Deckmbkr 11. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
11 
12 
13 
M 
15 
13 
17 
D 
W 
To 
W 
Th 
F 
S 
Son 
M 
DECEMBER 11—17, 
1 
1855, 
1 WE.VTHER NE. 4 R LONDON IN 1S53. 
Sun 
Sun 
Moon 
Moen’s 1 
Clock 
ilarometer. 
Ihermo. 
Rises. 
Sets. 
R.&S,| 
Age. 
at'. 
Sun. 
Grouse shooting ends. 
% 
30.057—29.939 
45—30 
i S.W. 03 , 
58 a 7 
49 a 3 
5 22 
2 
fi 
40 
1_2 
Colvmbetes fuliginosus. 
30.190—29 967 
52-42 
s.w. 1 02 
1 .59 
49 
6 45 
3 i 
Opilus mollis. 
30.017—29.945 
55—49 
S.W. 1 01 
vm 
49 
8 13 
4 1 
' 5 
44 • 
Phosphug.a atrata. 
30.112 — 29 . 8 O 8 
54—42 1 
w. 09 1 
1 
49 
9 43 
5 1 
5 
Greenfinches flock. 
29.869—29.6,57 
47—26 
AV. 00 ' 
2 
49 
li 9 
6 
4 
3 .SuND.^Y IN Advent. 
•29.939—29.752 
45—33 i 
N.W. 10 
3 1 
I 49 
> morn. 
4 
1 
17 ! 
29.464—29.002 
39--29 1 
N. 14 
1 3 
49 
0 33 
8 i 
3 
48 ' 
175 
Day cf 
Year. 
Meteorology of the Week.—A t Chiswick, from observations during the last twcnty-eight years, the average highest and lowest tem¬ 
peratures of these days are 46.2°, and 34.2°, respectively. The greatest heat, 6l°, occurred on the 13th, in 1842: and the lowest cold 7° 
on the l6th, in ’.353. During the period 113 days were fine, and on 83 rain fell. ‘ ' ’ 
POMPON E CHllYSANTHE MUMS. 
{Continued from page 101.) 
; ou the 3rd inst., when the chair was occupied by Mr. 
i Ptivers. 
The Rev. E. II. Kittoe e.xliibited some very fine 
specimens of Marie Louise Pears, grown against an east 
wall at Chadwell, near Grays. They were large, and of 
e.\.cellent flavour, perfectly sound, and had every ap¬ 
pearance of keeping till a very late period. 
Mr. Rivers produced specimens of a number of the 
new Belgian Pears, among which the most remarkable 
were Marechal cle la Oour, a seedling of Van Mon’s, and 
of excellent flavour ; JLouveau Poiteau, large and hand¬ 
some, but rather coarse in the flesh, though of good 
' flavour; GatinJ:a, melting and sugary; Beurre cle 
I Launaij, flesh melting, brisk, sweet, and juicy; and 
; several others which were of no particular merit. But 
i the best of the whole collection was one of our own 
1 native varieties, raised by Williams, of Pitmaston, and 
: called Late OanseVs. In appearance it is very much 
; like the old Gansel's Bergamot, and, if possible, even 
• richer in flavour; the flesh is quite melting and juicy, 
I with a full and remarkably luscious flavour, and a fine 
, aroma. The tree is a strong grower, with a timber-trec- 
! like habit, very hardy, and a great bearer. Would that 
' we had many such. 
' Mr. Lane, of Berkhampstead, brought several speci¬ 
mens of Pears, and also*of seedling Apples. The Pears 
were Doyenne Boussoiich, a new Belgian variety, which 
was found to be coarse-fleshed and without flavour; 
some excellent examples of that delicious variety, the 
Seokle, in good preservation for so late in the season; 
Beurre lloUn, a variety with which we are unacquainted, 
but of very excellent quality; and Beurre Supreme, 
also a very richly-flavoured sort, highly deserving of 
j cultivation, d’he seedling Apples were of little merit, 
j except one which appeared to have been raised from 
I Dumelow’s Seedling, and which preserved, to a great 
! extent, the character of that variety. 
! The following gentlemen were elected members:— 
j Rev. C. C. Beaty Pownall, Milton Earnest, Bed¬ 
fordshire. 
Mr. IiicHAED Smith, Worcester. 
I 
It was agreed that there should be no Meeting in 
I January; but that an Extraordinary Meeting shall bo 
I hold ou the first Monday in February. 
Afteii Cedo jiulli, the next best white one for the 
o])en air, out of my collection, is La Gjtana (pronounced 
Shilana, and the Spanish name for Gipsey). Gitana, or 
Gipsey, is a light blush flower, which comes late out-of- 
doors, and only second rale, fja Sultano is the next 
degree of white, and much about the same merit as 
the last. 
Beaute Toulousaine is nearly a French-white, a 
dwarf, free bloomer, and stands all weatheis to the last. 
La Flvnce'e ('J’he Bride) is a clear, small, pure white 
flower, which is the best we have for an edging, as it is 
one of the dwarfest. It is also a rigid upright grower; 
just the thing for an outside plant or row in a bed, but 
having Argentum in this style, it is not worth while 
growing La Fiancee in a pot. I,et me remark, in pass¬ 
ing, that having the Dahlia experience before us, we 
ought to be careful not to lose a good bedding Porapone 
from the beginning, although it may not be worth a 
pot, or pot culture. Let us also keep the best of such 
kinds in every shade of colour. Had the like been 
done for the last five-and-twenty years with bedding ! 
Dahlias, I am quite certain we might now have thirty or | 
forty kinds, just as good as Zelindu, without the smallest I 
inconvenience to the florist. There are several other 
light kinds, which I pass over, till I have au opportunity ! 
to prove them under my own eye, from beginning to 
end. 
As black is the strongest contrast to white, I shall 
take the dark-coloured ones next; of them, Daphxis, or- 
Daphne, is the best; it is that kind of dark red called 
carmine; for a pot, or bed, or for cut-flowers, for dwarf- 
ness, and upright, rigid style of growth, and for en¬ 
during frost and all weathers, none is better than 
Dnphnis—of the darks. If cuttings of it are put it ou 
Midsummer-day, in a shaded place out-of-doors, but no 
covering of glass, or anything, the plants will make the 
best edging in the world to a bed of light shades of 
them. When I come to learn the bedding properties of 
all the best Pom pones, and 1 am master of the subject 
from actual experiments with my own fingers, I think I 
shall be able to point out such-and-such arrangements 
as will enable the prettiest flower-beds of them that ever 
were seen or thought of, and The Cottage Gahdenek 
is a capital book to keep my notes together. 
Elise Mieeiez is the next best; it is darker and 
larger than Daphne, but there is not much difference in 
their heights, so that in a row you might iflant them 
alternately. 
Lais, on the other hand, is one of the tallest of the 
race, and darker than the two last ones; it is of the 
Ariemoue-flowcred section, but not with the bull’s-eye; 
it is only lit for the centre of a bed, and for cut-flowers. 
It stands all weathers, and holds on a very long time in 
bloom, but how long I cannot say, as mine are still 
(December 5th) in their prime. 
Athofos, a reddish crimson, or rather purple, has the 
No. CCCLXXVL Yox. XV. 
