November  4,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
4^3 
-  Weight  of  Mareoavs.  —  In  reply  to  yonr  correspondent, 
“  H.  T.,”  I  might  say  that  I  have  lately  cut  three  Marrows  from  one 
plant  of  Sutton’s  Long  Green,  weighing  respectively  60  lbs.,  47  lbs.,  and 
18  lbs.,  or  a  total  weight  of  125  lbs.  This  is  the  heaviest  Marrow  that 
has  been  known  in  this  district.— R.  Filkins,  St.  Mary  Cray,  Kent. 
-  October  We.4.ther  at  Driffield.— Mean  temperature  at 
9  A.M.  (corrected),  49'06°.  Wet  bulb,  47’12°.  Mean  maximum,  56’2°  ; 
mean  minimum,  41‘06.°  Highest,  64'4°  on  the  20th  ;  lowest,  25'2°  on  the 
14th.  Mean  of  maxima  and  minima,  48*63’.  jMean  radiation  tempera¬ 
ture  on  the  grass,  36*09'’s  lowest,  18*4'’  on  the  14th.  Rainfall,  1*865  inch. 
Number  of  rainy  days,  thirteen.  Greatest  amount  on  one  day,  0*64  inch 
on  the  14th. — W.  E.  Lovel,  Observer,  York  Road,  Driffield. 
-  The  California^  Or.4xge  Crop.  -The  Orange  crop  of 
California  for  the  coming  season,  according  to  conservative  estimates  based 
on  the  present  condition,  will  amount  to  from  7000  to  8000  carloads,  as 
against  5000  carloads  last  year.  As  300  boxes  are  required  to  fill  a  car. 
this  means  an  increase  of  from  600,000  to  900,000  boxes  of  this  fruit- 
Other  authorities  consider  4,500,000  boxes  as  not  too  high  an  estimate 
for  the  amount  of  this  season’s  output.  California  Oranges  from  last 
season  are  still  offered  in  the  Eastern  States  in  the  choicest  collections  of 
fruits  ;  and  in  rich  quality  these  rival  Eodi  Oranges,  the  celebrated 
summer  fruit  from  the  ^Mediterranean.  Since  the  first  shipments  of  new 
crop  Oranges  from  the  Pacific  coast  are  expected  in  New  York  during 
November,  the  likelihood  is  strong  that  California  Oranges  will  hereafter 
be  in  market  throughout  the  entire  year. — (“  Garden  and  Forest.”) 
-  Rudbeckia  Golden  Glow.— We  have  to  thank  Mr.  Wolley- 
Dod  for  his  interesting  and  valuable  contribution  on  page  380.  The 
cottage  gai*dens  in  IMalpas,  which,  as  I  have  seen  for  myself,  are  great!}' 
influenced  by  having  so  eminent  a  flower  lover  in  the  parish,  are  to  lie 
envied  by  many  of  greater  pretensions  in  the  possession  of  this  Rudbeckia. 
I  believe  it  was  ^lessrs.  Pitcher  &  Manda  who  brought  it  to  the  notice 
of  flower  growers  as  a  new  plant  only  a  year  or  two  ago.  In  view  of 
Mr.  Wolley-Dod’s  explicit  statement,  it  cannot  be  called  a  novelty  in  the 
strict  sense  of  the  word,  but  it  is  practically  a  “  new  plant”  to  the  great 
bulk  of  growers  of  hardy  flowers.  It  is  satisfactory  to  hear  it  so  well 
spoken  of  after  long  experience  of  its  qualities. — S.  Arnott. 
-  Zonal  Pelargoniums  in  Winter.— Elsewhere  than  at 
Swanley,  where  a  splendid  show  of  Zonal  Pelargoniums  is  a  standing 
attraction,  I  have  nowhere  seen  such  a  truly  beautiful  display  of  these 
tender  flowers  as  iSIr.  Salter  has  produced  at  Woodhatch.  For  plants  in 
6-inch  pots,  and  for  splendour  of  bloom^  the  house  of  these  there  now 
really  represents  a  triumph  of  culture.  No  wonder  visitors,  gardeners  or 
otherwise,  on  looking  into  the  span  house  where  these  beautiful  plants 
are,  are  amazed  at  the  wondrously  rich  and  lustrous  colouration  seen. 
There  are  white,  pink,  salmon,  carmine,  magenta,  rose,  scarlet,  crimson, 
and  other  shades,  the  trusses  large,  and  pips  of  the  finest.  It  is,  all  the 
same,  very  easy  to  have  such  a  show  of  Zonal  Pelargoniums,  for  cuttings 
taken  from  the  old  plants  are  put  in  in  February,  rooted,  grown  on, 
finally  get  into  6 -inch  pots,  being  firmly  potted  with  a  good  compost  ; 
stood  outdoors  in  the  sunshine,  kept  pinched  and  watered,  then  let  come 
away  end  of  August  and  housed  in  September. — A.  D. 
