August 16, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
151 
Scarlet Runners are late, but promising : we are just gathering our 
first dish. 
Roses were very promising in bud, but the wet prevented quite half 
of them from expanding, more especially such light sorts as Miss Has- 
■sard. Phloxes and Madame Desgrange Chrysanthemum arc unusually 
■early this year : some of the latter are quite expanded. Dahlias are 
late, the cold prevented them from starting into growth. Delphiniums, 
Aquilegias, Sweet Williams, Sweet Peas, Pansies, and Violas have all 
Rone well. Calceolarias usually do well here, but have gone off badly 
this summer. Pelargoniums. Petunias, and Coleuses, have not succeeded 
so far, but are looking better now. Apples (except Keswicks) are very 
light this year, as also are Apricots, Plums, and Pears. There were many 
blooms, which set well but dropped soon afterwards, owing, I believe, 
to last summer’s drought. Strawberries were quite a failure, another 
cause of the dry summer last year. Gooseberries and Currants, Rasp¬ 
berries, and Cherries are heavy crops.—J. L., Leicester. 
NORFOLK. 
The rainfall here for July was 4'80 inches. Bylaugh Gardens are 
elevated, standing much above the surrounding country, 130 feet above 
sea level. On a sandy gravel the rains have been more of a benefit than 
otherwise. The Park and surroundings, usually scorched at this season, 
look lovely, the trees especially a mass of heavy green foliage. The 
•flower beds have been poor, but the plants grew and are looking well 
now. 1 was not able to get many Strawberries for preserving, though 
we had a heavy crop. With the exception of a little hay spoilt on the 
home farm, I know of nothing injured. It has been, on the whole, a 
fine time for this light sandy soil. My vegetable crops are enormous. 
No mildew. Early Potatoes all up with no disease. Late ones 1 grow 
•on the farm, putting them with the root crop. The land is farmed on 
•the four-course system, so they never occupy the same land, and no 
disease is heard of. Onions are fine, autumn ones now ripening, spring- 
sown about half grown. Other vegetables, Peas and Beans, look equally 
well. Bvlaugh is about the centre of Norfolk, six miles from East 
Dereham. 
As to temperature, our maximum was 73° on the 20th. On three 
nights, July 1st, 7th, and 31st, the minimum was 32°, quite a white 
frost on the low lying meadows ; it did no harm, slight early and late 
frosts seldom do here, though French Beans and some few other things 
hung their leaves a little.)—A. Fenn, Bylaugh Gardens, East Dereham. 
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. 
The wet, cold, and sunless weather which characterised June and 
July, and at which I have, with the rest of Britons, growled—ungrateful 
sinners !—has come to me, I am constrained to confess, full of bene¬ 
dictions. I have forgotten the frowns of June and July in the smiles of 
August. My water cisterns were empty, they are now full. My garden 
was gasping for rain, and almost refusing to move on ; it is now full 
and plenteous with all manner of good things. The ladies get baskets 
and baskets of flowers daily, and plenty of fruit, and the cook is 
smiling and satisfied ; what more can a gardener want ? I am not a 
scientific measurer of the rainfall, nor a precise note-keeper of the 
weather. I go by my feelings, and as my feelings are only feelings, 
general in their tendencies, and perhaps slightly sentimental—an odd 
■confession that for a man of fifty-six to make —they are not worthy of 
being recorded in a professional and scientific chronicle of garden events 
and meteorological influences. Amongst flowers herbaceous borders are 
wild with luxuriant growth, many of the plants have done excellently, 
nearly all well. Delphiniums surely never was so grand, and Phloxes 
promise great things. Roses have given occasional blooms of great 
glory and beauty, though many have died prematurely. The bedding 
•out is late, and now there is a disposition to excess of leaf growth 
rather than flowers on flowering plants, but the carpet bedders have 
been improved by the past wet and present sun. Zinnias, Phlox 
Drummondi, and such like, are very backward, but picking up now. 
Beds of Petunias are going on finely ; they had a struggle for it through 
June and July. 
In the fruit garden Strawberries have been a failure, a paucity of 
flower stems, the result of the drought last year, and the wet spoiling 
those that did flower. If it had not been for Black Prince and Vicomtesse 
Hericart de Thury we should have been in a very poor way indeed. These 
kept us going for table consumption and garden picking and eating, and 
that only. Bush fruit are grand, Currants never finer, Blacks especially so. 
Pears will be a fair crop and general. Apples are only middling, rather 
below the average, and the winter sorts lowest of all. It is not a Cald¬ 
well year with us at any rate, and we rely on this variety for chief 
winter supply. Plums are scarce ; Rivers’ Early Prolific and Victoria 
are the two that are distinguishing themselves. I believe 1 am satisfied 
with everything in the kitchen garden. The assessment of the garden 
•crops, when we come to sum up, is largely on the side of blessings how¬ 
ever, and in the present sunshine of August who shall, who can, 
ungratefully murmur ? — N. H. Powxall, Lenton Halt Gardens, 
Nottingham. 
The total rainfall for June and July was 6’28'inches, sunshine 204 
hours. We had nine sunless days in June and six in July. Rain fell on 
seventeen days in June and twenty-one in July. Vegetation quite four¬ 
teen days late ; the first June in twenty years we have not gathered 
Strawberries. Some quarters have not fruited at all, others a fair 
average crop. Currants, Raspberries, Apples, Peaches (outside) very 
abundant. Cherries fair, Plums, Apricots, and Pears poor crops. Peas 
and Beans late and not good, Potatoes heavy crops, but wanting sun¬ 
shine and dry weather. Of Roses we shall have a late long season, the 
dark sorts open better than paler colours. Most herbaceous flowers have 
done well, and the flowers lasted longer than in finer seasons. In bedding 
plants Pelargoniums have all their flowers washed off or decayed, whilst 
Tuberous Begonias are rather late, but good, and do not appear to have 
suffered from the damp cold weather. Stocks, Asters, and Zinnias are 
doing fairly well.— Joseph Mallender, Hodsoch Priory Gardens, 
Worhsop. 
