304 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 14, 1860. 
unmistakeable tokens of the untowardness of the season—bedding 
plants and tender annuals perishing by scores in all directions. 
On the other hand, Roses have been good in a general way, 
though some of the varieties never showed a good bloom; the 
continuous rain disfigured or partially rotted them on the trees. 
Hollyhocks have run up very tall and strong ; but at the present 
time (August 1) there is scarcely an expanded bloom amongst 
them. Phloxes, however, thrive with the wet, but they do not 
iiower well; and the double varieties of Delphinium have suffered 
much from the slug prevailing to such an extent. Pinks have 
in like manner suffered from the wet decaying the flowers; and 
most other flowering plants have had their usual term of floral 
beauty shortened by the dull, damp season. 
Universal as the complaint is of bedding-plants doing so badly, 
there are some which seem to endure the rain better than others ; 
of this class the variegated plants stand pre-eminent, the Gera¬ 
niums forming a nice feature to the deep green turf, which this 
season, contrary to preceding ones, has never suffered from a lack 
of moisture. A few remarks, however, on each class will better 
explain the condition of each. 
Geraniums Variegated. — Golden Circle, Alma, Flower of * 
the Day, and Mangles' Variegated are the most thriving ones in j 
dry weather or wet. Golden Chain does, I think, better this 
year than usual; but it is not at home here. Shottisham Pet, 
Silver King, and Perfection are all good in their way, but not 
sufficiently tried yet. Brilliant is not sufficiently marked with 
white to entitle it to a first place as a variegated bedder, and it 
likes a drier season than the present one. 
Geraniums Plain and Hoeseshoe-leaved. — These made ; 
very little advance at all until the beginning of July, and since I 
then leaves rather than flowers have been formed; so that even 
in those beds where the Tom Thumbs and others have covered 
the ground I do not expect much display this year, unless August 
and September be unusually dry and warm. 
Verbenas. —These have in most cases been universal failures—- 
plants either dying off after planting, or been eaten by some in¬ 
visible insect which riddled the leaves like a piece of network, 
or ate away the stems. Suffice it to say that Verbena-beds are 
in general bad, and, as a class, may be regarded as the worst in 
the flower garden. The few beds that have prospered having 
more the character of late autumn appearance than the first bloom 
of the season, and there are but few of this class. A few 
blackened tufts of half-starved plants placed thinly and irregu¬ 
larly over the beds are all that represent many plots that ought 
to be in gorgeous display at the present time. 
Calceolarias. — Contrary to general expectation, these have 
not done so well as might have been expected; the high winds 
of the 28th of May, and since then, injured them much; but some 
have done not amiss, and will do better if the weather clears up. 
All are late, but all healthy. 
Petunias. —Back ward, but on the whole not so much a sufferer as j 
the Verbena, and with drier weather a good display may yet be had. 
Lobelias. —These are quite as promising as usual, but they 
want dry weather very much; a fortnight of sunshine will do 
wonders with them. 
Tender Annuals. —These have invariably done badly. Linum 
grandijlorum scarcely showing itself at all; while Mhodanthe 
Manglesii, Clintonia pulchella, and some Dianthuses have been 
equally unsatisfactory. Perilla Nankinensis has, however, stood 
pretty well. 
Dahlias. —Very late and some plants destroyed by insects, or 
quite denuded of their leaves by something or other. 
Tropcsolum elegans. —This charming bedder is, with the ex¬ 
ception of the variegated plants, the best plant in the flower 
garden the present season. There are several varieties of it, but 
a dwarf scarlet one seems to answer best. 
Miscellaneous Plants. —Ageratums, late; Heliotrope, many 
dead ; Alyssum variegatum, good and one of the best plants for 
effect; Cerastium tomentosum, also good in a similar way; but 
Cineraria maritima presents a more grey aspect and less effective ; 
Variegated Mint gets coarse; Salvias have made very little 
progress ; Nierembergia still less so, though the plants are alive ; 
Cuphcea strigillosa has done well, but C. platycer.tra badly ; the 
old Gazania unijlora has done worse than usual, the newer ones 
I have not tried, but the list of failures so far outnumbers those 
of the opposite kind, that flower gardening this year will be 
marred of much of its interest by so many things wanting to 
complete the design not being forthcoming. The greatest loss, 
as before stated, being the Verbena. 
