October 17. 1903 THE GARDENING WORLD. 
)ctober d . 7 Y ’.903. Hhe hardening WorlcL 
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t_ 
EDITORIAL NOTES. 
henological Observations. 
The above title might be described as'the 
lence of natural phenomena. Since 1891 
large number of people at different stations 
1 over Great Britain and Ireland have been 
aking observations on various natural 
lenomena, and their reports are sent in, to 
dward Mawley, Esq., F.R., Met. Soc, 
R.H.S., and well known to our readers as 
i© secretary of the National Rose Society, 
aese observations he has compiled in the 
nn of a concise pamphlet which should 
of great service to all those most con- 
;rned-with the weather and crop® in pro- 
>rtion to the number of years during which 
i© notes have been compiled. The informa- 
sn requires close reading, as so many facts 
© placed within small compass, and those 
engaged in compiling a book on any par¬ 
ticular subject relating to horticulture, agri- 
culture, or allied sciences would be able to 
deduce facts that would be of service to 
them. One of the forms of information here 
supplied relates to thirteen wild or common 
herbs, trees, and shrubs, upon which obser¬ 
vations have been madei througjhout the 
country. 
—o— 
The Table of Flowering Plants. 
With the exception of the Horse Chestnut, 
the plants on which the observations have 
been made are all British, and so commonly 
planted or growing wild that all the observers 
in different parts of the country are able to 
fix upon certain specimens upon which they 
make observations from year to year as they 
come into bloom, in order to determine 
whether they flower earlier or later than 
usual. The observations begin in December 
of each year, so that the report in this 
pamphlet runs from December, 1901, to 1 the 
end of November, 1902. The table shows 
that the Hazel flowered a little earlier in 
South-west England, South Ireland, South. 
England, East England, and in the north of 
Scotland, in all other parts of the country 
the dates of flowering being behind the 
average .for the last twelve years. Turning 
to the Coltsfoot, we note that it flowered 
slightly earlier in the west, east and north of 
Scotland, but in all other parts of the country 
it was behind the usual time. The Wood 
Anemone was a little earlier in the south of 
England and the north of Ireland, but else¬ 
where it was somewhat later than usual. 
The Black Thom commenced at its usual 
date in. South-west England, and was a, little 
earlier than the average in South Ireland, 
but in all other parts of the count,ly it was- 
behind its date. The Garlic Hedge Mustard 
was a little earlier in the south-west and 
south of England and the north of Ireland, 
but elsewhere it. was slightly behind its time. 
The Horse Chestnut, Hawthorn, White Ox- 
Eye, Dog Rose, Greater Bindweed and Ivy 
were uniformly later than the average date. 
The Black Knapweed only scored a, point in 
the north of Ireland, elsewhere being very 
much behind its usual time, tliis -being most 
notable in the north of Scotland, where* it 
was thirty-four days behind.its average date. 
The Harebell flowered earlier in the west 
and east of Scotland, hut elsewhere it was 
universally beliind the average date. The 
above is not the exact order in which the 
plants are taken, as the Ivy is the latest to 
flower of the plants enumerated. 
—o—- 
Tbc Four Seasons. 
One of the reasons for the great dis¬ 
crepancy in the times o*f flowering of the 
ahove^given plants was that some of the 1 
winter and spring months were milder than 
they ought- to be, thus causing vegetation to 
advance; whereas some of the late spring 
months were unusually cold, and thus re¬ 
tarded the growth and flowering of late 
plants. December and February were cold 
in all parts of the country, and. the winter as 
a, whole was below the average temperature. 
Although December was wet, tire rainfall for 
winter was deficient and sunshine was equally 
so. During March the temperature was 
everywhere above the average, but during 
April and May the advent of cold and un¬ 
seasonable weather put a check to growth. 
The summer is described as cold, dry, and 
sunless, all these conditions being against the 
rapid advance of the various crops. Autumn 
was the only one of the four seasons in which 
the mean temperature was above the average. 
For the three months the weather was un¬ 
seasonably warm in all parts of the country, 
though, the record of sunshine was very 
scanty. 
—o— 
The Record of the Year. 
When the year ended up* in November, 
1902, the best that could be recorded of 
that year was that it. was cold and sunless. 
Rain fell at unusually frequent intervals*, 
though the quantity in the aggregate was 
small, so that there* was* no period of drought 
at any time. Wild plants were behind their 
time in every part of the country. The 
season, on the whole*, was'favourable to* the 
growth of all farm crops, except Pota.tos and 
Hops. Cereals, Pulse, Turnips, Mangels andi 
grass were abundant. On the other hand, 
fruit crops were deficient and lacked flavour, 
even including Strawberries, which was the 
exceptional fruit which yielded well. 
-—o— 
The Poison Ivy. 
Some time ago, in making comments upon 
the quantity of Rhus Toxicodendron growing 
in various parts of America, we were in doubt 
as to whether it was planted or grew there 
naturally. The Editor of “ The American 
Botanist ” informs ns that “ the Poison Ivy, 
like the crow and house sparrow, thrives* in 
America in, spite of the efforts by farmers 
to exterminate it. Our walls in country dis¬ 
tricts are made of rough stones loosely put 
together, and the Ivy runs riot over them as 
well as spreading into the grass on the 
borders. It- is one* of the commonest, plants 
of Eastern America, being found from 
Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The foliage 
is brilliant in autumn, and the fact that the 
plant is* not poisonous to most people, or, at, 
least, that few people are annually poisoned 
by it, probably accounts for the lack of more 
determined efforts - towards eradicating it.” 
We are pleased to say that the plant does 
not run riot in this country, but is more often 
planted in private gardens than it ought to 
he, for the unwary, especially those liable 
to suffer from its effects, are sure to find out 
the plant by experience, although seemingly 
a nameless and harmless thing upon the wall 
of the garden, or even the dwelling-house. 
