Editorial Miscellany. 247 



of some hundreds came up after the same period of immersion. 

 One single Canary seed grew after 120 days, and some Oats half 

 germinated after 120 ; both Oats and Canary seed came up pretty 

 well after only 100 days. Spinach germinated well after 120 

 days. Seed of Onions, Vegetable Marrow, Beet, Orache, and Po- 

 tatoes, and one seed of Agcratum Mexicanum grew after 100 

 days. A few, and but very few, seeds of Lettuce, Carrot, Cress, 

 and Radish came up after 85 days' immersion. It is remarkable 

 how differently varieties of the same species have withstood the 

 ill effects of the salt water ; thus, seed of the " Mammoth White 

 Broccoli" came up excellently after 11 days, but was killed by 22 

 days immersion ; " early Cauliflower'' survived this period, but 

 was killed by 36 days ; " Cattell's Cabbage" survived the 36 days, 

 but was killed by 50 days ; and now I have seed of the wild 

 Cabbage from Tenby growing so vigorously after 50 days that I 

 am sure that it will survive a considerably longer period. But 

 the seed of the wild Cabbage was fresh, and some facts show me 

 that quite fresh seeds withstand the salt water better than old, 

 though very good seed. With respect to an important point in 

 my former communication of May 26th, permit me to cry peccavi ; 

 having often heard of plants and bushes having been seen float- 

 ing some little distance from land, I assumed — and in doing this I 

 committed a scientific sin — that plants with ripe seed or fruit 

 would float at least for some weeks. I always meant to try this, 

 and I have now done so with sorrowful result ; for having put in 

 salt water between 30 and 40 herbaceous plants and branches 

 with ripe seed, of various orders, I have found that all (with the 

 exception of the fruit of evergreens) sink within a month, and 

 most of them within 14 days. So that, as far as I can see, my 

 experiments are of little or no use (excepting, perhaps, as nega- 

 tive evidence) in regard to the distribution of plants by the drift- 

 ing of their seeds across the sea. 



Beech Oil. — Amongst the various kinds of oil used in northern 

 Germany, especially in the kingdom of Hanover, for culinary 

 purposes or as materials for combustion, that extracted from the 

 nuts of the Beech (Fagus sylvatica) is, on account of its numer- 

 ous good qualities, deserving of notice. Beech oil does not play 

 a prominent part in commerce, nor is it likely to do so, owing to 

 the fact that it cannot be procured in large quantities ; the coun- 



