November 8. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
71 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
M 
D 
W 
D 
NOVEMBER 8—14, 1849. 
Weather near London 
in 1848. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. &S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef.Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
8 
T 11 
Larch turned vellow. 
T. 45°— 22 °. 
N.W. 
Fine. 
8 a. 7 
20 a. 4 
morn. 
23 
16 
4 
312 
9 
F 
Pr. Wales b. 1841. Lord Mayor’s day. 
T. 43°—28°. 
N.W. 
Fine. 
10 
18 
0 41 
24 
15 
59 
313 
10 
S 
Bunting’s notes cease. 
T. 44°—30°. 
N. 
Rain. 
12 
16 
1 52 
25 
15 
53 
314 
11 
Su 
23 Sunday aft. Trinity. St. Martin. 
T. 46°—39°. 
N.E. 
Rain. 
14 
15 
3 2 
26 
15 
47 
315 
12 
M 
Larch leaves fall. 
T. 4fi°—35°. 
N.E. 
Rain. 
15 
13 
4 11 
27 
15 
39 
316 
13 
Tc 
Britius. Wood pigeons in flocks. 
T. 49°—27°. 
N.W. 
Fine. 
17 
12 
5 19 
28 
15 
31 
317 
14 
W 
Widgeon comes. 
T. 48°—24°. 
N. 
Fine. 
19 
11 
sets. 
© 
15 
21 
318 
Loud Mayor’s Day’.— London and all other towns, until the time 
of King John, were governed by reeves or bailiffs, but that monarch, 
in the year 1209 , changed the name of this chief officer to mayor, 
which is undoubtedly derived from the French maire, a steward, and 
signifies the Steward of the City. The first elected Lord Mayor of 
London was Henry Fitzalwyn, and the office was held by him during 
his life. It was not until 1214 that this office of chief magistrate of 
the city was made annually elective. Until 1381 he was only styled 
Mayor of London ; but to William Walworth, who in that year held 
the office, and slew with his own hands the rebel Wat Tyler, Richard 
the Second granted the title of Lord Mayor, and to commemorate the 
same event a dagger was added to the city’s heraldic shield. London 
and York are the only cities of which the chief magistrates are distin¬ 
guished as Lord Mayors, and their wives as Lady Mayoresses. It is 
a singular fact that, though the title of three of them only exists dur¬ 
ing the year of office, yet (he fourth, the Lady Mayoress of York, re¬ 
tains her title for life, and as such ranks above the wife of both a bi¬ 
shop and archbishop. Hence’the couplet:— 
My Lord is a lord for a year and a day, 
But my Lady’s a lady for ever and aye. 
St. Martin was son of a Roman tribune, and born at Sabaria, in 
Pannonia, about a.d. 316. His division of his cloak with the naked 
beggar is a charitable act celebrated by more than one of the old pain¬ 
ters. Retiring from the military profession, and adopting that of the 
ecclesiastic, he became Bishop of Tours, and died at the age of 81. The 
festival of the “ Apostle of the Gauls,” both on the continent and in 
England, was celebrated with excessive revelry. Stulceley, speaking 
of a place ealled “ Martinsall Hill,” says, “ I take the name of this 
hill to come from the merriments among the northern people, called 
Martinalia, or drinking healths to the memory of St. Martin, prac¬ 
tised by our Saxon and Danish ancestors. I doubt not but, upon St. 
Martin’s Day, or Martinmas, all the young people assembled here, as 
they do now upon the adjacent St. Anne’s-hill, upon St. Anne’s Day. 
In Norway they this day always feasted upon roasted goose, because 
this bird discovered St. Martin when hidden to avoid his elevation to 
the bishopric. We have transferred this commemorative bird to Mi¬ 
chaelmas.” 
Meteorology of the Week. —The highest temperature of the 
above seven days, according to the average of the last 22 years, is 
49.4°, and the lowest 36.2°. The greatest heat observed during these 
days was on the 12 th of November, 1841, when the thermometer 
reached 63°, and the lowest temperature was on the 11th, in 1828, 
when the thermometer sank to 21 °. In the 22 years, during 79 of 
these days rain fell, and 75 were fine. Among the phenomena of the 
season we may observe that the present is that marked by the most 
frequent occurrence of the aurora borealis. Of one hundred instances 
of its appearance, 37 were in the months of September, October, and 
November; 23 in December, January, and February; 29 in March, 
April, and May ; and 11 in June, July, and August. 
