THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, May 19, 1857. 70 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Weather nkah. London in 
1856. 
1 
I) 
M 
D 
W 
MAY 12—18, 1857. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.& S. 
Moon’s Clock 
Age. , bf. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
12 
Tu 
Hellehorine (Serapias). 
29.719-29.637 
64—52 
N.E. 
70 
15 a. 4 
38 a. 7 
11 53 
18 | 3 53 
132 
13 
W 
Willows, many (Salix). 
Valerian (Valeriana). 
29.628—29.606 
65—40 
S.W, 
14 
13 
•39 
morn. 
IQ 3 54 
133 
14 
Th 
29.543—29.521 
58—40 
.. 
19 
11 
41 
0 39 
20 3 54 
134 
15 
P 
Bryony (Bryonia dioica). 
29.493-29.394 
62—40 
•• 
20 
10 
42 
1 8 
21 ' 3 54 
135 
10 
S 
Cotton Grass (Eriophorum), 
29.610—29.447 
64—41 
.. 
8 
44 
1 31 
<£ 1 3 53 
136 
17 
Sun 
Rogation Sunday. 
29.651—29.472 
62—40 
• • 
34 
7 
45 
1 47 
23 j 3 52 
137 
18 
M 
Purslane (Montia fontana). 
29.518—29-420 
60—40 
•• 
14 
6 
47 
2 1 
24 j 3 50 
138 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 63.8°, and 41.1°, respectively, 
on the 15th, in 1850. During the period 118 days were fine, 
The greatest heat, 86 °, occurred on the 17th, 
and on 78 rain fell. 
in 1843; 
and the lowest cold, 25°, 
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES. 
PHA'LARIS CANARIE'NSIS. 
(Canary Grass.) 
This ornamental Grass is an annual. Its root is in 
the form of numerous white fibres. Steins , when cul¬ 
tivated, two or more feet high, upright, round, rather 
rough, streaked, swelling a little at the joints, which 
are brown, and at the lower joints often branched. 
Leaves nearly half an inch in breadth, bright, but rather 
milky green, soft, sharply pointed, with long, swollen 
sheaths, and that of the upper leaf so much swollen as 
to form a spathe, or hood-like covering and protection 
for the young flower-head which it incloses. Floiuer- 
liead really a panicle, but so compact as to resemble 
a spike. It is single, erect, an inch or more long, 
beautifully variegated with green and white, and with 
a small, narrow, sheathless leaf at its base. Valves of 
the calyx with two green ribs on each side, and much 
larger than the valves of the corolla. Within these 
large valves of the calyx are two other small, white, 
skin-like valves, not more than half as long as the inner 
valves of the corolla. Corolla of two unequal-sized 
valves, the larger valve hairy, but the smaller only 
hairy along its back. Nectaries two fleshy, concave, 
pear-shaped substances on the outside of the base of 
the corolla. Seed with a blackish line at one edge, 
and having a little shield at the base of the other. It 
» 
continues covered by the corolla, one valve of which 
almost entirely embraces the other. This cover varies 
from white to straw colour, brown, and even black, but 
is always very smooth and glossy. It blooms in July, 
and the seed is ripe late in August. It is included in 
Triandria Digynia class and order of the Linnsean 
arrangement. 
Turner, writing in 1502, says of this Grass, “It is 
named in Greke, Elymos and Melinos; in French, 
Panik; in Duel), Fench or Feniclc; but it hath no 
name in English yet, but it may well be called Panicle , 
after the Latin.” He adds that “ Constantinus in hys 
booke of husbandry sayeth that panik and millet make 
feldefayres and thrushes fat; and the small byrdes ar 
muclie desyrous of the same.” It was cultivated here 
when Gerarde published his Herbal in 1597, for he says, 
“ It doth grow in England if it be so wen therein,” and 
“ we use it in England to feed the Canarie birds.” All 
authorities agree that though it is occasionally found 
wild in this country, yet that it was originally introduced 
from Spain, or some other warmer climate, where it is 
native. 
It prefers a rich, rather clayey loam, and should be 
sown in small circular patches, rather at the back of a 
border, or near the centre of a bed, early in March. 
The April Meeting of the Entomological Society 
was held on the 0th ult., the chair being occupied by 
Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., Vice-President. Amongst the 
donations announced as made to the library since the 
last Meeting were the 23rd volume of Sturm’s beau¬ 
tiful work on the Coleoptera of Germany, the conti¬ 
nuation of Mr. Hewitson’s charming publication oir 
Exotic Butterflies, and other periodical works. 
Mr. Foxcroft sent from Rannock, Perthshire, some 
beautiful specimens of the rare Moth, Petasia nubeculosa, 
with the remark that the brood for the present year had 
already disappeared. Mr. Samuel Stevens, however, 
No. CCCCL. Vol. XVIII. 
