116 
February  8,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
The  Value  of  Birds.' — A  French  naturalist  asserts  that  if  the 
world  should  become  birdless  man  would  not  inhabit  it  after  nine 
years’  time,  in  spite  of  all  the  sprays  and  poisons  that  could  be 
manufactured  for  the  destruction  of  insects.  The  bugs  and  slugs 
would  simply  eat  up  all  the  orchards  and  crops  in  that  time. 
The  Xinperlal  YeomaDry. — Mr.  Harcourt  Webb  and  Mr.  Frank 
IVebb,  sons  of  Colonel  William  G.  Webb  of  Wordsley,  Stourbridge,  who, 
after  holding  commissions  in  the  1st  South  Staffordshire  Volunteer 
Battalion,  recently  joined  the  Imperial  Yeomanry,  embarked  for  South 
Africa  on  Saturday.  Their  many  friends  in  the  Stourbridge  district 
abound  in  good  wishes  for  them,  and  in  the  hope  for  their  safe  and 
early  return. 
The  Oldest  Tree  In  the  World.— The  oldest  tree  in  the  world  is 
reported  to  be  an  Oak,  on  the  island  of  Cos,  in  Asia  Minor,  which, 
according  to  a  painstaking  German  investigator,  has  attained  the  very 
respectable  age  of  2900  years.  The  authority  has  arrived  at  this  con¬ 
clusion  from  a  careful  examination  on  the  ground.  Tradition  has  it 
that  the  philosopher  Hippocrates,  who  was  born  on  the  island,  often 
assembled  his  pupils  under  the  welcome  shade  of  this  very  tree’s 
branches.  Now  Hippocrates  lived  five  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era,  and  if  this  is  the  same  old  tree,  it  has  indeed  established  a  fine 
record  for  longevity.  The  trunk  of  this  ancient  Oak  has  a  diameter  of 
over  27  feet. 
The  Bate  Duke  of  Teck. — At  a  Committee  meeting  of  the  Rich¬ 
mond  Horticultural  Society,  specially  convened  for  the  purpose,  Mr. 
Thomas  Skewes-Cox,  M.P.,  in  the  chair,  the  following  resolution  was 
unanimously  adopted  :  “  That  the  Richmond  Horticultural  Society 
hereby  places  on  record  its  deep  regret  at  the  loss  which  has  befallen 
hortictilture  by  the  death  of  his  Highness  the  Duke  of  Teck,  G.C.B., 
a  prince  who  for  no  less  than  twenty-six  years  past  had  been  the 
President  and  valued  friend  and  supporter  of  this  Society,  and  begs  to 
tender  sincere  and  respectful  sympathy  to  their  Royal  Highnesses  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  York  and  the  other  members  of  the  late 
President’s  family  in  their  heavy  bereavement.” 
Bamagre  by  the  Snowstorm. — The  heavy  snowstorm  we  experi¬ 
enced  last  Friday  night  must  surely  have  wrought  great  damage  to 
shrubs  and  trees  of  various  descriptions  throughout  the  southern 
counties.  In  the  grounds  here  numerous  branches  and  the  tops  of 
several  Rhododendrons,  Arbutus,  Cedars,  and  Pines  were  broken  off 
during  the  night  by  the  wet  heavy  masses  of  snow,  which  on  the  level 
lay  to  a  depth  of  quite  6  inches.  Tall  Junipers  and  Cryptomerias  were 
hent  nearly  double  hy  their  unaccustomed  burden,  whilst  clumps  of 
Gorse  and  Broom  were  flat  on  the  ground.  The  snow  is  disappearing 
very  slowly,  which  will  benefit  the  ground  more  than  a  rapid  thaw 
would  do  by  sinking  gradually  into  the  soil,  which  in  many  places, 
more  especially  in  clumps  of  shrubs,  has  not  recovered  from  the  terrible 
drought  of  the  past  two  summers. — T.  H.  Bolton,  Coombe  End. 
