May  4,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
IVXBTSOROXiOCXCA.1.  OBS&RVATZOirS  AT  CHZSWZCK. 
— Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens— height  above 
sea  level  24  feet. 
D.ate. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
, 
1  Kain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
!  Lowest 
Temperature 
1  on  Grass. 
1893. 
A,pril. 
At  9  A.M.  Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
-•D 
7i 
HH 
-t-9 
O 
o 
■Siinilay  .  .23 
Monday.  .24 
Tiie.sday  2.5 
Wed’sday  26 
Tliursday  27 
Friday  ..23 
Saturday  29 
S.S.E. 
s.s.w. 
s.s.w. 
W.N.AV. 
N. 
S.  W. 
w.s.w. 
deg. 
50*2 
51*3 
61-9 
50 -.4 
53- 0 
54- 8 
55- 2 
deg. 
43-8 
47*0 
50*9 
46*5 
48*5 
53-2 
51-5 
deg. 
52*4 
52*8 
55*6 
54-6 
59- 9 
60- 5 
59*9 
deg. 
40*6 
44-1 
46-2 
43*4 
39-9 
46*9 
50*6 
ins. 
0*02 
0*29 
0*14 
0  03 
0-11 
deg. 
46*9 
48*5 
49T 
49*4 
49*5 
51*3 
52*2 
deg. 
47*9 
47*9 
48*1 
48*5 
48*7 
49  T 
49*6 
deg. 
47  "2 
47*2 
47*5 
47*5 
47*8 
47*8 
47*9 
deg. 
34  •2 
41*0 
45*2 
37*6 
31*1 
41*5 
44-8 
Means  .. 
52-5 
48  8 
58*5 
44*5 
Total 
0*59 
48*1 
48*5 
47*6 
43*6 
The  weather  during  the  pa-t  week  has  been  reaiarkablo  for  cold 
Tains  and  wind,  with  bright  sunsl  ine  at  intervals. 
-  Sussex  Weather.— The  total  rainfall  at  Stonehurst,  Ardingly, 
for  the  past  month  was  3'25  inches,  being  1*50  inch  above  the  average. 
The  heaviest  fall  was  0’70  inch  on  the  2lst.  Rain  fell  on  twenty  days. 
The  maximum  temperature  was  67“,  on  the  28th  ;  the  minimum,  30°,  on 
the  12th.  Mean  maximum,  55  26°;  mean  minimum,  39  28°.  Mean 
temperature,  47*27° — about  the  average.  The  weather  up  to  the  15th 
was  wet,  dull,  and  cold  ;  since  then  more  favourable.  Fruit  bloom  is 
abundant,  strong,  and  promising,  but  it  has  been  retarded. — R.  I. 
-  April  Weather  at  Belvoir  Castle,  Grantham.— The 
•wind  was  in  a  westerly  direction  twenty  two  days.  The  total  rainfall 
was  2  09  inches,  which  fell  on  twet.ty-three  days,  and  is  0*29  inch  above 
the  average  for  the  month.  The  greatest  daily  full  was  0*28  inch  on  the 
I3th.  Barometer  (corrected  to  sea  level  and  reduced  to  32°)  :  Highest 
reading  30-283  inches  on  the  22ad  at  9  P.M.,  lowest  reading  29*001  inches 
on  the  13th  at  9  P.M.  Thermometers  :  highest  in  the  shade  63°  on  the  1st, 
lowest  24°  on  the  I7th.  Mean  of  daily  maxima  51*93°,  mean  of  daily  minima 
39*06°.  Mean  temperature  of  the  month  45*49°  ;  lowest  on  the  grass  17°  on 
the  17ch  and  18lh,  highest  in  the  sun  118’  on  the  5th.  Mean  temperature 
of  the  earth  at  3  feet  in  depth,  4‘l*43°.  Total  sunshine  110  hours  15  minutes. 
There  were  three  sunless  days. — W.  H.  Divers. 
-  Daffodils  for  Amateurs. — Now  that  the  thoughts  of 
•everyone  are  directed  towards  the  Daffodil,  let  mo  say  a  word  on  its 
behalf  for  the  beautifying  of  the  small  gardens  of  amateurs  and  cottagers. 
