THE WEATHER FOR AUGUST. 
215 
nated with brisk winds, so that much of the rain which fell passed off in 
vapour, and so, notwithstanding the frequent rains, the atmosphere was, upon 
the whole, dry and healthy. The same circumstances which were favourable 
to the pastures were equally so to the crops on the cultivated fields ; and thus 
the cerealia, the legumes, the bulbs, the tubers, and these parts of plants 
which answer for culinary purposes, have all been brought forward in great 
abundance and of the finest quality. It is true that in so varied a country as 
Britain there is no kind of weather equally favourable to all the species of 
wild and cultivated plants ; and hence the crops upon strong and retentive 
clays may be lodged and damaged; and those of some places may be injured 
by smut, rust, and other small fungi which rainy weather calls into action ; 
but whatever may be the result, the circumstances have been highly favourable 
to the average of lands; and we should say that such a season is highly useful 
in pointing out to the cultivator what lands he should plough, and what leave 
in natural pasture. It may be proper to observe, that though showers 
have been frequent, they have been waterings, not drenchings ; and that in 
the rainy districts, the rain which has fallen has been much below the 
average. 
The Flower Garden is in some respects a miniature of the farm, only the 
operations of the gardener are more nice and varied than those of the farmer. 
Still the results which both aim at are similar, and therefore the occupations 
may be made mutually to illustrate each other. The ultimate aim of the 
farmer is to obtain farinaceous seeds, and tubers, and bulbs in the greatest 
quantity and perfection ; and the ultimate aim of the florist is to obtain flowers 
with the largest, most perfectly-formed, and most beautifully-coloured petals ; 
so that, waiving the differences of the vegetables upon which they operate, the 
chief difference between them is, that the florist stops short of that stage which 
the fanner looks forward to ; but if the obtaining of seedlings is the object, 
the florist carries forward his operations just as far as the other. 
The greater part of our flowers, even bed and border flowers, which are the 
ones most dependent on the vicissitudes of the weather, are natives of countries 
whose climates are different from ours ; and though they in time become to a 
considerable extent acclimated with ns, they still retain the natural adaptation 
to their own climate. Now, almost every country from which flowering plants 
are imported has a more seasonal climate than we have. After the dormant 
time of the plant there is usually a pretty strong stimulus of heat, light, and 
moisture to start it into action; and then the weather between the start and 
the flowering is such as not to oversearch or overwork the plant. Thus, 
when it comes to flower it is in high vigour as a plant, and in excellent con¬ 
dition for flowering. This is the best state both for the flowers and the plant ; 
for if the plant is either overstarved or overgrown in the wood or stem, it never 
flowers well; and if nature or art works for an excessive flowering, the indi- 
vidual growth of the plant is always weakened, and may be so much weakened 
as to die off* and be unable to rally during the next season. The present year 
has, we think, been an average in this way. For this reason we beg of florists 
to watch its effects; and we, convinced of the importance of the subject, shall 
offer a few more remarks on it next month. 
