38 . RES THE GARDENERS’ CHRONICLE. i 
[JANn. 17, 
and if the soil in which they are planted was kept con- 
paratively dry: In winter plants are protected with 
Fern, straw, hay, mats, Asp haulm, Fir-branche: 
and such like material, and these are all very good in 
their way ; but the plant is twisted about till it assumes 
the shape of a birch-broom ; with a little short litter or 
soil placed over the roots, and under this coat of mail, it 
is doomed to exist, whether it freezes, thaws, rains, or 
shines, till the gardener imagines that the frost has. left 
him for the season. To remedy this evil, and to remove 
these unsightly objects from that part of the garden 
which should at all times be clean and neat, I propose 
the following plan, which I am sure will answer the 
desired end. Having provided a sufficient quantity of 
felt dfr: as light as ci will 
admit—at one end of these frames, and at both corners, 
fix two iron hooks ; and at2ins. under the wall-plate 
drive into the wall two iron eyes, at equal distances, 
so that the hooks on the frame, and the one that follows, 
may fit properly in, without leaving too wide a space 
between them. The covers are then to slope to the 
edge of the walk, and:to be made fast to wooden posts 
driven into the border at equal distances, so that one 
post may answer for fastening the ends of two frames, 
which are to be made fast by means of iron hooks and 
eyes, as near the ground as possible. If felt cannot be 
proeured, or is considered to be too expensive, the 
frames may be thatched with Wheat straw,which should 
be put on thinly, for a slight covering will be found quite 
sufficient for protection in most winters, In mild 
weather, the frames should be unhooked, and removed 
out of sight, keeping them in readiness in case of frost. 
When the frost has entirely disappeared, the frames 
should be carefully laid past in some dry shed, and be- 
fore being used again they should have a coating of tar, 
which will render them more durable. The above plan 
may be considered by some to be too expensive, but, if 
we take everything into consideration, it will be found 
to be the cheapest in the end.— John M<Intosh. 
Cemenis.—May I ask *Lusor," who has recom- 
mended a cement for tanks, the cost of which does not 
exceed the sum of 8s. per ewt., if he would be kin 
enough to say what quantity of the cement would be 
required in the formation of a tank 6 feet in length, 
3 feet in width, and 5 feet in depth, to be made of bricks. 
—W. G. M., Hereford. 
Potatoes.—1l am happy to state that all which were 
packed in charred sawdust, charred old tan, and other 
refuse, as well as those packed in dry turf-ashes, are 
as sound and free from disease as could be wished); 
they are dry, mealy, and fine-flavoured ; but those that 
were pitted or banked in the usual way have rotted 
wholesale, and the effluvia. arising from them is very 
unpleasant. The following is the account of my early 
crops in their different stages of growth. "The whole, 
previous to planting out permanently, were sprouted in 
pots in the Pine stove,as has been my usual custom 
forsome years. My first crop, planted in October, was 
longer in sprouting, and produeed more plants with 
curled foliage, than I ever previously had amongst early 
Potatoes, viz., one plant in 15, on theaverage. In due 
time the selected plants were permanently planted, 
three or four in large fruiting Pine pots, which were 
placed on bricks in rows in the early Peach-house. I 
never saw plants grow away more healthily and luxu- 
riantly, the foliage being large, of a beautiful dark 
green colour, and the stalks.as thick as the finger, with 
not a blemish to be seen on a single plant in the whole 
crop ; they are now just in good condition for table— 
as fine-sized clean tubers as could be wished at this 
season, My next crop, similarly planted, and arranged in 
the second Peach-house, is 12 or 14 inchesin height, and 
doing equally well. My third crop, planted on a. slight 
hotbed that had previously produced Asparagus, with a 
Melon frame over it, is equally healthy, and in every 
respect free from disease—indeed, I have not a fault to 
find with them. The plants average from 8 to 10 
inches in height, and are very strong. I have several 
other plantings, from to 4 inches in height, 
all equally sound and clear; and those latter 
crops are not producing one-tenth the quantity 
of curled leaves, which I account for in this way. Al. 
