128 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 9,189.4. 
- Spie^a ahi^folia. —How beautiful is this species with its 
creamy white plumes brought out in relief by the foliage of the 
shrubbery. After the first flush of summer in the flowering shrubs is 
over this graceful North American plant takes .a high position. One 
regrets the evanescent character of its flowers. Prominent, too, at this 
time is Olearia Haasti, and charming is Ceanothus azureus in the soft 
hued tint of its lavender blue.—E. K. 
- Ameeican Blackbeeeies. —There is every prospect, should 
we have a warm autumn, of enormous crops of wild Blackberries every¬ 
where about our hedgerows, but the fruits ripen late relative to the 
far earlier ripening which is seen on the American sorts. At Coombe 
Bank these, chiefly of Laciniata and Wilson, jun., have been freely 
planted in some of the shrubberies, where they have made good growth, 
and get practically no pruning. The crop of berries these are now bearing 
is wonderful, the branches being borne to the ground by the weight of 
fruit. No doubt here, as elsewhere, the hot dry weather of last season 
helped to mature the growths, and thus render them particularly fruitful. 
When planted in cold ground, and where shaded, wood-ripening seldom 
follows, and the growths are largely killed by severe frost.—A. D. 
- Middlesbeough Flowee Show.—A well attended meeting 
of the supporters of the above show was held recently at Middlesbrough, 
Mr. Councillor Barron presiding. The accounts for the present season 
were presented by Mr. Carrick. These were, he said, in a very eminent 
degree much more satisfactory than might have been anticipated from 
the continuous downpour of rain which characterised the day of the 
show. The subscription list shows an improvement on previous years, 
denoting that the show has taken a firm hold on the public mind. The 
sale of tickets had produced a really good gate in itself. On balancing 
it was found that this year’s show had considerably reduced the debt of 
the four previous years, so that there now remains a debt only of about 
£50, which the^Committee hope to still further reduce by subscriptions 
promised but not paid, and tickets sold but not yet settled for. As 
North Ormesby have removed their show to the early part of July it was 
resolved to take the date thus vacant, and the Middlesbrough show for 
1895 will therefore be held on Wednesday, July 24th. 
- Life amongst Steawbeeey Pickees.— Some alarm has 
been caused in certain circles by the following paragraph which has 
gone the round of the daily press. “ A glimpse into the life of the 
poor people who go down into Kent when the Strawberry picking is 
going on is afforded by a series of articles by Miss E. L. Banks in the 
“ Lady’s Pictorial.” Miss Banks went herself as one of the “ hands,” 
and at the end of a couple of days or so was mentally and physically 
worn out by the labour. Even to get to the scene of operations was no 
easy matter, the way lying through wet grass, mud and thistles, and her 
feet slipping down in the water, that worked its way between the 
buttons of her boot, while her wet skirts dragged about her heels. The 
poor people get used to the hardships of the life and soon get over the 
racking pain of the first day’s picking; but even they suffer terribly 
from the rheumatism brought on by exposure. The rate of wages varies 
from 3d. to 3Jd. a peck, at which rate, under exceptionally favourable 
circumstances, 5s. can be earned in a day.” 
- Dundee Hoeticultueal Association. ■— The monthly 
meeting of this Association was held on Friday evening in last week, 
Mr. Robt. Wilkie, the President, in the chair. A paper on “ Herbaceous 
and Hardy Border Plants ” was read by Mr. Thos. Blackley, Seggieden, 
Perth. In planting a new border he recommended the preparation of 
young plants in nursery beds, rather than the old system of slicing 
off pieces from old ones. The preparation of the border was next 
dealt with in an able manner, and moderately light soil recommended. 
A well planted herbaceous border should show no bare ground, and 
where the spring flowering bulbs were it was a good practice to sow 
some hardy annuals to take the place of the bulbs after their foliage 
had decayed. After the herbaceous border was once established there 
was nothing so detrimental to success as digging amongst the plants, 
and he pointed out that a top-dressing was a much better method of 
culture. He also alluded to the edging of the borders, and recom¬ 
mended in place of the usual box wood, an edging formed of stones 
and covered with dwarf alpine and rock plants, as being effective and 
in keeping with the surroundings. In the discussion which followed 
Mr. Blackley’s paper was very favourably commented upon, and at the 
close he was accorded a cordial vote of thanks. Messrs. D. & W. Croll 
exhibited a magnificent stand of Roses. Mr. J. Machar, Corona, 
Broughty Ferry, exhibited a plant of Lselia (Brassavola) Digbyana. With 
the usual votes of thanks to the exhibitors and Chairman brought a 
very successful meeting to a close. 
