30 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
January  9,  1902. 
Mr.  Molyneux’s  Chrysanthemum  Analysis. 
Many  inquiries  have  been  made  as  to  when  Mr.  E.  Molyneux’s 
useful  analysis  will  appear.  We  are  able  to  promise  that  this 
annual  contribution  to  the  Journal  will  be  forthcoming  imme¬ 
diately.  It  would  be  of  benefit  to  us,  and  to  everyone  in  con¬ 
nection,  if  readers  would  kindly  announce  the  fact  to  their 
Chrysanthemum-growing  friends. 
“  Le  Jardln.” 
Our  French  contemporary  is  dedicated  on  this,  its  fifteenth 
year,  to  M.  Leon  Vassilliere,  Director  to  the  French  Board  of 
Agriculture,  Commandeur  de  la  Legion  d’Honneur,  Commandeur 
du  Merite  Agricole,  and  Officier  de  I’lnstruction  Publique,  Ac. 
A  portrait  of  him  appears,  together  with  a  short  biographical 
sketch.  He  is  “  a  great  friend  of  horticulture  and  the  horti¬ 
culturists,”  hence  the  dedication. 
Plough  Monday. 
“As  a  constant  reader  of  the  Journal,  may  I  ask  the  writer  of 
‘  An  Observer’s  Notes,’  page  21,  to  explain  for  the  benefit  of 
others  as  well  as  myself,  why  ‘  Plough  Monday  ’  falls  on  a  Tues¬ 
day  this  year  ?  Of  course,  I  should  not  like  to  suggest  that  this 
chronicler  of  events  may  have  overstepped  the  bounds  of  dis¬ 
cretion  during  the  recent  festive  season !  And  he  will  be  able,  I 
doubt  not,  to  clear  up  the  mystery  through  the  columns  of  the 
Journal  in  a  subsequent  issue,  and  so  satisfy  the  curiosity  of- — 
T.  11.  S.”  Such  is  the  letter  we  received  on  Monday  last. 
Having  inquired  of  “  the  Observer,”  he  replies  that  the  vigour  of 
the  Lilac’s  growth  must  have  pushed  Plough  Monday  a  day 
beliind !  For  solution  see  page  21  last  week,  but  those  who  do 
not  file  their  Journals  must  not  write  for  one,  last  week’s  being 
now  out  of  print' — which  sign  is  healthy. 
“The  Suburban  Garden.” 
This  is  the  title  of  a  little  book  recently  published  by  Messrs. 
Low,  Sampson,  Marston,  and  Co.,  St.  Dunstan’s  House,  London, 
price  3s.  6d.  The  authoress  dedicates  her  book  to  “  All  who  love 
gardens.”  In  her  preface,  which  tells  how  the  book  came  to  be 
written,  that  “  A  good  many  people  would  take  more  interest  in 
their  gardens  if  they  had  something  definite  to  start  on.”  The 
first  part  of  the  book  describes  the  making  of  a  garden,  and 
suitable  plants  for  it  have  been  named.  She  has  been  at  pains 
to  show  not  only  what  to  plant,  but  also  what  'iiot  to  plant.  The 
second  part  deals  with  small  suburban  gardens  generally,  and 
an  attempt  has  been  made  to  show  how  the  best  effects  can  be 
gained.  No  detail  has  been  considered  too  trifling.  The  garden 
described  comes  within  the  six-miles  radius  from  Charing  Cross. 
In  size  it  is  about  half  an  acre,  and  the  complete  transformation 
from  no  garden  at  all  to  a  very  pretty  retreat,  that  is  made  of 
this  area,  furnishes  pleasant  reading.  There  are  263  pages 
(6iin  by  4Jin)  clearly  printed,  and  bound  in  ivory  white  covers, 
very  stoutly.  The  book  may  be  recommended  to  the  leisured 
amateur  who  is  uninitiated  in  the  gentle  art  of  gardening. 
“Culture  of  Vegetables  and  Flowers.” 
Every  professional  gardener  and  thousands  of  gardening 
amateurs  must  have  read  and  gained  instruction  from  this  very 
practical,  thorough,  and  highly  interesting  book.  We  recall 
with  the  greatest  pleasure  our  early  days,  when  Sutton’s  book  on 
vegetables  and  flowers  was  often  taken  from  the  book-case  and 
its  passages  studied  with  very  great  attention.  The  article  on 
Phloxes  has  been  the  means  of  causing  one  good  old  soul  to  pre¬ 
pare  a  proper  border  against  a  sunny  wall,  and  to  place  sturdy 
specimens  of  the  beautiful  summer  and  autumn  flowering 
varieties  in  place  of  Sorrel,  Tarragon,  and  Thyme  that  half- 
lived,  half-died  before  that  time.  A  tenth  edition  is  now  “  out,” 
and  appears  bulkier  than  hitherto,  but  has  now  reached  just  a 
nice,  convenient  size.  The  stout,  firm  binding  is  wax-red  in  colour, 
with  gilt  title.  The  culture  of  all  vegetables  is  given ;  also  the 
year’s  work;  rotation  and  chemistry  of  crops;  “flowers  all  the 
year  round  ”  ;  insect  and  fungus  pests ;  and  other  chapters.  We 
say,  as  we  have  said  before,  that  the  matter  is  both  compact  and 
comprehensive,  and  within  the  433  pages  the  reader  will  find  an 
enormous  amount  of  useful  information.  It  is  in  every  way 
creditable  to  the  house  of  Sutton,  and  more  need  not  be  said. 
The  price  is  five  shillings,  from  Sutton’s  or  through  all  book¬ 
sellers. 
lillies  at  the  Cape. 
The  “Cape  Times”  for  Wednesday,  December  11,  190l,  con- ■ 
tained  a  long  and  able  article  from  the  pen  of  our  friend,  Mr. 
