March 7.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
.305 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
M 
D 
W 
D 
MARCH 7—13, 1850. 
Weather near London I 
in 1849. 
Sun 
Rises. 
1 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
7 
Th 
Perpetua. Sweet Violet flowers. 
T. 54°—38°. 
W. 
Rain. 
1 35 a. 6 
48 a. 5 
2 
50 
23 
11 
16 
66 
8 
F 
Frog croaks. 
T, 49°—23°. 
N.W. 
Rain. 
33 
50 
3 
39 
24 
11 
2 
67 
9 
S 
Gossamer floats. 
T. 43 °— 29 °. 
N.W. 
Rain. 
30 
51 
4 
22 
25 . 
10 
46 
68 
10 
Sun 
4 or Midl. S. Brimstone Butterfly appears. 
T. 43°—24°. 
N. 
Fine. 
28 
53 
5 
0 
26 
10 
31 
69 
11 
M 
Creeper’s spring note beard. 
T. 46°—36°. 
W. 
Fine. 
26 
55 
5 
32 
27 
10 
15 
70 
12 
Tu 
Gregory. Gooseberry in leaf. 
T. 56°—43°. 
N. 
Fine. 
23 
57 
6 
1 
28 
9 
59 
71 
13 
W 
Peach blooms. 
T. 59°—36°. 
S.W. 
Fine. 
21 
58 
sets 
m 
9 
43 
to 
Perpetua is recorded by some authorities as a Roman maiden, 
who suffered martyrdom for refusing to abjure Christianity during the 
fifth general persecution of its believers under the Emperor Severus. 
Other authorities state that she was a matron, and that her firmness 
when sentenced, and separated from the child upon her bosom, was 
said to have influenced, even to conversion, her judge, Hillarian. She 
was exposed, a.d. 205, to the attacks of an enraged bull; but the 
sword of the executioner had to complete the murder. 
Gregory, surnamed The Great, has been described as “ the 
worst bishop of all that went before him, and the best of all that 
came after him.” He is called by our historian, Bede, “ the Apostle 
of England and although he was not the introducer of Christianity 
into these islands, yet Augustine, whom be sent hither, was the means 
of converting the chief of the heathen inhabitants. He was raised 
to the pontifical chair about the year 590, and died in 604. Our 
ignorant forefathers had a custom on this anniversary that is thus 
recorded :—“ Some arc so superstitiously inclined, as upon the night 
of St. Gregory’s day to have their children asked the question in their 
sleep, whether they have any mind ‘to book, or no?’ and if they say 
‘yes,’ they count it a very good presage ; but if the children answer 
nothing, or nothing to that purpose, they put them over to the 
plough.” 
Meteorology of the Week. —During the last twenty-three 
years, the average highest temperature of these days has been 51.2°, 
and the average lowest temperature 33.8°. The number of days on 
which rain fell was 64, and 97 days were fine. The greatest heat was 
on the 9 th in 1826 , when the mercury rose to 68 ° ; and the greatest 
cold was on the 10th in 1847, when it fell to 7°. 
RANGE OF BAROMETER—RAIN IN INCHES. 
March 
1841. 
1842. 
1843. 
1844. 
1845. 
1846. 
1847. 
1848. 
1849. 
B. 
f 30.255 
29720 
30.295 
30.189 
30.232 
29-777 
30.113 
30.177 
30.062 
/ 
X 30.047 
29-477 
30.182 
30.091 
30.210 
29.715 
29.9/6 
29-997 
29.879 
R. 
— 
0.02 
— 
— 
— 
0.02 
— 
— 
0.06 
8 
B. 
( 30.369 
29-500 
30.328 
30.260 
30.161 
30.013 
30.113 
30.262 
29.918 
X 30.355 
29.416 
30.264 
30.195 
30.102 
29-777 
30.029 
30.068 
29.810 
R. 
— 
0.17 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
0.02 
0.02 
B. 
f 30.392 
29.606 
80.380 
30.021 
30.162 
30.305 
30.027 
29-960 
29.949 
X 30.385 
29-152 
30.318 
29.919 
30.144 
30.105 
29-986 
29.654 
29.917 
R. 
— 
0.47 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
0.01 
0.01 
: 10 
B. 
( 30.462 
30.018 
30.176 
29.707 
30.129 
30.383 
30.127 
29.449 
30.432 
130.426 
29.463 
30.050 
29.571 
30.058 
30.368 
29.933 
29.391 
30.276 
R. 
