I. AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 367 



already become an article of export to England, being very- 

 hardy, and able to sustain itself in both hot and cold countries. 

 It grows rapidly, attains a height of thirty yards, and multi- 

 plies very fast. 17 A.July 1, 1875, 107. 



CAOUTCHOUC FKOM MILKWEED. 



A report has gone the rounds of the technical press that 

 the manufacture of rubber from the milkweed (Asclepias) 

 has been undertaken by a company in Canada with a large 

 capital. The milky juice of this family of plants is said to 

 yield four per cent, of caoutchouc. 



NEW LAKGE JAPANESE EADISH. 



A new variety of radish, the seeds of which w^ere forward- 

 ed from Japan by Dr. Genou, has been introduced into the 

 French market under the name of Raphanus acantiformis. 

 and is pronounced an acquisition of value. In color it is 

 milk-white, with a tinge of yellow^, and it is firm, transparent, 

 and juicy, and of delicate flavor, while the skin is thin and 

 peels ofl' easily. In Japan, wdiere it is cultivated under the 

 name oi Daico7i, it frequently attains a length of thirty-five 

 inches, with a corresponding thickness ; and it is used in a 

 great variety of forms as food, and is frequently fed to cattle 

 on account of its great yield. At Lyons it has been grown 

 eighteen inches lono: and twelve inches thick. It is sowed 

 in July and August, and requires for its full development a 

 loose, well-manured soil, and frequent watering in September. 

 7 C\ March, 1875, 35. 



VALUE OF THE COMMON BROOM PLANT AS A FIBRE. 



The common broom of Europe {SjKirtmra junceum) is an- 

 nounced as furnishing a fibre equal and in some respects su- 

 perior to that of hemp and flax. In view of the great ex- 

 tent to which this plant occurs wild in Southern Europe, and 

 the ease with which it is cultivated, such application, not in- 

 deed new, but only more recently revived, promises impor- 

 tant results. Its fibre can be very minutely divided, and, as 

 it retains heat, it can supply the place of wool. It receives 

 the most delicate dyes as well as an animal fibre, and suc- 

 cessfully resists the action of acids and salt water without 

 undergoing any change or losing its tenacity. Its strength 



