1S79.] 
GARDEN GOSSIP. 
143 
August 2-3 occurred a most destructive hailstorm, 
by which, in some localities, glasshouses and frames 
were smashed to atoms. Our great national cstab- 
lishment at Kow fared very badly, and ruin has been 
spread broadcast among the market-gardeners. The 
Potato-crop is universally late and generally de¬ 
fective, while the progress of the disease has been 
rapid, and its incidence in many districts severe. 
The general result as to Fruit-crops is given in the 
following table, the figures of which may be taken 
as api)ro.\imatoly and substantially correct: — 
Apricots . 
Over 
Avenii^e. 
. 9 .... 
Average. 
... 52 ... 
Under 
Avertiffe 
... 91 
Plums . 
. 12 ... 
... 78 ... 
... 110 
Cherries . 
. 9 .... 
.. 69 ... 
... 115 
Peaches and Nectarines 9 ..., 
.. 60 ... 
... 91 
Apples. 
. 12 .... 
.. 13 ... 
... 141 
Pears . 
. 9 .... 
.. 92 ... 
... 99 
Small Fruits .... 
. 63 ... 
... 129 ... 
... 13 
Strawberries .... 
. 63 .... 
.. 123 ... 
... 22 
Nuts. 
. 17 .... 
... 61 ... 
... 47 
Strawberries and small fruits, though abundant, 
suffered much from the excess of moisture, which, 
together with the absence of sun, produced insipid 
or sour fruits, while from the same causes 
almost all crops are, at least, a month later than 
usual. 
— ®HE Hailstorm wliicli Las recently visited 
the western suburbs of Loudon, has afforded 
some data as to the capacity of certain sorts 
and sizes of Glass to withstand Hailstones. Tlio 
storm in question was a very severe one, but it was 
observed (see Qardeners’ C/u-oniefe, August 16th) that 
the damage bore an obvious relation to the size of 
panes. Common glass, varying from 15 to 20 oz. to 
the foot, in panes 10 in. by 22 in., was entirely 
destroyed, while good English 21-oz. glass, in one 
house of the same range, with panes of the same size, 
has not half of them broken. An adjoining house, 
with English 21 oz., but 15 in. by 25 in. wide, was 
smashed up as completely as the commoner 10-in. 
glass ; yet another house, in which English 15-oz. 
7-in. wide glass was used, had barely half its jjancs 
broken. hhom this it would appear that 15 oz. 
glass, in squares 7 in. wide, is as safe as 21 oz., when 
10 in. to 12 in. wide, and that even 21 oz., if 15 in. 
wide, is no stronger to resist heavy hail than 15 or 
IGoz. if 10 in. wide. The foreign glass (so largely 
used for so-called cheap houses) is very brittle as 
compared with good Engli.sh makes, the 21-oz. 
foreign being little, if any, stronger than 15-oz. 
English of the same size. These facts should be 
well considered by persons ordering a greenhouse, 
as the security supiiosed to bo afforded by using 
21-oz. glass may bo nullified by an extra width of 
pane. 
— En the class of half-hardy Eiiododendeons, 
Mr. Davies, of Ormskirk, has obtained some 
valuable sweet-scented hybrids bred between B, 
miiltifiorum!\nd B.Edrjioorthii. Of thesothefollowing 
have been put into circulation :— Countess of Derby, 
Countess of Softon, Lady SkebncrsdaJe, Duchess of 
Sutherland, Miss Davies, and Mrs. James Shawe. 
Countess of Derby is regarded as the finest, because 
so very free-blooming, the plants being loaded with 
the largo and finely formed flowers, which are of 
great substance, and measure Sin. to 4in. in dia¬ 
meter, pure white, bcll-shapod, and most deliciously 
fragrant. Countess of Sefton has largo flowers, 
cui3-shapcd, very stout, white, with a baud of rosy- 
purple on each side of the corolla, the margins 
handsomely fringed. Lady Skclmcrsdale has pure 
white trumpet-shaped flowers, smooth on the edge, 
and very handsome in form. Duchess of Sutherland 
has handsomely fringed flowers, pure white in colour, 
and is of a robust habit of growth. Miss Davies 
has pure white bell-shaped flowers. Mrs. James 
Shawc has white cup-shaped flowers of great sub¬ 
stance ; the plant of a bushy habit, and flowering 
profusely. Those llhododendrons arc very suitable 
for flowering in a cold greenhouse in early spring, 
the protection of a cold frame during winter being 
sufficient to secure them from harm. 
— learn from the Gardener that a new 
Cucumber, Sir Garnet Wolseley, has been 
raised by Mr. J. Hamilton, of Carlisle, who has 
long been celebrated as a raiser of Cucumbers. It is 
the result of a cross, in which Dean’s Prolific was 
fertilised with the Duke of Connaught, is remarkably 
handsome, and of excellent flavour. It grows to an 
average length of 18 in., is entirely destitute of 
shank or shoulder, and has a smooth and even sur¬ 
face. As a rule, it produces three fruits to every 
joint, which swell rapidly t'o maturity in succes.sion. 
“Taken as a whole, we consider this the best Cucumber 
we have ever met with, and predict that it must 
become a great favourite of Cucumber-growers.” 
— a remedy for Caterpillars on Goose¬ 
berry Bushes, a correspondent of the Irish 
Farmers' Gazette recommends to “ stick some 
branches of the common elder into the gooseberry 
bushes,” then it will bo found that the caterpillars 
will not trouble them. 
— m- Baker, of Ileavitree, one of the 
most successful rosarians, when describing in the 
Garden some points in Eose-growing, reveal¬ 
ing his rose secrets, as he puts it, states that his 
flowers come from cut-back plants (Manetti), most 
of them five years old, and ho adds:—“About the 
middle of August I have the greater part of the 
old wood cut out, in order that the young rods may 
have plenty of light and aii- to enable them to ripen 
properly, and from this wood I get my show blooms 
for the following year. In November I give my 
plants a good dressing of thoroughly rotten cow- 
manure ; this I have dug in at once, and I do not 
like it to remain on the surface during the winter. 
In March, after the pruning is complete, the ground 
is lightly forked, and after that occasionally hood 
up to the time of blooming. As soon as the bloom 
buds are formed, I give the plants plenty of liquid 
manure, composed of sheep-droppings, soot, and a 
little guano, and sometimes, in a wet season like 
the present, I sow a little guano; but I much prefer 
the liquid manure.” 
— ^Tiie new Pampas Grass, Gynerium 
JUBATUM, is a magnificent plant, with a 
flowing, mane-like inflorescence, the lateral 
branches of the plume being remarkable for their 
length and graceful curvature, and the secondary 
branchlets being numerous, long, and slender, the 
whole forming a dense, massive plume, not less than 
three feet in length. The inflorescence—female— 
is of a silvery hue, slightly tinged with pink at the 
base of the separate florets. 
— tliiiouGii one may not be able to cjuite 
straighten young trees that arc crooked, yet 
