July  13,  1899. 
33 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATION’S  AT  CHISWICK. 
"  # 
— Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardena —height  above 
sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
O 
Temperature  of 
Air. 
the 
e 
M 
Temperature  of 
the  Hoff. 
At  9  a.m. 
•SSVJ*')  uo 
pfOAVO'l 
a  • 
0 
i  m. 
July.  q 
At  9  A.  M. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1  -ft. 
deep. 
At 
2- ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wot 
Bulb. 
A 
y 
dog. 
dog. 
dog. 
dog. 
inn. 
dog. 
dog. 
dog. 
dog. 
Sunday  . .  2  W.N.vv. 
577 
53 -7 
tyi-t  j 
f/2'i 
0-11 
02- r, 
Ol'l 
f.  7-7 
50*5 
M  on  day . .  NV .  N .  VV . 
55  •« 
f/A'H 
01 u 
54  0 
0-02 
61-4 
00  0 
57-8 
49-5 
'1  ti  es<L'i,y  4  X.W. 
60-6 
WH 
Wh 
5  ii 
60 
60  1 
57  '8 
48-0 
Wed’sday  r,  .V..V.W. 
('/M* 
r,H- 2 
74 'B 
4R'.0 
00 '9 
oo-i 
57-8 
42-0 
Thursday  6  X.W, 
68  ■ « 
68-9 
77-2 
55 ’4 
. 
68*9 
60-5 
67-8 
48-2 
Friday  ..  7  N..VVV. 
m-H 
?>'/,•(*) 
7  rU 
r.r.'O 
. 
65-9 
615 
67-8 
484 
Saturday  8  N..VVV. 
68 '9 
03-0 
77-5 
5 HI 
■  — 
67-7 
62*7 
57-9 
51  •5 
Total 
Means 
our, 
00  0 
71 '5 
r,  it 
0-13 
03-2 
01-0 
57-8 
483 
The  weather  during  the  first  part  of  the  week  was  rather  dull  and 
cloudy,  the  latter  part  being  very  bright  and  warm. 
-  The  Season  at  South  Shields. — Mr.  Bernard  Cowan 
■writes  : — “  Wo  have  had  a  very  dry  season  here  up  to  lately.  Our  spring 
bedding  was  lovely,  we  never  had  it  finer.  Imagine  in  our  principal 
avenue  there  were  nearly  20,000  Wallflowers  in  full  bloom  ;  the  sight 
was  grand,  and  attracted  thousands  of  visitors.  I  am  glad  to  say  the 
annuals  you  suggested  have  done  very  well,  especially  the  Cornflowers, 
■these  are  0  feet  through,  now  covered  with  thousands  of  blooms.” 
— —  June  Weather  at  Hod, souk  J'riorv.— Mean  temperature, 
58\5°  ;  maximum  in  the  screen,  79'8°  on  the  6th  ;  minimum  in  the  screen, 
85*2°  on  the  15th;  minimum  on  the  grass,  28'7°  on  the  1 5th.  Number 
•of  frosts  ia  the  shade  none,  on  the  grain  four.  Sunshine,  218  hours,  or 
44  per  cent,  of  the  possible  duration  ;  difference  from  average,  +  60. 
Main  fall,  1  *88  inch  ;  difference  from  average,  —  0-23.  Rain  fell  on  eight 
days  ;  maximum  fail,  0*72  inch  on  the  30th.  Rainfall  from  January  1st, 
10  98  inches;  difference  from  average,  —  0*34.  A  fine  and  warm  month. 
4Jp  to  the  17th  no  rain  fell,  and  we  had  a  great  deal  of  sunshine.  The 
last  fortnight  was  showery. — .1.  Mai, LENDER,  Worktop. 
-  Size  or  Broccoli  Heads. — I  have  no  doubt  both  I  and  “South 
Yorks”  are  a  little  out  in  one  respect  in  referring  to  Broccoli  heads  as 
9  inches  and  10  inches  in  diameter.  Were  the  heads  for  instance 
absolutely  10  inches  through,  the  heads  measured  over  their  tops  with  a 
tape  would  probably  run  to  15  inches,  seeing  that  the  heads  are  seldom 
fiat,  hut  usually  rotund.  My  own  reference  to  9  inches  was  over 
them,  not  through,  and  probably  “South  Yorks’”  10  inches  was  of  the 
same  character.  Late  Broccoli,  even  more  than  earlier  ones,  generally 
have  high  or  rounded  heads,  and  hence  when  measured  over  them 
referred  to  as  diameter,  make  them  to  seem  very  large.  Autumn  Giant 
Cauliflowers  sometimes  reach  great  size  ;  white  Broccoli,  especially  late 
ones,  seldom  attain  to  such  large  dimensions. — A.  Id. 
