JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  9,  )9i'0. 
1“J,S 
Hailstorms  and  the  French  Vineyards. — It  is  reported  that 
violent  hailstorms  have  done  much  damage  to  French  vineyards  and 
orchards  in  the  Valence  district.  The  total  losses  are  estimated  at 
£40,000. 
East  Anglian  Horticultural  Cluh. — On  the  occasion  of  the 
annual  outing  of  the  members  of  this  club  a  visit  was  paid  to  The 
Pleasannce,  Overstrand,  near  Cromer.  The  party  was  met  and 
welcomed  by  Lord  Battersea.  His  lordship  personally  conducted  the 
party  round,  and  explained  as  they  went  the  most  interesting  points. 
Pergolas  of  Laburnum,  Clematis,  and  Eoses  were  remarked  and 
admired,  and  an  exceptionally  delightful  time  was  spent. 
Hornsey  Horticultural  Society. — The  Hornsey  Horticultural 
and  Allotments  Association  held  its  fifth  annual  exhibition  of  flowers, 
fruit  and  vegetables  on  Saturday.  Mainly  owing  to  the  efforts  of  the 
District  Council,  Hornsey  now  contains  twenty-two  acres  of  allotments 
held  by  272  tenants.  Some  sixty  tenants,  however,  will  shortly  be 
dispossessed,  because  the  New  Eiver  Company  require  the  land  for 
filter  beds.  Mr.  H.  C.  Stephens,  M.P.  for  Hornsey,  opened  the  exhi¬ 
bition.  The  provision  of  allotments  was  wise,  he  said.  Good  gardeners 
were  generally  good  men,  fond  of  their  families,  steady  and  quiet.  He 
was  sorry  some  of  them  were  going  to  lose  their  allotments,  which  were 
only  leasehold.  They  should  urge  the  District  .Council  to  acquire  a 
freehold  site  before  the  builder  made  this  impossible. 
Hanley  Horticultural  Fete. — A  special  meeting  of  the  Town 
Council  and  those  interested  in  the  organisation  of  the  horticultural 
fete  was  held  in  the  Town  Hall  recently,  when  the  Mayor  (Mr.  G.  Ellis) 
presided.  The  report  of  the  Finance  Committee  having  been  adopted, 
votes  of  thanks  were  accorded  to  Lady  Angela  Forbes,  who  opened 
the  fete,  the  Mayor  and  Mayoress,  the  judges,  and  others  who  assisted 
in  making  the  fete  a  success.  Alderman  Cooke  presented  details  of 
expenses  in  connection  with  the  fete.  The  income  last  year  was 
£2505  17s.  7d.,  and  the  expenditure  £1876  6s.  2d.,  leaving  a  profit  of 
£629  11s.  5d.  This  year  the  total  receipts  were  £2644  4s.  2d  ,  and  the 
expenditure  £1843  10s.  9d.,  leaving  a  balance  in  hand  of  £800  15s.  5d. 
There  might  be  a  few  more  accounts  to  come  in  which  would  not 
exceed  £20. 
West  Derby  Horticultural  Society. — The  show  on  Monday, 
August  6th,  was  of  special  excellence  throughout.  Mr.  Geo.  Osborne, 
gardener  to  Dr.  Duffus,  West  Derby,  richly  deserved  the  first  position 
for  a  tastefully  arranged  group  of  plants,  also  for  twelve  grand  bunches 
of  herbaceous  flowers,  twelve  spikes  of  Gladioli,  twelve  bunches  Carna¬ 
tions  or  Picotees,  Stocks,  shower  bouquet,  and  for  twelve  neat  and 
clean  varieties  of  vegetables;  Mr.  C.  Gore,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Withers, 
was  a  very  excellent  second.  Mr.  H.  Ogden  followed  in  the  group 
classes,  winning  all  the  three  Dahlia  classes  and  that  for  Tea  Roses. 
Mr.  Bache,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Bencke,  scored  distinct  successes  with 
four  stove  and  greenhouse  plants,  a  well  grown  Allamanda  Hendersoni, 
and  the  too  seldom  seen  Hedychium  Gardnerianum.  His  six  varieties 
of  vegetables  were  free  from  coarseness,  as  were  his  dishes  of  Peas. 
