August  6,  1807. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDEN Ftl 
123 
-  Spir^a  AEiyEFOLiA. — How  beautiful  is  this  species  with  its 
creamy  white  plumes  brought  out  in  relief  by  the  foliage  of  the 
shrubbery.  After  the  first  flush  of  summer  in  the  flowering  shrubs  is 
over  this  graceful  North  American  plant  takes  a  high  position.  One 
regrets  the  evanescent  character  of  its  flowers. — E. 
-  The  Apple  Crop. — Apples  begin  to  show  up  more  promi. 
nently  as  they  swell  in  size,  but  we  fear  in  most  districts  there  will  be 
but  a  poor  yield.  Taking  the  Apple-growing  counties  of  Devon,  Here¬ 
ford,  and  Worcester  we  should  say  there  will  not  be  above  half  an  aver¬ 
age  crop.  This  will  make  cider  rather  dearer  from  the  pound’s  mouth 
in  gathering  time,  but  it  will  not  aSect  that  in  barrels  materially. 
Plenty,  says  the  “  Rural  World,”  can  be  bought  now  at  about  8d.  per 
gallon  at  the  farmer’s  door,  and  merchants  are  selling  at  about  9d.  or 
lOd.  per  gallon.  There  is  not  an  industry  in  England  more  neglected 
than  the  cider  industry,  and  if  properly  managed  there  is  no  more  profit 
to  be  made  from  any  branch  of  farming. 
- The  Agricultural  Ratings  Act  and  Market  Gardens  — 
In  the  Queen’s  Bench  Division  in  the  High  Court  of  Justice,  on 
August  2nd,  the  appeal  case  of  Smith  v.  Richmond  and  Piper  was  heard. 
The  Attorney  General,  in  support  of  the  appeal,  said  the  case  raised  the 
important  point  whether  greenhouses  or  hothouses  were  buildings 
within  the  meaning  of  the  Agricultural  Ratings  Act,  1896,  which  provided 
that  the  occupiers  of  agricultural  land  should  be  relieved  of  half  of  the 
rates  payable  in  respect  of  such  land.  The  respondent  Piper  was  a 
market  gardener  and  nurseryman,  and  claimed  that  his  ground  being  a 
*  market  garden was  entitled  to  the  relief  granted  by  the  Act,  not¬ 
withstanding  the  fact  that  certain  greenhouses  and  hothouses  had  been 
erected  on  the  laud  for  the  purpose  of  growing  Grapes,  Cucumbers, 
Tomatoes,  &i3.  The  Assessment  Committee  held  that  the  glass  houses 
were  buildings  within  the  meaning  of  the  Act,  and  therefore  not  entitled 
to  relief.  The  justices,  however,  held  that  the  land  in  question  was  a 
market  garden,  and  entitled  to  relief.  He  (the  learned  counsel)  sub¬ 
mitted  that  the  Act  granted  relief  to  agricultural  land  only,  and  not  to 
buildings,  even  though  they  were  used  for  agricultural  purposes,  and 
that  therefore  the  decision  of  the  justices  was  wrong.  Mr.  Justice 
Collins,  in  giving  judgment,  regretted  to  say  he  differed  from  the  views 
of  bis  learned  brother,  but  he  had  come  to  a  clear  conclusion  on  the 
subject.  The  question  was  whether  the  hereditament  which  was  the 
subject  matter  of  this  discussion  was  or  was  not  a  market  garden.  In 
his  opinion  the  glass  houses  on  the  property  were  necessarily  part  of  the 
market  garden,  and  the  land  was  not  the  less  used  as  a  market  garden 
because  the  glass  houses  were  erected  upon  it.  He  was  of  opinion  that 
the  buildings  in  question  were  part  of  the  market  garden,  and  as  such 
the  hereditament  was  entitled  to  the  exemption  given  by  the  Act  to 
market  gardens.  Mr.  Justice  Ridley  said  it  was  with  great  hesitation 
that  he  differed  from  his  learned  brother,  but  he  had  not  been  able  to 
construe  the  Act  in  the  same  way.  It  appeared  to  him  that  the  whole 
scope  of  the  Act  was  to  relieve  what  was  called  and  defined  as  agri¬ 
cultural  land.  The  intention  of  the  Legislature  was  that  arable, 
meadow,  or  pasture  ground,  cottage  gardens  of  certain  dimensions, 
market  gardens,  nurseries,  grounds,  and  so  forth  were  to  be  included  as 
agricultural  land,  and  that  the  occupiers  should  pay  half  the  rates.  The 
object  was  to  contrast  land  entitled  to  relief  with  the  buildings  which 
were  not  so  entitled,  and  there  was  no  suggestion  in  the  Act  that  build¬ 
ings  were  entitled  to  relief.  The  dividing  line  seemed  to  him  to  be 
between  land  and  the  buildings,  and  if  they  once  found  a  building  in 
existence  on  the  land  it  must  be  treated  as  such.  But  he  withdrew  his 
judgment,  and  the  appeal  was  dismissed.  Leave  to  appeal  again  was 
granted. 
