January 23, 1890. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
15 
especially before the spring. Red and Black Currants are not often 
greatly interfered with, and these may be pruned when perhaps it is 
too cold to proceed with the pruning and nailing of wall trees. Red 
and White Currants produce their fruit principally from the spurs 
formed on the old wood. All superfluous young wood should therefore 
be closely spurred back, and any required for laying the foundation of 
a bush or for extension ought to be shortened back to about one-third 
of their length, this being the only means of securing sturdy well- 
furnished main branches. Always keep the centre of both young and 
old bushes open, and do not crowd the main branches. Black Cur¬ 
rants produce fruit throughout the entire length of young shoots 
formed during the previous season. These, therefore, should not be cut 
back, but only thinned out, as much of the old wood as possible being 
cleanly cut out at the same time. If the branches extend too far, or 
the centre of the bush is weak, foreshorten—that is to say, cut back the 
old wood with any young shoots attached to a well placed inner 
growth. Gooseberries may be pruned very similarly to Black Currants, 
but as fruit is freely produced by both young wood and spurs on old 
branches, the former may be much more freely cut out, or even all 
removed, abundance of fruit, birds and weather permitting, emanating 
from the closely spurred branches. In any case the low under branches 
should be cut out. fruit produced near the ground usually being dirty 
and worthless. Now is also a good time to remove old Raspberry canes, 
the young ones being thinned out and duly trained or secured in what¬ 
ever manner may be in vogue.—W. T. M. 
BIRDS AND FRUIT BUDS. 
Youe correspondent “ T. A. C.” (page 51) complains of bullfinches 
stripping a Beurrii Clairgeau Pear tree of its buds, and inquires if others 
have had a similar experience. I have often known Pear buds to be 
attacked by these birds, and as recently as the past week I saw trees of 
Marie Louise that had been visited, and although the same havoc as 
spoken of by “ T. A. C.” had not been actually committed, the crops 
might have been seriously jeopardised had the birds followed their course 
unmolested. The ground was strewed with the outer scales of the fruit 
buds, and had the trees been of the orthodox bush or pyramid, instead 
of large orchard samples, the results would have been a thin crop 
indeed. In our garden last year a tree of Marechal de la Cour, which 
always blooms early, was almost denuded of its fruit buds, but so 
far we have been spared from such mischief this year. 
Sparrows sometimes prove troublesome among the Gooseberry 
bushes, especially in frosty weather when other food becomes scarce, 
and this year they have already given us some trouble, and not only 
will they devour Gooseberry, but Currant and Deutzia buds also. The 
latter is a new experience to me, but nevertheless a fact, for on taking in 
a portion of our stock to force, I observed that many of the buds had 
fared the same as those of fruit trees, and accordingly placed the re¬ 
mainder beyond the reach of the birds. “ T. A. C.” mentions Green 
Gages only, but I have not observed any partiality shown for these 
more than other sorts of Plums by the bullfinch. Indeed Damsons and 
Bullace trees I have seen completely stripped by them. 
It is astonishing that birds so destructive should receive so much 
protection from owners of gardens, for I have been told that fruit 
shall be sacrifieed rather than the birds should be destroyed. But these 
resolutions are mostly of winter’s ruling, as is generally noticed, much 
to the discomfort of the gardener, disappointments are loud and long 
when summer arrives and brings with it no fruit. Allowance may be 
made for thrushes and blackbirds, for their delightful songs, which 
herald the spring, secure for them some favour even among gardeners, 
especially the thrush. I have always thought well of the starling as a 
useful bird to the gardener, and until within the last two years have 
never known them prove objectionable among fruit crops, but, like 
“ T. A. C.,” shall have to dissolve friendly partnership if they continue 
their unbounded partiality for Raspberries and Strawberries. If possible 
I believe them to be more greedy than even the blackbird or thrush 
among the before-mentioned fruits. The best antidote, in my opinion, is 
powder and shot, but it is not all who are allowed or who care to use 
them.—W. S., Frame. _ 
YotTR correspondent “ T. A. C.’s ” (page 53) Pear buds seem to bave 
escaped the ravages of these birds until this year. I am sorry to say 
I have found them as destructive on the Pear as on the Plum and other 
small fruit trees. This year they began their destructive work much 
earlier than usual. We have in an orchard a Pear tree 40 feet high of 
Mardchal de Cour, and for the last three years in succession we have 
gathered heavy crops of fine fruit. This variety is much prized at 
table for its splendid flavour and long keeping. The unwelcome 
intruders are attacking this tree with a vengeance. “ F. B.” says bull¬ 
finches are not insect destroyers except in breeding seasons, if so they 
are of little use. I, for one, would like to put an end to their existence 
within reach of fruit plantations. 1 have known them to attack Peach 
and Nectarine buds on the walls.—E. Ham, Mountains, Ilildenhorougli. 
THE WEATHER PLANT. 
The January issue of the “ Kew Bulletin ” devotes its twenty- 
eight pages entirely to a consideration of the Weather Plant, Abrus 
precatorius, concerning which so much has been written during the 
past year or two in metropolitan papers. Someone assigned the plant 
the erroneous name of Abrus peregrinus, which went the round, and was 
accepted by many as the right one until it was authoritatively corrected, 
Mr. Nowack, an Austrian gentleman, seems to have investigated the- 
subject carefully, and the Prince of Wales having introduced him to- 
the authorities at Kew, a series of experiments was undertaken at Kew 
by Mr. Francis Oliver in conjunction with Mr. Nowack, the results of 
which are included in a number of comparative weather predictions 
and actual observations. In introducing the report the following 
remarks are interesting. 
