ST. CECILIA, or CECILY, was a Roman virgin, martyred for her adherence to the Christian faith. It is related that, notwithstanding her vow of chastity, she was compelled by her parents to marry a heathen nobleman named Valerianus, and that he was converted by her exhortations. She has been considered the patroness of ecclesiastical melody, from her excellence in both vocal and instrumental music, an excellence, as the legend says, so exquisite as to have attracted to her an angel from his sphere. This is alluded to by Dryden, when he says "Let old Timotheus yield the prize, Or both divide the crown; He raised a mortal to the skies, When Stationers-hall was rebuilt after the fire of London, a musical festival was held there on St. Cecilia's anniversary, and Purcell composed for the occasion his celebrated Te Deum and Jubilale. She was martyred A.D. 230. ST. CLEMENT.-Clemens Romanus, or St. Clement, according to the most trustworthy authorities, was the third bishop of Rome, Linas being the first, and Anencletus the second. An "Epistle to the Corinthians," full of interesting memorials of the early Christian Church, is generally believed to have been written by him. Another fragment of an epistle is also ascribed to him, but others bearing his name are certainly spurious. He died on this day, about A.D. 100, and some authorities state that he was martyred by drowning, being cast into the sea with an anchor fastened to his neck. This was a common mode of execution among the Romans, and from this tradition so many sculptured figures of anchors have been added to the ornaments of the Church, and other parish property, of St. Clement Danes in London. ST. CATHERINE was a native of Alexandria, martyred by order of the Emperor Maxentius in the year 395, according to the legend, not only for being a Christian herself, but for converting others, and INSECTS.-One of the greatest of pests to the cultivator of the soil, whether in the field or in the garden, is the Wire-worm. It is, in truth, no worm, but the grub of a particular bettle called Catapha among them his empress. The wheel bearing her name, the memory of which is still preserved in many inns' signs, and in some heraldic devices of our ancient families, was the intended instrument of her torturing or death, but failing in its operation, she was beheaded by the Roman executioner's sword. Her remains were believed to have been discovered on Mount Sinai, and a tomb was erected on the spot. To this pilgrimages became frequent, and a chivalric order of knighthood was established in the year 1063, the members of which were known as the Knights of St. Catherine, to guard from the attacks of the Arabs the pilgrims passing to and from her shrine. The habit of the knights was white, on which was emblazoned half a wheel armed with spikes, and across it a sword stained with blood. METEOROLOGY OF THE WEEK.-The average highest temperature of these seven days, from observations made during the last 22 years, is 48.3, and the average lowest, 35.32. The greatest heat during those years was on the 29th in 1828, when the mercury rose to 60°. The greatest cold observed was on the 25th in 1526, when it sank to 21. During 75 of the 151 days in the 22 years rain occurred, and the other 79 were fair. NATURAL PHENOMENA INDICATIVE OF WEATHER.-Milk becoming sour during the prevalence of lightning is probably caused by the formation in the air of a minute portion of nitrous acid by the electrical discharges, and this acid being absorbed by the milk, causes the phenomena so commonly known as "turning sour." Currents of air far above the surface of the earth usually alter their direction some time before the alteration occurs below. Hence a change of wind frequently may be foretold by observing the direction from which the higher clouds are moving. The strength of the coming wind also may be estimated from the velocity with which those clouds are passing on. Porpuses sporting and plunging out of the water betoken stormny weather. This is a well-known and truthful prognostic that did not escape the notice of the ancients, who fabled that these fish approached ships on such occasions to offer their aid to the mariners in case of disaster. RANGE OF BAROMETER-RAIN IN INCHES. Nov. 1841. 1842. 22 B. {29.455 29.409 29.170 B. {29.697 0.54 0.38 29.583 29.069 R. 0.11 gus lineatus, by some entomologists, and Elater segetis, and E. striatus by others. It is very ap propriately called Cataphagus, from a Greek word signifying to devour, and lineatus, or lined, from the brown lines along its wing-cases. The larva, or wireworm, of this beetle is a pale, dirty orange, or tawny colour, having six very short legs. The body is formed of twelve scaly rings, besides the head. Two different kinds, the offspring probaby of different species of this genus of beetle, are represented in the annexed cut. same appears the C. lineatus magnified, and the line by the side shows the natural length of the insect. It is of a dull brown colour, with a greyish down over it; head and thorax black; the lines on the wing-cases are in pairs, united at each end: and the legs and antennæ dull red. The beetle may be found under moss in hedges, and elsewhere, throughout the year. Its larva preys upon the roots of almost all cultivated plants. In the garden, those of lettuces, In the turnips, carrots, potatoes, cabbages, irises, pinks, lobelias, anemones, ranunculuses, carnations, and many others, are destroyed by this vermin. Digging gas lime into the soil has been recommended for driving it away; and the root of the white mustard is said to have the same