General Notices. 187 



I am spcakino: of, is to pave the ground ; I do not moan as some do, lay a 

 few bricks without mortar aroiuid a tree; tliis is us(3less. Tlic yard or 

 ground, must he suhstantially paved with hriek and mortar, or rammed with 

 dead oyster shells, so as to |)reseiit a Iiard surtiice. The utihty of this expe- 

 tlient is very apparent ; for wiien tlie fi-iiit fdls, and the worm leaves its hab- 

 itation in search of winter quarters in the eartli, its progress wih he arrested 

 by the impervious nature of die sin'tiiee,and its <h!Struction rendered certain. 

 Tliis could not be effected unless the pavement extended l)eyond tlie outer 

 blanches of the tree ; for it is evident, the pavement could not protect the 

 tree against tiiose worms that should fall beyond its range. In paving, the 

 ground should be previously well mamu'cd. Dr. Tilotson remarks, that in 

 jiaved ground the trees may be set very close, the excess of rain being car- 

 ried oft by the pavement, and their luxuriance being thus restrained, such 

 trees must not only }iroduce great crops, but Irom the effect of the sun on 

 the naked [uivemenl, the fruit must be of the finest quality." 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. General JVotices. 



Chcnopbdimu (^uinaa. ITumboldt states (as we have quoted in the Encyc. 

 of Gard. 2d edit., §948,) that this plant, in Mexico, ranks in utility with the 

 potato, the maize, and the wheat. The leaves are used as spinach or sorrel, 

 or as greens; and the seeds in souj)s and broths, or as rice. Throughout 

 great part of South America, and esjiecially in Peru, the seeds are in as com- 

 mon use as rice is in Hindostan. The seeils are considered more heating 

 than rice, and on that account they are frequently given to domestic poultry 

 to make them lay early. The plant is an annual, and in genend appearance 

 resembles the ^'triplex hortensis, or French spinach ; and, under the same 

 circumstances of soil, climate, &c., will grow to about the same height as 

 that plant. The seeds are small, yellowish white, round, somewhat flattened, 

 about a line in diameter, and, on a cursory glance, might be mistaken for 

 those of millet. Mixed with the latter seeds, and fermented, a pleasant kind 

 of beer is said to be produced. They are contained in a single envelope, 

 from which they are very easily se[)arated. The Qumt/« was first introduced 

 into England in 1822; and it has ripened seeds at Kew. No particular no- 

 tice, however, appears to have h(!en taken of the plant till this season, when 

 it has been grown by A. 1>. Lambert, Esq., V. P. L. S., at Boyton, where it 

 has ripened abundance of seeds on plants varying from 3 ft. to 7 ft. in height. 

 These seeds Mr. Lambert will, no doubt, distribute all over Europe ; and, 

 we trust, the plant will now have a fair trial both in gardens and fields. To 

 do any good in producing nutritious seeds, the plant should he subjected to 

 field culture, in which we see not the slightest difficulty. It might be sown 

 very thiidy in drills, o ft. apart, at about the same season as barley, and the 

 plants afterwards thiimed to the distance of 1 ft. apart. There appears, at 

 present, no reason whatever why it should not become as common in the 

 fields of Europe as barley, wherever that grain can be cultivated. In the 

 mean time, we hope it will be tried first in gardens, in order to raise ahun» 

 dance of seed for future experiments in the field, — Gard. Magazine. 



