282 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  19,  1895. 
something  like  a  hundred.  The  table  was  very  favourably  received, 
however,  and  I  was  induced  to  go  on.  The  next  year  I  had  a  larger 
number  of  stations,  the  next  year  again  more  still,  until  now,  as  I  have 
already  told  you,  they  number  over  3000.” 
A  Storm  and  its  Consequences. 
The  history  of  the  present  Meteorological  Office,  by  the  way,  as 
outlined  by  Mr.  Symons,  is  rather  curious.  It  owed  its  origin  in  the 
first  instance,  it  seems,  to  Leverrier,  the  great  French  astronomer — or, 
more  strictly  speaking  still,  to  a  storm  in  the  Black  Sea  during  the 
Crimean  War  which  wrought  havoc  and  disaster  among  our  ships. 
Leverrier,  at  Paris,  had  traced  this  storm  right  across  Europe,  and  on 
the  strength  of  this  suggested  to  Sir  George  Airey,  the  Astronomer 
Eoyal,  that  a  storm  signal  intelligence  department  might  be  of  much 
service  to  our  shipping.  The  result  was  the  establishment  of  the 
Meteorological  Department  of  the  Board  of  Trade  under  Admiral 
Fitzroy.  Later  on  it  became  the  Meteorological  Office  with  extended 
functions,  some  of  which,  if  Mr.  Symons  may  be  believed,  it  performs 
considerably  better  than  others. 
Asked  the  practical  use  of  the  work  to  which  he  devotes  his 
existence,  Mr.  Symons  had  no  difficulty  in  justifying  his  labours. 
“  The  whole  science  of  hydrology,”  he  explained,  ‘‘depends  on  the  study 
of  rainfall,  and  the  scientific  study  of  rainfall  can  be  based  only  on 
accurate  records  of  successive  years  continued  over  a  prolonged  period. 
It  is  on  the  rainfall,  of  course,  that  the  whole  question  of  water  supply 
over  the  entire  kingdom  depends.  Kain  is  absolutely  the  only  source  of 
water  supply  we  have.  Even  a  spring  is  only  water  found  underground, 
which  has  fallen  on  the  earth  as  rain  in  another  place.  Therefore,  in 
considering  all  questions  of  water  supply,  it  is  of  the  first  importance  to 
have  accurate  information  as  to  the  average  rainfall  in  and  about  the 
particular  locality  concerned,  and  this  information  our  records,  of 
course,  supply.  If  Newcastle  or  Birmingham,  or  London  for  that  matter, 
wants  a  new  water  supply,  they  can  only  find  out  where  to  go  for  it  by 
consulting  our  records,  and  this,  of  course,  is  what  they  do.” 
Of  the  thousand  and  one  other  interesting  things  which  Mr.  Symons 
and  his  courteous  assistant,  Mr.  Wallis,  had  to  tell  and  show,  space, 
alas  I  fails  here  to  speak. 
NUTS  FOR  RIPE  WOOD  MEN  TO  CRACK. 
My  first  note  on  this  subject  was  written  before  “  D.,  BeaVsT  para¬ 
graph  appeared.  Had  I  known  he  contemplated  tackling  this  thorny 
question  I  should  not  have  presumed  to  come  forward,  but  have  left  the 
discussion  to  one  so  capable.  I  trust,  however,  that  having  put  his  hand 
to  the  plough  he  will  not  now  look  back,  the  instructive  object  lessons 
of  this  present  season  being  too  important  to  be  allowed  to  pass 
unnoticed,  especially  as  they  all  tell  so  strongly  against  the  influence  of 
ripe  wood. 
It  is  evidently  felt  by  the  advocates  of  this  theory  that  facts  are  at 
present  against  them,  few  apparently  having  the  courage  to  come 
forward  and  pick  up  the  gauntlet  thrown  by  “  D.,  Beal,"  or  myself. 
“  Another  D.’s  ”  attempt  to  credit  the  season  of  1893  with  the  fruital 
profusion  of  1895  is  scarcely  worthy  of  serious  consideration.  “  W.  D., 
Turnford"  is  clearly  on  our  side.  I  must,  therefore,  do  no  more  than 
thank  him  for  his  assistance  in  seeking  to  eradicate  error. 
Even  Mr.  Bettinger  does  not  seem  quite  so  strong  in  his  convictions 
as  a  year  ago,  though  he  tries  to  make  out  I  was  then  wrong  about 
the  blooming  of  Stephanotis  floribunda.  The  finest  trusses  are  always 
produced  on  the  young  running  growth,  flower  buds  being  thrown  out 
therefrom  at  the  axil  of  every  leaf  as  soon  as  these  latter  appear, 
consequently  there  is  no  “  ripening  ”  in  question.  Further,  this  very 
wood  in  winter,  after  it  has  “  ripened  ”  or  “  matured,”  is  cut  back  and 
thrown  away.  What  then  becomes  of  your  correspondent’s  theory  in 
face  of  these  simple,  well-known  facts  ?  It  utterly  breaks  down  under 
the  test.  Later  on  he  endeavours  to  justify  himself  by  asking,  “  Where 
does  the  soft  growth  spring  from  ?  ’  Naturally,  it  must  start  from 
some  part  of  the  plant  just  as  the  original  stem  sprang  from  the  roots, 
ripeness  having  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter,  unless  your  contributor 
a  believer  in  ripened  roots  as  well  as  ripened  wood. 
