Januar}’  12,  1899. 
JOURXAL  OF  HORTTGUTA'URE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
29 
-  Laying  Turf. — The  moist,  mild  weather  prevailing  affords  an 
excellent  opportunity  for  repairing  bad  places  on  lawns  with  new  turf,  or 
even  for  laying  down  a  new  one.  Where  hollow  places  exist  the  turf 
may  be  raised  and  fresh  soil  added,  so  as  to  bring  it  xip  to  the  surrounding 
level.  Make  firm  and  replace  the  turf,  beating  it  down  level. — E. 
-  December  Weather  at  Dowlais,  Glamorgan. — Rain¬ 
fall  8*76  inches,  which  fell  on  twenty-five  days;  greatest  fall  2  82  inches 
on  the  26th.  Temperature  :  Mean  maximum,  T4’226°  ;  mean  minimum, 
34*807°.  Highest  reading,  o5°  on  the  3rd  ;  lowest,  23°  on  the  19th. 
Below  freezing  point  on  thirteen  occasions.  There  were  twenty  sunless 
days.  The  wind  was  in  the  S.W.  and  W.  on  twenty-three  days.  A  very 
dirty  month  throughout.  The  first  nineteen  days  were  wet  with  the 
exception  of  the  I3th,  then  fine  until  the  25th.  In  the  last  eleven  days 
4*90  inches  of  rain  was  registered.  Total  rainfall  for  the  year,  46*95  inches, 
which  fell  on  199  days,  frost  on  105  days.  Total  sunshine,  1135,|  hours  ; 
sunless  days,  143. — Wm.  Mabbott. 
- Heavy'  Rainfall. —  Though  we  cannot  afford  space  for 
ordinary  tabulated  forms  of  rainfall,  we  make  an  exception  in  this  case 
as  it  exceeds  40  inches.  Mr.  Thomas  Singleton,  in  sending  the  monthly 
amounts  from  The  Gardens,  Curraghmore,  Co,  Waterford,  observes  that 
when  reading  accounts  by  gardeners  of  the  dry  season  of  1898  he  has 
often  felt  he  should  “  like  to  spare  them  some  rain,”  as  he  has  had  “  too 
much.”  Here  follows  his  record  of  the  monthly*  rainfall,  1898  ; — January, 
4*37  inches  ;  February,  1*59  ;  March,  0*54  !  April.  5*17  ;  May,  2*77  ; 
.Tune,  3'49  ;  July,  1*08  ;  August,  4  23  ;  September,  3*77  ;  October,  7*23  ; 
November,  3*06  ;  December,  4*75—42*59  inches.  It  will  be  observed  that 
October  was  a  very  wet  month,  while  January,  April,  August,  and 
December  were  not  parchingly  dry. 
-  Meteorological  Records  in  the  Isle  op  Wight.— During 
the  year  1898  at  Newport  there  were  150  wet  days,  the  total  rainfall 
being  28*24  inches.  The  maximum  temperature  for  the  year  was  85*8°, 
on  the  15th  of  August ;  the  minimum  24*6°,  on  the  22nd  of  March.  The 
wettest  day  in  the  year  was  the  23rd  of  November,  when  1-76  inch  of 
rain  fell.  The  average  rainfall  for  the  last  twelve  years  is  29*57  inches. 
At  Totland  Bay,  which  is  thirteen  miles  west  of  Newport,  there  were 
137  wet  days,  and  the  rainfall  was  25*60  inches  The  hottest  day  was 
recorded  on  September  7th,  when  the  thermometer  registered  80*5°  F.  ; 
the  warmest  night  September  17th,  64*2°  F.  The  coldest  day  February 
22nd,  38*2°  F,  ;  and  the  coldest  night  November  23rd,  29*6®  F.  The 
wettest  day  was  on  February  21st,  when  1*36  inch  of  rain  fell. 
-  December  Weather  at  Bel  voir  Castle.— This  month 
was  very  changeable,  with  almost  double  the  average  amount  of  sun¬ 
shine,  and  was  much  warmer  than  November.  The  wind  was  in  a 
southerly  direction  twenty-five  days.  The  total  rainfall  was  1*99  inch, 
which  fell  on  fourteen  days,  and  is  0*09  inch  below  the  average  for  the 
month.  The  greatest  daily  fall  was  0*40  inch  on  the  8th.  Barometer  : 
Highest  reading,  30*467  inches  on  the  21st  at  9  P.M  ;  lowest,  29*129 
inches  on  the  29th  at  9  P.M.  Thermometers  :  Highest  in  the  sun,  58°  on 
the  5th  ;  lowest,  21°  on  the  3lst.  Mean  of  daily  maxima,  49*67°  ;  mean 
of  daily  minima,  38*48°.  Mean  temperature  of  the  month,  44*07°.  Lowest 
on  the  grass,  17°  on  the  31st ;  highest  in  the  sun,  87°  on  the  18th. 
