Augnst 11, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



97 









WEEKLY 



CALENDAR. 















Day 



of 



Month 



Day 

 of 



Week. 



AUGUST 11—17, 1870. 



Average Tempera- 

 ture near London. 



Rain in 



last 

 43 years. 



Sun 

 Rises. 



Sun 

 Sets. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 



before 

 Sun. 



Day 



of 



Year. 



11 

 12 

 IS 

 14 

 15 

 16 

 17 



Th 



F 



S 



Sun 



M 



Tu 



W 



Birmingham Horticultural Show opens. 

 Birmingham Horticultural Show closes. 

 9 Sunday after Trinity. 



Warrington Horticultural Show. 

 Royal Horticultural Society Fruit, Floral, 

 [and General Meeting. 



Day. 

 75.8 

 75.1 

 74 5 

 72.9 

 73.1 

 73.0 

 72.7 



Night. 

 50.7 

 50.5 

 50.0 

 50.8 

 60.0 

 51.5 

 50.1 



Mean. 

 63.2 

 62.8 

 62.3 

 61.8 

 61.6 

 62.2 

 61.4 



Days. 

 20 

 16 

 19 

 18 

 17 

 21 

 23 



m. h. 

 41af4 

 42 4 



44 4 



45 4 



46 4 



47 4 

 49 4 



m. h. 

 29 af 7 

 27 7 

 25 7 

 23 7 

 21 7 

 19 7 

 17 7 



m. h. 



af 8 

 26 8 

 47 8 



5 9 

 23 9 

 43 9 



1 10 



m. h. 

 17af4 

 29 5 

 40 6 

 50 7 

 58 8 

 4 10 

 11 11 



Days. 

 O 



15 

 16 

 17 

 18 

 19 

 20 



m. s. 

 4 59 

 4 49 

 4 39 

 4 28 

 4 17 

 4 5 

 3 53 



223 

 224 

 225 

 226 

 227 

 228 

 229 



From observations taken near London during the last forty-three years, the average day temperature of the week is 73. 9 3 , and its night 

 temperature 50.5°. The greatest heat waB 92°, on the 11th, 1835; and the lowest cold 33', on the 11th, 1864. The greatest fall of rain was 

 1.14 inch. 



THE BLACK CURRANT. 



F all the Mnds of bush fruit grown for the 

 markets, the Black Currant is undoubtedly 

 the most profitable. Its easy cultivation, 

 the vigour with which it grows in almost all 

 soils, and its great fruitfulness are all points 

 in its favour. It flourishes in the cold Weal- 

 den clay, in which but few other fruit trees 

 will thrive, and it is considered poor soil 

 indeed in which the Black Currant will not 

 grow ; nor is its crop so much affected by 

 being shaded during its growth as that of other fruits would 

 be, for most flourishing plantations of it may be seen grow- 

 ing around and under standard trees. 



But while all this may be said in its favour, it must also 

 be granted that it is a gross-feeding plant, increasing in 

 vigour in proportion to the quality of the soil, and it will 

 well repay the fruit-grower for all the manure he can 

 bestow upon it. Some little care is, however, necessary 

 in regard to the way in which manure is applied ; no 

 practice can possibly be worse than to dig in manure in 

 the way in which it is sometimes done, the fork going into 

 the ground so deeply as to tear off quantities of the young 

 roots, thus doing more harm than good. This deep culture 

 may answer very well when the plants are young, but as 

 they attain a larger size, and the roots gradually spread 

 farther and farther, manure is best given as a top-dressing 

 or in a liquid state. 



In propagating the Black Currant it is a common prac- 

 tice to leave a clear stem of nearly a foot in length ; now 

 this is not only unnecessary, but is altogether a mistake, 

 as it is impossible for such trees with their long stems to 

 continue to produce such fine fruit as others, the branches 

 of which spring from the ground erect and strong, and 

 whose vigour and size is constantly increased by the sturdy 

 suckers springing up and taking the place of the older 

 wood. 



