JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
May  26,  1904. 
4  08 
using  the  hotbed  manure  for  Cucumbers  and  IMelons.  If  the 
roots  were  infested,  the  advice  of  experts  was  to  burn  the  whole 
lot.  Mr.  Dawe  said  since  the  last  meeting  he  had  used  weed¬ 
killer  and  sugar  for  killing  ants,  and  had  found  it  very  success¬ 
ful.  The  chaii'inan  mentioned  that  at  the  next  summer  show 
it  was  probable  that  they  would  have  an  exhibition  by  the 
Devon  Bee  Association,  which  he  hoped  would  be  an  additional 
attraction  to  the  show. 
Barnsley  Paxton Seeds. 
On  Tue.sday,  May  17th,  Mr.  H.  Kindson,  of  Peel  Street, 
Barnsley,  read"^  a  paper  on  “  Seeds.”  For  kitchen  garden  seeds 
canvas  bags,  vai-ying  in  thickness  and  closeness  of  texture 
usually  give  satisfaction,  though  the  greatest  care  must  be  taken 
to  make  sure  the  bags  are  perfectly  clean,  and  free  from  all 
insect  life  and  fungi,  and  this  applies  to  boxes,  paper  bags,  or 
whatever  is  used  for  storing.  For  finer  seeds,  a  good  brown 
paper  bag  is  hard  to  beat.  The  place  in  which  seeds  are  stored 
should  be  chosen  where  it  is  possible  to  keep  a  fairly  even  tem- 
lierature.  A  cool  temperature  is  best  for  not  causing  premature 
germination,  although,  of  course,  no  frost  must  penetrate,  so 
that  the  temperature  should  not  be  lower  than  40deg  Fahren¬ 
heit,  and  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  it  always  pays  the  best 
to  nurse  seeds  well. 
"When  seeds  are  sown,  the  time  of  germination  of  one  seed 
and  another  is  widely  different.  All  hard-shelled  seeds  are  the 
most  difficult  to  raise,  or  other  protections  that  render  them 
irregular  in  sprouting;  some,  perfectly  fresh  and  good,  remain 
underground  for  a  longer  period  than  one  would  like.  Examples 
of  these  may  be  found  in  Primula,  Cyclamen,  and  Auricula, 
which,  if  sown  fresh  from  the  plant,  grow  often  in  a  few  weeks. 
If,  however,  kept  dry  in  packets,  some  will  sprout  readily,  while 
a  proportion  may  appear  in  a  year  or  more,  so  that  it  is  best  to 
sow  these  seeds  in  pots,  and  prick  off  the  seedlings  which  are 
large  enough,  without  disturbing  the  rest  of  the  soil,  which 
will  give  the  late-growing  seeds  a  chance.  Soaking  for  24  hours 
in  tepid  water  before  sowing  hastens  their  sprouting.  The  seed 
of  the  Anemone  will  often  lie  from  six  to  twelve  months  before 
sprouting.  Palm  seeds  require  a  good  heat  to  get  them  up  ;  the 
stones  of  the  Date  Palm  sometimes  take  from  six  to  twelve 
months,  and  others  often  as  long.  Cannas  are  called  Indian- 
shot,  as  their  seeds  resemble  bullets  in  everything  but  heaviness  ; 
to  make  them  sprout,  file  through  the  covering  in  one  place. 
Roses,  Hawthorns,  and  Hollies  are  easily  rai.sed,  though  very 
slowly,  as  a  year  elapses  before  they  pierce  the  ground.  Where 
a  quantity  is  required,  the  seed  should  not  be  sown  out  of  doors 
in  drills,  but  buried  altogether  in  a  mass  mixed  with  sand ; 
there  they  are  less  liable  to  be  eaten  b,v  mice,  and,  further,  the 
space  taken  up  is  less.  After  remaining  twelve  months,  the 
seed  should  be  taken  up  and  sown  in  the  usual  way,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  they  will  sprout.  Most  trees  may  be  grown  from  seed, 
but  it  is  preferable  where  vermin  abound  to  save  over  the  seed 
until  the  spring,  and  then  sow.  To  preserve  them,  mix  with 
earth. 
Royal  Meteorological. 
The  usual  monthly  meeting  was  held  on  Wednesday  after¬ 
noon,  the  18th  inst.,  at  the  society’s  rooms,  70,  Victoria  Street, 
AVestminster,  Capt.  D.  AVilson  Barker,  F.R.S.E.,  pre.sident,  in 
the  chair.  The  Hon.  F.  A.  Rollo  Russell  read  a  paper  on  “  The 
Principal  Causes  of  Rain,”  in  which  he  stated  that  the  chief 
causes  of  rain  are  only  four,  but  several  of  these  are  often  in 
co-operation.  These  causes  may  be  briefly  described  as  follows: 
(1)  The  forced  ascent  of  moist  air  by  the  slopes  of  mountains, 
(2)  a  mass  of  air  invading  rather  suddenly  another  mass  moving 
from  an  opposite  direction,  and  maintaining  its  flow  below  the 
opposing  current,  which  it  di.splaces,  (3)  the  ascent  of  more  or 
less  moist  air  through  heavier  and  colder  air  to  a  height  where 
condensation  of  vai^our  takes  place,  increased  radiation  of  heat 
towards  space,  and  often  electrical  developments  producing 
further  condensation,  increase  of  temperature,  and  reneweel 
ascent,  with  the  same  results ;  (4)  the  mixture  of  currents  of  air 
from  different  directions. 
