406 
JOURXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  18,  1859’. 
Eecent  AVeathee  in  London.— The  amount  of  rain  that  has 
fallen  in  the  metropolis  since  Saturday  last  has  been  very  considerable, 
though  showers  with  intermittent  sunshine  have  been  the  order  of  the 
day.  On  Tuesday  a  heavy  thunderstorm  visited  the  northern  suburbs* 
and  elsewhere  rain  fell  heavily.  Wednesday  opened  squally,  but  bright 
and  fine. 
Weather  in  the  North. — Winter  seems  reluctant  to  relax 
his  grasp.  While  there  has  been  no  frost  during  the  past  week,  the  north¬ 
easterly  winds  generally  prevalent  have  been  very  chilling.  The  days 
have  had  little  sunshine,  and  much  rain  has  fallen,  especially^  during  the 
night.  On  Sunday  a  short  sharp  thunderstorm  passed  in  the  south  ;  sleety 
showers  occurred,  but  the  afternoon  and  evening  were  rather  milder, 
Monday  morning  was  cloudy  but  not  cold,  with  every  promise  of  more 
rain. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
Myosotis  and  Wallflowers. — One  of  the  simplest,  but  one 
of  the  prettiest,  spring  beds  w'e  have  is  composed  of  Wallflower  Prince  of 
Orange  and  Golden  Bedder  in  round  panels,  the  groundwork  being  all 
blue;  Porget-me-not.  Both  are  now  in  full  beauty,  and  the  eflfect  of  the 
golden  yellow  against  the  sheet  of  blue  is  very  fine.  The  bed  is  about 
20  feet  in  diameter,  so  it  is  large  enough  to  show  at  a  distance.  The 
position  is  so  exposed  that  nothing  very  tall  can  be  used  oven  in  summer, 
but  these  dwarf  and  strictly  hardy  plants  fill  the  breach  admirably  in 
every  way. — H.  R. 
- Pruit  Growing  in  AVashington.— The  State  of  Washington 
has  been  surely  forging  ahead  during  the  recent  years  as  a  fruit-growing 
State.  J.  E.  Baker,  State  horticulturist,  has  gathered  some  valuable 
showing  the  present  orchard  conoitions.  During  the  two  years 
he  has  been  in  office  600,000  fruit  trees  have  been  planted,  or  nearly  one- 
quarter  of  the  total  number  of  fruit  trees  in  the  State.  The  report  shows 
that  there  are  2,414,626  fruit  trees  in  the  State,  and  of  that  number 
1,410,194  are  in  the  counties  east  of  the  Cascade  range,  and  1,004,432 
in  the  counties  west  of  the  Cascades,  Mr.  Baker’s  estimate,  says  an 
American  contemporary,  of  the  value  of  the  fruit  crop  of  the  State  is 
between  750,000  and  1,000,000  dols.  annually. 
-  The  Royal  Hortichltueal  Society  op  Ireland. _ A 
Council  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  was 
held  at  the  offices.  61,  Dawson  Street,  Dublin,  on  9th  May.  Sir  Percy 
Grace,  Bart,,  occupied  the  chair,  and  the  following  members  were 
present P.  AV,  Burbidge.  Esq.,  M.A.,  Major  Domville,  J.P.,  Rev.  J.  C. 
Hayes,  M.A.,  D.  Ramsay,  Esq  ,  H.  Crawford,  Esq.,  H.  Smallman,  Esq., 
and  Greenwood  Pirn,  Esq.  The  Secretary  (Mr.  W.  H.  Hillyard)  having 
read  the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting,  these  were  then  passed  and  signed, 
E.  Dunlop,  Esq.,  and  P.  AV.  Sharpe,  Esq.,  were  proposed  for  membership, 
and  were  duly  elected.  Arrangements  were  made  relative  to  the  summer 
Rose  show,  to  be  held  in  Merrion  Square  on  Thursday,  June  29th.  The 
proceedings  were  then  brought  to  a  close. 
