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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( Januu7 14, 1875. 



aocnraey in Gardeners' Chronicle, Sept. 5, 1874. For our part 

 we have frequently seen the interior of the nodules just in the 

 condition described by Mr. Berkeley, with the parasites in all 

 stages of growth, from the egg condition upwards. 



Our illustration represents on tl.e left the diseased roots 

 natural size, and ou the right a thiu slice through one of the 

 nodules of the roots forwarded by Mr. Piatt. The latter is an 

 exact reflection from a camera luoida attached to the microscope, 

 and shows the cellular tissue, a ; pitted and spiral vessels, b; 

 the worms coiled up in the eggs, c ; worms emerged, D ; and 

 empty eggs, e, from which the worms have escaped. Mr. 

 Berkeley refers these parasites to Vibrios, which belong to the 

 infusoria (properly confervoid Algffi), common in fo?tid water, 

 Ac, and always, we believe, extremely minute in size ; but it 

 will be seen from our figure, which is enlarged ICO diameters. 



that the animals there shown are just over one one-hundredth 

 of an inch long, whilst Vibrios are ten times smaller, and do 

 not arise from eggs, but increase by the formation of new joints 

 and separation at the articulations. The parasite appears to 

 us to belong rather to the oviparous section of the genus 

 Anguillula, which includes the " vinegnr eel," and except that 

 it is only one-half the size, it is very similar in all stages of 

 growth to A. Tritici, an eel found infestii\" blighted wheat. 



It is often complained tiiat men of science cannot specify 

 cures for the diseases they describe, but it should always be 

 remembered that in regard to cures pathological botanists con- 

 siderably resemble doctors of medicine. It does not follow 

 that, because a doctor can tell by certain symptoms his patient 

 may have Asiatic cholera or cancer, that he can therefore cure 

 the disease ; or because a fireman sees your house is being 



Fig. 10.— The Disease of Caoumliei' Roots, enlarged 160 diametei-s. 



destroyed by fire, he can from that mere fact extinguish the 

 blaze. Physic and water sometimes do wonderful things, and 

 in the case of worms in the roots of Cucumbers, the best 

 remedy is to destroy the plants and look to the compost, which 

 probably harbours the parasites. — W. G. Smith. 



THE ARECA PALM. 



The most useful of all the vegetable orders are the Grasses, 

 and next to them the Palms. They supply food, and shelter, 

 and oil, and cordage, and beverage, and writing sheets to 

 millions of easterns, besides many minor luxuries such as those 

 obtained from Areca Catechu, the Areca Palm or Betel-nut 

 Palm. 



It is a product of the East Indies and southern China. Its 

 timber is used by the natives ; its leafstalks for making ropes ; 



its spathes for wrappers ; and the kernels of its nuts, which 

 are harsh and astringent, for masticating. For chewing, a 

 native takes a green leaf of a Betel-popper, one or other of the 

 genus Chavica, stimulating as its name implies, spreads on it 

 a little moistened quicklime (chunam), and scrapes on to this 

 a little of the Areca nut, folds up the leaf, and it is then ready 

 for chewing. It is commonly called " pawn." All classes in- 

 dulge in the practice, and practice only can render it endurable, 

 for it is intensely stimulating and injurious to the palate. 

 The Malays carry their Betel or pawn-box as Europeans carry 

 a snuff or tobacco-box, and offer its contents to a friend na a 

 courtesy. The habit may be salutary to a population living 

 ou vegetables, for, as Sir Emerson Tennant observed, the 

 compound is antacid, tonic, and carminative. At the same 

 time it is disfiguring, for the mouth and hps are dyed purplish 

 red by the saliva which it colours ; and it is so destructive to 



