350 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



tlie fern leaves when we pull them off, are the capsules emptied of 

 their seeds. These seeds may be gathered by applying humid soil 

 to the leaves, thus absorbing the fern seed. This should be kept 

 in a warm, humid .shady place. The seeds vegetate soon and as 

 abundantly as the mustard and cress do. In six months the plants 

 will be nearly six inches high. 



JVote hy H. Meigs — Lindley in his Vegetable Kingdom, calls 

 Ferns'" Polypodiacefe, of the Filical alliance." There is an enor- 

 mous disproportion between Ferns and the rest of the Flora, in 

 certain tropical islands, such as Jamaica. They are found in all 

 countries, even m Greenland, where they constitute one-tenth part 

 of the Phcenogamus plants. These Ferns contain 183 genera with 

 2,000 species. 



Mr. Meigs observed that the fall of the old charter oak of Con- 

 necticut, had excited much attention, and thought that a similar 

 event 1800 years ago was worth mentioning. In the year 58 the 

 great tree of Rome, called Ruminalis, (from the ancient word Ru- 

 men, which meant Teat,) under whose shade Romulus and Remus 

 were suckled by a wolf, began to wither in all its branches, and 

 threatened t©tal decay. It stood in the place where the election 

 polls were always held. The Romans felt a superstitious dread 

 at this, but the old tree recovered its ancient verdure, although 

 eight hundred and forty years had passed away since that miracu- 

 lous nursing of the founders of that famous Empire. 



[Journal Do La Societe Imperiale et Centrale D'Horticulture, Napoleon 3d, Pro- 

 tetB.teur. Paris, Nov. 1856.] 



From this work, which with others are regularly sent free to 

 the American Institute, by those Imperial Societies, we extract 

 the following : 



On the work of Mons. Payen of the National Institute — by Le 

 Docteur Boisduval. 



On alimentary substances and the means of ameliorating them, 

 preserving them, &c. 



From the most certain data Mons. Payen states that all the 

 meat from slaughtered animals on the whole surface of France, is 

 seven nundred millions of kilogrammes, or in round numbers 

 about one thousand seven hundred millions of pounds ; to which 

 is added fish, game, poultry, eggs, cheese, &c., nine hundred and 



