THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 18, 1859. 241 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Day 
of 
M’ntk 
Day 
of 
Week 
JANUARY 18-24, 1859. 
"Weather near London in 1858. 
Barometer. Thermom. Wind. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.andS. 
Moon’s 
Ag-e. 
Clock 
afterSun 
Day of 
Year. 
18 
T 
Trichomanes bulbocodium. 
30.461—30.356 
46—27 
W. 1 — 
59 af 7 
22 af 4 
rises. 
© 
10 
39 
18 
19 
W 
Neapolitan Violets. 
30.330—30.147 
50—35 
W. — 
58 
7 
24 4 
11 af 5 
15 
10 
57 
19 
20 
Tu 
Russian Violets. 
29.878—29.818 
51—32 
N.W. — 
57 
7 
25 4 
37 6 
16 
11 
15 
20 
21 
F 
Sun’s declin. 20° 57's. 
30.814—30.095 
40—29 
N. ; — 
56 
7 
27 4 
15 8 
17 
11 
33 
21 
22 
S 
Bulbocodium Yernum. 
30.459—30.392 
41—24 
N. — 
55 
7 
29 4 
40 9 
18 
11 
49 
22 
23 
Son 
3 Sunday after Epiphany. 
30.550—30.509 
46—17 
W. — 
54 
7 
30 4 
2 11 
.19 
12 
5 
23 
24 
M 
Leucojum multiplex. 
30.564—30.271 
43—16 
s. — 
53 
7 
32 4 
morn. 
£0 
12 
20 
24 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last thirty-one years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 4S.1 1 * and 32.0°, respectively. The greatest heat, 60°, eccurred on the 19th, in 1838 ; and the lowest cold, 4.j’, 
on the 19th, in 1848. During the period 101 days were fine, and on 95 rain fell. 
THE LONDON HOETICTTLTITEAL SOCIETY. 
The two courses we have invariably recommended to 
the Council of the Horticultural Society, as the only 
means of freeing the Society from its present difficulties, 
were the reduction of its expenditure and the appoint¬ 
ment of a new Secretary. So long as they continued 
to maintain two expensive establishments, it was quite 
evident that nothing but ruin stared them in the face; 
but to dispense with one of these, and concentrate their 
efforts on the other, was a step towards recovery from 
present difficulties. Having at length seen the necessity 
for such a reduction, and that they must part with one 
of these establishments, or sacrifice the Society altogether, 
a party, headed by the Secretary, made strong efforts 
to induce the Council to abandon the garden, and retain 
the house in Eegent Street. It was all but settled, that 
the garden should be abolished, and the Society lapse 
into a dry-bones affair among the smoke and dust of 
21, Eegent Street. Thanks to the endeavours of a few 
stout-hearted and clear-headed men, this enormity is not 
to be perpetrated. At the meeting of Council, held on 
Wednesday last, it was decided, that the garden is to 
be retained, and the house in Eegent Street brought 
to the hammer. We hope that resolution will be carried 
out this time; it was so decided once before, but the 
excuse always made for a sale not being effected was, ' 
“ ’Tis a bad time,” or, “ We cannot get the value of it.” ! 
Now, the value of a thing is just what it will fetch ; and 
a property such as the Society’s house is, and situated 
in such a thoroughfare, if put up with the determination 
of selling, will be sure to fetch its full value. 
There is one thing in the new arrangement we deeply 
regret, and that is, the sale of the library. Such a col¬ 
lection of gardening books, perhaps, does not exist in 
this country. The British Museum Library is pro¬ 
verbially meagre in this department, and where else can 
the student of gardening literature go, than to the ad¬ 
mirable collection of the Horticultural Society? We 
do not speak of strictly botanical, but of gardening and 
botanieo-gardening books. It is urged as a reason, that 
the members did not take advantage of it. But till 
lately, how many were there of the number who had 
courage enough to enter the library, even although they 
knew it was their own ? A few adventurous individuals 
may have succeeded in commending themselves to the 
authorities, and been graciously permitted to use what 
they had a legal right to ; but there were a far greater 
number, who had too much self-respect, and too sensitive 
a temperament, to expose themselves to the supercilious 
and patronising assumptions of official authority, which 
have for many years past rendered the Society’s library 
little more than a private study. We firmly believe, 
if the library was made “ a feature ” of the Horticultural 
Society; if members were encouraged to use it; if re- I 
spectable, studious young gardeners were freely allowed 
to consult it on presentation of a Fellow’s order; and 1 
No. 538. Vol. XXI. 
if some trouble were taken to give publicity to these 
facts, the library would be freely and profitably used. 
Why, the first thing every Society aims at is to obtain 
a library. Their libraries are the pride of our Mechanics’ 
Institutes. Every Young Men’s Society, many of the 
best-regulated manufacturing establishments, ancl almost 
every well-regulated community, however small, either 
have, or strive to found, a library. Will fit, then, have to 
be said, in this age of progress and diffusion of knowledge, 
that the Horticultural Society sold its library because 
it could not afford to keep it ? It is valued at £1,000, 
and perhaps would not sell for that sum; but suppose 
it did sell for so much, and reduced the Society’s debt 
to that extent, it is but a saving of £30 or £40 a-year 
in interest, after all; and surely it is worth all that 
to the Society. After the house is sold, and the debt 
reduced by the amoimt of the sale, with a saving in 
rent and other expenses to the extent of £600 a-year 
in the Eegent Street establishment alone, the Society 
will not be in such a bad plight, and there will not be 
the smallest necessity for parting with the library. 
What the Council ought to do at this crisis in the 
Society’s existence, is, to hold out all the attractions 
possible to the members, to lay aside all former traditions, 
to rid itself of all old encumbrances that haunt and 
hamper the Society, to inaugurate an entirely new regime, 
and then the public will have confidence ; but, until they 
do this, they may sell library, gardens, and all, but all 
that will not save it from ruin at last. 
GARDENING OPERATIONS FOE THE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
If the weather is favourable, continue to trench and 
ridge all vacant places where the crops have been cleared 
off. If there is only a small portion of a crop remaining, 
— Cabbages, for instance,-—they may be taken up, and 
planted closely together in any spare corner. The ground 
between the growing crops should be occasionally stirred 
with the hoe, as the more loose the surface of ground, 
the less the frost penetrates ; and a little earth drawn to 
the stems of Cabbages, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, &c., 
protects and strengthens them. 
Asparagus. —A gentle heat of about 55° will be sufficient 
for the producing beds : if the heat decline below that, a 
narrow lining all round the bed will be sufficientto renew it. 
As the temperature of hotbed-linings is apt to be lowered 
very much by cold, drying winds, it is advisable to pro¬ 
tect them with straw hurdles, which can be easily made 
and set round them, and removed with facility when it is 
necessary to turn or renew the linings. 
Cabbage. —Sow in boxes, and treat as advised for 
Cauliflowers. Stir the soil between the growing crops, 
and draw earth to their stems, to prevent them from 
being injured by the wind. 
Carrots. —As soon as the young plants in the hotbed 
are about an inch high, thin them out to about three or 
four inches apart. 
Cauliflowers. —Sow in boxes; forward in a gentle 
