410 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Settember 80. 
several days above 90°, once or twice 94°; and a gentle¬ 
man, who keeps a registry of the weather not far from 
here, reported 97° on one occasion, and 95°, 94°, and 
92° on others. This unusual temperature, of course, 
had a great effect on vegetation ; plants of all kinds 
received an impulse which they availed themselves of; 
but the hurried nature of this progress was not in 
accordance with that steady system of development 
which constitutes quality. This became more con¬ 
spicuous as the dry weather continued, so that we 
quickly began to suffer as much from it as we had 
previously done from the dull and wet weather in June. 
From this we were relieved by some thunder showers 
in the latter part of the month, and a consequent abate¬ 
ment of temperature; occasional showers in August 
carried on vegetation to near the end of the month, 
when some more dry days intervened. This, however, 
was followed by rather heavy rains the second week in 
September, .which have, up to the period in which I 
write, (the 22nd), been very frequent. This cursory 
notice of the weather which, as will be seen, presents 
no extraordinary features, has, however, the credit or 
the blame of many crops being different from what they 
are in the majority of seasons; but as a separate notice 
of each will be more useful to the reader than generality, 
I herewith give the particulars of a few of the most 
important. 
Cauliflowers. —After the first crop was gone, the hot 
weather of July seemed to have deranged the ordinary 
succession of this vegetable, so much so, that for a con¬ 
siderable time there was a blank in this production; 
although, for at least three years prior to this, cauli¬ 
flowers, or white brocolis, had never been a whole week 
wanting, though the treatment was the same in this case 
as in the others. 
Onions. —These have been most abundant; one small 
plot of only 150 square yards, produced twenty busliels of 
good, useful bulbs, and in all directions I hear of the 
same uniform abundance. I must not, however, forget 
to mention, that in some crops that I have seen (as well 
as in part of my own), I am sorry to see tokens of an 
early decay. I wish I may be wrong. 
Carrots have been as plentiful as onions, and are 
tolerably sound. Here the principal evil is a tendency 
they have to crack when full grown; but this is not a 
carrot county, and the garden kinds being mostly con¬ 
fined to the Early Horn. I have not heard how field 
crops fare. 
Strawberries. —These, contrary to all expectations, 
turned out very bad on a hot calcareous soil. I was 
led to believe that abundance of water, administered as 
it was in a natural way, while the plants were in bloom 
and afterwards, would be sure to command a crop; in 
this I was mistaken; the contrary has been the case. 
The first blooms seemed to have set well, but did not 
swell as they ought to have done, while the after ones 
were all but a total failure. This was difficult to account 
for, as the conditions thought sure to command a crop, 
were in this season forthcoming in abundance, but it 
was not so in any place around here. 
Peas. — The season for these has been short; and 
i when I tell our north country readers, that after the 
middle of July they have been supplied very sparingly, 
they will have some cause to congratulate themselves 
on faring better. The first gathering I had was on the 
21st of May, from Warner’s Early Emperor Pea, sown 
the 15th November, on a south border, but rather a 
, shaded situation, as regards the morning sun. Late 
summer peas are more difficult to obtain in the south 
j than in the north of England; the dry weather or 
mildew being evils difficult to combat, though much 
may doubtless be done. Mine seemed to have a disin¬ 
clination to boar well from some other cause than 
] mildew, which followed rather than preceded their 
attempts that way. Later crops look better than those 
expected for use in August. 
Scarlet Runners and Dwarf Kidney Beans in great 
profusion, and all that could be desired; the former, 
perhaps, getting too high, and the latter assuming a 
half-running character. 
Globe Artichokes. —The mildness of the winter start¬ 
ing them into bearing sooner than common, a cor¬ 
responding early ripening took place, so that but few 
remained fit for table, except in new plantations, which, 
on this account, it is prudent to make every year. 
Tomatoes. —The hot weather in July has hardly been 
able to compensate for the dull and wet period previous 
to that and since, inasmuch as they are later than 
common, fewer ripe fruit being ready by the middle of 
September than is usual at that time. 
Ridge Cucumbers, Vegetable Marrow, &c., were pretty 
good, the latter especially, promising to continue some 
time yet in bearing, if frosts do not intervene. 
Minor Crops, as sweet herbs, lettuce, spinach, &c., 
were all about as usual. Lettuce was, perhaps, more 
inclined to run than might be expected in a season not 
remarkably dry; the truth of the matter is, there seem 
other agencies at work than a hot dry-soil, so that the 
presence of moisture alone is not sufficient to check a 
tendency which another power may be urging on; 
nevertheless, lettuces have been as plentiful this season 
as in the majority of seasons. 
Potatoes have been worse than I can remember them 
to have been (not excepting the fatal season of the in¬ 
troduction of this disease, 1845). Full two-thirds of the 
crops around here are bad; and how many more may 
become so before winter is over it is impossible to 
imagine. I have hitherto refrained making comments 
on this hopeless complaint, and can say no more here. 
Although not necessarily within my province, I dare 
say my coadjutors will excuse my saying, that the wall- 
fruits, Peaches, Apricots, and Cherries, have been 
abundant; Pears are also very plentiful; but Apples, 
which at one time shewed well, are but an indifferent 
crop; Plums are medium; Currants, Gooseberries, and 
Raspberries have been good; but I hear some com¬ 
plaints of Melons not ripening well, and Grapes not 
colouring; but, certainly, there has been less mildew 
amongst the latter than in the majority of seasons. 
In the flower-garden, Dahlias have been fine, which, 
however, has not been the case with Roses; while bed¬ 
ding-out plants, in general, attained an earlier maturity 
than commonly, and after the middle of August assumed 
a rankness of growth almost at variance with their 
flowering; yet the hot weather of July was too much 
for Calceolarias, as they have not bloomed so well this 
season as heretofore; so that if I had not mixed a 
delicato autumn-flowering yellow with my other hardier 
kinds, the beds would have presented only a meagre 
aspect. 1 might extend these remarks much farther, 
but I am reminded that my space is fully occupied. 
J. Robson. 
ALLOTMENT FARMING.— October. 
The time fast approaches when the winter produce of the 
cultivator must be made safe from the ravages of the Ice- 
king, and the soil on which they grew thrown at liberty for 
another course of culture. This has been a serious summer 
for weeds in most parts—even the most industrious have 
scarcely been able to keep pace with them ; and in number¬ 
less instances we fear seeding has occurred, a circumstance 
entailing a vast amount of additional labour in the ensuing 
year, if not for several years. Where such has occurred, 
means should be taken until cropping time to “ grow them 
out”—that is to say, so to manage the operations as that 
the seed may.be made to germinate and be destroyed. To 
this end we do not recommend the application of the spade 
for the present, although it is a very advisable course with 
