334 fAsSEMELY 



in prijnevcl ages, had roamed over the south-eastern parts of our 

 island. Analysis proved that those coprolites contained a much 

 large?- quaniUy of phosphoric acid than the best bones. 



Tlie countless herds of cattle that overspread the Brazilian Pam- 

 pas (plains) used to be slaughtered solely for the sake of their hides. 

 Now, tiie best of the llesh and tallow are saved for use, and the 

 remaining mass of dry flesh and bones is exported for manure. 



[From the Annales De La Societe Centiale, Paris, 1850.] 



Nursery Trees. — I have been long ago struck with a thing to 

 which no one seems to have paid attention, and that is, upwards 

 of one hundred years ago. nurseries of fruit trees were establish- 

 ed at Vitry,at Paris, at Orleans, at Antwerp, at Rouen, &c. &c. 



All these nurseries have delivered for setting out, many mil- 

 lions of pear trees every year, to be planted in France only. 

 Now if all these pear trees had prospered, France is not large 

 enough to contain them ; and still the nurseries sell every year 

 millions of them. A pear grafted on a quince ought to last 30 

 or 40 years if properly taken care of j and those grafted on pear 

 stocks, should last from CO to 100 years when planted in proper 

 soil. So that there must be something about this matter not well 

 understood — seeing how few pear trees are now to be found in 

 France. I have them in London, large, fine and full of fruit j I 

 never saw any thing like it in the environs of Paris. 



Translations by H. Meigs. 



[From the Annales De La Societe Ccntrale, Paris, 1850.] 



Knight, of England, an excellent author, in reference to horti- 

 culture, says that almost all our pears are in an alarming state of 

 degeneracy. 



Plant all seeds of apples and pears in their 7nash — they grow 

 much more promptly. 



Van Mons sent me 84 kinds pears. As I tasted them I laid 

 their seeds seperately ; let them dry on paper without washing 

 them. In the next Spring I planted them in suitable pots, (60 

 kinds of seeds) and kept them from frost — not a seed grew that 



