Domestic J^^otict. 195 



song eat it both in the ripe and unripe state: others use it only in the 

 mature state, as then it has a most delicious flavor. Dried in the sun it 

 has a most exquisite taste, being greatly su|)erior to the dried figs of 

 Europe and Asia. It is also eaten boiled, roasted, and fried loith sugar; 

 and it furnishes the chief material for several kinds of excellent and sa- 

 vory stews and otiier dishes. Lastly, it supplies the place of maize, or 

 Indian corn, whenever or wherever that necessary of life may hajipen 

 to be wanting. Fuentes states, in his second volume, that when plan- 

 tains have been partly dried in an oven — then peeled and pounded into 

 a paste — afterwards pressed or packed into a vessel, and kept there dur- 

 ins a fortnight, and then dissolved in water and strained — a wine may 

 be made from the liquor, whicli is not to l)e distinguished from the fa- 

 mous and delicious wine called Ojo de Gallo. It is very singular and 

 lamentahle, however, that notwithslan(lin>£ the above mentioned advan- 

 tages — so manifest to both natives and strangers in these provinces — 

 the real worth of the plantain is but little appreciated, and its utility much 

 neglected. This is the more extraordinary, when we take into account 

 the great facility of cultivating so valuable a fruit, and the great abun- 

 dance of its produce." {Hort. Jour.) 



Art. II. Domestic Notice. 



Public Garden. — We had intended several times to have made men- 

 tion of the efforts which have been set on foot to obtain subscribers to 

 establish a public garden at the foot of the Boston common (!) on what 

 is now called the Back Bay. The prayer of the petitioners to the city 

 for the use of the land, and" the subsequent acts of the mayor and alder- 

 men upon the same, have, however, been so generally made known in 

 the morning newspapers, that our merely noticing them would have 

 been information of little interest. But we had intended, as soon as our 

 engagements would allow, to have offered some remarks upon the plan 

 and objects of this garden. We shall yet do so. The necessary num- 

 ber of subscribers has not yet, we believe, been procured, and, conse- 

 quently, nothing has been done. A meeting of all those interested in 

 the subject is advertised to take place at the Massachusetts Horticultu- 

 ral Society's Room, on Saturday, May 5th, and we shall endeavor to 

 ascertain what progress has been made. — Ed. 



Art. III. Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



Saturday, March 5\st, 1838. — Exhibited. Fine specimens of Rhode 

 Island greening a])ples, from S. Walker. 



Presented. — Chinese mulberry seed, from J. M. Ives, Salem. 



The various conmiittces to whom was referred the subject of select- 

 ing the objects for which ))reniiums are to be offered by the Society, held 

 a meeting for this purpose, and reported the following list: — 



FRUITS, 



Pears. — For the best sunmier pears, not less than one dozen, a pre- 



