September THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 317 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
M 
D 
w 
D 
SEPTEMBER 20—26, 1849. 
Plants dedicated to 
each day. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon R. 
and Sets. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
20 
Th 
Chiffchaff’s song ceases. 
Meadow Saffron. 
44 a. 5 
2 a. 6 
8 1 
4 
6 
38 
263 
21 
F 
St. Matthew. Sun’s dec. 0° 39' n. 
Ciliated Passion-flower. 
46 
0 
8 31 
5 
6 
59 
264 
22 
S 
Lime-leaves fall. 
Tree Boletus. 
48 
V 
9 5 
6 
7 
20 
265 
23 
Sun 
10 S. aft. Trin. Herald moth seen. 
Bushy Starwort. 
49 
55 
9 44 
7 
7 
40 
266 
24 
M 
Beech-nuts fall. 
Dung Fungus. 
51 
53 
10 30 
3> 
8 
1 
267 
25 
Tu 
Ash-leaves lemon coloured. 
Ox Boletus. 
53 
51 
11 20 
9 
8 
21 
268 
20 
W 
St. Cyprian. Ivy flowers. 
Gigantic Golden Rod. 
54 
48 
morn. 
10 
8 
42 
269 
St. Matthew, the evangelist and apostle, was originally ealled 
Levi, and, although a Jew, was employed by the Romans as one of 
their publicans or tax-gatherers. Whilst so employed he was sum¬ 
moned by our Saviour to be one of his disciples, and appears to have 
obeyed the call readily (Matt. ix. 9, x. 3; Mark ii. 14; Luke v. 27 ). 
He probably received the name of Matthew—which means a “ gift 
from God”—at the time of his conversion, as Simon’s name was simi¬ 
larly changed to Peter, and Saul’s to Paul. All that is certainly 
known of him after the crucifixion is that he remained at Jerusalem 
(Acts i. 13), for it is variously stated that he preached the gospel in 
Ethiopia and Parthia; and whilst some historians say he was mar¬ 
tyred, yet others mention him as (one of the apostles who escaped 
martyrdom. It is most generally believed that St. Matthew wrote 
his Gospel in Hebrew before he travelled from Judea, about a.d. 38 ; 
and that it was translated into Greek for more general use in the 
Christian Church some 25 years after. 
Thascius C-ecilius Cyprianus, a noted writer of the Christian 
Church, was born at Carthage, in Africa, early in the third century. 
Born of heatheu parents, he continued an idolater until within twelve 
years of his death, when he was converted to Christianity by one 
Csecilius, a priest, whose name, when baptized, he adopted. This 
occurred A.D. 246. Eventually, Cyprian became bishop of Carthage, 
Insects. —During this month may be found on various plants the 
caterpillars of the Great Yellow-under-wing moth, Triphcenapronuba 
of some entomologists, and the Noctua and Phalama pronuba of 
others. These caterpillars when full grown are greenish brown, with 
two rows of black dots down the back. It does much injury occa¬ 
sionally to our vegetables, especially young plants of the brassies or 
cabbage tribe, eating through their stems just below the surface of 
the soil. The caterpillars enter the chrysalis state in October, and 
remain until June and July, when they give birth to the moth. This 
is usually about 2 j inches across the fore-wings when fully expanded. 
These wings are variously coloured from buff to dark brown, veined 
and variously marked with the same colours, and having a large ear¬ 
shaped spot of rather lighter hue, as shewn in the accompanying 
drawing. The hind or under-wings are bright orange, with a black 
band near the outer edge. The head and body, like the fore-wings, 
vary in colour; being sometimes buff, and at other times dark brown. 
and suffered martyrdom there in the year 258. That he was pious 
and a firm believer there can be no doubt, but he was very visionary. 
His writings have been frequently published and translated. 
