76 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
up again, and showed the earth temperature at the daily depth of 
a foot. Then there was a stand of thermometers, the explanation 
of which would be bewildering could I hope to reproduce it. 
Then an instrument was shown me for weighing the rain, as if 
they had not had enough of it. in the gauges ! Last year must 
have given some employment. Then an anemometer—in fact 
two ; then an instrument for registering the hours of sunshine, 
which pleased me most of all through its brilliant simplicity. 
Visiting it on the roof of the house was really an almost perilous 
process. I had observed with some dismay that the temperature 
on the grass was 70°. However, I had to follow “my guide, 
philosopher, and friend ” up through a trap door into a little 
chamber under the slates, which he pleasingly suggested to me to 
touch. On emerging, all but failing, I gasped out an entreaty 
that he would test the temperature here. Of course a huge ther¬ 
mometer was immediately produced, and he calmly remarked that 
it was slightly over 100°. The Black Hole of Calcutta must have 
been cool by comparison. However, I was repaid by the helio¬ 
graph, a large round glass globe, which acts as a burning glass on 
a long strip of blue card, placed daily beneath it, and graduated 
into hours division, which are traversed by a line of scorching 
whenever there is sunshine. I should have mentioned before that 
the interesting inmates of the garden wear tin helmets in wet 
weather, and the same with a white cap cover when afraid of the 
heat. That which I have attempted to describe is a marvellous 
instance of how high scientific faculties when directed to Bose- 
growing can make a great success out of very limited appliances— 
one more proof, if it were needed, that cleverness is only another 
word for a great faculty for painstaking. Like the first Caesar— 
“ Nil actum reputans dum quid superabat agendum.” 
‘•'Counting nothing as done while anything yet remained over to be done.” 
—A. C. 
A WEEK OUT—KEW GARDENS.—No. 2. 
Continuing my notes from page 44 I will first refer to the 
Orchids that were flowering in the national collection. These 
were Vanda suavis, V. tricolor, Aerides affine, A. odoratum, Laelia 
purpurata, Epidendrum radiatum, E. expansum, Trochilus linearis, 
grassy tufts ; Epidendrum virens, singular green flowers ; E. va- 
riegatum, green and black-barred flower ; E. ellipticum, pink ; 
Cattleya Mossiae, Ccelogyne ochracea, white and yellow, very 
sweet; Brassia verrucosa, green and white, very fine ; B. macu- 
lata, yellow-barred ; Thunia Marsballi, white, handsome ; Lycaste 
Deppei, greenish white, yellow-spotted ; Masdevallia Lindeni, pink ; 
Mesospinidium roseum, pale rose, beautiful; Lycaste aromatica, 
yellow, fragrant; the lovely Utricularia montana, an epiphytal 
Bladderwort, growing in baskets, flowers white, with bright yellow 
palate, very beautiful; Odontoglossum pulchellum, white, purple- 
spotted ; Oncidium macranthum, immense spikes of large flowers, 
deep yellow, lip blotched with purplish crimson, very showy ; 
O. sphacelatum, 0. leucochilum, and Maxillaria tenuifolia. Of 
Cypripediums, C. barbatum, C. Parishi, and C. longifolium. In the 
Sarracenia house were Drosera binata, very pretty ; Sarracenia 
hvbrida, and the beautiful S. Moorei in good form. 
Conspicuous at the entrance to the succulent house was the beau¬ 
tiful twining plant Bomarea Carderi, bearing pendulous terminal 
cymes of bell-shaped flowers of a pale rose or pink colour, the ends 
of the segments spotted with purplish brown ; a very handsome 
greenhouse climber. In addition to a lot of grand Agaves, &c., 
were the lovely Asparagus consanguineus, with foliage finer than 
any Fern, a splendid plant for decorative purposes and sprays for 
cutting—finer even than A. plumosus ; Jatropha podagrica with 
its gouty stem and fine orange scarlet umbel-like heads of flowers ; 
and the old but very useful Euphorbia splendens. In fine con¬ 
trast were E. lactea with huge stems and yellow flowers ; Opuntia 
monacantha had grand deep yellow flowers, and Sempervivum 
velutinum had spreading bunches of yellow flowers. 
Of Ferns I remarked in the tropical house Gymnogramma 
trifoliata, Lygodium pirmatifium, L. dichotomum, and Oleandra 
articulata as fine pillar plants, the latter a creeping kind, and fine 
for overhanging rocks or baskets. In Trichomanes were T. frondo- 
sum, very fine ; T. alatum ; T. trichoideum, small, elegant, very 
beautiful ; and the curious Liverwort-like T. membranaceum. 
Hymenophyllums were very fine, particularly H. javanicum, 
H.hirsutum, H.ciliatum, and H.lineare, Trichomanes pyxidiferum 
being very beautiful. These are grown under glasses. 