RUTLANDSHIRE. 
June was very changeable, but mostly dull and showery. We had 
only four bright sunny days during the month. We had thunderstorms 
five times, but not very heavy. The following observations are taken 
according to Symons’ rulfs with instruments registered and certificated 
at Kew. We are 130 feet above sea level. June, barometer (not 
corrected to sea level): highest, 30 - 30° on 10th and 23rd ; lowest, 29 - 55° on 
20th. Average height of readings (9 A.M.), 29’99°. Thermometer highest 
in shade, 84° on 26th ; lowest, 38° on 14th. Mean temperature of the 
whole month, 58'30° ; lowest on grass, 35° on 14th. Total rainfall, 
1\55 inch ; greatest amount in twenty-four hours, O'ol inch on 20th. 
Rain was recorded on eighteen days. 
July was very wet and dull, not one bright day during the month. 
Temperature generally low, very little sunshine, and frequent showers. 
Barometer : highest, 30T5° on the 13th ; lowest, 29'48° on 3rd. Average 
height of readings at 9 A.M., 29.69°. Thermometer : highest in shade, 
73° on 19th ; lowest, 40° on the 1st. Mean temperature of the whole 
month, 57-39° ; lowest on grass, 34° on the 1st. Total rainfall, 4T4 inches ; 
greatest amount in twenty-four hours, 0'71 inch on the 2nd. Rain was 
recorded on twenty-three days. We had a very heavy thunderstorm 
with hail on 4th, when 0'21 inch of rain was recorded in about 
twenty minutes. 
Taking all things into consideration this has been a good season for 
these gardens, which are naturally dry and well drained, and the soil is 
full of small limestone, which have a very bad effect in a dry season. 
Roses flowered freely, but so much wet caused many of the flowers to 
decay almost as soon as they opened. Bedding plants have not made 
much progress since planting out, and Pelargoniums have very little 
flower on them, dwarf Tropasolums and Lobelia making the most show 
at present. Tender bedding plants are smaller than when first planted 
out. Our mixed borders have succeeded much better, and are much 
preferred to ordinary flower beds. Annuals.—The following have 
flowered well:—Bartonia, Nemophila, Leptosiphon, Clarkia, Erysimum, 
Godetia, Delphiniums, Sweet Peas, Centaurea cyanus, Linum grandi- 
florum, Schizanthus, Malope grandiflora, Eutoca viscida, Collinsia, 
Convolvulus minor, Chrysanthemum segetum, Phacelia campanularia, 
Xeranthemum, &c. Perennials also have been very gay, especially 
Papavcr bracteosum, early Phloxes, Delphiniums, Iris germanica, 
Spanish Iris, Veronica rupestris, Pyrethrums, Monardas, Campanulas 
turbinata and persicifolia alba. 
Among other plants Dahlias and Sunflowers are very late this season. 
Liliums, especially L. candidum, have not flowered so well as usual, 
owing I presume to the dry weather last season. Vegetables have grown 
freely, and are mostly good crops. Peas have been a long time filling, 
and are not so well flavoured as usual; they are also nearly twice their 
average height. French Beans and Scarlet Runners are very late ; we 
have not yet (August 10th) gathered any outside. Tomatoes outdoors 
are a poor crop ; by sowing early and getting large plants we have been 
able to gather a few fruits. 
Early Potatoes are a heavy crop, but disease showed itself in the tops 
August 8th ; we have none in the tubers at present, and they will be 
dug up as soon as possible, well dried, and stored in* a cool place. Late 
Potatoes look well and have no disease at present. Snowdrop and 
Magnum Bonum are our favourites for autumn and winter use. 
Strawberries have been very scarce ; owing to the dry season last year 
they did not make their growth soon enough. Currants, Gooseberries, 
and Raspberries, heavy crops and good here, but some growers complain 
of their lacking flavour. Apples are a medium crop, Pears thin crop, 
Plums very few, Cherries abundant, Peaches and Apricots very few. 
Many of the fruit trees were badly eaten by caterpillars early in the 
season, but aphides have not been troublesome.—W. H. Divers, Kettoii 
Hall Gardens, Stamford. 
SUSSEX. 
I have no means of ascertaining the exact amount of rainfall, but 
from the first week in June to the first week in August it rained more 
or less every day or night, with much thunder and no sun for days, 
together with more wind that usual at this time of the year, and very 
cold nights. Evcrjthing is fully three weeks later than usual. 
Among kitchen garden crops, early Turnips have been good, Cabbages 
and Cauliflowers are abundant. Peas have all grown strong and taller 
than, usual, but have cropped well, though some sorts have not filled 
well, owing, I presume, to so much wet at flowering time. Onions are 
first rate though very late. Amongst Potatoes Early Rose, Ashleaf, and 
other early kinds yielded abundantly of large sound tubers, but too 
much wet spoiled their flavour ; they were free from disease. Not so with 
midseason and late sorts, for they are badly affected. The disease was 
first noticed the last week in July upon a batch of Schoolmaster, in a 
few days it spread to all other sorts grown, and the haulm is nearly all 
dead. Carrots and Parsnips good ; Vegetable Marrows good but late. 
Ridge Cucumbers later still, too cold for them. Kidney Beans and 
Scarlet Runners late but good crops. Tomatoes outdoors growing 
strong, but no fruit set, want sun and warm nights. 
Fruits—Strawberries a fair crop, ripened slowly and much fruit 
