The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-06-07 00:00:00

HORTICULTURAL NOTICE FOR JUNE.

We have to record the occurrence of a series of mutations
in the weather, which May—fickle and changeable as it natu-
rally is in our islands—has not frequently witnessed ; the
effects will be chronicled ; and as it is our duty to report the
progress of the vegetable crops, we must introduce our
monthly notice with a record of those meteorological pheno-
mena by which that progress has been so materially impeded.
Every one must remember the fortnight of superb weather
which commenced in the last week of April, and introduced.
the " flowery month." The rapidity which vegetation as-
sumed was astonishing ; the season promised to be an early
one, to recover lost ground, and to be in advance ; but the
two phenomena of Aurora Borealis on the nights of the sth
and 7th changed the character of the wind altogether—it had
blown from some point of the north, frequently by east,
during the whole of the twelve days, wherein the mercury
rose, on many occasions, to 72 or 70 degrees, and it appeared
impossible that cold could be again established by the very
same current which had proved so temperate and genial.
But cold and heat are relative terms, and they are manifestly
induced by the electro-magnetic condition of the earth and
atmosphere. No sooner had the aurora established itself,
than its rays appeared to impel forward, from the magnetic
north, a current of cold wind, entirely dissimilar to the one
which had blown from the same quarter three days before.
The frost of 1831, on the 7th of May, at daybreak, will
long be remembered ; that of the 16th of the same month,
in the last year (1838), proved very injurious to potatoes and
early kidney-beans ; but the piercing cold, with rime, which
marked the nights of the 14th, 15th, and 16th of the present
May has surpassed that of all preceding examples. The
vines showed fruit in abundance on laterals from three to
eight inches long ; three-fourths of these young shoots have
perished, and in some instances not a thought of verdure
remains.

The walnuts—those trees of wisdom—are scorched to
blackness ; even the very weeds of tall and delicate growth,
nettles among others, which had grown with extreme rapi-
dity, are partially decomposed at their summits. Goose-
berries promised to prove an enormous crop ; they are, how-
ever, thinned to the heart's content ; hundreds strewed the
ground under every fruitful tree ; such a sight we never be-
fore beheld. The apple-bloom appeared to suffer in only a
slight degree, but the final effects remain to be ascertained.
The cold period, during which snow fell more than once
(and on the 15th in prodigious volume for half an hour),
continued till the 18th, when the temperature began to im-
prove ; it again receded, and on the 24th approached the
frosty degree, but subsequently has been much more genial.
The barometer has risen to 30 degrees only on three occa-
sions, (20th, 21st, and 28th days,) the mercury having wa-
vered between 29 deg. 80, and 29 deg. 60, during the greater
part of the month. Very little rain has fallen, it is now much
wanted, for the drying east winds, and the powerful rays of
the sun, have rendered the surface hard and untractable.
Under these circumstances we find difficulty in working and
cropping the garden, but the season has been extremely
favourable to all the operations of cleanness. 'Weeds have
perished when cut by the hoe, and no excuse has remained for
a full and untidy condition of the beds, borders, or walks.
The winter of 1838 cut up many evergreens ; some of these
attempted to grow again during the last summer, but the
effects are still felt. Branches, and in some cases entire
shrubs still go off, and it is now rendered evident that much
injury was inflicted that did not manifest itself in one season ;
it must have extended to the system of roots. Independently
of this infliction, the disfiguration of evergreens by the late
frosts is very considerable ; the lively verdure and delicate
figure of the young shoots being much tarnished and deranged.
Garden vegetables are not much affected, if we except the
first shoots of early potatoes. The experience of the three
last springs ought to instruct us that trench planting, and
timely filling up with the earth to the very summits of the
leaves, afford the only means of perfect security.
The routine of the kitchen-garden will consist of sowing
peas and beans three times, or according to the supply re-
quired ; kidney-beans, and the runner kinds twice ; salading,
lettuces, and radishes, frequently ; dnions for drawing young ;
carrots the same ; brocoli for the last spring crop, this if the
ground be fresh and mellow, will often succeed perfectly ;
turnips sown in the early days will come in for a first winter
supply, but the main crop should be deferred till the end of
the month ; endive, for the winter crop, about midsummer.
Transplant cabbages, savoy, Cape brocoli, lettuce ; cucum-
bers raised in pots, and vegetable marrow, upon ridges, over
manured trenches ; if there be any spare green house or pit
sashee, one or two of them raised at a small angle over the
plants, and duly supported, will greatly protect and encou-
rage them. Wall fruit may thus also be advanced, and, per-
haps at the period of blooming, there could be found no
other means so effectual, as lights set in front of the trees, at
a steep angle with the wall. These trees will now require
strict attention to remove bad or useless wood, and diseased
or injured twigs. Vines which have been much injured by
the late frost should be cut back to the best green shoots.—
All the departments ought to be kept in neat order, by at-
tending to sweeping, rolling, removing litter, and smoothing
the surface, particularly in the flower garden. Dahlias are
coming on ; these require protection from earwigs, and a few
small pots with soft hay in them, inverted upon stakes placed
amidst the foliage, will entrap multitudes. The depredations
of these insects were tremendous two years since, and the
vermin swarmed in myriads. Strange it is, that when any
particular pest threatens to overwhelm by its numbers, some
natural but mysterious cause operates its removal, or abates
its virulence.

THE GREAT LAKES.--A late Detroit paper says that it is
computed there are 700 vessels of all classes, engaged in the
navigation of the lakes, from Lake Champlain to Lake Su-
perior, giving employment to 800 hands—on board of which
are annually transported hundreds of thousands of passen-
gers, arid millions of property, all of which are subject to
extra perils in consequence of the deficiency of charts. At
Buffalo, in 1836, there were 3712 clearances and entrances,
whose aggregate tonnages amounted to 642,000 tons. In the
same year there were 366 arrivals of vessels at Chicago, at
the southern extremity of Lake Michigan, whose tonnage
amounted to 77,550 tons. The exports from Cleveland the
past season are said to have exceeded in value, 10,000,000
dollars. Such is the commerce of the Lakes at the present
time.—Hier. Journal.