5' 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[February, 



report, as of a popgun, that may be heard at a con- 

 siderable distance. Persons passing near them at 

 such times sometimes suddenly find themselves 

 bespattered from head to foot by the pulpy con- 

 tents of these vegetable popguns. 



In the valley of the Chagres there grow whole 

 forests of the candle tree. From the stems and 

 branches of these depend the long, cylindrical 

 fruits, of a yellow wax color, that so much resem- 

 ble huge candles, as to have suggested the popu- 

 lar name. The fruit is from two to four feet long 

 and an inch in diameter. The tree grows to the 

 height of twenty-four feet, and blooms all the year 

 round, but most abundantly during the rainy sea- 

 son; but the principal harvest of the fruit is during 

 the long, dry season. The fruit serves as food for 

 cattle, which, when fed on it and some of the na- 

 tive plants, soon grow quite fat. The meat of cat- 

 tle fed on this fruit has a peculiar, though not dis- 

 agreeable, apple-like odor. 



Ripening its fruit during the dry season, when 

 vegetation is principally dried up, it becomes a 

 very important production for tropical countries, 

 where great scarcity of stock provender is frequent- 

 ly experienced. 



The fruit of another species of the same genus 

 to which this belongs, is used by the Mexicans for 

 human food, under the name of Quantiscilate. A 

 tree grows in Australia known as the Bottle tree, 

 from the resemblance of the trunk of the tree in 

 shape to that of a beer bottle. 



This tree, Sterculia rupestris, furnishes a sweet, 

 mucilaginous substance, with which the natives re- 

 fresh themselves. They obtain it by cutting holes 

 in the trees, which cuts decay, forming a rotten 

 place in the tree. Afterwards by tapping them 

 two or three feet below the old cut it affords a 

 plentiful supply. 



A tree known as the Rain tree, Pithecellobium 

 Saman, is found in the dryer parts of South 

 America. This tree grows to the height of sixty 

 feet, and its leaves have the peculiar property of 

 condensing the moisture from the atmosphere. So 

 copious is this condensation that a continual show- 

 er falls from the leaves and branches until the sur- 

 rounding soil is converted into a veritable marsh. 

 Places that would otherwise be barren desert are, 

 by this means, covered with the most luxuriant 

 forests. It is said the British government is intro- 

 ducing this tree into India to counteract the aridity 

 of portions of that country. 



Queensland furnibhes a shrub that would cer- 

 tainly make a very unpleasant neighbor. It is the 

 stinging tree, a very luxurious, pleasing looking 



shrub, Varying in height from two or three inches 

 to ten or fifteen feet. Though pleasing to the eye 

 it is dangerous to the touch, as the pain it produces 

 is maddening. No mark is left, but for months 

 afterwards the place is tender to the touch in rainy 

 weather, or when wet by washing, or other means. 

 It exhales a peculiar, disagreeable odor, that gives 

 notice of its proximity, and enables the experienced 

 and cautious to avoid contact with it. So excru- 

 ciating is the pain caused by contact with this 

 plant that a man of ordinary fortitude, when stung 

 will roll on the ground in uncontrollable agony. 

 A horse will, after passing through a grove ot these 

 trees, rush with open mouth at anyone who dares 

 approach him. A dog under such circumstances 

 will rush around, whining in a piteous manner, bit- 

 ing and tearing the flesh from the parts affected by 

 the sting. 



A recent German publication contains a descrip- 

 tion of a new electric plant that has been christened 

 Phytolacca electrica, which possesses strongly 

 marked electro-magnetic properties. In breaking 

 a twig the hand receives a shock that resembles 

 the sensation produced by an induction coil. Ex- 

 periments made on this plant with a small compass 

 showed that the compass was affected by it at the 

 distance of about twenty feet. On a nearer ap- 

 proach the needle vibrated and finally began to 

 revolve quite rapidly. The phenomena was re- 

 peated in reverse order on receding from the 

 plant. The energy of the influence varied with the 

 time of day — being strongest at about 2 o'clock 

 p. m., and becoming almost nothing during the 

 night. It was also greatly increased in stormy 

 weather; and when it rains the plant seems to 

 wither. It is said that no birds or insects are ever 

 seen on or about this plant. The soil whereitgrew 

 contained no magnetic metal like iron, cobalt, or 

 nickel, and it is evident the plant itself possessed 

 this electrical property. 



A bush, the fruit of which is called Soap berry, 

 is found in great abundance throughout Alaska. 

 The fruit, when ripe, is a small red berry of a 

 juicy and quinine taste, and is generally biennial. 

 If a quart of these berries be placed in a tub capa- 

 ble of holding a bushel, and well stirred, they will 

 form a suds or froth that will completely fill the 

 tub. The more it is stirred with the hand the 

 thicker it becomes, till it can be cut with a knife. 

 A whole family of the natives will gather around 

 the tub and eat this frothy substance with horn 

 or wooden spoons. The taste for it is doubtless 

 an acquired one, but the article is quite popular. 

 The red color of the berries gives a beautiful pink 



