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JOURNAL OF HOKTICUIiTUEB AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ August 6, 1874. 



in this state it is greedily devoured by bears, hog?, and turkeys; 

 it thou gradually becomes hard. It is very curious that this 

 hard mass again returns to its former soft state in the process 

 of germination. The young plant for some time is dependent 

 upon it for its food, and if the seed be taken ont of the ground 

 aftjr the plant has appeared, it will be found to be filled with 

 a substance half pulp and half milk, on which the plant lives 

 until it is old enough to obtain its food on its own account. 

 Prom the small size of the seed — the largest not being more 

 than 2 inches across their greatest diameter — the Vegetable 

 Ivory can be employed in the manufacture of only small 

 articles, euch as beads, buttons, toys, &c. What is wanting 

 in size is, however, often made up by the skill and ingenuity 

 of the workman, who joins together several pieces so as to 

 make a long object (especially when such articles are made by 

 the turning lathe, when it is easy to hide the joints from view), 

 or make a lid from one seed, and the box from another. In 

 some years, as many as 1.50 tons of seeds have been imported 

 into England, and they have been sold in the market at the 

 rate of a thousand nuts for 7s. Gd.—{Cassicll's World of Wonchr.i 

 for Au{)ust.) 



IN AND OUT OP ABEEYSTWITH.— No. 2. 

 Just when sitting down to commence this bulletin I re- 

 ceived a letter, of which the first sentence is, " I hope you like 

 ■the place;" to which and to your readers the reply is — Cer- 

 tainly I do, for the inscription to be read at another Welsh 

 town is quite as appUcable to this — 



*' Vinum bonum, pisces, carnPs, 

 Chickens, chaises, horses, harness," 



are all cheap, and everything else in proportion, from Beans up 

 to Bath chairs. The hens here lay fresh eggs at a penny each, 

 which they do not in London, and their young roastable 

 progeny are only 3s. Gd. per couple. Then, again, the rain, 

 which is said to amount to 60 inches annually, falls as tra- 

 vellers like it to fall, unless they are out in it with their 

 umbrellas at home — namely, it pours and soon finishes ; verily, 

 I have seen two showers which seemed to be at the rate of au 

 inch in the hour. I will conclude the aquatic aspect of my 

 subject at once. 



The water is of the softest, and the supply from reser- 

 voirs in the mountains abundant. Its softness indicates its 

 purity ; its softness is six times superior to that supplied to 

 London, and seven times superior to that supplied to Bristol. 

 Its purity is superior to that of most spring waters, for Mr. 

 Herepath found in a gallon of it only three grains and an 

 eighth of a grain of salts. The same purity characterises all 

 the streams of the mountaius, and they are many. Plyn- 

 limmon is the birthplace of five springs which become noted 

 rivers, and pertaining to them is this specimen of the Cam- 

 brian legends. There were five mountain nymphs, sisters, 

 born at Plynlimmon, and they agreed one summer evening to 

 ■pay their father, old Ocean, a visit, but each was to pursue a 

 different path. Vaga (the Wye) was most prompt in leaving, 

 and she wandered down a beautiful southern valley. Labrina 

 (the Severn) starting rather later took a northern yet beautiful 

 course. Eheidol, commencing her journey, later corrected her 

 delay by rushing directly westward to her father at Aberyst- 

 with, where her sisters LUyfrant and Dulas had to follow. 



Being thus led to the sea I will add a few words about its 

 weeds. All the British Fuci are found here, but I will only 

 note that among thera are the finest specimens of the crimson 

 Delesseria that can be collected. The Laver, Plocamlum, once 

 80 urged upon consumptive patients, i? also found here. In 

 addition to what was stated In a previous communication 

 relative to the uses of seaweeds, let it be added that some are 

 sent to London in large trusses for packing purposes, and that 

 in America they are eonver'el into artificial el o y. Tbe 

 process consists in first treating the plants for two hours with 

 dilute sulphuric acid, then drying and grinding them up. To 

 sixty parts of this product, five parts of liquid glue, five parts 

 of gutta percha, and two and a half parts of indiarubber are to 

 be added, the latter two being first dissolved in naptha ; after- 

 wards ten parts ef coal tar, five parts of pulverised sulphur, and 

 five parts of pulverised resin are a ided, and the whole heated to 

 about 300° Fahr. When cooled, a mass is obtained which in 

 colour, hardness, and capacity forieceiving a polish, resembles 

 ebony, and is much cheaper. This material is now made on a 

 large scale, and used for nearly all the purposes to which 

 ebony can bo applied. 