THE  INFLUENCE  OF  TEMPERATURE  ON  PLANTS. 
The  variety  and  magnificence  of  flowers  are  such  that  observations 
on  the  phenomena  they  present  is  indeed  a  delightful  labour,  divested  of 
all  wearisomeness.  It  is  most  important  to  notice  the  difference  in 
colour  and  odour  of  flowers  in  various  latitudes.  An  inhabitant  of  the 
north  visiting  the  south  is  invariably  much  struck  by  the  increase  in 
these  respects.  Warm  climates  favour  the  development  of  essential  oils. 
In  the  north,  for  example,  the  Oleander  has  but  a  slightly  perceptive 
scent,  bat  in  Italy  it  exhales  a  powerful  perfume. 
The  seasons,  too,  exercise  a  marked  influence  upon  the  colours  of 
both  leaves  and  flowers,  more  e!>pecially  the  latter.  At  the  close  of 
winter  white  predominates  among  the  tints  of  thecorollte,  to  be  succeeded 
by  deep  and  vivid  dyes  that  fade  again  in  autumn.  The  temperature  of 
the  earth,  especially  that  of  the  layers  penetrated  by  the  roots  of  trees, 
wants  especial  attention.  It  would  be  most  interesting  to  follow  the 
daily  fluctuation  of  several  thermometers,  whose  bulbs  should  be  equi¬ 
distant,  in  a  vertical  line,  the  uppermost  one  immediately  under  the 
surface,  the  others  from  a  foot  to  a  yard  below  it.  This  has  been  practised 
for  many  years  with  most  interesting  results,  not  only  for.  botany,  but 
also  for  meteorology.  It  is  remarkable  that  whilst  many  flowers  are 
susceptible  to  solar  influence,  others,  on  the  contrary,  are  insensible 
to  it. 
Although  the  amount  of  influence  due  to  each  element  of  growth 
cannot- be  definitely  determined,  it  is  evident  that  temperature  is  a  most 
important  factor.  Its  influence  on  the  organisation  of  a  plant  is  like 
that  of  vital  force,  and  to  be  estimated  in  squares  of  degrees.  Two 
spring  days,  for  instance,  when  the  glass  registers  50“,  are  not  equal  to 
one  of  70°,  for  the  efiect  of  the  latter  would  be  greater  than  that  of  the 
two  former.  A  country  where  the  winter  is  mild,  notwithstanding  its 
latitude  being  high,  will  prodaoe  flowers  earlier  than  other  countries  in 
a  lower  latitude. 
Compare  the  west  coast  of  England,  for  example,  with  France  or 
Lombardy  ;  Snowdrops  and  Crocuses  flourish  in  full  vigour  before  they 
are  ready  to  open  in  Parma.  But  as  the  temperature  increases  with 
marked  differences  of  intensity  an  equilibrium  is  soon  established,  and 
the  southern  regions  in  their  turn  take  and  maintain  the  lead.  The 
period  between  foliation  and  flowering  would  also  be  less  in  Italy  and 
Spain  than  in  this  country.  It  is  said  that  plants  in  Belgium  wake  from 
their  winter  sleep  towards  the  end  of  January.  The  farther  from  the 
sea  towards  the  interior  the  lower  is  the  temperature.  Islands  have  a 
milder  climate  than  continents. 
The  Hazel  tree  bnds  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London  the  first  week 
in  January,  but  in  Brussels,  singular  to  say,  not  before  the  end  of 
February — a  wide  interval.  The  Crocus  vernus  also  appears  here  at  the 
beginning  of  February,  nearly  three  weeks  earlier  than  in  Brussels. 
The  greater  mildness  of  our  winter  gives  London  the  precedence  at  the 
commencement  of  the  season,  but  it  soon  diminishes.  In  March  it  is 
only  twenty  days,  in  the  first  half  of  April  only  four,  but  from  the 
middle  of  that  month  to  the  end  of  June  Brussels  is  a  week  in  front  of 
London. 
