288 THE PIvANT WORLD 



In the supposition that the Spanish vernacular name of a plant, 

 printed in a Spanish volume, must certainly have some rational etymology, 

 I turned to Zerolo's large Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Spanish lan- 

 guage, and there found the word boniato entered as a variant of biiniato, 

 which was defined as follows : " Planta de la raiz bulbosa y azucarada, 

 parecida a la batata. De bunio,'" which signifies simply "a plant with 

 a bulbous and sugary root, resembling a yam. From buniurn.'' The 

 latter is a Latin word derived from the Greek, and means an earth-nut. 



It was thus that I found my own experience vindicated ; for in Cuba 

 the word ' ' boniata, ' ' evidently a corruption of ' ' boniato, ' ' is everywhere 

 used among the people to indicate a variety of yam {Dioscorea) , though 

 I was unable to identify it with any particular botanical species. How it 

 was possible for the word ever to come to signify ' ' a tree with hard dark 

 brown wood" is more than I can fathom, and I wish that Mr. Cook or 

 Mr. Collins would let us have their experience as to its usage, if they 

 have ever happened to hear "boniato " mentioned by the natives. 



J. R. Thompson. 



Prizes have been offered and more than 70,000 packages of flower 

 seeds have been distributed this season among the school children of a 

 Kansas city, with instructions for the best methods of growing. The 

 interest spread rapidly from the children to their parents and many adults 

 called for a share in the distribution. It is likely that there will be a 

 most exciting rivalry as to the success of the flower-growers, and in the 

 awarding of prizes. — Country Life in Ajnerica. 



It is easy to preserve autumn leaves for Christmas decoration, says 

 Country Life i?i America's Christmas Annual. The common way is to 

 place them between papers under a heavy weight, exactl}^ as botanical 

 specimens are made. Some people will then go over the leaves once with 

 a moderately warmed flat-iron that has been rubbed with paraffine. Small 

 branches can be placed between folds of carpet stored in the attic. The 

 objection to the pressing method, however, is that it crushes all the life 

 out of the leaf, flattens the venation and makes it thin, brittle, and un- 

 natural in appearance. The hot-sand method may be a little more 

 trouble, but it is worth the extra effort. Thoroughly dry silver sand is 

 best for the purpose. Put the leaves in a large, shallow pan. Cover 

 each one with a good laj^er of sand and put the pan on the back of the 

 kitchen stove for twenty-four hours. If properly handled the leaves will 

 come out perfectly dry, but with a lively look and all their bright colors 

 well preserved. 



