April  22,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
349 
Rainfall. 
The  rainfall  averages  are  given  for  seventy-two  stations,  and  extend 
over  the  thirty  years,  1866-1895.  With  one  important  exception  the 
figures  give  a  fair  representation  of  the  average  fall  over  the  United 
Kingdom.  For  the  wettest  locality  of  all — the  English  Lake  district — 
no  information  is  given  ;  but  another  very  wet  district — viz.,  the  West 
of  Scotland,  is  fairly  represented  by  such  stations  as  Glencarron,  Fort 
William,  and  Laudale  on  Loch  Sunart.  At  Glencarrou  the  average 
rainfall  for  the  whole  year  is  nearly  86  inches.  In  London  the  average 
is  rather  under  25  inches,  while  at  Spurn  Head,  the  driest  place  given 
in  the  table,  the  annual  fall  is  less  than  21  inches. 
In  the  extreme  south  of  England  the  driest  month  in  the  year  is 
May  or  June,  but  in  London  and  over  the  midland  counties  generally  it 
is  March,  while  in  the  north-east  of  England  February  has  the  least 
rain.  Over  Scotland,  the  north-west  of  England,  and  all  but  the 
extreme  southern  parts  of  Ireland,  the  driest  month  is  April,  though 
very  little  drier  than  May.  The  wettest  month  over  England  and 
Wales  as  a  whole  is  October,  but  at  some  stations  in  the  north  and  east 
of  England  the  rains  are  heaviest  in  July.  In  the  south  of  Gotland 
and  over  the  central  parts  of  Ireland  July  or  August  is  the  wettest 
month,  while  on  our  south-west  (coasts,  including  the  south  of  Ireland 
and  the  Seilly  Islands,  as  well  as  in  the  west  and  north  of  Scotland,  the 
distinction  is  claimed  by  December  or  January. 
Sunshine. 
The  averages  of  bright  sunshine,  which  are  given  for  forty-six 
stations,  show  that  the  brightest  spot  in  the  whole  kingdom  is  Jersey, 
where  the  average  duration  of  sunshine  in  the  whole  year  is  1930  hours, 
or  44  per  cent,  of  the  possible.  Next  to  this  come  many  other  English 
Channel  stations,  where  from  1650  to  1750  hours  are  registered.  In 
London  we  only  get  on  an  average  1240  hours  of  sunshine  per  year,  or 
28  per  cent  of  the  possible  amount.  This  is,  however,  better  than 
Glasgow  or  Fort  William,  where  they  only  get  25  percent. 
The  sunniest  month  in  the  year  is  May,  and  afterwards  J ane  or 
August.  In  August  the  proportion  of  the  possible  amount  is,  as  a  rule, 
appreciably  larger  than  in  July,  a  fact  which  seems  at  present  to  admit 
of  no  ready  explanation.  The  gloomiest  month  of  all  is,  as  a  rule, 
December.  In  this  month  even  the  sunny  Channel  Islands  do  not  get 
more  than  one-fourth  of  the  possible  duration.  In  London  the  ordinary 
allowance  of  sunshine  in  December  is  only  9  per  cent,  of  the  possible, 
and  at  Glasgow  8  per  cent.,  while  at  Fort  William  it  is  as  low  as  6  per 
cent. — (“  Daily  News.”) 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
It  is  especially  desired  that  all  contributions  intended  for  insertion 
in  this  column  be  addressed,  till  further  notice,  to  the  Editor,  8,  Rose 
Hill  Road,  Wandsworth,  London,  S.W.  There  is  a  perceptible  falling 
off  in  letters  from  probationers,  and  perhaps  the  “  willow  ”  has  in  some 
instances  been  found  more  attractive  than  the  pen. 
The  Hortus  Siccus  or  Herbarium, 
( Concluded  from  page  324.) 
The  ancient  adage,  that  if  a  thing  be  worth  doing  at  all  it  is  worth 
doing  well,  applies  to  the  preservation  of  plants  for  the  herbarium  as 
much  as  to  any  great  and  important  work  or  business.  Specimens 
that  are  no  better  than  fragments  of  brown  stick,  or  which  seem  mere 
effigies  of  plants  cut  out  of  thin  brown  paper,  the  flowers  shrivelled 
and  shrunk  so  as  to  be  no  longer  recognised,  the  leaves  crumpled  and 
doubled  up,  everything  confused  and  smashed  together,  such  as  one  may 
sometimes  Bee  in  collections,  are  altogether  undeserving  of  the  name. 
