MaScji h 288^-3 THE TKOFlv-At AORlCULTU^lif . 



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find the relative amount by weight of carbonic acid 

 in the atmosphere by multiplying l-'2500 by 3-2 which 

 gives three five- thousandths. We can now easily 

 calculate the amount of carbonic acid in the atmo- 

 sphere over an acre of land. An acre contains 

 6,272,640 square inches, and the weight of the atmo- 

 sphere on a square inch is 15 lb. The product of 

 6,272,640 by 15 is 94,089,600, which expresses the 

 weight in pounds of the atmosphere over an acre, 

 and three five-thousandths of this product is 56,453 

 pounds or 28 tons, and this expresses the weight of 

 the carbonic acid in the atmosphere resting upon an 

 acre. But three-elevenths of the weight of carbonic 

 acid is carbon, and three-elevenths of 27 tons is 

 seven and seven-elevenths tons, the amount of carbon 

 in the form of carbonic acid in the atmosphere of 

 an acre's surface. 



Now, the yield of an acre in dry vegetable matter 

 may be put down at one and one-half tons, half of 

 wnich (three-fourths of a ton) is carbon. An acre 

 then demands per annum three-fourths of a ton of 

 carbon and two-thirds of this, or one-half ton, must 

 come from the atmosphere. The amount of carbon 

 in the form of carbonic acid in the atmosphere of 

 an acre is seven and seven-elevenths, say seven and 

 one-half tons ; the demand upon the atmosphere of 

 an acre in vigorous vegetation is one-half ton. The 

 supply is fifteen times the demand ; and this would 

 be the relative supply and demand if every acre of 

 the earth's surface supported vegetation. But three- 

 fourths of the earth's surface, and more, is covered 

 with water, and vast areas are barren sauds and 

 burning deserts. Perhaps we shall not be very far 

 from the truth, if we say that only one-hundredth 

 part of the earth's surface supports vegetation. If 

 this be so, then the supply of carbon is 1,500 times 

 the annual demand. — American Farmer. 



Tee British colonies include the richest and largest 

 forests in the World, extending over millions of square 

 acres. In India alone about 60,000 square miles are 

 afforested, and the forests of Canada, Australia, New 

 Zealand, and Cape Colony are second to none in size 

 and the variety and value of their proiluctious. The 

 acreage under timber in France, Germany, and Great 

 Brit-iin is small and constantly decreasing. Of the 

 20,000,000 square acres of Scotland only about 700,000 

 to 800,000 acres are woodland. — Journal of Horticulture. 

 A Dressbng for Pe.^ch and Nectarine Trees. — 

 I have used the following composition for many years: 

 it destroys all insects, mildew, and disease, &c., without 

 injury to the birds in any way : — 2 lb. of tobacco- 

 powder, 1 lb. of flowers of sulpher, 1 oz. of nux vomica 

 powder, 2 lb. of clay, J lb. of soft soap, with sufficient 

 boiling water to make it the thickness of paint ; well 

 mix and stir up before using, then paint the Yiiies and 

 trees all over. — Wm. SiirTHB, Basing Park, Alton, 

 Hants. — Gardeners' Chan cle. 



WiNE-GKOwiNO IN Italy. — Italy, with an area of 

 296,322 square kilometres, and a population of 27i 

 millions, has 1,879,109 hectires (4.64I,400acre8) ot 

 vineyards, which produce annually 2/,10d,674 hectolitres 

 (596,344,628 gallons') of wine, which, calculated at an 

 average price of 25 lire per hectolitre (nearlv 11 1. 

 per gallouj, would amount in value to (i77,664,350 lire, 

 or £27,100,674 sterling: In Europe, Italy ranks third 

 in importance as a winegrowing country, folloiving 

 immediately after France and Spain. — Journal of the 

 Society of Arts. 



