July  27,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
79 
METEOROLOGZCAL  OBSERVATIONS  AT  CHISWICK. 
— Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above 
sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Rain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
1899. 
July. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Niglit 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
-O 
cn 
© 
Tc 
MH 
In 
<D 
£ 
O 
Sunday  .  .10 
Monday.  .17 
Tuesday  18 
Wed’sday  19 
Thursday  20 
Friday  ..21 
•Saturday  22 
W.S.W. 
W.S.W. 
s.s.w. 
S.S.E. 
E.S.E. 
W. 
S.S.E. 
deg. 
68- 9 
69- 1 
72-9 
75  T 
78-8 
72-6 
65-0 
deg. 
58A 
61-6 
60-8 
63'5 
65'1 
6U9 
63-7 
deg. 
70'9 
77-9 
81  "1 
S5T 
844 
86-2 
80-1 
deg. 
53-5 
50- 5 
51- 9 
61-2 
56-9 
61- 9 
62- 6 
ins. 
z 
0-06 
0-57 
deg. 
65- 9 
66- 5 
66'2 
67 - 8 
GS-5 
69- 2 
70- 2 
deg. 
63- 5 
64- 9 
•81 
64-5 
64-9 
65'5 
deg. 
59'7 
59-8 
59 -S 
59-9 
59- 9 
60- 1 
60-4 
deg. 
44-3 
42-9 
44-1 
51-5 
49-6 
56  "5 
60-9 
Means  .. 
71-8 
02-6 
SI -6 
— i — 
56  '9 
Total 
0'G3 
67-8 
64-4 
59-9 
50-0 
The  weather  during  the  week  has  been  very  hot,  the  temperature 
on  five  days  exceeding  80°.  Friday  (the  21st)  was  the  hottest  day  this 
year.  Rain  fell  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  and  a  heavy  storm, 
accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning,  on  the  22nd. 
-  The  Recent  Heat.  —  Gardeners  have  found  it  difficult  to 
ondure  the  recent  excessive  heat,  because  their  work  must  of  necessity 
be  done  where  exposure  to  the  sun  is  considerable,  and  where  also, 
because  gardens  are  habitually  enclosed,  there  is  poor  circulation, 
and  the  atmosphere  becomes  superheated.  The  soil  also  radiates  heat 
excessively,  so  ‘that  during  the  warmest  portion  of  tho  day  the  gardener’s 
life  has  net  been  a  happy  or  desirable  one.  Out  in  the  open  fields 
4he  agriculturist,  if  the  sun  be  still  hot,  at  least  finds  free  air  circulating, 
which  does  materially  tone  the  heat.  It  is  so  difficult  for  us  to 
■change  our  methods  in  relation  to  garden  labour,  that  generally  we 
prefer  to  endure  rather  than  make  alterations  that  are  sensible.  An 
ordinary  gardener’s  d3y  consists  of  ten  hours’  work,  exclusive  of 
meals.  Now,  if  instead  of  those  hours  in  great  heat,  being  from  6  A  m. 
"to  5.30  P.M.,  would  it  not  be  so  much  wiser  to  work  from  4  A  si.  to 
10  A.M.,  with  half  an  hour  abstracted  for  breakfast,  and  from  4  p.si. 
to  8.30,  with  half  an  hour  allowed  for  tea  ?  Then  the  hottest  part  of 
khe  day  could  be  utilised  by  lying  or  sitting  in  the  cool  shade  of  trees, 
thus  preventing  great  exhaustion.  Of  all  persons  gardeners  should  be 
the  last  to  consume  heating  diets  and  excitable  drinks  in  hot  weather. 
Fruits  and  vegetables,  with  cold  tea  or  toast  and  water,  are  the  very 
best  of  foods.  We  do  so  much  increase  our  sufferings  from  great  heat 
by  consuming  products  that  serve  as  fuel,  adding  heat  to  the  fire  ; 
whereas  our  object  should  be  rather  to  use  those  that  are  cooling  to 
the  physical  system. — Observer. 
-  “Florilegium  Harlemense.”— Number  10  of  this  splendid 
publication  reaches  us  from  the  publisher,  de  Erven  Loosjes,  Haarlem, 
and  is  splendidly  produced.  The  plates,  three  in  number,  represent 
Hyacinth  General  Pelissier  ;  Tulips  Mon  Tresor,  Van  der  Neer  and 
Rembrandt  ;  and  Anemones  coronaria  flore-pleno  Leverrier,  Rosette, 
■and  Sir  Joseph  Paxton.  As  usual,  the  descriptive  letterpress  is  accurate 
and  to  the  point. 