Phenomena of the Season. —One of the peculiar natural events 
of August and September is the appearance of numerous broods of 
caterpillars. Upon our gooseberries and red currants those of the 
Gooseberry Saw-fly (Tenth) edo Grossularice) have this year been par¬ 
ticularly abundant in Hampshire. A drawing of the Saw-fly itself is 
given at p. 31 of this volume, and the modes of getting rid of the pest 
are detailed at p. 261 of our first volume. We have employed children 
this year to pick them from our trees, and have thus subdued them 
at the small expense of one penny per hundred. Our cabbage tribes, 
but especially young brocoli plants, have been as powerfully invaded 
by the caterpillars of the Cabbage butterflies (Pontia or Pieris), and 
we conquered their successive hordes in a similar mode. Let no one 
flatter himself that he has triumphed by merely once clearing his 
plants or bushes of these invaders, for the eggs do not hatch all at 
one time, therefore the gardener must be also successionally vigilant. 
On filberts we have had abundance of the caterpillars—green and 
black, striped with yellow bands—of the Buff-tip moth (Hammato- 
phora bucephala). This description only applies to them when full 
grown,andabouttwoincheslong. When 
first hatched they are found small, and 
thirty or forty together, as described at 
p. 260. It is this alteration in size and 
colours which render caterpillars so dif- 
cult to identify by comparing them 
with drawings. They change their skin 
several times, and as often is there a 
change in their colour. This is re¬ 
markably striking in the caterpillar of 
the Puss moth, just before changing 
into a chrysalis, which caterpillar has 
been very abundant during the last and 
present month upon the poplar. These 
alterations of colour seem to be, in 
many instances, a wise provision for 
their preservation, for they pursue in 
this respect the change of colour in 
the plants upon which they feed, and 
thus rendering them less easily detect¬ 
able by their enemies. 
Sept. 
1841. 
1842. 
1843. 
1844. 
1845. 
1846. 
1847. 
1848. 
20 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
Highest 
& lowest 
*<» 
O 
1 
03 
© 
o 
63°—40° 
81°—47° 
66°—40° 
62 °—52° 
70° — 52° 
64°—35° 
770—370 
temp. 
21 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Rain. 
Cloudy. 
Rain. 
Fine. 
70 ° — 56° 
65°—38° 
75°—50° 
64°—47° 
65°—49° 
71°—55° 
62°—63° 
75°—44° 
22 
Showerv. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
70 °—52 - ° 
60°—42° 
71°—48° 
6 l°—49° 
64°—42° 
70 °—56° 
70 °— 47 ° 
75°—52° 
23 
Rain. 
Rain. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
Rain. 
Fine. 
Rain. 
66 °—49° 
56°—47° 
69° — 45° 
62 °— 49° 
54°—30° 
71 °—52° 
690 — 47 ° 
65°—51° 
24 
Rain. 
Rain. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
64° — 50° 
59°—52° 
66 ° — 45° 
65°—39° 
62 °— 37 ° 
67 °— 52 ° 
65°—34° 
67 °—53° 
25 
Showery. 
Stormy. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Cloudy. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
65°—50° 
62 °—51° 
65°—41° 
65°—35° 
62 °—38° 
66 ° — 48° 
65°—51° 
69°—55° 
26 
Showery. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Fine. 
Showery. 
Fine. 
Rain. 
64°—50° 
62° —49° 
60° — 38° 
72 °—36° 
65°—40° 
65°— 52° 
62 °—30° 
62°—54° 
It has been suggested to us that we might do very- 
acceptable service to our readers if we were, in popu¬ 
lar language, with familiar explanations and illustra¬ 
tions, to explain “ the why and the wherefore” of the 
various operations of gardening. This suggestion 
being coincident with our own opinion, we shall in 
a series of editorials place before our readers The 
Principles of Gardening. These will be remodelled 
chiefly from a volume we published upon the same 
subject some years since, but rendered still more 
familiar and easy of comprehension. But before 
doing so we will explain a little more fully what is 
our purpose and what our readers may expect. 
Gardening, or horticulture, has for its objects 
the production of the fruits, flowers, and culinary 
vegetables of any climate, in any habitable place, in 
the greatest perfection, and at the least possible ex¬ 
pense. 
lake all other human occupations, gardening is di¬ 
visible into the science which teaches the principles 
and circumstances on which the attainment of the 
desired objects is founded, and the art or practical 
skill which enables the practitioner to secure those 
circumstances and carry out those principles. 
It is to the first of these departments of knowledge 
that these editorials will be devoted: their prime 
No. LI., Vol. IL 
