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September  26, 1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Weather  in  London. — Hot  sunny  days  have  prevailed  in  the 
metropolis  during  the  past  week,  with  every  appearance  of  con¬ 
tinuation.  The  atmosphere  has  been  thick  and  hazy  in  the  early 
morning,  but  has  soon  cleared,  the  bright  sunshine  being  most  acceptable 
for  the  ripening  crops. 
- Gardening  Appointments.  —  Mr.  Geo.  Burrows,  head 
gardener  at  the  King’s  School,  Warwick  (and  formerly  foreman  in 
Canford  Manor  Gardens),  has  been  appointed  gardener  to  Mrs.  Watson, 
Berwick  House,  Shrewsbury.  Mr.  William  E.  Close,  for  the  past 
three  years  manager  to  Messrs.  Frewer  Bros.,  Stowmarket,  and  formerly 
gardener  at  Thorington  Hall,  Suffolk,  has  been  appointed  gardener  to 
J.  D,  Cobbold,  Esq.,  Holy  Wells,  Ipswich,  Suffolk. 
-  Autumn  Flowers. — Very  enjoyable  are  these  bright  Sep¬ 
tember  days,  with  just  a  smell  of  frost  in  the  early  morning  air.  Beds 
of  Henry  Jacoby  Pelargonium  are  superb  in  their  glowing  colour.  A 
fine  autumn  possesses  much  of  compensation  for  an  indifferent  season. 
Similar  effects  I  recollect  some  sixteen  years  ago,  w’hen  some  large 
beds  of  Pelargonium  Stella,  which  were  green  the  whole  of  summer, 
blazed  out  into  such  beauty  as  we  seldom  see  nor  easily  forget.  Have 
we,  for  general  effect,  anything  that  surpasses  those  old  nosegay 
varieties,  Stella  and  Cy bister  ? — K. 
-  The  Eoyal  Horticultural  Society  and  Chiswick. — 
We  have  received  a  communication  on  this  subject  from  Mr.  H.  Cannell, 
which  to  secure  insertion  should  have  arrived  at  least  one  post  sooner, 
instead  of  on  the  day  of  publication  last  week.  Mr.  Cannell  regrets 
that  Mr,  Barron’s  name  should  have  been  used  so  freely,  praises  the 
Council  for  its  good  work,  and  suggests  that  Chis^yick  should  be  made 
a  seat  of  learning  for  young  gardeners,  as  well  as  a  centre  of  employ¬ 
ment  for  head  gardeners  seeking  situations. 
-  Hollyhock  Countess  op  Eavensworth.  —  I  am  sending 
you  the  first  bloom  of  a  seedling  Holljhock  for  your  opinion  of  its 
merits.  I  have  thirty  seedling  plants,  and  from  that  lot  I  have  nine 
varieties  equal  in  merit  to  the  one  sent.  The  seeds  were  sown  in 
the  summer  of  1891,  and  in  the  autumn  the  seedling  plants  were  com- 
..pletely  smothered  with  fungus,  so  much  so  that  the  plants  at  a  little 
distance  w'ere  more  like  golden-leaved  Pelargoniums  than  anything  else. 
'You  will  see  from  the  leaf  sent  how  clean  they  are  now  ;  not  one  speck 
or  spot  of  fungus  has  been  seen  on  them  this  season. — North 
Northumbrian.  [The  bloom  reminds  us  of  the  prize  specimens  of 
bygone  days.j 
-  An  Object  Lesson  in  Onion  Growing.— Eeaders  who  have 
grown  Onions  for  exhibition  know  the  great  advantage  gained  by  sowing  a 
week  or  two  earlier  under  glass,  and  planting  out  when  large  enough. 