-  Land  Stewards’  and  Gardeners’  Benefit  Association. 
— The  second  annual  meeting  of  “The  Drummond  Benefit  Association 
for  Land  Stewards  and  Gardeners  ”  resident  in  Ireland  was  held  in  the 
Central  Lecture  Hall,  12,  Westmoreland  Street,  on  Friday,  7th  inst.,  at 
three  o’clock.  There  was  a  good  attendance  of  members,  several  of  them 
having  come  from  a  distance.  This  association  was  formed  in  1897  with 
the  following  objects,  viz.— First,  the  giving  of  assistance  to  members  while 
out  of  a  situation  ;  second,  when  incapacitated  from  work  by  old  age  or 
out  of  situation  through  sickness,  and  also,  third,  the  granting  of  aid  to 
widows,  orphans,  or  others  who  were  dependent  upon  deceased  members. 
The  chair  having  been  taken  by  Mr.  William  H.  Drummond,  the  Secretary 
was  called  upon  to  read  the  notice  convening  the  meeting,  and  letters  of 
apology  from  members  for  non-attendance.  The  report  and  statement  of 
accounts  were  thereafter  presented.  The  Chairman,  in  moving  their 
adoption,  commented  on  the  highly  satisfactory  condition  of  the  associa¬ 
tion,  that  it  was  formed  on  a  sound  basis,  and  was  not  only  prosperous  in 
membership,  but  also  in  funds.  It  was  wise  on  the  part  of  the  members 
to  provide  something  against  a  rainy  day,  and  they  looked  forward  to  the 
association  proving  of  great  advantage  in  this  respect.  Mr.  I’eter  Brock, 
of  Drogheda,  expressed  the  very  great  pleasure  which  it  afforded  him  to 
second  the  adoption  of  the  report  and  accounts  of  the  association,  which 
was  going  on  by  leaps  and  bounds.  On  the  motions  being  put,  the  meeting 
l>as*cd  them  with  acclamation. 
THE  FLIRTATION  OF  FLOWERS. 
It  was  Conrad  Sprengel  who  first  daretp  ih  biff  book  to  give 
utteiance  to  1  he  great  thought  that  the  ever-widening  sea  of  beauty 
and  the  massive  grandeur  with  which  Nature  decks  herself  was  not 
the  result  of  special  acts  of  creation,  but  was  the  logical  outcome  of 
visits  from  ins'-cts  which  were  fascinated  by  the  magic  charm  that 
bent  their  wings  to  the  flowers  of  our  gardens  and  fields.  Darwin 
supported  by  solid  arguments  the  fading  aureole  of  the  German 
naturalist,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  fSpreng-1  was  the  first 
dreamer  who  made  our  intellectual  life  a  source  of  infinite  pleasure, 
and  the  study  of  horticulture  a  subject  fit  for  the  loftiest  minds. 
One  of  the  most  irresistible  arguments,  or  rather  observations, 
pointed  out  by  Darwin  was  that  plants  that  were  not  visited  by  insects, 
but  courted  by  the  wind,  invariably  assumed  a  symmetrical  form  ;  and 
though  fh-ir  impressive  hearing  has  admirers,  still  the  inborn  longing 
is  for  the  irregular  shaped  sweet-scented  plants,  and  it  is  the  action 
of  insects  that  largely  accounts  for  the  pleasing  diversity  when  in 
search  of  a  savoury  meal. 
Sir  John  Lubbock,  after  citing  the  wonderful  fact  of  the  female 
flowers  of  Valisneria  spiralis  reaching  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  on 
which  they  float,  till  the  pollen  detaches  itself  from  the  short-stemmed 
male  flowers  rises  to  the  surface,  and  thus  comes  in  contact  with  the 
pistils  of  the  seed  bearers,  points  bow  “  the  stigmas  of  the  Arum 
corne  to  maturity  first,  and  have  lost  the  possibility  of  fertilisation 
before  the  pollen  is  ripe.  The  pollen  must  therefore  be  brought  by 
insects,  and  this  is  effected  bv  small  flies,  which  enter  the  spathe,  either  for 
the  sake  of  honey  or  of  shelter,  and  which,  moreover,  when  they  have 
once  entered  the  tube  are  imprisoned  by  the  fringe  of  hairs.  When 
the  anthers  rip*en  the  pollen  falls  on  to  the  flies,  which,  in  their  efforts 
to  escape,  got  thoroughly  dusted  with  it*,  then  tbe  fringe  of  hairs 
withers,  and  the  flies  thus  set  free  soon  corne  out,  and  ere  long  carry 
the  pollen  to  another  plant.” — A.  O’Neill. 