American  Apples  he  suggests  as  bearing  upon  his  doctrine,  ascribing 
their  good  qualities  to  the  baking  the  trees  get  in  summer,  quite  over¬ 
looking  the  months  of  severe  and  prolonged  frost  experienced  during 
winter,  thereby  insuring  complete  and  perfect  rest  to  vegetation.  I  may 
leave  Mr.  Pettinger  and  “  W.  D.”  to  settle  their  little  difference  respect¬ 
ing  Grape  growing,  merely  pausing  to  wonder  how  the  Cardiff  Castle 
out-of-door  Vines — of  which  we  heard  so  much  a  year  ago — have  done 
this  season.  I  suspect  uncommonly  well,  though  theoretically  they 
should  have  proved  a  complete  failure. 
After  this  your  correspondent  attempts  a  perfectly  untenable 
analogy  between  ripe  seeds  and  ripe  wood.  There  is  no  resemblance 
between  the  two.  Seeds  are  practically  dead,  though  with  the  germ  of 
life  in  them,  while  wood  is  very  much  alive  and  full  of  sap,  as  anyone 
would  quickly  discover  who  attempted  to  make  a  Are  with  “  green 
wood,”  however  ripe  it  might  be. 
Before  concluding  I  should  like  to  remind  your  readers  that  last 
year  one  able  controversialist  hailing  from  the  Emerald  Isle  particu¬ 
larly  instanced  Strawberry  plants  as  requiring  their  crowns  ripened.  I 
am  exceedingly  curious  to  know,  therefore,  how  he  explains  the  splen¬ 
did  Strawberry  crop  of  1895  following  upon  the  wet  and  sunless  summer 
of  1894.  That  writer  also  emphatically  stated,  with  apparent  sadness, 
that  he  knows  the  wood  of  his  trees  were  not  ripened  last  season  ;  yet 
hardly  far  away  in  Dublin  town  is  a  celebrated  Jargonelle  Pear  tree 
growing  against  Sir  Phillip  Crampton’s  house,  every  spur  and  branchlet 
of  which  (I  learnt  early  in  August)  was  thickly  set  with  fruit.  More¬ 
over,  that  in  all  its  long  history  this  seemed  a  record  year  so  far  as 
fruitage  was  concerned,  although  in  exceptional  seasons  2000  fruits  have 
been  gathered  1 
Perhaps,  however,  the  strongest  evidence  on  this  question  has 
recently  appeared  in  your  pages,  where  Mr.  Gumbleton,  writing  upon 
“  Buddleia  Colvillei,”  page  84  of  present  volume,  says,  “  It  did  not 
bloom  either  in  1893  or  1894,  nor  did  I  expect  it  would  again  do  so  till 
we  had  a  very  hot  and  dry  season  to  thoroughly  ripen  (?)  the  young 
wood,  and  this  we  certainly  had  not  last  summer  ;  yet,  to  my  great 
surprise,  the  shrub  bloomed  profusely  during  last  May  and  June,”  &c. 
This  is,  I  venture  to  think,  a  clincher,  and  a  very  hard  nut  for  the 
ripe  wood  men  to  crack ! — The  Sceptic. 
ST.  JOHN’S  NURSERIES,  WORCESTER. 
Amongst  the  famous  nurseries  in  the  kingdom  that  of  Messrs. 
Richard  Smith  &  Son  ranks  as  one  of  the  foremost.  The  business  was 
started  in  a  comparatively  small  way  close  on  a  century  ago  by  the 
father  of  the  present  senior  partner  of  the  firm,  who  has  retired  from 
an  active  participation  in  the  business,  and  enjoys  his  well-earned  rest. 
As  a  convenience  for  visitors  to  the  St.  John’s  Nurseries  it  may  be 
well  to  note  that  a  tram  line  leading  from  the  centre  of  the  city  passes 
by  and  terminates  in  close  proximity  to  the  principal  entrance  of  the 
nurseries.  At  this  point  the  attention  of  the  visitor  is  arrested  by  the 
wide  straight  drive,  upwards  of  a  mile  in  length,  leading  through  the 
nursery,  and  bordered  on  each  side  by  a  wide  space  containing  specimen 
trees  and  shrubs  in  great  variety  and  healthy  vigour,  and  all  rendered 
fit  for  removal  at  almost  any  season  of  the  year.  The  whole  area  of 
the  nurseries  is  about  200  acres,  a  striking  contrast  with  the  original 
extent  of  4  acres  only.  Leading  from  the  main  entrance  to  the  offices 
(formerly  the  residence)  one  of  the  first  objects  of  note  is  an  old 
specimen  of  Finns  excelsa,  bearing  a  number  of  long  elegant  cones. 