- The Total Rainfall at Abbot’s Leigh, Haywaeds 
Heath, Sussex, for the past month was 5'21 inches, being 2-65 inches 
above the average. The heaviest fall was 1'49 inch on the 10th, an 
amount only exceeded on three occasions in fourteen years, the heaviest 
of which was 2'25 inches on 8th October, 1880. Rain fell on nineteen 
days. The maximum temperature was 87° on the 1st, the minimum, 
44° on the 14th. Mean maximum, 71'27°; mean minimum, 53 02°. 
Mean temperature, 62-14°—1-44° above the average. A wet month, sun 
much wanted for haying, which is not yet finished, and harvest is now 
progressing.—R. I. 
- July Weathee in Scotland. —Mr. G. M’Dougall, Stirling, 
writes :—The total rainfall here for July was 2-531 inches, which fell on 
eighteen days ; greatest fall in one day was 0-885 inch on the 6th. The 
mean maximum temperature of the month was 72-8° ; mean minimum, 
48-7° ; 72° and 49° were the respective temperatures for 1893. Highest 
maximum, 82 5° on the 1st; lowest maximum, 60° on the 16th. Highest 
minimum, 58 2° on the 27th ; lowest minimum, 38-9° on the 23rd. It 
was altogether a favourable month, but with rather a superabundance of 
moisture ; no burnt pastures to be seen even on the hill-tops. Peas 
were late, the first being gathered on the 12th, but will be soon over, as 
they are rapidly filling. 
-The Weathee in County Dublin.—J une went out in a 
burst of tropical heat. July came in with a record shade temperature 
of 82°, but ere the dawn of its second day all was changed ; alas! for 
the worse. Seldom has haymaking been carried on under more trying 
conditions. The monotonous click of the grass mowers is still heard, 
and weatherwise ones waiting for the long-deferred favourable weather 
are waiting still. Harvesting will be difficult, for the luxuriant Oat 
crops are much lodged by recent heavy rains. Potatoes look well, with 
no symptoms of disease to date. Dairymen and graziers are favoured 
with abundance of grass. Good straw is a scarce commodity, and 
overtopped the price of best hay in Dublin market last week.—E. K. 
- The Weathee in Wales Last Month.—M r. W. Mabbott, 
The Gardens, Gwernllwyn House, Dowlais, Glamorgan, writes :—The 
following is a summary of the weather here for the last month. Rain 
fell on twenty-one days. Maximum in any twenty-four hours 2-12 inches, 
which fell on the 24th, the greatest fall in any twenty-four hours here 
since a record has been kept. Minimum 0 01 on the 13th. Total for 
the month 5-89 inches. Total for 1894 up to date 33 74 inches. The 
sun shone on twenty-three days. Number of hours sunshine 111 hours 
40 minutes maximum on the 5th, minimum ten minutes on the 16th. 
Wind was in the west and north-west for twenty-four days. A very 
cold and dull month. Strawberries were gathered for the first time on 
the 12th of this month, and three pickings of very poor fruits were all 
we had. 
- The Weathee in July,—W e had fine warm weather up to 
the 10th, and then a lower temperature, and very showery until the end, 
with thunder on 12th, 13th, 21st, and 25th. Wind was in a westerly 
direction twenty days. Total rainfall was 3 inches, which fell on nine¬ 
teen days, the greatest daily fall being 0-72 on 10th. Barometer, 
highest, 30-136 on Ist; lowest, 29-128 on 12th. Highest shade tempera¬ 
ture, 84° on 6th ; lowest, 46° on 12th and 3Ist. Mean daily maximum, 
71°. Mean daily minimum 51-80°. Mean temperature of the month 
61-40°. Lowest on grass, 43° on 26th and Slst. Mean earth temperature 
at 3 feet, 58-22°. Highest in sun, 135° on 6th. Total sunshine 173 
hours ; two days were sunless, Haymaking has been much hindered by 
the showery weather, and is not finished in this neighbourhood yet. 
Much that is made is in poor condition. Some of the corn is beaten 
down by heavy rains. No signs of Potato disease at present, and all 
crops look well in the gardens.—W. H, Divees, Belvoir Castle Gardens, 
Grantham, 
- Peofits of Middlemen. — Writing to the “ Agricultural 
Economist ” a correspondent says :—“ Grievous complaints have from 
time to time come to hand of producers of vegetables and fruit being 
victimised by the Covent Garden salesmen, but we have seldom met 
with a case so evidently rapacious as one just made public. Green 
Peas, as most people are aware, are largely grown in Essex and the 
home counties for supply to the London market, but growers should be 
cautious not to send them to Covent Garden salesmen if they are not in 
the habit of doing business with them regularly. About a fortnight 
since a farmer sent 2500 bags containing 30,000 pecks @f Peas, and alj 
he got back for them was Id. per peck, or Is, per bag. Now this was 
just what it cost to gather the Peas, and as the costs of carriage 
amounted to 6d. per bag, and the commission charges and other expenses 
