540 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 28, 1833. 
- A correspondent of “Vick’s Illustrated Magazine” 
gives the following account of plants in New Zealand :— 
“ Many of the double Gilias grow here to the height of 4 feet 
6 inches, and you may fancy what a thicket of them I had, having 
planted them according to height in catalogue ; the single ones 
were from 1 foot to 18 inches high. The double Clarkias and 
Godetias make the grandest show I ever saw : there are some of 
both of these plants which grow in tree form that are nearly 5 feet 
high. The tall double Scabiosa grows 5 feet 6 inches in height. 
Snapdragon, which in Canada grew about 18 inches high, grows 
here in the third year from planting 5 feet 2 inches, and reached 
the same in circumference. One year after sowing a plant of 
Verbena covered a space of 5 feet; what length it would have 
reached I cannot say, as I cut it back to keep it off the garden 
walk. I have Mignonette, the seed of which was sown last 
November, and one plant of it covers a space of over 3 feet. On 
the other hand, there are several flowers that do not do so well, 
notably the Zinnia and Balsam. The Zinnia gives very few double 
flowers, and will not stand transplanting. The Balsam gives few 
flowers, and those very weak. The Snowball and Lilacs do miser- 
ably, but Roses here go far beyond anything I ever saw in America, 
and are of the easiest possible culture.” 
- The American Cultivator states that “ Every spring 
Peach-growers select specimen branches from variously situ¬ 
ated trees, and these are placed in hothouses and their ends 
dipped in water that is kept tepid. Then the buds are forced 
until an expert can tell, with the aid of a microscope, precisely 
what the nature of the coming crop will be. From these and 
other recognised indications it is thought that the yield this year 
will be of average bulk and of the finest flavour.” This “ finest 
flavour ” prognostic as determined by the microscope, we think 
rather clever. 
- The closing meeting of the Meteorological Society 
of the present session was held on Wednesday evening, the 20th 
inst., at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Mr. J. K. Laughton, 
M.A., F.R.A.S., President, in the chair, when the following 
papers were read :—1, “On the Structure of the Ice-cloud Disposed 
in Threads, proposed to be called Cirro-filum,” by the Rev. W. 
Clement Ley, M.A., F.M.S. Of the cirriform clouds one of the 
most important to the weather forecaster is that to which the 
author has given the name cirro-filum. Having from the time 
he was twelve years of age carefully studied this cloud wheneve 
visible, and having for the last twenty-five years made it the 
subject of minute study, he is enabled to bring forward some 
results which may prove of value. The author then gave, first, 
a short account of the mode in which he was led to prosecute 
this study ; secondly, a classification of the more recent and 
reliable observations ; and, lastly, an explanation of the principal 
phenomena observed. 2, “Notes on a Second Series of Experi¬ 
ments on the Distribution of Pressure upon Flat Surfaces Per¬ 
pendicularly Exposed to the Wind,” by Richard H. Curtis, F.M.S. 
The results obtained in these experiments agree very closely with 
those of the former experiments. 3, “ On the Reduction of Wind 
Records,” by the Hon. Ralph Abercromby, F.M.S. The author 
discussed the significance and best method of deducing from 
anemographic records the total quantity, the quantity from diffe¬ 
rent points of the compass, the relative frequency, the mean and 
annual velocity, the mean velocity from different quarters, the 
resultant, and the mean and diurnal direction of the wind. 4, 
“ The Spectroscope as an Aid to Forecasting Weather,” by 
F. W. Cory, M.R.C.S., F.M.S. 5, “Note on River Temperatures 
as Compared with Air Temperatures at Greenwich and Bremen,” 
by Robert H. Scott, M.A., F.R.S. The author compared the 
results given in a recent paper by Sir G. B. Airy on a comparison 
between the records of the temperature of the Thames and those 
of air temperature taken at Greenwich with those published by 
Herr von Freeden for the temperature of the Weser, as compared 
with that of the air near Bremen, for the ten years 1858-67. 
