FOREIGN NOTICES. 



237 



of unusual occurrence, the European residents 

 here were not inclined to listen credulously to the 

 accounts of tliis " wonderful fall of bread from 

 heaven." The report, however, instead of being 

 scum forgotten, gained daily more ground ; speci- 

 mens ot tin' substance were broughl hither, and 

 travellers from Byazid bore testimony to the fact 

 of several showers of these lichens having taken 

 place. Finding that there was some Inundation 

 for this phenomenon, I thought that the matter 

 was deserving of investigation, and that you 

 would he interested in knowing it. I therefore 

 applied to Dr. Heinig, the sanitary physician at 

 Byazid (the only European residing there,) to 

 furnish me with information, which I elicited by 

 means of a series of questions. It is the result of 

 these inquiries which I now have the pleasure of 

 submitting to vour notice. 



About the 18th or 20th April last, at a period 

 when there had been, for a whole fortnight, very 

 rainy weather, with strong winds from the S.E. 

 and E.S.E., the attention of the shepherds and 

 villagers frequenting the country near Byazid was 

 attracted by the sudden appearance, in several 

 localities, ot a species of lichen scattered in con- 

 siderable quantities over certain tracts, measuring 

 from live to ten miles each in circumference. Dr. 

 Heiniij describes two of these spots as follows: 

 One is situated three miles east of Byazid, behind 

 a range of rocky mountains stretching from the 

 north, gradually towards the south-east. The 

 other is live miles to the south of Byazid, near a 

 similar range of rocks, running in the above- 

 named direction. 



It is remarkable that no one had ever before ob- 

 served these lichens in the neighborhood, not even 

 tin- shepherds, who often pasture their Hocks on 

 the crags and in almost inaccessible places; and 

 Dr. Heinig, who has been on Mount Ararat (which 

 is close to Byazid.) and who appears to have a 

 taste for rambling over mountains, says he has 

 never met with, any. What seems to confirm the 

 assertion that these products were not known pre- 

 vious to their unaccountable appearance is, that 

 last year the crops were greatly injured by lo- 

 custs, and a famine threatened; and had the sub- 

 stance been known to exist anywhere in the vi- 

 cinity, it would most assuredly been eagerly sought 

 after and collected last autumn, when the price of 

 wheat had risen to more than double its usual 

 value A similar phenomenon is said to have oc- 

 eurred at Byazid some years ago, when it is pro- 

 bable that the edible quality of these lichens be- 

 came known to the natives; unless showers took 

 place previous to that period, which I have not 

 been aide to ascertain. Supposing the lichens to 

 have been blown nil s nne adjoining inaccessible 

 places, and in such great quantities, too, how is 

 the rarity of the occurrence accounted for? and 

 how is it that they covered such large tracts of 

 country? 



No proof has been adduced of any one having 

 seen the fungi fall; but as the first intelligence 



was brought by villagers who, early one morning, 

 had observed the lichens strewed over a tract of 

 ground where they had not observed any on the 

 evening before, it i- probable that the showers 

 must have taken place during the night. In some 

 localities, the one or the other kind of lichen alone 

 was found; in others, the two species mixed. On 

 the 19th June, another quantity of lichen was dis- 

 covered, and as the spot was a well- frequented 

 one, it seems likely that the fall had occurred 

 only a few days previously. 



From all accounts, the quantities collected 

 have been very great. Dr. Heini'_ r says that a 

 person could collect at the rate of 1^ lb. in an 

 hour, which, considering the lightness of the pro- 

 duct, is a tolerable quantity. The substance is 

 ground up with wheat and made into bread, or 

 eaten simply in its raw natural state. Krzeroom, 

 July 2, 1849. [Our correspondent has favored 

 us with specimens of these productions, which we 

 shall take an early opportunity of figuring and re- 

 porting on.] Lindley's Chronicle. 



Root Pruning. — In our last we adverted to 

 the general policy of root pruning, and promised 

 details adapted to the varied circumstances under 

 which the fruit cultivator is placed, from the su- 

 burban town gardener, with his single pole of 

 ground, unto the proprietor of the noble demesne, 

 or even the commercial gardener. The latter 

 class, indeed, so contrives matters in <jeneral that 

 he avoids the necessity for much pruning of this 

 kind; his mode of planting is not liable to mis- 

 chances. In the first place, his soil is of a cha- 

 racter that little preparation is necessary ; his 

 subsoil also is of a genial character; or, indeed, 

 but for these two points, his profession would not 

 prove by any means of a remunerative character. 



It must be understood, therefore, that in writing 

 for the amateur and the cottager, we write with 

 the full impression that they labor under greater 

 difficulties than the before-named parties; neither 

 possessing, in the main, so good a situation, nor 

 so much skill. Thus persuaded, then, we will 

 proceed. 



Root pruning, as at present practiced, may be 

 thrown into two divisions, viz.. periodical root 

 pruning by system, and root pruning through ne- 

 cessity. The first lias been called into notice by 

 Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridge worth, the eminent nur- 

 seryman, who, indeed, as we think, may be con- 

 sidered the originator of the system, or, at least, 

 its greatest advocate. Of the other, root pruning 

 through necessity, we must nt once be egotistic 

 enough to claim the merit — if merit it be — of keep- 

 ing the subject warm, and of continually bringing 

 it beforethe publiofor the last twenty years. The 

 til st kind we have never practiced, ami can sa\ 

 little about; we, however, apprehend it is not 

 generally heeded by, or adapted to. the majority 



of our nailers, who rather, it may be presumed, 



aim a 1 oil-hand plans less tedions in character. 



By root pruning through necessity, then, we 