Peter  Barr,  V.M.H.  He  is  already  imbued  with  a  knowledge  of 
the  general  physical  conditions  of  the  Cape  districts,  and  writes  ■ 
authoritatively.  During  his  long  journey  his  influence  in  direct¬ 
ing  thoughts  to  horticulture  has  been  very  evident.  Tliis,  the  • 
Mother  Country,  has  been  honoured  through  him,  and  owes  Mr. 
Barr  congratulatory  returns. 
Sussex  Weather. 
The  total  rainfall  at  Abbots  Leigh,  Haywards  Heath,  for  the 
past  month  was  5.08in,  being  2.29in  above  the  average.  The 
heaviest  fall  was  1.48in  on  the  12th.  Rain  fell  on  seventeen  ■ 
days.  The  total  rainfall  for  the  year  was  24.95in — 4.98in  below 
the  average.  The  heavy  rainfall  of  December  has  brought  the 
total  up  to  one  inch  above  the  previous  shortest  record  in  twenty- 
two  years,  viz.,  that  of  1898.  The  maximum  temperature  was 
53deg  on  the  8th,  the  minimum  23deg  on  the  25th.  Mean ' 
maximum,  43.05deg ;  mean  minimum,  33.06deg ;  mean  tempera¬ 
ture,  38.05deg,  which  is  0.50deg  above  the  average.  The  old 
year  passed  away  in  wet,  stormy  weather,  but  remarkably  mild  ■ 
■ — the  shade  temperature  in  the  last  three  days  and  the  first 
three  of  the  new  year  exceeded  SOdeg. — R.  I. 
Rainfall  in  1901  at  Temple  House  Gardens,  Berks. 
Mr.  G.  Groves  sends  us  a  statement  of  the  year’s  rainfall  in  > 
his  part  of  Berkshire.  The  diameter  of  the  funnel  of  the  rain- 
guage  is  5in ;  it  is  1ft  above  ground  and  105.9ft  above  sea-level. 
The  rainiest  months  were  April,  with  2.57in  (total  depth) ;  July, 
2.38in;  August,  2.35in;  October,  2.19in;  and  December,  with  as 
much  as  3.60in.  The  driest  months  were  May  (0.60),  and  Novem¬ 
ber  (0.43).  The  greatest  fall  of  rain  in  twenty-four  hours  occurred 
on  February  4,  when  0.99  of  an  inch  was  recorded.  On  October  16 
0.98in  was  noted.  March  and  Apx’il  both  had  rain  on  seventeen 
days ;  December  eighteen  days ;  but  October  was  oftenest  wet, 
rain  falling  on  twenty  different  days.  The  total  number  of  days 
on  which  0.01  or  more  fell,  was  164.  The  total  depth,  in  inches, 
of  the  year’s  rain  was  20.85in ;  the  average  rainfall  there  being 
27.50in. 
Weather  at  Belvoir  Castle,  Grantham,  1901. 
The  wind  during  December  was  in  the  S.W.  15  days.  The 
total  rainfall  was  4.49in,  a  large  proportion  of  which  came  in  the 
form  of  snow ;  it  fell  on  twenty-one  days,  and  is  2.41in  above  the 
average  for  the  month;  the  greatest  daily  fall  was  1.46in  (snow) 
on  the  12th.  Barometer  (corrected  and  reduced) :  highest  reading 
30.440in  on  the  4th,  at  9  a.m. ;  lowest  reading,  28.742in,  on  the 
24th,  at  9  p.m.  Thermometers :  highest  in  the  shade,  55d6g,  on 
the  7th ;  lowest,  9deg,  on  the  20th ;  mean  of  daily  maxima, 
42.41deg;  mean  of  daily  minima,  31.61deg;  mean  temperature  of 
the  month,  37.01deg;  lowest  on  the  grass,  8deg,  on  the  20th; 
highest  in  the  sun,  80deg,  on  the  31st ;  mean  temperature  of  the 
earth  at  3ft,  41.25deg.  Total  sunshine,  65hrs  30min,  which  is 
18hrs  27min  above  the  average  for  the  month;  there  were  eight 
sunless  days. — W.  H.  Divers. 
Gardeners’  “  Lodges.’’ 
It  is  appropriate  to  quote  a  passage  from  Loudon  under  his 
“Statistics  of  Gardening”  this  week,  as  bearing  on  the  subject, 
of  which  our  leader  deals.  The  famous  author  says:  “There  are 
few  gardeners’  lodges  in  England ;  the  only  one  of  which  we  have 
been  able  to  obtain  any  distinct  account  is  ‘  Adam’s  Lodge,  of 
London,’  founded  June  4,  1781.  This  lodge  is  described  in  the 
rules  as  a  ‘  Fraternity  or  community  for  improving  the  art  of 
gardening ;  to  establish  a  fund  for  the  mutual  support  and  relief 
of  each  other  in  the  time  of  sickness,  lameness,  or  distress ;  and 
also  [and  this  to  us  nowadays  is  very  interesting]  to  ascertain  • 
the  characters  and  abilities  of  such  gardeners  who  shall  belong 
to  or  may  be  recommended  by  this  society,  to  obviate  the  diffi- 
culty  so  often  complained  of  by  the  nobility,  gentry,  and  others, 
of  obtaining  skilful  and  experienced  persons  to  undertake  the 
employment.”  Loudon  concludes  thus :  “  At  present  [1824]  it 
consists  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  members,  and  is  on  the 
decline.  The  allowance  to  the  sick  or  disabled  has  been  gradu¬ 
ally  diminished  from  insufficiency  of  funds.”  The  latter  sentences  - 
contain  a  moral  for  all  of  us. 