Nothing  that  is  not  dried  in  the  best  possible  manner,  its  colours  and 
configuration  preserved  as  perfectly  as  the  nature  of  the  plant  will 
admit,  ought  to  be  allowed  a  permanent  place  in  the  herbarium.  The 
bad  may  be  tolerated  awhile  in  default  of  better,  but  the  farther  a 
specimen  is  from  vivid  and  pleasing  resemblance  to  the  living  thing, 
.  the  speedier  should  be  the  endeavour  to  supersede  it.  Specimens  from 
abroad  that  cannot  be  superseded,  of  course,  I  do  not  speak  of.  In  the 
plants  within  reach,  none  but  admirable  representatives  of  their  best 
features  while  alive  should  be  considered  worthy  of  a  place. 
Plants  dry  variously  ;  some  require  not  a  moment’s  trouble,  others 
demand  patience.  Grasses  and  their  allies,  most  kinds  of  Ferns,  plants 
that  resemble  Heather,  Everlastings,  the  mature  leaves  of  shrubs  and 
trees,  call  for  only  the  minimum  of  care.  Those  which  try  the  patience, 
and  can  be  managed  only  after  considerable  experience,  are  such  as 
may  be  illustrated  by  citation  of  the  Hyacinth. 
To  secure  the  best  results  obtain  half  a  dozen  pieces  of  stout  mill- 
board  cut  to  about  18  inches  by  12  inches  ;  then  gather  together  a 
hundred  old  newspapers,  and  fold  them  neatly  and  to  about  the 
dimensions  of  the  millboards  ;  4  or  5  yards  of  common  white  cotton 
wadding,  a  score  of  sheets  of  tissue  paper,  and  as  many  of  blotting  paper, 
all  cut  to  the  same  size,  complete  the  requirements. 
One  of  the  boards  serves  for  the  foundation  ;  on  this  spread  a  news¬ 
paper,  then  a  piece  of  wadding,  and  upon  this  place  the  specimens 
intended  to  be  dried.  The  cotton  being  soft  every  portion  can  be  laid  in 
a  proper  and  natural  way,  including  the  petals  of  the  flowers.  Lay  a 
newspaper  over  them,  two  or  three  if  the  specimens  have  thick  stems, 
and  so  on,  till  all  shall  be  deposited  in  the  way  of  the  first.  If  the 
specimens  are  sticky  or  hairy,  or  of  a  kind  that  the  wadding  seems  likely 
to  adhere  to,  then,  before  depositing  them  on  it,  introduce  a  half  sheet 
of  the  tissue  paper. 
A  heavy  weight  must  be  put  on  the  top  of  all,  sufficient  to  imbed 
the  specimens  in  the  wadding  ;  then  leave  the  whole  to  rest  for  twenty- 
four  hours.  All  the  papers  must  then  be  changed,  dry  ones  being  put 
in  their  place,  and  if  the  plant  seems  to  throw  off  a  very  considerable 
amount  of  moisture,  such  as  will  render  the  wadding  quite  damp, 
change  the  wadding  also.  A  second  and  even  a  third  change  is  desirable 
at  the  end  of  two  or  three  days  or  a  week,  and  when  this  is  made 
introduce  the  blotting-paper,  pressing  again  till  everything  is  perfectly 
flat  and  the  specimens  are  absolutely  dry. — C.  W.  M. 
[We  are  obliged  to  our  correspondent  for  the  precise  instructions 
he  has  given  on  this  subject.  The  drying  of  specimens  and  their  classifi¬ 
cation,  as  suggested  last  week,  affords  interesting  and  instructive 
occupation  for  young  gardeners,] 
•  Forcing  French  Beans. 
I  AM  surprised  by  the  trouble  “  W.  W.”  (page  301)  takes,  and  the 
work  he  makes  in  French  Bean  forcing.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
what  advantages,  if  any,  accrue  from  the  potting-on  system.  I  think 
the  practice  adopted  by  my  chief  is  preferable.  We  have  more  Beans, 
with  a  saving  of  time  and  labour,  by  sowing  direct  in  the  fruiting  pots. 
