June 9, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
435 
- May Weather in Herts. — The weather during the past 
month has been remarkably dry with an abundance of sunshine. Some 
very sharp frosts were experienced in the early part. Eain fell upon 
ten days. The maximum in any twenty-four hours was 0‘41 on the 
25th, minimum 0'02 on the 16th ; total for the whole month 1‘37 
against 2‘76 of 1891. The Rose maggot is very abundant, but I never 
had less of green fly. Slugs have been far less abundant than usual.— 
E. Wallis, The Gardens, Hamels Park, Buntingford. 
- The Weather Last Month. —May was very dry, especi¬ 
ally during the early part, the rainfall being 0 87 inch below the 
average of the last ten years. We had seven bright days, five of which 
were clear. The wind was in a westerly direction nineteen days. 
Barometer, highest 30-46 at 9 A.M. on 12th ; lowest 29-60 at 9 P.M. on 
16th ; rainfall, 1-75 inch, which fell on sixteen days, the greatest daily 
fall being 0 45 on 3rd. Temperature, highest in shade 81° on 28th ; 
lowest, 26° on 7th ; lowest on grass, 20° on 1st and 7th ; mean of daily 
maximum, 63-83° ; mean of daily minimum, 42-93° ; mean temperature of 
the month, 53 38°. The garden spring ran 24 gallons per minute on the 
31st.—W. H. Dj-vers, Ketton Hall Gardens, Stamford. 
-Summary of Meteorological Observations at Hodsock 
Priory, Worksop, Notts, May, 56 feet above mean sea level.—Mean 
temperature of month, 62’4°. Maximum on the 28th, 77-5° ; minimum 
on the 1st, 29 2°. Maximum in the sun on the 31st, 132-2°; minimum 
on the grass on the 1st, 16-0°. Mean temperature of the air at 9 A.M,, 
54 0°. Mean temperature of the soil 1 foot deep, 50 9°. Nights below 
32° in shade, three ; on grass, ten. Sunshine : Total duration in month, 
166 hours, or 34 per cent, of possible duration. We had two sunless 
days. Total rainfall, 2-58 inches ; rain fell on thirteen days. Average 
velocity of wind, 11-8 miles per hour ; velocity exceeded 400 miles on 
six days, fell short of 100 miles on one day. Approximate averages for 
May.—Mean temperature, 61-1°; sunshine, 175 hours; rainfall, 2'11 
inches. Rather cold at first, but the latter part of the month was warm 
and showery, and everything has made very rapid growth. The country 
is looking very well.—J. Mallbnder. 
- Rook Plants in Dulwich Park.—T here is now a beautiful 
display of rock plants and shrubs in Dulwich Park, which is un¬ 
doubtedly one of the most attractively laid out and best managed of the 
“ lungs of London.” The broad masses of the lovely Aubrietia Leichtlini, 
of A. Campbelli Improved, A. Henderaoni, A. grseca, Saxifraga Wallacei, 
and others in great variety, Alyssum saxatile compactum, and many 
other plants are delightful as seen hanging over the surface of the 
stones. They were cherished by the former superintendent, Mr. 
Melville, and find an appreciative grower in his successor, M’’. J. W, 
Moorman. The park is only a little more than 70 acres in extent, but 
has been laid out so admirably as to give an idea of much greater size, 
and is full of beautiful effects. Mr. Moorman did good work at Myatt’s 
Fields and Brockweli Park before his transference to Dulwich, and the 
excellent condition of his present charge more than justifies his 
promotion. 
- Stocks in Early Summer.—I was in a garden the other 
day where some white Intermediate Stocks planted out were blooming 
superbly, the main spikes being some 7 or 8 inches in length. The plants 
were raised from seed sown last autumn, and wintered in small pots in 
a greenhouse, then planted out in the open ground about the middle of 
April, and got into this fine bloom at the end of May. There was 
nothing new or remarkable about it, but all the same it is a fact 
that Stocks are for this particular work far too much neglected, and 
many of the fine varieties which, because the seed is sown only in the 
spring have comparatively short lives, would be much longer lived and 
become very much stronger plants were seed sown in the autumn and 
the seedling plants kept through the winter for early spring planting. 
It is worthy of note that although this particular white Intermediate 
Stock has been grown for several years in this way, being seed saved 
every year, yet the double character of the variety suffers not, for the 
production of doubles is fully 75 to 80 per cent. This fact shows that the 
common assertion that it is needful to grow all this class of Stocks in 
pots yearly to maintain the double character is incorrect. Even if these 
Intermediate or pyramidal Stocks be grown in pots solely for greenhouse 
decoration they are wonderfully valuable as well as rich in perfume. 
