322 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 18, 1889, 
three months, takrn by him at Ealing. The features brought out by 
comparison were—1, The much slighter oscillations in the subterranean 
temperatures than in the other three. 2, That while the subterranean 
varies with the maxima and minima when their fluctuations are great, 
they often remain unaffected when the latter are slight; or (3) the 
curves may correspond with one or other only of them respectively. 
Taking the means for the three months they are at follows : — 
Mean max. 
Mean min. 
Mean air. 
Mean subt. 
January ... 
42° 
30° 
34° 
37° 
February , 
42° 
30° 
35° 
37° 
March. 
45° 
32° 
40° 
39° 
Hence the mean subterranean temperature was in each case 1° higher than 
the mean between the maximum and minimum of each month. Compar¬ 
ing the subterranean with the minima on January 6th the lowest mini¬ 
mum was 19°, but the subterranean temperature never fell below 32°. On 
February 13th the lowest minimum was 18°, the subterranean tempera¬ 
ture being 33°, the lowest for the month. On March 18th the lowest 
minimum was also 18°, the subterranean being again 33°. Comparing 
subterranean with the maxima, on January 19th and 27th the highest 
maximum occurred—viz., 51°, the subterranean reaching 40° on both 
dates, while on the 31st it was 41°. In February there were two high 
maxima—viz., on the 1st 54°, the subterranean being 45° ; and on 18th 
56°, the subterranean being 44° on the 20th. In March a series of six 
maxima ranged from 50° on the 14th to 59° on the 28th and 30th ; the 
subterranean had five corresponding maxima, reaching 46° on the 30th. 
Injurious Effect of London Fog. —Mr. Dyer laid before the Com¬ 
mittee a short scheme to indicate the line suggested for inquiries into 
this matter :—1, The natural history of fog considered (1) in its meteor¬ 
ological conditions, and (2) as to its chemical and physical components ; 
2, The empirical effects of fog (1) as diminishing the amount of light, 
and (2) in its injurious effects arising from the action of its poisonous 
and obstructive components ; 3, The microscopical study of lesions to 
tissues produced by fog ; and 4, Experimental data likely to throw 
light on the subject. Various experts will be invited to take part in 
the investigation, and a circular will be issued to cultivators asking 
for their experience. Prof. Church furnished the remarkable fact that 
he had noticed how Convolvulus major growing in the Portland 
Road was bleached by rain drops. This was due to the presence of 
sulphurous acid in addition to the usual sulphuric (in the form of 
sulphates) in London rain. He found also that when London fog was 
filtered the air was acid, but the soot was alkaline, in consequence of 
the presence of ammonia. Dr. Russell has even detected arsenious 
acid in rain water collected in the city. 
PLANTING OUT CYCLAMENS. 
As a winter-flowering plant the Cyclamen has no equal either in pots 
for the house or in a cut state. I have seen flowers last three weeks in 
glasses. There was a grand display at Ranston this year. The plants 
commenced flowering in November and lasted till the middle of March ; 
indeed, we have a few in flower now. 
The seed was sown in September, 1887, and the seedlings pricked off 
when producing their second leaf. When they had four or five leaves 
the plants were placed in 3-inch pots and kept growing in a tempera¬ 
ture of 55° to 60° until the end of March, then gradually hardened off 
to a cold frame and lightly shaded from the sun. They were then 
planted out in a box frame behind a wall, the lights facing north. The 
soil was a mixture of one half good loam, the other of well decayed leaf 
soil with a good addition of sand. They were taken up the first week in 
September, 1888, the plants being then a foot to 18 inches in diameter, 
and kept in a cold frame till established, then placed in a house in a 
temperature of 50°, where they threw up as many as 100 and 150 
flowers each. We found one-year-old plants preferable to seedlings, as 
there was more substance in the flowers ; therefore seed should be sown 
every year. If treated as above Cyclamen culture will be a sure success, 
as the planting-out system is far better than growing them in pots.— 
W. Penton. 
THE FORESTS OF UPPER BURMAH. 
Mb. H. C. Hill, the Conservator of the Forests of Upper Burmah, 
in his report for the past year—that is, the first, year of the existence of 
a forest department in that territory- -says that even in that short 
time a great advance has been made in the protection of forests. 
Though the Secretary of State sanctioned the appointment of a staff 
of two conservators and nineteen assistant conservators, and the Indian 
Government decided that for the present one conservator and fifteen 
assistants should be appointed, yet the staff in July numbered no more 
than eleven. The addition of two more is, however, promised at an 
early date. The work done by this small staff has been very difficult. 
