November SI, 1SS3. ]' 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
443 
distinct shades of this grown, one darker than the other, but I know 
cultivation has much to do in determining the particular degree of 
shade, light or dark, which this variety assumes, and if a very dark 
form is in existence it is strange it is kept so long out of the market. 
The Blush, or original “ Malmaison,” though not so telling, is also very 
fine. The third variety is that named Lady Middleton, which is the 
pink sort with blush stripes. This is considered rather tender and more 
difficult to grow than the others, but we have found it quite impossible 
to distinguish from the others when not in flower. These again run up to 
the same size, many of them 5 inches across. I have just reckoned the 
number of other varieties I have bought, and these amount to another 
five besides the above, but not one of them at all like the real “ Simon 
Pure.”—B. 
- Royal Meteorological Society. —At the ordinary meet¬ 
ing of the Society, held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on 
Wednesday, the 20th inst., at 7 P.H., the following papers were read :— 
“ Second Report of the Thunderstorm Committee—Distribution of 
Thunderstorms over England and Wales, 1871-1887,” by William Mar¬ 
riott, F.R.Met.Soc.; “ On the Change of Temperature which accom¬ 
panies Thunderstorms in Southern England,” by G. M. Whipple, B.Sc., 
F.R.Met.Soc.; “ Note on the Appearance of St. Elmo’s Fire at Walton- 
on-the-Naze, Sept. 3rd, 1889,” by W. H. Dines,B. A, F.R.Met.Soc.; “Notes 
on Cirrus Formation,” by H. Helm Clayton ; “ A Comparison between the 
Jordan and the Campbell-Stokes Sunshine Records,” by F. C. Bayard, 
LL.M., F.R.Met.Soc.; “Sunshine,” by A. B. MacDowall ; “ On Clima¬ 
tological Observations at Ballyboley, Co. Antrim,” by Prof. S. A. Hill) 
B.Sc., F.R.Met.Soc. 
- Me. Mallender sends the following summary of meteoro¬ 
logical OBSERVATIONS AT HODSOCK PRIORY, WORKSOP, NOTTS, FOR 
October .‘—Meantemperature of month, 46'5°. Maximum on the 10th, 
58'0°; minimum on the 15th, 29'2°; maximum in the sun on the 17th, 
103‘7°; minimum on the grass on the 15th, 25T°. Mean temperature of 
the air at 9 A.M., 46'2° ; mean temperature of the soil 1 foot deep, 48 9°. 
Nights below 32° in shade three, on grass fourteen. Total duration of sun¬ 
shine in month forty-three hours, or 13 per cent, of possible duration. We 
had ten sunless days. Total rainfall 3 27 inches. Rain fell on twenty-three 
days. Average velocity of wind, 8'7 miles per hour ; velocity exceeded 
400 miles on three days, and fell short of 100 miles on nine days. 
Approximate averages for October :—Mean temperature, 48'2°; sun¬ 
shine, eighty-four hours ; rainfall, 2'84 inches. A very dull and damp 
month, rather cold, wet, and calm ; constant showery weather, but 
without any heavy falls, very few frosts, but cold days. 
- Lecture by Dr. Sorby. —Under the auspices of the Sheffield 
Floral and Horticultural Society a lecture was delivered in the Com¬ 
mittee room of the Montgomery Hall on November Gth by Dr. H. C. 
Sorby, LL.D., F.R.S., on “ Weather Charts and Storm Warnings.” Si r 
Henry Watson, President of the Society, occupied the chair, and 
said Dr. Sorby was so well known in scientific circles, not only in 
London but in the various towns in the north of Europe, that it was 
surely unnecessary to introduce him to the people of Sheffield. Dr. 
Sorby had been bora in Sheffield, lived in it all his life, and was an 
honour to the town. They all knew how interesting he could make 
his lectures, and with what thoroughness he investigated the subjects 
he undertook to lecture upon. Knowing these facts he was sure no 
one would leave that room without adding to their store of learning. 
The lecturer had a very cordial reception, and commenced the lecture 
by giving an account of the constitution of the atmosphere surround¬ 
ing the earth, and explaining the effect the sun had upon it, both by 
producing disturbance in the form of wind, and by bringing about the 
deposit of rain. He then fully described cyclones, and showed that 
the character of the weather in England depended upon the course of 
those cyclones. If they moved to the north of our country mild weather 
resulted, but if they moved towards the south the weather became 
cooler. Opposed to the action of these cyclones were the winds gene¬ 
rally known as anti-cyclones, so-called because their peculiarities were 
opposite to those of cyclones. Cyclones often moved rapidly, but anti¬ 
cyclones moved slowly, and were accompanied by dry and calm weather. 
