262 General Notices. 



and the ground was covered with snow on the 30th. December commenced 

 with great severity ; on the morning of the first day, the snow which fell 

 on the last night of November, was nine inches deep ; and the morning of 

 the 2d, the mercury sunk to 0. The rivers were filled with floating ice, 

 and on the 5th of December the Ohio was frozen over, and the navigation 

 of boats remained obstructed into January, 1846. The thermometer has 

 been below on several mornings, and the season is thus far the coldest we 

 have had for several years." 



The article, which is highly interesting, closes with some 

 account of the severe drought of the northern part of Ohio in 

 the summer and autumn. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. General Notices. 



Watering out of Doors. — Some persons are for morning watering and 

 others for evening ; all, however, will agree in the propriety or even neces- 

 sity of a timely application of this most important element. For my own 

 part, I like the morning as a general rule ; more especially for such things 

 as have been recently planted out, such as bedded plants in the flower gar- 

 den, and young vegetables transplanted from the seed beds in the kitchen 

 garden. To saturate the soil in such cases is, in my opinion, highly im- 

 proper, as leading to a considerable waste of the accumulated ground heat, 

 and also as tending to exclude the genial influence of the atmosphere. 

 With regard to young stock of this kind, frequent sprinklings are all that is 

 required ; in fact, a kind of cutting treatment, chiefly in order to prevent 

 undue perspiration in the leaf. If this waste is prevented through the day 

 by early morning watering, the plants may safely be left to the dews during 

 the night. Fine rosed pots should at all times be used, and light sprink- 

 lings repeated will prevent the soil from becoming puddled. [Gard. Chron. 

 1846, p. 343.) 



Palaver bractcatum. — Those who wish to produce a gorgeous feature in 

 the flower garden will find this plant perfectly adapted to their purpose. It 

 is biennial in its duration, blooming perfectly but once from plants of the 

 previous season's growth, and for which purpose it should be sown in May 

 or June, and transplanted in summer or autumn to its intended position. In 

 habit it assumes the form of a large crown of leaves sitting upon the 

 ground, from vvliich the flower stems arise, attaining from 3 to 5 feet in 

 height, having on llieir summits immensely large, deep scarlet, cup-shaped 

 blossoms, expanding by sunlight from 9 to 14 inches in diameter. The 

 succession of bloom is limited, but the efllect (compared with any other 

 plant) is magnificent. I remember seeing a large flower bed occupied by 