effect. Other remedies are to grow plants for which they have a greater fondness near those we wish to protect. The roots of the double daisy are such a lure for them, and from a row of these, grown to protect carnations, &c., 2000 wire-worms are recorded as being taken in one season. Soda-ash dug plentifully into the soil is also said to destroy them; but their most effectual exterminator is the mole. THE following letter from Dr. Green, a physician residing at Youghal, near Cork, is inserted thus prominently not only because the selection of plants is, for No. LX., VOL. III. the most part, very worthy of adoption, but because the arrangement of the house is excellent, making the most of a given space, and because it enables us to furnish our readers with a plan of tank-heating. ¦ Dr. Green says: "I completed a plant-house nearly twelve months since, 46 feet long, 14 feet wide; back wall 17 feet high, front wall 7 feet. This is furnished with bottom heat by means of a hot-water tank, covered with slate, on which is a layer of compost of 12 inches thick, in which the plants are either planted or plunged. The atmospheric heat is contributed by means of a 4-inch iron pipe passing all round the tank externally, and the whole is heated by one conical boiler; thus R T, the tank; B, the boiler; A, the flow-pipe; R, the return-pipe; SS, a flow and return pipe, which can be substituted when it is wished to circulate hot water in the tank only. The bed over the tank contains stove plants, the shelves greenhouse plants, the front trellis and back wall peach and apricot trees, the rafters vines, and orchideæ are suspended. As yet, all have thriven amazingly; but now comes the winter, and in this multum in parvo I fear that sufficient heat for my stove plants may injure the vines and peaches, &c. At present my heat is 60° during the day and 50° at night. Can I reduce it still more, and how far, with safety to the stove plants? In order that you may be able to inform me, I annex a list of the plants in the tank-bed, &c. We have already said that we consider the arrangement of the house is particularly good, and the hotwater apparatus is also very complete; but we recommend the vines to be removed from the rafters and carried up close under the glass, where they will be cool enough to winter. The temperature may be safely reduced, gradually, to 45° at night, and from 50° to 55° in the day-time, till the middle of February, and then raised gradually to the heats now employed by Dr. Green. The air must be kept dry accordingly, and no more water given to the plants than will just keep the soil a little moist. The Luculia and Pimelea are the only plants in the list that will be inconvenienced by too high a temperature, and they should be kept near the source of ventilation. The only fear we have as to this combination of cultivation is, that when the vines come into full bearing the apricots on the back wall will suffer from their shade and from the heat in winter. The plants we would discard from the above list, as the rest fill their spaces, NOVEMBER 22. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. are, Astropan, a poor thing except the foliage, and the three Musas; the Coffee-tree, Cocoloba, Cookia, Chrysophylla, Eugenia, Hura, Mammea, Psidium, and Sugar cane, although all good in their way, are not adapted to the “multum in parvo" system. Instead of devoting the back wall to apricot and peach trees, which are of doubtful success, we recommend it to be occupied by the Passion-flower, Psidium (guava), Mammea, and Eugenia, all fruit-bearers; or, to those who prefer a fine surface of foliage, the Ficus elasticus (Indian-rubber tree) and the Chrysophyllum macrophyllum. We take this opportunity to observe that conical boilers are not suited for coals that will cake. THE FRUIT-GARDEN. ORDER OF BUSINESS THROUGH THE WINTER."Order is heaven's first law," according to our poet, and in no profession are the benefits resulting from an orderly or methodical course more extensive than in gardening. We consider the present an important period to the fruit gardener-more so, perhaps, than any through the whole year; and we think it will be well to give a kind of epitome, of a perspective character, of the main points in fruit-gardening during the dormant season, or up to the blossoming period in fruit trees, when all arrangements necessary in the meanwhile must be completed. PLANTING. To this we must first draw attention. But as we have done so before somewhat recently, The chief point is to our remarks may be few. watch the weather, and to plant when it can be done safely and efficiently. This becomes necessary for a double reason-first, on account of the welfare of the trees; and, secondly, because no one kind of business in a garden can proceed in a continuous way, to the total exclusion of everything else. It is generally recommended to plant in wet weather. We by no means think such a course the best; nevertheless, the air should not be dry at the time. All good and careful planters keep a waterpot, and perhaps a syringe, by them at the time of removal, for it is not well to use the water-pot rose liberally when there is a ball of earth attached to the plant; it will so loosen the ball as frequently to detach a considerable portion-indeed, a slight dewing with the syringe is all that is needed, the object not being to make the roots wet, but to prevent them becoming dry. WALL TREES.