-  Trees  Damaged  by  Lightning.— During  the  thunder¬ 
storm  in  the  N.  of  London,  on  July  2 1st,  a  Poplar  in  Clissold  Park, 
Stoke  Newington,  was  damaged  in  a  rather  unusual  way.  The  tree,  a 
large  one,  stood  on  the  edge  of  a  gravel  walk  ;  and  a  low  (9  inch)  rail  of 
1  inch  iron,  which  divided  the  footpath  from  the  adjoining  grass  (and 
which  was  supported  for  most  of  its  length  by  dwarf  iron  posts)  had  been 
driven  into  the  tree  so  as  to  support  the  extremity  of  the  rail.  There  was, 
therefore,  virtually  a  long  horizontal  conductor  connected  to  earth  at  every 
8  feet,  ending  in  the  tree.  When  the  storm-cloud  came  near,  there  was 
an  explosive  discharge,  not  at  the  top  of  the  tree,  nor  even  at  any  of  its 
branches,  but  from  about  6  inches  above  where  the  rail  entered,  up  to 
about  4  feet  6  inches  above  the  ground  ;  there  the  outer  rough  bark  was 
blown  off  for  about  3  feet  high  by  1  foot  broad  ;  along  the  middle  of  this 
the  inner  soft  hark  had  been  grooved  (as  is  often  the  case  with  Poplars) 
and  separated  from  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  AVe  did  not  see  the  tree  for 
two  days,  and  doubtless  the  edges  had  been  touched,  but  we  noticed  one 
feature  to  which  we  desire  to  call  special  attention,  so  that  others  may  see 
whether  the  fact  we  noticed  is,  or  is  not,  exceptional.  The  frayed  edges  on 
one  side  of  the  groove  were  attached  by  their  upper  extremities,  and  those 
on  the  others  side  by  their  lower  ones — not  without  e.xception,  but  probably 
six  fragments  out  of  seven  followed  this  rule.  Of  course,  this  suggests 
the  passage  of  two  currents  in  opposite  directions.  We  express  no  opinion, 
and  make  no  assertions ;  we  merely  record  what  we  saw,  and  ask  all  who 
see  a  tree  which  has  been  grooved  by  lightning,  to  examine  the  edges 
carefully,  and  report  the  result.  It  is,  we  think,  not  much  use  looking  at 
Oaks,  as  they  seem  to  be  generally  Imrst  asunder  as  by  an  internal 
explosion.— (“  Symons’  Meteorological  Alagazine.) 
TORN  US. 
Though  one  or  two  species  of  this  genus  are  passable  as  flowering 
shrubs,  it  is  more  for  tbe  sake  of  the  foliage  and  coloured  bark  that  the 
“  Dogwoods  ”  are  grown.  From  a  garden  point  of  view  they  may  be 
divided  into  three  sections — flowering,  ornamental  foliage,  and  coloured 
stemmed. 
Of  the  first  section  C.  florida  is  possibly  the  best.  It  was  known  to 
English  gardens  before  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  Early  in  the 
present  century  it  was  figured  in  the  “Botanical  .Magazine,”  t.  526.  In 
the  account  given  with  the  figure  it  is  stated  that  the  plant  from  which 
the  fow'ers  were  taken  for  figuring  was  growing  in  the  Duke  of  Alarl- 
borough’s  garden,  and  was  15  feet  in  height  with  a  spread  of  18  feet,  a 
trunk  6  feet  high  before  it  branched,  2  feet  in  circumference  a  yard  from 
the  ground. 
Specimens  of  anything  near  those  dimensions  are  rarely,  if  ever,  seen 
now.  The  most  likely  reason  for  this  is  that  it  is  only  in  warm  and 
favoured  localities  that  this  species  does  well,  plenty  of  sun  heat  being 
required  to  thoroughly  ripen  the  wood.  The  flowers  are  whitish,  and 
2  to  3  inches  across.  -In  autumn  the  leaves  turn  to  a  brilliant  red  before 
falling. 
C.  mas,  although  not  ranking  among  the  best  of  flowering  shrubs,  is 
worth  grow’ing  both  on  account  of  its  earliness  and  the  freedom  with 
which  the  flowers  are  produced.  It  makes  an  upright  growing  bush  with 
stiff  twiggy  gi’owth.  The  flowers  are  small  and  yellow.  They  are  pro¬ 
duced  in  clusters  from  almost  every  node  on  the  young  wood.  In  a  mild 
spring  the  earliest  flowers  open  about  the  end  of  February,  and  flowering 
continues  for  several  w'eeks  It  is  an  European  species. 
The  .lapanese  0.  kousa  is  said  to  rival  C.  florida.  As  yet  it  is  little 
known  in  this  country,  but  if  it  does  not  flower  more  freely  than  that 
species  it  will  never  become  v6ry  popular.  A  dwarf  species  from  Canada, 
C.  canadensis,  is  useful  for  jdanting  in  damp  places  in  the  rock  garden. 
It  grows  but  a  few  inches  in  height,  and  each  stem  is  terminated  with  a 
head  of  small  flowers  enclosed  by  a  number  of  rose  and  white  bracts.  A 
figure  of  this  may  be  seen  “  Rot.  Mag.,”  t.  880. 
