42 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ Jannary 19. 18^ 
another occasion. Rivalry when confined within proper limits is in¬ 
vigorating and beneficial to all. After what has been advanced no 
doubt some societies will exercise more care in the revision of their 
classes for bouquets and in the appointment of judges.” 
- Mr. Mark Longhcr5t, 18, Church Roa;!, Hove, informs us 
that the dates of the Brighton and Hove Chrysanthe-mum Show 
are fixed for the LSth and 14th of November next. Schedules will be 
rcady the first week in March. 
- “ T.” writes, in reference to Stachys tuberifera —“ I was 
pleased the correct name has appeared, as I have good reasons to believe 
they have been grown in this neighbourhood (Biekley) during the past 
season, and have the reputation of being a most delicious vegetable, but 
erroneously named Crasie’s. Would anyone kindly give cultural details 
or the best time to plant them 2” 
- At a meeting of the Royal Botanic Society, held last Satur¬ 
day, Mr. John Birkett in the chair. Dr. Prior exhibited specimens of the 
sweet acorn called Bellotas, of which great quantities are brought into 
the markets of Northern Africa and Spain during the autumn months, 
and are eaten raw, boiled, or roasted, or made into bread by the inhabi¬ 
tants. 
- The Weather in the North.—“ B. D.” sends this note on 
weather in the north for the past week :—“ A week of open, dull 
weather, latterly colder, with wind from N.E., except on morning of the 
13th, when we had 2° of frost, with a good deal of rime. The temperature 
has ranged from 34° to 4.5°. The barometer, steady at 30'4 for some 
time, remains firm. The buds of Roses are swelling ; a Tea on a wall 
shows half an inch of growth. Auriculas have made a decided start.” 
- The Weather in December. —Mr. J. Mallender sends the 
following Summary of Meteorological Observatio.vs at Hod- 
sock Priory, Worksop, Notts, for December, 1887.—Mean 
temperature of month, 36'8°. Maximum on the 2nd, 53’4° ; minimum 
on the 12th, 22'6°. Maximum in the sun on the 2nd, 95'8°; minimum 
on the grass on the 28th, 14'5°. Slean temperature of the air at 9 A.M , 
36-3°; mean temperature of soil, 1 feet deep, 37’5°. Nights below 
.32° in shade eighteen, on gr.ass twenty-five. Sunshine, total duration 
in month, forty-eight hours. We had eight sunless days. Rainfall 
total fall I’Ol inch. Rain fell on nineteen days. Wind, average 
velocity 11’5 miles per hour. Velocity exceeded 400 miles on five 
days, and fell short of 100 miles on three days. Approximate averages 
for December :—Mean temperature, 37'2°, Rainfall, 2'03ins. Sunshine, 
62 hours (six years). The first three weeks were unsettled with large 
and sudden changes of temperature. The last ten days were anticyclonic 
with dry and rath( r eold weather. 
- The Meteorological Summary for 1887.—The same 
c irrespondent submits the undermentioned record :—Mean temperature, 
4fi’6°. Maximum, 85° on July 3rd ; minimum, 12'3° on January 7th. 
Number of frosts in shade 103, on grass 178. At 9 A.M. temperature of 
.air, 47‘3° ; mean temperature of soil 1 foot deep, 47'2°. Sunshine 1420 
hours, or 82 per cent, of possible duration. We had sixty-six sunless days 
and ninety-six bright days. Rainfall, 13'93 inches. Rain fell on 161 days. 
Maximum fall on Oct. 8th 0'62. Wind, average velocity 9'3 miles per 
hour ; twenty-seven days with more than 400 miles, and fifty-seven 
days with less than 100 miles. The mean temperature is lower than any 
of the previous eleven years, except 1879, though the last two years 
were nearly as cold. This is mainly due to the very cold nights through¬ 
out the year, as even in May and June they were only just up to the 
average. The daily range is very large. The rainfall is about 36 per 
C-'nt. below the average, and is much less than any year since our record 
commenced in 1876. The sunshine is larger than any of the previous 
six years. The proportion of N. and N.E. winds is larger than usual. 
- At the meeting of the Horticultural Club on Tuesday the 10th 
inst., Mr. Druery read a paper on “ Per saltum ’’ Variation in Wild 
Ferns, and .after drawing attention to several examples of sudden wide 
variations in cattle and sheep, such as the Niata cattle and Ancon 
sheep, in which cattle with bulldog features, and sheep of turnspit 
character, had originated suddenly from ordinary breeds, he proceeded 
to illustrate and remark upon a barge number of equally abnorm.al forms 
of Ferns which from time to time had been found wild in Great Britain 
under circumstances, wl.ich, as he pointed out, could only lead to the 
assumption th.at they were the direct offspring of the common Ferns, 
amongst which they were discovered, no intermediate forms existing 
likely to be progenitors. To illustrate his remarks he exhibited a large 
series of very beautiful Nature prints, executed by Col. A. M. Sones of 
Clifton, and kindly lent for the purpose by Mr. F. W. Stansfield of 
Sale, and proceeded to argue, that in view of the great number of these-- 
curious forms which had been discovered, and the immense amount of 
patience which Fern-hunting necessitated, it was a legitimate assump¬ 
tion that the tendency to vary under natural conditions must be as- 
great as under cultivation, where everything was in favour, instead of 
against any jieculiar sport being discovered. An animated discussion 
followed. 
