224 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
f Sei tember «, 1888. 
Peaches and Nectarines ripening indoors have scarcely any flavour. 
As to Apples and Pears we can hardly hope for them now to be over a 
third of the weight they are in good seasons, and tender varieties of the 
former are badly spotted. Curiously enough Potatoes are of excellent 
quality, some Snowdrops we are using at present being beautifully 
floury and of fine flavour. There has been a somewhat curious lack of 
fungoid parasites this season. Roses are almost free from mildew. The 
orange fungus has also kept away. There is no Potato disease yet, and 
no Hollyhock disease. As to the lateness of the season, Lime trees are 
now flowering. French Beans have not been gathered from out of 
doors. Carnations are beginning to open their buds, and Peas are being 
gathered from four successive sowings, the fifth or earliest having been 
cleared off, not for want of Peas to gather, but because the ground was 
wanted.—R. P. Broth erston, Tyninghame. 
KENT. 
Perhaps the following observations of the weather during August, 
taken daily at nine o’clock, may be interesting to some of the readers 
of the Journal if you can find room to insert them. The total rainfall 
for the month was 3'20 inches, rain falling on eleven days, the greatest 
amount in one day (P51 inch) on the 1st, 0‘90 falling between 6.30 
and 7.30 P.M. The temperature was highest (73°) on the 9th and 10th, 
the wind being S.W., and lowest (52°) on the 18th, the wind being N.E. 
On thirteen days the temperature was below 60°, and only on the 
9th and 10th was it above 70°. The maximum shade temperature taken 
at three o’clock was above 70° on nine days only, the highest (80°) 
being on the 9th.— Robert Filkins, Tower Fields Gardens , Keston, 
Kent. 
LIMERICK. 
We keep no record of rainfall here, consequently I am unable to state 
the amount in inches. I am sure, however, that we have not had any¬ 
thing like the amount that has fallen on the other side of the Channel. 
The nights have been somewhat cold. On three nights in June the ther¬ 
mometer fell to 36°, one night to 40°, seven to 44°, eight to 46°, seven to 
48°, the remaining nights ranging from 50° to 54°. The highest day tem¬ 
perature during the month was 88°, the lowest 62°. One night only in 
July the thermometer fell to 36°, the remainder of the month ranging 
from 42° to 50°. The highest day temperature registered was 86°, this 
was reached on several occasions, the remaining days ranging from 64° 
to 82°. Roses have been splendid and without a trace of mildew. With 
the exception of one border Pelargoniums have done well. Heliotropes 
and Calceolarias were stationary for some time, but are good now. 
Begonias are grand ; Violas are very good ; Asters, Stocks, Zinnias, 
Calliopsis, Marigolds, Petunias, Viscaria, Papaver umbrosum, Tagetes, 
Phlox Drummondi, Bartonia, and G-odetias are very fine. Mignonette is 
bad, Verbenas moderate. Herbaceous plants of all kinds were never 
better than this year. 
Cauliflowers have been good. Peas have cropped splendidly, particu¬ 
larly Laxton’s Alpha, Harrison’s Glory, and Telephone. French Beans 
came up badly, but have since done well ; the first dish was gathered in 
the open garden on August 6th. Runners were five days later. Onions 
and Beet are good ; Carrots well nigh a failure, owing to the maggot. 
Celery is good, though several plants in the earliest batch bolted. 
Winter greens of all kinds look sturdy and healthy, and not much eaten 
by caterpillars. Potatoes are badly diseased, both root and branch, and 
get worse daily. Strawberries, Gooseberries, Raspberries, and Currants 
were very abundant, and all saved dry. Only a few Pears are fruiting. 
The same may be said of Plums. Apples and Nuts are a heavy crop. 
Apricots are a failure. Cherries similar to Pears, some trees loaded, 
others very lightly cropped.—.R. Weller, Glenstal Castle Gardens, 
Munroe, Co. Limerick. 
SHROPSHIRE. 
The total rainfall for the present year ending June 30th was 
2'57 inches under the average for the corresponding period during the 
past six years ; but the heavy rainfall in July has made up the 
deficiency, the total rainfall amounting to 5 28 inches. Rain fell on 
twenty-seven days, and for the amount which fell in one month we have 
only one which exceeds 4 inches during the past six years, that one 
being the memorable wet May of 1886, when we registered 716 inches. 
In a general way fruit crops in this district are below the average, 
Apples, Pears, Plums, and Apricots being under the average. Peaches 
on open walls are an average crop, but so late that I am afraid they will 
not ripen. Cherries have been a good crop, especially Morellos, which 
are very fine. Strawberries and Raspberries were good average crops, 
but deficient in flavour. Black and Red Currants, and Gooseberries 
were over average crops. Quinces a failure. Walnuts, Filberts, and 
Cob Nuts are plentiful. 
Vegetables. Early Potatoes have turned up a good crop. Late 
varieties are looking well, but in digging up some early Potatoes to-day, 
the 27th, we have found the first traces of disease. Roots in general are 
satisfactory. Onions a good crop, but small in size, and many with 
thick necks. Dwarf Kidney Beans have done badly. Scarlet Runners 
look fairly well, but are late. Early Peas a good crop. Second early 
varieties not so good. Late crops look promising. Cauliflowers have 
done badly. 