No  one  could  possibly  grudge  the  success  gained  by  Mr.  W.  Cross, 
gardener  to  Miss  Wright,  who  secured  every  class  for  fruit.  Mr.  Bache 
was  an  excellent  follower  in  these  classes.  Mr.  Charles  Gore  was  a 
close  runner  up  in  several  classes,  and  won  with  H.P.  Roses.  Such  a 
comprehensive  schedule  deserved  the  large  number  of  entries  gained. 
Iilverpool  Amateur  Gardeners’  Association. — The  finest 
August  display  ever  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  society  was  opeued 
on  Thursday  evening  last.  The  great  feature  was  the  table  decorations, 
competed  for,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  society,  substantial 
prizes  being  kindly  given  by  Mr.  C.  Hacking  of  Formby.  Three  com¬ 
peted,  the  first  prize  being  a  handsome  design  in  mauve  and  white 
Sweet  Peas,  Gypsophila,  Smilax,  and  Asparagus  Sprengeri.  The 
winner  was  Mrs.  Stevenson  of  Pembroke  Place,  Liverpool,  who  also 
received  the  association’s  certificate.  Miss  Hunter  came  a  close 
second  with  Roses  and  Sweet  Peas.  The  double  Begonias  from  Mr. 
Hoskyn,  and  singles  from  Mr.  A.  W.  Ardran,  were  of  remarkable 
excellence.  Mr.  D.  W.  Cangley  exhibited  three  splendid  Gladioli,  also 
coming  second  to  Mr.  Butcher  with  Carnations.  Mr.  A.  W.  Ardran  had 
the  best  Orchid  in  bloom,  a  nice  piece  of  Odontoglossum  cordatum ; 
Mr.  Robins  winning  the  President’s  prize  for  cut  flowers.  A  vote  of 
sympathy  was  passed  to  the  secretary,  Mr.  McGregor,  and  Mrs. 
McGregor,  in  the  keen  loss  they  have  sustained  by  the  death  of  their 
son,  a  promising  young  gentleman  only  twenty-six  years  of  age. 
— R.  P.  E. 
July  Weather  at  Dowlals. — Rainfall  2  39  inches,  which  fell  on 
eleven  days.  Greatest  fall  092.  inch  on  the  3l8t ;  for  the  same  period 
1899,  0  90  on  nine  days.  Temperatures:  Mean  maximum,  71'39°; 
highest  reading,  87°  on  the  19th ;  mean  minimum,  48  36°;  lowest 
reading,  37°  on  the  7th  ;  highest  reading  in  the  sun  107°  on  the  19th. 
There  were  three  sunless  days.  The  prevailing  direction  of  the  wind 
was  S.W.  It  was  very  cold  the  first  week  and  last  few  days  of  the 
month.  Thunder  and  lightning  on  the  12th,  27th,  and  29th,  but  not 
lasting  very  long. — Wm.  Mabbott. 
Sussex  Weather. — The  total  rainfall  at  Abbots  Leigh,  Haywards 
Heath,  for  the  past  month  was  0  84  inch,  being  1  87  inch  below  the 
average.  The  heaviest  fall  was  0‘33  inch,  on  the  2nd.  Rain  fell  on  five 
days.  The  maximum  temperature  was  91°,  on  the  16th;  the  minimum 
40°,  on  the  8th.  Mean  maximum  78'09°,  mean  minimum  57‘11° ;  mean 
temperature  67'60°,  which  is  4*72°  above  the  average.  A  hot  dry 
month,  too  much  so  for  fruit  trees  and  growing  crops.  The  thunder  of 
the  27th  did  not  bring  us  much  rain,  but  it  is  cooler,  and  the  atmosphere 
was  exhausting  on  vegetation.  More  rain  much  wanted. — R.  I. 
