494 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



that it is advantag-eous to employ the dry plants in the preparation 

 of the extracts. 2. That the roots of henbane give a less active 

 extract than the leaves. 3. That the seeds of this plant furnish the 

 most active extract, and contain much malate of hyoscyama. 4. That 

 the seeds of belladonna yield a more active narcotic extract than 

 the leaves. 5. That the extract obtained from the roots of the 

 belladonna is preferable to that from the leaves, but not so good as 

 that from the seeds. — Repert.fur die Pharmacie, 



8. 0?i the Culture of Bees in Forests, by M. Buttner. — It has 

 been a custom in Livonia, from time immemorial, to make cavities 

 in the trees of a forest for the purpose of receiving and rearing the 

 swarms of bees. Some of the proprietors have hundreds and even 

 thousands of bee trees. Those which are chosen for this use are 

 large oaks, firs, pines, alders, &c. It has been objected to this 

 system, that it destroys the forests and diminishes the quantity of 

 building wood, but M. Buttner observes that it is not necessary to 

 choose the finest trunks, and that stunted trees are equally service- 

 able for this use, if they have sufficient size. He states also that 

 a bee tree is worth more than if sold for wood ; that the old hollow 

 trees w^hich will serve for an age or two, spread seed around, and 

 cause the production of young suckers, which would be obtained 

 with difficulty, by destroying the old trunks. He adds, that the 

 pure air of the higher regions agrees better with the bees than the 

 air inclosed in hives which receive the exhalations of the earth, and 

 in which contagious diseases sometimes make great ravages. The 

 proof he offers is, that when garden bees swarm they are directed 

 instinctively towards the woods, whilst the bees of the wood never 

 swarm towards the gardens. — Bull. Univ. D. vii. 34. 



9. Signs of Increase, Maturity , and Decay in Trees, by M. Bau- 

 drillart. — The qualities of wood depend much on the state of the 

 tree when cut down. It appears from the experiments of M. 

 Hartig upon wood applied as fuel, that trees which have attained 

 maturity without passing into decay, are the best for the produc- 

 tion of heat. Thus the value of an elm of one hundred years is to 

 that of one of thirty years, as twelve is to nine ; that of an ash of 

 one hundred years to one of thirty years, as fifteen to eleven. 

 When the trees begin to decay, their value rapidly diminishes ; 

 thus, if an oak of two hundred years yields wood worth fifteen 



rancs per corde, a tree of the same kind passing to decay yields 

 wood only worth twelve francs. When the wood is used for other 

 purposes, the advantages conferred by a mature but healthy state 

 are still more considerable. 



The common elm, growing in a forest and in good earth, acquires 

 its full increase in about one hundred and fifty years, but it will live 

 many ages, even five or six hundred years. Large forest elms are 

 cut down with advantage when of an age between one hundred 



