under them in 

 the trench, and I do not allow the plants to become thirsty for 

 lack of house-sewage. 



I bring the plants up hardy from the first. The mischief, I 

 think, lies in too much coddling in the first going-off. Never let 

 them know what bottom heat is, unless a few curiosities are 

 wanted for the first shooting parties ; and thin and prick out in 

 time. Plant out with good balls of earth attached, and injure 



PLANTS OVER HOT-WATER PIPES. 



Can you inform me whether plants growing in long wooden 

 boxes or troughs would be injured if placed immediately over the 

 hot-water pipes which are carried round the inside of the con- 

 servatory ? The boxes would be raised about one foot from the 

 floor. — A. 



[It will be safest to put the boxes at the distance of a brick in 

 thickness from the pipes, which will alike prevent over-heating 

 the boxes, and allow free radiation of the heat from the pipes. 

 Of course, blocks of wood would do as well, or even better than 

 a loose brick.] 



A FEW DATS IN IRELAND. 



CAETON. 



This magnificent residence of the Duke of Leinster is about 

 sixteen miles from Dublin and two miles and a half from May- 

 nooth, so celebrated for its training college for the Catholic 

 priesthood, and so interesting to the antiquary from its ancient 

 castle, the ruins of which are so densely clothed with Ireland's 

 evergreen — the Ivy. The splendid classic mansion of the premier 

 peer and only duke of Ireland, was designed by Richard 

 Cassels, and will long remain a monument, not only of the 

 purity of his taste, but of the ideas that must have been enter- 

 tained by him of fitness, utility, and comfort. In passing many 

 a noble structure, the idea of magnificence is often lowered by 

 reflecting that within the walls so many human beings pass 

 the most of their working hours beneath the ground level, in 

 comparative darkness, and where scarcely one direct beam of 

 sunshine can ever penetrate. People will begin to think now 

 that the circumstances and conditions that may be the very best 

 for keeping wine and ale, may not be the most suitable for 

 securing the health and promoting the cheerful activity of the 

 industrious workman. It did seem to be in unison with the 

 benevolence of the noble peer, standing as he ever does in the 

 van as respects all means of improvement, to see at a glance 

 that from the uses to which the wings of the mansion were 

 chiefly applied, his servants could have access to sun and air 

 equally with himself. 



The building consists of a centre and two projecting wings 

 on the garden front. With the exception of a beautiful portico 

 in the centre of the entrance front, and one bold break besides 

 on each side, the mansion extends in a straight line for some 

 400 feet. On the garden front the length of the centre of the 

 house is 220 feet, mean breadth 56 feet, width of wing on each 

 side of this centre 68 feet, length of each wing on each side 

 85 feet, continued to alcove 35 feet, making 120 feet for length 

 of each wing, and length of garden front 460 feet, breadth of 

 each wing across courts and main buildings 124 feet. In the 

 centre of the garden front is a noble portico, 30 feet by 18, with 

 a flight of some six steps also 30 feet in length. This opens on 

 the left side into the library 46 feet by 19f, and farther still to 

 the left are the reading-room and the Duke's private room. 

 On the right-hand side are the drawing-room, 35J feet by 19£, a 

 good-sized ante-room, and a very fine dining-room, 52i feet 

 in length, 24 in breadth, and 24 in height. The left wing is 