It was very difficult to foretell the weather in England, because almost 
all the atmospheric disturbances moved from the south-west to the 
north-east, and often advanced to the British Isles before there was 
time to detect their presence. If it were possible to have several stations 
out in the Atlantic Ocean the prediction of the weather would be much 
easier and more satisfactory, but with the knowledge they now had, 
and under the present conditions, it was possible to judge pretty 
accurately what kind of weather was to be expected. The lecture 
was ful'y illustrated by means of charts, and drawings on the black 
board. 
PLANTING FRUIT TREES—LIME. 
Last season on removing some Pear trees the effects of lime or 
mortar refuse came very favourably under my notice, and the 
present being an opportune time I give it for what it may be 
worth. Whatever may have been the object of the planter it 
certainly had the effect of thoroughly preventing the roots from 
penetrating the layer, which was about 6 inches thick, spread over 
a yard square, and at about 2 feet deep. The demolition of some old 
buildings caused the accumulation of a good quantity of the mortar 
refuse, and in the course of planting operations this was used 
rather freely in the sites prepared for the trees. Its effect was so 
marked that on a trench being dug round and the soil worked off 
with a fork to within reasonable distance of the stem, the tree 
could be easily overturned without the usual undermining ; and 
the weight of the crop in one instance last year was such as to 
require support of the tree against the force of the wind ; the 
tree, a pyramid, being about 8 feet high. Singular, too, was the 
fact that although the summer of last year was so wet the lime 
and soil immediately above it were dry to a degree that the spade 
could scarcely make an impression, and the grubber was found 
a very useful implement for hastening the work. From thefactof 
deep root action being prevented, the crops have been more regular 
than is the case when trees are necessarily subjected to root 
pruning, and the labour involved in making this provision would be 
well repaid, even if the required material had to be procured by 
purchase.—W. S., Frome. 
VARIOUS NOTES. 
EUCHARISES. 
I THINK “ M. D.” is not very much out in considering the bad 
condition of so many Eucharises o b ; the result of overwatering. I 
had some in a very bad state some two years ago, said to be the re¬ 
sult of mite ; but as the plants have done excellently since I re¬ 
stored them to health the same season, and I have further had an 
inkling that all might not have been right with regard to watering, 
I have begun to think that bad treatment has been at the bottom 
of the mischief, at least in our own case. The best Eucharises I 
ever saw are in gardens where perhaps one or two plants are culti¬ 
vated in mixed collections of stove plants, and where the flowers 
are taken just as they come naturally. 
LIFTING GLADIOLU3. 
Mr. Murphy is right in lifting early ripened Gladiolus before 
they start making young roots. Last year and this I lifted much 
earlier than usual, the great bulk having been lifted in the second 
week of October, some earlier and a few later. None of the leaves 
was yellow, some being quite green. Instead of placing them 
under cover I have both seasons left the whole of them lying on 
the open ground, where the coims are exposed to all kinds of 
weather save frost. They do not die yellow so rapidly, as the cool 
damp nights preserve a good supply of moisture. Corms which 
have* not finished actually increase in size just as spikes open when 
left on the ground at this season. The cormlets 1 leave on the old 
roots until spring ; I think they are safer there. As to Lemoine’s 
hybrids I also lift these, but some left in the ground by mistake 
last year came up all right this ; but other varieties do the same. I 
think if these are to be well grown they also must be lifted and re¬ 
planted every year. 
For increasing stock Mr. Murphy ought to try catting up the 
large corms. If carefully performed, and the corms well ripened, 
as many as three to five pieces can safely he secured. A medium¬ 
sized corm is much to be preferred to one of large size, as these do 
not, as a rule, produce a greater number of buds than two, while 
the former almost invariably may be cut into four.—B. 
CATCHING AND KEEPING BULLFINCHES. 
Mr. M. Davidson, on page 381, asks me to give particulars on 
this subject. To do justice to the matter would require consider¬ 
able time and space as well as engravings. I have caught them in 
bat-fowling nets from thick hedges at night, with bird lime, and 
hundreds in trap cages. The latter mode I prefer. There is a great 
difference in trap cages, some of which the birds fear and will not 
enter, or very seldom. What I use I make to suit my fancy, and 
are the most practical I have met with, and here, I think, in a 
