290 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1882. 



wet anfi warmer season lasts from November to April, 

 when tli^- iiiousoon wind blows from the north-west. At 

 this time there is a heavy tall of rain, which sometimes 

 continues incessantly for several days. The vegetation 

 of the forests, the abundant ejjiphytes, the tree-mosses, 

 the filmy Ferns, and the tendency in Ferns to viviparousness, 

 furnish evidence of a humid climate. Dr. Parker, a 

 resident in Madagascar, who has sent considerable collections 

 of dried plants to Kew from the interioi, \vrites to the 

 effect that the flowering season of -most plants in Mada- 

 gascar, whether in the forest or out of it, is diu-ing the 

 rainy season; but a very large majority do not commence 

 till towards the end of December, wliilst most of the 

 grasses and sedges do not flower before the approach of 

 the dry season. 



Tegetation. — Turning again to Mr. Baker, he, in describing 

 the general character of the flora, estimates that we have 

 now definite knowledge of at least 2,000 species of flower- 

 ing plants growing wild in Madagascar; and considering 

 how many novelties each new parcel from an unexplored 

 district contains, and what a large proportion of the named 

 and described species gathered by the French collectors 

 we do not possess in England, and how rich the Fern 

 flora of the island, which has been much better explored 

 than the flowering plants, he thinks the number of tlie 

 latter inhabiting the island may be between 4,000 and 5,000. 



The I'eyetation of the Central Hill Country. — This is much 

 better known than that of the forest belt or even the 

 coast flora; and the endemic element is mainly specific. 

 Its afiinities are with the flora of the Cape and of the 

 mountains of Central Africa. Mr. Baker summarises it 

 in the following words: — "There are many curious cases 

 of affinity between the flora of the hill-country of Central 

 Madagascar and those of the Cape and the mountains 

 of Central Africa. Many of the groups and genera 

 characteristic of the Cape flora are represented in Central 

 Madagascar, as they are in the mountains of Abyssinia, 

 Angola, and Guinea, and the Zambesi country by species 

 closely alhed to, but not absolutely with those of their 

 headquarters. At the Cape there are upwards of 500 

 Heaths; in Central Madagascar there are about a dozen 

 species — one of EricineUa and the rest of Philippia. The 

 Selagineas are represented by a single endemic species, 

 Selago mm-alis, which grows upon the walls of the royal 

 palace in Antananarivo. The Aloes are represented in 

 Madagascar by Aloe Sahundra and A. leptocaulon; the 

 Cape Irideie by species of Aristea, Geissorhiza,and Gladiolus; 

 the Troteaceaj by Faurea and Dilobeia; the special Cape 

 Ferns by Mobria caffrorum, Cheilanthes hirta, PeU.-ea 

 Oalomelanos, and P. ha.stata; the Cape saprophytic 

 Scrophularineae by Alectra melampyroides, and Harveya 

 obtusifolia; and Cape Orchids by species of Disa and 

 Satyrium; and the Cape Thymelacese by species of Dais 

 and Lasiosiphon. Other characteristically Cape genera, 

 represented by one or two endemic species in Central Mada- 

 gascar are Phylica, AnthoBpermum, Diclis, Ohironia, Halleria, 

 and Streptocarpus, There are a few curious cases in which 

 characteristically temperate species reach Central Mada- 

 gascar, or a Madagascar species reappears at the Cape and 

 amongst the Central African mountains. Among the vascular 

 Cprytogams of Central Madagscar are Asplenium 

 Trichomanes, Nephrodium Filix-mas, Aspidium aculeatum, 

 Pteris aquiUna and P. cretica, Lycopodium complauatum 

 and L. clavatum; Asplenium INIannii reappears in the 

 Oameroons and Zambesi-land. The only Madagascar Violet 

 (Vioia Zongia = V. eminensis = V. abyssinica) only occurs 

 elsewhere at 7,000 feet above the sea-level in the Oameroons, 

 at 10.000 feet above sea-level at Fernando Po, and in the 

 mountains of Abyssinia. The only Madagascar Geranium 

 (6. eminense = G. compar = G. simense, &c.) has the 

 same range. The only Madagascar Drosera reappears at 

 the Cape and in the mountains of Angola and Guinea. 

