May 11, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
875 
- Sebdlikg Olivias. —Messrs. John Laing & Sons send us 
seedling Olivia blooms to show the progress that is being made in these 
flowers. One of them is 3^ inches in diameter, colour orange red with 
white-and-yellow throat, the white very clearly defined. 
- Geos Maeoc Gkape in Oool Houses.—W ill any of your 
correspondents having experience of Gros Maroc Grape say if it will 
do grafted on the Black Hamburgh in a cool vinery 1 Will it ripen 
there ?—B. J. 
- Oeicket. —Many young gardeners, and some old ones, are 
interested in cricket, and may perhaps like to know that connected 
with the firm of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, there are three teams 
of players, and that no less than fifty matches are arranged for during 
the present season. 
- Spider-web Sedum. —It will be remembered by some that 
last year I made reference to the effects of this Sedum grown under 
glass. At the present time those grown under clear glass are prettily 
webbed, each rosette having from three to four tiers of young ones 
formed ; while those grown under the rough glass scarcely show growth, 
and very little of the spider-web appearance. I have observed a similar 
effect upon other plants, and cuttings under the two kinds of glass. 
—W. T. 
- The Scoundeel Sparrow. —As one who must plead guilty to 
harbouring the sparrow I fear any expressed sympathy with your able 
contributor “ W. R. Raillem” (page 311) may be considered hypocritical. 
It is, however, tendered with the utmost sincerity, and I am disposed to 
attribute part of my immunity from damage by the pert little bird to 
the presence of the trough of the garden pump, which is always kept full 
of water, and is the resort of many thirsty birds. May I ask your corre¬ 
spondent if water is readily available in his orchard ? His reply may 
help to clear up a matter in which there is some doubt.—S. Arnott. 
- M. Rothschild’s New Work. — We have received from 
M. Rothschild of Paris a French treatise upon the “sowing and 
planting ” of forest trees, and generally upon the formation of hedges, 
shrubberies, and plantations in parks, gardens, and woodlands. It con¬ 
sists of some 350 pages of clearly printed and well-arranged matter 
from the hand of Mr. D. Cannon, who, though resident in France for the 
last fifteen years, is by birth an Englishman. The subject is treated in 
twelve chapters, and elucidated by the help of 380 engravings. Though 
adapted to serve as a practical handbook upon the subject, it also acts 
as a work of reference in indicating the authoritative sources from which 
a deeper knowledge of the treatment of trees may be obtained. 
- Dew. —For some time past letters on how dew is produced 
have been going the round in our daily papers. I have always under¬ 
stood dew and rain to be in a sense synonymous, both being condensed 
evaporated moisture. That it depends entirely upon the electric state 
of the atmosphere how far the dew may be spread or separated, and 
whether it shall fall as dew or rain. Does not all dew first rise, or 
in other words, the dew that rises and the dew that falls are equal ? it 
being simply a question of temperature whether it shall be held in 
suspension, or formed into fog, mist, or fall as dew. Independent of these 
remarks, dew appears to play a very important part in relation to 
electricity and the weather. When it dries up from the grass shortly 
after sunrise, and the mist gradually disappears, a fine day may be 
expected; but when the grass remains wet till far in the day rain 
follows.—T. 
- Insects on Fruit Trees.— Just now fruit trees are being 
very generally attacked by caterpillars and other insects, and the Board 
of Agriculture has therefore very opportunely issued a leaflet detailing 
the best remedies to be adopted. The best and most common method 
is to syringe the trees with a softsoap mixture by means of one of the 
machines which are now well known. For this purpose several 
mixtures are given as follows :—1, The extract of 10 lbs. of quassia 
(obtained by boiling the quassia in water) mixed in 100 gallons of 
water, and with 7 lbs. of softsoap added. 2, The extract of 5 lbs. of 
quassia to 100 gallons of water, with 6 lbs. of softsoap and 4 pints of 
petroleum well stirred in. 3, The extract of 6 lbs. of quassia to 100 gallons 
of water, with 6 lbs. of softsoap and 4 pints of Calvert’s (No. 5) carbolic 
acid. 4, 8 lbs. of softsoap, 2 lbs. of finely ground hellebore, and a 
quart of petroleum, boiled and well stirred together, and added to 
100 gallons of water. In the case of all these mixtures (which can be 
made in proportionate quantities for small gardens) the softsoap is 
dissolved in a tub with hot water ; the quassia chips are boiled in 
water and put into another tub; where petroleum is used it should be well 
stirred up with boiling soap and water before it is added to the cold 
water. Besides the above harmless dressings a number of poisonous 
ones are described. These, however, require very great care in their 
use, and are, moreover, dangerous. 
