January 26, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
73 
- Ivy-leaf Pelargoniums. —For the faraishiag of the cones or 
pyramids which present such striking features on the lawn at Lady 
Wolverton’s Coombe Wood residence, Mr. Woodgate winters many scores 
of plants in pots of diverse sizes, but chiefly in 32’s, and the plants range 
from 4 feet to 6 feet in height. These are tied up to stakes closely 
together and kept fairly cool, and are really very crowded. As the spring 
draws on more room and air is given, and as early as is safe the plants 
are stood outdoors in shelter, where, being somewhat loosened, they 
break freely, and by planting time are full of buds, and some bloom. 
Such plants soon furnish a wire cone, and produce masses of bloom all 
the summer. Young plants are propagated and grown every year to 
deep up the supply.—A. D. 
- Spraying Fruit Trees. —Mr. B. S. Goff, of the Wisconsin 
Experiment Station, writes in the Canadian Horticulturist: —“We 
believe our experiments in preventing Apple scab have shown the 
Bordeaux mixture to be one of our best fungicides. We used a diluted 
form of it with good results last season, and would recommend fruit 
•growers to use it as follows : 10 lbs. sulphate copper (blue vitriol) per 
100 gallons of water, and about the same weight fresh lime or a little 
less. Dissolve in separate vessels and mix only when ready for use, as 
it is best if stirred constantly until sprayed on the trees or plants. For 
Apples, spray with the mixture once before bloom after growth starts. 
Spray once or twice immediately after bloom for the codlin moth, adding 
the necessary amount of Paris green or London purple. Another spray¬ 
ing or two with insecticide added to the Bordeaux mixture may usually 
be profitably applied. Our experience of last season demonstrates the 
value of spraying, and confirms our belief that it has ‘ come to stay.’ ’’ 
- Onions. —One of the chief characteristics of the newer Globe 
Onions is that they have deeper or more globular bases. The Eousham 
Park Hero and others of the old White Spanish type had either a flattish 
or even somewhat hollow base, so that bulbs that seemed to be very 
large were yet vary light relatively. We find in the best forms of deep 
yet flattish Onions Sutton’s Al, Anglo-Spanish, Maincrop, and others, 
and of egg or globe-shaped Onions Sutton’s Globe, Wroxton, and 
Excelsior are of the finest. How far one may be better than another of 
those it is not easy to tell, as Onions vary on diverse soils ; so far the 
heaviest Onions have been found in Ailsa Craig, although these do not 
keep well. Bulbs that are of apparently the same dimensions as 
Kousham Park Hero often weigh from 6 to 12 ozs. heavier because of the 
deep bases. Those who grow Onions only under ordinary conditions 
now find that these newer and finer strains give relatively to other sorts 
fully 30 to 40 per cent, more size and weight in their crops.—D. 
- Peat Moss Litter as Manure.—A part from its use in the 
stable, peat moss litter is equally as serviceable in the garden. Whether 
this is due to its being so highly charged with ammonia when taken from 
the stable I am not prepared to say. A relative of mine has, however, 
proved its value by taking it fresh from the heap, broken up very small, 
and spreading some about 4 inches deep on slates over hot-water pipes 
in the stove, placing Allamandas, Clerodendrons, and other plants on the 
litter. As soon as the peat moss became mellow the roots appeared to be 
attracted through the holes of the pots into it and run in every 
direction, and stout firm flowering wood was produced. At the 
present time he has a large plant of Allamanda Henderson! thus 
treated, which is still flowering, and looks likely to continue blooming 
for some time yet. The peat moss litter he has tried for various pur¬ 
poses, and finds it very valuable. I should much like to hear what 
other gardeners have to say on the subject, as I believe most people 
use peat moss as stable litter and nothing more.—J, W. WEAVING. 
- Low Temperatures. —Referring to the recent frost in the 
January issue of the Meteorological Magazine Mr, J. G. Symons states 
that " some of the lowest records ever made in the British Isles have 
been from stations near the Cheviots and between there and Edinburgh, 
and that seems to hold good in the recent frost. Mr. Selby of Pawston, 
in the extreme north of Northumberland, reports the minimum of 3° in 
the night between January 5th and 6th, and adds that at Shawdon, 
near Whittingham, about twenty miles south-east of Pawston, on the 
same night it fell to — 2° ; but he says nothing as to the quality of the 
thermometer at Shawdon or where it was placed. Another low record, 
and this time from verified instruments, is sent by the Rev. G. T. 
Ryves from Tean Vicarage in the valley of the Tean, above Uttoxeter, 
in North StaSordshire ; he had 4*4° in Stevenson’s screen and — 0’6° on 
the grass. The record at Braemar Observatory was 9° below zero on the 
grass, or 41 Fahrenheit degrees of frost. The shade thermometer 
recorded 4° below zero.” 
