March 30. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
493 
I 
i 
WEEKLY CALENUAR. 
Weather near I.ondon in 1853. 
M D 
D W 
MARCH 30 APRIL 5, 1854. Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
llain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bf. Sun. 
Dav of 
Year. 
! 30 Th 
Abas striola. ; 29.631— 29.691 
58—29 
E. 
_ 
42 a 5 
27 a 6 
8 3Q 
2 
4 
36 
80 
31 | F 
jAbax angustior. 29 . 704 — 29.422 
57—40 
s. 
19 
40 
29 
9 55 
3 
4 
18 
90 
1 1 s 
Tetragnatha extensa. 29.4/9—29.354 
57—36 
S.W. 
07 
38 
31 
11 a 8 
4 
4 
0 
91 
2 j Son 
,5 Sonday in Lent. 29 . 782 — 29.644 
56—36 
w. 
— 
36 
32 
morn. 
5 
3 
42 
02 
: 3 M 
Gammasus coleoptratorum. 29 . 705 —29.510 
54—42 
s. 
12 
33 
34 
0 17 
6 
3 
24 
03 
4 To 
Oribita geniculata. 29.760—29.662 
62—50 
S.W. 
14 
31 
35 
1 22 
7 
3 
6 
04 
5 W 
Notaspis humeralis. 29-976—29*775 
61—43 
w. 
02 
29 
37 
2 18 
3 
2 
48 
95 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-seven years, the average highest andlowest tem¬ 
peratures of these days are 55.2° and 35.6° respectively. The greatest heat, "8°, occurred on the 3rd in 1848 ; and the lowest cold, 24°, on the 
5th in 1845. During the period 113 days were fine, and on "6 rain fell. 
NEW PLANTS. 
Goldfussia GI.03IEIUTA var. speciosa (Clustered Gohl- 
fussia, variety Showy-flowered). 
Epxdendum Stamfordianum ( Mr. Stamford's Epidendrum)- 
The flowers of this Orchid are in racemes, greenish- 
yellow, spotted with red, and fragrant. It blooms in our 
stoves from February to May. It was found at Guatemala, 
by Mr. Skinner, and at Santa Marta, by Mr. Turdie.— 
(Botanical Magazine, t. 4759.) 
Dichoeisandra picta ( Painted-leaved Dichnrisandra). 
This belongs to the Natural Order of Spiderwortx, and to 
the Hexandria Monngynia of Linnaeus. It has been known 
ever since the year 18.30, but is now for the first time, we 
believe, depicted. It is a native of Brazil, and has been for 
some years cultivated in the Kew stoves. “ The spotted 
glossy foliage, and the purple and white somewhat fra¬ 
grant flowers,” render it attractive. The plant is rather 
more than a foot high.—( Botanical Magazine, t. 47(10). 
Angr;ecom eburneum (Ivory Angrcecnm). 
This Orchid is about two feet high, and is thus men¬ 
tioned by Sir W. Hooker. “ It is not possible to render 
I justice to this noble plant on a quarto page. All we can do 
is to give a reduced figure of the entire plant, and a portion 
of a leaf and of the spike of flowers of the natural size, as 
they appeared on our specimens at Kew, which we derived 
i from the collection of the late Mr. Clowes. The species is 
1 a native of Madagascar and Bourbon, and is yet very rare, 
1 we believe, in our stoves. The first plant was imported by 
I the Horticultural Society from the former island, through 
j their collector, Mr. Forbes. The flowers, unfortunately, 
have neither colour nor fragrance.”—( Botanical Magazine, 
t. 4761.) 
This was originally introduced as Ruellia ylomerata, and 
came from the Botanic Garden at the Island of Mauritius. 
The species, however, is now added to Goldfussia, and the 
above is a variety of it with bright purple flowers, rendering 
the plant more showy, as it is also by the numerous reddish 
hairs upon its bright green leaves. It is a stove plant, about 
eighteen inches high, and flowers in November. It belongs 
to the Natural Order of Acanthads, and to Didynnmia 
Angiospermia of Linnteus.— (Botanical Magazine , t. 4767.) 
Ai.losorus flexuosus ( Zig-zag Allosorus). 
This Fern is to be found mentioned in various botanical 
works under the different names of Ptcris, Pcllcea, and 
Plalyloma flexuosa, and Pteris cordata. Under the last 
name it has been known as long since as 1820. It reaches 
to the height of four or five feet, and requires support, 
being a climber, by the aid of the angles of its branehlets. 
It flourishes in a temperate Fern-house. It is a native of 
I’eru and Mexico.— .(Botanical Magazine, t. 4762.) 
Protecting materials have been often noticed in these 
! pages, and yet the gardening world is pretty well divided 
as to the policy and impolicy of using screens for fruit- 
trees. No one who rightly examines the subject can 
' fail, in some measure, to join with Mr. Errington, as to 
the propriety of retarding the blossom of fruit-trees 
until the ground temperature permits of a reciprocal 
action between roots and branches. Taking this for 
granted, the importance of being able to use one and 
the same material for retarding blossom, and then pro¬ 
tecting it from cold when opened, becomes at once 
apparent. The chief difficulty has been to find a ma¬ 
terial economical in its cost, easy in its management, 
, not likely to get out of order, and which, during the 
bustle of the spring months, would not monopolise too 1 
much time for attendance. 
Nothing could answer better for retarding than thick j 
canvass cloth, let up and down by pulleys. Few things , 
equally economical would prove such a protection j 
against sudden and severe frosts, because, in addition 
to other properties, the blossom would be kept com¬ 
paratively dry, and, therefore, not exposed to the sudden 
chills of a rapid evaporation before the frost wrapt them 
in his folds. But if you allow such a covering to 
remain on during coldish, dull days, and either cold or 
warm nights, then your buds, when you wish to retard 
them, will become weak and drawn; the very opposite of 
robust and sturdy. On the other hand, when using the 
No. CCLXXXVII., Vol. XI. 