though I am not an advocate for allowing seed Potatoes 
to remain in the soil to get over ripe, this last season 
the haulm was eut down long before the tubers were 
ripe, indeed, in a soft and watery state; and those I 
planted first were not stored in dry material long 
enough after greening to mature them, while the other 
plantings were packed in dry packing stuff in an Onion 
loft ; and. although the same variety off the same piece 
of ground, and dug up on the same day, they are of a 
different quality altogether—they are as sound and 
firm as could be wished. Potatoes, over-ripe, ex- 
hausted by fermentation, &c., will produce curle: 
foliage, and young ‘tubers without stems, equally with 
those which have not come to maturity. I have lon 
had practical proof of this. The various plantings I 
have made on borders and quarters in the open ground 
are equally satisfactory, ave ‘examined them in 
various places, and have found all the tubers in a per 
fectly sound and plump state, the eyes pushing very 
full and strong indeed. I always plant whole tubers. 
I am in no fear now of a return of the disease, should 
next season be a favourable one. In this locality the 
tmospł on Christ day, New Year's-day, and 
many other days of late, was warmer by several de- 
grees (both day and night) than we had it in last July ; 
and for the last fortnight this locality has been in com- 
plete harmony with the beautiful warble of the woodlark, 
which abounds here, and which, in my opinion, is next 
to the nightingale. — The merry song-thrush, storm- 
cock, hedge-sparrow, and robin, also enliven the scene ; 
, | and the ringdove or wood-pigeon is cooing merrily, be- 
sides numbers of starlings and wood-peckers. Beech- 
nuts are abundant, which those merry warblers seem 
to luxuriate on.—James Barnes. 
Potatoes.—Why donot some of the Potato dealers 
send agents to this country, where we have a large 
quantity of Potatoes to sell of excellent quality, and 
without a trace of disease? I think I could myself offer 
them 1000 tons from my own farm, and estates under 
my charge.—J. M., Inverness. 
Sarieties. 
BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 
Nov. 29.—Ninth Anniversary—The President in 
the chair. The Secretary read the report of ‘the 
Council, from which it appeared that 16 members had 
been elected since the last anniversary, and that the 
Society now consisted of 182 members. It was stated 
that the report of the Herbarium Committee would 
appear in the spring, and that the exertions of the 
members to obtain the rare and interesting plants had 
been attended with the greatest success. The report 
was unanimously adopted, after which a ballot took 
place for the Council for the ensuing year, when the 
chairman was re-elected President, and he nominated 
John Miers, Esq., F.R.S., and E. Doubleday, Esq., 
F.L.S., Vice Presidents ; A. H. Hassall, Esq., E.L.S., 
and E. Palmer, M.D., were elected new members of 
the Council; Mr. J. Reynolds, and Mr. G. E. Dennes, 
were re-elected treasurers, ^ 
REGENT'S[:PARK GARDENERS’ INSTRUCTION 
SOCIETY, 
Dec. 11.—Mr. Rr in the chair. Mr. Campbell read 
the following paper on the culture of the Fig :—* The Fig 
ris a native of Central Asia, and was introduced in 1525. 
The most approved method of propagating it is by 
layers and cuttings about a foot in length, taken off the 
most fruitful and well-ripened shoots, potted in a light 
sandy loam, and struck in a slight bottom-heat ; from 
these, plants may be obtained in the second or third 
year. When grown on walls they should be placed in 
the warmest situation. ‘The border should be made of 
fresh loam of a medium texture, 2 feet deep ‘and 15 
wide, upon a well-drained bottom, and when enriching 
is required, this should be effected by means of manure- 
water. In pruning, the knife is not necessary (if pinching 
and ‘thinning is properly attended to daring the summer 
months with the finger and thumb), except to eut out 
the old wood. He proposed the fan system of training 
and for protection in winter mats or canvas, because of 
the ease by which they could be made to suit the 
weather—taking off the unripe fruit previous to cover- 
ing. In forcing the I may be 1 
at 45°, and gradually raised to 80° as the plants and 
the season advance. He had seen them do well planted 
out in pits, from which two crops in a season were 
regularly taken. "Phe roots in all cases should be en- 
couraged near the surface, and the border should not 
be stirred by the spade, but by a fork. A moist heat 
should be kept throughout, and syringing over the 
leaves employed until the period of ripening, when a 
few leaves may be taken off, which shade the fruit, and 
the water withdrawn, When ripe, the fruit should be 
gathered in the morning and used in the same day. 
