8 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  G,  1899. 
MGTEOROLOCICAL  OBSERVATION’S  AT  CHISWICK. 
— Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above 
sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of 
Air. 
the 
Bain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
1 
1899. 
June 
and 
July. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
-iO 
03 
<V 
A 
K 
m 
o 
ft 
3 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
ins. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sunday  . .  £5 
N.N.  M  . 
59-3 
54*5 
6S*9 
48-8 
61-3 
60  1 
56-9 
38-5 
Monday.  .20 
W.N.W. 
69  6 
64-9 
79-9 
58-9 
62-2 
59-9 
56-9 
53‘8 
Tuesday  27 
S.E. 
67-5 
62-6 
71-1 
61-8 
64-9 
60 -5 
56-9 
53-5 
Wed’sday  28 
S.S.E. 
64-3 
57-8 
76-1 
53-6 
0-42 
62-2 
60-8 
67-1 
47  "1 
Thursday  29 
W.N.W. 
69-9 
'  72-6 
57-6 
63-3 
60-7 
57-2 
56-4 
Friday  ..80 
w.s  w. 
63-2 
69-5 
47-0 
0-80 
63-9 
61-1 
67-4 
38T 
Saturday  1 
w.s.w. 
59-9 
57T 
61-2 
63-9 
0-46 
63-3 
61-4 
57-5 
53-3 
Total 
Means  .. 
64-1 
68-9 
71-3 
64-5 
1*68 
63-0 
60-6 
57-1 
48-5 
The  weather  during  the  first  half  of  the  week  was  very  warm  and 
dry,  the  latter  being  remarkable  for  rough  winds  and  frequent  storms, 
with  heavy  thunderstorms  on  the  28th  and  30th  ult.,  the  lightning  on 
both  dates  being  very  vivid. 
-  The  Storm  ox  Wednesday  Last.— Violent  storms  of  rain 
and  hail,  accompanied  by  heavy  thunder,  were  pretty  general  all  over 
the  country  on  Wednesday  28th  ult.  The  low-lying  districts  of  Belfast 
were  flooded,  while  in  the  Isle  of  Man  a  carriage  and  two  horses  were 
overturned  and  several  sheep  were  killed.  A  great  storm  passed  over 
Aldershot,  causing  considerable  damage  by  lightning  and  flood.  Road¬ 
ways  in  places  were  warned  up  to  the  extent  of  2  or  3  feet,  and 
undermined.  The  Wellington  lines  were  under  water  and  impassable. 
It  was  very  severe  in  various  parts  of  the  metropolis  and  the  rain  in 
places  was  torrential.  On  Saturday'  a  second  storm  of  less  severity 
passed  over  London  and  other  districts. 
-  June  Weather  at  Belvoir  Castle,  Grantham. — The 
wind  was  in  a  northerly  direction  twenty-one  days.  The  total  rainfall 
was  1’04  inch  ;  this  fell  on  nine  days,  and  is  108  inch  below  the  average 
of  the  month.  The  greatest  daily  fall  was  0’35  inch  on  the  19th. 
Barometer,  corrected  and  reduced  :  highest  reading,  30’478  inches  on  the 
8tb,  at  9  A.M.  ;  lowest  reading,  29’377  inches  on  the  20th,  at  9  AM. 
Thermometers  :  highest  in  the  shade,  80°  on  the  5th,  lowest  83°  on  the 
15th.  Mean  of  daily  maxima,  68-33°  ;  mean  of  daily  minima,  48°.  Mean 
temperature  of  the  month,  58’16°  ;  lowest  on  the  grass,  30°  on  the  15th, 
highest  in  the  sun  134°  on  the  26th.  Mean  temperature  of  the  earth 
56’66°.  Total  sunshine,  224  hours  55  minutes.  There  was  one  sunless 
day. — W.  H.  Divers. 
-  Sussex  Weather. — The  total  rainfall  at  Stonehurst,  Ardingly, 
for  the  past  month  was  2’90  inches,  being  1*10  inch  above  the  average. 
