February  2,  ISOP. 
JOURXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDEXER. 
79 
The  rainfall  was  deficient,  therefore,  practically  over  tlie  whole  of 
our  islands,  the  deficiency  hein"  greatest  over  the  soutli  and  south¬ 
eastern  parts  of  England.  In  tlie  extren'.e  north,  however,  there  was 
an  excess  of  rainfall,  Sumburgh  Head  (Shetland  Isles),  for  instance, 
reporting  5  inches  of  rain  more  than  the  average.  Taking  onr  islands 
as  a  whole,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  dryest  months  of  ttie  year  were 
January  and  July,  although  over  the  south-eastern  counties  September 
was  by  far  the  most  deficient  in  rainfall. 
The  mean  temperature  of  the  twelve  months  is  considerably  in 
excess  of  the  average.  In  the  second  table  given,  the  means  for  each 
month,  and  also  for  the  year,  at  eight  stations  situated  over  our  islands, 
will  be  seen. 
The  Tempekatures  of  1898  and  Departures  from  Average. 
1898  Aberd’n 
Leith 
York 
Liverp’l  Valencia  Bristol  Cambridge 
London 
degs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
January 
42-5 
44-8 
4:!-3 
450 
48-G 
44  3 
42-4 
43-3 
FebruHry 
38-2 
40-4 
39-7 
41-4 
45-4 
4-2 -0 
3!l’9 
41-2 
March.  ... 
40-6 
41-4 
39-4 
40-4 
4V4 
40-3 
39-8 
40  G 
April 
45'  1 
47-l> 
40  4 
47-3 
481 
47-7 
47-5 
49 '3 
May  ... 
46-9 
49-2 
49  3 
49-9 
51-2 
51-5 
51-4 
.52 -9 
June 
53-8 
.^G-4 
5G-1 
66  .5 
.55 -9 
57-3 
57-2 
58  7 
July 
60  ti 
59  1 
58-9 
58-8 
59-5 
Gl-2 
GO-5 
63-0 
August  ... 
57-3 
59  4 
60-7 
Gl-2 
60  9 
G2-7 
G3-6 
65-6 
September 
5t)'3 
58-1 
68-8 
o8-8 
60-9 
69-5 
61-8 
G2-8 
October ... 
50‘o 
51-5 
52'5 
52-3 
54-4 
52-9 
53-5 
54 -2 
November 
41-8 
43'1 
44-4 
45  4 
48-3 
45-8 
45  4 
46-4 
December 
42-4 
450 
44-4 
4G'6 
490 
46-G 
43'8 
45 -4 
Mean, 1898 
47-7 
49-7 
49-5 
50-3 
52-1 
51-1 
50-G 
51-9 
Av.  mean 
4G-3 
47-8 
47  9 
48-8 
51-0 
49-2 
48'7 
50-0 
Departure  1 
£m.  av’age  j’ 
+  1-4 
+  1-9 
+  1-6 
4-1-5 
+  1-1 
+  1-9 
+  1-9 
+  1-9 
The  means  are  those  of  the  daily  maximum  and  minimum  read¬ 
ings,  and  are  uncorrected  for  diurnal  range.  With  the  exception  of 
March,  May,  June  and  July,  the  means  for  each  month  are  welt  above 
the  average,  the  greatest  excess  being  shown  by  the  two  winter 
months,  January  and  December.  The  temperature  of  December 
especially  was  extraordinarily  high;  at  Liverpool  and  Bristol  the 
means  for  the  month  closely  approach  that  of  an  ordinary  April,  while 
at  Valencia  the  mean  exceeded  it. 
Atmospheric  pressure  over  our  islands  ranged  from  a  maximum  of 
30  60  inches  and  more  during  the  last  half  of  January,  over  the 
southern  counties  of  England  ;  to  a  minimum  of  28  30  inches  and  less 
in  the  north  of  Scotland  on  the  28th  of  December.  Snowstorms,  as 
might  be  expected,  were  not  much  in  evidence  during  the  year. 
There  were  only  two  falls  of  importance ;  the  first  an  exceedingly 
heavy,  but  rather  local  storm,  affecting  the  counties  of  Hants,  Devon, 
Ltorset,  and  Somerset,  on  the  21st  and  22nd  of  February;  and  the 
second,  a  lall  chiefly  affecting  the  north  and  north-west  of  England, 
on  the  22nd  and  23rd  of  Hovember. 
Thunderstorms  were  chiefly  prevalent  during  June  and  August. 
They  were  very  severe  and  brilliant  over  the  south-west  of  England,  on 
the  18th  and  21st  of  the  latter  month.  One  of  the  features  of  the  year 
was  the  frequent  displays  of  aurora;  on  the  9th  of  September  especially 
one  occurred  of  e,\ceptional  brilliancy,  which  was  visible  over  almost 
the  whole  of  our  islands. 
