BOTANY. 349 



rivers -without seeing any striking flowering tree or shrub. This is part- 

 ly owing to the flowers of most tropical trees being so deciduous ; they 

 no sooner open than they begin to fall ; the Melastomas, in particular, 

 generally burst into flower in the morning, and the next day are withered, 

 and for twelve months that tree bears no more flowers. This will serve 

 to explain why the tropical flowering trees and shrubs do not make so 

 much show as might be expected." 



ON THE CONTORTION OF LIGNEOUS FIBRES. 



At the meeting of the German Association of Naturalists, Prof. Braun, 

 of Berlin, addressed the meeting on the subject of the oblique direction of 

 the flbres, and the consequent twisting or contortion of the trunks of trees, 

 and exhibited preparations illustrating his views. He endeavored to show 

 that the twisting of the wood and cortical fibres was not an accidental cir- 

 cumstance, but universal in the case of certain trees ; that in certain trees 

 they always preserved the same direction, but in others assumed, at a cer- 

 tain age, the contrary direction. He concluded by endeavoring to give an 

 anatomical explanation of the phenomeon, in consequence of the longitu- 

 dinal wood and cortical cells giving way on one side, and thereby produ- 

 cing a diagonal division of the same. 



ASSAM TEA. 



Some years since an English company undertook the culture of tea 

 in the country of Assam, situated between Bengal and China, on the 

 waters of the Burrampooter. The London papers state that this company 

 has now under cultivation 2,116 " poorahs " of land. Their last crop of 

 tea amounted to 366,587 pounds, or an increase of about 95,000 over that 

 of the previous year. The produce of 1852 realized 25,930, giving Is. 

 11 d. per pound net. The directors declared a dividend of five per cent, 

 from the net profits of the last year. 



