October 21 . 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
35 
WEEKLY CALEPJDAR. 
1 
M W 
D D 
OCTOBER 21—27, 1S.52, 
We.vtuer near London 
Barometer. ,Thermo. Wind. 
N 1851. 
Rain in In. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.&S. 
Moon’s Clock 
Age. bef. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
21 Tii 
Sun’s declination, 10° 52’ 8. 
30 . 076 — 29 . 993 ; 62—52 
E. 
_ 
37 a. 6 
53 a. 4 
morn. 
8 15 20 
295 
22 F 
Coddy-moddy Gull inland. 
30.137 — 29 . 986 ’ 56—50 
N. 
— 
39 
51 
0 3 
9 ! 15 29 
296 
23 S 
Wood Pigeon cornea. 
30.255 — 33.219 57—50 
S.E. 
— 
40 
49 
1 14 
10 : 15 37 
297 
24 Sun 
20 Sunday AFTER Trinity, 
30 . 361 — 30 . 272 ^ 57—37 
N.E. 
— 
42 
47 
2 24 
11 15 44 
298 
25 M 
Short-eared Owl comes. 
30.386 — 30.348 55—49 
N.E. 
— 
44 
45 
3 32 
12 15 51 
299 
26 Tn 
Whitethorn leaves fall. 
30.214 — 30.099: 67—42 
E. 
— 
46 
43 
4 39 
13 15 57 
300 
27 W 
Tortoise buries. 
30.170 — 30.084 59—37 
N.W. 
— 
47 
41 
rises. 
@ 16 2 
301 
I Meteoeology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-five years, the average highest and lowest tempera- 
I tures of these days are 56.3° and 40.1° respectively. The greatest heat, 73°, occurred on the 21st in 1830 ; and the lowest cold, 20°, on the 21st 
I in 1842. During the period 80 days were fine, and on 95 rain fell. 
ROUGH-LEAVED COMMELIN. 
(Commelina scahra.) 
This is one of an old genus of herbaceous plants, natives 
of different countries, some of them requiring the heat 
I of a stove, others the shelter of a greenhouse, while a third 
i section withstand the rigour of our winters. All of them 
have fleshy roots or rhizomes, and they belong to the 
j natural order, Spiderworts, the genus Tradescantia being the 
I next of the order which is best known to cultivators. They 
j fill up a transition point between the sedges and sedge-like 
1 plants, as Xyrids, on the one hand, and the Lilyworts on 
I the other. The genus was named in honour of J. and G. 
I Commelin, two Dutch botanists, by Dillenius, a celebrated 
I professor of botany at Oxford, after whom Linnscus named 
the genus Dillenia. The subject of this biography was in¬ 
troduced from Mexico by Mr. Allardt, of Berlin. It is a half- 
hardy perennial, and a good figure' of it is given in Paxton's 
Flower Garden, iii. 8 . Stems in a tuft, milliy-green, tinged 
with red. Leaves stalldess, sheathing the stems, spear¬ 
head-shaped, stiff, horny at the edge, wavy, milky-green, 
covered with rough elevations. Floiver-sheath heart-shaped, 
downy, enclosing from five to ten flowers. Petals duU 
purplish-brown. The genus is included in Triandria Mono- 
gynia, class and order of Linnasus. B. J, 
Cidtnre and Propagation .—These Commelinas are not 
much in favour among gardeners of the present day, but I 
recollect the time when as much care was taken of them as 
is now given to the Dahlias. As soon as the frost cut down 
the stems, we housed the roots, which grow after the manner 
of Asparagus, along with those of the Marvel of Peru, 
Dahlias, Carrots, Parsnips, and Beet-root, in dry sand, away 
from the frost. In the spring, say in April, they were re¬ 
planted in light, rich earth in the mixed borders, and if we 
wanted to increase them, that was effected by dividing the 
roots as you would a Dahlia, talcing an eye or eyes along 
with each portion of roots. D. Beaton. 
A correspondent asks us whether we think “the Black 
Violets {Nigra viola. —Eclogue, x. 39), the Soft Violet 
{Viola rnolli. —Eclogue, v. 38), and the Pale Violets 
{Violas pallentes. —Eclogue, ii. 47), mentioned by Virgil, 
refer exclusively to our Common Violet ? ” Without 
entering into any classical disquisition, or quoting 
parallel passages from Pliny, Horace, Columella, &c., 
we reply generally that we believe the references are to 
one and the same flower, and that that flower is our 
Common Sweet-scented Violet {Viola odorata). “Dark’’ 
is quite as faithful a translation of niger as “ black; ” 
when the Violet is spoken of as “ soft,” it is in contrast 
to the thistle, and other armed plants; and the Pale 
Violets are quite in unison with our White variety. 
The same con-espondeut asks if “ our Double Violets 
are recent results of our floricultural skill ? ” and we will 
give a reply in the words of old Gerarde, who wrote in 
1597 —“The Double Garden Violet bath leaves, creep¬ 
ing branches and roots, like the Garden Single Violet; 
differing in that this sort bringeth forth most beautiful 
sweet double flowers. — Violets called the Black or j 
Purple Violets, or March Violets of the garden, have a 1 
gi-eat prerogative above others, not only because the 
mind conceiveth a certain pleasure and recreation by 
smelling and handling of those most odoriferous flowers, 
but also for that very many by these Violets receive 
ornament and comely gi'ace; for there be made of them 
garlands for the head, nosegays, and poesies, which are 
delightful to look on and pleasant to smell to, speaking 
nothing of their appropriate virtues; yea, gardens them¬ 
selves receive by these the greatest ornament of all, 
chiefest beauty, and most gallant grace; and the recrea¬ 
tion of the mind which is taken thereby cannot but be 
very good and honest; for they admonish and stir uj) a 
man to that which is comely and honest; for flowers, 
through their beauty, variety of coloiu’, and exquisite 
form, do bring to a liberal and gentle manly mind the 
remembrance of honesty, comeliness, and all kinds of 
virtues. It would be an unseemly and filthy thing (as 
a certain wise man hath said) for him that doth look 
upon and handle fair and beautiful things, and who 
frequenteth in fair and beautiful places, to have his 
mind not fair, but filthy and deformed.” Gerarde was 
a sober and ancient herbalist when he thus wrote, and 
No, CCXIL, VoL, IX, 