Extending  the  comparison  to  a  more  northern  locality  (Stettin  in 
Germany)  the  advantage  at  starting  in  favour  of  London  is  double  that 
over  Brussels,  but  in  July  and  August  Stettin  and  Brussels  are  a  week  in 
front  of  London.  According  to  observations  made  at  Kelso  in  Scotland 
the  period  of  foliation  there  is  two  days  in  advance  of  Brussels  ;  Chris¬ 
tiania  in  Sweden  is  fifty-two  days  later.  There  is  a  Chestnut  tree  in  the 
gardens  of  the  Tuileries  in  Paris  which  flowers  abnormally  early.  It  is 
called  the  Vingt  Mars.  It  blossoms  long  before  the  others  in  the  same 
gardens.  It  is  said  that  latitude  corresponds  approximately  in  flowers, 
but  there  are  important  exceptions.  Thus,  although  the  difference 
between  Christiania  and  Hamburg  is  but  three  days,  it  increases  between 
the  south  of  Germany  and  Smyrna  to  a  week  ;  whilst  between  Naples 
and  New  Jersey,  both  in  the  same  parallel,  it  is  actually  two  months. 
An  elevation  in  this  country  of  1000  feet  is  equivalent  to  a  delay  of 
fourteen  days  in  the  development  of  vegetation.  A  variable  is  more 
favourable  than  a  uniform  temperature.  At  Berlin,  where  the  cold  is 
great  in  winter,  the  orangeries  flourish  better  than  with  us,  whilst  at 
Astrachan,  where  the  thermometer,  at  times  registers  40°  below  zero, 
the  most  delicious  Grapes  are  reared.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  forward¬ 
ness  is  not  a  constant  beneficial  characteristic  of  vegetation.  The 
revivication  of  plants  commences  with  the  cessation  of  frost  with  us,  and 
the  period  of  foliation  is  compressed  between  the  first  great  movement 
of  vegetation  and  the  covering  of  the  plant  with  leaves,  say  about  the 
end  of  April,  from  which  time  to  the  middle  of  July  is  the  flowering 
period,  whilst  that  of  fructification  is  from  that  date  onwards  till  the 
falling  of  the  leaf. 
The  latter  process  depends  mainly  on  temperature,  the  leaves 
generally  falling  with  the  first  frost.  The  ripening  of  grain  we  all 
know  is  entirely  dependent  upon  temperature.  In  Siberia,  for  instance, 
where  it  is  above  zero  only  for  four  months  in  the  year,  only  Rye  can  be 
grown.  This  is  only  brought  about  by  the  action  of  the  long  day,  which 
compensates  in  a  measure  for  the  weakness  of  solar  action.  Flowers 
present  many  interesting  problems.  In  what  degree  do  they  depend  on 
solar  light  and  on  the  amount  of  moisture  in  the  atmosphere  ?  Why  do 
some  open  in  the  day,  or  at  certain  hours,  and  others  at  night,  some  only 
when  receiving  the  sun’s  rays,  which,  by-the-by,  causes  others  to  close? 
Do  leaves  close  when  their  flowers  open,  and  vice  versa  ? 
Is  there  any  relation  between  the  colour  of  flowers  and  the  time 
when  they  bloom  ?  These  are  questions  suggested  in  connection  with 
the  periodic  phenomena  of  plants.  The  sun,  as  we  say,  exercises  a 
positive  and  a  negative  influence,  opening  some  flowers  and  closing 
others.  Flowering  plants,  it  has  been  demonstrated,  grow  better  on  a 
level  surface  than  on  slopes.  The  best  slopes  are  the  south  and  the 
south-eastern.  The  number  of  flowers  produced  in  sunny  spots  is  equal 
to  three  times  that  in  shady  situations.  There  is  a  difference  in  the 
colours  of  flowers  according  to  the  time  of  year.  Thus  white  predomi¬ 
nates  in  spring,  and  yellow  in  autumn.  White  flowers  are  most 
numerous  throughout  the  year,  yellow  next,  orange,  red,  green,  blue, 
violet  and  indigo  following  in  proportion  as  enumerated. 
The  proportion  of  flowers  which  open  and  shut  is  greatest  in  the 
yellow,  smaller  in  the  white,  diminishing  in  the  red,  and  least  in  the 
blue.  White  flowers  increase  rapidly  from  January  till  the  vernal 
equinox,  less  rapidly  from  March  to  the  middle  of  May,  after  which  date 
they  decrease.  The  greatest  increase  of  yellow  flowers  is  from  April  to 
June.  Red  flowers  are  more  numerous  in  February  than  in  April  ;  they 
increase  thence  till  September,  and  diminish  in  October  and  November, 
when  red  is  the  only  colour  remaining  visible,  save  of  late  years  in  the 
greatly  developed  Chrysanthemum.  In  these  phenomena  there  is  a 
manifest  dependance  on  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  temperature. — 
Wm.  Norman  Brown. 
