General Notices. • 263 



this plant solely, about 15 years ago, in the then richly adorned flower 

 garden at Bretton Hall, Yorkshire. The impression of that gorgeous 

 pyramid, as it then appeared, is not forgotten. Where such an object is 

 desired, it should be placed towards the back-ground. P. bracteatum thrives 

 in any garden soil. The strongest plants should be placed in the centre of 

 the bed, adding a quantity of rich leaf-mould to each, which will heighten 

 the effect by insuring a pyramidal outline, or progressive elevation of growth 

 from the margin to the centre. (Gard, Chron., 1846, p. 356.) 



Results obtained in the Jardin des Plantes from seeds prepared by Mr. 

 Biches. — Many landowners and farmers in the neighborhood of Cassell, in 

 Belgium, and Franckfort-on-the-Maine, according to Mr. Bickes's prospec- 

 tus, appear to have obtained extraordinary results from seeds prepared by 

 him, even when sown on sandy, bad soils of the w^orst description in those 

 countries. In order to afford Mr. Bickes an opportunity of submitting his 

 experiments to the test of public inspection, some borders were employed 

 in the Jardin des Plantes, in which the prepared seeds were sown by Mr. 

 Bickes himself, in April, 1845; and adjoining, in the same kind of soil, 

 similar portions of ground were sown with seeds which had undergone no 

 preparation. The seeds were sown in garden soil, and also in an artificial 

 sandy soil. They consisted chiefly of the cereals — maize, wheat, rye, 

 oats ; and some clover, lucerne, turnip, beet, flax, hemp, haricot ; in short 

 all kinds which, under the procedure, are stated to yield four times the 

 produce derived from sowings made in the usual way. The result of the 

 experiment was, that all the plants came up and grew as in ordinary cases ; 

 no difference having been observed between those from prepared seeds and 

 those from seeds not prepared. The havicots, having been sown in the 

 beginning of April, were partly decomposed in the ground, perished by the 

 wet and cold, and consequently no result was obtained from them. The 

 other plants exhibited their ordinary degree of development ; they flowered 

 and ripened their seeds at the usual periods, without realizing any of the 

 advantages announced in Bickes's prospectus. (M. Pepin, in Revue Horti- 

 cole, translated in Gard. Chron., 1846, p. 359.) 



Stopping Vines, — Although much stress is continually laid on the stopping 

 of vines during the growing season, yet this important process has its 

 limits, the passing of which will lead to weakness in the constitution of the 

 vine. Two reasons seem to exist in favor of the process ; the one, concen- 

 tration of the powers of the vine for a period in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood of the fruit, thereby increasing its size ; and the other the prevention 

 of the secondary shoots of the vine from overlapping and smothering the 

 principal leaves. After these points are duly accomplished, vines, espe- 

 cially young ones, may be allowed to ramble freely, more especially in the 

 period between the first and last swelling, or during what is termed the 

 stoning process. It is by no means uncommon to see young vines nearly 

 destroyed by overbearing, especially the Muscats. Tliese " show" in an 

 extraordinary way, on strong young canes in newly-made borders; but if 

 the fruit be allowed to remain, and close stopping be resorted to, the consti- 

 tution of the Muscat will be completely broken up. Let such, however, be 



