General J\*otices. 67 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. General Notices. 



Decay of Trees. — A distinguishing knowledge of the health and decay 

 of some of the most important trees, medicinally, may be derived from 

 some of the lichens, which are never known to attack a plant until it is 

 in a state of putrefaction. Several species of the Rhizomorpha family 

 are certain indicaters of decay, and when one of this species is seen upon 

 the Peruvian bark, it may be declared unfit for medicine. The Himan- 

 tia cinchonar«m, the Hypochnis riibro cinctus, and the Opegrapha vizi- 

 cola and fissiira are only found when a tree has lost its vitality, and 13 

 on the j)oint of decomposition. (^Address of Dr. Sigmond before the 

 Medico-Botanical Society.) [The horticulturist should bear this in 

 mind, as such distinguishing knowledge is as important to him as to the 

 medical botanist. How many thousands of trees are there in culti- 

 vation, whose trunks are covered with various lichens — nay, whose 

 branches and spray are so thickly coated as to preclude almost all possi- 

 bility of vegetation; and yet scions are taken, time after time, from trees 

 more or less covered with lichens, and inserted upon healthy and vigo- 

 rous stocks. The young grafts are carefully tended, and the soil in 

 which the stocks grow properly prepared; but before the trees attain, 

 perhaps, a bearing state, they already show signs of premature decay; 

 the annual growths are short and weak, the bark of a dull shade, and in 

 a short period the lichens attack the young plants, and prevent them 

 from making any farther progress. They soon assume the decrepit ap- 

 pearance of the old trees, though yet, in reality, young, and their fruit, 

 if they produce any, is hard and tasteless. It is a practice to scrape 

 trees annually, to prevent lichens from making any progress upon the 

 branches. It is, doubtless, a judicious mode. But they should be kept in 

 such a vigorous and healthy state, that they will never need to have the 

 operation performed on them, unless to remove the old bark. We have 

 seen young trees, not ten feet high, covered with lichens, from the sur- 

 face of the soil to the tips of the branches, wholly arising from neglect. 

 It should be considered as an uncontrovertable axiom with the horticul- 

 turist, that scions cut from a tree upon whose trunk or branches lichens 

 may be found, will never flourish when grafted into old stocks, howev- 

 er so healthy and vigorous; but that the first germs of decay are there 

 laid which will eventually prove fatal. — Ed.] 



Vitality of Seeds. — On opening an ancient British tumulus, some 

 small seeds were found in the stomach of a human skeleton, which 

 must have been eaten and lain there two thousand years. Some of 

 these were planted by Professor Lindley, in the London Horticultural 

 Society's garden, and have germinated and produced fruit. They prove 

 to be the common raspiierry. — {Newspaper.) 



The felling of the Mahogany tree. — The following account of the 

 felling of the mahogany tree in Honduras we have found in a foreign 

 periodical; and as we believe it will prove interesting, we present it to 

 our readers. — Ed. 



" Throughout Honduras there are two seasons in the year for felling 

 the mahogany tree; the first commencing shortly after Christmas, or at 

 the conclusion of what is termed the loet season; the other about the 

 middle of the year. Setting out on a mahogany expedition resembles, 

 in some degree, the de|)arture on a long voyage, the preparations for 

 both being somewat similar: indeed, the dreary time that must be passed 