The  heaviest  fall  was  188  inch  on  the  28th.  The  whole  of  this  amount 
fell  in  little  more  than  an  hour  during  a  severe  thunderstorm,  and  is  the 
heaviest  fall  in  any  twenty-four  hours  since  the  8th  October,  1886,  when 
2-25  inches  was  recorded.  Rain  fell  on  six  days.  The  maximum  tempera¬ 
ture  was  87°  on  the  4th,  5th,  and  26th.  The  minimum  42°  on  the  14th. 
Mean  maximum  76’03°,  mean  minimum  51-10°,  mean  temperature  63-56°, 
which  is  3-36°  above  the  average.  We  have  now  got  what  we  very  much 
needed — a  good  soaking  rain  (3’22  inches  on  four  days,  0-86  inch 
having  fallen  on  the  1st),  which  will  greatly  benefit  everything,  especially 
fruit  trees,  many  of  which  are  bearing  heavy  crops. — R.  I. 
-  Mentmore,  Bucks. — The  storm  which  raged  over  a  consider¬ 
able  portion  of  this  district  on  Wednesday  evening  (June  28th)  did  not  do 
much  damage  to  our  fruit  crops.  The  trees  in  the  paik  and  grounds  had 
a  few  branches  broken  off,  but  altogether  we  escaped  very  lightly.  The 
mansion  was  struck  by  lightning  during  the  storm.  The  structure  has 
six  towers,  and  it  was  one  of  the  south  towers  that  was  struck,  and  a 
quantity  of  the  stonework  smashed  up  and  scattered  over  the  south 
terrace.  Fortunately  there  was  no  damage  done  to  the  interior,  and  no 
one  was  injured.  Had  the  lightning  taken  any  other  direction  much 
serious  damage  would  have  been  done.  Sometimes  we  find  the  lightning 
cut  the  top  off  a  tree  and  leave  the  other  part  sound,  at  other  times  it 
goes  right  down  and  rends  the  tree  from  top  to  root,  and  the  tree  dies. 
The  lightning  we  had  on  Wednesday  seemed  to  be  of  the  kind  that  takes 
the  tops  off  trees. — J.  Smith 
-  Onions  and  Maggots. — It  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that 
the  remarks  under  this  heading  on  page  487,  last  vol.,  would  pass  unchal¬ 
lenged.  Mr.  Richards,  on  page  531,  says  he  thinks  I  have  let  my  pen 
run  away  with  me.  Nothing  of  the  kind  ;  exceptional  cases  need  special 
treatment,  and  I  have  no  wish  to  say  anything  against  his  methods.  I  do 
think,  however,  that  “  Onionism”  is  in  danger  of  becoming  far  more  of  a 
fashion  than  a  necessity  in  many  instances.  I  have  always  found  that  a 
light  spraying  with  a  weak  solution  of  petroleum  will  keep  sparrows  from 
doing  much  damage  to  crops.  Of  course  this  preventive  needs  more  than 
one  application  to  be  of  real  service.  I  can  assure  Mr.  Richards  that  I 
quite  appreciate  his  paragraph,  and  also  the  general  fitness  of  things,, 
in  that,  owing  to  the  evil  attacks  of  one  of  the  most  pugnacious  creatures 
in  existence,  he  must  needs  remain  a  “boxer.” — J.  SHALFORD. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society. — Scientific  Committee, 
June  27th. — Present:  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the  chair);  Dr.  Muller, 
Rev.  W.  Wilks,  Rev.  G.  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec.  ;  visitor,  Mr.  H.  J.  Webber 
( Agricultural  Department,  New  York).  Cattleya,  monstrous.  —  Dr. 
Masters  observed  that  the  specimen  brought  to  the  last  meeting  was 
characterised  by  having  a  sepal  in  a  petaloid  condition;  but  the  same 
feature  occurred  in  three  flewers  on  the  spike.  Catasetum  rostrianum, 
malformed. — A  spray  bearing  two  flowers,  with  the  lateral  petals  bearing 
characters  of  the  lip,  was  sent  by  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence.  Carnations- 
Diseased. — Specimens  were  sent  by  Mrs.  E.  Mackay,  which  proved  to  be 
attacked  both  by  bacteria  and  Puccinia  dianthi.  Mr.  Webber  observed- 
that  the  disease  known  as  bacteriosis  is  now  generally  regarded  in 
America  as  a  result,  and  not  a  cause  ;  that  it  foliows  upon  some  lesion  to 
the  foliage,  as  by  punctures,  &c.,  by  insects.  The  same  observation  might 
apply  to  the  presence  of  the  Puccinia.  No  remedy  could  be  suggested.  It 
is  best  to  destroy  the  plants  entirely. 
