September 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
293 
J 
1 
] 
1 
M 
n 
w 
i) 
SEPTEMBER 0—12, 1819. 
Plants dedicated to 
each day. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon R. 
and Sets. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
6 
Th 
Gossamer floats. 
Autumn Dandelion. 
22 a. 5 
34 a. 0 
8 
34 
19 
1 
47 
249 
7 
F 
Enurchus. Botan. Hoc. Meeting. 
Golden Starwort. 
24 
32 
9 
5 
20 
2 
7 
250 
8 
S 
NativityB.V.M. Rcd-under-wingmothscen 
Amelins. 
25 
30 
9 
42 
21 
0 
f>J 
27 
251 
9 
Sun 
14 S. aft. Trin. Dog-rose casts its leaves. 
Canadian Goldenrod. 
27 
28 
10 
26 
$ 
0 
48 
ono 
/WWaJ 
10 
M 
Groat Titmouse sings again. 
Autumnal Crocus. 
29 
25 
11 
18 
0‘i 
wU 
3 
9 
253 
11 
Tu 
Scotch Fir leaves fall. 
Variegated Meadow Saffron. 
30 
23 
morn. 
24 
3 
29 
254 
12 
W 
House-flies swarm in windows. 
Poltate Passion-flower 
32 
21 
0 
18 
25 
3 
50 
255 
Enurciius, or Evortius, was the bishop of Orleans at the close of 
the fourth century. It is quite impossible to assign a reason for 
retaining his name in our almanacks.. 
Nativity ok the Blessed Viroin Mary. —This festival has 
been celebrated by the Church of Rome ever since its institution by 
Pope Servius in the year 695 . 
Phenomena of tiie Season. —It is quite true that during many 
weeks of autumn—which season is considered to begin on the Sth of 
this month—we have dull wet weather, chilly, and Boftening the 
change of temperature down to that of harsher winter. Vet, 
“ If Britain hath not the serene decline 
Which makes the southern autumn’s day appear 
As if ’twould to a second spring resign 
The season, rather than to winter drear, 
Of in-door comforts still she hath a mine.’’ 
And though our father-land hath not so much of the sun-light hours 
which gild in autumn the vineyards of the south, yet it has those 
green pastures which are so green, even in their autumn garb, as to 
be unequalled elsewhere, and those autumn tints upon her woodlands 
that are so lovely as well to invest the period with the character of 
being “the painter’* months.” In the western world this season is 
characterized as “the/oMof the year,” and true it is that the leaf’s 
descent to mingle with the soil again is a striking feature of the time; 
others have characterized September as “ the month of the fading 
leaf," and so truly enough it is. But these are mournful notes of des¬ 
cription, whereas we would rather sound those of pleasure associated 
with autumn, and call its days “the year’s days of leaf-tinting.” 
And how varied is that tinting 1—the rich brown mingled with yellow 
upon the oak, the bright yellow upon the hazel and the lime, the red 
upon the quicken and the sumach, the red and yellow of the cherry, 
the tawny of the plane tree, the dull brown of the sycamore, the pale 
yellow of the maple, the bright lemon of the ash, the orange of the 
elm, and the bright yellow of the hornbeam, all mingled with linger¬ 
ing hues of varied green, form such bright, contrasted, and harmonious 
breadths of colour as at no other season, and in no other clime, is 
spread over the woodland landscape. And what is the philosophy of 
all this ? But a few weeks since these same leaves all wore the vivid 
verdant livery of the greenwood clan, why then now so changed ? 
