FOREIGN AND MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 



the liquid which flowed from the bottom of 

 the pots I found sulphate of ammonia, whilst 

 on the surfiice of the pots there was evident- 

 ly carbonate of lime. This confirmed the 

 view I had adopted. 



I then made other experiments, which do 

 not, however, bear upon the last mentioned 

 facts. For example, I. Avatered grass seeds 

 sown in manure, in pots with pierced bot- 

 toms, with water containing one of the fol- 

 lowing substances, viz: sulphuric acid, mu- 

 riatic acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, sulphate 

 of iron, sulphate of potash, chloride of man- 

 ganese, phosphate of soda, sulphate of mag- 

 nesia, nitrate of soda. 



With all these substances the grass grew 

 well, and from the bottoms of the pots I 

 obtained salts of ammonia, which are not 

 volatile at the ordinary temperature. From 

 all these facts I think we may conclude — 



1. That gypsum has by itself no fertilis- 

 ing power, and is alone useless as a manure. 



2. That gypsum only is useful in agricul- 

 ture when mixed with substances contain- 

 ing ammonia; in which case there is a dou- 

 ble decomposition, and the ammonia is stor- 

 ed up for the use of the plants. 



3. That for gypsum may be substituted 

 any other salt which will fix ammonia, and 

 render it not volatile at the ordinary tempe- 

 rature. 



It is my intention next year to repeat these 

 experiments on a large scale, in order to as- 

 certain their real practical value. — Comptes 



Hendus. 



Method of Presesving young Fruit 

 Trees from tub attacks of Hares and 

 Rabbits. — All lovers of gardens know by 

 experience that hares and rabbits devour 

 with great avidity the annual bark of young 

 fruit trees, and particularly of dwarf ap- 

 ple trees, among which the most healthy 

 and vigorous are always destro3'ed the first, 

 in consequence of their bark being the most 

 tender and savoury. As soon as the ground 

 is covered with snow, these animals, no long- 

 er finding anytliing in the fields on which 

 the}'^ can browse, begin their devastations in 

 the gardens : if they are numerous, and the 

 fall of snow heav}^ a few nights only are 

 sufficient for them completely to ruin the 

 most beautiful plantation, and to annihilate 

 the result of many 5'^ears of labor and care. 

 Happily, nothing is more easy than to place 

 these trees be^^ond the attacks of these 

 marauders protected by the law. The fol- 

 lowing is the ])lan I have adopted withcom- 

 leto success during the last six or seven 

 I mix about 4^ pounds of quick-lime, 

 ps, with 21 gallons of water, and add 



a few handfuls of soot, stirring the liquid 

 until the two substances are intimately 

 incorporated. I then take a handful of 

 Rye-straw and bind it on a stick to form 

 a kind of brush, with which I grey- 

 wash the trunk and branches of my trees 

 fi'om the ground to at least a yai-d above it; 

 for should the snow drift by the wind against 

 the foot of the trees, the hares, by means 

 of the inclined plane thus afforded tlicm, 

 would be able to attack the trees at a much 

 greater height. The wash, applied hot, lias 

 also the advantage of preserving the bark 

 of the trees in a state of perfect health, and 

 preventing the increase of mo.-.s, which is 

 often pernicious in its eil'ccl, and always 

 very disagreeable to the eye. It is desirable 

 that this preservative application should be 

 made in dry weather, in order that tlie 

 mixture on drying may adhere to the b;»rk; 

 for should it rain at the time, or immediate- 

 ly afterwards, the mixture would be wash- 

 ed from the trees, and it would be nece.ssiiry 

 to re-commence the operation. If the mix- 

 ture also is applied during a frost, there 

 would be little chance of jierfect success; 

 as the oart of the bark on which it would 

 be laid would be thawed. If, however, 

 through want of Ibresiglit, a fi'ost sets in 

 during the course of the operation, and it 

 becomes urgent to complete it, we may do 

 so with perfect success by choosing tiiat 

 moment of the day in which the sun strikes 

 most strongly with his rays the trees on 

 which we wish to operate. Three gallons 

 of this wash are sufficient to secure two or 

 three hundred dwarf trees from the ravages 

 of hares: a result that may be obtained for 

 a pennyworth of lime and the day's work 

 of an active laborer. This plan is equnlly 

 infallible for the preservation of grafts and 

 all nursery collections. I^rom th:i /'''r.^nch 

 of thi Baron Vundsr-StrosLn (i;i th^ Jour- 

 nal jlgricoh di Virvhrs.') 



The Glycine Sinensis — where it is found luild. 

 — Before the last war with China, foreignei's 

 were confined to narrow limits about Canton 

 and j\Iacao, where they had no means of 

 knowing anything of the more hardy plants 

 of the north, which they sometimes met 

 with in gardens, and introduced to Europe. 

 Now, however, we can prosecute our botan- 

 ical reseaches in a country whic;h is nearly a 

 thousand miles further to tlie north-east, 

 and at many other places which lie along 

 that line of coast. 'J'he isl.tnd of Koo- 

 lung-su, for example, near Amoy, was t:ik 

 by our troops dui'ing the war, ajid occu 

 by them for some years, according to t 



