TANNIC ACID FOR STRAWBERRIES. 



Nearly all the squares are surrounded by mud-walls or sun-dried brick, the houses all 

 standing off the streets. Some of the houses belonging to foreigners are beautiful, being 

 composed of coral taken by divers from its bed in the ocean. The squares enclosed by 

 the mud-walls are filled with grass houses in which the natives live, and are large, cool 

 and impervious to rain and more preferable to live in, in this climate, than those construct- 

 ed of any other material. 



An extinct crater called the " Punch buwl,^' rises back of the city, and on its sides are 

 mounted cannon, which conmiand the place; within the crater is a beautiful valley, Mhere 

 multitudes of goats are continually grazing. The city is bounded by the sea on one side 

 and lofty mountains on the other, while a low narrow valley leads from it through the 

 mountains, making a splendid and much frequented drive, with handsome trees planted 

 on each side, for seven miles, where the valley terminates in an abrupt, perpendicular 

 precipice, called the Pare, over which Kameiiameha the First drove thousands of his ene- 

 mies down several hundred feet, and not a single one escaped. 



Kameuameiia the Third, lives in a fine large house, surrounded by a beautiful garden, 

 and near him lives his mother, a great fat old lady with a suite of half naked natives al- 

 ways at her heels, dozens falling into the procession as she walks the streets. His Ila- 

 Avaiian majesty is a good looking, stout fellow, and sports a genuine Broadway mustache. 



After spending the day on shore, we hunted everywhere for a house to rent, unsuccess- 

 fully, and a Kanacka or nc-itive, overhearing our conversation, accosted us with, " me find 

 good house, no too much money," so we followed our sable mercury until we obtained a 

 good house, in the centre of a square filled with trees and flowers, opposite the king's 

 palace; here we soon established ourselves, and lived in a style of " oriental magnificence" 

 (excepting the magnificence!) with nothing to do but send our " Tamarre" or servant up 

 one of ourcocoanut trees, and revel in the nuts and milk. 



I was here enabled to add many tropical plants to my already large herbarium. Our 

 landlady, being a chieftess, wanted to give me her daughter (aged 13) in marriage, but 

 not being ambitious to become allied to the aristocracy, I respectfully but firmly declined. 



The old lady had many visitors of the softer, if not the fairer sex, and if perchance we 

 would be indulging in the luxury of a genuine oak-leaf-IIavanna, or meerschaum, the la- 

 dies would stop and gently remove said luxury' from our mouths, and much to our unso- 

 phisticated consternation, would take a whiff or two, and pass it around, then politely 

 return it, with a grunt of approbation or a " miti," (good). These eccentricities Ave soon 

 grew accustomed to, and soon learned to rub noses, and smoke the pipe of peace, when we 

 wished to conciliate. Yours, &c., W. J. H. 



TANNIC ACID FOR STRAWBERRIES. 



BY 11., ALBANY, N. Y. 



Mr. Downing — I do not understand how tannic acid can be a specific food for the 

 strawberry. This has been asserted by Prof Mapes, at a meeting of the American Insti- 

 tute Farmers' Club, and your correspondent. Dr. Hull, and yourself, allude to it in the 

 August number of the Horticulturist. I do not doubt the good effects of mulching straw- 

 berry plants with old tan-bark — the question is as to the hypothesis by which the result 

 is attempted to be explained. Is it known that the strawberry feeds on tannic acid 

 on what is the assertion founded? So far we are Avithout any clew to the " why and 



