December 13, 1894. i 
JOURNAL OF horticulture ANL COTTaGE GARDENER. 
539 
- Royal Meteoeological Society.—A t the ordinary meeting 
oif the Society, to be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, 
on Wednesday, the 19th instant, at 7.30 P.M., the following papers 
will be read :—“ Report of the International Committee on the 
Cloud Atlas,” by Robert H. Scott, M.A., F.R.S. “ Rainfall and Floods 
in the Catchment Basins of the Severn, Wye, and Usk, November, 
1894 ; ” by Henry Southall, F.R.Met.Soc. “ Meteorological Observa¬ 
tions at Mojanga, Madagascar, 1892-1894 by S. C. Knott. 
- Killing Weeds by Electricity.—O ne of the “ latest ” 
from across the water is the method of killing weeds by electricity. It 
is stated that “ not only has electricity been found serviceable for weed 
destruction, but the cost is much less than when it was done by hand 
labour. With electricity, five miles of weeds can be killed in an hour 
at a very small expense. A brush heavily charged with electricity runs 
along about 8 inches above the ground, and every weed with which it 
comes into contact, however big and strong, is immediately killed, and 
turns black as if frozen.” 
- Slight Rainfall in Yorkshire. —Mr. J. Easter, Nostell 
Priory Gardens, writes :—“ Not wishing to add to the number of your 
already numerous weather correspondents, I cannot refrain from sending 
an account of the rainfall here for the month of November, showing 
the contrast between some of the southern counties and the fall here 
in this part of Yorkshire, situated about six miles south-east of Wake¬ 
field . Total for the month, 0’97 inch only, showing an extraordinary 
dry and fine month, with a mean maximum of 50 17°, and a mean 
minimum of 39’G®.” 
- Weather in Scotland. —Mr. G. M'Dougall, Stirling, writes: 
—“ The rainfall here for the last month was 2‘759 inches, which fell on 
twenty-two days. Greatest fall in one day was 0-710 inch, which fell on 
the 13tb. Mean maximum of the month, 50 0° ; mean minimum, 37 6°. 
Highest maxima, 67-4°, was on the 2nd, and the highest minima, 49 8°, 
was on the same date. The lowest maxima, 42 3, was on the 26th, and 
the lowest minima, 27-0°, was on the 27th. Nights below 32°, six. 
Altogether a mild month, no frost occurring until the 24th. No 
November for the last five years has been so free'of frost.” 
- Weather in November at Broughty Ferry, —The past 
month may be considered a record month for this locality, first for its mild¬ 
ness and second for its absence of rains, fogs, and storms. The mean tem¬ 
perature of the month was 43 1°, being 2 5° above the average of the last 
twenty years, and being the warmest of the series except November, 
1881, which averaged 1-2° higher, the mean night temperature of 
November being exactly the same as for October, both months averaging 
37-6°. The rainfall was 1-18 inch, being 1-62 inch below the average 
of twenty years, and the lowest of the series, except 1889, when only 
0*39 inch fell. The prevailing direction of the wind during the 
month has been westerly.— J. Machae. 
- Ox-eye Daisies.—F lowers stated to be 5 inches across do 
certainly seem to be for these single Daisies of most inordinate 
dimensions. 1 had hoped that the finest forms of latifolium or 
Lacustre, which we now have in such great abundance, were large enough 
for anything. Still I have found that placing young plants in rather 
rich, strong soil will cause them to produce huge blooms. Where 
specially large flowers are desired, if side or outer growths be lifted 
with good roots, then replanted singly or to form good clumps in trebles 
in specially prepared soil, blooms will come almost of the size named. 
The only possible excuse for seeking to produce such large flowers seems 
to be that they may rival those of Miss Mellish and other large flowered 
forms of Helianthus. That the laciniated petalled forms, such as 
filiformis or laciniatum, of the maximum section, are of the prettiest of 
these giant Daisies there can be no doubt. The slit or serrated petals 
give to the flowers a certain elegance previously much lacking. Seeing 
that so many of these forms are of garden origin, it is a pity we cannot 
have for them some common appellations, fori even maximum seems to 
be but a variety of leucanthemum, and then the full designation of 
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum maximum filiformis is distinctly a 
superfluous one. As all these Daisies seed freely they can be rapidly 
increased, and it is also for that reason not at all surprising if there 
should be occasionally variations in the flowers. None the less, it is 
well to preserve the best by increasing from the stools. This may be 
done freely enough, indeed it does not take long for these Daisies to 
become heavy burdens in gardens if not severely kept in check. My 
experience of them on strong soil is that under no circumstances should 
they be allowed to remain longer than two years without being divided 
and replanted.—A. D. 