The  Saow. — There  is  a  pretty  notion  prevalent  that  snowfalls  are 
providential  dispensations  purposely  intended  to  protect  plants  out  in 
the  open  from  hard  frosts  and  biting  winds.  No  doubt  such  results 
follow  in  the  Arctic  regions  and  in  the  countries  of  almost  perpetual 
snow.  But  in  Great  Britain  our  snows  are  usually  of  a  very  prosaic 
order,  and  generally  become  an  intolerable  nuisance.  Hills  and  dales 
covered  witU  the  white  frozen  vapour  may  be  temporarily  pretty  and 
even  picturesque,  but  the  eye  soon  tires  of  the  glittering  whiteness  of 
the  scene,  let  it  be  ever  so  unwonted.  But  snowfalls  in  a  town  are 
horrors.  IVhat  misery  they  cause  to  everyone.  Not  even  poets  of  the 
order  of  an  Austin  or  a  Kipling  could  find  in  a  town  under  snow  any¬ 
thing  to  arouse  the  muse  of  rhyme,  if  not  of  song.  We  have  just  had 
for  the  South  a  heavy  snowfall,  varying  in  depth  from  4  to  6  inches.  It 
was  a  soft  snow,  and  followed  by  great  mildness,  so  that  the  frozen 
vapour  began  to  disappear  rapidly.  But  the  plant  protection  theory 
had  not  a  peg  on  which  to  hang  an  axiom  or  a  sonnet.  There  was 
neither  frost  nor  biting  wind  following.  The  plants  might  well  have 
complained  of  the  scare  thus  created.  Why  thus  envelope  them  in 
snow  ?  Why  thus  profess  to  furnish  them  shelter  and  protection  when 
there  was  no  wolf-like  frost  prowling  about,  no  fierce  beast  howling 
for  its  prey  ?  To  gardeners  unnecessary  snow  brings  great  incon¬ 
venience,  but  during  such  a  winter  as  the  present,  for  instance,  its 
primary  compensation  is  found  in  the  quantity  of  moisture  it  imparts 
to  the  soil,  and  in  a  gradual  way.  Still  the  quantity  of  moisture  thus 
furnished  is  relatively  small,  for  6  ins.  of  snow  probably  does  not  furnish 
when  it  is  dissolved  more  than  one-third  of  an  inch  of  water. — A.  D. 
Pltcalrnla  coralllna. — Bromeliads  as  a  rule  are  a  neglected  race- 
of  plants.  Some  without  doubt  do  not  deseive  a  place  in  gardens- 
where  room  is  limited,  hut  there  are  others  which  are  very  showy, 
as  evidenced  by  the  display  of  species  and  hybrids  exhibited  at 
Chiswick  in  July  last,  on  the  occasion  of  the  Hybridisation  Conference, 
To  the  showy  section  the  one  under  notice  belongs,  and  by  many 
people  is  said  to  be  the  finest  of  the  whole  set  for  decorative  purposes. 
The  plant  is  of  ornamental  character  throughout.  The  leaves  are  from 
4  to  5  feet  long  and  4  inches  wide  in  the  centre,  narrowing  to  a  long 
petiole  at  the  base,  and  to  a  point  at  the  apex.  They  are  silvery  in 
colour,  and  armed  along  the  margins  with  a  few  thick  spines.  Tf>e. 
flowers  are  about  1-^  inch  long,  of  an  exceptionally  bright  coral  Fpfi, 
and  produced  forty  or  fifty  together  on  drooping  racemes  18  inches, 
long,  the  same  colour  as  the  flowers.  A  fine  specimen,  bearing  geyeral 
inflorescences,  may  be  seen  in  flower  in  the  Victoria  Regia  house  at 
Kew,  where  at  the  present  time  it  Js  by  far  the  most  conspicuous 
object. — K. 
Sussex  Weather. — The  total  rainfall  at  Abbot’s  Leich,  Haywards 
Heath,  for  the  past  month  was  3'57  inches,  being  1’44  inch  above  the 
average.  The  heaviest  fall  was  0‘73  inch  on  the  6th.  Rain  fell  on 
twenty-one  days.  The  maximum  temperature  was  51°  on  the  2nd, 
23rd,  and  24th  ;  the  mininurm  24°  on  the  14th.  Mean  maximum  44  24°, 
mean  minimum  34  05°;  mean  temperature  39T4°,  which  is  2 '08°  below 
the  average.  A  cold  wet  month,  with  frequent  slight  frosts.  There 
was  a  considerable  fall  of  very  wet  snow  on  the  27th  and  28th. — R..  I. 
