112 



FOREIGN NOTICES. 



Iio Tounil clnsrly ailhcrinp: to Ihoso lumps. Tlicrc 

 are many c:anl«'ii<Ts wliu sjiy, "I )ia\o no time to 

 attonil to such a routini- of liroakinj^'and layorin>j^;" 

 but crooks do not spoil by leinif broK'en and sorted 

 in the coldest ilaj- in winter, nor yet if ilone in wet 

 weather, when nothing; can be done out of doors. 

 The dillcrent sizes may be placed in larpe pots, 

 and put somewhere out of the way, where they 

 will be dry until the crocks are wanted for use, 

 which is jrenerally in sprinj,^ and summer seasons, 

 when work is pressing:; thus time is saved by hav- 

 ing crocks ]ireviously prepareii, ami jilants are 

 benefitted by j\idiciously arranged drainage, which 

 is sure to be elTcctual. — W. Moody in Gard. Chron. 



Green Fly. — To destroy this pest, pour a quart 

 of boiling water on an ounce of ..Tobacco, let it 

 stand till cold, then strain; dip the heads of your 

 standard Roses In-anch by branch into a large ba- 

 sin filled with this infusion, shaking them gently 

 in it; the greater part of the insects will fall into 

 the basin, and the rest will surely die. Another 

 plan, and oven a more effectual one, is to dip the 

 l>lants, as before, into a basin of strong soap-suds. 

 Whichever solution be used, the dipping must be 

 performed where possible: but it will not be pos- 

 sible if the Roses be trained on a wall; in that case 

 syringing with one or other of these infusions must 

 be h.id recourse to: it will succeed only in those 

 parts of the plant where the lifjuid falls; of course 

 many leaves will remain untouched. I may add 

 that the syringing with soap-suds is excellent for 

 Geraniums and Cinerarias when infested with in- 

 sects. — M. Clark in Gard. Chron. 



SINGTJLA.R xF.w Cabbage. — In a late number of 

 C/jaw6fr'i^jE^i/i6wrg/j/our?iaZ,is a detailed and very 

 interesting account of a remarkable new species 

 of esculent vegetable found growing most abun- 

 dantly on an Island in the centre of the Southern 

 Ocean, known as the Island of Desolation or Ker- 

 guelan's Land : farther distant from a continent 

 than any other Island known. It belongs to the 

 same natural family as the Cabbage, Turnip, Sec, 

 though quite distinct in its habits of growth. It is 

 the Pringlea antiscorbuiica of botanists. It grows 

 in the greatest abundance over the whole of the 

 Island from the sea-shore, where it is large and 

 succulent, to the sides of the hills 1400 feet 

 high. 



" During the whole stay of the ships Erebus and 

 Terror in Christmas Harbor," says Dr. Hooker in 

 his Flora Antarctica, "daily use was made of this 

 vegetable, either cooked by itself, or boiled with 

 the ship's beef, pork, or pea soup. Its essential oil 

 gives a peculiar flavor, which the majority of the 

 oflicersand crew did not dislike, and rendered the 

 herb even more wholesome than the common cab- 

 bage, for it never caused heart-burn, or any of the 

 unpleasant symjitoms which that plant sometimes 

 produces. Invaluable as it is in its native place, 

 it is very doul)tful whether this plant will i)rove 

 equally so in other situations. It is of such slow 

 growth that it is doubtful if it could be cultivated 

 to advantage. Growing spontaneously and in so 

 great abundance where it dies, it is likely to prove 



for ages to come an inestimable blessing to ships 

 touching at this far distant Isb-: whilst ils luxu- 

 riance amid surrounding desolation, its singular 

 form and ajipearance, striking even the casual ob- 

 server, and the feelings of loneliness and utter iso- 

 lation from the rest of the world, that must more 

 or less ojjpress every voyager at first landing in its 

 dreary and inhospitable locality, are circum- 

 stances likely enough to render the Kerguelens 

 L.ind Cabbage — Cabbage though it be — a cherished 

 object in the rocolleclion of the mariner : one 

 never to be elTaced by the brighter or more luscious 

 products of tropical %'egetation. 



"The contem|)lation of a vegetable very unlike 

 any other in botanical affinity and in general ap- 

 pearance, so eminently fitted for the food of man, 

 and yet inhabiting the most desolate and inhospita- 

 ble spot on the surface of the globe, must equally 

 (ill the minilof the scientific inquirer and the conj- 

 raon observer with wonder." 



[By the Great Western, we have our files of Hor- 

 ticultural journals. The following leader, from 

 the London Gardeners' Chronicle, of July 11, will 

 show such of our readers as know Professor 

 Lindley in his graver scientific labors, the mix- 

 ture of comedy, classlcality, and reality, with 

 which he often relaxes his mind, in conducting 

 that journal :] 



What is a Parapetticoat? We are astonished 

 at the numerous inquiries that have reached us 

 about this article. Its name reveals its nature. 

 It is a hybrid between a parasol and a ])etticoat. 

 This is not banter but fact. . And why should 

 there not be such a thing? What is there in 

 reru?n nati/ra to prevent an ingenious person from 

 applying those two needful articles of shelter and 

 dress to gardening purposes? They will fade, and 

 wear thin, in the custoil}^ of tlie most economical 

 gentlewoman, and to find a use for them after- 

 wards is an adaptation of means to end which 

 cannot be too highly commended. 



Let us give a receipt for making a Parapetti- 

 coat. First find a good sized parasol, or small 

 umbrella, covered with cotton, and not rubbed 

 into boles. Then select a cast-off petticoat, not a 

 crinoline, which Mrs. Malafrop calls a Kremlin, 

 nor yet a flannel, but some other form of the vest- 

 ment; it need not be very full; indeed, it will be 

 better for being scanty; sow up the opening, and 

 it is ready for attachment to the parasol. For 

 this purpose the latter instrument must be opened, 

 and kept so; then the upper end of the petticoat 

 is to be sowed to the edge of the parasol, and a 

 staff six feet or more long is to be secured to its 

 handle. Thus the parapetticoat is (constructed. 



Cut what a word! cries Sir Erasmus VERnAr,. 

 What a barbarous compound of Greek and Saxon ! 

 The thing may be well enough, but its name is 

 unendurable. Pray call it a parachiton, or a 

 parachitonisk. We can have no objection to the 

 change, if the world prefers it; and we agree 

 with Sir Iouasmus, that it will be as well to adopt 

 it wlien parasol is called parabolion, and parapluie 

 a paraombrion — but not till then. 



And what is the parapetticoat /or? For, Ma- 

 dam! for a most important purpose. It is an 



