November 3, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
147 
DOClfTC FOR INDOORS - 
FOR OUTDOORS. 
Many thousands, all classes, including the latest novelties 
H.P.'s for Garden Decoration or Exhibition, 6/-and 81 - per 
dozen; 50/-and 65/- per too. TEAS and NOISETTES, 15/- 
and 18/- per dozen. Climbing sorts with long shoots, 2/6, 3/6, 
and 5/- each. See New Catalogue (No. 129) for full particulars 
of our immense collection. Also for Fruits, Shrubs, Trees, 
Rhododendrons, American plants, Climbers, &c., Post Free. 
WM. CLIBRAN & SON, 
OLDFIELD NURSERIES, ALTRINCHAM, 
Also at Manchester, Llandudno Junction, &c. 
FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT 
Nothing so profitable and 
easy to grow. 
80 Acres in Stock. 
THE BEST PBOfURlBLE. 
Lists Free . 
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS 
rm , Bushes in variety. Packing and 
\ Carriage Freeforcash with order, 
Ss B per doz., 60s. per 100 . 
All other Nursery Stock 
carriage forward . 
£imP 0TS From 15/- a doz. 
Ornamental Trees, 91 Acres. 
Four Acres of Class. 
Clematis (80,000) from 15/- 
per doz. 
TV. B.—Single Plants are sold at 
slightly increased prices. 
GENERAL CATALOGUE 
Ld (Over 164 pages) of Nursery Stock, 
artistically produced, containing 
some hundreds of illustrations, 
and full of valuable information. 
, sent free. 
RICHARD SMITH &C?, WORCESTER 
SPECIAL CULTURE 
OF 
FRUIT TREES & R0SES. 
< A Large and Select Stock is now offered for Sale. 
The Illustrated and Descriptive Catalogue of Fruits post free 
The Descriptive Catalogue of Roses post free. 
THOMAS RIVERS & SON, 
The Nurseries, SA WBRIDGEWORTH, Herts. 
HYACINTHS, TULIPS, A 
Narcissi, Lillies, _ 
Snowdrops, 
Crocuses, 
A ~ BE8T 
Sciilas, QUALITIES 
Irises A. at lowest 
&C. RATES. 
Delivered Free by 
Rail ob Pabcel Post. 
Descriptive Catalogue No. 441 
Post Free on application. 
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DiCKSONS~:Chester 
S=s —-- ——:---:— - 'A 
For Market and Private Growers. 
Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Ac. 
Descriptive CATALOGUES post free, 
J. C"fi* S» 
FRUIT TREES A SPECIALITY. 
An immense stock of all the best varieties for Garden, 
Market, or Orchard :— 
Special Quotations for quantities to grow for market. 
New and Rare sorts not obtainable elsewhere. 
Apples.—A grand stock of Standard and Half-standards, 
Dwarfs, Cordons, and Trained. 
Pears, Plums, Cherries, Peaches, and Apricots in all forms. 
Gooseberries, Currants, and Raspberries. 
Strawberries, all the best of the old and new varieties, open 
air plants or in small pots. 
Send for Descriptive List and Guide, Post Free, 6d. Gratis 
to Customers (one of the most complete issued). Ordinary 
List Free. 
JOHN WATKINS, 
Pomona Farm Nurseries, Withington, Hereford. 
ORCHIDS. 
Clean Healthy Plants at Low Prices. 
Always worth a visit of inspection. Kindly send for Catalogue. 
JAME S CY/PHER, 
Exotic Nurseries, CHELTENHAM. 
For Index to Contents see page 157. 
“ Gardening Is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
NEXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monday, Nov. 5th.—Chrysanthemum Shows at Dulwich (2 
days/, and St. Neot's. 
Bulb Sale at Protheroe & Morris' Rooms, and every day in 
the week. 
Tuesday, Nov. 6th.— Chrysanthemum Shows at the Royal 
Aquarium (3 days), Leeds, Watford, Truro, Barnstaple, 
Sevenoaks, Highbury, and Ryde, all 2 days. 
Sale of Nursery Stock, at Mr.T. S. Ware’s, Tottenham. 
Wednesday, Nov. 7th.—Chrysanthemum Shows at Bath, 
Northampton, Dalston, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Don¬ 
caster, and Wolverhampton, all 2 days, and Bromley, 
Market Harborough, Newbury, Torquay, Evesham, 
Ealing, and Highbridge. 
Thursday, Nov. 8th.—Chrysanthemum Shows at Westerham, 
Romford, Cirencester, Stirling, and Streatham, all 2 
days ; and Buddleigh Salterton, Chichester, Tenby, and 
Caterham. 
Friday, Nov. 9th.—Chrysanthemum Shows at Balham, 
Nottingham, Wellingborough, and Leicester, all 2 days, 
and Reigate, Hitchin, Dalkey, and Exeter. 
