August 22. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
389 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D ' 
M ' 
| AUGUST 22—28, 1854. 
Weather near London in 
1853. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
. ✓ 
Moon 
It. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
af. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. Wind. 
ltain in 
Inches. 
22 
To Rhipiphorus paradoxus. 
29.8(58—29.811 
74—54 
E. 
67 
58 a 4 
8 a 7 
2 57 
28 
2 
44 
234 
1 23 I 
W lthipiphorus humeralis. 
29-765—29 733 
63—45 
E. 
01 
V 
6 
sets. 
@ 
2 
29 
235 
24 
Th St. Bartholomew. 
29-800—29.6fl4 
66—44 
E. 
— 
1 
4 
7 a 48 
2 
14 
236 
25 
F Mvcetophagus atomarius. 
29.730—29.436 
66-54 
S. 
23 
3 
1 
8 2 
2 
1 
58 
237 
26 
S Prince Albert born 1819. 
29 . 21 ) 11 — 29.1 16 
66—51 
s. 
49 
4 
VI 
8 1(5 
3 
1 
41 
238 
27 
Sun 11 Sunday after Trinity. 
29.502—29.305 
63—47 
s.w. 
01 
6 
87 
! 8 29 
4 
1 
25 
239 
28 
M Latridius transversus. 
29-748—29.024 
66—45 
s.w. 
02 
7 
55 
8 44 
5 
1 
8 
240 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-seven years, the average highest and lowest tem¬ 
peratures of these days are 71-6’ and 50.1° respectively. The greatest heat, 87°, occurred on the 22nd in 1835 j and the lowest cold, 32°, on the 
22nd in 1850. During the period 114 days were fine, and on 75 rain fell. 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
(Continued from page 349.) 
Praba yerna : Spring, or Common Whitlow Grass. 
Description .—It is an annual. Root fibrous, of consider¬ 
able length. Stem none. Leaves several, forming a star 
close to the ground; oblong-lanceolate, entire, or notched, 
clothed with simple as well as forked hairs. Flower-stalks 
one or more, rising direct from the roots, round, wavy, 
smooth, leafless, each bearing a corymbose cluster of several 
scentless white flowers. Calyx blunt, pointed, and rather 
hairy. Petals cloven half way down. Pouch smooth, veiny, 
terminated by a short, blunt point. 
Time of flowering. —March and April. 
Places where found. —Very common on walls, dry banks, 
and other well drained places. 
History. —De Candolle added this to his genus Erophila , 
calling it E. vulgaris, but the notch in its petals, which in¬ 
duced him to separate it from the genus Draha, we quite 
agree with Sir J. E. Smith in thinking far too uncertain a 
distinction. 
It is mentioned by almost all our earliest botanists. 
Gerarde writes of it under the name of Paronychia vulgaris, 
observing—“ It groweth plentifully upon the brick-wall in 
Chancery Lane, belonging to the Earl of Southampton, in 
the suburbs of London, and in sundry other places. When 
hot weather approacheth they are no more to be seen all 
the year after. We may call them in English, Nail-wort 
and Whitelow Grass. As touching the quality thereof, we 
have nothing to set down, only it hath been taken to heal 
the disease of the nails called a Whitlow, whereof it took its 
name.” In another place Gerarde calls it “ Whiteblow or 
Whitelow Grass." 
Martyn observes of it that by its very numerous seeds it 
propagates itself prodigiously, and is a weed eradicated with 
difficulty from dry pastures and the gravel-walks of gardens. 
Linnseus remarks that its flowers hang down in the night 
and in wet weather, and that in Smoland they sow Rye 
when this plant is in blossom. In some countries abun¬ 
dance of this plant is believed to prognosticate dearth of 
corn. Martyn adds, this plant may serve as an index of 
the difference of climates, for in Sweden it does not flower 
until April; in Germany it is a month earlier; in England, 
Holland, and France, it blooms in February; whilst in Sicily 
it is in flower all the winter.— (Smith. Martyn. Gerarde.) 
The Bay Tree is the next in the alphabetical list of the 
plants mentioned in our translation of the Bible; but, 
we think, there is a preponderance of evidence against 
that translation being correct in this instance. 
The Hebrew word so translated, Mzeracli, occurs but 
once in the Bible, and that is in the 35th verse of the 
37th Psalm. Our version thus renders that and the 
following verse:—“ I have seen the ungodly in great 
power, and flourishing like a green Bay Tree. Yet, he 
passed away, and lo! he was not. Yea, I sought him, 
but he could not be found.” 
Aben Ezra, Jarclii, Jerom, and Kimchi, among the 
more ancient, and Parkurst and Levi among modern 
Hebraists, consider that JEzerach means any widely- 
spreading tree, flourishing in its native soil, and we 
coincide with their opinion. Yet, as Sir Thomas Brown 
observes, “ As the sense of the text is sufficiently 
answered by this, we are unwilling to exclude that noble 
plant from the honour of having its name in Scripture.” 
Indeed, it may have been one of the trees contemplated 
by the Psalmist when he penned the comparison, for no 
tree is more emblematic of enduring and surpassing pro¬ 
sperity than the Bay tree, when it is growing in a soil 
and climate that are suitable. It is evergreen, indicative 
of unceasing success; there are male and female trees, 
it being dieecious, therefore, especially applicable to the 
prosperous of both sexes; and wreaths formed of its 
branches were employed not only to crown conquerors, 
but in later days as a guardian symbol to suspend 
before the gates of the Emperor and Pontifex Maximus; 
to place as a healing charm upon the house-roof of the 
sick; was used by the Delphic priestess, and in many 
No. CCCYIII., Vox.. Nil 
