July 11, 1S72. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



29 









WEEKLY 



CALENDAR. 















Day 



Day 





Average Tempera- 



Rain in 



Sun 



Sun 



Moon 



Moon 





Clock 



Day 



Month 



Week. 



JULY 11—17, 1872. 



ture near London. 



43 yeara. 



Rises. 



Sets. 



Rises. 



Sets. 



Age. 

 Days. 



Sun. 



Year. 









Day. 



Night. 



Mean. 



Days. 



m. h. 



m. h. 



m. h. 



m. h. 



m. s. 





11 



Th 



Royal Botanic Society's Show closes. 



73.1 



50.7 



63.0 



11 



59 al3 



Ilaf8 



S9af 9 



17 af 3 



5 14 



193 



12 



F 





75.9 



50.5 



63.2 



11 



4 



11 8 



49 10 



29 1 



7 



5 21 



191 



13 



S 





76.1 



51.1 



63.7 



15 



1 4 



10 8 



after. 



11 5 



5 



5 28 



195 



14 



Sun 



7 Sunday after Trinity. 



71.5 



50.5 



62.5 



15 



2 4 



9 8 



18 1 



55 5 



9 



5 35 



196 



15 



M 



St. Swithin. 



76.6 



50.7 



63.7 



22 



3 4 



9 8 



36 2 



10 6 



10 



5 41 



197 



16 



To 





76.0 



50.1 



63.0 



17 



4 4 



8 8 



4 



29 7 



11 



5 47 



198 



17 



W 



Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit, Floral, 



71-3 



51.3 



62.8 



16 



5 4 



7 8 



25 5 



23 8 



12 



5 52 



199 







[and General Meeting. 





















From observations taken near London during forty-three years, the average day temperature of the week is 75.5°; and its night temperature 



50.7°. The greatest heat was 91", on the 17th, 1831; and the lowest cold 33°, on the 17th, 1863. The greatest fall of rain was 1.60 inch. 





ON GROWING AND GATHERING ORNAMENTAL 

 GRASSES. 



■ SHORT time ago, a correspondent said that 

 lie had just seen " a collection of dried orna- 

 mental Grasses, very interesting and highly 

 deserving of notice, hut," continued he, " I 

 should like to know a little more about them, 

 and whether they are easily grown, and 

 dried in the condition of those exhibited." 

 If, therefore, Mr. Robson and others who 

 may feel interested in these Grasses, will 

 kindly accept just " a little more " about 

 them, I will try to state briefly what I have learnt by 

 eight or nine years' experience in growing them. 



How and when to sow the seed are, as might be ex- 

 pected, matters of importance. Never sow it thickly, for 

 there is often some feature of beauty in the habit of a 

 Grass only developed by virtue of allowing room for free 

 and unentangled growth. All this is lost, and more also, 

 by a Mustard-and-Cress style of sowing ; just as the 

 beauty, bloom, and duration of annuals are provided 

 against by dooming them to spindle in dense rings round 

 their little central stick ! 



Seeds of the hardy Grasses may be either raised in 

 pots, and without being drawn, or sown at once in the 

 open ground, the utmost care being taken that the ger- 

 minating seeds be never allowed to get dried. By sowing 

 the seed upon well-broken earth, and afterwards gently 

 raking it over, I have found enough seeds covered lightly 

 to make a thick-enough crop. The best time to sow the 

 hardy Grasses will be found to vary for different kinds. 



A finer development of some will be obtained by sowing 

 the seed as soon as it is ripe, in June or July. The young 

 plants will appear during a period of wet weather, will 

 get stocky by the autumn, stand the winter with the 

 Wheat, have roots below March dust, and bloom before 

 they can well be btu-nt-up. I say burnt-up advisedly ; 

 for Grasses want something of sunshine and open ah', and 

 should not be grown in dark places which are all well 

 enough for Ferns and Mosses. 



A few very pretty Grasses that come stronger when 

 allowed to stand the winter are Agrostis nebulosa and 



A. pulchella, Bromus briz»formis and B. lanuginosus, 

 Lagurus ovatus, Hordeum jubatum (perennial), and Hor- 

 deum myuroides. 