Natural Phenomena Indica¬ 
tive of Weather. — Bubbles on 
the surface of water remain longer 
without bursting when rain is ap¬ 
proaching, than during confirmed 
fine weather; apparently because 
during such change to rain there is a 
slower evaporation of the thin aque¬ 
ous film forming the coat of each 
bubble. Chickens being more than 
usually noisy, flapping their wings 
frequently, and busking in the dust, 
indicate a change from fine to wet 
weather. This may be readily ac¬ 
counted for by our knowledge of the 
fact that all such changes are accom¬ 
panied by an alteration in the elec¬ 
trical state of the air, and a conse¬ 
quent change of irritation of the ani¬ 
mal’s skin. If the poultry go to 
roost unusually early, and if the 
cocks crow at uncustomary hours, it 
similarly indicates approaching wet 
weather. 
Insects. —Tire upper surface of 
pear-tree leaves during the months 
of July, August, and September, are 
liable to be destroyed by what is very 
characteristically named the slimy grub. These grubs are nearly half an inch 
long, cylindrical, but thicker towards the head than at the other extremity. The 
whole body, except at the time of skin-casting, is covered with a sticky, greenish 
black matter, and from this they have been named. Whilst feeding, the fore part 
of the body is so swollen that the vermin looks somewhat like a small tadpole. If 
the slimy matter is removed from the body, this is found to be a grub or caterpillar 
with 20 feet, and of a pitchy brown colour. At the last-but-one casting of its skin 
the sliminess no longer appears, and the grubs become of a clayey colour. They 
finally form a brown cocoon about October, and remain in the pupa state until the 
following June or July, when the perfect insect comes forth in the form depicted 
in the annexed cut, but of the size shown by the cross lines above it. It is known 
as the Selandria /Etliiops. Linnaeus called it the Cherry Saw-fly ( Tenthredo 
cerasi), from the mistaken opinion that it attacked the leaves of that tree only, 
whereas its grubs are more frequently found on the leaves of the pear. This fly is 
shining black, and the tips of the legs yellowish. The female lays her eggs on the 
upper surface of the leaves. The slime on the grub is of a peculiar nature, not 
being dried by exposure to the hottest sunshine. 
RANGE OF BAROMETER—RAIN IN INCHES. 
Oct. 
1841. 
1842. 
1843. 
1844. 
1845. 
1846. 
1847. 
1848. 
8 
B. 
f 30.333 
30.126 
29.769 
29.096 
29.451 
30.387 
29.596 
30.084 
130.306 
29.959 
29.500 
28.937 
29.335 
30.338 
29.492 
29.983 
R. 
0.01 
— 
0.03 
0.53 
0.01 
— 
0.01 
— 
B. 
(• 3 O. 29 I 
29.790 
29.936 
29.077 
29.516 
30.449 
30.176 
30.319 
130.198 
29.634 
29.717 
28.947 
29.478 
30.429 
29.820 
30.169 
R. 
— 
0.04 
0.07 
— 
0.03 
— 
— 
— 
10 
B. 
/ 30.127 
29.651 
29720 
29.194 
29.387 
30.432 
30.281 
30.357 
1.30.061 
29.494 
29.512 
28.919 
29.340 
30.344 
29.963 
30.306 
R. 
— 
0.03 
0.03 
0.34 
0.04 
— 
— 
0.01 
11 
B. 
f 29.976 
29.548 
30.112 
29.495 
29.255 
33.278 
30.220 
30.334 
1 29.934 
29.089 
29.946 
29.177 
29.185 
30.258 
30.095 
30.295 
R. 
0.40 
0.37 
— 
0.16 
0.13 
— 
0.01 
0.01 
12 
B. 
1-29.561 
29.516 
30.167 
29.503 
29.662 
30.343 
30.118 
30.419 
X 29.510 
29.050 
30.136 
29.417 
29.460 
30.314 
30.012 
30.357 
R. 
0.06 
0.40 
— 
0.50 
0.01 
— 
0.02 
0.04 
13 
B. 
f 29.431 
29,457 
30.227 
29.828 
29.935 
30.348 
30.231 
30.429 
129.102 
29-284 
30.211 
29.506 
29725 
30.303 
30.222 
30.323 
R. 
0.27 
0.29 
0.05 
0.38 
— 
— 
— 
— 
14 
B. 
(•29.480 
29763 
30.174 
30.109 
30.028 
30.271 
30.265 
30.351 
1.29.050 
29-675 
30.124 
30.012 
29.970 
30.216 
30.242 
30.281 
R, 
0.04 
0.67 
0,05 
0.12 
0.01 
The time has now arrived when the main crops of 
potatoes may he planted on light soils with the 
greatest advantage. In our Kitchen Garden Calendar 
of last week, we stated the chief points requiring 
attention, and if those points are attended to the 
grower will he most likely to obtain tubers the 
heaviest in amount and the most free from disease. 
Those who plant thus early will have their crops 
taken up by the end of July or beginning of August, 
and thus the potatoes will be ripened before the usual 
occim’ence of the murrain. This result is not that 
of our own practice alone, it is a result obtained by 
many individuals in every county of the United 
Kingdom, and if any one good practice in gardening 
No. LVIII., Vol. ITl. 