- The Rainfall in 1887.—Mr. A. Pettigrew, Cardiff Castle- 
Gardens, Glamorganshire, sends his observations on the rainfalj for the-, 
past year, stating that the rain guage is 1 foot above the ground, and 38 
feet above sea level ;—January, 2-93 inches; February, 1'35 inch 
March, 2‘58 inches ; April, D45 inch ; May, 210 inches ; June, 0‘61 
inch; July, 1-53 inch; August, 3‘51 inches; September, 4’12 inches r 
October, 2-76 inches ; November, 3'45 inches ; December, 3'28 inches— 
total, 29-72 inches. The greatest fall in twenty-four hours was l‘50inch on. 
August 16th, and the smallest 0’44 on April 26th. The most rainy days- 
occurred in January—viz., twenty, and the fewest in June—viz., 
the total number of rainy days being 160. 
- Mr. Robt. Scott, gardener to Ed. Priestman, Esq., Moorfield^ 
Manningham, Bradford, writes :—“ We have a plant of POINSETTIA 
PULCHERRiMA pLanted out in our stove here. I send you a specimen pf' 
the heads it produces. It is quite common here to have them branching, 
down the stem. I have cut them with as many as ten branches. Our 
plant a month ago was extremely beautiful. I consider those sent now 
are past their best, and some of the largest have been eut, but there 
are still many equal to those sent on the plant. It carries about eighty 
heads.” The specimens received were very handsome, the largest head- 
measured 18 inches across, the broadest bracts exceeding 3 inches im 
diameter. . ' 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE.— Jan. 10th, 1888. 
Present : —Mr. F. P. Pascoe, Vice-President, in the chair : Messrs- 
Boulger, Lynch, Smith, O’Brien, Michael, Maclachan, Ridley, Murray, 
Morris, Smee, Wilson ; Profs. Church, Scott, Ward ; Drs. Lowe, Masters, 
and Hon. Sec., Rev. Prof. G. Henslow. 
Ift/hrid llhudodt ndroru. —Messrs. Veitch & Sons sent five hybrids- 
between East Indian forms, interesting as showing the effects of 
colours. The crosses were as follows :—1, Female, Rhodoilendrpa 
jasminiflorum, from Malacca (white) ; male, R. Curtisi, from Sumatra 
(small and scarlet). Hyb., scarlet eorolla, a little broader th.an that 
of the male parent. Effect: male transferred colour and form ;; 
female had no effect. 2, Female, R. jasminiflorum (white); male, 
R. javanicum (orange yellow). Hyb., R. j. carminatum (brigbt 
red). Effect: male tranferred the red colour, but the white female- 
eliminated the yellow. 3, Female, R. “Maiden’s Blush” (very pale 
pink) ; male, R. Teysmanni, from Sumatra (palish yellow). Hyb: R. 
“Primrose.” Effect : yellow male transferred colour, unaffepted by- 
female. 4, Female, R. “ Princess Alexandra ” G^rge and white) ; male, 
R. Curtisi. Hyb., R. “ Eclatant,” bright red. Effect : male transferred' 
colour, female imparted size. 5, Female, R. “ Monarch ” (a hyb. from 
javanicum, but of a more pinky tinge to the orange) ; male, R. Malay- 
anum (very small, diam. f in., but bright red). Hyb., “ Little Beauty 
diam. inch, bright red. Effect : male transferred red, and eliminated 
the yellow. The general results observable are— 1, The prepotency, of ' 
the r. d male flowers and the impotence of white females to affect the- 
offspring. When yellow is present— e.g., in orange, then either white 
or red can eliminate it (N os. 2 and 5). The “ Princess Alexandra ” (female 
white of No. 4) arose in a similar way. A cross between the larger- 
flowered R. javanicum (orange) with the smaller, R. jasminiflorum 
(white), gave rise to Princess Royal (rose), the yellow disappearing. A 
further cross of the last with the parent, R. jasminiflorum, now elimi¬ 
nated the red ; the offspring, however, retained the form and large size 
of the corolla of Princess Royal and R. javanicum. Mr. O'Brien- 
observed that a similar elimination of yellow had occurred in Begonias, 
for B. Sutherland (orange) crossed by B. parvifolia Dredgi (white) had 
given rise to a red flowered offspring. Abutilons afforded another- 
instance. 
Ithododemlrm Camngtonice .—Baron von Mueller sent a description 
of this new species, which occurs on almost inaccessible declivities of 
Mount Obree, at elevations of 6000 to 7000 feet. The corolla is white- 
(from Viet. Naturalist, Nov.. 1887). 
The Silver Fir (Eeidium. —Mr. Plowright sent the following com¬ 
munication with specimens :—“The extreme tip of the branches of the 
Silver Fir are often found bare of leaves and variously swollen and 
distorted. This condition has been assumed to be the result of injury- 
from their having been bitten off by squirrels or other animals. In the 
specimens sent herewith, which have been given to me by Mr. H. Munrp- 
