THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
Januaby 13. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
275 
u 
D 
w 
1) 
JANUARY 13-19, 1853. 
Weather near London in 1851. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.&S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
aft. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. iThermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in In. 
13 
Th 
Salpingus rohoris; bark. 
29 . 5.38 — 29 . 443 ’ 50—39 
E. 
24 
3 a. 8 
15 a. 4 
8 49 
4 
9 
7 
13 
14 
F 
Salpingus rufirostris ; bark. 
29 . 739 — 29.701 51—39 
S.W. 
16 
3 
16 
9 58 
5 
9 
29 
14 
15 
s 
Apion UUcis; furze. 
29 . 602 — 29.455 56—44 
S.W. 
26 
2 
18 
11 7 
6 
9 
50 
15 
Ifi 
Sun 
2 Sunday after Epiphany. 
29-840 — 29.703 52—37 
S.W. 
07 
1 
20 
morn. 
7 
10 
11 
16 
17 
M 
Monotoma juglandis. 
30.241 —29.951| 47—24 
W. 
— 
0 
21 
0 15 
) 
10 
31 
17 
18 
To 
Rhagiura vulgarc. 
30 . 326 — 30 . 276 , 44—22 
S.W. 
— 
vn 
23 
1 23 
9 
10 
50 
18 
19 W 
Notonecta furcata; ponds. 
30.141 — 29.980! 47—28 
S. 
— 
58 
24 
2 30 
10 
11 
8 
19 
Weteokology of.the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during,the last twenty-six years, the average highest and lowest tempera¬ 
tures of these days are 41.7° and 31.2° respectively. The greatest heat, 6o°, occurred on the igth in 1828 j and the lowest cold, 4°, on the 14th 
in 1838. During the period 103 days were fine, and on 79 rain fell. 
THE STIFF CEANOTH. 
{CeanoUms rigidus.) 
This is one of the genera included in the order of Rham- 
nads {Bhamnaceie), which appear to he confined to parti¬ 
cular countries ; all the true Ceanoths are natives of North 
America and Mexico. Phylicas are found only at the Cape, 
and Pomadems, with Cryptandra, in a wild state, are not 
met with out of New Holland. The genus was first named 
hy Linnams, and subsequently E,afinesque called it Forrestla, 
a name which obtained currency among authors. It belongs 
to Pentandria Monogynia, class and order of the Linnnean 
system. It is figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 40(i4. 
Ceanothus rigidus was discovered in 1848, by Mr. Hartweg, 
in open woods, near Montery, in California, hy whom seeds 
of it were sent to the London Horticultural Society, who 
distributed plants of it freely among the Fellows. It was 
originally discovered, however, hy Nuttall, who named and 
described it in Torry and Gray’s Flora of North America, 
vol. i. page 208. It is an upright, stiff, branching ever¬ 
green hush, growing from four to six feet high; the young 
branches are downy; the leaves small and dark green, 
smooth and shining on the upper surface, and spiny-toothed 
on the edges; on the under side they are pale green, and 
The extraordinary high price nove giving for the best 
varieties of Dessert Pears is rousing attention to their 
growth, and we have before us numerous inquiries ask¬ 
ing whether they are more difficult of cultivation than 
the Apple ? Whether they are less hardy ? Whether 
strongly netted. The flowers are produced in dense small 
clusters at the end of stiff, short spurs. They are deep 
purplish-violet, very rich when viewed closely, or under 
a bright sun, but not very conspicuous at a distance. In 
this country the plant flowers in the spring, and is perfectly 
hardy in the climate of London, and in the climate of 
Devonshire would equal in vigour the other North-west 
American Oeanothuses as thus described by the Bishop of 
Exeter, when writing to Sir W. Hooker, in May of 1852. 
“ The Ceanothus divaricatus is now in its highest beauty; 
the largest plant is eighteen feet high, eighteen feet wide, 
twelve feet thick, covered with thousands of the beautiful 
thyrsoid (bunch-of-grape-shaped) flowers, so that the 
leaves are scarcely visible. C. rigidus blossomed about six 
weeks ago; C. dentatus is now in full flower; O. papillosus 
is just coming into flower ; C. azureiis will not blossom until 
August.” B. J. 
Propagation and Culture .—No plants can be more readily 
increased from cuttings of the small side-shoots than the 
“ New Oeanothuses,” as they are called, of which this is one. 
These cuttings will stand as much top and bottom-heat as 
Fuchsia cuttings ; that is, ten or fifteen degrees more than 
is safe for a Bine-apple, or a Cucumber plant. They will 
also root freely in any degree lower than that, till you come 
to the common hand-glass on a shady border, or even with¬ 
out the aid of glasses, behind a north wall, if they are put 
in from August to October. I am not aware that this 
species has ripened seeds in this country yet. No soil can 
be too rich for this plant, nor too shallow, nor too dry at 
the bottom; I mean not too shallow within reason—say 
nine inches deep. When the soil happens to be deep, 
deeper than twenty inches, with a moist bottom, it cannot 
be too poor for any of the true Ceanoths; and here is the 
reason for both sides of the question. This species, as the 
name implies, is a stiff-growing plant, the greatest part of the 
side - branches being merely fruit-spurs, as Mr. Errington 
would say. Now, a very rich border, twenty inches or two 
feet deep, such as a good old-fashioned vine-border, would 
force this stiffish gentleman to give up its Californian habit, 
and come out more freely in all its parts ; but then, on the 
other hand, this high feeding would be certain to cause the. 
plant to continue its forced growth too late in the autumn, 
when the chances are, that a sharp winter would kill it in 
the north, and injure it more or less everywhere. As far 
as I know, this is the only species of the genus that could 
be improved in this country by a judicious course of high 
feeding with liquid-manure, early in the season, provided 
that the border was shallow, and the situation favourable. 
All the other species of Ceanothuses grow so freely in any 
good garden soil, that it would be injurious to them to 
enrich it artificially, and so prolong their growing season in 
the autumn. Since I began this article, it occurred to me 
that a review of the whole genus might be useful and in¬ 
teresting, and I will prepare my notes accordingly. 
D. Beaton. 
they are shyer bearers than Apples ? with other ques¬ 
tions, all demonstrative that a movement is making, or 
intended, to their more extensive cultivation. This is 
as it should he ; for there is no reason whatever against 
such an increase in their numbers. In fact, the reasons 
No. CCXXIV,, VoL. IX. 