We  grow  a  quantity  of  specimen  Chrysanthemums  in  11-inch  pots,  in 
the  vineries  and  Peach  houses,  and  as  these  plants  are  cut  down,  and  the 
houses  started  in  January  and  onwards,  we  turn  the  soil  out  of  the  pots 
on  the  path,  chop  it  up,  pick  out  the  old  Chrysanthemum  stools,  add 
one-third  of  old  Mushroom  bed  refuse,  mix  and  return  it>to  the  pots, 
sowing  sixteen  Beans  in  each,  and  place  them  on  the  hot-water  pipes 
until  the  plants  are  in  rough  leaf.  We  then  stand  them  on  the  borders, 
4  feet  apart,  where  they  make  short,  luxuriant,  self-supporting  growths, 
from  12  to  15  inches  high,  and  a  yard  through  the  plants,  without  a 
trace  of  red  spider.  Treated  in  this  way  they  make  their  growths 
before  the  Vine  foliage  becomes  dense.  We  sow  three  dozen  pots  at 
intervals  of  three  weeks,  and  gather  about  2000  thick,  fleshy  Beans  from 
the  plants  of  each  sowing.  The  two  last  sowings  are  made  in  April, 
these  plants  are  grown  in  Peach  houses,  and  require  supports,  as  the 
growths  come  somewhat  thin  and  elongated  owing  to  the  rising  spring 
temperature,  and  the  extra  syringing  required  by  the  Peach  trees  in 
May.  Care  is  taken  not  to  overwater,  but  when  the  plants  commence 
flowering  liberal  supplies  are  necessary.  We  cannot  see  any  beneficial 
results  from  liquid  manure,  and  have  discontinued  it;  —  Stone- 
Warrilow. 
[A  brief  narrative  of  successful  practice,  highly  worthy  of  record 
here.] 
Dipladenias. 
The  Dipladenia  is  a  valuable  stove  climber,  and  also  makes  an 
effective  specimen  for  exhibition,  but  the  plants  require  much  care  in 
cultivation.  Brisk  heat  is  necessary,  and  they  must  at  all  times  be 
shaded  from  the  bright  sunshine,  admitting  at  the  same  time  as  much 
light  as  possible. 
The  Dipladenia  should  not  be  overpotted.  Plants  about  eighteen  to 
twenty  months  old,  if  they  are  in  a  good  condition,  require  pots  from 
12  to  14  inches  in  diameter.  With  regard  to  the  most  suitable  soils 
opinions  differ.  Where  really  good  fibrous  loam  is  obtainable  it  may  be 
used  for  Dipladenias  with  an  equal  quantity  of  good  peat,  together  with 
sufficient  coarse  sand  and  charcoal  to  keep  the  whole  porous  and  sweet ; 
but  if  loam  is  not  in  the  best  of  condition  avoid  it  by  using  more  peat. 
Dipladenias,  if  grown  for  exhibition  purposes,  are  trained  on  a  wire 
frame  or  "  balloon but  first  the  young  growths  must  be  trained  up  the 
rafters  of  the  stove.  When  flower  buds  appear  the  growths  are  with 
great  care  taken  down  and  tied  to  the  trellis,  always  bearing  in  mind  to 
have  a  good  head  and  front  to  the  plant,  tying  the  weaker  shoots  to  the 
back. 
In  the  growing  season  the  most  suitable  temperatures  range  between 
65°  and  75°  by  night,  rising  to  80°  and  85°  by  day,  with  a  moist 
atmosphere,  obtained  by  well  damping  down  the  stages  or  ashes,  which 
the  pots  may  be  standing  on. 
Dipladenias  require  a  moderate  supply  of  water  during  the  growing 
season,  but  as  soon  as  they  have  finished  flowering  they  should  be 
removed  to  a  cooler  house,  fully  exposed  to  the  light,  to  well  ripen  the 
wood,  after  which  they  require  very  little  water,  and  must  soon  be 
returned  to  the  stove. 
With  regard  to  insect  pets,  I  think  the  most  injurious  is  the  mealy 
bug,  which  should  be  removed  with  lukewarm  water  and  a  soft  sponge. 
Softsoap  is  often  used  with  the  warm  water  to  well  clean  the  foliage. 
There  are  many  Dipladenias  in  cultivation,  but  I  think  the  most 
suitable  for  exhibition  purposes  are  amabilis,  amoena,  hybrida,  pro- 
fusa,  Ellioti,  and  the  king  of  them  all  Brearleyana. — W.  Lock. 
[Our  correspondent  sends  us  a  photograph  of  a  splendidly  grown 
plant,  but  unfortunately  not  clear  enough  for  satisfactory  reproduction.] 
Camden  Cycles, — Gardener  cyclists  within  the  metropolitan  area 
have  not  had  a  very  bright  chance  of  following  their  hobby  of  late,  but 
the  time  will  come  when  there  may  be  twenty-four  consecutive  hours  of 
fine  weather.  Then  must  the  rider  mount  and  away  to  some  brother 
craftsman  to  see  what  there  is  to  see,  and  talk  what  there  is  to  talk. 
To  the  one  who  does  a  fair  amouut  of  visiting  of  this  nature  the  bicycle 
is  a  very  great  boon,  and  those  whose  mount  is  getting  the  worse  for 
wear  or  out  of  date  will  do  well  to  consult  the  catalogues  of  the  British 
Cycle  Co.,  42,  High  Street,  Camden  Town,  the  makers  of  the  high  grade 
“  Camden  ”  bicycles,  ere  finally  placing  their  order. 