-Another consideration is to go over the walls as soon as possible, and to draw away all superfluous bandages, nails, shreds, &c., both partially from the old wood, and totally from the young shoots. This must be done preparatory to pruning; -the shreds must be but there is yet another reasonpicked over, proved, and cleansed, the nails polished, and the whole placed under gardening quarantine. By the latter I mean that steps must be taken to destroy insects and their eggs. The best way, after passing every one of the shreds through the hands, and proving by a tug whether they will endure another season, is, when the whole is collected, to subject them to a strong heat, either dry or moist. A heat of nearly two hundred degrees will be necessary, and that for nearly an hour; for it is astonish ing what a high temperature some of the rogues will endure. Of course, if water has been used they will be spread out and carefully dried afterwards, and As to the nails, those which have lost their points One matter alone, we before observed, must not be permitted to engross the mind in horticultural matters; and, by getting the nails and shreds drawn betimes, some indoor work is furnished during those inclement periods which must arrive, and during which planting and other outdoor operations must be set aside for awhile. EXTIRPATION OF INSECTS.-This business is not confined to the summer season in gardening affairs; to be successful, the cultivator of a garden must be ever on the alert, for if in the moral world while men sleep the enemy sows tares, so it may be said of the world of nature-vigilance unceasing is the condition The principal imposed on those who would excel. insect we would now allude to is the American blight. This is doubtless one of the greatest pests in the orchard, and very difficult to extirpate; indeed, there is no recipe which will at once destroy it without serious injury to the tree, at least so far as we are acquainted. If any of our readers are really in possession of such a secret, we do hope they will benefit the public by publishing it widely through our pages. We have tried several recipes, but know of nothing better than proceeding on the principle of blocking the rogues up in their dens with a mixture of such a nauseous character that they cannot possibly thrive beneath its influence, and which, if persisted in on every manifestation of the blight for a whole twelvemonth, will end in a total extirpation. About the middle of October they seem to spread at a rapid rate, and this is the time, or at least as soon as the leaves are fallen, to commence operations. The mixture we use is thus compounded: six ounces of soft-soap beat well up in a gallon of warm water; half a pound of sulphur is then added and beat up, and thick clay water being duly prepared in another vessel, the soap mixture is thickened with it until it produces a very thick daub when used with the brush. Before it is laid on the trees, the operator carries a potful of urine from the cow-houses or elsewhere, and syringes every part of the tree with it, or at least syringes every portion before applying the thick mixture. A common painter's brush will accomplish the process, and it must be thoroughly rubbed into every crevice. It is a good plan to add a little fresh lime; such will leave a colour when dry, which will prove a tell-tale, and guide the brush a second time to fill up those crevices which had been missed in the first operation. This mixture will also destroy the scaly insect which so much infests the apple and the pear. It may be well here to mention, that a most respectable gentleman informed me that Dr. Darwin, of Shrewsbury (?), had used urine alone for pears, and found it clear away everything, moss as well as insects, and that his trees always grew with extraordinary vigour after the operation. PRUNING. We may here advert to the propriety of commencing pruning as soon as possible: the benefits of early pruning have been before pointed out. Little more can be said now, beyond pointing to the order in which it should be pursued. Our ordinary bush fruit, the raspberry, &c., may take the lead in autumn pruning; to which may be added the vine, where grown outdoors. Snowy or frosty weather may arrive shortly, and as this is generally a bar to ground-work, the common orchard pruning may be proceeded with, which in general consists in what we may term wholesale pruning, the knife being not unfrequently exchanged for the bill-hook or saw. The details or maxims of such pruning will be found in back numbers, and there will be occasion to advert to them again shortly. To observe further on the general policies of pruning matters, we may say that, immediately on the heels of Christmas, what is termed "spring pruning" must commence. The pears, the plums, the cherries, the apricots, the peaches, and the nectarines, will soon begin to act as harbingers of another spring, by an evident increase in the size and character of their buds. The stonefruit here alluded to presents a difficulty in the way of autumn pruning; it is difficult in November or even December for the most practised eye to distinguish clearly between the wood-buds and the future blossom buds. This difficulty is greater with the young wood than with the old spurs; for let it be well remarked, that many pears, plums, &c., in the event of the previous summer having afforded much solar light, form very nice blossom buds on the annual shoots; this is also partly dependent on habit. Among pears, the Marie Louise, the Passe Colmar, &c., generally evince this disposition; but how seldom the Winter Neilis and the D'Aremburg section! Again, in cherries, the Morello is notorious for this habit, but we may seldom find the same tendency in the Bigarreau