295 
JOURXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GAR^DENER, 
1VXETEOROX.OGXCAX  OBSZSRVATXOItTS  AT  CHXSWXCK. 
— Taken  in  the  Eoyal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens— height  above 
sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
c 
W 
Temperature  of 
tlie  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowe.st 
Temperature 
on  Gra.ss. 
1899. 
April. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
l-l't. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
o 
S’ 
■J1 
9 
o 
.‘Sunday  . .  2 
]\Ionday..  3 
Tuesday  4 
4Ved’sday  5 
Thursday  (i 
Friday  . .  7 
.Saturday  8 
S.S.AV. 
w.s.w. 
S..S.W. 
W.N.W. 
w.s.w. 
.s.s.w, 
W.N.W. 
deg. 
49-5 
49-8 
51-9 
53-8 
46-8 
4()-4 
deg. 
4ST 
4e-9 
48-6 
4(1-8 
4y8 
45-5 
41-9 
deg. 
51  '5 
60-6 
54-2 
58-5 
60-3 
.52-3 
47-5 
deg. 
47-4 
47- 8 
44- 9 
42-1 
48- 4 
45- 9 
41-3 
ins. 
0-07 
0.02 
0-09 
0-13 
0-08 
deg. 
49-1 
49-5 
48-9 
48- 0 
49- 4 
50- 2 
47*4 
deg. 
45-9 
40-5 
47-1 
47-1 
47-3 
47-9 
47-9 
deg. 
44-2 
44- 6 
45- 1 
4.5-4 
45-8 
45-8 
40-2 
deg. 
40-8 
45-5 
37-1 
33-2 
39-4 
37-8 
32-6 
Means  .. 
50-0 
4G-S 
55-0 
45-4 
Total 
0-39 
48-9 
47-1 
45-3 
38-1 
A  week  of  south  and  north-westerly  gales,  with  some  showers,  and 
storms  of  rain,  snow,  hail,  and  sleet  on  the  8th. 
-  March  Weather  at  Dowlais.— Rainfall,  2-22  inches,  which 
fell  on  ten  days.  Greatest  fall,  1'09  inch  on  the  25th.  Total  for  the 
past  quarter,  19'07  inches.  Tem])eratures  :  mean  maximum,  52°  ;  highest 
reading,  73°  on  the  15th  ;  mean  minimum,  27’871°  ;  lowest  reading, 
12°  on  the  22nd.  The  lowest  readings  we  have  had  were  on  the 
following  dates  20th  15°,  21st  13°,  22nd  12°,  23rd  17°,  24th  16°  ;  below 
freezing  point  on  twenty-two  days,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  190° 
of  frost.  The  wind  was  in  the  N.E.  and  E.  on  thirteen  days,  and  in  the 
t?.W.  and  W.  on  ten  days.  There  were  seven  sunless  days.  Very  cold 
winds  pn  the  whole  throughout  the  month.— Wm.  Mabbott. 
-  Genetyllis  tultpifera. — In  the  days  when  many  establish¬ 
ments  boasted  a  cool  house,  which  in  the  summer  w’as  resplendent  with 
Azaleas,  and  Heaths  were  rarely  out  of  bloom,  the  pretty  Tulip-flowered 
Genetyllis  was  often  to  be  seen.  I  have  not  met  with  a  plant  of  it  for  some 
time,  but  think  it  is  attractive  and  useful  enough  to  be  grown  more.  A 
cool  greenhouse  is  suitable  for  it,  and  if  given  the  same  treatment  as  is 
applied  to  the  Myrtles,  to  which  order  it  belongs,  the  Genetyllis  rarely 
fails  to  bloom  freely.  The  Tulip-shaped  flower  is  both  pretty  and  graceful, 
and  the  usefulness  of  the  plant  lies  chiefl3'  in  the  long  time  which  it  keeps 
in  bloom.  Like  most  other  hardwooded  plants,  it  should  be  potted  firmly', 
and  it  appreciates  peaty  soil  and  sand.  Care  with  watering  is  also  neces¬ 
sary,  for  if  the  plant  suffers  through  lack  of  moisture,  it  becomes  unsightly, 
on  account  of  the  leaves  falling. — H.  A. 