Mean  temperature  of  the  earth  at  3  feet,  44*80°.  Total  sunshine,  63  hours 
50  minutes.  There  were  ten  sunless  days. — W.  H.  Divers. 
-  A  Balmy  January'  Sunday'.— A  finer  day  than  last  Sunday 
has  rarely  been  experienced  in  London.  As  a  daily  paper  remarked,  it 
seemed  to  take  us  once  more  right  out  ot  the  winter  season.  The  sun 
shone  with  great  power  nearly  all  day,  and  even  in  the  shade  the 
thermometer  rose  to  a  maximum  of  56°.  This  was  as  many  as  13°  above 
the  average  for  the  time  of  year,  and  was  within  a  degree  of  the  normal 
maximum  temperature  for  the  month  of  April.  So  high  a  January  reading 
had  not  been  registered  in  London  since  1890,  and  in  the  course  of  the 
past  fifty  years  there  were  only  two  warmer  Jays,  the  highest  point  reached 
being  in  1876,  when  the  thermometer  on  the  filst  rose  to  58°.  So  far  as 
we  have  gone,  the  present  month  seems  to  have  been  scarcely  so  mild  as 
last  January,  but  there  has  been  in  the  southern  part  of  the  country 
nothing  like  genuine  wintry  weather,  and  with  the  existing  state  of 
atmospheric  pressure  there  is  no  immediate  prospect  of  such  a  change. 
The  past  few  days  have  been  remarkable  for  the  persistence  with  which 
cyclonic  disturbances  have  advanced  from  the  Atlantic  and  passed  north¬ 
wards  along  our  western  and  northern  coasts.  Owing  to  these  movements 
the  air  has  not  only  been  mild,  but  highly  charged  with  moisture,  so  that 
in  the  intervals  of  fine  weather,  the  ground  has  remained  extremely  wet 
and  muddy. 
-  Devon  Gardeners’  Association,  Spring  Programme, — 
.January  I8th,  Mr.  R.  \V.  Hodder,  “The  Fungi  Pests  of  oui*  Gardens, 
with  Notes  on  Rust  in  Chry*santhemums  ;  ”  February  1st,  Mr.  J.  Mayne, 
“  Liliums  and  Their  Treatment ;  ”  February  15th,  Mr.  E.  J.  Love,  ‘*  The 
History  of  the  Rose;”  March  1st,  Mr.  G.  Camp,  “  Plants  for  House 
Decoration;”  March  15th,  Mr.  .1.  Stiles,  “Chrysanthemums;  Their 
Culture,  with  Hints  on  Dressing,  Staging,  and  .Judging  the  Blooms;” 
March  29th,  Mr.  G.  C.  Crabbe,  “Pelargoniums  :  Their  Treatment  from 
an  Amateur’s  Standpoint.” — A.  Hope,  54,  High  Street,  Exeter. 
-  Fruit  Culture  in  Assam. — The  experimental  cultivation  of 
fruit  trees  in  Assam  does  not  seem  to  have  been  attended  with  any  degree 
of  success,  judging  from  the  results  recorded  in  the  report  of  the  local 
Agricultural  Department  for  last  year.  Is  seems  that  six  grafts  of  each 
of  six  varieties  of  fruit  trees  (it  is  not  stated  what  the  varieties  were)  were 
supplied  during  the  year  for  experimental  cultivation  at  Kohima  and  the 
Sanitarium  ground  at  Nemotha,  in  the  Cachar  district.  Some  of  these 
were  planted  in  a  cemetery  1  Others  in  the  Lunatic  Asy  lum  grounds  at 
Tezpur.  Many*  of  the  imported  plants  have  since  died,  but  we  do  not  feel 
any  surprise.  This  simply  goes  to  show  that  Assam  is  in  need  of  a 
properly  organised  Botanical  Garden,  Agri-Horticultural  Society,  or 
Government  Experimental  Farm,  Tvhere  trials  of  indigenous  and  exotic 
plants  of  economic  value  could  be  conducted  on  a  systematic  basis. 
Experiments  conducted  on  the  promiscuous  and  haphazard  system,  noticed 
above,  are  not  only  quite  valueless,  but  a  waste  of  public  funds  and  official 
energy.  Assam  abounds  in  planters  who  are  keenly  interested  in  all 
matters  relating  to  the  cultivation  of  plants  of  economic  value,  and  we 
have  little  doubt  that  they  would  not  only  support  liberally  a  local  Agri- 
Horticultural  Society,  but  would  furnish  valuable  information  to  the 
Society  and  the  local  Agricultural  Department.— (“  Indian  Gardening.’  ) 
FRUIT  ON  DWELLING  HOUSES. 