-  Early  Potatoes  and  the  Prost. — It  is  surprising  to,  note 
the  effect  in  different  gardens,  quite  irrespective  of  shelter  or  situation, 
that  frost  has  upon  early  crops  of  Potatoes.  It  is  usually  thought  that 
proximity  to  water  has  much  to  do  with  this  question,  and  that  gardens 
so  situated  are  more  likely  to  have  the  early  crops  injured  than  others. 
This  may  be  so  when  the  situation  is  very  low,  but  the  mere  fact  of  the 
presence  of  water  does  not  affect  them.  Here,  in  spite  of  careful  covering, 
the  points  of  the  growth  of  Hammersmith  Kidney,  Ninetyfold,  Myatt’s, 
and  other  early  varieties  are  crippled,  though  the  situation  is  high  and 
dry.  At  Kentwell  Hall,  Long  Melford,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are 
beautiful  rows  with  not  a  single  blemished  leaf,  yet  there  is  a  full  moat 
all  round  the  garden,  and  no  covering  has  been  practised.  Those  having 
a  fairly  dry  and  light  soil  have,  of  course,  a  considerable  advantage  over 
others  whose  soil  is  close  and  heavy  ;  but  much  may  be  done  in  the  latter 
case  by  the  addition  of  plenty  of  burnt  earth  and  garden  refuse— one  of 
the  most  useful  aids  to  culture  of  vegetables  and  fruit,  inside  and  out. 
A  little  of  it  placed  along  the  drills  at  planting  time  is  of  great  assistance, 
encouraging  the  roots,  and  being  very  distasteful  to  slugs  and  snails. 
— H.  Richards,  Coldham  Halh 
-  Crown  Anemones. — These  are  beautiful  and  varied  plants,. 
and  no  garden  is  complete  without  a  few  of  them.  The  colours  are- 
wonderfully  rich  and  varied,  and  in  many  old  places,  where  the  soil  is 
light,  they  reproduce  themselves  from  seed  freely,  countless  variations^ 
occurring.  The  shape,  too,  varies  considerably,  and  among  the  double¬ 
forms  are  some  exquisitely  quilled  and  fluted  flowers  in  almost  every 
shade  of  colour.  The  tubers  are  very  cheap,  and  in  gardens  where  they 
do  not  flourish  a  succession  may  be  kept  up  by  lifting  annually,  enrich¬ 
ing  the  soil  with  leaf  mould,  and  making  good  any  losses  that  occur  by 
purchasing  new  stock. — T.  G.  S. 
-  Grape  Madresfield  Court, — This  is  one  of  the  choicest 
and  bfst  of  Grapes,  and  does  well  in  small  houses  and  borders.  There- 
are  many  small  gardens  where  perhaps  only  one  vinery  exists,  and  this 
in  many  cases  is  filled  with  Black  Hamburgh,  to  the  exclusion  of  alB 
other  and  better  flavoured  Grapes.  This  popular  variety  is,  of  course,, 
one  of  the  most  useful,  but  there  is  always  room  for  a  change,  and  anyone 
looking  for  a  good  black  Grape  may  do  worse  than  plant  Madresfield 
Court,  It  colours  best  under  a  good  canopy  of  foliage,  and  a  little  lateral’ 
freedom  should  be  allowed  when  the  berries  are  colouring. — H.  R. 
-  Planting  Old  v.  Eeeshly-cut  Potato  Sets. — There  is- 
much  difference  of  opinion  as  to  whether  it  is  better  to  plant  Potato  sets- 
the  day  they  are  cut,  or  to  allow  them  to  remain  for  several  days,  or  even- 
longer,  berore  they  are  put  in.  To  test  the  relative  merits  of  both  systems 
an  experiment  has  been  conducted  at  the  Ontario  Agricultural  College,, 
and  the  results  go  to  show,  says  the  “Irish  Farmers’  Gazette,”  that  the 
best  yields  have  been  invariably  obtained  where  the  Potatoes  were  planted 
the  same  day  as  they  were  cut.  The  experiment  has  now  been  in  progress 
for  four  years,  and  the  average  yield  during  that  time  was  over  eleven 
bushels  per  acre  in  favour  of  the  Potatoes  planted  on  the  same  day  aa 
they  were  cut,  a?  against  those  not  planted  until  four  days  after  being  cut.. 