Gales  were  not  very  prevalent  during  the  year.  The  severest 
occurred  on  the  24th,  25th,  and  26th  of  March,  from  the  north-east, 
generally  over  our  islands  ;  on  the  17th  and  18th  of  October,  from  the 
east,  over  our  northern  districts;  and  on  the  27th  of  E)ecember,  from 
the  south  and  south-west,  over  the  greater  'part  of  the  kingdom. — 
H.  H.  Harding,  F.B.Met.Soc. 
Hippeastrum  procerum.  —  Although  this  beautiful  plant)  was 
Jrnown  thirty  years  ago,  it  is  still  very  rare,  and  is  found  only  in  the 
gardens  of  a  few  bulb  specialists.  It  is  a  native  of  Brazil,  and  resenobles 
— so  far  as  the  bulb  is  concerned — some  of  the  Crinums  rather  than  the 
garden  Hippeastrums,  being  often  2  feet  long,  and  covered  with  dry  mem¬ 
braneous  scales.  In  the  T  Range  at  Kew  a  fine  specimen  is  now  in 
flower,  and  it  is  a  considerable  source  of  interest  to  all  who  see  it.  The 
bulb  of  this  plant  is  2  feet  long,  and  from  it  a  stout  scape  bearing  seven 
flowers  is  produced.  The  flowers  are  6  inches  long  and  6  inches  across 
the  mouth.  The  dominant  colour  is  a  pretty  pale  blue,  the  throat  being 
white  with  numerous  blue  spots,  and  the  lower  portion  of  the  on  er 
surface  of  the  sepals  and  the  stalks  reddish  brown.  The  leaves,  when 
mature,  are^  or  2  feet  long,  l^inch  wide,  strap-shaped  and  curved. 
A  figure  of  this  plant  is  to  be  seen  in  the  ‘  Botanical  Magazine,” 
t.  5883,  under  the  name  of  “  Amaryllis  Ra}  neri.”  The  plant  from  which 
mat  figure  was  taken  was  flowered  by  Dr.  Rayner  of  Uxbridge  in 
November,  1870.  According  to  the  description,  that  plant  must” have 
been  much  weaker  than  the  one  at  Kew,  for  the  bulb  was  only  10  inches 
long,  and  the  flowers  smaller  ;  the  colour  was  also  slightly  different.  A 
second  plant  at  Kew  may  be  seen  planted  ont  in  the  Mexican  house, 
where  i  is  growing  well  but  has  not  yet  flowered. — W.  D, 
THE  “LIFE  AND  FOOD”  OF  PLANTS. 
The  remarks  of  IMr.  Willis  in  your  issue  of  last  week  (page  59) 
have  vividly  recalled  to  my  memory  the  “eye-opener”  I  experienced 
with  regard  to  the  food  and  functions  of  plants  when,  nearly  sixty 
years  since,  I  bad  “  Lindley’s  Theory  of  Horticulture”  added  to  my 
then  very  scant  library.  Some  of  the  theories  of  that  work  are  now 
considered  obsolete,  but  the  setting  forth  of  the  parts  that  gases  play 
in  plant  life  are  not  so. 
My  object  just  now  is  to  call  the  attention  of  your  voung  readers 
who  are  in  the  same  stage  of  development  as  Liudley’s  book  found 
me  when  it  was  published,  and  to  ask  them  to  ponder  the  last 
paragraph  of  Mr.  Willis’s  article. 
The  fact  Mr.  Willis  there  states  is  that  95  per  cent,  of  the  food  of 
plants  is  drawn  from  atmospheric  sources  and  5  per  cent,  is  obtained 
trom  the  soil.  I  have  no  doubt  this  may  startle  some  who  have 
hitherto  not  given  any  heed  to  the  elements  of  plants  and  their  .sources 
ot  food  and  life.  It  may  also  he  a  lesson  to  their  elders  who  have  not 
thought  of  the  subject ;  and  to  all  it  cannot  fail  to  appear  that  the 
lesson  hears  most  of  all  on  the  culture  of  plants  and  fruits  under  glass. 
Thanks  to  cheap  glass,  trade  competition,  and  improved  structures 
British  gardeners  are  now  more  than  ever  able  to  apply  with  the 
greatest  nicety  heat  and  atmospheric  moisture  to  the  plants  and  fruits 
of  warmer  climes.  The  days  ot  thin  glass,  small  panes,  numerous 
laps  and  rickety  sashes,  also  sometimes  deleterious  gas  from  old  flues 
are  long  since  forgotten  and  have  never  been  known  by  but  few  of 
this  generation.  It  cannot,  however,  be  denied  that  the  means  for 
supplying  the  two  elements  named — heat  and  moisture— in  due  and 
•proper  proportions  are  attended  with  evils  that  have  to  be  reckoned 
with  if  the  healthiest  plant  life  has  to  be  secured. 