I  was  so  struck  with  a  single  row  so  treated  growing  beside  those  sown 
in  the  open,  that  we  had  them  weighed  for  comparison.  The  seeds  were 
sown  in  a  box  on  a  slight  hotbed  on  the  8th  March,  planted  out  when  fit 
in  a  row  24  yards  long.  This  row  produced  58  lbs.  of  fine  large  Onions, 
all  ripe  and  fit  for  storing  at  the  time  of  lifting  (16th  September) 
except  8  lbs.,  which  were  green  in  the  tops,  but  not  what  could  be  called 
thick  necks.”  The  main  crop  was  put  in  on  the  14th  March  in  the 
ordinary  way.  An  average  row  of  the  same  sort  was  weighed,  and  it 
produced  24  lbs.  of  ripe  bulbs  fit  for  storing,  and  19  lbs.  of  “  thick 
necks,”  43  lbs.  in  all.  This  shows  a  gain  of  26  lbs.  per  row  of  ripe 
bulbs  in  favour  of  sowing  and  planting  out.  This  bed  of  Onions 
consisted  of  fourteen  rows,  and  calculating  on  the  above  figures^ 
had  the  whole  bed  been  treated  in  the  same  way  as  the  single 
row  referred  to,  the  result  would  have  been  700  lbs.  of  ripened  bulbs, 
112  lbs.  of  unripe,  812  lbs.  in  all.  As  it  is,  the  thirteen  rows  sown 
in  the  ordinary  way  produced  only  312  lbs.  ripe  bulbs,  and  247  lbs. 
“  thick  necks,”  559  lbs.  in  all.  It  may  be  stated  there  was  no  other 
difference  in  the  treatment.  The  low  that  was  planted  out  was 
watered  at  the  time  of  planting,  and  in  June  the  whole  bed  had  a 
good  soaking  of  sewage  water.  Those  sown  in  the  open  suffered 
considerably  from  the  drought,  while  those  planted  out  did  not  seem 
to  feel  it. — E.  I. 
- Tomatoes  in  America.  —  The  continued  drought  in  South 
Jersey  is  reported  to  have  caused  widespread  disaster  to  the  Tomato 
crop  in  Cape  May,  Cumberland,  and  Salem  counties,  and  the  cannera’ 
factories  have  given  up  hope  of  any  work. 
-  Gypsophila  elegans. — This  annual  variety  is  a  very  pretty 
thing,  quite  distinct  in  appearance  from  G.  paniculata,  and  very  useful 
for  mixing  among  cut  flowers  instead  of  the  latter  variety  when  a 
change  is  required.  A  good  bed  of  it  was  recently  seen  at  Sandbeck 
Park,  coming  into  flower  where  it  was  sown  in  the  open  border. — 
W.  H.  D. 
-  Clematis  Davidiana.  —  What  a  charming  plant  is  this 
Japanese  Clematis  just  now,  where  its  deep  lavender  flowers  are 
borne  in  such  profusion  and  so  deliciously  fragrant.  No  herbaceous 
border  should  be  without  a  root  or  two  of  it.  Under  good  culti¬ 
vation  it  will  grow  4  feet  high.  All  through  the  months  of  August 
and  September  its  flowers  are  freely  produced. — E.  M. 
-  Re  Lavandula  vera  syn.  L.  spica. — The  Kew  authorities 
give  these  as  synonymous,  and  my  experience  proves  that  the  narrow¬ 
leaved  (L.  vera)  develops  into  the  broad-leaved  (L.  spica)  under  certain 
conditions  of  soil,  situation,  and  culture,  and  this  reverts  to  the  narrow¬ 
leaved  when  subjected  to  starveling  circumstances,  yielding  little  or  no 
oil,  whilst  the  broad-leaved — the  better  cultivated  or  circumstanced — 
affords  abundance. — G.  A. 