Other commendable sorts which have escaped in mild 

 winters, but certainly done well for spring sowing, are 

 Brizopyrum siculum (most bonnie), Briza maxima and 



B. minima, and Agrostis laxiflora. Phalaris paradoxa, 

 P. minor, and even P. canariensis may be used, but should 

 not be overgrown. The last-named is the familiar Canary 

 seed, and a bunch of the ripe ears which I possess is very 

 striking among the more solid ornamentals. The species 

 of. Chloris, Eleusine, Panicum, Pennisetmn, and Sorghum 

 are but half-hardy, and possess more or less a tropical luxu- 

 riance of growth. I have to treat them to a hotbed until the 

 end of May, when they go out to some sunny spot under a 

 south wall. The varieties of Chloris are all very curious, 



No 589— Vol. XXIII.. New Semes. 



the ears consisting of a number of radiating arms in 

 various modifications. Chloris radiata (when true), cucul- 

 lata, and truncata are amongst the most distinct that I 

 have met with. To be reckoned as a little gem among 

 half-hardy Grasses is Stipa elegantissima. Each awned 

 grain stands upon a delicately-feathered footstalk, the 

 form of the ear resembling that of some of the Oat 

 Grasses. 



The time to gather Grasses for ornamental purposes 

 is a matter of great importance. Some sorts dry to 

 the best advantage when cut almost before they bloom 

 at all ; for at the least development beyond the flower- 

 ing stage they will when dry fall away at a touch. 

 The Barley Grasses (Hordeum) and the Pennisetums 

 should be taken even before the heads are quite out of 

 the sheath-blades. Others are best preserved when cut 

 as the inflorescence expands, say half along the ears. 

 This applies to Bromus brizaeformis and lanuginosus, 

 Brizopyrum siculum, and all the Brizas from maxima to 

 minima. The Chloris, Eleusine, and some of the Panicum 

 species, should not stand beyond their bloom. If out too 

 soon these would not preserve their form nor fully show 

 it, and if left beyond would too easily fall to pieces. 

 Some Grasses, again, are much mare beautiful if left to 

 perfect their seed before being cut, otherwise the heads 

 will more or less shrink up and close. This would be so 

 with Agrostis nebulosa and pulchella, while Lagurus ova- 

 tus may, with advantage, be also left till ripe ; so may 

 some of the sorts of Panicum and Sorghum, for they 

 bear grain distinct enough to form one feature of at- 

 tractiveness. 



As to bleaching dried Grasses after the manner of 

 skeleton leaves and seed-pods, the only method I ever 

 tried was that of steeping them for a time in a solution 

 of chloride of lime until the tissues seemed whitened, and 

 were so when dry. The time required has seemed to 

 vary, but care must be taken not to overdo the specimens, 

 or they will be injured in the process. I have no doubt 

 that, like myself, anyone experimenting will soon learn 

 to pick his way after a few of those little troubles that 

 make one wise. 



I have named but a few out of the Grasses I have, 

 grown, but these are abiding favourites ; and although 

 I have beauties far more rich and rare among my Auri- 

 culas and other florists' flowers, still the lowly graces of 

 the family of the Grasses have a winsomeness of their 

 own that does not weary. — P. D. Horner, Kirhhy Mal- 

 zeard, Mipon. 



FIGS IN POTS. 

 I think if anyone were to see my Fig trees just now they 

 would agree with me, that the proper way of cultivating 

 them is to grow thern in pots plunged in the soil. Figs 

 in pots unplunged require great attention as to watering, 

 feeding, &c, and often drop their fruit. Even where 

 the fruit on pot trees is seen in a ripe state it is generally 

 small, and deficient in flavour. On the other hand, Figs 

 planted out, as a rule, grow too strongly to fruit well till 

 of considerable age. In large pots plunged deeply enough 



No. 1241.— Vol. XLVIIL, Old Series. 