The plant, Abrus precatorius, Linn., is a well-known tropical weed. 
Originally a native of India, it is now widely dispersed in tropical 
regions, including Mauritius, the West Indies, &c. It is a leguminous 
plant, with the habit of a shrubby climber. In the case of the plants 
used by Mr. Nowack, the young rapidly growing shoots were cut in 
before requiring any support. Thus the production of lateral shoots 
and foliage was stimulated. The seeds of Abrus precatorius are well 
known as “ crab’s eyes,” and are used all over the world for decorative 
purposes. In India they are called rati, and are largely used by goldsmiths 
as weights, each weighing about If grain. It is stated that the famous 
Koh-i-noor diamond was first weighed by the rati, a word which is indeed 
supposed to have given origin to the jeweller’s carat (Kerat, AraF), 
The powdered seeds are harmless when eaten, but rapidly produce fatal 
effects when introduced beneath the skin even in small quantity. They 
are used criminally in India in “ Sui ” poisoning, the object being to 
obtain the skins of the poisoned domestic animals. The poisonous 
action is due to the action of a proteid, Abrin. The leaves of the plant 
are 2 to 3 inches long, with ten to fifteen pairs of shortly stalked leaflets. 
The texture of the latter is very delicate and membranous ; the surfaces 
glabrous. 
At the point of insertion of each leaf on the stem is a slightly 
swollen joint or pulvinus, and each leaflet is provided with a similar 
small secondary pulvinus at its point of insertion on the main rachis. 
The rachis as well as the leaflets perform considerable movements-both 
vertically and laterally on their pulvini. It is with these movements- 
that the bulk of this report is concerned, as on them Mr. Nowack bases 
his various weather prophecies and barometric charts. The leaves are 
arranged on the stem alternately with for the most part a divergence of 
half, but since on its development a leaf generally bends round through 
an angle varying from a few degrees toas much as 90°, it is found on an 
adult shoot that the leaves point in various directions. They spread 
themselves so as to obtain the most favourable illumination. This 
point is of some importance, and will be referred to later on. 
I refrain from introducing histological details. But the mode of 
secondary increase in the thickness of the stem is peculiar and 
abnormal, as in many plants of climbing habit. The leaves, however, 
and the motile organs, the pulvini, do not differ in any character or 
manner from the same organs in other leguminous plants with motile- 
leaves. 
Some years ago seeds of this plant were communicated to Mr, 
Nowack with the statement that “ they belonged to a wonderful flower¬ 
ing plant.” He raised young plants from them, and was much im¬ 
pressed with the movements of the leaflets and of the leaves. That the 
movements in question did not depend on the immediate external con¬ 
ditions, Mr. Nowack soon satisfied himself. His observations suggested 
to him the existence of some connection between the movements and 
the state of the weather at a future period. The views which his 
further observations led him to adopt are contained in his pamphlet, 
published at Frag in 1888. 
Mr. Nowack claims to be able to fortell, forty-eight hours ahead, the 
nature of the weather and its various changes, as well as the strength 
and direction of the wind, and rise or fall in temperature. Further, 
that intimation of the advent of earthquakes and of “ Schlagwetter ”■ 
—(he., escape of firedamp in coal mines) is given by the plants many 
days in advance. According to Mr. Nowack, individual plants of Abrus 
precatorius fall into two physiological groups ; (1) the Weather Plants 
proper, which he speaks of as B-plants, and (2), plants indicating 
coming changes in temperature, T-plants. 
I will now shortly describe the chief movements performed by these 
plants, and the significance attached to them by Mr. Nowack. In the 
first place, it is claimed that if plants of Abrus be allowed to grow un¬ 
disturbed, the leaves as they develop will place themselves so that their 
axes lie in the chief planes of the compass N. and S., E. and W.— i.e., 
that all the leaves on a plant will point either N., S., E., or W. Further, 
if during its development a plant be turned through an angle, the 
leaves tend to move back to the four cardinal points. It is by noticing 
to which side of a plant any given leaf in a phase of movement belongs 
that the direction from which the indicated weather change will come 
is ascertained. 
The leaves on any healthy plant fall into three categories, according 
to their age. The oldest leaves of all indicate weather for the imme¬ 
diate loeality only, to the distance of half a mile. Leaves of an inter¬ 
mediate age, from five to ten miles ; whilst the youngest leaves tell the 
weather for an outer zone to as great a distance as fifty miles. As the 
plant grows and developes fresh leaves, those which were a short time 
before the youngest, and which told the weather for the distant zone, 
gradually pass over to the intermediate category, and indicate for the 
middle zone, and fina’ly only for the immediate locality. It must be 
remembered, then, that the leaves of different ages are sensitive to 
changes in the weather at varying discances from the point at which 
observations are being made. The manner in which these changes are 
indicated is the same in all cases. Thus, a thunderstorm to occur at the 
greatest distance is signalled forty-eight hours beforehand by the 