These  are  often  bare  and  cheerless  in  the  spring,  because  the  price  of 
«uch  bulbs  as  Hyacinths  and  Tulips  is  prohibitive  to  their  owners.  The 
«amc  might  be  said  of  Daffodils,  but  we  must  remember  that  they  are 
permanent,  and,  moreover,  multiply.  Two  years  ago  I  was  the  fortunate 
•recipient  of  a  few  bulbs  of  N.  Golden  Spur,  Horsefieldi,  Sir  Waikin, 
Emperor,  and  others.  They  were  planted  in  various  positions  in  my 
jgarden,  and  have  been  admired  by  all  who  have  seen  them.  Up  to  the 
present  they  have  not  been  disturbed,  but  they  have  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  I  am  now  in  a  position  to  supply  the  wants  of  covetous 
sieighbours,— A  Country  Amateur. 
-  Quassia.— The  trees  which  furnish  so  many  economical  pro¬ 
ducts  from  the  more  tropical  regions  are,  in  many  cases,  getting  scarce, 
and  those  who  deal  in  drugs  are  continually  kept  on  the  watch  for 
•other  species  of  trees  having  similar  properties  to  replace  the  original 
ones.  There  is  the  Quassia,  which  is  a  small  tree  growing  in  British 
'Guiana,  botanically  known  as  Quassia  amara,  and  is  getting  nearly 
exterminated  ;  and  another  tree,  known  as  the  Bitter  Ash— botani¬ 
cally  as  Picraena  excelsa — is  largely  ured  for  the  same  purpose  that 
'Quassia  chips  are  used.  An  infusion  or  tea  made  of  Quassia  chips  is 
■especially  destructive  to  the  green  fly  and  other  insects,  which  are  so 
troublesome  to  the  ladies  who  grow  their  own  flowers  in  conservatories. 
The  usual  remedies  applied  by  commercial  men  in  the  shape  of  kero¬ 
sene  emulsion,  tobacco  smoke,  tobacco  water,  and  other  things,  are 
more  or  less  offensive,  while  Quassia  tea  has  no  objectionable  features 
whatever,  and  is  just  as  effective.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  an 
infusion  of  Quassia  should  be  so  destructive  to  the  lower  orders  of 
animal  life,  and  yet  bo  so  harmless  to  the  human  system.  Ono  may 
■drink  it  as  we  drink  Chinese  tea  without  any  serious  consequence. — 
{(“Meehan’s  Monthly.’’) 
ZG'6 
-  Presentation  at  Lewisham.— On  leaving  Ryecroft  Nursery, 
Mr.  W.  Wright,  who  had  been  foreman  for  eight  years,  was  presented 
with  a  marble  timepiece  by  the  rest  cf  the  employes  as  a  token  of  their 
esteem  for  a  genial  fellow  worker.  Mr.  Mackenzie,  in  making  the  pre¬ 
sentation,  thanked  Mr.  Wright  for  his  unfailing  courtesy  to  all  those 
placed  under  him,  and,  on  behalf  of  all,  wished  him  prosperity  in  his  future 
career. — II.  S. 
-  The  Extension  of  Kew  Gardens.  —  On  Monday  the 
grounds  of  the  Queen’s  Cottage  at  Kew  were  for  the  first  time  thrown 
open  to  the  public  as  an  extension  of  Kew  Gardens.  There  was  no 
opening  ceremony,  the  gates  of  the  fence  that  separate  these  grounds 
from  the  rest  of  the  Gardens  being  simply  unlocked  at  twelve  o’clock  in 
the  presence  of  Sir  W.  Thiselton  Dyer.the  Director,  The  addition  has  been 
made  in  commemoration  of  the  Diamond  Jubilee,  but  there  were  only 
a  few  hundreds  of  visitors  to  the  place  during  the  day. 
-  The  Bud  Moth  Caterpillar, — This  pest  attacks  other 
orchard  trees  besides  Apples,  and  the  word  “Apple”  in  the  heading 
of  my  notes  of  last  week  was  too  restrictive.  I  have  found  the  caterpillars 
on  Pear  trees  as  well  as  cn  Apples,  also  winter  moth  caterpillars  on  both. 
Mr.  Hooper  of  Swanley  informs  me  that  he  has  found  a  specimen  of  the 
bud  moth  caterpillar  on  an  Apple  tree.  Mr.  Wilfred  Youngman  of 
Charsfield,  Suffolk,  has  sent  me  some  specimens  of  the  red  moth 
caterpillar.  He  says  he  has  noticed  them  for  years  past,  but  had  not  been 
able  to  identify  them. — William  E.  Bear. 