The most select sorts are early white Marseilles, a good 
bearer and suitable for forcing; black Ischia, Pine- 
flavoured, do. do. ; brown Ischia, excellent; brown 
aples, very good’; large blue or long Purple, very 
od and bears carriage; Lee's Perpetual, valuable 
from its long period of fruiting.”—Mr. Reith did not 
approve of divesting them of any of their leaves ; he 
had seen excellent crops grown in a Vinery.—Mr. 
Townsend recommended strong soil and large tubs for 
forced plants, confining those planted out in pits to 
divisions of 2 feet apart, and well draining and watering 
profusely. The Brunswick was large and fine, and 
might be added to the above.—Mr. Bruce had practised 
covering them on walls with Spruce branches, which, 
from their gradually becoming bare towards spring, 
was an ad ge.—Mr. Elliot disapp d of the width 
and depth of the border as being too much, but ap- 
proved of giving manure-water, all solids having to be- 
come liquids before being taken up by the plant. The 
late fruit should be taken off soon after being seen, 
and he would not syringe over the leaves, as it tended 
to close up the pores.—Mr. M*Ewen agreed with Mr, 
R. as regards the leaves ; he also coincided with Mr. E, j 
and, though onee an advocate for the free use of the 
syringe, which may be indispensable for dirty plants, 
yet, by a judicious course of management in. connection 
with the improved modes of heating, they can be kept 
clean and healthful, thus preventing the dashing over 
o e 
Z |the leaves and the choking of the pores consequent 
thereon,— Several specimens were exhibited and named, 
and six new members chosen.—G. M‘Ewen, Sec. 
RMebieos. 
Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature. 
Svo. Parts 1 to 24. 
London. 
Among the innumerable comments which much or little 
knowledge has poured forth upon the Bible, so vast an 
amount of error, ignorance, or misdirected learning, has 
been wasted, that a biblical student who does not think fit 
to devote his whole life to the study of the holy writings 
has no chance of ever understanding them critically. 
By John Kitto. 
Black, Edinburgh ; Longmans, 
To the mass of people this most important. branch of 
knowledge could hardly be said, a few years since, to be 
accessible at all. Indeed, the diversity of subjects al- 
luded to in the Bible is so great, that no single com- 
mentator could possess the knowledge required for the 
examination of every part of the vast subject, 
When, therefore, Dr. Kitto ventured upon the diffi- 
cult path of biblical criticism, it was with a full know- 
ledge of the impossibility of dealing with it single 
handed. He engaged the co-operation of the most 
learned oriental scholars, and by parcelling the subject 
among them, giving to each that particular topie which 
he had most studied, an amount of exact knowledge and 
practical criticism has been brought together which has 
never been equalled, 
To us the subject is, exclusive of all other reasons, 
most attractive for the sake of the natural history, on 
which we have ourselves occasionally touched, and whieh 
"has been by Dr. Kitto intrusted to Dr. Royle and Col. 
Hamilton Smith. Their names are a guarantee of the 
care and skill with which it has been treated. Indeed, 
r. Royle seems to have exhausted the whole subject, 
so far as his inquiries have extended ; and, although 
obscurity still hangs, and in all human probability 
always will hang, over some of the allusions in the 
Scriptures, yet all that it is possible to interpret has 
now met with a faithful expounder, to whom. both the 
learned and unlearned may look with confidence; His 
article on Dudaim will show how he has dealt with his 
materials :— 
“Dudaim.—This word, in its plural form, only occurs: 
in two places of Scripture : first in Genesis xxx. 14-165. 