-  A  Dublin  Nursery. — A  chat  with  Mr.  Caulfield,  manager 
to  Messrs.  C.  Ramsay  &  Sons,  Balls  Bridge,  is  only  productive  of 
•enjoyment  ;  and  it  was  recently  my  lot  to  accompany  him  through  the 
various  houses.  I  could  not  help  stopping  and  admiring  that  free- 
■flowering  double  white  Fuchsia  Molesworth,  whilst  Mrs.  King  looked 
charming.  The  Palm  house  brought  thoughts  of  distant  climes  with  its 
robust  Iventias,  Phoenixes,  Latanias,  and  Cocos  Weddelliana. — A.  O’N. 
-  Royalties  in  Bloomsbury. — On  the  occasion  of  the  opening 
of  the  new  Alexandra  Hospital  Buildings  in  Bloomsbury  by  their 
Royal  Highnesses  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  on  the  20th  inst., 
a  very  handsome  bouquet  of  Rost*3  was  presented  to  the  Princess  by 
"Lady  Katherine  Howard.  This  bouquet  was  given  by  Messrs.  Wm.  Paul 
and  Son  of  Waltham  Cross,  and  consisted  of  buds  and  blossoms  of  the 
“Alexandra”  Rose,  anew  buff  coloured  variety  raised  by  Messrs.  Wm. 
Paul  <fe  Son  and  named  after  the  Princess  by  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales 
at  the  Royal  Botanic  Society  ’s  fete  in  June  of  last  year.  The  bouquet 
■was  tastefully  tied  with  a  broad  mauve  coloured  silk  ribbon,  which  bore 
the  words,  “  The  Alexandra  Rose,”  with  the  date  in  gold  letters.  The 
same  firm  also  furnished  a  beautiful  bouquet  of  Caroline  Testout  Roses 
4or  the  Princess  Victoria  of  Wales. 
-  Gardening  Appointments. — Mr.  William  Swan,  lately  ot 
Bystock.  Exmouth,  ha9  been  appointed  head  gardener  to  Sir  Edward 
Clarke,  Q.C.,  M.P.,  Thorncote,  Staines,  Middlesex.  Mr.  John  Macdonald 
hat  been  appointed  gardener  to  Evelyn  Heseltine,  Escp,  The  Goldings, 
Great  Warley,  Brentwood,  Essex. 
-  Garden  Produce  on  the  G.E.R. — The  Superintendent  of 
the  Great  Eastern  Railway  states  that  the 'number  of  fruit  and  I  arm- 
produce  boxes  conveyed  during  the  six  months  ended  on  Juno  30tb, 
amounted  to  79,000,  as  against  71,000  in  1898.  This  must  be  very 
encouraging  to  those  engaged  in  the  transit. 
-  The  Virtues  of  the  Tomato. — Recent  investigations  go 
to  show  that  the  Tomato  possesses  very  considerable  medicinal  virtue. 
As  a  blood  tonic  the  juice  of  the  Tomato  has  been  found  productive 
of  excellent  results.  During  the  recent  war  with  Spain  the  Americans 
large!  v  used  an  extract  of  Tomatoes  as  a  health  preservative  among 
certain  sections  of  their  troops.  The  use  of  the  Tomato  in  this  con¬ 
nection  was,  according  to  an  Ir  sh  contemporary,  the  outcome  of  some 
experiments  specially  made  for  the  purpose  under  the  authority  of  the 
United  States  Government. 
- A  Curious  Experiment. — The  following  extract  from  a  daily 
paper  has  been  sent  to  us,  with  the  bracketed  comment  appended: — “  Dr. 
Bra  has  isolated  what  appears  to  be  the  parasite  of  cancer.  Examining 
fragments  of  diseased  wood,  particularly  the  wood  of  Apple  trees,  he 
found  characteristic  conidia  of  Nectria  ditissima.  These  he  ‘cultivated.’ 
They  produced  spores,  and  then  cells,  in  every  respect  like  the  cells  of 
the  human  cancer  mushroom.  Dr.  Bra,  wishing  to  try  a  crucial  test,  got 
leave  from  Government  to  inoculate  trees  of  the  forest  of  Meudon,  near 
Baris,  with  cultures  of  human  cancer.  He  chose  trees  far  removed  from 
any  diseased  ones.  Six  months  later  spots  of  dry  rot  appeared  on  the 
trees  inoculated  —  Beeches,  Maples,  and  Sycamores.  An  Elm  died  trom 
the  cancer  so  communicated.  Other  tests  have  given  striking  results. 