-  Hoya  BELLA. — In  a  strong  moist  heat  this  charming  little 
Hoya  does  well,  and  as  it  is  very  easily  propagated  and  quickly  grown 
we  should  see  more  joung  healthy  specimens  of  it.  In  many  places 
one  comes  across  old  insect-infested  plants  of  it  as  thick  as  a  Thorn 
hedge,  and  a  few  flowers,  but  young  vigorous  plants  well  established  in 
baskets  of  rather  poor  material  flower  abundantl}",  and  are  very 
striking.  Each  shoot  will  have  its  flower  umbel,  and  the  single  blossoms 
are  extremely  pretty  with  frosted  white  petals  and  an  amethyst  purp'e 
centre.  Rough  peat,  loam,  and  a  few  nodules  of  charcoal  suit  it  well  tor 
compost. — H.  R. 
-  Browallia  speciosa  major. — This  is  a  plant  that  should 
have  a  future  before  it,  by  reason  of  its  freedom  of  flowering,  its  bright 
blue  colour,  and  distinctly  pleasing  aspect  as  a  pot  plant.  It  is  easi^’^  raised 
from  seeds,  but  for  some  strange  reason  1  have  failed  to  find  it  offered  in 
tny  seed  catalogue  until  this  year.  I  have  not  seen  it  used  as  a  summer 
bedding  plant,  but  I  presume  it  will,  if  it  does  not  already,  figure  in 
up-to-date  bedding.  It  is  distinctly  superior  in  every  particular  to  the 
older  and  once  popular  B.  elatior,  and  can  be  had  in  flower  almost  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year.  Those  requiring  variety  in  pot  plants  ought  not  to 
miss  the  chance  of  getting  seeds  at  once  and  sow. — R.  A. 
-  Golden  Primrose  John  Wilkinson.  —  Last  year  your 
correspondent  “  N.  N.,”  w'hose  communications  one  reads  with  interest, 
fent  some  flowers  of  this  plant  to  the  Journal  office  and  to  the  writer.  It 
may  be  remembered  that  I  ventured  to  speak  favourably  of  the  flower, 
which  is,  as  I  remarked,  really  a  Polyanthus.  Through  the  kindness  of 
“  N.  N.”  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  testing  the  plant  by  growing  ir, 
and  it  is  only  due  to  him  to  say  that  it  is  more  than  satisfactory,  and  that 
it  fully  surpasses  the  expectations  formed  of  it  last  year.  It  is  very 
free  flowering,  and  the  effect  produced  by  its  golden-yellow  flowers  is 
e.xceedingly  fine.— S.  Arnott. 
-  Canary  Guano. — A  sample  of  this  fertiliser,  as  advertised  by 
the  Chemical  Union,  Ltd.,  Ipswich,  has  been  sent  to  us  for  an  opinion 
thereon.  We  can  substantiate  the  claim  for  it  that  “  it  is  perfectly  clean 
and  may  be  used  by  a  lady,”  and  to  this  can  add  if  it  be  applied  in 
solution  to  the  soil  in  which  plants  are  growing  in  a  boudoir,  its  use 
would  not  be  detected — except  by  the  plants.  The  fertiliser  is  in  the 
form  of  fine  dry  grey  powder,  and  readily  dissolves  in  water.  The 
familiar  odour  of  guano  is  present,  though  evidently  “  masked,”  as  the 
doctors  say,  by  something  else.  We  once  had  some  manure  sent  to  us 
for  trial,  and  after  observing  that  small  or  largo  doses  had  the  same 
effect,  or  no  eflect,  on  Auriculas,  w'e  potted  a  couple  of  plants  in  it. 
I  hey  grew  very  well  throughout  the  season,  and  thus  ended  the  use 
of  that  particular  manuie.  If  it  possessed  the  merit  of  containing 
nothing  in  it  to  injure  plants  on  the  one  hand,  it  contained  nothing  to 
benefit  them  on  the  other.  It  is  not  the  same  with  canary  guano,  fer 
after  a  few  short  experiments  with  it  on  Hyacinths  in  pots,  it  was 
evidently  enjoyed  by  some  to  which  it  was  properly  applied,  while 
others,  which  were  purposely  overdosed,  had  a  struggle  for  life.  There 
is  thus  “  something  in  it,”  and  the  clean  powder  must  be  used  accord- 
ir^  to  instructions  for  obtaining  the  best  results  that  it  is  capable  of 
producing. 