We can have so many other flowers during the summer and autumn 
that it is not good practice to ignore the usefulness of what are called 
summer Stocks for spring blooming. Then if we will sow seed of these 
fine Intermediates now, and thus get by November next strong branch¬ 
ing plants established singly in 6-inch pots, we may have them in 
gentle warmth blooming all through the winter.—A. D. 
- Hastening the Pea Crop. —There is as striking an example 
as anyone need wish of the advantages of sowing the early crops of 
Peas under glass at Oakleigh, East Grinstead. Rows are growing side 
by side in different parts of the kitchen garden—one sown out of doors, 
the other raised in boxes under glass and afterwards planted out. In 
every case the crop has been materially hastened by the latter method 
Those sown out of doors in January were kept back by the cold winds 
and frost, and are now a long way off the flowering stage, while those 
that were sown under glass on the same date, the variety being the 
same, were in full bloom, and beginning to pod the third week in May. 
- Fruit in Kent. —The Cherry crop, writes Mr. A. J. Thomas 
from Sittingbourne, is going to be a large one. If the stoning process 
goes on all right it will be one of the largest crops for some years. I am 
busy pulling off some of the berries. I shall get off about five tons 
this week. The Pears will be a very fine crop ; they are looking well* 
I keep the pump handle going now. The Apples in the neighbourhood 
will, I think, be a large crop. There is some complaint of the small 
maggot under the cap of the bloom, but for all that I think there will be 
a crop. Plums are fair, but not a general crop. Bradley’s King Damson 
is very good. Should the weather continue as we have had it the 
Cherries will begin to ripen from the loth to the 20th of June. 
- Early Peas. —I send for your inspection a sample of Green 
Peas. It may be interesting to readers of your Journal to know that we 
gathered our first lot on the 30th of May, “a real good gathering.” The 
variety is Sutton’s Ringleader. The Peas were sown the third week in 
January in boxes, and transplanted the last week in February on a sunny 
border in ground that was double dug. Our first gathering in former 
years has been about the second week in June. I may add that the 
rows were copiously supplied with liquid manure from a sewage tank. 
There is no doubt that the bright sun of the past month has been very 
beneficial.— F. Witt, The Gardens, Fryern Court, Fordingkridge. 
[A very good sample of well-filled pods.] 
- A Good Example. —The Committee of the Birmingham and 
Midland Counties Chrysanthemum, Fruit, and Floricultural Society, 
finding that they have now sufficient accumulated capital in the bank 
to guarantee them against any loss that may occur through unfavourable 
weather, have unanimously decided to give all profits arising from their 
next Chrysanthemum Show, after all expenses in connection therewith 
have been paid, to the New General Hospital Building Fund ; and in 
order to further increase the balance, which they hope to be in a 
position to hand over, they have further decided to extend the Show to 
three days instead of two. The Show will, therefore, be held on 
November 8th, 9th, and 10th, 
- The Financial Result of the Temple Sho-w, 1892.— 
Notwithstanding certain adverse circumstances the Show of the Royal 
Horticultural Society held in the Temple Gardens this year was in every 
respect as great a success as in previous years. The action of the 
Council in raising the price of admission for the first few hours was 
evidently keenly appreciated by the Fellows of the Society, who were 
enabled to obtain a good view of the exhibits without undergoing the 
discomfort of crushing. On the second day gardeners also availed 
themselves of the privilege to see the Show as early as possible, and 
were able to make their notes before the inrush of the great majority of 
the public at 1 o’clock. It may be added that from a financial point of 
view the Show was a greater success than any of its predecessors. 
- Cordon Pears. —Messrs. Cheal & Son make a great speciality 
of cordons in their extensive nurseries near Crawley, and send out 
trees by thousands. They have cordons almost everywhere—under 
glass and out of doors, on walls, fences, and arches. There is hardly a 
yard of vacant space, all is covered with trees, some trained in the 
usual manner diagonally, others in opposite directions to form diamonds, 
while the sides of walks are garnished with horizontal lines. The 
cordon house is well filled with healthy trees, and affords opportunities 
for comparison, as in addition to such well-known varieties as Emile 
d’Heyst, .Josephine de Malines, Beurr6 Sterckmans, General Todtleben, 
Marbchal de Cour, Doyenn6 du Comice, Thompson’s, Durondeau, and 
Pitmaston Duchess, there are many less familiar sorts, such as 
Duchesse de Mouchy, King Edward, a very large Pear; Princess, a 
seedling from Louise Bonne of Jersey, larger, and a good grower, but 
hardly equalling the old variety in flavour ; Belle de Juillet, ripening 
in July, larger and better than Doyennd d’Et^; Bon Vicar, a fine 
autumn variety ; and Bcurre Alexander Lucas, a large and handsome 
November Pear, yellow and red, with a few spots, and of very good 
quality. Most of the novelties are continental varieties. All the trees 