Not many of your readers wiU resort to that process, but 



many of them will be glad to know how best to store seaweeds 

 in the herbarium ; so I copy, with some additions, the following 

 furnished by an adept to that excellent local authority, 

 Morgan's " Guide to Aberystwith and its neighbourhood" : — 

 " Gather the seaweeds either that are growing in the pools left 

 by the tide or that it recently has thrown on the beach. The 

 best time for collecting seaweeds ij during very low tides, and 

 they should be carried in an oilskin-lined basket. Many of 

 the delicate Florida; and Ceraniie require great care, and must 

 be laid out as soon as possible, first ascertaining by the aid of 

 a magnifier whether the plant is in fruit, and if so whether it 

 is capsular or granular. Before laying down specimens wash 

 them in fresh water, cut a piece of paper to the desired size, 

 place it in a dish containing fresh water, and spread out the 

 plant by the aid of a good-sized camel-hair pencil — never use a 

 pin for this purpose, for it destroys the natural fall of the 

 branches. Gently raise the paper, holding it slantingly until 

 the superabundant water has run off, and then place the paper 

 in the press. This is made of two pieces of board or paste- 

 board. On the first board place two sheets of blotting paper, 

 on that place the paper with the specimen, on that put 

 smoothly a piece of muslin or Unen, then two sheets more 

 blotting paper, and on that another board. The blotting 

 paper and musUn should be carefully removed and dried dally, 

 and then replaced. When sufficiently dried gum the specimen 

 on a page of a scrapbook, or fix the sheet of paper on the page 

 as drawings are fixed, by making four slits, into which one of 

 each corner of the page of paper may be inserted. This mode 

 is preferable, because it admits of the easy removal and re- 

 arrangement of the specimens. The name, locality, and date, 

 are best appended in pencil for a similar reason." 



On no coast have I seen such an abundance of seaweeds cast 

 up by the waves, as well as growing upon the slaty boldres that 

 of all forms and sizes girdle the shore. There those weeds 

 remain and grow and decay unused. No farmer avails himself 

 of this natural costless mine of fertility. His excuse may be 

 that there are no roads to approach the shore readily, and that 

 is true, but if farmers duly estimated the manurial value of 

 seaweeds they would soon construct roads. The weeds are not 

 neglected because they are not needed, for the soil near the 

 coast is miserably poor, and the few corn crops grown are 

 wretchedly thin, and tell of the soil's poverty. — G. 



THE FKUIT SEASON IN QUEENSLAND. 



At the close of the fruit season it would be both interesting 

 and profitable for orchardists and cultivators in different dis- 

 tricts to record their experience for the public benefit ; and as 

 the variety of the different fruits imported into, and now bear- 

 ing, in Southern Queensland is so great, there is abundant 

 choice for planters in all parts to select from. 



In this neighbourhood (Milton, near Brisbane) tlie Peach 

 crop was not so good as in former years. The spell of dry 

 weather in spring, suddenly succeeded by abundant rain, 

 rendered them in most cases a partial failure. Mowbray's 

 China, however, maintained its character, as did also two 

 other seedlings of the Flat China — the one a round pale free- 

 stone ; the other a large, flat, high-coloured clingstone. These 

 seedlings from the Flat China and their progeny open a bound- 

 less and very promising field for Peach-growers ; they sport so 

 freely, varying in size, shape, colour, quality, and time o' 

 ripening, and withal being generally so good, we ought, from 

 this race alone, to obtain first-class sorts to furnish fruit 

 through the entire season. We have several trees now under 

 observation. 



Fi'/s have not been successful ; the rains have damaged the 

 fruit, and the foliage has suffered from Insect depredators. 

 We need some lynx-eyed entomologist to look after these gentry. 



Grapes. — The Oidium (mildew) has not been nearly so de- 

 structive this season. Many European varieties that we had 

 almost lost the taste of, ripened off well, and that with only 

 once sulphuring. Notably we had some splendid bunches of 

 rich, cool, translucent green Grapes from a new European va- 

 riety called the Uiamant Traube [Scotch White Cluster] . The 

 new American varieties have done nobly ; never damaged by 

 the Oidium, and standing the changeful weather better than 

 the European kinds, they are the Grapes for the million. 

 Eogers' hybrids Nos. 1, 2, 4, 9, and 12 are all very good, vary- 

 ing in colour, size, and earliness ; Nos. 1 and 2 being the latest 

 of the five. Another of Eogers' hybrids called Salem is a fine 

 early Crrape, large, round, copper-coloured, and ilponing early. 

 Allen's Black Hybrid is also a very good early black Grape, 