Bedding-out plants have not been very satisfactory, Pelargoniums 
especially being short of flowers. Perennials have done fairly well, 
although those that were in flower in July were damaged by the heavy 
rains. Roses suffered very much from the same cause.— John Pexson, 
Willey Park Gardens, Broseley. 
AMERICAN SEEDSMEN AND HUMOUR. 
Twenty years ago you could plant a seed according to directions, 
and it would produce a plant which seemed to resemble in a general 
way the picture on the outside of the package. Now, under the 
fluctuating influences of irresponsible isotherms, phlegmatic springs, 
rare June weather and overdone weather in August, I find it almost im¬ 
possible to produce a plant or vegetable which in any way resembles its 
portrait. Is it my fault or the fault of the climate ? 
I first noticed the change in the summer of 1872, I think. I pur¬ 
chased a small package of early Scotch plaid curled Kale with a beauti¬ 
ful picture on the outside. It was as good a picture of Scotch Kale as I 
ever saw. I could imagine how gay and light-hearted it was the day it 
went up to the studio and had its picture taken for this purpose. A 
short editorial paragraph under the picture stated that I should plant 
in quick, rich soil, in rows 4 inches apart, to a depth of one inch, coyer 
lightly, and then roll. I did so. No farmer of my years enjoys rolling 
any better than I do. 
In a few weeks the Kale came up, but turned out to be a canard. I 
then waited two weeks more, and other forms of vegetation made their 
appearance. None of them were Kale. A small delegation of bugs 
which deal mostly with Kale came into the garden one day, looked at 
the picture on the discarded paper, then examined what had crawled 
out through the ground, and went away. I began to fear then that 
climatic influences had been at work on the seeds, but I had not fully 
given up all hope. 
At first the plants seemed to waver and hesitate over whether they 
had better be wild Parsnips or Lima Beans. Then I concluded that 
they had decided to be foliage plants or Rhubarb. But they did not try 
to live up to their portraits. Pretty soon I discovered that they had no 
bugs which seemed to go with them, and then I knew they were weeds. 
Things that are good to eat always have bugs and worms, while tansy 
and castor oil go through life unmolested. 
I ordered a new style of Gladiolus eight years ago of a man who had 
his portrait in the bow of his seed catalogue. If he succeeds no better 
in resembling his portrait than his Gladiolus did in resembling theirs, 
he must be a human Onion, whose presence may be easily detected at a 
great distance. 
Last year I planted the seeds of a Water Melon which I bought of a 
New York seedsman, who writes war articles winters and sells garden 
seeds in the spring. The portrait of this Water Melon would tempt any 
man to climb a nine-rail fence in the dead of night and forget all else in 
order to drown his better nature and his nose in its cool bosom. People 
came for miles to look at the picture of this Melon, and went away with 
a pleasant taste in their mouths. 
The plants were a little sluggish, though I planted them in hills far 
apart each way in a rich, warm loam, enriched by everything that could 
make a sincere Water Melon get up and hump itself. The Melons were 
to be very large indeed with a centre like a Rose. According to the 
picture these Melons generally grew so large and plenty that most 
everybody had to put sideboards on the garden fence to keep them from' 
falling over into other farms and annoying people who had all the 
Melons they needed. I fought squash bugs, cut worms, Hessian flies, 
chinch bugs, curculio, mange, pip, drouglr, dropsy, caterpillars, and 
contumely till the latter part of August, when a friend from India 
came to visit me. I decided to cut a Water Melon in honour of his 
arrival. When the proper moment had arrived and the dinner had 
progressed to the point of fruit, the tropical depths of my garden gave 
up their season’s wealth in the shape of a low-browed Citron about as 
lar.e and succulent as a hot ball. 
I have had other similar experiences, and I think we ought to do 
something about it if we can. I have planted the seed of the Morning 
Glory and the Moon Flower and dreamed at night that my home looked 
like a florist’s advertisement, but when leafy June came a bunch of 
Norway Oats and a hill of corn were trying to climb the strings nailed 
up for the use of my non-resident Vines. I have planted with song and 
laughter the seeds of the ostensible Pansy and Carnation, only in tears 
to reap the Bachelor’s Button and the glistening foliage of the Sorghum 
plant. I have planted in faith and a deep, warm soil, with pleasing 
hope in my heart, and a dark-red picture on the outside of the package, 
only to harvest the low, vulgar Jimson Weed and the night-blooming 
Bull Thistle. 
Does the mean temperature or the average rainfall have anything to 
do with it ? If statistics are working these changes they ought to be 
stopped.—( American Paper?) 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
BRADING, ISLE OF WIGHT. 
The amateurs and cottagers, many of whom are allotment holders, 
were given an opportunity on Tuesday last, August 28th, of bringing 
out their productions and competing for prizes offered by the above 
Society. Horticultural industry seems to have taken a firm hold in the 
neighbourhood, and a few of the leading spirits determined that Brading 
should not be behind in encouraging the interest. Lady Oglander, the 
Lady of the Manor, from the ancient barony of Nunwell, kindly gave 
her support and offered her beautifully timbered park to hold the Show 
in. Like many others this year the opening day was marred by a perfect 
downpour of rain, but the second day proved fine, and enabled many 
visitors to visit the park and Exhibition. The affair was a decided 