 Agauria salicifolia, an Ericacea, is common to the mount- 

 ains of Madagascar, Maui'itius, Bourbon, and the Oame- 

 roons; and has lately been found on the high plateaux 

 round Lake Nyassa. Caucalis melantha occurs only in 

 Central Madagascar; in Abyssinia at an elevation of 0,000 

 feet; in the Oameroons at 7,000 — 8,000 feet; at Fernando 

 at 7,000 feet." From the foregoing extract it wUl be seen 

 ^bat there is a distinct aUiuity between the mountain 

 floras of Madagascar and the continent of Afirca. — Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, 



STEAWBEKRT CULTURE. 



Strawberry plants are now generally grown in lines, at 

 a distance of some 3 feet from each other, and at about 

 half that distance from plant to plant. They will succeed 

 in any ordinary good soU, but prefer one of a light, 

 rich, loamy character, which should be trenched or deeply 

 dug, and at the same time sufiiciently enriched with 

 manurial matters to sustain the plants for at least two 

 years. The Strawberry may, of course, be increased by 

 seed, and it is only by this means that new and improved 

 varieties can be secured. 



The usual mode of increase, however, is accomplished 

 by the runners which spring from the stock of the old 

 plants, their use being that of transporting the young 

 plant to some distance from the stock, and to fresh soil, 

 on which it is not slow to establish itself; and thus, as 

 the old plants become worn out, aud ultimately die, their 

 place is taken by runners, or young plants, and extinction 

 is for a time thus prevented. In order to. obtain young 

 plants for the formation of new plantations, as well as for 

 the pmrpose of forcing, the soil between lines of established 

 plants should, about the middle of the month of May, 

 be loosened or forked up, and a line of 3-inch pots, filled 

 with rich, hght soil, should be sunk in the same to tha 

 level of their rims, and in the centre of each pot the joint 

 of a runner should be jjlaced, and this should be kept in 

 position by a small peg, or even by placing a small stone 

 upon it. The young plant will soon root freely into the 

 fresh soil, and if the weather following this operation 

 prove dry, the pots should be freely watered every 

 evening, and as the primary object in view is to obtain 

 strong yoimg plants at as early a period at the season 

 as possible, the young plants need not be severed from 

 the parent plants until the small pots they are Ln are 

 well filled with roots; and soon after this has been done, 

 the weather and the soil being in proper condition, the 

 plants intended to form a new plantation should be at 

 once carefully planted out, while those intended for forcing 

 should be transferred to their fruiting pots, which need 

 not exceed 6 inches in dimeter. The operation of planting 

 out, as well as that of re-potting, should be performed 

 in such a way as to avoid giving anything like a check 

 to the plants, and should if possible be accomplished 

 before the month of June has ended; while during the 

 remainder of the summer the plants should have every 

 necessary attention, in the way of watering, keeping clean, 

 &c., and unless she season proves exceedingly unfavourable 

 the planted-out plants, as well as those in pots, will gener- 

 ally be found strong enough to carry fair crops of the 

 finest fruit — those planted-out in the open air at the usual 

 season, in the following year, while the fruit of the plants 

 in pots wiU ripen in accordance with the time they are 

 started into growth. And these forced plants, if planted- 

 out after the first crop of fruit has been gathered, 

 will seldom fail to produce a most abundant crop in the 

 season following. The produce of the planted-out plants 

 will also be more abundant in the second season than 

 in that of the fu'St, although the individual fnuts may 

 be less fine. And such plantations may, if desired, be 

 retained for any number of years, but the crops, as well 

 as the quality of the fruit, will generally be found to 

 detriorate after the second season. In the forcing of the 

 Strawberry plant it is of gi-eat importance to place the 

 plants as near- as possible to the glass, and to commence 

 with a comparatively low temperature, which should of 

 course be gradually increased aa the season advances, and 

 as the plants develope themselves. But. as a rule, the 

 night temperature should not exceed 60° until the fruit 

 has fairly set, nor should the day temperature be allowed 

 to exceed 70° without air being admitted to the structure. 



Some varieties of the Strawberry, more than others, 

 are apt to produce unisexual flowers, which does not, 

 however, prevent the production of fruit; in order, how- 

 ever, to prevent the same being defective or deformed 

 in any _ way, or to prevent blooms running altogether 

 "blind," as it is called, more particularly diu-ing early 

 forcing, it is advisable to take advantage of fine days, 

 or during intervals of sunshine, to distribute the pollen 

 with a small brush or camt-lhair pencil. When the fruit 

 is fairly set, it may be found necessary to more or less 

 thin it out, and in doing this all small or imperfectly 

 formed fruits ahould be removed, and this will tend to 