— 
0.01 
— 
0.69 
0.02 
— 
0.29 
— 
j li 
B. 
f 30.473 
30.040 
30.153 
29.626 
29973 
30.544 
30.218 
28.942 
30.424 
X 30.401 
29.825 
30.086 
29.468 
29.936 
30.407 
30.138 
28.745 
30.271 
R. 
— 
— 
— 
0.20 
— 
0.05 
0.20 
— 
.2 
B. 
( 30.366 
.30.045 
29.943 
29.730 
29.815 
30.600 
30.304 
28.909 
30.164 
t 30.273 
29.938 
29 700 
29.483 
29 .781 
30.530 
30.041 
28.697 
30.128 
R. 
— 
0.06 
— 
0.09 
— 
— 
0.01 
0.07 
— 
13 
B. 
r 30,376 
30.132 
29725 
29.954 
29 793 
30.434 
30.315 
29.471 
30.302 
130.331 
29.888 
29-585 
29.929 
29-740 
30.336 
30.207 
29.204 
30.060 
R. 
— 
— 
0.06 
— 
— 
0.03 
— 
0.18 
— 
Natural Phenomena 
Indicative of Wea¬ 
ther: Lilies .—Although 
not strictly relevant, we 
may observe under this 
head, that all the lilieshave 
their marked time of 
blooming ; the daffodil, or 
Rent lily, early in March ; 
the lily of the valley in 
the middle of May, the 
Orange lily at the com¬ 
mencement of June, and 
the White lily during 
mid-July. March (lust 
and May sun, both im¬ 
plying a fine dry spring, 
have for centuries been re¬ 
garded as a good omen 
for the husbandman ; and 
there is no doubt of a dry 
spring being the usual 
forerunner of a productive 
summer. Every one knows 
the old adage relating to 
this, which values “a peck 
of March dust” as high 
as “ a king’s ransom.” 
Insects. —We have lately had the opportunity of seeing several 
specimens of the widely celebrated Death Watch, so named 
Because, like a watch, it always cries click; 
Then woe be to those in the house who are sick 1 
But a kettle of scalding-hot water injected. 
Infallibly cures the timber affected : 
The omen is broken, the danger is over; 
The beetle will die, and the sick will recover. 
It belongs to a genus of minute beetles named Anohium, and the 
most common is A. tesselahut; but that which it very closely resem¬ 
bles, and which we shall describe, is A. Striatum. Our drawing 
represents it magnified, and of the natural size. The antennfe are 
red, and the three last joints longer and more club-form than the 
others. The body and legs brown ; the wing-cases greyish, and 
marked with slightly impressed parallel lines. These insects burrow 
holes in old wood ; and in the spring commence the ticking noise, 
which is so ominous in the eyes of the superstitious. The noise is 
made by the insect striking its jaws or mandibles against the wood, and 
is a call to its mate, which, if not answered, is repeated in another place. 
The number of ticks at once usually varies from seven to eleven, and are 
repeated at uncertain intervals. The insect abounds in many old 
bouses, and may be heard during the whole day, though most noticed 
during the stillness of 
night. It will often answer 
to a gentle tapping with 
the finger-nail. The 
larvte pierce old furniture, 
and other woodwork ; and 
some species ravage dow¬ 
ers, natural history spe¬ 
cimens, ike. 
At the present season, when the judicious gardener, 
to protect the roots of his newly-planted trees and 
shrubs from the drying winds, has recourse to mulch¬ 
ing, or covering the soil above them with long clung, 
or other substances, which will prevent injurious 
evaporation, the following remarks from a very judi¬ 
cious correspondent are particularly opportune:— 
“ During the last autumn, I visited the grounds 
of a florist who is celebrated for growing dahlias. 
Observing that large masses of dung were placed 
around each of the plants, I inquired of the person 
who shewed the grounds, what purposes were intended 
by these mulchings? He replied, “ First, to keep the 
roots cool; and, secondly, to supply the plants with 
liquid-manure when it rained, or when they were 
watered by the hand.” Now, as much has of late 
been written on the subject of mulching, it may not 
he unprofitable to say a few words on the use and 
abuse of this practice. 
“ To apply myself to the first object intended by 
the mulching of plants, namely, ‘ to keep their roots 
cool,’ it may be asked, Why should one part of a tree 
be kept in a cooler state than the other parts? why 
permit the leaves and branches to receive the benefit 
No. LXXV., Vol. III. 