Palm House. —Higginsia Ghiesbreghtii variegata was noticeable 
for its finely marbled distinct foliage and adaptability for decora¬ 
tive purposes. The Malay Apple (Jambosa malaccensis) with 
scarlet bottle-brush-like flowers produced freely from the old wood, 
and is only suitable for large houses from its tree growth. Ence- 
phalartos longifolius is a noble Cycad, very fine for conservatory, 
also Podocarpus cupressina with Yew-like foliage. Acalypha 
margiData is one of the most distinct of this fine genus of decora¬ 
tive plants, and in a small state makes good table plants, having 
bronzy leaves margined bright rose. Stigmaphyllum ciliatum, 
a fine climber with yellow flowers ; Petraea volubilis, twiner, 
with bluish purple flowers, very effective ; and the singular Yitis 
gongyloides was noteworthy. Crinum asiaticum with white 
flowers and pink stamens was very effective and sweet-scented. 
fiEchmea glomerata with lovely blue flowers, which in contrast with 
the scarlet bracts are very pleasing, and Sterculia ornata had 
effective marked ornamental foliage. 
Aquatic House —Here were the pick Sacred Bean (Nelum- 
bium speciosum') and the yellow species (Nelumbium luteum), and 
pink and white Water Lily (Nymphaga versicolor) the blue-flowered 
Pontederia eserulea, and yellow-flowered Jussifea natans, and Lim- 
nocharis Plumieri, Thalia dealbata relieving the flat water surface 
admirably. Ceratopteris thalictroides thriving admirably treated 
as a semi-aquatic. The railing around the tank had trained to it 
Ipomsea (Batatas) paniculata, bearing large pink Convolvulus 
flowers, a fine climber where there is plenty of room. Russelia 
sarmentosa, semi-scandent, a pillar plant, bearing scarlet flowers, 
finer even than R. juncea. 
Temperate House.— Eutaxia myrtifolia with its pretty orange 
Pea-shaped flowers was very beautiful, and the highly ornamental 
E. longissima of pendant habit and narrow striped leaves. Kerria 
japonica variegata forms a highly ornamental shrub, profusely 
flowered (yellow) ; Hydrangea japonica rosea alba, a very neat¬ 
growing free-flowering plant for pots ; Rhododendron Jenkinsi, 
white waxy flowers, and very sweet; as was also R. Maddeni, 
white ; Rhodochiton volubile, purple Bellflower, a neat pillar plant; 
Swammerdamia glomerata, with heads of white flowers, a pretty 
evergreen shrub about 3 feet high ; Bossima linophylla, drooping 
habit, bearing bright yellow Pea-shaped flowers profusely, very 
fine, contrasting grandly with the bright red flowers of Boronia 
c-latior ; and the pretty Bauera rubioides, rosy purple ; Clianthus 
puniceus was fine as a pillar plant, bearing its Pea-flowers abun¬ 
dantly ; Ruscus androgynus is the most graceful of all pillar 
plants for a lofty conservatory, its fine pendant foliage having a 
grand effect ; Coprosma lucida, bright shining evergreen, loaded 
with yellow berries ; Malva capensis, fine white cup-shaped 
flowers, very effective ; Fuchsia thymifolia, very pretty habit 
and foliage, with beautiful crimson flowers ; and the evergreen 
Serissa foetida, bearing profusely white semi-double flowers ; the 
very fine Viburnum plicatum, with balls of white ; and the Funkia 
undulata variegata, as fine for decoration as many plants more 
choice, rare, and expensive.—G. Abbey. 
YELLOW IN THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Those who write so strongly against bedding-out, or the scarlet- 
and-yellow style of summer flower garden decoration, never 
fail to point out the “vulgar” way in which Golden Feather, 
yellow Calceolarias, and other plants and flowers of this colour are 
employed ; but I had no conception until a few days ago of the very 
little regard that is paid to the teaching of the “ floral reformers.” 
Of all the colours used in the London parks and gardens none 
predominate so much as yellow. To such an extent is this colour 
employed, that in looking sideways at a series of carpet beds in 
Battersea Park scarcely anything but yellow can be seen, and to 
see a bed in any of the parks without yellow in it is quite the 
exception. At the Crystal Palace large circles of yellow Calceo¬ 
laria take the eye from everything else ; and altogether I should 
say country gai-deners going to London for new ideas must return 
with the determination to employ yellow with more caution than 
ever. This colour in proper proportion may be adopted with the 
best results in many combinations, but, in my opinion it is one of 
the most dangerous colours to work with, and should never be 
employed to a very great extent. While on this subject I may 
say that some of the most pleasing beds of the season are those 
planted with a well-balanced mixture of whitedeaved Geraniums 
and blue Lobelia.— J. Muir, Margam. 
THE CELERY FLY. 
Judging from several inquiries on the subject that have reached 
us this week we fear that this insect is much too general. Last 
year many crops were ruined, and unless prompt measures are 
taken to examine the plants daily and remove the affected leaves 
or crush the maggots in them similar losses may occur this year. 
All our inquirers do not appear to know that the blisters on the 
leaves contain small green grubs, and that these grubs are the 
larva of the Celery Fly (Tephritis onopordinis). The grubs may 
be found in the leaves of the Celery in June, July, September, 