and secondly, in Cantieles vii. 13. In the first passage 
it is mentioned several times: ‘Reuben went out in 
the days of Wheat harvest, and found dudaim (man- 
drakes) in:the field, and brought them home to his- 
mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, give me of 
thy son's dudaim ;’ also in ver. 15, and in ver. 16, it is 
said, * And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, 
and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must 
come in unto me, for surely I have hired thee with my 
son's dudaim ; and he lay with her that night.’ Inthe 
second passage we learn that these dudaim, or the plants 
which yielded them, gave out a peculiar odour : ‘The 
dudaim (mandrakes) give a smell, and at our gates are 
all manner of pleasant plants.’ From the above passages 
itis evident that the dudaim were collected in the fields, 
that they were fit for gathering in the Wheat harvest 
in Mesopotamia, where the first occurrence took place; 
that they were found in Palestine ; that they or the 
plants which yielded them diffused an odour, which 
Michaelis p. F G if. odore, vene- 
| reus Mandragoras ; and that they were supposed to be 
possessed. of aphrodisiae powers, or of assisting in pro- 
curing conception. From this it is manifest that there 
is little to guide us in determining what plant is alluded 
to at such early periods, especially as no similar name 
has been recognised in any of the cognate languages. 
Hence great diversities of opinion have been entertained 
respecting the ‘plant and produce intended by the name 
dudaim. These ,Dr. Harris has thus summed up: 
‘Interpreters have wasted much time and pains in 
endeavouring to ascertain what is intended by the 
Hebrew word dudaim. Some translate it by * Violet,’ 
others *Lilies; *Jasmins, ‘Truffles or Mushrooms; 
and some think that the word means * flowers,’ or ‘fine 
flowers) Bochart, Calmet, and Sir Thomas Browne 
suppose the citron intended ; Celsius is persuaded that 
it is the fruit of the Lote tree; Hiller that Cherries 
are spoken of ; and Ludolf maintains that it is the fruit 
which the Syrians call ‘mauz’ (that is the Plantain), 
resembling in figure and taste the Indian Fig ; but the 
generality of interpreters and commentators understand 
AMandrakes, a species of Melon, by dudaim. Here, 
however, the author has confounded the Melon * Cucu- 
mis dudaim, with the Mandrake or Mandragora, adopted: 
by the generality of authors. The grounds upon which 
the Mandragora has been preferred are, first, ‘The 
most ancient Greek translator interprets the Hebrew 
name in Gen. xxx. 14, by Mandrake Apples (ujAa 
LevüpayopGv); and in the Song of Solomon, by Man- 
drakes, of uavdparyépu. Saadias Onkelos and;the Syriac 
version agree with the Greek translators. "lhej'first of 
these puts laffach; the two latter yabruchin; which 
names denote the same plant’ (Rosenmiiller, Bid. Bot. 
p. 130, and note). The earliest notice of wavdpaydpas 
is by Hippocrates, and the next by Theophrastus (Hist. 
Plant. vi. 2.) Both of these C. Sprengel (Hist. Rei 
Herb. i, 38, 82) supposes, intend Atropa Mandragora. 
Dioscorides notices three kinds: 1. the female, which 
is supposed to be the Mandragora autumnalis. of Ber- 
loton ; 2. the male, Mandragora vernalis of the same 
botanist (these two are, however, usually accounted 
yarieties of Atropa Mandragora); 3. a kind ealled 
orion. It has been inferred that this may be the 
same as the Mandragora of Theopl which, by: 
some authors, has been supposed to be Atropa Bella- 
donna. To all of these Dioscorides ascribes narcotic 
properties, and says of the first, that it is also called 
Circea, because it appears to be a rogt which promotes 
venery. Pythagoras named the Mandragora anthropo- 
morphon, and Theophrastus, among other qualities, 
mentions its soporific powers, and also its tendency to 
excite to love. Its fruits were called Apples. of love, 
and Venus herself Mandragorites. But it is not easy 
to decide whether the above all refer to the same plant 
or plants. Persian authors on materia medica give 
Mandragoras as a synonyme for yebrookh, or yabrooz, 
which is said to be the root of a. plant of which the fruit 
is called /oofah. This, there is little doubt, must be 
