May 21, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
4C5 
Couronne des Roses is a good rose coloured variety ; and one of the 
best of the reds, alike for pots and beds, is Imperator Rubrorum. 
Latest of all comes Mariage de Ma Fille, with its crimson flowers 
feathered with white, an excellent Tulip in every respect. 
It Is unseasonable now to talk of general culture ; but amateurs 
may be warned against regarding the plants as avorthless directly 
their flowering is over and treating them accoi’dingly. AVith atten¬ 
tion and care they will provide admii’able material for planting in 
the beds when autumn ai’fives. Save them the strain of seed¬ 
ripening by breaking off the flower stems below the ovai’y, and give 
them water as needed, placing them in a frame or in a sheltered 
corner after removing them from the greenhouse or conservatory 
until they are somewhat hardened and danger of sharp frosts is 
over. Then if the pots are wanted, as in small establishments they 
are almost sure to be, the bulbs can be carefully shaken out and 
planted in the garden with as little disturbance as possible to com¬ 
plete their growth and storo up nutriment for another season’s 
flowering. They will not bloom so well as in the previous year ; 
but they will be bright and pleasing at a time when flowers are 
much wanted. Think of this, and remember that it is a I’esult to 
be bought, not with gold, but with a little timely forethought and 
attention, which it is both a pleasure and an economy to supply.— 
AV. P. AV. 
SENSATIONAL AYEATHER. 
Thus is the extraordinary variation of temperature which has recently 
been experienced aptly described by a correspondent, whose letter with 
some others we insert below. Sensational, indeed, it has been, like a 
transit from the torrid to the frigid zone within a week. On Friday 
storms of snow, rain, and hail passed over the metropolitan district, in some 
localities the hailstones being of unusual size, and covered the ground to 
the depth of 2 or 3 inches. Similar weather was experienced on Saturday 
and Sunday, while Monday will be remembered as one of the most miser¬ 
able Whitsuntide Bank holidays on record, a cold driving rain continuing 
most of the day. The highest temperature registered was 43°, and the 
day is said to have been the coldest that has been experienced in May 
for twenty years. The range of temperatnre last week amounttd to 47°, 
a remarkable variation in so short a time. Much injury has been done 
to the fruit blossom in many places, and in some it is feared there will 
be little fruit; at Chiswick, however, Mr. Barron thinks no great amount 
of damage has been done. Mr. Wright stated last week that “ Blossom¬ 
ing time is an anxious time ; we know not what the weather will be, 
what fruit blossoms will have to endure ; ” birt he did not presumably 
anticipate their having to go through srrch a wintry ordeal as that which 
so suddenly followed the summer-like days early in the week. 
The weather continues very ungenial. Since the 11th and 12th, 
which were warm days but cold at night, northerly winds have pre¬ 
vailed sharp and keen. Frosts of 4° and 3° occurred on the nights of 
the 15th and 16th, with driving showers of snow and hail. The showers 
of hail on the ^6th were frequent and heavy. Snow of over a foot in 
depth is reported from some of the northern counties. Potatoes have 
been blackened in this district.—B. D., South rertlishlre. 
We had very sharp frost here on the n’ght of 16th and 17tb. All 
tender things not covered are very much injured or destroyed. Fortu¬ 
nately not much fruit blossom was expanded, but where Cherries, Plums, 
and early Pears were open I fear they must all be destroyed. I cannot 
speak of bush fruits, but fear the crops are lost. Snow fell frequently 
all day on Sunday, with a cold north and east wind.—W. A. Jexkins, 
Ald'm Grange, Durham, _ 
Just a line to say that we had 11° of frost on Sunday morning, and 
13° this morning. Pears generally about half bloomed, but Apples in 
the open are just commencing. Gooseberries well protected with 
foliage, and Strawberries are unopened. — Joseph W’itherspoox, 
Durham. 
AVhit-Sunday in the midlands and Birmingham will not readily be 
forgotten. Early in the preceding week we had two warm days, the' 
temperature then falling. Snow fell on Sunday continuously for 
from seven to eight hours. Everything bore a very wintry aspect 
indeed, and the snow had not cleared away until after breakfast on 
Whit-Monday, and then leaving cold biting north-easterly winds. 
Strong showers of hail intervened, and frost early in the mornings. 
AVhat the effect on the Plum, Cherry, Pear, and other crops will be I 
am unable to say just yet, but we may safely estimate that much 
damage has been done. The cottage gardens in the Albrighton and 
Tettenhall districts of AVolverhampton, where Damsons are extensively 
cultivated, were masses of white flowers, and held out a promise of an 
extraordinary crop, and the district was rich in floral beauty.—W. D., 
Dirmingham, _ 
The frost we had on the nights of the 16th and 17th has done an 
immense amount of damage. Potatoes, Beans and A'’egetable Marrows 
put out to harden are severely cut. More serious still, the Plum crop 
looks ruined. Gooseberries are all soft on the tops of the bushes. It is 
rather early to say how much the Apples and Pears have suffered. 
but some damage has been done to them. Young Ash in the hedgerows 
are black, also young Ivy, Ac. This morning (18th) the hills all roiind 
are covered with snow.— S. T. Weight, Glcwston Court Gardens, 
Uerefordshlre. 
