535 [Assembly 



Acacia. — Lindley includes this in the title Fabacea, or Legii- 

 naiuous plants. The term Fabacea means bean bearers. Of these 

 there are four hundred and sixty-seven genera and six thousand 

 five hundred species. 



Epacrids. — Lindley says these are small trees or shrubs, their 

 hair when present being simple. Flowers white or purple, sel- 

 dom blue, remarkable for their great beauty, and lor the singular 

 structure of their leaves. All the fruits of the berry bearing sec- 

 tion of them, especially Lissanthe Sapida are esculent, but the 

 seeds are too large and the pulpy covering too thin to be availa- 

 ble for food. The Astroloma Humifusum, the cranberry of Tar- 

 mania, is found all over that colony. 



It is remarkable that only one or two Heathworts are found in 

 the countries inhabited by the Epacrids. 



The fruit of the Tasmania^ cranberry is green or whitish, or 

 sametJraes red, about the size of a black currant, has an apple 

 flavored pulp enclosing a large seed. The stems of the plant re- 

 semble juniper. The blossoms are beautiful scarlet. 



Camellia. — Father Camelli,a Jesuit, introduced it into Europe 

 in 1739. Linneeus, out of gratitude, named it after him, Camel- 

 lia. It was originally from Japan, and has been cultivated from 

 time immemorial in China and Cochinehina. In a wild condi- 

 tion it is a large bush, never a tree, rarely grows higlier than 

 thirty or thirty-five feet. 



The cultivation of Camellia and Rhododendrum is much the 

 same. 



[Annales De La Societe Centrale, Paris, July, 1851. From Alexandre Vatlenmre.] 



Culture of the pine apple (Bromelia Ananas) in the north o 

 France, without either lire or manure. By Viscount De Courval. 



The forced culture of pine apples has been practiced for half a 

 century, always by means of artificial heat of coal, wood, coke, 

 turf, hot air or steam. We present our practice as hitherto but 

 little known, and as very economical. The experience of some 

 years and the results have been such that we warrant its success. 

 It always requires care and vigilance. 



