104 Notes and Gleanings. 



Pelargonium and Geranium. — The genus Geranium has been divided 

 into three genera, — geranium, pelargonium, and erodium ; but geranium is such 

 an old-estabHshed name, that every one is liable to apply it indiscriminately to 

 geraniums and pelargoniums. They all belong to the natural order Geraniaceae. 

 Pelargonium is characterized by having usually seven stamens, and unequal-sized 

 petals ; geranium having ten stamens, and equal-sized petals ; and erodium hav- 

 ing five fertile anthers usually. 



Raphanus caudatus, or Long-tailed Radish. — It is a native of Java, 

 and is much used in some parts of India in salads ; and, being perfectly hardy 

 here, it is likely, I think, to prove very useful. It appears to be one of the radish 

 tribe ; but, unlike that esculent, the seed-pods, not the root, are eaten : these are 

 very curious, attaining an immense size in a wonderfully short space of time, 

 sometimes growing five or six inches in twenty-four hours. The pods are 

 usually from two to three feet long when full grown, — some being straight, others 

 curled into the most fantastic shapes. They are of a most agreeable flavor, and, 

 when half grown, can be eaten in the same way as a radish ; which root they 

 greatly resemble in taste, though their flavor is more delicate. It is, however, 

 when the long pods are boiled that they are most delicious, tasting then much 

 like asparagus, with a slight green-pea flavor. They should be served on toast, 

 and will form a most agreeable additson and novelty for the table. 



The plant is easily cultivated. The seed should be sown in slight heat about 

 the middle of May, and the young plants, when fairly up, planted out in the open 

 air in good rich soil. No further attention is needed, except to keep the soil 

 well watered in dry weather, and to keep the ground clear of weeds. In two 

 months from the time of sowing, the plants will begin to produce most freely 

 their long pods, which must be gathered young, i.e. half grown, if required for 

 eating raw or for salad. For boiling and pickling, they should be suffered to 

 attain their natural size. 



It is called Moiigri in Java; and the specific name, "tailed," refers to an 

 appendage of the pods. 



Roses, raising from Seed. — Take some pots or pans about nine inches 

 in depth, drain them well, and fill to within three-quarters of an inch of the rim 

 with rich sandy loam two-thirds, adding one-third of sandy fibry peat. The hips 

 should be broken, and distributed over the surface from half an inch to an inch 

 apart, and covered with half an inch of soil. The pots or pans may be placed 

 in a warm, open situation in the open ground, plunged to the rim in coal-ashes. 

 Water should likewise be given in dry weather. Some of the plants will, in all 

 probability, make their appearance in May, if the seeds are sown in March ; but 

 very often the seed does not germinate until the following spring. When the 

 plants have made three or four rough leaves in addition to the seed-leaves, take 

 them up carefully with the haft of a budding-knife or some such implement, pot 

 them singly in small pots, and place in a cold frame for a few days, or in a shady 

 situation. In three weeks or a month, they may be planted out in good rich soil ; 

 and by August they will have grown strong, some of them of sufficient strength 



