130 



FOREIGN N0TICB:S. 



part8 of fructification, renders it liiirhly beautiful." 

 This species is certainly new, unless it slionld be the 

 Asclepias siissiiela of Roxburgh, a IMoluccari plant, 

 said to lia\ e llt>\vers nearly three inches in diame- 

 ter; but that botanist cites, witliout any doubt, the 

 Corona ariadnes of Huniphius, wliich has flowers 

 only as larj^e as a shilling' (denarius,) and there- 

 fore cannot be the species now described. Nei- 

 ther can this be the Iloya speciosa of Dccaisne, 

 which has the llowers velvety inside, anil only one 

 inch and three quartersacross; nor the Iloya pran- 

 ditlora of Hlunie, which has leaves woolly beneath. 

 These g-lorious species are still to be imported, 

 one from Java, the other from Aniboyna, and ei- 

 ther would form an invaluable addition to our gar- 

 dens. — Botanical Register. 



Cypripedium Irapeanum. Irapean Lady's 

 Slipper, or Pelican flower. Greenhouse herbace- 

 ov a plant. (Orchids.) Mexico. A noble species, 

 looking like a gigantic form of the downy yel- 

 low Lady's Slipper (C. pubescens) of the United 

 States, in soil and potting, it requires the same 

 treatment as our common English antl American 

 species, but it is more tenilcr than they are, 

 and must be kept in a warm greenhouse. During 

 the summer months, when it makes its growth and 

 flowers, it requires a liberal supply of water. 

 When the growth is perfected, and the stems have 

 died down, the plant must have its season of rest, 

 and at this period it should be kept raiher dry. In 

 the summer months, when growing, it should al- 

 ways be shaded from bright sunshine. It is prop- 

 agated by dividing the roots when the plant is in 

 a state of rest. — Botanical Register. 



LiLiUM sANGtriNEUM. Blood-red Lily. Half- 

 hardy Bulb. (Lilyworts.) Japan? A plant re- 

 markable for its dwarfness, not growing more than 

 12 to 18 inches high, and for the vivid color of 

 its large solitary orange-red flower. It might be 

 supposed to be a variety of L. thunbergianum, 

 but that plant has a tall hairy stem bearing several 

 flowers of a larger size, with much shorter sta- 

 mens, and a less brilliant color. The divisions of 

 the flower are, moreover, very distinctly stalked, 

 which brings the species nearer to L. philadelphi- 

 cum, from which it is clearly distinguished by its 

 upper leaves not being distinctly virticillate,andby 

 its great v.oolly honey-furrow. It grows freely in 

 light loimy or peaty soil, to which has been added 

 a small portion of well decomposed cow-dung or 

 leaf mould. The bulbs, like those of the other 

 kinds of Lilly, always suffer when disturbed, and 

 should therefore only be entirely removed from the 

 soil when an increase is wanted. It is easily in- 

 creased, either by parting the old bulbs or by the 

 scales, each scale forming a plant, but then they 

 require two or three years befoie they bloom. It 

 flowers in INIay or June, and was presented to the 

 Society by Mr. Groom. — Botanical Register. 



On the Duration op Woods, and means or 

 PRoi.o.NGiNG IT. — The following are the results of 

 experiments made with great care and patience by 

 M. G. I^. Hartig: — Pieces of wood of various kinds, 

 2 5-.S incites square, were burietl about an inch be- 

 low the surface of the ground, and they became de- 

 cayed in the following order: — The Lime, Amer- 

 ican Birch, Aliier, anil the Trembling-leaved Pop- 

 lar, in 3 years; the common Willow, Horse Chest- 

 nut, and Plane, in 4 years; the ."\Iaple, Red Beech, 

 and common Birch, in o years; the Kim, Ash, 

 Hornljcam, and F^ombardy Poplar, in 7 years; the 

 liobinia. Oak, Scotch Fir, Weymouth Pine, and 

 Silver I'ir, were only decayed to the depth of half 

 an inch in 7 years; the Larch, common Juniper, 

 Red Cedar, (Juniperus virginiana,) and Arbor-vi- 

 tffie, at the end of the last-mentioned period re- 

 mained uninjureil. The duration of the respective 

 woods depends greatlj' on their age and quality, 

 specimens from young trees decaying much quick- 

 er than those from sound old trees; and, when well 

 seasoned, they last much longer than when buried 

 in an unseasoned state. In experiments with the 

 woods cut into thin boards, decay proceeded in the 

 following order, commencing with the most per- 

 ishable : — 



10 Maple, 



1 1 Silver Fir, 



12 Scotch Fir, 



13 Elm, 



14 Wej'mouth Pine, 



15 Larch, 



16 Robinia, or Locust, 



17 Oak. 



1 Plane, 



2 Horse Chestnut, 



3 Lime, 



4 Poplar, 



5 American Birch, 



6 Red Beech, 



7 Hornbeam, 



8 Alder, 



9 Ash, 

 It has been proved by repeated experiments that 



the best mode of prolonging the duration of wood 

 is to char it, and then pay it over with three or 

 four coats of pitch. But simply charring the wood 

 was of very little utility, as were likewise satura- 

 tions with various salis, acids, &,c. — Hartig, Revue 

 Horticole. 



Beet-root Bread. — Take one stone of Beet- 

 root, boil it until it becomes quite soft, poimd or 

 mash it fine, (just as turnips are mashed for table,) 

 then add one stone (or equal parts) of wheaten 

 flour, and bake with yeast, in the same way as ba- 

 kers do wheaten or common flour bread. The 

 same process will answer for making bread from a 

 mixture Of flour with Parsnips, or with White 

 Belgian carrots. I also wish to state that the above 

 mixture and mode of baking will do equally well 

 for making griddle bread, which is important to 

 all those who possess ovens, and that the addition 

 of half an ounce of bread soda to 14 pounds (or one 

 stone) of mixed Beet-root and flour, will answer 

 the same purpose as yeast does, in making the 

 common bakers' bread, light, wholesome, and nu- 

 tritious. — T. O'Brien, Baker, Dublin. 