Weatlier  at  Stockton-on-Tees. — I  am  sending  you  a  record  of 
the  amount  of  rainfall  measured  here  for  the  twenty-four  hours 
ending  Saturday,  4th  inst.,  9  A.M.,  thinking  it  may  be  of  some  interest 
for  publication,  and  also  be  the  means  of  bringing  to  notice  if  there 
has  ever  been  anything  heavier  in  the  way  of  rainfall  previously 
registered  in  this  country  for  twenty -four  hours ;  to  me  it  is  quite 
unprecedented.  Actual  amount  for -the  twenty-four  hours,  3  86  inches, 
between  9  a.m.  and  5  p.m.  on  Friday,  when  the  storm  was  at  its  worst,  I 
measured  exactly  2f  inches.  I  need  hardly  say,  seeing  the  rain  was 
accompanied  by  a  N.E.  gale  of  wind,  and  that  it  rained  and  blew  per¬ 
sistently- for  twenty  hours,  that  the  amount  of  damage  done  is  almost 
indescribable.  Nearly  all  things  in  the  gardens  have  suffered  terribly, 
and  the  corn  crops  in  this  district  are  levelled  to  the  ground. — 
H.  E.  Gribble,  Wynyard  Park,  Stockton .on-Tees. 
July  Weather  at  Belvolr  Castle. — The  wind  was  in  a  westerly 
direction  twenty-two  days.  The  total  rainfall  was  1  59  inch,  which 
fell  on  eleven  days,  and  is  1'23  iuch  below  the  average  for  the 
month.  The  greatest  daily  fall  was  0  54  inch  on  the  20th. 
Barometer  (corrected  and  reduced)  :  Highest  reading,  30‘273  inches 
on  the  8th  at  9  A. if. ;  lowest,  29'556  inches  on  the  1st  at  9  a.m. 
Thermometers :  Highest  in  the  shade  87°  on  the  19th,  lowest  43°  on 
the  8  th;  mean  of  daily  maxima  74‘03°,  mean  of  daily  minima  54*03°. 
Mean  temperature  of  the  month  64  03;  lowest  on  the  grass  44°,  on 
the  7th,  15th,  and  18th;  highest  in  the  sun  137°  on  the  25ih;  mean 
temperature  of  the  earth  at  3  feet,  60  74°.  Total  sunshine 
258  hours  50  minutes  (this  is  66  hours  8  minutes  above  the  average, 
and  is  the  highest  amount  recorded  for  one  month  since  the  instrument 
was  erected  in  1892).  There  were  no  sunless  days.  The  above  mean 
temperature  for  the  month  is  the  highest  recorded  here  for  any  month 
since  August  1893,  when  it  was  slightly  exceeded.  The  mean 
temperature  of  the  earth  was  exceeded  in  August  1899  (62*19°)  but 
not  at  any  other  time  during  the  past  seven  years. — W.  H.  Divers. 
meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. — Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
*o 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
S2 
-W  f?  00 
1800. 
o 
^  .s 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
3 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
||5 
a  c 
July 
and 
August. 
u 
s 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
00 
<D 
ja 
tfi 
s 
9i 
o 
S  o 
H 
Sunday..  29 
S.W. 
deg. 
65-7 
deg. 
60 -6 
deg. 
73  2 
deg. 
57-4 
ins. 
0-09 
deg. 
67  9 
deg. 
66-2 
deg. 
61-2 
deg. 
60  4 
Monday.  .30 
W.N.  W. 
66-1 
57-6 
73 -4 
56  7 
67-4 
65-7 
61-3 
61-8 
Tuesday  31 
W.N.W. 
08  0 
60  6 
76'2 
54-9 
66  9 
65-4 
61-3 
45-2 
Wed’sday  1 
S.W. 
630 
59  9 
67-2 
60-8 
0'48 
67-2 
65  2 
61  -4 
66-2 
Thursday  2 
w.s.w. 
63-8 
56*9 
70-8 
53  9 
64-9 
64  6 
61-4 
49-3 
Friday  . .  3 
61-8 
59-2 
68-0 
58-2 
0-49 
65-2 
64  2 
61-2, 
66-7 
Saturday  4 
W.N.W. 
58 -4 
50-8 
64 ’8 
52-3 
0-01 
62-3 
63-8 
61-2 
60-9 
Means  . . 
63-8 
57-9 
70'5 
58-3 
Total 
1-07 
60  0 
65-0 
61-3 
51 ‘5 
The  temperature  during  the  past  week  has  been  much  lower  than 
that  of  the  previous  one,  and  dull  cold  weather  is  again  prevailing.  A 
heavy  gale  raged  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day  and  night  of  the 
3rd  inst. 
