October 11, 1864. ] JOURNAL 



OF 



HORTICULTURE 



AND^COTTAGE GAKDENER. 







285 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day 

 of 



M'nth 



Day 

 of 



Week. 



OCTOBER 11—17, 1864. 



Average Temperature 

 near London. 



Rain in 



last 

 37 years. 



Sun 

 Rises. 



Sun 

 Sets. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 

 after 

 Sun. 



Day of 

 Year. 



11 

 12 

 13 

 14 

 15 

 16 

 17 



Tu 

 W 

 Th 



F 



S 

 Sun 



M 



Elm berries yellow. 



Ash leaves fall. 



Stiff Wheat Grass ripe. 



Swallow last seen. 



Lady Bird hybernates. 



21 Sunday after Trinity. 



Martins last seen. 



Day. 

 61.9 

 60.5 

 60.4 

 60.0 

 58.8 

 58.7 

 58.2 



Night. 

 42.9 

 42.3 

 42.5 

 41.6 

 41.0 

 40.2 

 41.2 



Mean. 

 52 4 

 51.4 

 51.5 

 50.3 

 49.9 

 49.4 

 49.7 



Days. 

 20 

 21 

 19 

 17 

 18 

 16 

 16 



m. h. 



20 af 6 



21 6 

 23 6 



25 6 



26 6 

 28 6 

 30 6 



m. h. 



14af5 



12 5 



10 5 



7 5 



5 5 



3 5 



1 5 



m. h. 

 12 3 

 41 3 



8 4 

 37 4 



S 5 

 44 5 

 25 6 



m. b. 



8 1 

 28 2 

 50 3 

 11 5 

 32 6 

 52 7 



8 9 



11 

 12 

 13 

 14 

 O 

 16 

 17 



m. s, 

 13 20 

 13 35 



13 49 



14 3 

 14 16 

 14 29 

 14 41 



285 

 286 

 287 

 288 

 289 

 290 

 291 



From observations taken near London during the last thirty-seven years, the average day temperature of the week is 59.8°, and its night 

 temperaturo 41.7°. The greatest heat was 74° on the 15th, 1S42 ; and the lowest cold, 24 c , on the 15th, 1860. The greatest fall of rain was 

 1.04 inch. 



BULBS FOE FLOWEE GARDEN DECOEATION- 



{Continued from page 270.) 

 SCILLA. 



OE margins and 

 edgings to beds 

 and borders 

 tliese are very 

 pretty dwarf 

 plants. The 

 prevailing co- 

 lour is blue, 

 though there 

 are some white 

 and pale rose varieties. They 

 require the same treatment 

 as Snowdrops, and like them 

 should not be removed more fre- 

 quently than is necessary for increase, 

 or when the outline becomes broken, 

 or the' clumps too large. _ The flow- 

 ers are in spikes of from six to twelve 

 blooms, bell-shaped, and gracefully 

 pendant. As edgings to beds of Hy- 

 acinths, or for marginal effect in beds 

 of any kind, the Scillas are unrivalled 

 by any plant in their colour during 

 the early spring months. _ 



S cilia sibirica, which is not more 

 than 3 or 4 inches high, has the most 

 charming effect of any plant I know 

 as an edging to a bed of Cloth of 

 Gold Crocus, if planted so as to form 

 a band 6 inches wide ; and round a 

 bed of Hyacinths of red shades, a 

 sis-inch band of Scilla bifolia and 

 an outer ring of S. bifolia alba are 

 quite charming. The best white is 

 probably S. campanulata alba, which 

 is of free growth and a profuse 

 bloomer. S. patula, a porcelain blue, with a good spike, 

 and free in habit and blooming ; S. campanulata (syn. 

 belgica coerulea), fine blue ; and S. amcena, bright blue 

 with erect spike, are the best out of about eighteen. 

 S. peruviana, blue, has large erect trusses ; and there 

 is a white variety of it. Scillas are admirably adapted 

 for marginal effect in window-boxes and baskets when 

 associated with other bulbs. They will grow in all soils, 

 those which are rather light being- preferable, and they 

 require a light open situation. 



ERYTHRONICJM. 



The Erythronium, or Dog's-tooth Yiolet, has orna- 

 mental foliage distinct from that of any other bulb, and 

 lias a fine effect when planted as an edging to beds of 

 Hyacinths, always considering the shades of colour, so 

 that a pleasing arrangement may be made. They are 

 easy of cultivation, but like a light dry soil containing 

 plenty of vegetable matter, as leaf mould. They do best, 

 No. 135.— Vol. TIL. New Series. 



however, in peat soil. Dried bulbs should have a little 

 sand placed round them at the time of planting, otherwise 

 they are very apt to decay in consequence of the absorp- 

 tion of moisture, whilst the root is rendered all but fari- 

 naceous through drying them. They should be planted 

 about 3 inches apart and at the same depth ; and when 

 once planted they should not be again removed until 

 they have increased too much, or until the soil becomes 

 impoverished, which may be known by the weakness of 

 the foliage. The best time to transplant them is imme- 

 diately after the foliage has decayed. They should be 

 replanted the same day ; the largest roots being used for 

 immediate effect, whilst those of less size are put in more 

 closely together in places of minor importance. Ery- 

 thronium amerieanum has yellow flowers, and is fine. 

 Erythronium dens-canis and its variety major have pur- 

 plish blooms ; and the variety alba and its sub-variety 

 major have white blossoms. The leaves are occasionally 

 employed for decorative purposes, the bulbs being in that 

 case potted and forced like Hyacinths. 



HYACINTHS. 



Tliese are unrivalled (and so are all plants for some 

 particular purpose if we only knew it), for producing 

 effect either in beds of one colour, or in marginal lines, 

 balcony-boxes, and ornamental designs, associated with 

 other bulbs or in masses by themselves. The grand 

 secret in forming beds of them is to plant in a line, ring, 

 or bed of one colour, and one variety only, so that the 

 drawback of " mixtures " — that is, different heights, 

 colours, and periods of blooming — may be avoided, the 

 aim being to obtain a bed or border of equal height, and 

 with each colour appearing simultaneously. Mixtures, 

 however, answer perfectly for borders and mixed beds, 

 though not admissible except as neuters in an arrange- 

 ment of beds where an equal and uniform effect is de- 

 sired. Bulbs of this description may be had at a cheap 

 rate, and though not equal to those sold for growing in 

 pots and for forcing, they make a splendid show in April. 

 The colours are white, blue, red, and yellow in different 

 shades. The Hyacinths usually employed for bedding 

 are the second-sized bulbs, or such as have some disquali- 

 fication for being grown in pots — as loss of name, com- 

 monness of sort, this being old, perhaps ; yet they may 

 be good sound bulbs, and calculated to make a fine 

 show. 



Miniature Hyacinths are nothing more nor less than 

 matured small roots of named Hyacinths, which bloom 

 finely for their size, and are therefore admirably adapted 

 for small groups, edgings to beds or borders, baskets, or 

 window-sill boxes or frames. 



When the beds are cleared of their summer occupants 

 it is time to prepare them for planting bulbs to bloom in 

 April, May, and the beginning of June. Nothing is 

 better than deep digging or trenching, placing at the 

 bottom of each bed 6 inches of fresh or recently fallen 

 tree leaves, which should be covered with a foot of soil ; 

 and they will serve to raise the beds considerably, and 

 allow water to drain away freely. In the course of a 

 No. 887.— Vol. XXXII., Old Series. ._. 



