VOL LV.— No. 3,040. 



SATUEDAY, FEBRUAEY 3, 1912 



THE 



GARD 



NE 



MAGAZINE 



NOTE OF THE WEEK. arrange themselves into a crystalline form areas to t lie soutli and north of their pre- 



in such a manner as to occupy more space 

 than before, instead of less, as is the case 

 with nearly all other bod 



sent limits, while, of course, both seas and 

 oceans within the range of winter frosts 

 would become solidified, as well as the ter- 



sight, seems an unimportant fact, but, 

 nevertheless, were it not for this our world 

 would be a very different one to what it 

 is. and its habitable area would be im- 



educed. Thanks to this property, pansion ; there is another. 



The advent at last of a period of truly 



inter weather is a matter of general con- 

 _ratulation to all who are in a position to 

 <lt^fend themselves against the effects of 

 i»it ng cold and searching wind. Both the 

 farmer and the gardener, though prevented 



hv the ironbound condition of the soil from ice, bulk for bulk, weighs less than water, 

 <loing much on the land, is fully aware that since the same contents occupy more space, 

 an immensity of good is being 

 done by its internal disintegra- 

 tion and mellowing, by the 

 ])i*obable consequent reduction 

 of vermin^ and last, but not 

 Icastj by checking }>etimes un- 

 seasonable growth, which, 



would be 



The young 

 ;)ud the healthy of all ages, 

 tind themselves invigorated, 

 ;nid are enabled to revel in the 

 outdoor sports of skating, 

 sliding, snow^balling^ tobogan- 

 ing, curling, etc.^ etc., which 

 .lack Frost alone is capable of 

 tacilitating, and the whole 

 ' ountry assumes a new and re- 

 treshing aspect under the 

 'irilliant coating of 

 hoarfrost which winter proper 

 biings in its train. Reflect- 

 ing upon all this, and the 

 nimonse difference such condi- 



piece of ice of a given size, is larger than restrial water areas aforesaid. Hence it 

 its constituent bulk of water. This, at first would only be in tropical or sub.tropical 



regions^ where frost is rarely experienced, 

 that humanity could flour 'sh or vegetation 

 thrive. This represents, however, but one 



effect of this apparently unimportant 



Water, with 



its penetrative power, pervades all oui- rock 

 systems, whether in their solid stratified 



state, or in their decomposed 

 superficial forms, which con- 

 stitutes the bulk of our soils. 

 This water, no matter how 

 finely diffused, fills the cracks, 



and interstices, and 



St )oner or later 

 bound to suffer. 



snow or 



^^'iu^ present when compared 

 with the decidedly miserable, 

 nniddy, misty, and moist ones 

 \vhich have prevailed for 

 ^ long, it is curious to think 

 that a change of a few degrees 



crev:ces « , 



when, by exposure, it falls to 

 32 degrees F., it« molecules 

 irresistibly demand greater 

 space, and consequently force 

 the containing walls farther 

 apart. After a frost we see 

 peculiarly clear evi<lence of 

 this in every gravel walk, 

 where, not merely is it ren- 

 dered soft, but every pebble 

 will be seen to have been 



seen 



clearly lifted, 

 loose in a cavity. 



and 



now lies 

 It is this 



1^ 



property which mellows the 

 land for the gardener's benefit 

 by disintegrating the most ob- 

 durato soil to the very ut- 



n ■ 



V 



most and thus 



entry 



LK.-J'.'-^-'^£t> 



O 



ill ,^ ■! Jhiv- r 



MR. W. HOPKINS. 



giving 



eventually to the roots of his 

 crops more effectively than any 

 implements could do. When, 

 too, we view a wide prospect 

 of hill and dale, shaj)(Hi 

 mainly by the denuding action 

 of the stream.': whicli int*Msect 

 it, here, too, it is frost which 

 does an immensity of disinte- 

 grating work, disrupting bit 

 by bit every rcK'k which water 

 can permeate, by the irresis- 

 tible expansion in question. 

 To this we owe the great bulk 



Did water contract continuouslv by cooling, of our fertile alluvial soil, which forms the 

 as it does until, as it were, the last moment major part of our cultivable land. 



Illy, as indicated by the ther- 

 mometer is sufficient to do so 

 iJincb, On one occasion re- 

 **^ntly, witli tlie thermometer 

 I'l the London suburbs ut 31 

 <legrce.s, th« warmth of the 

 ^^«> 1 was sufficient to check the 

 ti'ost. and the mixture of rain, 



t. and snow which accompanied this 

 I'lnporatiire, simply aggravated matters. ... 



"ut in tile country, however, a difference when ice is f«rme<l, ice no sO'oner than formed 

 "f only two or three degrees sufficed to 

 prodiu-e heavy snowfalls, deep enough t-o 

 '"nH'fle traffic seriously, 

 places, that somewhat rare ]iheiioiiienoii 

 <•! rain freezing as it fell clothed everv- 

 tlung with ice, and did much damage to 

 t'<H.s and shrubs by it« accumulated weight. 



turning point of such phenomena is 32 

 •Jl<>grces of Fahrenheit, hence termed the 

 t'-.'znm ix.int. or point of wmgelation of 



' At that point, and this constitutes, ture due to accumulation, uit- p - ■ . ^, i ^u^^ pame two 



.""'-"tedly. one of the most providentia icecaps would again, as they have before, B.mingham, ^^^''^^^^ '^^^^^ 

 '^'^-^ <'t Nature, the molecules of still water for a different reason, invade enormous other years spent in the fiuit plant 



would sink to the bottom, and go on accu- 



Being thus withdrawn 



and, in many 



m til at in g 



there . 



Mr. W 



The 



from the thawing and evajjorating influence 

 of open air and sunlight, it wouhl even- 

 tually reach the surface, and every stream, 

 pond, and lake woid<l very speedily be 

 frozen solid, instead of being <over(Hl. and 

 thus protected by a suijerficial sheet. In 



all probability, also, owing to the conse- Sander and Sons. 



Esq 



Westfield, Woking, has been prominently 

 before the public during recent years as a 

 successful cultivator of carnations, of sweet 

 I)eas, and of orchids. At the beginning of 

 his career he spent six years with Messrs. 



St. Albans, chieilv in 



Two years 



qtient more per 

 ture due to accumulation, the great polar 



the hybridising <lepartment. 

 among Mr. C. Winns orchids at Selly Hill, 