Cultivation of Flax in Kussia. — The Central 

 Blatt fur Textlc Industrie reports that the complaints 

 of the inferior quality and defective yield of Russian 

 flax within She last few years, have led buyers in 

 other countries to represent to their various Govern- 

 ments the advisability of stimulating domestic fltx 

 culture by means of subsidies. The sale of Ku8^'ia^ 

 flax has bi.«n to some extent prejudiced in foreign 

 countries by the importations of Indian and Italian 

 flax. Efforts are now being made, however, in Russia 

 to place this important branch of national industry 

 upon a better footing, by or^'auised measures for 

 promoting the improvement of the quality, and the 

 general development of flax culture. — Journal of the 

 Society of Arti, 



The Select Committee of the House of Commons, 

 appointed on the motion of Sir J ihii Lubbock to 

 inq are into the de>irabiiity of establishing a Forest 

 School in England, recently tonk the ev dence of 

 Mr. W. G. Pedder, Revenue Secretary of the India 

 OflBce, who stated that a Forestnl Department was 

 authorised in Bombay in 1846. About that time the 

 revenue of the Indian forests was £40,080. Since then 

 it had risen to a gross revenue of nearly £1,000,000, 

 and a nett revenue of over £4ii0,000, and thai, he 

 considered, was undoubtedly due to the increased 

 education of forest officials. Instructors were obtained 

 from France and Gerrna ly, but latterly chiefly from 

 France, because it was found that the woodlands of 

 England and Scotland were not so well mana;^ed at 

 to enable the managers to give instruction. — Journal 

 of Horticulture. 



Eaethwo SMS— Mildew. — Earthworms in the pots are 

 another trou )lesome pest, especially waere the extra 

 precaution has not been taken to grow the plants on 

 boards or tiles throughout the summer. Taese dis* 

 turb the roots and cause the flowers to be thin and 

 weak. A good n )b of fresh unslacked lime put into 

 a two-gal'oa watering can and left to settle will make 

 suffioi-nt lime water for a goxl number of plants, 

 which is the best thing to use to kill the worm-, in 

 the pots. Mildew will appear more especially on high- 

 fed plants. Tne best rem-^dy is sulphur, which shouLl 

 be dusted over at the first sig'i of it. Some v ri- 

 eties seem more su^.-eptiblo to this than others. Val 

 d'Andorre of the Japanese, and Trio nphe du Nurd, 

 and also Dick i'urpiu amongst the Pompons, are the 

 only varieties that have given me any trouble this 

 sea.son. — Journal of Horticulture. 



Sub-Thopical plants in Small Gardens. — These, 

 of course, are named as best sites, but the owner ot 

 a small villa garden, who — as a matter of course—- 

 has no choice of sites, nee 1 not despair. If he only 

 has shelter, he may, if so inclined, have a fiist-rate 

 sub-tropical bed. Say, for instance, he has a large 

 circular bed, and wishes it planted effectively after 

 the sub-tropical fashion ; here is thd arrangement. 

 In the middle plant a large clu up of the hardy bamboo 

 (Bambusi Metake), or else of New Z^alani flax(P'^onnittw 

 tenaz) ; then three plants, equal in size, of seedii ig 

 Aacia lophantha ; and next six plants of Grevillea 

 j'ofiusia ; tne outer row of all being twelve pl»nts of 

 variegated abutilon ; the e iging to be the hardy 

 variegated plantain lilv {Funkia ovata variegata). All 

 thei(fa plants can be bought at the pric ■- usuaUy paid 

 for common geraniums, and are therefore within the 

 reach of all. The bed can be filled out either with 

 flowering or foliage plants ; considering the position, 

 we should advice the former, the kinds to be either 

 geraniums or fuchsias, or both in mixture. Should 

 foliage plants be preferred, variegated thyme, go den 

 feather pyrethrum, or any of the mossy selecti 'O of 

 sedums would be appropriate. — Cassell's Popular 

 Gardening. 



Acclimatisation of Chinese Plants in India.— ^ 

 We are informed that Monsieur Re.\naud, Professor of 

 Agrimony at Pondicherry, has raised some strong 

 healthy plants from the seed of th< Chinese "milk 

 plant" {de soya). It is a native of Japan Yunu Ton, 

 The Chinese use it largely, expressing the milk, which 

 is used in its liquid state, and is also manufactured 

 into cheese ; it has not yet however, found favour 

 among Europeans, the flavour being unpleasant. The 

 Chinese bam^^oo, Katang, has also been raised from 

 seeds by M. Reynaud ; this particular bamboo grows 

 to an enormous size, and is valuable for a variety of 

 purposes ; all kinds of utensils are made of it — casks, 

 tubs, buckets, troughs, &c. The Angola henna (C^tism 

 Cazan) sown a short time ago are thriving: satis- 

 factorily, and a good gathering is expected. They are 

 by far thn best beans for haricot and many other 

 French dishes ; a great recommendation is their easy 

 digesting qualities and pleasant taste. The plant 

 continues to bear for seven years, and is greatly 

 prized in the Antilles for its economical usefulness; 

 jt requires little or no tQad^inf. —Planters' OazetU, 



