April 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
.3! 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
M 
I) 
w 
1 > 
APRIL 26—MAY 2, 1849. 
Plants dedicated to 
each day. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon R. 
and Sets. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
26 
Th 
Lesser Whitethroat heard. 
Hedge Mustard. 
43 a. 4 
12 a. 7 
n 
27 
4 
2 
19 
116 
27 
F 
Cuckoo first heard. 
Larger Narcissus. 
41 
14 
morn. 
5 
2 
29 
117 
28 
S 
Reed Bunting sings. [fledged. 
Cuckoo Pint (Arum). 
39 
16 
0 
24 
6 
2 
38 
118 
29 
Sun 
3 Sun. aft. Easter. Young Redbreasts 
Herb Robert, 
37 
17 
1 
11 
3 
2 
47 
119 
30 
M 
Martin first seen. [Meet. 
Cowslip. 
30 
19 
1 
48 
8 
2 
55 
120 
1 
Tu 
St. Piiilip&St. James. Linn.&Hort.Soc. 
Tulip. 
34 
20 
2 
21 
9 
3 
3 
121 
2 
W 
Young Rooks fledged. 
Charlock. 
32 
22 
2 
49 
10 
0 
o 
11 
122 
St. Philip was the first disciple, and one of the Apostles, of our 
blessed Lord. Little more is recorded of him in the New Testament 
but that he was a native of Betlisaida. The most trustworthy of 
historians who subsequently mention him, state that, in company 
with St. Bartholomew, he preached the Gospel in Syria and Upper 
Asia, suffering martyrdom at Hierapolis in Phrygia. 
St. James, commemorated by this festival, is spoken of as the 
brother of Jesus (Matt. xiii. 55), and was, probably, the son of 
Alphaeus, mentioned in the same Gospel (x. 3), for the Greek word 
rendered “brother,” is often used as descriptive of a cousin. He 
was one of the Apostles (Gal. i. 19), and had the greatest influence 
over the church at Jerusalem (Acts xv. 13), of which church he is 
believed to have been the first bishop. He was killed there, during a 
tumult, about a.d. 62 . He is the author of “The Epistle of St. 
James.” 
May-day. —From the earliest antiquity this day has been one of 
festivity, hailing, as ,it were, the perfect return of spring, and cele¬ 
brating her triumph over winter. It is quite true that in our fickle 
climate this surly season “ oft lingers in the lap of May,” but it is 
only to expire. At Home, in the Floralia, was now welcomed the 
reign of the goddess who was then worshipped as the guardian of 
flowers. Those festivals find a memory among us in our country 
“ Mayings,” and within a comparatively few years all classes joined 
in the merry gatherings. Chaucer relates that in his time “forth 
goeth all the Court early on May-day, both most and least (highest 
and lowest), to fetch the flowers fresh, and branch and bloom.” The 
people, however, gradually became disgusted with the celebration, and 
Charles the First’s was a heedless opposition to the spirit of the times, 
when he issued a proclamation for the encouragement of May-games 
and the setting up of May-poles. They were forbidden by an ordi¬ 
nance of the Long Parliament, and by Charles the Second were again 
revived, but they have since gradually decayed, until .they remain only 
as scenes of low debauchery in obscure villages, and as dances of 
chimney-sweeps in our town districts. 
Phenomena of the Season.— One ofthe'most interesting events 
of this month is the arrival of the cuckoo, whose notes seem to us in 
childhood to be the voice of some wandering spirit of the air. The 
average of twelve years’ observation gave Mr. Jenyns the 27 th as the 
day about which this voice may be expected, yet he heard it as early 
as the 21 st of April, but in some years not until the 7th of May. In 
Sussex, the 14th of April is called “ the first cuckoo day,” that being 
its earliest period; but the 21 st of April is the day on which it is 
there commonly heard. The martin is sometimes seen in the same 
county on the 20 th, but almost always by the 30th of April. Mr. 
