342 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 11, 1894, 
- Weather ix Scotland. — Mr. G, M'Dongall, Eavenna 
Cottage, Stirling, writes :—"The total rainfall for the past month is 
0T55 inch, which fell on six days. Greatest fall on any day, 0'068 inch 
on the 25th. Mean maximum of the month, 64 6°; mean minimum, 
40’9°. The highest maximum was 72 6°, on the 13th ; the highest 
minimum was 50°, on the 20th. The lowest maximum was 55 9°, on the 
7th ; the lowest minimum, 30'5°, on the 27tb. Nights below 32°, two— 
the 27th and 28th.” 
- Tasmanian Apples. —Sir Edward Braddon, Premier of Tas¬ 
mania, in a circular dispatched to the premiers of the other Australian 
colonies, says :—“ So long as Tasmanian Apples are put on the English 
market through what is practically a close corporation in Covent 
Garden, so long will the growers be limited in their market, receive 
less for their produce than they should, and be entirely in the hands 
of people whose sole object is to get through as much business as they 
can in one day, regardless of the condition of the market and the 
growers’ net returns.” He therefore suggests the formation of a joint 
depot in London for Australian produce. 
- Summary of Meteorological Observations at Hod- 
sock Priory, Worksop, Notts, for September. — Mean tempera¬ 
ture of month, 52 7° ; maximum on the 11th, 67T° ; minimum on the 
27th, 341°. Maximum in the sun on the 5th, 126T° ; minimum on the 
grass on the 28th, 241°. Mean temperature of air at 9 A M., 54’3° ; 
mean temperature of soil 1 foot deep. 65'3°. Nights below 32° in 
shade 0°, on grass 9°. Sunshine—total duration in month 102'5 hours, 
or 27 per cent, of possible. We had six sunless days. Eainfall— 
0 67 inch rain fell on eight days. Average velocity of wind, 5 6 miles 
per hour ; velocity did not exceed 400 miles on any day, and fell short 
of 100 miles seven days. Approximate averages for September :— 
Mean temperature, 65'5° ; sunshine, 110 hours ; rainfall, 2 26 inches. 
Since observations commenced here we have had no September with 
so small a rainfall or so high a barometer, and only two with a lower 
mean temperature. Northerly winds throughout, and a great deal of 
calm. Eoses have given many grand blooms ; Teas even better than 
in summer.—J. Mallender. 
- Moths on Fruit Trees. — The Board of Agriculture in a 
leaflet to hand calls attention to the fact that the season is approaching 
when the winter moth and other dangerous moths will commence laying 
their eggs. It has, therefore, been deemed expedient to warn fruit 
growers on this subject, and to suggest methods of diminishing the 
danger. In October the winter moth and the mottled umber moth come 
from the chrysalis state in the ground under and near the fruit trees 
that were infested in the spring, and the female moths crawl up the 
trees for the purpose of laying their eggsj upon the twigs and branches. 
It is most important that the passage of these moths up the trees should 
be prevented. This can be effected by putting sticky compositions 
round the stems to entrap the moths, or apparatus of wood or tin, or 
other material, such as stout varnished cardboard, to bar their progress, 
as they are quite unable to fly, having only rudimentary wings. Fruit 
growers who put compositions round their trees last autumn early, and 
renewed the applications from time to time, and carefully attended to 
these measures of prevention, were rewarded with good crops of fruit. 
These measures must be adopted early in October, and the compositions 
must be kept in working order as long as moths are seen about. Tar has 
been found to injure young trees by causing their bark to contract. It 
should, therefore, not be used, except, perhaps, for old trees with thick 
layers of bark, and in this case it should be largely mixed with grease. 
Some manufactured compositions have also been found injurious to the 
trees. Great care should be taken in the selection and application of all 
compositions whose ingredients are unknown. Cart grease made from fats 
or oils and without tar is recommended by practical fruit growers as 
the best and safest substance. This may be applied directly to the 
stems, or put on wide bands of tough grease-proof paper, like that 
used by grocers, fastened round the trees with string, or bass, or rushes, 
like those for tying Hop bines. As constant greasing may injure 
trees, especially young trees, it would be most desirable to adopt the 
system of spreading the grease upon grease-proof paper bands. When 
these are employed for old trees their rough bark should be scraped 
away, in order that the paper may be fastened closely round the 
stems. The chrysalids, from which the moths will soon come, are 
now in the ground near the trees, and probably immediately 
under their boughs. Many chrysalids mighc be destroyed by digging 
or hoeing in the case of cultivated land where the trees have been 
infested, or by digging in or hoeing in lime. Upon grass land the 
grass should be cut off and removed, or fed off closely. After this the 
surface might be raked with large iron garden rakes. This would 
expose the chrysalids, many of which could be smashed if the ground 
after the raking were beaten down with shovels. 
