THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
July 15. 
235 
1 
CAI.THA. MARSH MARIGOLD. 
Generic Character. —Calyx noue. Petals five or more, 
: below tlie seed-vessel, oval, nearly flat, spreading. Nectary 
none. Stamens numerous, rather swelling upwards, shorter 
i than the corolla. Anthers terminal, erect, oblong, of two 
i lobes, bursting at the outer edges. Germens, five to ten, 
erect, oblong, compressed. Pistils styleless. Stigmas 
blunt. Capsules ( follicles ), as many as the germens, cylin¬ 
drical, pointed, two-edged, erect or spreading, bursting at 
the upper edge. Seeds numerous, from the margins of 
the capsule, oval, with a small rounded prominence at the 
extremity. 
Caltha palustris : Common Marsh-Marigold; Meadow- 
bout; Gowans ; Golds ; Country Beauties; Souci de Marais 
Description .—It is a perennial. Rout rather tuberous, 
with numerous simple fibres. Stems several, nearly upright, 
about one foot high, hollow, nearly round, grooved, smooth, 
leafy, branched, purple at the lower part. Root-leaves on 
long, rather three-sided stalks, heart kidney-shaped, smooth, 
shining, notched or scolloped on the edge. Stem-leaves nearly 
stalkless, alternate, more triangular than kidney-shaped, 
sharply scolloped. Stipules brown, membranous, withering. 
Branches in pairs. Flowers several, one on each flower-stalk. 
Flower-stal/cs alternate, upright, grooved. Petals five to seven, 
rather concave, an inch long, roundish-oval, bright yellow, 
glossy underneath. Anthers oblong, flat, bending inward, 
yellow; inner row broadest; outer row twice as long and club 
shaped and flattened. Seeds beautiful, lower end olive- 
coloured, upper end reddish. 
There is a dwarf wild variety; and a double variety is 
often seen in our gardens. 
Places where found .—In marshy pastures, and margins of 
water. 
Time of flowering .—March to May. 
History .—Its name is probably derived from the Greek 
word kaltlios , a beautiful thing. The flower-buds pickled 
very much resemble capers. The juice of the petals boiled 
with alum stains paper yellow, but the colour is not per¬ 
manent. It is a vulgar notion that this and the butter-cup 
render the butter yellow produced from the cows which eat 
them. That yellowness arises from the extra richness of 
the pastures just when these flowers are in blossom, and so 
far are cows from eating the Marsh Marigold, that they 
reject it until compelled to eat it by extreme hunger, and 
then, Boerhaave states, it causes in them a latal inflam¬ 
mation. In some country places they collect the flowers on 
May-day, strew them before their doors, and weave them into 
garlands. This flower is one of those usually included 
under the Scotch name of Gowans , the Dandelion and 
j Butter-cup being the others. Goats and sheep eat it, but by 
! horses and swine it is rejected. Dr. 'Withering, jun., observes : 
I “ That the atmosphere, especially of a confined apartment, , 
may be contaminated by the gaseous exhalations of plants 
[ and flowers, during the night often fatally mephitic, is uu- 
| questionable; and it would appear that even medicinal 
properties may be thus evolved; for on a large quantity of 
j the flowers of Meadow-bouts being put into the bed-room 
of a girl who had been subject to fits, the fits ceased. An 
infusion of the flowers were afterwards successfully used in 
various fits both of children and adults. Few plants will be 
found more ornamental on the margin of the pleasure 
ground lake, wherein the rich golden blossoms are often 
reflected with admirable effect.” It is the first flower of 
spring in Lapland, where it blooms towards the end of 
May. It is rather acrid. (Smith. Withering. Martyn. Par¬ 
kinson.) 
I 1 
M W 
D D 
JULY 15—21, 1852. 
Weateee near London in 1851. 
Barometer. Thermo. Wind. Rain in In. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
15 Th 
St. Swithin. 
| | 
29./30 — 29.727 70 - 11 
w. 
02 
9 a. 8 
2 15 
28 
5 
38 
197 
16 F 
Evening Primrose flowers. 
29.884 — 29.763 67—46 
N.W. 
_ 
4 
8 
3 3 
29 
I 5 
43 
198 
17!S 
Wild Goat’s Rue flowers. 
29.851 — 29.826 74—41 
N.W. 
— 
5 
7 
sets. 
© 
5 
49 
199 
18 Sun 
0 Sunday afterTrinity. 
29-950 — 29.S93 72—39 
N.W. 
6 
6 
1 
5 
54 
200 
19 M 
Eyebright flowers. 
29.970 —29.80S 71—52 
s.w. 
30 
8 
5 
9 46 
2 
5 
58 
201 
20 Tu 
Dodder flowers. 
29775 — 29-708 72—50 
s.w. 
9 
3 
10 10 
3 
6 
2 
202 
; 2 i w 
Sun’s declin., 20° 25' n. 
29.979—29.960,72—42 
w. 1 
— 
10 
2 
10 33 
4 
6 
5 
203 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-five years, the average highest and lowest tempera¬ 
tures of these days are 74° and 51.8° respectively. The greatest heat, 94°, occurred on the 17th in 1834 ; and the lowest cold, 41°, on the 19th 
m 1832. During the period 97 days were flue, and on 78 rain fell. 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
CROWFOOTS—RANTTNCULACE7E. 
(Continued from p. 207.) 
Resuming our notes relative to the Roman poultry, 
we find Columella entering next upon a description of 
the fowls which are most desirable. 
“ It is not advisable,” be says, “ to buy any but sucb as 
are very prolific. They should be of a plumage very red or 
tawny, with black wings. Let the whole be of the same 
colour, or of a near approach to it. But, if of any other 
colour, let white fowls be avoided, for they are tender 
and less robust; neither is it easy to find specimens of 
them that are prolific. Let the breeding hens be of a 
choice colour, of robust body, square framed, large and 
broad breasted, large headed, with small, erect, bright- 
red comb, white ears, and of those thus characterised 
let the largest he procured, and not with an equal num¬ 
ber of claws.* Those hens are reckoned of the purest 
* Our five-toed Dorkings were probably introduced by the Romans, 
and retain this still desired characteristic of their ancestors. 
No. CXCVIIL, Vol. VIII. 