To those who may wish to compare notes, as well as to the 
general public who may be asking in which way the past summer 
has differed from preceding ones, I give a table shewing the 
amount of rainfall of each of the three summer months for 
the last six years, with the average maximum temperature for the 
like period. 
1855. 
1856. 
1857. 
1858. 
1859. 
1860. 
Rain in 
Itain in 
Rain in 
Rain in 
Rain in 
Rain in 
inches. 
inches. 
inches. 
inches. 
inches. 
inches. 
June ... 
1-21 
1-36 
1-67 
0-67 
1-75 
509 
July ... 
3-23 
2A8 
1-07 
2'69 
2-01 
2'07 
August 
71 
2-03 
293 
1-20 
2-13 
Average 
Average 
Average 
Average 
Average 
Average 
maximum 
maximum 
maximum 
maximum 
maximum 
maximum 
temp. 
temp. 
temp. 
temp. 
temp. 
temp. 
June ... 
80'9 
83-4 
75'4 
GG-0 
July ... 
80'5 
72-0 
82'0 
70-3 
August 
81-6 
75-8 
73-5 
From the above it will be seen that the average maximum tem¬ 
perature of June and July, 1860, has been respectively 91° and 
llf° lower than the same months in 1859, while the rainfall of 
June, 1860, almost equalled that of the same month for the four 
preceding years. But this is not all: the almost total absence of 
sunshine gave no opportunity for the cai-th being wanned, or any 
portion of the moisture by which it was saturated being with¬ 
drawn by evaporation, otherwise the rainfall of July has not 
exceeded the avorage. Unfortunately, we have no instruments 
(that I am aware of), for measuring the amount of sunshine wo 
have; otherwise, if that were accurately done, I feel certain the 
deficiency in the present season far exceeds the surplus rainfall 
by which we are said to have been visited. J. Robson. 
A HYBRID PLUM OR NECTARINE. 
An entirely new species of fruit has sprung up among us that 
seems to unite the characteristics of both the wild Plum of our 
woods and the red Nectarine Peach, and all that is known of its 
origin is the following:— A gentleman near Erankliu, in his 
garden planted some stones ol' the red Nectarine Peach, which, 
on germinating and throwing out their leaves, one among them 
was discovered of very singular formation, and like nothing else 
the gentleman had seen. He let it grow, and when transplant¬ 
ing his Nectarines left it standing in his garden, where it has 
fruited for the last three years, the fruit being of a fiery red 
colour, the size of the Nectarine, and nearly round in form, and 
of most delicious taste, the pulp being soft, juicy, and rich, and 
to my taste superior to any of the Plum family. Its proprietor 
referred it to myself for a name; and I at once saw, from the 
peculiarities of the tree and fruit, that it was a hybrid, which 
owed its origin to a wild Plum and a Nectarine Peach, but could 
not venture to publish my opinion until I saw that the Nectarine 
and Plum had been hybridised by Dr. Wylie, of Chester, S. C., 
he having exhibited the fruit at the South Carolina fair, and 
taken a premium as a reward cf his success. 
This is a new fruit of exquisite beauty and fine taste, ripening 
through September, and thus far has been free from the Circulio 
punctures —a thing that cannot be said of our Gages, except where 
hogs run about the trees. The tree inclines to run to top, with 
clean smooth branches, free from spurs. A leaf I send herewith, 
also the short one from the wild Plum, that you may see that its 
length occupies that middle space we would suppose it ought 
between the foliage of its parents.—S. McDowell, Franklin, N.C. 
Cincinnati.—(Prairie Farmer.) 
MARTENS AND BUGS—LEMON KIDNEY 
POTATO. 
I should be glad to hear more about “ Martens’ nests and 
bugs,” as I have the same complaint to mako as your cor¬ 
respondent, at page 261. I have several nests, and invariably 
in spring, when the Martens have commenced taking possession, 
bugs begin to appear on the windows of the house, but I do not 
think they bite; and an upholsterer, to whom I mentioned the 