-  Cnited  States  Forests. — A  strong  effort  is  being  made  in 
the  United  States  to  arrest  the  demolition  of  the  forests  of  the  country, 
which  has  been  proceeding  at  an  alarming  pace  for  a  great  number  of 
years  According  to  a  statement  issued  by  the  American  Newspaper 
Publishers’  Association,  the  denudation  of  forest  land  in  the  four  States 
of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  and  New  York  is  progressing  at  the 
rate  of  1700  square  miles  per  annum.  If  this  goes  on  without  a  check,  it 
will  not  be  many  j'ears  before  the  timber  supplies  of  the  country  will 
grow  short,  and  this  is  only  one  point  for  consideration.  In  consequence 
of  denuding  the  country  of  trees,  it  is  said  the  level  of  important  rivers 
and  lakes  has  been  steadily  declining,  and  some  of  the  North-Western 
lakes  have  been  dried  up.  Another  result,  says  the  “  Standard,”  is  a 
decrease  in  the  rainfall,  seriously  injurious  to  the  agricultural  interest, 
■ -  Chester  Paxton  Society^ — The  closing  meeting  for  the 
present  session  was  held  at  the  Grosvenor  Museum  on  Saturday,  when 
Mr.  Robert  Wakefield,  Newton  Hall  Gardens,  read  a  paper  on  “  Hardy 
Herbaceous  Flowers.”  Mr.  Wakefield  has  of  late  years  been  recognised 
as  one  of  the  most  successful  cultivators  of  herbaceous  flowers  in  this 
district,  his  exhibition  collections  invariably  carrying  off  first  honours 
at  the  local  flower  shows,  and  his  paper  on  Saturday  bore  evidence  of 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  all  the  best  varieties  of  flowers  in  this  interest¬ 
ing  class.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks  he  gave  a  list  of  the  varieties 
best  adapted'  for  general  cultivation,  making  special  reference  to  those 
best  suited  for  decorative  purposes.  He  also  explained  in  detail  the 
peculiar  methods  of  cultivation  some  require  before  they  can  be  grown  to 
perfection.  An  interesting  discussion  followed,  after  which  a  hearty  vote 
of  thanks  was  accorded  to  !Mr.  Wakefield  for  what  proved  to  be  an 
interesting  and  instructive  paper 
April'  13,  1899.' 
-  Pot  Fruit  Trees. — When  at  Easthorpe,  Reading,  not  long 
since,  I  was  much  impressed  with  the  appearance  of  some  twelve  or  so 
quite  large  bush  Pears  that  were  growing  in  14-inch  pots  and 
standing  outdoors,  where  practically  they  were  shifting  for  themselves. 
The  main  stems  were  as  big  round  as  a  man’s  arm.  Each  tree  was  some 
7  feet  in  height,  very  robust,  of  course  kept  hard  spurred,  yet  the 
picture  of  rude  health,  and  studded  all  over  with  fruit  spurs.  They  had 
been  in  the  pots  several  years,  getting  only  frequent  dressings  of  dry 
artificial  manure  and  soakings  of  liquid  manure.  It  was  interesting  to 
notice  how  robust  and  productive  these  trees  could  be  with  such  restricted 
root  area.  They  had  become  too  large  for  the  orchard  house,  and  wilk 
probably  be  plunged  in  the  open  ground  for  the  summer. — A.  H. 
-  Beschorneria  tubiplora. — This  is  one  of  the  most  showy 
of  the  half  dozen  or  so  species  cultivated  in  gardens,  and  is  worthy  a  place 
either  as  a  foliage  or  flowering  plant.  It  is  a  native  of  Mexico,  and  has 
been  described  under  the  name  of  B.  Coliniana,  this  name  being  sunk  in 
favour  of  the  former.  On  a  well-grown  plant  the  leaves  are  about  3  feet 
long,  by  3|  inches  wide.  They  are  green,  and  beautifully  striated  witE 
silvery  lines,  which  vary  considerably  in  width.  On  the  young  leaves 
the  markings  are  very  distinct,  fading  as  they  get  older.  When  young 
the  leaves  are  upright,  assuming  a  drooping  habit  with  age.  The  flowers 
are  green,  IJ  to  2  inches  long,  and  tubular.  They  are  borne  on  racemes 
6  to  9  inches  long,  on  the  upper  two-thirds  of  a  scape  5^  feet  high.  The 
scape  is  reddish  brown  with  a  glaucous  covering.  At  the  base  of  each 
branch  a  rosy  pink  bract  is  produced,  6  inches  long  by  1^  inch  wide.. 