PROPAGATING  STRAWBERRIES. 
“  It  is  important  that  propagation  be  only  carried  out  with  runners 
from  fruitful  plant*,  therefore  this  must  be  noted  now,  and  any  that  are 
riot  fruitful  discarded,  also  the  runners  from  them  destroyed.” 
So  says  a  correspondent  on  page  19.  Being  of  an  inquiring  turn 
of  mind,  I  would  like  to  ask  the  writer  upon  what  grounds  he  bases 
this  advice.'  1  know  that  a  theory  of  this  kind  exists,  but  has  anyone 
proved  it  to  be  true  '!  I  have  seen  several  statements  in  the  Journal, 
though  I  am  unable  to  say  when,  that  there  is  no  ground  for  this  ancient 
superstition  ;  and  I  never  could  see  why,  because  a  Strawberry  failed  to 
fruit,  it  should  produce  barren  progeny.  One  would  not  expect  cuttings 
from  a  fruit  tree  which  was  resting  for  a  season  to  make  barren  trees. 
However,  to  leave  the  realm  of  surmises,  and  come  down  to  facts.  Last 
season  we  had  bed*  of  Monarch,  which  did  not  produce  half  a  dozen  fruits 
to  a  bed,  yet  the  layers  from  them  are  carrying  a  fine  crop  this  year  ;  and 
I  have  a  small  bed  of  runners  carefully  selected  from  barren  plants  of 
several  different  varieties,  all  of  which  are  carrying  a  crop  of  fruit. 
How  ut’erly  impossible  it  is  to  lay  down  rules  as  to  the  best  varieties 
of  Strawberries,  even  for  a  given  locality,  scarcely  any  two  seasons 
records  would  agree.  Royal  Sovereign  is  perhaps  an  exception,  so  far  it 
has  always  been  good.  Latest  of  All  in  1897  was  our  best  Strawberry, 
this  year  the  fruit  is  hollow  and  woolly.  Laxton’s  No.  1  was  very  goo 
last  year,  this  season  the  crop  is  poor,  and  the  flavour  worse.  ^  Speaking 
of  flavour,  ha«  anyone  a  good  word  to  say  for  Sensation,  Competitor. 
Leader,  or  Fillbasket?  With  me  they  were  so  inferior  that  I  have 
discarded  them.  Scarlet  Queen  was  quite  the  best  of  the  earlies  this 
year,  and  has  proved  a  sure  cropper  ;  I  do  not  think  it  is  so  well  known 
as  it  deserves  to  be.  It  is  too  early  to  report  upon  the  later  kindf,  an 
indeed  I  am  wandering  from  my  subject,  which  was  the  fruitfulness  or 
barrenness  of  runners  from  unfertile  plants.— A.  IL  PEARSON,  Uiilwell, 
Notts.  _ _ 
PLOW  AND  PLO. 
Haphazard  words  “  D.”  puts  together  in  a  row  ; 
Spelt  the  same  they  rhyme  the  same  ;  we  wonder  how 
He  missed  so  many  others  that  we  know. 
That  spelt  the  same  might  make  a  different  row  ! 
This  “  D.”  it  seems  would  hasten  on  to  sow. 
And  shirk  the  labour  of  the  ponderous  plow ; 
Perhaps  lie  hopes  his  sucking  pigs  will  grow 
Without  the  nurture  of  a  mother  sow  ! 
Come  now,  you  know,  you  play  it  rather  low. 
None  of  these  other  words  your  lists  allow. 
Drawn  at  a  venture — before  your  well  aimed  bow. 
We  other  archers  must  fall  down,  and  bow. 
Va?  victis  !  we  have  no  desire  to  crow, 
Or  add  a  torture  to  your  racking  brow. 
But  let  us  ask  you,  “  Have  you  hay  to  mow ?  ” 
Then  sell  it,  for  of  course  you  have  no  cow! — Ret  Raill. 
'The  lines  are  in  their  wav  irresistible,  and  “D.  (page  •'•10)  ought 
to  be  satisfied  without  a  host  of  budding  poets  trying  to  improve  on  them 
and  compelling  us  to  say  stow,] 