Of  the  ornamental  foliage  section  more  can  be  said,  as  several  very 
beautiful  foliage  shrubs  belong  to  the  genus.  Of  C.  mas  there  are  several 
variegated  forms,  the  most  distinct  being  C.  mas  variegata,  and  C.  mas 
aurea  elegantissima.  The  former  is  in  habit  like  C.  mas.  The  leaves 
are  2  to  3  inches  long  by  three-quarters  of  an  inch  wide,  Avith  green  centres 
and  wide  silver  margins. 
C.  mas  var.  aurea  elegantissima  is  widely  different  in  habit.  The 
branches  are  pendulous,  the  leaves  small,  1  to  1:^  inch  long  by  half  to 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  Avide,  varied  in  colour,  some  deep  yelloAv,  some 
with  green  centres  and  deep  yellow  margins,  others  with  green  centres 
and  mottled  brown  and  red  margins,  others  green  mottled  with  brown, 
and  yellow  and  red  margins.  During  summer  a  plant  which  is  growing 
freely  is  a  very  pretty  sight. 
C.  candidissima  variegata  has  pale  green  leaves  with  silver  margins. 
The  habit  of  this  is  very  similar  to  that  of  C.  mas.  C.  alba  var.  Sppethi 
is  by  far  the  most  beautiful  of  the  variegated  Cornus,  and  is  one  ot  the 
very  best  foliage  shrubs.  It  makes  a  spreading  bush  a  few  feet  in  height. 
The  leaves  are  about  4  inches  long  by  2  or  2i  wide,  having  a  green  centre 
and  broad  yellow  margin,  the  centre  part  suffused  with  a  lighter  shade  of 
green  and  bands  of  gold.  Towards  autumn  many  of  the  leaves  turn  red. 
C.  alba  var.  sibirica  variegata  is  a  silver  variegated^  form,  with  leaves 
about  the  size  of  the  preceding  ;  it  is  well  worth  growing,  but  is  not  to 
be  compared  with  the  former  variety.  C.  macrophylla  has  handsome 
green  foliage.  The  leaves  often  measure  6  inches  or  more  in  length  by 
4  in  width.  It  is  quite  distinct  from  any  other  species.  C.  macrophylla 
variegata  is  perhaps  better  known  as  C.  brachypoda  variegata  The 
leaves  of  this  are  not  nearly  so  large  as  those  of  the  type,  and  many 
appear  to  be  more  or  less  deformed  ;  it  is,  however,  a  pretty  white 
variegated  shrub.  When  young  it  is  a  little  tender.  It  grows  until  late 
in  the  year,  and  frosts  sometimes  damage  the  soft  ends  of  the  shoots  ;  as 
it  gets  older  it  grows  slmver  and  stands  better.  A  large  plant  10  feet  or 
more  in  height  is  to  be  seen  in  the  Coombe  Wood  nursery  of  Alessrs. 
Veitch  &  Sons.  .  , 
Of  the  coloured-stemmed  section  much  could  be  said.  \Vith  the 
exception  of  the  coloui’ed-stemmed  Willows  possibly  no  shrubs  ^ 
finer  sight  on  a  sunny  day  in  winter  than  some  of  the  Cornus.  AA  hether 
grown  by  the  water  side,  in  beds,  irregular  masses  for  cover,  or  as  groups 
in  the  shrubbery,  they  are  equally  effective.  C.  sanguinea  is  perhaps  the 
best  known.  This  is  often  used  as  a  cover  plant,  and  as  an  undergrowth 
in  plantations  *,  it  has  red  bark.  In  autumn  the  leaves  turn  affine  bronzy 
red  on  the  u’qier  surface,  the  under  surface  being  silvery.  C.  amomum, 
C.  Baileyi,  C.  Nuttalli,  and  C.  stolonifera,  all  American  species,  have 
bright  red  bark,  as  also  has  the  Northern  Asiatic  C.  alba  and  its  vaiieties. 
A  charming  picture  may  be  had  in  spring  if  an  undergrowth  of  Snowdrops 
lie  made  to  beds  of  these  red-stemmed  shrubs.  A  variety  of  (’.  stolonifera, 
which  has  velloAV  bark,  is  in  cultivation,  but  is  not  well  known  as  yet. 
Given  fairly  good  soil  all  can  be  grown  with  little  trouble,  and  even  in 
poor  sandy  soil  C.  sanguinea  and  several  others  give^  satisfactory  results. 
Whether  for  large  or  small  gardens,  for  growing  singly,  in  small  or  lu 
large  masses,  these  shrubs  Avill  be  found  equally  useful.  AA  .  D. 