- A New Onion. — Mr. Peters, a well-known gardener at 
Leatherhead, showed me recently bulbs of a new Onion, which he has 
raised by intercrossing Bedfordshire Champion with others of the 
flatter type, his special aim being to obtain a form of bulb that was- 
deep, round, very firm, handsome, and one that will keep well. The 
bulbs of his selected seedling which I saw were of from 10 to 12 ozs. 
in weight, quite perfect inform, and as firm as stones. The variety, too, 
seems to be wonderfully productive. No doubt quite as much can be 
said of scores of other Onions, for all are more or less good, especially 
having regard to diverse soils and culture. Such being the case, very 
much of the value of any new Onion depends on its keeping qualities, 
and I should like to see this same sample next May. No effort has 
been made to obtain huge bulbs, but simply a first-class main cropper, 
—A. D. 
- The Tow'ers, Eainhill.—M y thanks are due to “ U. T. T.” 
(page 294) for his kind appreciation of my Liverpool notes. Eegard- 
ing my notice of Mr. Blythian’s work at The Towers, Eainhill, I might, 
to have been strictly correct, have mentioned that he has the assistance 
of a boy, but so engrossed was I at the time of my visit, and even when 
writing the notice of the great amount of work which devolved upon 
and which is done by Mr. Blythian alone, that I thought my remarks 
would be within bounds by terming him what he almost is— 
single-handed, that is as regards the majority of work. In addition 
to the handsome vinery and Peach house already mentioned, I noticed 
a house filled with Tomatoes, another large house used for plant grow¬ 
ing, a large handsome commodious conservatory, besides the usual 
frames. The plants are trained exhibition specimens, such as Bougain¬ 
villea speciosa, about 7 feet high ; Plumbagos capensis and alba, 6 feet 
pyramids, beautifully flowered ; Zonal Pelargoniums and Coleuses, all 
trained ; with perhaps some of the finest specimen pyramid Fuchsias to 
be found in the country, in addition to a large number of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, which cannot be done without. This I mention now to show 
that the plants alone must take up considerable time, so well are they 
done. Although not going all through the grounds, what we saw were 
extensive and well kept; one long drive canopied with handsome trees, 
with a wide grass verge on each side, formed a splendid feature. As to 
extent of outside department I am unable to give more at present, but 
at some future time I shall be pleased to do so, also to give a fuller 
account of this charming place. An enthusiast Mr. Blythian certainly 
is, or he could not accomplish such a task, and I feel that however 
eulogistic I might have been in the first instance, that it w'ould not 
have more than compensated him for his thorough work.—E. P. E, 
- The Importance of Horticulture. — For the better 
advancement of the principles of horticulture, and with a view of dis¬ 
seminating knowledge amongst its members, the Bolton Horticultural 
and Chrysanthemum Society has arranged a course of lectures to be 
delivered in the next few months. The opening lecture was given on 
Thursday evening in last week, the essayist being Mr. Edmund J. 
Baillie of Chester, and his subject “ The Importance of Horticulture.” 
Mr. Baillie, as a preface, invited his audience for a moment to consider 
what horticulture really meant. It meant the cultivation of plants, or 
more properly the cultivation of the garden. Coming in contact with 
soil they spoke of horticulture and agriculture, and though the methods 
were different the aim was practically the same. Both by horticulture 
and agriculture it was sought to get the best return from the land, 
though agriculture was associated in their minds with the plough and 
other field implements, whilst the return was of a coarser and more 
rugged nature than that obtained from the garden, Horticulture was a 
method by which they got the best out of the land, both in quality and 
quantity, and he ventured to assert that if people would only give fruit 
its true position amongst the dishes on their tables, horticulture could 
be so profitably advanced in England as to give healthy employment to 
every idle man in the country. Horticulture should be pursued for the 
love of it, for it opened out to the student all manner of delightful 
possibilities. It was essential to the making of a gardener that the 
person must have method, tidiness, a love for his calling, and knowledge 
of a little art. These came from observation and study, the subjects 
most calculated to impress the same being a fair botanical knowledge, 
the possession of a few elements of chemistry, a smattering of commer¬ 
cial subjects, a little classical knowledge, how to use the saw and the 
chisel, and the study of entomology. 