section. Amongst plums, too, the Black Damascus, the Precoce de Tours, &c., exhibit a similar tendency; but we do not find the same disposition in the Greengage, the Golden drop, &c. This, it will be manifest to the veriest tyro, that a distinction thus founded arises; to say nothing of the policy of prefering one picce of business to another during emergencies. We have said enough, now, to show what we did indeed principally intend at the commencement of this paper, viz., that at this important period-which, although a period of comparative rest to the vegetable kingdom, is by no means so to the horticulturist-a regular and systematic survey of gardening matters must take place; and that the amount of labour necessary, together with the necessary anticipations concerning the weather, must be allowed to have their full weight in forming the resolves which should guide the series of operations during the dormant season. It need scarcely be urged, we presume, that the timing of business according to the weather is one of the great secrets of gardening. Who plants with a hot sun and a drying wind? Who prefers digging when snow is on the ground? Who waits for a wet day to soil his celery, or to tie his endive? Let all young beginners well understand that the proper timing of business in horticulture is not only a matter conducive to the success of the operation in question, but a great economizing of labour in the end. And herein is the point where experience tells-where the old gardener frequently beats the young one. Amongst all the professions-although some of our friends who do not set foot in a garden once a month may smile-there is none that requires more forethought than gardening; and we really do not see why one of these sons of the spade should not be as anxious and as much interested about his vines, pines, peaches, &c., as the great diplomatist over his negotiations, on which the fate of empires is supposed to hang. R. ERRINGTON. THE FLOWER-GARDEN. Ar the close of my last communication, I incidentally named the white variety of the horse-shoe geranium; but a white scarlet geranium is too great a novelty to be passed over, as the first link in a shaded bed. This white geranium is nearly as old as any of the wild species, but is an accidental seedling, I believe. According to our present notions, the size and shape of this flower are not much to boast of, certainly, but they are pure white; therefore, like other plants which are not to our fancy, we must raise many seedlings of it to procure improved forms. It seeds of itself, as freely as the mignonette, and will soon procure us a new race for shading. I have it already in the honourable position of grandmamma, but the third generation have not yet hoisted their colours. I have two beautiful light coloured ones, however, from the second cross of it with Lucia rosea; one of which is a fine soft cream colour, and a good house-plant, especially in the spring and autumn. I have not the slightest doubt but we shall soon have pure white geraniums of the scarlet breed, with trusses of bloom as large as any of the scarlets we now possess, and fine-shaped flowers too; and not only that, but during the progress of our experiments in crossing, several useful shades will come on the stage, and thus realise the dreams of some of the don flower-gardeners for the last seven years. The greater the number of those who will engage in these experiments, and lend a helping hand, the sooner the desired result will be accomplished. But, in order that we may work in concert, I may as well give the properties of a flower of this class, so as to come within the requirements of the flower-gardener. The true geraniums are hardy border plants, with regular flowers-that is, the fine petals which make up a single flower are all of one size and shape, so that when put together they form a cup, with the edge as regular as that of a china tea-cup. The pelargoniums, or florists' geraniums, have irregular flowers, owing to the two back petals in their flowers being much larger than the three lower ones, and the scarlet geraniums have also irregular flowers, owing to a contrary arrangement. In these, the two back petals are much narrower than the three front ones, so that each section is characterized by well marked features, which any person can understand at first sight. Therefore, no matter by what names we distinguish these sections from each other, either of them must stand clear of the other two; and so they do naturally, for they will not intermix by their pollen. The florist and the flower-gardener take it for granted that their respective sections branched out originally from the true geraniums, and in doing so lost the best feature of the parent-stock, just as often happens to colonists of our own family when they depart from the "wisdom of their ancestors." Now, these worthies-I mean the florist and the flower-gardener-endeavour to improve the character of their respective breeds by turning the shape of the flowers back as much as possible to that of the original type-that is, to a regular form; and they have been so successful already as to reproduce true geraniums out of the pelargonium and pelargonium sections. The florist, by getting up the size of the bottom petals of his flowers to that of the top ones, and the flower-gardener, by enlarging the top petals of his section to the size of the lower ones, and all this time good cultivation or good feeding, produced a corresponding improvement in the substance of the individual petals. Consequently, a good round shape and full substance are the