A  paper  by  Mr.  AA".  C.  Nash,  on  “  The  Observations  of  Rain¬ 
fall  at  the  Royal  Observatory,  Greenwich,  in  the  years  1815  to 
1903,”  was  also  read.  The  author  has  made  a  full  inciuirj’  into 
the  circumstances  relating  to  the  early  history  of  the  register, 
and  has  drawn  up  an  authoritative  table  of  rainfall  for  the  long 
period  of  eighty-nine  years.  The  average  annual  rainfall  is 
24.36in,  and  the  number  of  rainy  days  157.  The  greatest  fall 
was  35.54in  in  1903,  and  the  least  fait  16.38in  in  1858.  During 
the  five  months  January  to  May,  no  monthly  fall  exceeding 
4.57in  Avas  recorded,  but  in  the  remaining  seven  months  there 
were  twenty-four  falls  exceeding  5in.  Light  falls  of  rain  are 
spread  principally  through  the  nine  months  January  to  Sep¬ 
tember,  with  a  decided  preponderance  in  spring. 
4 
I 
A  Lean=to  Plant  House. 
A  Leando  House, 
Some  tAvelve  months  ago  I  had  to  build  a  gla.ss  hou.se  for  the 
protection  of  Peach  trees  trained  to  a  wall  130ft  long  and  10ft 
high.  After  due  consideration  I  decided  to  build  it  in  the  form 
of  a  lean-to,  the  end  of  which  is  shown  in  the  figure,  and  by 
the  exercise  of  all  possible  care  in  procuring  the  wood  from  "a 
firm  having  the  advantage  of  saws  and  moulding  tools  worked 
by  steam,  and  all  other  materials  in  the  most  advantageous 
manner  I  could  discover,  and  by  strict  economy  of  labour,  I  was 
able  to  erect  and  finish  my  building  at  a  cost  of  about  11s.  per 
foot  run,  the  back  wall  and  coping  being  of  course  excluded, 
that  being  already  done. 
I  do  not  suppose  that  anyone  not  thoroughly  proficient  in 
the  technicalities  of  building  would  be  able  to  builcl  so  cheaply, 
for  there  must  be  no  blundering,  no  Avaste  of  time  or  materials  ; 
yet  as  a  knowledge  of  details  is  undoubtedly  useful,  I  sencl 
some  of  the  most  important  for  publication,  in  hopes  of  doing 
something  to  promote  the  application  of  simple  glass  structures 
to  fruit  cidture  in  gardens  Avhere  such  do  not  exist.  The  house 
is  lOft  high  at  the  back,  and  6ft  Avide  at  bottom ;  the  front 
is  a  fixture  having  no  ventilators,  but  Avith  sashbars  let  into 
the  Avail  plate  and  the  eave.  The  Avail  plate  rests  on  brick 
piers  eleven  courses  high,  including  the  footing,  and  9in  by 
18in.  These  piers  are  3ft  9in  apart,  the  spaces  betAveen  having 
ordinary  roofing  slates,  size  20in  by  lOin,  set  on  end  edge  to 
edge,  and  the  bottom  bedded  in  the  soil  of  the  border  as  at 
E  E.  Height  of  front  from  ground  line  to  top  of  eave  plate 
3ft  6in. 
has  panels  at  f  e,  one  5ft  Avide,  the  other  6ft,  by 
7ft  Gin  long,  each  having  four  sashbars,  one 
rafter,  and  the  roAvs  of  glass,  four  squares 
and  a  half  in  each  row ;  size  of  squares 
20in  by  12in ;  quality  of  glass  21oz  seconds. 
The  upper  edge  of  the  half  squares  to  go 
into  a  gi-oove  in  the  hip  bar.  The  venti¬ 
lators  are  fixed  by  hinges  along  the  top 
of  the  roof  at  h,  and  are  opened  and 
closed  by  an  iron  apparatus  fa.stened  to 
the  hip  bar;  size  of  each  ventilator,  5ft  by 
3ft,  and  glazed  as  shoAvn. 
A  shelf  along  the  front  of  the  house  is 
useful  for  StraAvberries  in  pots,  of  Avhich  a 
goodly  supply  Avas  picked  some  three  Aveeks 
before  the  outdoor  fruit  Avas  ripe,  and  also 
for  plants  and  Figs  in  pots.  The  roofing 
slates  along  the  front  present  a  sufficiently 
neat  appearance,  and  do  not  interfere  Avith 
the  roots  running  under  them  into  an 
outer  border.  The  bricks  used  AA'ere  good 
hard  clamp  bricks,  costing  2s.  3d.  per  hun¬ 
dred.  Each  pier  took  fifty-six  bricks. 
Objection  may  be  taken  to  the  ven¬ 
tilators  on  the  score  of  size ;  but  knoAving 
as  I  do  the  importance  of  thorough  ventila- 
12 
