1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



369 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



PiCEA FIRMA AND PiCEA BIFIDA.— Dr. Mas- 

 ters finds the last only a juvenescent form of the 

 first, and the latter will therefore be a synonym 

 •of the species, though practically useful from 

 a horticultural point of view. From specimens 

 of both found on one tree, Dr. Masters found 

 the anatomical structure different, thus teaching 

 that the microscope is not an infallible test of 

 species. 



Fibre of the Velvet Leaf. — Abutilon 

 Avicennse. The Scientific American says that the 

 "Kew Jersey Bureau of Statistics of Labor and 

 Industries" have issued, "under its seal," an 

 ^'oflfer from Monsieur Le Franc" to pay S8.00 

 per ton for straight "jute," stalks "not less than 

 three or four feet in height," delivered in Cam- 

 den, IN'ew Jersey. We note further that this 

 is being widel}' copied by our exchanges. 



It would be well to know what is this "New 

 •Jersey Bureau;" what value is attached to its 

 ""seal;" what security is there that anybody 

 "will take it after it is raised; who in Camden is 

 to receive it; is there any limit to the amount 

 to be received ; if the fibre of the Abutilon Avi- 

 cennte is offered, will it be accepted as "jute?" 

 and is the offer to stand till the end of next 

 year, — or for how long? 



In connection with this we notice in another 

 paper sent out " under the seal " of this Bureau, 

 that no machine has j'et been perfected to clean 

 •out the fibre profitably ; but it is hoped one will 

 ibe found some day. 



One thing seems to us conclusive, that even if 

 the machine were ready, it would take ground 

 "very rich indeed to raise this plant three to four 

 feet high when sown thick together as wheat in 

 a grain field. Ground rich enough to do this 

 «ould be put to better use than raising stalks at 

 ^8.00 per ton. 



The whole story is so indefinite, and the re- 

 sults so apparently unlikely to come to anything, 

 that we are led to make the inquiries at the 

 head of this paragraph. 



Garberia. — Under this name. Dr. Asa Gray, 

 in the proceedings of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia, has just established a 

 new genus of plants in honor of Dr. A. P. Gar- 

 ber, son of our venerable friend and correspon- 

 dent Dr. J. B. Garber, of Columbia, Pa. New 

 species are not uncommonly found, but new gene- 

 ra in the older settled portions of our country, are 



rare. This one is from Florida, and allied to 

 the Liatris or well-known "gay-feather." 



Morphology of Pine Flowers. — Mr. James 

 Gordon writes to the Journal of Forestry that 

 the female flowers of Pines are of "branch 

 origin," while the male flowers ai*e of "leaf 

 origin ; " and one of his arguments is that as 

 the female flower remains on till it forms a per- 

 fect and mature cone, and the other is thrown 

 off — "disarticulates," — as soon as there is no more 

 use for it, it proves one to be a branch, and the 

 other a leaf. But arbor vitse, taxodium and 

 other things " disarticulate " branchlets, and 

 are not therefore leaves. Most American mor- 

 phologists, we believe, -svould say all structure 

 was of " leaf origin." 



Fruit Drying by Cold Blast.— An experi- 

 ment was made at a foundry in Placerville last 

 week, in fruit curing, by blast of cold air. In 

 this experiment about a peck of sliced ap- 

 ples were placed in a sieve and subjected to 

 a cold air blast for three and a half hours 

 in the cupola furnace of the foundry, and the 

 fruit is reported to have been completely and 

 beautifully cured by the treatment, remaining 

 soft and without the slightest discoloration. We 

 were about to say dried, but cured is a better 

 word, for there was none of that hard, harsh, 

 stiff drjaiess about it which frequently results 

 from drying by sun heat or fire heat. The 

 experiment was a most gratifying success, and 

 in our judgement is fraught with results of 

 great importance to the growers and manip- 

 ulators of fruit. The blast of cold air com- 

 pletely frees the fruit from its excess of 

 moisture, with no possibility of burning or 

 shriveling it. Compared with sun drying, 

 it effects a great saving of time and labor. 

 Compared with fire drying, it effects a great 

 saving of expense, attention and risk. Any- 

 body who can command or devise a strong blast 

 of cold air, can dry fruit in a superior — we 

 might say perfect — manner, without being de- 

 pendent on the weather and waiting on the slow 

 process of sun drying, and without the more ex- 

 pensive resort to fuel and the risk of overheat- 

 ing. — California Paper. 



Seedless Persimmons. — It is not uncommon 

 for the persimmon to produce a fleshy fruit 

 without seeds, and these are generally better 

 flavored than the normal kind. Mr. Heiges 

 sends us some nice ones from York, which how- 

 ever have a few small seeds. 