two first essentials in a scarlet geranium, and unless the two top petals are nearly as large as the three bottom ones, the flower is not the right shape. A great many of the most fashionable scarlets have an awkward way of rolling back their top petals, and you should never cross from a seedling of this habit, unless the colour is very peculiar, and you want to follow it out at all hazards, trusting to a better shape in a future generation The third character is that of the truss; it should stand well up above the leaves, but not so far as to reveal them. Tom Thumb is very awkward in this character-its flower stalks are too long; and if a large plant of it produced a score of trusses in a pot, they would not hide a single leaf from the view, so that in it two masses of colour-green and scarlet-vie with each other; whereas, if the footstalks were shorter, the scarlet could only be seen with here and there a glimpse of the green leaves. This summer there were two boxes full of Judi on one of the terraces here-each box ten feet long, and nearly a yard wide-and for three or four months you could only see a glimpse of the leaves here and there, just enough to relieve the intense brilliancy of the flowers. The plants were in the same soil for the last four years on Hairy Moore's plan; yet, seven or eight trusses of Judi would hardly make one truss of the size of that of Tom Thumb, so that a seedling may furnish an immeuse truss, and yet not form so rich a bed or basket as another with trusses half the size; hence the reason why I recommend footstalks sufficiently long to elevate the flowers only to the surface of the foliage. The next essential character in these seedlings is the shape of the truss and the disposition of the flowers. At present, the trusses of these scarlets are of two forms the flat and the globular. Those with flat trusses, or bunches like the flowers of the elder, make by far the best bedders. as that form of flower covers more space, and hides the leaves more than the globe flowers. Shrubland scarlet, Compactum, and Gem of scarlets ("let out" last spring by Mr. Ayres), are the three best globular-flowered ones we have. The Compactum is the least capricious of the three as to soil, and I fear the Gem of scarlets will not do here; the flowers are set so close on the truss that they cannot expand properly without strong soil; but where this variety will succeed, as I think it must on all heavy or damp soils, it will turn out the best bedding one we have after Punch, which, however, will only succeed on poor light or gravelly soil. Punch having a flat-headed truss, twenty of its trusses, or single flowers, will cover as much space as thirty or forty of those of the Gem of scarlets. The flowers of the Gem, individually, are the smallest of all the scarlets I know, and I think I have seen all of them that are worth culture, but the trusses are immensely large, and every flower has a distinct white eye; the footstalk is nearly as long as that of the Shrubland scarlet, and altogether is a most beautiful thing. Royalist is the next best bedder, and is more likely to suit different soils than many of the new ones. It is a well-marked horse-shoe, with very large trusses, which are intermediate between the globular and flat-headed ones. It was sent out last year by the late Mr. Conway, and I mention it to exemplify the three prominent forms of truss in this section of geraniums, and also to explain the reasons I have for recommending such and such characters in seedlings, these reasons being all founded on usefulness rather than on any whimsical fancy; and let us now recapitulate them. Flowers as nearly cup-shaped as possible; the two back petals to be as broad as the three front ones; the truss to be flat on the top, and the flowers set loosely on it; the footstalk not to be longer than merely to raise the flowers free from the leaves; a small truss to consist of from 50 to 60 flowers, and a large one double that number; shade of colour mere fancy-anything from pure white to dark scarlet will find a place in the flower-garden. These scarlet geraniums were in their prime at the end of October, but a selection of names from among them will not be worth much, as many of them vary exceedingly on different soils. The next class of geraniums for flower beds is composed of various sections, which the florists, in their impatience, have been foolish enough to discard. They are everlasting flowerers, or hybrid perpetuals, as we call them here for distinction's sake. Some of them make splendid beds, and a good assortment of them were in full beauty at the time of taking these notes-the end of October. Diadematum and Diadematum rubescens, with Unique and Lady Mary Fox, struggle on the very point of my pen for preference; and there are more candidates of equal merit; but, like other things which are swayed by fancy or taste, each of these bedders will have its admirers, and some will prefer one, and some another. haps it is not fair to put up Unique in competition as a candidate for favour, as it stands alone in the endless varieties belonging to this family in colour and richness of tints. The florists, with all their "rules of art," have never been able to obtain so rich a purple as that of Unique. Yet, of all the geraniums, this has less cause to boast of high lineage, having descended from a little insignificant weed (Capita tum) with pale lilac blossoms. Mr. Wood, a friend of mine, writing in the Gardener's Chronicle, first recommended Unique as a bedder, where he offered a great indignity to her majesty the Queen of Porta Per |