January  Weather  at  Belvoir  Castle. — The  prevailing  direction 
of  the  wind  was  S.  on  eighteen  days.  The  total  rainfall  was 
3T6  inches,  which  fell  on  twenty-five  days,  and  is  1'38  inch  above 
the  average  for  the  month.  The  greatest  daily  fall  was  0  90  inch  on 
the  6th.  Barometer  (corrected  and  reduced)  :  Highest  reading, 
30‘4fi9  inches  on  the  11th  at  9  a.m.  ;  lowest  29‘330  inches  on  the  28th 
at  9  A.M.  Thermometers  :  Highest  in  the  shade  52°  on  the  23rd 
lowest  25°  on  the  21st.  Mean  of  daily  maxima  43  19° ;  mean  of  daily 
minima  32'87°.  Mean  temperature  of  the  month  38'03° ;  lowest  on  the. 
grass  22°  on  the  Ist  and  2nd  ;  highest  in  the  sun  80“  on  the  27th. 
Mean  temperature  of  the  earth  at  3  feet  39’03°.  Total  sunshine 
twenty-four  hours  fifty  minutes.  There  were  sixteen  sunless  days. — 
W.  H.  Divee.s. 
The  Weather  In  Bedfordshire. — The  2nd  inst.  was  heavily 
overcast  all  day,  with  a  keen  north-easterly  wind  ;  at  night  the  wind 
abated  and  snow  began  to  fall,  continuing  all  night,  and  in  the  morning 
the  depth  was  7  inches,  the  heaviest  fall  at  one  time  for  some  years. 
The  night  generally  was  still,  and  the  flakes  of  snow  were  very  fleecy, 
so  that  wherever  they  fell  on  trees,  shrubs,  and  hedges  it  was  nearly 
the  same  thickness  as  that  on  the  ground,  and  consequently  the  weaker 
growing  shruhs  were  prostrated,  and  the  more  brittle  kinds,  such  as 
Aucubas,  were  in  several  cases  broken.  I  learn  that  in  the  neighbour¬ 
hood  several  fine  Cedars  of  Lebanon  have  suffered.  Fortunately  the 
following  day  was  calm,  or  much  more  damas’e  would  have  resulted. 
The  landscape  is  still  covered  with  snow,  although  a  slight  thaw  has 
continued  since  Saturday,  hut  the  temperature  is  very  low,  and  garden 
work  practically  at  a  standstill. — G.  R.  Allis,  Old  Warden,  Bigglesivade. 
IVXeteorolog^lcal  Observations  at  Ctilswlck. — Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
itoo. 
J  anuary 
and 
February. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
i 
c6 
P3 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
09 
0) 
X 
hO 
5 
o 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
ins. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sunday  28 
N.N.W. 
33-9 
32  8 
37-9 
31-5 
0-21 
39-1 
42-5 
44-4 
23-1 
Monday  29 
N.N.  E. 
36-6 
33-9 
39-8 
32-7 
0-02 
38-2 
41-6 
44-3 
29-2 
Tuesday  30 
N.N.E. 
36-9 
35  0 
39-1 
35-4 
38-8 
41-3 
44-2 
32-0 
Wed’sday  31 
N.N.E. 
37-6 
35-9 
39-5 
36-5 
— 
38-9 
41-3 
44-1 
34-2 
Thursday  1 
E.N.E. 
34-7 
32-3 
36-0 
33  0 
— 
38-9 
41-2 
44-0 
27-2 
Friday  . .  2 
E.N.B. 
35  1 
34-7 
36-9 
33-0 
0-65 
37-5 
41-1 
43-9 
30-3 
Saturday  3 
N.E. 
34-5 
33-7 
34  1 
32-3 
0-03 
37-2 
40-5 
43-9 
30-8 
Total 
Means  .. 
35-5 
34-0 
37-6 
33.5 
0-91 
38-4 
41-4 
44-1 
29-5 
The  weather  during  the  week  has  been  remarkable  for  cold  north¬ 
easterly  winds.  Sleet  and  rain  fell  on  Friday,  followed  in  the  evening 
by  snow,  to  the  depth  of  inches. 