-  Isle  of  Wight. — The  monthly  meeting  of  the  I.W.  Horti¬ 
cultural  Improvement  Association  was  held  at  Newport  on  Saturday  last. 
Dr.  J.  Groves,  B.A.,  J.P,  presided.  Mr.  A.  Coffen,  gardener,  Lisle  Court, 
Wootton,  read  a  practical  paper  on  the  “Cultivation  of  Eerns,’  dealing; 
with  the  propagation,  potting,  watering,  feeding,  and  shading.  An 
interesting  and  profitable  discussion  followed,  taken  part  in  by  the 
Chairman,  and  Messrs.  Sheath,  Newnham,  Heaton,  and  others.  A 
vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  the  essayist  on  the  proposition  of  the 
Chairman.  The  exhibits  staged  consisted  of  a  well  grown  and  clean 
Cattleya  Mendeli  from  Mr.  J.  Bryant,  Gothland  Lodge,  Sandown  ;  a  large- 
collection  of  seedling  Begonias  from  Mr.  W.  W.  Sheath,  Macrocarpa, 
Yentnor  ;  a  collection  of  Sweet  Peas  from  Mr.  J.  J.  Linington,  Victoria 
Nursery,  Newport ;  and  a  collection  of  culinary  and  Sweet  Peas  from 
Mr.  H.  Sickelmore,  St.  Winifred’s,  Totland  Bay.  Each  of  the  exhibits- 
was  considered  by  the  adjudicators  worthy  of  the  Association’s  certificate 
for  cultural  merit.  Several  new  members  were  elected  at  the  close  of  a 
very  successful  meeting, 
-  Emigrants’  Information.  —  The  July  circulars  of  the 
Emigrants’  Information  Office  and  the  annual  editions  of  the  penny- 
handbooks  show  the  present  prospects  of  emigration.  The  notice  boards 
are  now  exhibited,  and  the  ciiculars  may  be  obtained  tree  of  charge,  at 
more  than  400  public  libraries  and  institutions  throughout  the  country.. 
This  is  the  best  season  for  work  in  Canada,  and  those  intending  to 
emigrate  this  year  should  start  at  once.  There  is  a  good  demand  for 
experienced  farm  hands,  except  in  British  Columbia,  and  for  female 
servants.  In  New  South  Wales  the  severe  drought  has  to  some  extent 
passed  away,  but  its  effects  will  be  felt  for  some  time.  There  is  practically 
no  demand  for  miners,  ordinary  farm  or  station  hands,  or  mechanics,  but 
in  most  districts  there  is  a  good  demand  for  female  servants.  Really 
skilled  dairymen,  however,  and  thoroughly  capable  farm  labourers  would 
probably  have  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  employment  in  many  parts 
of  the  colony.  There  is  a  good  opening  for  farmers  with  a  little 
money.  In  Victoria  and  South  Australia  there  is  practically  no 
demand  for  labour.  In  Queensland  there  is  a  general  demand  through¬ 
out  the  colony  for  ploughmen  and  other  farm  labourers.  As  regards 
Western  Australia,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  population  of  the 
colony,  though  it  has  rapidly  increased,  is  still  small,  and  that  therefore 
the  demand  for  all  kinds  of  labour  is  necessarily  limited.  The  chief 
demand  is  for  miners,  farm  labourers,  and  for  female  domestic  servants. 
In  Tasmania  the  supply  of  farm  labourers  is  generally  sufficient.  The 
last  reports  show  that  there  was  plenty  of  work  in  New  Zealand,  but 
there  is  no  demand  for  more  hands.  In  Cape  Colony  there  is  an 
occasional  demand  for  a  few  skilled  mechanics  only  ;  recruiting  for  the 
Cape  Mounted  Riflemen  has  ceased  both  in  the  colony  and  in  this 
country.  Persons  are  warned  against  going  to  Beira  (Portuguese 
East  Africa)  in  search  of  work. 