AMERICAN WONDER PEA. 
As the season of Peas is come round again, perhaps a few 
words on the above variety will not be out of place here, and 
may be of service to a few persons who have not grown it. 
I think it is the most useful Pea I have ever grown, and this 
year it has been particularly satisfactory both as regards quantity 
and quality and the time of producing. Sown here ten days 
later than Suttons’ Ringleader, pods were fit to gather just a 
week before Ringleader, and they are a full fortnight before 
Suttons’ Little Gem, which I consider a very useful Pea. The 
aspect in all three cases are the same, only that the Wonder has 
the least manure and the rows are 2 feet apart, whereas the others 
are 4 feet, and at the least there is double the quantity of the 
Wonder on the same space of ground as the best of the other two, 
which is Little Gem. They are as near as possible 1 foot high, 
and average from eight to twelve pods on a plant, and six to eight 
peas in a pod. When it is better known I think it will find a 
prominent place in every garden. Sown here in an unheated 
Peach case on 9th of February, I gathered from them on 
May 31st, but the crop was not so heavy as it was outside. 
I think Messrs. Sutton are to be congratulated on the pro¬ 
duction of this Pea.—J. Smith, Surrey. 
THE PROPOSED SCOTTISH AURICULA SOCIETY. 
With regard to your note concerning the initiation of an Auricula 
Society for Scotland I have no doubt that it could easily he at¬ 
tained. The number of growers is increasing year by year, and 
several I know have collections of a few hundred plants. A society 
to bring growers together in friendly rivalry is just what is wanted, 
and perhaps there is no fitter time than the present to start one. 
I have mentioned the matter to a few growers, and though each 
and all admitted the desirability of such a society, they wanted 
something more to induce them to take up the matter seriously. 
Although there are growers round the three large centres—Dundee, 
Glasgow, and Edinburgh, it might be difficult to maintain good 
working societies for each of these centres. The question then 
would be which centre to take. I would say Edinburgh, as its 
position is the most central of the three. There are in addition 
to the many growers round that city a very large contingent in the 
Merse and on both sides of the Border who naturally gravitate 
to Edinburgh, while Stirlingshire and Fifeshire growers are quite 
as near that city as the others named. I know there are many 
Auricula growers who are Journal readers, and I am sure the 
Editor would make room for the opinion of any of those who are 
favourable to the scheme of for min g an association for the better 
cultivation of the Auricula in the north. Personally I think the 
time is ripe for Buch an association, and I shall be glad to support 
it if formed. — R. P. Brotherston. 
[Another letter on this subject arrived too late for insertion ; it 
will be published next week.] 
GARDEN VIEW IN MADEIRA—QUINTA ST. ANNA. 
Few places are more favourably situated for the growth of 
flowers, fruits, and vegetables than the small Island of Madeira, 
situated in the Atlantic Ocean, on the north-western coast of 
Africa. The area of the island is considerably less than 400 miles. 
It is one huge basaltic rock, the highest point reaching an eleva¬ 
tion of upwards of 6000 feet above the sea level. The moun¬ 
tainous sides of the island are traversed by narrow valleys and 
streams of water. The sheltered valleys abound with vineyards 
and gardens. The climate is mild and equable, the mean tem¬ 
perature being about 68°. These conditions are highly favourable 
to the health of residents and visitors, and the place has been a 
health resort for centuries. The island has one drawback in the 
hurricanes of wind which at times pass over it. The capital town 
is Funchal, from which all the exports of fruit, &c., are made. 
This town is constantly visited by steamers bound for South 
Africa, South America, the West Indies, and other places, and the 
environs of the town are studded with mansions and villas fre¬ 
quently clad with Bougainvilleas. Our illustration, Quinta St. 
Anna, is a typical view of a house and garden belonging to this 
rocky island. In such gardens the Hibiscus, Pelargonium, Helio¬ 
trope, Plumbago, Brugmansia, Bignonia, and various succulent 
plants, as Mesembryanthemums, Cacti, and Euphorbias, grow 
