Notes and Gleanings. 179 



Tarragon {Artentes!a dracjincielus). — A hardy, perennial plant, said to be 

 a native of Siberia. Stalk herbaceous, about three feet in height ; the leaves 

 are long, narrow, pointed, smooth, and highly aromatic ; the flowers are small, 

 somewhat globular, greenish, and generally infertile. There is but one variety. 



Soil, Planting, and Ciiltnre. — As tiie plants seldom produce seed, tarragon 

 is usually propagated by dividing the roots. Select a warm and comparatively 

 dry situation ; stir the ground deeply and thoroughly, and in April set the roots 

 in rows fifteen inches apart, ten or twelve inches apart in the rows, and cover 

 two or three inches deep. They will soon send up vigorous shoots, which may 

 be cut for use the first season. 



It is sometimes increased by cuttings, set three or four inches deep in moist 

 earth. If seeds can be obtained, they should be sown in April or May, in a 

 nursery-bed or in a common frame. Sow in shallow drills six or eight inches 

 apart ; and, when the plants are three or four inches high, set them out as 

 directed for the roots. They will early become strong and stocky, and mav be 

 used in August or September. The plants are more healthy, yield more abun- 

 dantly, and are of finer quality, when not allowed to run to flower. 



Use. — "Tarragon is cultivated for its leaves and the points of its young 

 shoots, both of which are used as ingredients in salads, soups, stews, pickles, 

 and other compounds. Tarragon-vinegar, so much esteemed as a fish-sauce, is 

 made by infusion of the leaves in common vinegar. It is also added to most 

 salads to correct their coldness. Three or four plants will be sufficient for a 

 family." — F. Btcrr, Jan. 



In Curtis's " Botanical Magazine " for May, we find the following plants 

 figured : — 



Dalechampia Rcezliana {RcezPs Dalechampid). — A superb plant, native 

 of Vera Cruz ; an erect shrub, with bright-green leaves. The beauty of the 

 plant lies in the bright rosy involucres which surround the flowers, and which 

 entitle it to rank in splendor with the Bougainvilloaa;. 



Agave schidigera {Splintered- leaved Centuiy Plant). — This species, 

 nearly allied to A.Jilifera, flowered in England last January. The flowers are 

 green, about three inches long. As an ornamental plant, it may well claim 

 a place in collections. 



GoMPHiA THEOPHRASTA {Theophrasta-like Gomphia). — This species, re- 

 cently introduced from South America, is a small stove-shrub, producing pani- 

 cles of pale greenish-yellow flowers. 



Epidendrum ebermeum {[vory-Jlowered Epidendrum). — A handsome or- 

 chid, discovered on the line of the Panama Railroad in 1866. The sepals are 

 of a pale citron-green ; the lip large, spreading, and ivory-white. 



Myrtus cheken. — An evergreen myrtle from Chili, with white flowers, 

 vsliich may prove hardy in the Southern States. It forms a pretty thick-spread- 

 ing bush, plentifully furnished with starry flowers. 



" The Dayton (O.) Journal " says it is estimated that the peach-crop in the 

 Miami Valley this season will be greater than for a dozen years before. 