- Mr. Alfred Outram. —We learn that the connection of Mr. 
Outram with the Holloway Nurseries will shortly terminate, after an 
association of twenty-two years. Mr. Outram is as well known as 
most men in the gardens of Great Britain, Ireland, and America 
He is not only a man of business capacity but literary ability 
as is very apparent in his extremely readable and high 
interesting little treatise describing the “ Progress of Horti¬ 
culture in the United States of America.” He is an inventor, 
too, in a small way, namely, of “ Outram’s Orchid Flower Holder,” 
which many persons have found useful for arranging Orchid flowers in 
rooms, instead of leaving them uncut so long as to cause the exhaustion 
of the plants. Mr. Outram resides at 7, Moor Park Road, Fulham, 
and we have not heard that he has entered into a new engagement. 
He is an admirable judge of plants, and has always been ready to 
lend a helping hand at flower shows, either in adjudicating or 
reporting. It may not be generally known that he is brother of that 
terror to criminals, the astute Detective Outram of the London Police. 
The only difference between the brothers professionally is that one 
is expert in hunting down rogues, and the other in hunting up orders 
for plants. 
- Schizostylis coccinea. —This is a very useful late autumn 
flowering plant, having the habit of the Gladiolus, and producing 
bright crimson flowers. It is considered quite hardy, though it does not 
appear to be so here (York). Clumps were planted on the herbaceous 
borders, where the plants grew very well, but produced few flowers, and 
these were generally spoilt by the wet, cold weather. During the winter 
of 1891-92 nearly all the plants were killed, only sufficient bulbs being 
found in the spring to fill a 6-inch pot. It is now grown in the 
following manner. The plants are divided in small pieces in the spring, 
and planted on a border a foot asunder and 15 inches between the rows. 
These grow away well, making good plants by the autumn ; they are 
then lifted, put into 6 and 8-inch pots, and stood in a cold frame, which 
is kept close for a few days until they recover from the check caused by 
lifting, when abundance of air is given. When the flowers commence to 
expand the plants are transferred to a cool house. Grown in this 
manner I find them very useful for house decoration as well as for cut 
flowers. As seed is produced very freely when grown in pots, the pods 
must be picked off, or the period of flowering will be shortened.— 
J. S. Upex. 
- A Carnival of Flowers. —We learn from the “American 
Florist” that Saratoga, New York, has had a “ carnival of flowers,” and 
the people are so pleased with it that it will undoubtedly be repeated 
annually in the future. The procession of decorated vehicles in the 
parade was larger than the wildest enthusiast had anticipated, and the 
decorations were lavishly elaborate. An enormous number of flowers was 
used, mainly outdoor kinds, such as Golden Rod, Gladiolus, Hydrangeas, 
Asters, and Sunflowers, though in the floats designs of Roses and Car¬ 
nations were seen. One very effective decoration was of Asparagus and 
Mountain Ash berries. Another was of Pine branches, on which 
were fastened in great profusion bunches of Hydrangeas. One of the 
floats carried a representation of the High Rock spring as it appeared a 
century and a half ago ; another was a floral boat manned by ten boys ; 
still another represented a Pompeian garden ; a Roman chariot carried 
Ceres with her sheaves, Pomona with her fruits. Flora with her blooms, 
Aesculapius with his herbs, Diana with her stag, and Pan with his pipes, 
and was drawn by four oxen. 
- The Ascent of Sap.—A t a recent meeting of the Royal 
Society Mr. H. H. Dixon and Dr. J. Joly, F.R.S., presented a paper on 
“ The Ascent of Sap.” It was pointed out, says the “ Times,” that 
Strasburger’s experiments have eliminated the direct action of living 
protoplasm from the problem of the ascent of sap, and have left only 
the tracheal tissue as an organised structure, and the transpiration- 
activity of the leaf wherein to seek an explanation of the phenomenon. 
The authors investigate the capability of the leaf to transpire against 
excessive atmospheric pressures. In these experiments the leaf was 
found able to bring forward its water meniscuses against the highest 
pressures attained and freely transpire. Whether the draught upon the 
sap established at the leaf during transpiration be regarded as purely 
capillary or not, these experiments lead the authors to believe that it 
alone is quite adequate to effect the elevation by direct tension of the 
sap in tall trees. Explanations of the lifting of the sap from other 
causes prove inadequate. A reconsideration of the principal experi¬ 
ments of previous observers and some new experiments of the authors 
lead to the view that the ascent is principally in the lumen and not in 
the wall. 