As an example of what can be done with such bushes, 

 I may instance two fine rows of Black Currants growing 

 in the gardens of the Earl of Romney. These bushes are 

 upwards of twenty years old ; they "were planted 6 feet 

 apart, but have grown with such vigour that notwithstand- 

 ing the freedom with which they have constantly been 

 pruned, they are now 5 feet high, and the side branches of 

 every tree touch those of its neighbour. Nothing can ex- 

 ceed the robust appearance of these splendid bushes. The 

 soil about their roots has not been disturbed for some years 

 past, with the exception of being deeply hoed on the sur- 

 face a few times in summer, in order to work-in the annual 

 top-dressing of hotbed manure. In favourable seasons the 

 fruit crop averages four gallons on each bush ; this year 

 it will not be so good, as the crop has suffered from the 

 late spring frosts. 



The sight of these large bushes, which from the vigour 

 of their young growth appear likely to flourish for twenty 

 years longer, and the large crops of fine fruit which they 

 produce, are enough to set one thinking ; and after making 

 a calculation of the value of Jheir produce at the rate of 

 No. 489.— Vol. SIX, New Sebies.- 



Ad. per quart, as given by " A Lancashire Subscriber," 

 in No. 470 of this Journal, so enormous is the total, and 

 so much in excess of what it is customary to speak of, that 

 one hardly likes to put it on paper. However, here are 

 my facts, and I would ask all growers of fruit for profit to 

 give them the notice they deserve. An acre of such trees 

 planted 6 feet apart will contain 1210 plants, and taking 

 the crop at 4 gallons or 16 quarts per bush, at 4<Z. per 

 quart, we have the astounding sum of ;£322 13s. id per 

 acre. Now, I do not pretend to say that an acre of Black 

 Currants has ever produced such a crop, but here we have 

 forty-two bushes growing side by side, the yield of which 

 has been up to this average in every favourable season 

 for some time past, and therefore there can be no reason 

 why an acre, or many acres, of such trees should not be 

 capable of producing some such desirable results. 



And this leads to the inquiry, Why is it that such fine 

 Black Currant trees are not more frequently to be met 

 with ? It may be that the answer is contained in the fact 

 that the hardy and accommodating nature of the Black 

 Currant causes it generally to be planted in poor soil and 

 in an equally bad situation, and so it is very rarely indeed 

 that the requisite conditions are afforded to enable it to 

 attain its fullest development. 



Now these conditions are few, simple, and easily under- 

 stood. Large juicy fruit always commands the best sale. 

 Such fruit is only produced on the young vigorous growth 

 of the preceding year ; it must, therefore, be our aim to 

 obtain an abundance of such wood by planting in a deep 

 rich loam, by manuring freely, and by cutting away the 

 old and thinning the young wood, so as to admit air and 

 light. Such being the case, it must be admitted, that while 

 no fruit tree is so useful as the Black Currant for planting 

 in poor soil, yet none thrives better or yields such rich 

 returns when enjoying the advantages of a good soil and 

 generous treatment. — Edward Luckhurst, Egerton House 

 Gardens, Kent. 



SELECT GARDEN ROSES. 



Doubtless as the autumn comes on there 'will be many 

 inquiries for the best varieties of Roses for planting. In 

 anticipation of these, I have made out a list which I think 

 will not fail to please those who may select from it. The 

 selection is taken from a large collection of Roses growing 

 here, and I offer it with a view more particularly to suit 

 those who contemplate making new plantations, or a rosery, 

 and where the soil does not approach that standard of 

 fertility generally recommended and required for the culti- 

 vation of the more delicate kinds of Roses. I have, there- 

 fore, excluded most of the latter, because, from experience, 

 I consider it useless to plant anything but Roses of vigor- 

 ous growth and constitution, unless the soil and situation 

 be very suitable. 



The site of the Rose garden at this place is good, being 

 well sheltered from the north and east, but it is laid well 

 open to the south and west ; the soil, however, was very 

 poor, a hungry- looking clayey loam, but now that it is well 

 drained and enriched with manure it grows Roses well ; 

 No. llil.-Y0L, XLTV., Old Semes. 