- Dry Springs. —In 1852, after a long continuance of heavy 
rain, the weather cleared on the 14th of February, and there was no 
rain till the middle of May. The following year we had another mild 
winter and heavy rainfalls, but it cleared again on February 15tb, and 
was fair for six weeks. During the year 1836 the weather was very 
cold, and crops were poor. The following winter the frost was severe 
remaining thirteen weeks, being the middle of April before thaw came ; 
subsequently there were heavy falls of snow, and May was advanced 
before crops were sown. It was, however, a good summer that year, 
and not a late harvest. The years 1838-39-40-41 were similar in the 
spring to the present one ; 1842 was cold throughout, 1843 was one of 
the finest and earliest seasons on record, then 1844-45 introduced the 
Potato disease ; and although good seasons have intervened, the weather 
up till 1893 has been getting gradually colder.—W. T. 
- Gold-laced Polyanthuses. —I do not know who made the 
award, but I was astonished to find that I should so easily be able to 
discern what professed experts had failed to see—that in the three gold- 
laced Polyanthuses placed first at the Auricula Show at the Drill Hall, 
Napoleon III., a rather coarse red ground, was shown twice, but the 
second plant under the name of John Bright, a most easily recognised 
black ground. I drew the attention of a prominent member of the 
Society to the impropriety, and he saw as well as I did what was so 
wrong. The mistake could not have been unintentional, and it was 
astonishing, with one or two plants of John Bright close by, the judges 
should have made such a mistake. Lancer, red ground, and Lancashire 
Hero, if it were true, black ground, were the best. All the others were 
much below par indeed. Unless grown to bring out the finer points in 
gold-laced Polyanthuses it seems hardly worth growing them at all.— 
A. D. 
-Summary op Meteorological Observations at Hodsock 
Priory, Worksop, Notts, for April. —Mean temperature of month, 
48'7° ; maximum on 20th and 24th, 74 8°; minimum on the 12th, 24 2°; 
maximum in sun on the 20th, 126'4°; minimum on the grass on the 
12th, 161'’; mean temperature of air at 9 A.M., 48 3'’; mean tempera¬ 
ture of soil 1 foot deep, 47’9'^. Nights below 32'’, in shade nine, on grass 
nineteen. Total duration of sunshine 218 hours, or 52 per cent, of pos¬ 
sible duration ; we had two sunless days. Total rainfall, 0’34 inch ; rain 
fell on four days. Average velocity of wind, 6 7 miles per hour ; velocity 
exceeded 400 miles on one day, and fell short of 100 miles on eight 
days. Approximate averages for April:—Mean temperature, 45 4'’ ; 
sunshine, 123 hours ; rainfall, 1‘65 inch. The warmest and driest 
April for at least seventeen years ; the daily range of temperature was 
exceptionally large, and whereas the day temperatures were 8'’ above 
the mean, the night temperatures were 2° below the mean. The per¬ 
centage of sunshine is larger than in any month since the record com¬ 
menced in 1881. The total rainfall for March and April amounts to 
less than an inch. Vegetation is about a month earlier than last year, 
but rain is much needed. Hawthorn and Horse Chestnut in bloom on 
the 23rd. Queen wasps very numerous this spring.—J. Mallender. 
- The Weather Last Month. — The weather during April 
was very dry. The first fifteen days gave no rain, and thus completed a 
period of twenty-nine days without a drop of rain. We had twenty- 
four bright days, twelve of which were clear. The wind was in an 
easterly direction twenty-two days. Barometer—-highest reading, 30 57 
at 9 A.M. on 8th ; lowest, 29 88 at 9 P.M. on 29th. Total rainfall was 
0 43 inch, which fell on four days, the greatest daily fall being 0 25 inch 
on the 16th ; this is 1-49 inch below the average for the month, making 
the total fall for the year up to the end of April 4 22 inches, which is 
2 80 inches below the average for this period. Highest shade tempera¬ 
ture, 80° on the 20th ; lowest, 21° on the 14th ; lowest on the grass, 15° 
on 14th. Mean maximum temperature, 63 90° ; mean minimum, 36 23°. 
Mean temperature of the month, 50'06°. Most of the trees were in leaf 
by the end of the third week. The Oak commenced to expand on 27th. 
Hawthorn flowers began to open on 24th. The nightingale was first 
heard here on 20th, and the cuckoo on 22nd. The garden spring ran 
20 gallons per minute on the 30lh. The continued drought is causing 
great inconvenience to farmers and others in this neighbourhood. Late 
sown corn is very patchy, and the hay crop will be a poor one.— 
W. H. Divers, Ketton Hall Gardens, Stamford. 