Dr.  Bra  does  not  conclude  that  animal  and  vegetable  cancers  are  caused 
by  one  specific  fungus,  but  he  thinks  a  number  of  diseases  of  plants  are 
extremely  like  diseases  of  animals.”  [Dr.  Lambert  Lack,  one  of  the 
hon.  surgeons  of  the  Golden  Square  Throat  Hospital,  ha9,  according  to  a 
Select  Committee  of  the  Pathological  Society,  proved  that  cancer  is  due 
to  a  particular  injury  to  what  is  known  as  the  basement  membrane  of 
mucous  membranes  and  allied  structures.  By  this  injury  he  has  produced 
cancer  in  some  of  the  lower  animals.  Of  arimai  cancer  we  profess  no 
knowledge,  but  we  have  considerable  experience  of  vegetable  cancers  or 
cankers,  and  have  always  found  them  set  up  by  definite  micro-organisms 
aning  on  the  formative  or  eambial  layer,  and  gaining  access  thereto  by 
an  injury  to  and  through  the  cortical  layers  or  bark.  Nectria  ditissima  or 
Apple  tree  canker  fungus  invariably  so  acts,  always  gains  an  entrance  to 
the  cortical  tissues  of  trees — Alder,  Apple.  Ash,  Beech,  Bird  Cherry,  Dog¬ 
wood,  Elm,  Hazel,  Maple,  Lime,  Oak,  and  Pear— through  wounds,  though 
young  shoots  and  leaves  may  be  infected  by  means  of  conidia  (Tubercu- 
laria),  and  as  co-spores — Nectria  (Hartig’s  “  Diseases  of  Trees,”  page  92). 
As  the  mycelium  of  canker  fungus  spreads  in  the  cortical  tissues  of  trees 
it  produces  innumerable  extremely  minute  bodies  (conidia),  resembling 
bacteria,  which  from  their  action  and  setting  up  of  a  ferment  break 
down  the  cortical  tissues,  effecting  the  almost  complete  decomposition 
of  them,  with  the  exception  of  the  outer  periderm  or  cuticular  layers. 
—Commentator.]  _ 
NATIONAL  DAHLIA  SOCIETY. 
A  SPECIALLY  convened  meeting  of  the  Committee  met  in  the  room  of 
the  Horticultural  Club,  Hotel  Windsor,  Victoria  Street,  E.  Mawley,  Esq., 
in  the  chair,  supported  by  Dr.  Masters,  Messrs.  J.  Cheal,  W.  T.  Frost, 
•T.  Burrell,  II.  Dean,  F.  Seale,  R.  Fife,  S.  Mortimer,  A.  H.  Needs,  J,  T. 
West,  Mist,  and  Wilkins,  with  the  Hon.  Sec.,  Mr.  J.  F.  Hudson. 
The  Chairman,  in  a  concise  speech,  alluded  to  the  untimely  end  of 
their  late  President,  Mr.  T.  W.  Girdlestone,  recording  his  personal 
knowledge  of  him  for  the  past  twenty  years,  and  recalling  all  the  goofi 
work  he  had  done  to  improve  the  Dahlia,  especially  the  single  types  ;  also 
the  services  he  had  ungrudgingly  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Society  for 
many  years,  finally  moving  a  vote  of  condolence  to  Mrs.  Girdlestone,  his 
mother,  and  sisters. 
A  minute  was  also  framed  alluding  to  Mr.  Girdlestone  and  the  work 
he  had  accomplished  for  the  Society.  Air.  J.  Cheal  also  alluded  iu  appre¬ 
ciative  terms  to  the  work  of  the  late  President,  and  expressed  a  hope  that 
some  permanent  memorial,  either  in  the  shape  of  a  cup  or  medal,  should 
be  inaugurated  to  perpetuate  his  memory. 
It  was  aDo  resolved  to  hold  a  second  exhibition  at  the  Royal  Aquarium, 
Westminster,  on  September  tho  19th  and  20th,  and  au  advance  schedule 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  those  present,  which,  after  a  slight  alteration 
in  one  class,  was  passed.  It  includes  four  classes  for  amateurs  and  the 
same  number  for  nurserymen.  The  chief  reason  for  holding  a  second 
show  arises  from  the  fact  that  many  seedlings  cau  be  submitted  at  a  later 
date  than  the  Palace  Show. 
