October 1. 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
773 
he Qardening\j^rld. 
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EDITORIAL NOTES. 
Meteorological Observations for 
August. 
During August, at Holland House, Ken¬ 
sington, where the observationis are taken 
by Mr. Charles Dixon, the gardener, the 
barometer stood very high throughout, the 
month with very little variation. It was 
highest on the 3r<i and 28th of the month, 
when it stood at 30.45 in. The lowest read¬ 
ing was 30.05 in. on the 15th and 31st. 
The range of variation was therefore only 
0.4. The average height for the month was 
30.27. The highest, temperature for the 
year was 92 deg., which was reached on the 
4th in the shade. The lowest reading in the 
establishment occurred on the 25th, when it 
was 39 deg. There were considerable varia¬ 
tions in the range of temperature during the 
month, this being registered at 53 deg. in 
the shade. The highest mean daily tem¬ 
perature was 75.5 deg., which occurred on 
the 4th. The lowest mean daily tempera¬ 
ture wasi 53 deg., this occurring on the 23rd 
and 24th of the month. The mean tempera¬ 
ture of the month was, 60.9 deg. The lowest 
reading on the grass was 39 deg. on the 25th. 
No frost occurred during the month. Rain 
to. the extent of .01 fell on eleven days. The 
greatest rainfall in, twenty-four hours was 
0.93 in. on the 31st. The total rainfall for 
the month wasi 1.74 in., bringing the total 
for the year up to- date 13.86 in. 
A Costly Rare Fern. 
An accident, resulting in, the death of Mr. 
Ronald W. H. T. Hudson, Fellow of St. 
John’s College, Cambridge, and mathemati¬ 
cal lecturer at the University College, Liver¬ 
pool, occurred on the Snowdon range of 
mountains, on the 20th ult. Mr. Hudson and 
a friend arrived at Penygwryd Hotel on the 
previous Sunday, and on, Tuesday set out to 
scale the precipice above Lake Idwal, com¬ 
mencing at a dangerous spot known as the 
Devil’s, Kitchen. This- name is given to a, 
large mass of rock which partly fills a chasm 
on, the mountain side. Experienced climbers 1 
are able to make the ascent by climbing into 
a, cavern beneath and then getting up the 
other side. This place has now four deaths 
to its record. Mr. Hudson’s friend only 
climbed a short, way, and gave up the 
attempt, while Mr. Hudson went on. His 
friend was alarmed at the falling of some 
stones, and, looking up, found that the 
climber had disappeared, and went off im¬ 
mediately to give the alarm. The place can 
only be reached by ladders. Those who came 
to the rescue examined the place from 
whence it is supposed Mr. Hudson had fallen,, 
and found that the regular pathway for 
climbers was relatively safe, but, it was their 
opinion tihat Mr. Hudson, had deviated a 
short way from the path for the purpose of 
collecting a rare Fern which grew in a crevice 
of the rocks and had missed his footing. Mr. 
Hudson was born, at Cambridge, and was in 
his twenty-eighth year, and his death is 
greatly regretted by his friends and all who 
knew him. Hitherto, he had had a brilliant 
career'as a mathematician, some of his works 
on the higher mathematics being now in the 
press'. 
Difficulty of Growing Heather in 
the Colonies. 
As we have indicated in former issues of 
The Gardening World, there has always, 
been a great, desire on, the part of High¬ 
landers, and other emigrants who have been 
familiar with Heather in their native land, 
to transfer it to their new homes in some 
adopted colony. For many years this, had 
been done without success, and the many 
failures were attributed to a, sentimental 
cause as might be supposed. In, the case of 
America, there must have been some suc¬ 
cesses in former years, otherwise Heather 
must be regarded as native to some isolated 
spotsi of the northern, part of America. Some 
months ago we recorded spots where it does 
grow in, a wild or naturalised condition. The 
late Rev. Hugh MacMillan, D.D., LL.D., gave 
a series of interesting addresses to the Clan 
MacMillan Society, of which he was chief. 
He said that a very large number of the 
Highland Clan badges were moorland plants, 
and he wished to inform them of a simple 
discovery that had been made by science con¬ 
cerning different kinds of Heather. The 
Heather grew in the bleakest and most ex¬ 
posed places, as if it, belonged to them and 
was capable of withstanding the; severest cold 
and drought that was likely to occur in, those 
places. He stated that if the extreme ends 
of the root fibres of the Heather were ex¬ 
amined, they would be found destitute of the 
usual root hair s, but minute, almost invisible, 
threads of a fungus bad woven a net-like cob¬ 
web, around them. It was' the office or func¬ 
tion of this fungus to supply the rootlets 
with the necessary food-that was, to be ob¬ 
tained from a peaty soil. These fungi were 
spoken of as, Snycorhiza, that is,, root fungi. 
These two elements lived in peaceful and 
happy companionship, the one being of 
mutual benefit, to the other, and this connec¬ 
tion scientific, men term symbiosis. This, 
connection was also of the closest character 
and life-long. The reason why the Heather 
died when transported to the colonies was 
that the connection between Heather and 
these root fungi was broken, so that the 
Heather, unable to collect its customary 
food, languished and died. Presumably, 
also, the connection between the fungi and 
the, peaty soil was one that could not well 
have been, disconnected, the peat, no doubt, 
being conducive to their wellbeing. Pos¬ 
sibly, also, the colonists planted the Heather 
in their gardens without considering whether 
or not the soil was suitable. If no peaty 
soil occurred in their neighbourhood, it is 
just possible, nay, probable, that by mixing 
sandv mil with a liberal quantify of leaf- 
mould, the Heather and its root fungi would 
then have been, happy, 
