Febuuaky 10. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
359 
That the Society shall annually choose a President, four 
Vice-Presidents, a Committee of Inspection, and a Secretary. 
That the Committee shall have the power of selecting the 
papers for publication, and that no paper shall be published 
before it has been read at a sitting of the Socdety. 
That no paper shall be published which does not treat of 
Horticultural subjects. 
That it shall be considered within the intention of this 
Society to give premiums for improvement in Horticulture, 
whenever it shall be judged expedient so to do. 
(To he continued.) 
COVENT GARDEN. 
Notwithstanding the dense fogs in which we have 
for several days during the past week been enveloped, 
reminding us of November, rather than February, the 
market begins to assume a good deal of the aspect of 
spring. The usual displays of early spring flowers are 
being exhibited on the gardening-stalls, and the gay 
Primroses, Crocuses, aud Daises, with clumps of Snow¬ 
drops, remind us of the springs and summers that are 
past, and of the fleeting hours of this mortal life. 
How many of those of us who have written and read 
this short record may live to see the Primroses and 
Snowdrops of another spring? 
There is still a good supply of all sorts of vegetables, 
and for the last week there have been numerous arrivals 
of very flne Brocoli from Cornwall. They are of a beau¬ 
tiful white colour, large, and close-headed. The sale of 
these is, however, dull, scarcely realising 2s. per dozen. 
Savoys continue as before, at from Gd. to Is. per dozen. 
Greens from Is. to 2s. per dozen bunches. Brussels 
Sprouts, Is. to 2s. per half sieve. Sea-Kale is abundant, 
and produces from Is. Gd. to 2s. Od. per basket. As¬ 
paragus is also more plentiful, and of much better 
quality than it has been, being much stronger than 
heretofore, aud makes from 5s. to 7s. Gd. per bundle. 
Turnips are from Is. to Is. Td. per dozen bunches. 
Carrots 2s. Gd. to 3s. Gd. per dozen bunches. Onions 
2s. Gd. to 3s. per bushel. Leeks 2d. per bunch. Bhu- 
barh comes more plentifully, and realises 9d. to Is. Gd. 
per bundle. Celery Gd. to Is. per bundle. Potatoes 
84s. to 130s. per ton. 
Fruit of all kinds is scarce. Aj)ples still continue to 
make as high prices as we stated last week, and Pears, 
what few there are, cannot be had under 4s. and Gs. 
per dozen. The sorts are the same as we have enu¬ 
merated in former reports. 
Plants and flowers are very plentiful, and the supply 
daily increases. They consist of Camellias of all 
colours. Hyacinths, Geraniums, Boses, Violets, Chinese 
Primroses, Heaths, Tulips, Cinerarias, &c.—H. 
GOSSIP. 
Every gardener knows that the upper part of the roots 
of his young Cabbage plants are liable to be studded 
with very numerous small white lumps. These are 
galls caused by the puncture of a small Weevil, or 
Beetle, and upon being opened, each gall will be found 
to contain a small curved grub, white, with a dark 
! yellow head, and almost black jaws. They come forth 
when perfect, remain underground in the pupa state, 
aud become perfect weevils early in the summer. It is 
the Curculio p)leurostigma, of Marsham, and the Curculio, 
or Bhyncluenus, or Ceutorhynchus sulcicoUis of other en¬ 
tomologists. It is a very dark-coloured weevil, with 
greyish down over the wing cases, and the thighs 
toothed. If the wounds they make do not gangrene and 
swell into that form of disease known as Club-root or 
Anbury, they do not cause any apparent injury to the 
cabbage plants they attack. 
There is no need to remark further upon the wetness 
of the now-closing winter, and we may sum up all that 
has been reported upon the subject by observing, that 
in every locality of the British Islands about one-third 
more rain than is usual fell during 1852. Of the mild¬ 
ness of the season we have had many reports sent to us; 
but, as they came from favoured spots in the south-west, 
we have not considered the results very extraordinary. 
The following, however, from Mr. J. Perkins, Thoruham 
Gardens, Suffolk, from whom we shall always be glad 
to hear, is not open to the same objection. He says:— 
“ I beg to forward a few remarks respecting the mildness 
of the season, which perhaps may be interesting to a few of 
the numerous readers of your valuable work. The Cottage 
Gardener. The following plants are blooming in the open 
air here:— 
“ Stocks, Delphiniums, Senecios, Coronillas, Pansies, Mig¬ 
nonette, Verbenas, Clarkias, the beautiful Nemophila macu- 
lata, Anemones, Vincas, Violets, Virginian Stock, Hepaticas, 
Helleborus niger. Primroses, China Roses in abundance; 
also a Bourbon Rose {Pierre de St. Cyr), which, by-the-by, 
is one of the best Roses for a bed. 
“ Geraniums, Verbenas, Petunias, Gazanias, Anagallis, 
Salvias, aud Calceolarias, are as healthy as we generally see 
them at the end of September. A Cytisiis Bhodophena is 
coming nicely into bloom. Fuchsias have made shoots two 
or three inches in length, and a Ribes will soon be in broad 
leaf. The whole of tlie above have been without the least 
protection, and many of them in very exposed situations. 
“Peach, Nectai-ine, Apricot, and Plum trees are very 
forward; and many of the feathered tribe are pouring forth 
their delicious notes as in tlie months of April and May. 
“ I should be glad to hear of the ‘ state of tilings ’ in other 
locahties.” 
We are uot of the number of those who think that 
Meteorology will ever rank among the exact sciences; 
so that a gardener may tell for a certainty wliat he may 
expect on the morrow. As far as he is concerned, he will 
neverderive more benefitfrom the science than being able 
to know the probable extreme heat, cold, and wet, of any 
particular period. Yet we are glad to see eftbrts made to 
gather facts in the science, even in the Island of Mauritius. 
There is there a ^Meteorological Society, and we perceive 
that the Society is putting itself in a condition to supply 
information collected not only on shore, but also at sea, 
in accordance with the recommendation made some time 
ago in a report on the be.st means of carrying out its 
objects. The land and the sea are the two sources 
whence information can be obtained. Meteorologists 
have hitherto confined their observations almost ex¬ 
clusively to the land, apparently forgetting that, as 
nearly five-sevenths of our planet are covered with 
water, the laws that regulate the winds and weather are 
to be searched for on the wide ocean, where they act 