- Protecting Fruit Trees Against Frost. —It is stated that 
in California, France, and other countries orchards are protected against 
frost by means of smoke during frosty nights, and in Victoria (Australia) 
several agricultural and horticultural societies have decided to promote 
unanimous action amongst fruit growers for that purpose. It would 
require something more than smoke to protect fruit trees from the 
frost we have experienced in this country lately. 
- Sparkling Rain. — Rain which on touching the ground 
crackles and emits electric sparks is a very uncommon but not unknown 
phenomenon. An instance of the kind, so we learn from the “ Meteoro¬ 
logical Magazine,” was recently reported from Cordova, in Spain, by an 
electrical engineer who witnessed the occurrence. The weather had 
been warm and undisturbed by wind, and soon after dark the sky 
became overcast by clouds. At about 8 o’clock there came a flash of 
lightning, followed by great drops of electrical rain, each one of which, 
on touching the ground, walls, or trees, gave a faint crack, and emitted 
a spark of light. The phenomenon continued for several seconds, and 
apparently ceased as soon as the atmosphere was saturated with moisture. 
- “ The Advertiser’s A B C,”—The magnitude of the enter¬ 
prise of advertising, the great agent in trade expansion, is difficult to 
appreciate, and for conveying an intelligible idea of it we are unable 
to conceive anything better calculated to effect the purpose than this 
grand work of the great advertising agent Mr. T. B. Browne, 161 and 
162, Queen Victoria Street, London, and Canal Street, New York. The 
“ABC” comprises nearly 1000 pages, admirably printed and well and 
attractively bound. Its character is accurately represented in the 
“ Introduction,” as follows :—“ The 1893 volume of our Directory marks 
a distinct expansion, covering the journalistic ground more completely 
than has ever before been attempted. The information given represents 
an immense number of details, setting forth not only all serviceable 
particulars regarding the present condition of the press of the United 
Kingdom and the colonies, but embracing a mass of foreign newspaper 
data, collected from every corner of the earth and arranged on a plan of 
easy reference. The foreign and colonial sections in their existing form 
comprise every journal of importance within the various countries dealt 
with. The indices hitherto appearing at the end of the work have been 
considerably elaborated, and now serve the double purpose of indices 
and classified lists of journals, magazines, &c., and are placed at the 
beginning of the book ; these include daily morning newspapers, daily 
evening newspapers, London Weeklies, London suburban newspapers, the 
provincial press (arranged in counties), magazines and periodicals, class 
and trade papers, and a general list, embodying the whole in alphabeti¬ 
cal order. As usual, a number of statistical and literary articles of 
interest to newspaper people and advertisers are included in the volume, 
and will, it is hoped, add to its value.” It is a marvellous production. 
- Shropshire Horticultural Society. — The annual 
meeting of the above important Society was held in the Music Hall, 
Shrewsbury, on Thursday last, under the presidency of G. M. Salt, Esq. 
From the report and statement of accounts submitted we gather that the 
summer Show of 1892 was a success. The Committee hoped and believed 
that few would be found disposed to dispute the assertion that each 
year the Society endeavoured, and not without success, to manifest 
improvement and progress. The financial account disclosed a larger 
amount of receipts and expenditure than in any previous year since the 
establishment of the Society in 1875. As an illustration of the large 
receipts we quote the following figures :—Subscriptions, £414 193; cheap 
tickets, sold previous to the Show by the Hon. Secretaries, £667 4s. 8d. ; 
taken at the gates on the two days of Show, £2068 14s. 2d.; and sundry 
receipts, £591 7s. 4d., making the splendid total of £3742 5s. 2d., and 
forming an income which, we believe, is unsurpassed by any other 
horticultural society in the kingdom. After deducting the expenses of 
the summer Show the handsome profit of £1089 17s. 3d. resulted. The 
donations given by the Committee of this Society from its accumu¬ 
lated profits, recently purchased fourteen acres of land (at a cost of 
£3150) adjacent to the town of Shrewsbury, which it is intended to 
lay out as a recreation ground, and they have also contributed 
very liberally to local improvements at different periods in sums 
amounting to over £3500, besides having £1500 remaining invested. 
We heartily congratulate the Committee of Management and their 
excellent Hon. Secretaries (Messrs. Adnitt and Naunton) on the 
wonderful results thus achieved, which could not possibly have been 
accomplished without great expenditure of valuable time during the 
many years of the Society’s existence. The spring Show of the Society 
will be held on March 23rd, and the summer Show on August 23rd 
and 24th. The money prizes in the schedule amount to nearly £720. 