-  Isle  of  AVight. — The  monthly  meeting  of  the  I.AV.  Horti¬ 
cultural  Improvement  Association  was  held  at  Sandown  on  Monday,. 
May  8th,  Dr.  J.  Groves,  B.A„  J.P.,  presiding  over  a  good  attendance  of 
members.  The  Honorary  Secretary  (Mr.  S.  Heaton)  gave  an  interesting 
lecture  on  “Horticultural  Subjects,”  which  was  profusely  illustrated  with 
lantern  slides,  kindly  lent  by  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons  of  Reading.  Mr.. 
AAL  AA^.  Sheath  of  Ventnor  received  the  Association  certificate  for  cultural 
merit  for  a  magnificent  collection  of  seedling  Amaryllis.  Ten  new 
members  were  elected,  which  brings  the  total  number  to  350.  A  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  lecturer  brought  an  enjoyable  and  profitable  evening  to  a. 
close.  Arrangements  for  the  Brook  and  London  (Temple  Show)>’ 
excursions  were  made  previous  to  the  lecture. 
-  AA'^atering  Pruit  Borders. — ^There  is  great  risk  now  of: 
vinery  and  other  fruit  borders  getting  too  little  water.  The  growing 
crops  and  ample  foliage  call  persistently  for  moisture,  and  whether  inside- 
or  out  the  borders  soon  get  dry.  Figs  are  very  thirsty  plants,  and  many 
a  promising  first  crop  of  fruit  has  been  ruined  simply  by  want  of 
moisture.  The  borders  for  this  luscious  fruit  are  not  often  made  veryr 
large,  for  when  planting  young  trees  their  shoots  are  frequently  so  vigorous- 
that  they  need  checking  in  some  way,  and  a  great  amount  of  loose  soil 
would  bo  detrimental.  But  afterwards,  when  the  borders  get  full  of 
roots,  feeding  is  necessary,  and  this  means  moisture.  Grapes  and 
Peaches  or  Nectarines,  again,  after  the  stoning  is  finished,  lay  on  flesh 
rapidly,  and  unless  abundance  of  moisture  is  present  they  will  suffer. 
Bud  dropping  in  early  forced  trees  of  the  latter  is  often  caused  by  lack  of 
moisture  just  at  the  period  of  finishing  up  the  growth,  and  thus  the 
ensuing  season’s  crop  suffers  from  neglect  in  the  present.  Pot  trees  need 
even  more  feeding  and  moisture,  and  m  every  department  where  fruit  i& 
grown  there  is  room  for  ample  supplies  now. — B.  S.  E. 
-  Single  AVallflower  Eastern  Queen.— A  good  strain  of 
this  beautiful  and  distinct  variety  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  of  the 
AVallflower  family.  I  have  before  me  a  bed  of  it,  each  plant  being  one 
mass  of  bloom,  the  flowers  in  their  different  stages  varying  from  creamy 
white  to  pinky  apricot.  The  habit  of  the  plant  is  dwarf  and  compact, 
and  the  terminal  flowers  are  well  advanced  before  the  lower  ones  begin  to 
show  signs  of  decay,  which  gives  it  added  effect.  If  planted  in  conjunction 
with  Little  Giant  or  any  other  good  strain  of  a  dwarf-growing  dark 
variety  the  effect  is  striking  and  beautiful.  Amongst  the  lighter  shades 
Primrose  Dame,  Golden  Beauty,  and  Tom  Thumb  Golden  .gre  distinct 
and  pleasing,  but  Eastern  Queen  seems  more  in  keeping  with  the  present 
day  fashions. — Geo.  Paxton.  [Our  correspondent  sent  us  a  charming 
bouquet  of  these  delightful  spring  flowers,  amongst  which,  besides  the 
novel  colours,  Dickson’s  Golden  Queen  and  Selected  Red  were  highly 
:  effective.]  -  '  ■  * 
