February 2. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
333 
ai 
D 
D 
W 
Weatukr near London in 
1853. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
It. & S. 
— - 
FEBRUARY 2—8, 1854. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Moon's 
Age. 
Clock 
af. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
o 
Th 
Purif. Candl. Day. 
30.120—29. 962 
42—28 
N.R. 
_ 
40 a7 
49 a 4 
10 54 
5 
14 2 
3 
F 
Podura viridis ; buckwheat. 
29715—29.535 
39—34 
S.E. 
N.W. 
— 
38 
50 
morn. 
6 
14 Q 
4 
S 
Sphodrus collaris; roots. 
29 .7«8— 29.521 
41—31 
17 
37 
52 
0 8 
3) 
14 15 
35 
5 
Son 
5 Sunday after Epiphany. 
29 . 878 — 29 . 71 ft 
42—32 
S.E. 
— 
35 
54 
1 20 
8 
14 20 
36 
« 
M 
Staphylinus morio; moss. 
Omalium planum ; bark. 
29.848—29.685 
43—34 
N.E. 
— 
33 
6(1 
2 30 
9 
14 24 
3 7 
7 
Tu 
29-521—29.348 
45—34 
s. 
01 
31 
58 
3 38 
19 
11 
14 27 
38 
8 
W 
Byrrhus semistriatus. 
29.230—29.052 
40—26 
S.E. 
— 
30 
y 
4 42 
14 30 
39 
Meteorology of toe Week.— At Chiswick,from observations during the last twenty-seven years, the averave hio-he.t nr, a 
peratures of these davsarc 45.3° and 32.6° respectively. The greatest heat, 5/ , 
5th in 1830. During the period 94 days were fine, and on 95 rain fell. 
occurred on the 3rd in 1850 ; and the lowest cold, 10°, 
on the 
It ought to have been stated in tho first paper on The 
Garden Pea (page 314), that much allowance is to he 
made for trials made during the last season, in con¬ 
sequence of the extremely wet and ungenial state of the 
weather during the summer months. In favourable 
summers, the period of growth, that is, tho time 
occupied between the sowing and gathering, is some 
days less than indicated in those observations; thus, in a 
warm summer, Taylors Prolific, and Songster's Number 
One, would have been at least four or five days earlier. 
We come now to notice one of the most distinct and 
characteristic Peas in cultivation. 
DANECROFT RIVAL. 
Synonymes. —Glass Pea, Girling's Pea, Girling's 
Danecroft. 
This variety is readily distinguished from all others 
by the peculiarity of the colour of the wholo plant, 
which, instead of being of a dark or lively greyish- 
green, is of a pale and sickly-looking yellowish-green, 
or rather greenish-yellow. This is not occasioned by 
any unhealtliiness or want of vigour in the plant, but 
from the absence of that secretion which is met with on 
the leaves of other Peas, or those of Cabbages, and 
on the fruit of Plums and Grapes, commonly called 
bloom, and which, by some of the learned, is said to be 
wax, and by others, resin. 
The plant is from two-and-a-half to three feet high, of 
slender habit of growth, and consists of a simple stem. 
The pods are produced singly, and are from two-and-a- 
half, to, sometimes, three inches in length, perfectly 
straight, and terminated abruptly at the end; being in 
every respect similar to those of Warner’s [Emperor. 
They contain, on an average, seven peas, but occa¬ 
sionally eight. The ripe seed is white. It was sown 
on the 5th of April, bloomed on the 5th of June, and 
on the 14th the blooms dropped, and the slats appeared. 
On the 2nd of July the pods were quite filled and 
ready to bo gathered. This, though an early Pea, and 
coming in almost as soon as any of those already de¬ 
scribed, is not a desirable variety for general cultivation. 
It is much less productive, and considerably more 
tender, as the gardener who trusts to it for his first 
crop will soon discover to his cost and disappointment. 
It was raised some years ago by Mr. Girling (Girling 
ofDauecroft, near Stowmarket), in the days when there 
were no Number One nor Emperors, but now it is not 
worth cultivating except by the curious. 
BECK S GEM. 
This is a real gem—a horticultural gem. It is not 
above a foot high, and completely covered with pods, 
bor small or private gardens, or for forcing, this will be 
a most valuable acquisition, as it occupies comparatively 
little space, and produces as great an abundance of pods 
as many of the varieties do which require sticks. It is 
but newly introduced by Messrs. Beck, Henderson, and 
Co., of the Adelphi, London, from whom I procured it. 
I he plant is one foot high, of a stout habit of growth 
for its size, and consists of a very short-jointed stem, 
which branches at almost every joint 
from the base to within three or four 
of the top, and produces from fourteen 
to eighteen pods. The pods are almost 
always in pairs, rarely single, and are 
produced at every joint, particularly 
towards the top. They are about three 
inches long, six - tenths - of - an - inch 
broad, perfectly straight, somewhat 
waved on the upper side, and tapering 
gradually at the point on the under 
side. They are smooth, and of a dark 
green colour, plump, and well-filled, 
containing from five to seven peas, 
which are as large as those of the 
Imperial, being nine-twentieths, or 
nearly half - an - inch long, seven - 
twentieths broad, and the same in 
4 
thickness. The ripe seed is somewhat 
ovate, and of a greyish-pearly colour. 
The seed was sown on the 5th of 
April, and the plants bloomed on the 
7th of June; on the 12th the blooms 
began to drop, and the slats appear. 
On the 25th the plants ceased blooming, the first pods 
were ready for gathering on the 2nd of July, and a 
succession was kept up till the 24th of July, by the 
same plants. 
This is one of the instances which reconciles us to 
the increase of the number of varieties. But that we 
may fully appreciate the value of such introduction, our 
first consideration should be the total extinction of all 
such varieties as are found to be inferior in value, and, 
consequently, worthless. 
We have now completed what may be called the 
earliest Teas, and from what we have stated, it will bo 
No. CCLXXIX , Vol. XI. 