Jenyns’ observations were made in Norfolk, and these earlier occur¬ 
rences of the same events in Sussex shew the gradual travelling of the 
phenomena from the south towards the north of our island. It is not 
known to every one that the “ cuckoo note,” so familiar to us all, is 
the note of the male only. That of the hen is quite unlike it; being, 
as Mr. Jenyns observes, “ a kind of chattering cry, consisting of a 
few notes uttered fast in succession, but remarkably clear and liquid.” 
Insects. —At p. 261 of our First 
Volume, some particulars are given 
concerning the Gooseberry Saw-fly, 
and we now give a further des¬ 
cription and a drawing of this in¬ 
sect, the caterpillars of which are 
such a pest. The cross lines shew 
the natural size of this Saw-fly. 
This insect, which has been named 
by entomologists Nematun trima- 
culatus, Nematus ribesii, Ten¬ 
th redo grossularice, and Tenthredo 
ventricosa, comes forth in the 
course of April. Its body is yel¬ 
lowish-brown ; its antennae nine- 
jointed and brown; the crown of 
the head, eyes, three large spots 
divided by a light line on the back, 
and a large spot on the breast, 
are all black ; the body, or belly, 
is orange; the wings reflect the 
colours of the rainbow ; and their nerves, with a large spot on the 
front edge of the fore wings, are brown; the legs are brown 
also. The female lays her eggs along the principal nerves on 
the underside of the gooseberry leaves, and less frequently on 
those of the red and white currant. The eggs are hatched 
within ten days ; and the arrival of the caterpillars may be 
known from the leaves being eaten through into numerous 
small holes. These caterpillars are pale given, with one ring 
at each end yellow ; the head, tail, feet, and rows of spots on 
their sides, being black. Successional broods are hatched from 
the beginning of May until October, but it is during May and 
June that they are usually most abundant and destructive. 
Some of these descend into the earth form cocoons, and bring 
forth fresh flies at the end of the summer ; but the later broods of 
caterpillars remain in their cocoons throughout the winter, and 
give birth to the earliest spring-swarm of saw flies. The best, 
remedies were suggested in our First Volume. 
April 
1841. 
1842. 
1843. 
1844. 
1845. 
1846. 
1847. 
1848. 
26 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Rain. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Highest 
56°—34° 
63°—47° 
tk lowest 
66°—55° 
66°—39° 
72° —45° 
53°—30° 
57° —43° 
540 — 26 ° 
temp. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
27 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Showery. 
75° —°46 
63°—31° 
60° — 33° 
640 — 29 ° 
64°—44° 
54°—416° 
61 °—43° 
57° — 30° 
28 
Showery. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
54°—40° 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
76°—45° 
72°—35° 
66°—30° 
64° —50° 
6 i°— 27 ° 
60 °—40° 
56°—28° 
29 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Stormy. 
Fine. 
71°—42° 
71 °—43° 
59°—43° 
66°—38° 
66°—49° 
60° — 33° 
57°—35° 
58°—27° 
30 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
May 
68°—41° 
74°—41° 
6g°—49° 
66°—37° 
63°—51° 
61°—44° 
6l°—30° 
63°— 29 ° 
1 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
76°—42° 
73°—44° 
70°—42° 
70°—38° 
65°—48° 
56° — 51° 
58°—44° 
6 o°— 36 ° 
2 
Stormy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
76°—45° 
66°—30° 
69°—40° 
71°—36° 
64°—36° 
68°—52° 
59°—30° 
64°—SI 01 
If old John Geravde could be summoned from the 
grave, where he has now rested nearly five half cen¬ 
turies, and we wished in a moment of time to shew 
him what has been, and is now, doing for horti¬ 
culture since he was gardener to Lord Treasurer 
Burleigh, and cultivated his own Physic Garden in 
Holborn, we would hid him cast his eye over the pe- 
! riodicals devoted to gardening, now lying upon our 
table. Such evidence would strike him the more 
forcibly, because he was a writer on the same subject, 
and his huge “ Herbal, or General History of Plants,” 
is a monument of his industry and skill, and of 
the best specimens of horticultural literature and 
draughtsmanship producible before the year 1600. 
No. XXX., Vol. JI. 