It may be worthy of note that on Sunday, the 17th inst., we expe¬ 
rienced a very heavy snow storm, which commenced about 9 A.M. and 
continued until 3.30 p.m., when the ground was entirely covered to the 
depth of 4 inches. It w'as preceded by very heavy hail storms, which 
played .sad havoc with fruit trees. Vegetables, Potatoes, and Peas 
have suffered very badly, having the appearance of being fired at with 
buckshot. Such an occurrence has never been knowm in this district 
before by the oldest inhabitant. I shall be glad to hear, through the 
medium of the Journal, if your readers have any recollection of such a 
storm at this time of the year. On Tuesday, 12th inst., we registered 
75° in the shade; to-day the mercury is standing at 44°.— W. Jxo. 
Bligh, Euthhi, _ 
The weather during the past week has been of a most changeable 
character. Sunday, the 10th, was very cold, the thermometer being at 
42° at mid-day. Monday was quite spring like. Tuesday and Wednesday 
we were having tropical heat, the thermometer standing at 75° in the 
shade. On Thursday we had cold and dull weather. Friday and Saturday 
heavy hail and snow showers, the thermometer on Saturday morning 
registering 24° of frost; at half-past 8 the same evening it registered the 
same amount, and on Sunday morning we registered 102° of frost, 
the thermometer being at 21^°, which is, I think, exceptional weather 
for AVhit-Sunday. With us it might be correctly termed Black Sunday, 
as all early Potatoes on borders and elsewhere were quite cut down and 
blackened. Some American Wonder Peas, too, were much cut, although 
William I. on the same border escaped. The Apple and Pear blossom is 
quite discoloured, although we had wonderful promise. Plums and 
Peaches on walls were set, and appear at present uninjured.— J. Howard, 
Denham Gardens, Berlis. _ 
Ox Saturday afternoon, 16th inst., we had a heavy snowstorm of 
twenty minutes duration, not a few flakes, but a regular winter storm, 
and on Sunday morning 4° of frojt. It is too soon to pronounce on its 
effects, but I fear a good deal of mischief will be done.— R. Maher, 
Yattendon Court. _ 
The wmather here during the last six days has been sensational in its 
character. On Tuesday, 12th, the thermometer registered 86° in the 
shade, the lowest reading the same morning being 55°, with the wind in 
the eas*'. On the 13th, 80° was registered in the shade. The temperature 
afterwards became gradually lower, the wind changing to W.X.W. On 
16th, the highest reading taken was 57°, and the Lwest 34° ; while on 
the morning of Whit-Sunday 7° frost was registered, the wind blowing 
strongly from the N.W., with occasional showers of rain, hail, and snow 
during the day. I fear such a severe front coming at so late a date, 
when the Apple trees were in splendid bloom, must have almoA spoilt 
the whole crop. The blossom never could be more profuse. The trees 
now present the appearance of having been scorched, the petals being 
quite brown. If there should be any remaining prospects of a crop it 
must be those flowers which are only in the bud state, or those at the 
underneath side of the branches which are protected by the ample crop 
of leaves. 
Strawberries never looked so promising in this garden, the first 
flowers just opened, the central part of every one of these is quite black, 
as also are a great number of the unopened buds upon examination 
to-day. One mile from here, at a slightly lower altitude, 9° frost was 
registered. I fear the prospects of a Strawberry crop in the neighbour¬ 
hood where some hundreds of acres are grown, will be poor. Pears, 
Plums, Cherries, and Peaches on walls have set good crops, and may 
be regarded as being tolerably safe. Many breadths of early Potatoes 
werel) inches high in the haulm, all of which have been cut down to 
the ground. Even common Blackberry shoots in the hedt!es, as well as 
young growth of Ash trees, are blackened. Many kinds of shrubs have 
been injured in the same way. Rain is much needed in this part, not 
only for seeds and garden work in general, but for the farmers, who 
are much troubled with wireworm in their Oat and Barley fields, only 
half inch having fallen for five weeks.—E. Molyxeux, Swanmore, 
Hampshire. _ 
As is truly stated by Mr. AVright in his able leader entitled “Blossom¬ 
ing Time,” page 379, wdiich, by the way, came at a very opportune 
period, and would be read with interest by all fruit growers, “ A good 
fruit year appears to be generally anticipated.” But unfortunately “ the 
prospect” is not now quite so cheering. On Friday, the 15th, a most 
unpleasant change of wind and atmospheric conditions took p ace, 
suddenly plunging us out of what had for some days been almost 
tropical summer into ai’ctic winter. The change was ushered in by a 
heavy thunderstorm, accompanied by a considerable fall of snow. 
During the night we had a slight frost, and again during Saturday ; 
snow fell heavily at frequent intervals, accompanied by a bilingly cold 
north-west wind. On Sunday morning our thermometer registered 2° ( f 
frost, and as at the time of such occurring the expanded blossonr^ \vcre 
dripping w'ct, and I am afraid must be injured seriously. At the time 
of penning this the snow is falling fast, with the thermometer only just 
above freezing point. 
Mr. Wright is quite correct in his opening remarks when he sajs. 