-  Figs  in  Sussex. — The  climate  and  soil  of  Sussex  seem  most 
favourably  adapted  for  Fig  growing.  In  the  gardens  at  the  Bishop’s 
Palace  at  Chichester  is  a  grand  tree  over  40  feet  high,  and  as  much  in 
diameter,  a  noble  specimen  loaded  with  fruit,  which  I  think  is  White 
Ischia.  Passing  through  West  Tarring  the  other  day  my  attention  was 
drawn  to  a  notice  to  the  Fig  garden,  admission  2d.  I  at  once  paid  the 
same,  and  was  astonished  to  find  a  large  garden  planted  with  Figs  and 
Quince,  fine  trees  well  laden  with  fruit — a  complete  avenue  of  Fig  trees 
over  20  feet  high.  In  the  centre  of  this  avenue  is  a  very  old  tree  devoid 
almost  of  life,  a  board  bearing  the  following — “  Eelic. — This  Fig  tree  is 
the  oldest  in  England.  It  was  planted  800  years  ago  by  Thomas  a 
Becket.”  A  great  curiosity.  Should  any  gardening  friends  be  rambling 
in  the  district  it  is  well  worth  their  visiting  the  Fig  garden. — A.  0. 
-  Dahlias  at  Southwick,  N.B. — Dahlias  are  at  the  present 
time  a  prominent  feature  in  the  garden  of  Sir  Mark  J.  Stewart,  Bart, 
M.P.,  at  Southwick,  in  Kirkcudbrightshire.  The  Cactus  and  decorative 
Dahlias  are  largely  and  well  grown.  Cannell’s  Gem,  a  Pompon  Cactus, 
was  very  fine  and  flowering  freely,  the  flowers  of  a  soft  red  and  orange. 
Countess  of  Gosford  was  very  pleasing,  and  of  a  colour  diflicult  to 
describe,  cinnamon  and  gold,  the  vendor’s  description,  being  as  near  as 
may  be.  Mrs.  A.  Peart  was  well  grown,  but  nearly  every  flower  imper¬ 
fect,  the  great  failing  of  this  Dahlia,  which  is  so  charming  when  it  comes 
well.  Maid  of  Kent,  cherry  red  and  crimson  with  pure  white  tips,  was 
noticeable  among  the  decorative  kinds,  as  also  was  Millie  Scupham,  of 
a  pretty  golden  bronze.  A  number  of  others  of  recognised  merit  is 
grown,  but  the  above  were  among  the  best  when  seen.  Pompons  and 
the  new  Tom  Thumb  singles  are  also  grown  in  quantity. — S.  Arnott. 
- Eemarkable  September  Weather. — September  is  said 
to  have  so  far  been  the  hottest  mouth  on  record  in  America .  The  heat 
has  been  abnormal  in  France,  and  seems  to  have  extended  over  the 
greater  part  of  England.  In  the  latest  report  up  to  going  to  press  it  is 
stated  Tuesday  in  London  was  the  hottest  day  this  year.  In  the  shade 
the  thermometer  rose  to  a  maximum  of  86°,  being  20°  above  the  average 
for  the  month  of  September,  and  4°  in  excess  of  anything  recorded 
during  the  months  of  June,  July,  and  August.  For  so  advanced  a  period 
in  the  season  the  temperature  was  the  highest  on  record,  as  shown  by 
observation  extending  back  as  far  as  the  year  1841.  Within  the  past 
quarter  of  a  century  the  only  September  readings  which  at  all  compare 
with  it  were  on  the  Ist  of  the  month  in  1886  and  the  18th  in  1875,  when 
the  maximum  was  85°,  and  the  4th  in  1880,  when  the  thermometer  rose 
to  87°.  These  readings  all  occurred  earlier  in  the  month,  though  in  the 
case  of  1875  the  hot  weather  was  only  six  days  in  advance  of  yesterday. 
The  highest  September  reading  on  record  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
London  was  on  the  7th  of  the  month  in  1868,  when  the  thermometer  at 
Greenwich  rose  to  92°.  A  temperature  of  80°  or  more  was  recorded  on 
Tuesday  in  many  other  parts  of  England.  At  York  the  thermometer 
rose  to  81°,  and  at  St.  Aubin’s,  Jersey,  to  82°,  the  reading  being  in  each 
case  the  highest  reached  at  any  time  in  any  September  of  the  past 
twenty-five  years.  Yesterday  (Wednesday)  was  oppressively  hot. 
Minimum  night  temperatures  in  London  have  been  about  65°  of  late— 
sufiicient  for  Melons  and  Muscat  Grapes. 
