THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
53 
April 28. 
I 
I 
.U 
W 
O 
D 
28 
Th 
39 
F 
Ito 
S 
I 
Sun 
2 
M 
3 
Tu 
4 
\V 
APRIL 28—MAY 4, 1853. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Weather near London in 1852. 
Barometer. Thermo. Wind. Rain in In R ‘ se8, 
Scalloped Hazel ; wood sides. 
Beautiful Crescent; hedges. 
Vellow-stigmaed Grey. 
Rog. Sun., St. Pii. & Jas. 
[Arthur 
Dingy Skippers } dry 1. 
Pebble Prominent; trees. 
30.156 — 29.964 
29.820 — 29748 
29.600 — 29.546 
Prince 29.873 — 29.729 
B. 1850.30.082 —29 780 
30.171 — 30.101 
30.190 — 30.162 
64—44 
61—50 
66—44 
57—34 
51—25 
57—28 
56—27 
s.w. 
s.w. 
w. 
N. I 
N.E. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
32 
18 
01 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock Day of 
bf. Sun. Year. 
39 a. 4 
16 a. 7 
0 
39 
20 
2 
39 118 
37 
17 
1 
36 
21 
2 
48 119 
36 
19 
, 2 
17 
€ 
2 
56 | 120 : 
34 
20 
2 
47 
23 
3 
4 I 121 
32 
22 
3 
10 
24 
3 
11 122 ! 
30 
24 
1 3 
29 
25 
3 
18 I 123 
28 
25 
3 
4() 
26 
3 
24 1 124 j 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-six years, the average highest and lowest tempera- ! 
turesof these days are 62 . 6 °, and 40.5° respectively. The greatest heat, 81°, occurred on the 28th in 1840 ; and the lowest coid, 26 °, on the 30th 
in 1845. During the period 109 days were fine, and on 73 rain fell. 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
(Continued from paye 473, Vol. ix.) 
Natural Order. Fumeworts. (Fuhariaceje.) 
Characters. — Sepals two, deciduous. Petals four, cru¬ 
ciate (that is like a Maltese cross), parallel; the two outer, 
either one or both, having a bag at the base ; the two inner 
hardened and coloured at the apex, where they cohere and 
enclose the anthers and stigma. Stamens six, in two parcels, 
opposite the outer petals; anthers membranous, all two- 
celled, except when unfertile. Ovarium above the petals, 
one-celled ; ovula horizontal; style thread-like ; stiyma with 
two or more points. Fruit various; either a not-opening 
one or two-seeded nut, or a two-valved many-seeded pod. 
Seeds horizontal, shining, with an arillus (or substance ad¬ 
hering to the seed). Albumen fleshy. Embryo minute, 
out of the axis; in the not-opening fruit straight; in those 
which do open, somewhat bent like a bow. 
CORYDALIS. 
Generic Character. — Petals four, the upper having a 
spur at the base ; sometimes all are joined at the base ; 
sometimes with the lower one free, and the others joined, 
hut when they begin to decay they all become free and de¬ 
ciduous. Stamens (diadelphous) in two groups. Capsules 
two-valved, flattened, oblong-oval, or narrow and parallel¬ 
sided, many seeded. Herbage smooth, usually milky-green, 
with three-leafleted, or deeply-cut leaves. Flowers in racemes 
(clusters) at the end of the stem, or opposite a leaf, with a 
bract under each flower’s stalk. 
Corydalis bullosa : Bulbous-rooted Corydalis; Solid 
bulbous Fumitory. 
Description .— It is a perennial. Root globular, depressed, 
of several fleshy coats, hut not hollow. Stem solitary, erect, 
smooth, a little zigzag, angular, leafy, almost always simple, 
about eight inches high, with a lance-like sheath or two near 
the bottom. Leaves two or three, scattered, on channelled 
foot-stalks, twice three-leafleted, notched, milky. Cluster 
terminal, solitary, erect, of from ten to fifteen variegated, 
purplish, inodorous flowers, each with a long ascending, 
blunt spur, and a slight pale prominence at the upper side. 
Bractes wedge shaped, hand-like, live-cleft, milky-green, 
solitary at the base of each partial stalk, which they exceed 
a little in length. Calyx very minute, rounded. Pod short, 
oblong-egg-shaped, bursting at the base. Seeds several, 
round, and black. 
Time of flowering. —April and May. 
Places where found .— Bare. In groves and thickets at 
Levans Park, and Wattsfield, near Kendal; near Ulver- 
stone; at Perry Park, near Birmingham; at Blithfield, in 
Staffordshire; Wickham, Hants; Studley, Warwickshire; 
and Abberley Woods, Worcestershire. 
History. —In the time of Linnaeus it was unknown as a 
native of England, at which he expressed surprise, as it is 
found in most parts of Europe from Sweden to Italy. The 
genus belongs to Diadelphia Hexandria of that naturalist’s 
system. It has had many names among botanists. It was 
first called Radix cava, or Hollow-root, because the bulbs of 
one of its varieties are hollow ; Pseudo-Fumaria, because it 
differs from Fumaria, with which genus some botanists 
united it under the name of Fumaria bulbosa, F. cava, 
F. diyitata, F. minor, F. solida, and Pislolochia. It has also 
been called Corydalis diyitata, and C. densiflora. The 
flowers are sometimes blush-coloured, sometimes green, 
and sometimes white. Miller considered the hollow-rooted 
and the solid-rooted are distinct species. ( Bindley. Dorm. 
Smith. Martyn. Withering.) 
We are induced, once more, to give the receipt for 
making concrete roads and walks. The short para¬ 
graph in “ The Dictionary” on the subject is not very 
clear, and it lias been misunderstood, and no wonder, 
when we consider the old prejudice in favour of deep 
t roads and deep walks. It was only the other day that 
j we inquired of a practical road-maker, what he con¬ 
sidered to be the best and safest depth for a road, on 
light sandy soil ? After a little mental calculation, he 
answered, that one could hardly be safe under twenty¬ 
's two inches in depth. After that we had to attend a 
1 
vestry meeting about roads, which are managed by a i 
“ board” of seven able and willing parishioners. The ! 
head man of this board appeared to me to be a very ! 
good business man, and lie was certainly a very good 1 
speaker. He had every item in black and white, and 
his papers were as well arranged, with reference to his 
able speech, as a Chancellor of the Exchequer could 
wish for on the evening of a budget. In giving an 
account of the stewardship of the road funds, he enu¬ 
merated all the ins and outs to which they were liable 
and exposed, and, among other items, he mentioned the 
No. CCXXXIX,, Vol, X. 