For  many  years  I  have  felt  regret  at  the  waste  of  wall  space  on 
buildings,  and  a  “  deal  ”  in  Pears  from  a  wall  this  season  has  only 
added  strength  to  my  previous  convictions.  Pitmaston  Duchess  at  2s.  per 
dozen  wholesale  may  not  seem  a  very  high  price,  but  with  good  crops, 
ten  or  twelve  trees,  similar  to  those  from  which  the  fruits  referred  to 
were  gathered,  would  have  yielded  £15,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  that  had  I  been  fortunate  enough  to  have  held  a  ton  of  such 
Pears,  they  could  have  been  disposed  of  at  as  good  or  better  prices. 
Apart  from  the  commercial  aspect  of  the  question,  however,  there  is 
the  domestic  side — the  growth  and  use  of  fruit  for  the  home.  In  thinking 
over  the  subject  one  is  inclined  to  speculate  as  to  how  many  superficial 
acres  of  wall  space  in  this  country  are  covered  with  the  beautiful  forms  of 
Ampelopsis,  Ivies,  Cotoneasters,  Roses,  and  the  many  other  charming 
climbers,  that  render  the  outsides  of  so  many  homes  so  very  beautiful. 
Owners  of  large  establishments  who  have  walled  kitchen  gardens  are 
quite  justified  in  covering  their  abodes  with  creepers,  and  it  is  not  for  me 
to  grumble.  But  to  the  dwellers  in  villas  and  cottages  this  does  not 
apply,  and  to  them  some  of  our  best  Pears  would,  no  doubt,  be  more  than 
acceptable  ;  and  why  not  Plums,  and  in  many  cases  Apples  ]  On  an 
eastern  aspect  Plums  grow  and  produce  good  crops  of  fruit  in  gardens, 
and  11  is  reasonable  to  suppose  they  would  thrive  equally  well  on 
dwellings.  The  same  applies  to  Pears  on  a  wall  facing  west.  For  any 
but  the  most  enthusiastic  of  amateurs  with  ample  spare  time  I  would  not 
recommend  Peaches,  but  in  many  cases  the  back  offices  of  premises  facing 
north  might  be  made  to  produce  good  crops  of  Morello  Cherries. 
With  the  facilities  for  learning  now  within  the  reach  of  all  there 
should  be  no  difficulty  in  mastering  the  art  of  pruning  and  training,  but 
in  a  case  of  doubt  there  is  usually  some  local  gardener  who  will  be  ready 
to  help,  and  to  show  as  far  as  possible  what  is  best  to  be  done.  In  these 
go-ahead  times  what  is  the  cost  of  a  fruit  tree  .’  while  the  necessary 
attention  after  planting  would  scarcely  mean  more  than  a  few  hours  in 
the  course  of  a  year.  Place  these  items  on  one  side  of  the  ledger  and 
the  returns  on  the  other,  and  who  would  not  enjoy  the  delicacy  of 
Doyennd  du  Comice,  or  the  lusciousness  of  Marie  Louise,  or  the  grand 
proportions  of  Pitmaston  Duchess  Pears  of  his  own  production  ?  This  is 
saying  nothing  of  the  other  useful  fruits  to  be  had  in  Plums  and  Apples. 
If  either  of  these  was  in  request  then  are  there  plenty  from  which  to 
choose.  I  might  venture  to  say  this  would  be  a  method,  if  only  in  a  very 
small  way,  of  stopping  some  of  the  tremendous  importation  of  foreign 
fruit,  and  the  consequent  outpouring  of  cash  that  might  well  stay  at  home. 
There  are  difficulties  to  contend  with,  no  doubt  ;  dwellings  are  too 
near  each  other,  and  light  is  blocked,  hard  paths  run  close  to  the  walls. 
The  landlord  might  say,  “I  am  not  going  to  plant  fruit  on  my  houses.” 
The  tenant  decides  that  as  he  may  not  stay  long  he  will  not  work  for 
the  benefit  of  the  incomer,  and  so  on  ad  infinitum..^  But  think  of  the 
Jasmine  on  the  walls  of  houses  with  its  silvery  showers  of  fragrance, 
of  the  Roses  that  bloom  so  long  and  so  sweetly  ;  and  again,  of  the  Ivy 
covering  the  rude  building  materials  with  the  glossy  sheen  of  its  leaves. 
Who  planted  these  ?  Somebody,  surely,  and  in  doing  so  could  not  have 
thought  of  themselves  alone,  but  of  those  who  were  to  follow  them  in  the 
years  to  come.  Are  they  not  apjireciated,  and  would  not  fruit  be  equally 
as  highly  thought  of  ? — J.  Shalford. 
