70 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
produced by their attractions to a considerable distance from each other 
Occasional showers still continued to fall, but with large intervals of fine 
weather; and though the nights became a little chilly, the wind occasionally blew 
cold and hollow, and evaporation was much diminished, all these indications 
were too slight for leading to the conclusion that there w T ould be any very 
great change in the weather. From the 19th to the 22d there were occasional 
showers ; and on the 23d, there fell showers of pretty large hail stones upon 
the cold and elevated grounds; but these were limited in their extent, and 
brief in their duration; and though the atmosphere very often had a hazy 
appearance in the mornings, accompanied by light showers, the= weather was 
upon the whole very fine. 
Such are the leading points of the weather for June, at least in the 
neighbourhood of the metropolis, where, though the hills are of trifling 
elevation, the great diversity of the tertiary strata occasions a very consider¬ 
able difference of climate. From these characters of the w'eather, w r e need 
hardly say that the month has been altogether highly favourable to vegetation 
and its culture, in all their departments. The season, so far as it has 
advanced, has passed off with remarkably little blight, except in the most 
unfavourable situations; and caterpillars have done comparatively little damage 
in the gardens. Aphides have made their appearance, though in no great 
abundance; and, upon the whole, we may say that vegetation has suffered much 
less than the average from insect depredations. This is easily accounted 
for.* The heavy and continued rains in the latter part of the preceding 
summer and the autumn, destroyed vast numbers of the parent insects, both 
of those w'hich deposit their ova on vegetables, and those who do so in the 
earth. The continuance of the rainy weather until the spring w r as pretty far 
advanced must have destroyed the principle of life in many of these deposits; 
while the steady drought which followed, though it made the progress of 
vegetation comparatively slow, prevented any of those violent alternations of 
strong growth and sudden check, which call forth the little destroyers in 
such myriads when the season of early vegetation is more than usually varied. 
From the circumstances which have been enumerated, it may at once be 
inferred that, though the yield of some plants may not be so bulky as in less 
steady seasons, the quality of all will be superior. The season has been 
favourable for healthy flowering, and also for ripening and imparting flavour 
to the early fruits. It has also been, and continues an excellent hay season ; 
tor though the swathe from some grounds is not heavy, the quality will 
everywhere be very superior, in consequence both of the healthy condition 
of the grasses, and of the favourable weather, which has been such as neither 
to soak nor to parch the hay in the swathe. Our limits are reached, how r ever ; 
and we must delay our further remarks till next month. 
CALENDAR FOR JULY. 
Stove.—A s the principal thing to be attended to here is keeping the plants 
(and the house generally) clean, fumigate occasionally. Hard-wooded plants 
are greatly improved in appearance and health by frequently sponging the 