The explanation is short and easy. Green is the leaf’s natural colour 
so long as the mysterious vital [lower of the tree preserves them from 
the decomposing agents of the air, the warmth and the moisture 
which are encompassing them, but when the year’s vegetable pro¬ 
cesses have been completed that preservative vital power declines; 
those leaves aro no longer able to resist the pressure from without, 
and those yellow, red, and light brown tints, now rendering the 
foliage of our plants so beautiful, arise from the absorption of an 
excess of oxygen. When the reduced temperature of the season de¬ 
prives a leaf of the power to elaborate the sap, and, indeed, stops the 
circulation to it of that fluid, the 
absorbent powers of the organ are 
reversed, and instead of carbonic acid 
it inhales oxygen. The effect is speed¬ 
ily perceptible. Gallic acid forms, and 
this, modified by the differing saline 
constituents of different leaves, changes 
the hue of their green colouring mat¬ 
ter, called chlorophyllite or cliromulite, 
into various tints of yellow, red, and 
brown. This is the general effect of 
acids acting upon vegetable greens, and 
that it is the cause of the autumnal 
change of colour in leaves is proved by 
the fact that if a green leaf be dipped 
into an acid it assumes the same hue, 
and if a fading leaf be dipped into 
an alkaline solution its former green 
colour is restored—the alkali evidently 
neutralizing the acid that had wrought 
the unnatural change. 
Sept. 
1841. 
1842. 
1843. 
1844. 
1845. 
1846. 
1847. 
1848. 
0 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
Stormy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Highest 
66°—31° 
68°—43° 
& lowest 
6l°—37° 
73°—46° 
81°—50° 
76°—57° 
63°—3S° 
82°—60° 
temp. 
Fine, 
7 
Showery. 
Stormy. 
Fine, 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
62 °—49° 
73°—58° 
83°—53° 
77°—55° 
6g°—40° 
83°—58° 
67°—44° 
6l°—55° 
a 
Cloudy. 
Rain. 
Fine. 
Stormy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
70.°—51° 
C2°—51° 
78° — 62 ° 
79°— 55° 
71°—37° 
74°—52° 
66°—39° 
66°—49° 
9 
Cloudy. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Stormy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
()8°—50° 
6fi°— 53° 
79° — 55° 
66°—54° 
78°—40° 
80°—54° 
71°—43° 
67 °—54° 
11) 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Stormy. 
Cloudy. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
74° — 55° 
66°—51° 
74°—56° 
69°—40° 
70°—53° 
77°— 6o° 
o 
** 
1 
°« 
69 °—43° 
n 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
78°—54° 
67°—53° 
74 °—58° 
73°—44° 
Gl°— 54° 
74°—52° 
720—47° 
60°—36° 
13 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
84°—56° 
68°—45° 
75°—51° 
70°—51° 
70°—42° 
77°—50° 
69 °— 58 ° 
58°—31° 
Insects. —The Fritillary butterflies are among the most common 
and most beautiful of this class of English insects. They are mostly 
found near woods and bushy commons, but as the caterpillars of one 
of them which is found in this month are occasionally devourers of 
our garden violets, it may now be noticed appropriately. This is the 
Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Melitani Euphrosyne of some entomolo¬ 
gists, and the Pupilio and Argynius Euphrosyne of others. The 
wings are tawny-red, spotted and lined with black, and about two 
inches across when fully opened ; they have a row of silvery or pearly 
spots round the edge. The caterpillar is black and spiny, with two 
rows of orange spots on its back. The first brood of this butterfly 
appears in May, and the second in September, being in the latter 
season more yellow than in the spring. 
Where can liquid manuro lio most advantageously 
employed ? admits but of one reply. Beneath the sur¬ 
face and closo to the roots of the plants it is intended 
to benefit. If it is applied upon the surface a much 
larger quantity must be employed than is available, 
or necessary, before it can be made to soak down to 
the vicinity of the roots which aro desired to feed 
upon it. That is a waste; but, in addition, by being 
poured upon tho surfaco of the soil, the heat of this 
and of tho sun, aided by tho winds, speedily drivo off 
a largo portion of tho manure’s most valuable con¬ 
stituents. This is indicated by the smell, and as 
Mr. Chadwick observes in his valuable essay on 
“ Sewer Manuro,” from which We quoted last week : 
“ All offensive smells from the decomposition of 
animal and vegetable matter indicate the loss of 
fertilizing matter, the loss of money, and bad hus¬ 
bandry.” But wo noed not depend upon the testi¬ 
mony of our noses only, but only pour a little of tho 
ammoniacal liquor of the gas-works upon the soil 
during a hot day, and hold ovor it a piece of paper 
dipt previously into muriatic acid—the fumes which 
will bo rendered visible are the ammonia escaping 
and being lost in the air. It is quite true that tho 
No. XLIX., Vol. II. 