Taken  as  a  whole,  the  bright  coloured  scape,  and  bracts  with  their 
glaucous  covering  and  the  pretty  green  flowers,  an  attractive  object  is 
made.  A  plant  is  now  to  be  seen  in  flower  in  the  Mexican  house  at  Kew,. 
where  planted  out  it  looks  perfectly  happy.  A  figure  of  this  species- 
may  be  seen  in  the  “  Botanical  Magazine,”  t.  4642. — W.  D. 
-  Some  Edible  Flowers. — To  give  soups  a  spicy  odour  the 
flowers  of  Hemerocallis  graminea  are  used  in  China.  Seven  million 
pounds  of  these  are  shipped  yearly  from  the  port  of  Tsching-Kaing  ta 
other  parts  of  China,  besides  being  imported  to  Japan.  The  sweet  fleshy 
flower  heads  of  Bassia  latifolia  are  eaten  in  the  East  Indies.  They 
resemble  little  Figs  or  large  raisins  both  in  appearance  as  well  as  in. 
flavour.  In  order  to  preserve  them  they  are  sun-dried,  and  they  contain- 
65  per  cent,  sugar.  They  are  eaten  without  preparation,  but  they  can 
also  be  baked  with  roasted  wheat  kernels,  or  can  be  made,  into  a  sort  of 
ragout.  The  fleshy  fruits  of  the  different  kinds  of  the  Bassia  contain  an 
oil  which  turns  rancid  very  easih',  but  which  retains  the  consistency  of 
butter  in  ordinary  temperature.  This  accounts  for  the  popular  name 
“  Butter  Tree.”  Coupin  further  mentions,  sa^’s  our  American  contem¬ 
porary  “  Gardening,”  a  species  of  Colligonum  which  is  plentiful  in  the 
dry  prairies  of  the  Southern  Lahore.  These  small  trees  or  shrubs  pro¬ 
duce  numerous  i-mall  rose-red  flowers,  which  emit  a  pleasant  but 
intoxicating  fragrance,  similar  to  that  of  ripe  Strawberries,  and  remind 
one,  like  those  of  the  Bassia.  of  small  dried  Figs,  These  flowers  are 
baked  with  flour  or  eaten  with  roast  meat  after  they  have  been  kept  in 
stone  jars  at  least  one  night. 
-  Cinerarias. — Are  the  flowers  of  these  plants  becoming  too 
large,  and  are  we  in  danger  of  losing  in  them  true  quality  in  form  and 
substance,  because  of  the  increase  of  size  ?  When  flowers  measure  from- 
4  inches  to  5  inches  across,  surely  they  are  not  only  big  enough  to  satisfy 
the  ambition  of  any  grower,  but  are  large  enough  to  satisfy  any  require¬ 
ments.  But  then  what  is  the  gain  when  such  huge  flowers  result?' 
Certainly  fewer  of  them  on  a  plant,  and  some  material  loss  of 
form  and  substance.  Blooms  that  range  from  2i  to  3  inches  across  are 
really  very  large  and  greatly  beyond  the  dimensions  of  flowers  that  were 
esteemed  of  the  best  by  the  old  florists.  However,  the  Cineraria  is  now 
hardly  regarded  at  all  as  of  the  flowers.  It  is  a  first-rate  green¬ 
house  and  conservatory  plant,  and  very  effective  when  well  grown 
and  of  a  good  strain.  But  in  the  old  days  there  were  numerous  good 
named  varieties  propagated  from  year  to  year  through  the  agency  of 
offshoots  or  suckers.  Now  we  trust  entirely  to  seed,  and  although  there 
are  superb  varieties  that  have  been  in  years  past  as  seedlings  named 
and  certificated,  still  propagated  in  this  wa}',  yet  they  are  not  put  inta 
commerce,  the  plants  grown  ordinarily  being  raised  from  seed  solely. 
Cinerarias  suffer  somewhat  from  being  forced  in  heat,  which  they 
neither  like  nor  need,  but  al.so  from  soil  too  rich,  producing  foliage  of 
much  too  luxuriant  form  at  the  expense  later  of  the  flower  heads, 
and  of  overpotting,  which  often  leads  to  root-damping,  and  sometimes 
sudden  collapse  of  the  plants.  The  finest  collection  in  the  kingdom  of 
Cinerarias  is  grown  cool,  never  overpotted,  and  always  shows  good  balance 
between  leafage  and  bloom. — Wanderer. 