Orchid Sale at Protheroe & Morris’ Rooms. 
Saturday, Nov. 10th.—Chrysanthemum Shows at Bacup, 
Crewe, Derby, Uttley, and Yeovil. 
fastis if!arid. 
Edited by BRIAN WYNNE, F.R.H.S. 
SATURDAY , NOVEMBER yd, 1894. 
Sutomnal Rains.- —-During a droughty 
period in summer the great need for 
rain is apparent to all, but in autumn a 
very small number of the same people 
realize the necessity for rain at the period 
when the crops have been harvested and 
safe under cover. Rain is then looked 
upon as seasonable, simply because long 
experience has taught us to expect it. In 
towns of any size rain is looked upon as 
a great inconvenience, and snow a greater 
one by the average townsman ; but there 
are a few cases in which the need for rain 
is brought home with peculiar force, as 
at Leicester, where the inhabitants have 
been scared by a water famine, or, at 
least, a reduced and inadequate supply to 
meet the ordinary wants of the community. 
This, of course, is chiefly due to the mass¬ 
ing of human beings together on restricted 
areas of ground. Modern civilisation 
requires a large supply of water, which it 
tends to pollute, and the clearest streams 
are rendered filthy. The noble rivers have 
not only to bear the burdens of commerce, 
but they are polluted and become 
obnoxious through the filth of manu¬ 
factories and the sewage that is turned 
into them. London looks to the Thames 
above tide and to the Lea to supply it 
with clean water ; Glasgow has become 
similarly independent since it tapped Loch 
Katrine for its supplies ; and Manchester 
has been recently rejoicing over the comple¬ 
tion of the works which bring it water from 
the distant lake of Thirlmere. These lakes 
are, however, dependent upon rain for their 
supplies, as well as the springs, artesian 
wells, and the water-bearing strata that 
supply all these as well as the streams, 
brooks, and rivers. 
When the records have been made up 
for the year, it will, in all probability, be 
found that the rainfall for the British Islands 
in 1894 h as not in any way been excessive. 
I here was a considerable rainfall during 
summer, but considerably less during 
autumn ; in fact, there has been a deficiency 
in many localities. For instance, until 
recently there had been no rain at Glasgow 
for many weeks, and the people at Leicester, 
as above mentioned, had been put on short 
supplies owing to the lightness of the rain¬ 
fall. In London there has been a great 
lack of sunshine rather than an excess of 
rain ; and a fair amount of bright sunshine 
would more than have counteracted the 
influence of the rain. Elsewhere, a short 
distance out of town, the country has been 
more favoured in that respect, although the 
terms “ balmy and sunny south, - ’ if ever 
truly applicable, would seem to have lost 
great part of their significance in 1894, - as 
they did in 1888. Both of these years were 
precededby very hot and unusually droughty 
summers, so that we have two marked cases 
of the unequal distribution of three great 
requisites in gardening—namely, light, 
heat, and moisture. 
Turning from general to more particular 
aspects of the value of autumnal rains, we 
may glance at its effects upon trees gener¬ 
ally—fruit trees in particular. Many gar¬ 
deners are still under the impression that 
a dry autumn is more favourable to the 
ripening of the wood than when rain is 
frequent and heavy. Those who have the 
management of Peaches and Vines under 
glass, but particularly the former, have 
learnt, from sad experience in the past, of 
the fallacy of withholding water till the 
borders were almost dust dry dining the 
ripening of the wood and the fall of the leaf. 
The results were, that the flower buds 
dropped in spring without setting fruit, and 
in some cases even before expansion. We 
must not forget that such a method of 
ripening off' is artificial and injurious, as 
trees in the open naturally fare differently. 
As with Peaches so it must be with Apples, 
Pears, Plums, and Cherries, which are 
natives of this and similarly temperate 
countries. They, as well as all forest trees, 
are annually subjected to a greater or less 
heavy rainfall just as they are ripening 
their wood and shedding their leaves ; and 
who will be so bold as to say this is un¬ 
natural, unnecessary, and injurious ? The 
plant food which has been elaborated in 
the leaves under the influence of air, light, 
and heat is drafted into the branches and 
trunk of the tree, there to be stored up or 
utilised immediately in the extension of the 
root system. This is cramped and re¬ 
stricted unless the rainfall is sufficient to 
thoroughly moisten the soil, which had 
been baked, hardened, and rendered dusty 
by the drought of summer. Provided the 
conditions are favourable, trees generally 
make a considerable amount of root growth 
during the autumn, and are thereby made 
more independent of rain in summer, 
because the root area for collecting the 
scanty moisture is greater. From this point 
of view a good autumn rainfall is highly 
advantageous to all fruit growers. 
In the case of dwarf Apple trees on the 
Paradise and Doucin stocks, and Pears 