The areas are enormous, a division averaging about 4000 square miles, 
the forest land of that tract being from one-third to one-half of the 
area. Besides, every opposition has been put in the way of the work of 
the department by the natives, who have been accustomed in the past to 
cut the forest timber as they liked. And so it became necessary to send 
armed escorts with the officers. The Inspector General’s suggestion that 
a sufficiently strong force of armed men should be organised to protect 
the forest officers was not acted on. A body of about 200 police are 
now constantly engaged in this service. Occasionally difficulties have 
cropped up, especially when long marches were to be made ; but on the 
whole the present system has worked well. The knowledge that Dacoits 
might be met with at any turn has to some extent hampered the 
operations of the forest officials. From the reckless cutting of timber 
in the past it is probable that the supply in accessible forests will prove 
smaller than was anticipated. No actual demarcation has as yet taken, 
place, but 5560 acres in the Ruby Mine district have been inspected, and 
a further area of 2440 acres has been described as suitable for reserve 
land. During the year fifty-seven persons were convicted of various 
offences against the forest regulations. Nurseries have been established 
at Bernardymo and Mogouk, where besides the work done in forest trees, 
500 European grafted fruit trees were planted, and of these 149 grew, 
including Pears, Apples, Peaches, Apricots, and Plums. One great 
difficulty has been the disputes between the original lessees of the royal' 
forests and the present forest department. The Government offer has 
been accepted by the Bombay Burmah Corporation, but other lessees 
have not yet assented to the terms. The Government propose to 
continue the rights under the various leases to the holders under new 
agreements, substituting a system of payment on the timber actually 
extracted for the yearly lump sum payments, and enforcing the rules 
and regulations as regards girdling, felling of green Teak, and all other 
matters connected with the girdling of the forests. The effects of the 
war can be seen in the returns of the amount of timber felled. Thus; 
the Bombay Burmah Corporation extracted from the Pyinmana forests 
in 1885, 63,000 tons ; in 1886, 18,000 tons ; in 1887, 26,000 tons. There 
has been a serious loss to the forest revenue in the past year by the 
wholesale plundering of unmarked timber by local traders. After 
passing through various hands this timber finally reached a revenue 
station, where it was passed into the market centres on payment of the 
local duty.—( Nature .) 
SPRING EXHIBITIONS. 
BIRMINGHAM. 
The ninth annual Exhibition of Orchids and spring flowers was held 
in the Town Hall on the 10th and 11th inst., and although the state of 
the weather was as unfavourable as could well be imagined, the attend¬ 
ance was nearly up to the average, while the general display of flowers 
considerably surpassed any previously seen in the Midlands. Orchids 
were well shown, the first prize for a group of twelve being awarded 
to C. Winn, Esq., Selly Oak (Mr. G. Barnes) with the following— 
Cattleyas Lawrenciana, Mendelli, Trianas, Trianae formosa, Miltonia 
vexillaria, Odontoglossums Alexandras and luteo-purpureum, Cymbi- 
dium eburneum, Cypripediums caudatum, villosum, and Warnerianum, 
and Oncidium sarcodes. These plants were all well balanced, and gave 
indisputable evidence of careful cultivation. The second prize plants 
of G. A. Kenrick, Esq. (Mr. Powell, gardener) were more uneven, but 
we are informed that the collection is only in course of formation, about 
eighteen months only having elapsed since the purchase of the first plants. 
They were Cattleyas citrina, intermedia, Trianae, a fine form, and Trianae 
delicata, Dendrobium crassinode, D. Devonianum, with growths nearly 
5 feet in length ; D. Farmeri, D. fimbriatum oculatum, D. thyrsiflorum. 
and D. Wardianum, Miltonia vexillaria, and Trichopilia suavis. Mr. 
Marriot, Coventry, received the third prize. Conspicuous in this group 
was a magnificent specimen of Oncidium sarcodes carrying six large 
spikes. Had a prize been awarded for the finest single specimen this 
plant would have stood without a rival. In the class for six Orchids 
Mr. Kenrick was first with the following—Dendrobiums chrysanthum, 
Devonianum, thyrsiflorum, and Wardianum, Cattleyas Trianae and 
Trianae rosea. Mr. Winn received second honours with Cattleya Trianae 
formosa, Crypripedium Sedeni, C. candidibulum, Miltonia vexillaria 
Cobbiana, very fine ; Odontoglossums Alexandras, Regnieri, and tri- 
umphans. For three Orchids the same two exhibitors occupied similar 
positions, Mr. Kenrick’s first prize group consisting of splendid specimens 
of Dendrobiums Devonianum, thyrsiflorum, and Wardianum, while Mr. 
Winn showed Cypripedium Hartwegi, Miltonia vexillaria, and Odonto- 
glossum Andersonianum. 
Azaleas .—For sixspecimens the competition between — Milward, Esq. r 
Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston (Mr. J. Crook, gardener), and the Right Hon. 
J. Chamberlain, Highbury (Mr. E. Cooper, gardener), was very keen, 
resulting, however, in those gentlemen being placed in the order men¬ 
tioned. Roi Leopold, Bernhard Andreas alba, and Charmer in the first 
group were especially fine. The same two gentlemen with their positions 
reversed carried off the prizes offered for Azalea mollis, while Mr. O. 
Braisier, gardener to Sir T. Martineau, easily secured the first for three 
Azaleas. Spiraeas and Dielytras were shown in large numbers, and all 
reached a very high standard ; therefore, in this case at any rate, defeat 
was by no means synonymous with disgrace. Deutzias were splendidly 
exhibited by Mrs. Marigold (Mr. Dyer, gardener). 
Roses in pots and also cut blooms were presented in grand form from 
Highbury, but owing probably to the wretched season Auriculas, Poly¬ 
anthuses, and Pansies were far below the average. A prize given by 
Messrs. R. Smith & Co. of Worcester for six plants for dinner table de¬ 
coration produced a number of exhibits, the successful competitor, after 
a severe contest, being Mr. Dyer, with a beautiful group, the Crotons 
especially being as near perfection of health and colouring as can well 
be imagined. The class for six pots of Lily of the Valley produced a 
spirited contest, all the entries being of a high order of merit, resulting, 
however, in the victory of Mr. Brown, Beech Lanes, with six magnifi¬ 
cent pots. In the Cyclamen class it was a case of Mr. Chamberlain 
first, the rest nowhere ; but with the Cinerarias every plant staged was 
a splendid example of cultivation. Our Birmingham friends, however, 
have not succeeded in obtaining possession of the best strains of seed. 
As might be expected at a spring show, the bulb classes were well 