But  more  remarkable,  and  growing  immediately  opposite  the  entrance 
into  the  office,  is  a  magnificent  old  Weeping  Beech  (Betula  pendula). 
It  was  planted  there  about  eighty  years  ago,  and  is  considered  to  be 
the  finest  and  most  picturesquely  grown  specimen  of  its  kind  in  the 
kingdom.  To  form  a  definite  conception  of  the  extent  and  character 
of  this  establishment  something  more  than  a  pen  and  ink  sketch  would 
be  required,  but  some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  its  resources  may 
perhaps  be  acquired  by  the  mention  of  a  few  of  the  more  notable 
features  and  subjects  which  came  under  the  notice  of  the  writer  during 
a  somewhat  hurried  “  tramp  ”  on  a  hot  summer  day  over  the  major 
portion  of  the  establishment,  in  company  with  an  expert  and  courteous 
guide. 
As  time  would  not  allow  of  our  ascertaining  the  amount  in  figures 
of  the  numerous  trees  and  shrubs,  provided  for  the  trade  and  privately, 
in  this  gigantic  nursery — in  fact,  it  would  be  almost  superfluous  to 
attempt  it — we  propose  instead  to  advert  more  particularly  to  a  few 
of  the  prominent  subjects  which  came  under  our  notice.  Commencing 
with  fruit  trees,  for  which  the  firm  has  been  for  so  long  a  period 
renowned,  the  Apple  naturally  occupies  a  foremost  position,  and 
amongst  other  numerous  varieties  were  large  sections  of  Worcester 
Pearmain,  Golden  Winter  Pearmain,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  Blenheim 
Pippin,  Cox’s  Pomona,  Bramley’s  Seedling,  Annie  Elizabeth,  Lane’s 
Prince  Albert,  Stirling  Castle,  Ecklinville  Seedling,  Lord  Suffield, 
Warner’s  King,  and  Dumelow’s  Seedling  or  Wellington.  In  passing 
along  we  observed  several  “  hands  ”  busily  engaged  in  the  process  of 
“  budding  ”  Apples  on  vigorous  stocks.  Altogether  a  healthier  collec¬ 
tion  of  Apple  trees  in  their  various  stages  and  forms  of  training  could 
not  be  desired,  and  the  same  remarks  apply  to  the  immense  numbers 
of  Pears,  Plums,  Peaches,  Nectarines,  Cherries,  Damsons,  and  bush  fruit, 
apparently  sufficient  in  quantity  to  stock  a  nation. 
An  important  element  in  the  culture  of  the  major  proportion  of  the 
young  fruit  trees  in  St.  John’s  Nurseries  is  the  periodical  transplanting, 
which  must  involve  a  vast  amount  of  labour.  The  natural  soil  is 
conducive  of  strong  and  healthy  growth,  especially  of  the  fruit  and 
forest  trees,  necessitating  the  frequent  transplanting  of  such  as  are 
grown  in  it.  We  may  here  mention  that  the  Mistletoe  is  grown  on 
standard  Apple  trees,  and  for  which  there  is  a  ready  sale.  ”  Keepsake  ” 
Gooseberry,  a  green  coloured  variety,  is  grown  largely  here,  and  is  a 
strong  rival  of  “  Whinham’s  Industry.”  The  flavour  is  excellent,  it  is  fit 
to  gather  earlier,  and  its  thick  skin  renders  it  a  capital  berry  for 
travelling,  while  the  ample  foliage  protects  the  embryo  fruit  from  frosts. 
Amongst  other  fruit  trees  and  plants  reference  must  be  made  to  the 
large  stock  of  Vines  in  pots  in  most  vigorous  health,  short  jointed  and 
well  ripening,  growing  in  one  or  two  span-roofed  houses. 
Amongst  the  forest  and  ornamental  trees  our  attention  was  particu¬ 
larly  drawn  to  large  “  sections  ”  of  exceedingly  strong  and  healthy 
Acers  in  variety,  of  which  A.  lutescens  and  A.  colchicum  rubrum,  with 
very  distinct  foliage  ;  A.  heteropbyllum  dissectum,  A.  laciniatum, 
A.  macrophyllum,  and  A.  saccharinum  are  all  worthy  of  mention.  Of 
Oaks  one  of  the  most  attractive  was  Quercus  coccinea,  and  several  of 
the  American  varieties  were  exceedingly  handsome,  changing  in  the 
autumn  to  all  the  tints  of  red,  orange,  and  brown.  Amongst  Elms 
Wheatley’s  variety  of  the  Cornish  should  be  extensively  used  for  its 
graceful  habit.  Very  striking  and  beautiful  also  was  a  new  weeping 
form  of  the  Copper  or  Purple  Beech.  Conspicuous  amongst  other  orna¬ 
mental  foliage  trees  was  the  golden  variegated  Spanish  Chestnut 