The  almost  air-tight  manner  in  which  hothouses  are  now  con¬ 
structed,  with  large  sheets  of  glass  and  tight-fitting  laps,  in  itself 
gives  a  great  advantage  to  present  day  cultivators  over  those  of  the 
earlier  part  of  the  century,  in  as  far  as  the  greater  amount  of  light 
and  the  application  of  heat  are  concerned ;  yet  as  p>lant  life  is, 
perhaps,  as  sensitive  to  a  self-corrupted  atmosphere  as  is  animal  life,  the 
almost  air-tight  manner  in  which  hothouses  are  now  constructed  favours 
the  production  of  an  impure,  and  what  may  be  called  an  enervating 
condition  of  the  air  which  they  enclose,  and  prevents  a  natural  change 
of  air.  It  is  only  required  to  read  Mr.  Willis’s  closing  sentences  to  be 
impressed  with  the  necessity  of  having  a  const.ant  supply  of  fresh  air, 
under  tlie  influence  of  which  plants  can  live  and  flourish. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  enter  into  the  practical  details  of  how  this 
circulation  of  fresh  air  can  be  admitted  to  glass  honse.s,  for  that  is  a 
very  easy  matter  to  accomplish  according  to  individual  circumotance.s. 
The  chief  point  is  to  he  thoroughly  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
it.  Let  me  strongly  advise  those  who  are  entering  on  a  horticultural 
career  to  thoroughly  study  the  elements  and  food  of  plants  and  their 
functions. 
I  am  almost  afraid,  Mr.  Editor,  fhat  it  may  encroach  too  much  on 
your  valuable  space,  and  try  the  patience  of  some  of  your  readers,  but 
now  I  have  pen  in  hand  I  would  like  to  look  back  a  little  and 
refer  to  some  of  the  good  results  of  methods  that  are  now  obsolete. 
As  you  know,  old  men,  when  they  get  shunted  into  a  siding,  are  apt 
to  live  perhaps  too  much  in  the  past.  What  I  am  thinking  of  is  that 
the  march  of  horticultural  progress  has  carried  us  almost  entirely  out 
of  the  sight  of  the  fermenting  hotbed  composed  of  stable  litter  and 
leaves.  The  clank  of  the  engineer’s  hammer  has  completely  drowned 
the  thud  of  the  manure  fork.  Who  regrets  this  ?  Still  it  becomes  a 
question  whether  in  the  improved  appliances  of  supplying  warmth  and 
moisture  we  have  not  left  behind  us  some  poteut-for-good  condition 
consequent  on  the  use  of  hotbeds  and  “  McPhail”  heated  pits. 
Who  that  has  used  these  does  not  remember  and  know  how  well 
many  plants  used  to  thrive  by  these  old  appliances — how  many  a 
sickly  plant  when  placed  in  these  pits  and  frames  experienced  almost  a 
resurrection  from  the  dead  ?  The  sere  and  yellow  leaf  found  in  them 
a  sanatorium,  and  became  green  and  full  of  substance  under  the 
influence  of  the  gases  evolved  by  the  fermenting  stable  litter  and 
leaves.  The  largest  Pine  Apples  that  1  or  others  ever  grew  were 
produced  under  the  influence  of  these  old  methods;  witness  the  16  lbs. 
Providences  grown  in  the  early  forties  at  Gunnersbury  Park,  and  the 
rand  Smooth  Cayennes  at  Frogmore  in  what  were  called  dung  pits. 
The  finest  early  Black  Hamburgh  Grapes  I  ever  faw  ripened  in  April 
were  grown  with  a  bed  of  fermenting  material  on  the  inside  border, 
and  many  other  things  might  be  mentioned. 
These  remarks  are  not  made  under  the  remotest  idea  of  recom¬ 
mending  a  return  to  these  laborious  and  untidy  methods  of  supplying 
heat  and  nourishing  gases.  This  is  far  too  expeditious  and  advanced 
an  age  for  that. 
What  I  want  to  do  is  to  ask  onr  scientists,  like  Mr.  Willis  and 
others,  if  it  he  not  within  the  bounds  of  possibility  to  charge  our 
hothouse  atmospheres  with  what  was  evolved  from  the  old  fernientiug 
material  with  such  good  results.  I  have  myself  attempted  something 
like  it  by  evaporating  the  soluble  portions  of  the  fine  old  Peruvian 
