152 Foreign Notices. — North America. 



be cultivated with great advantage in Jamaica. I saw one at Kingston 

 lately, seven years old, nearly 20 ft. in height. 



"You often mentioned your wish that plants' might be introduced into 

 the country which might yield oil. I confess what is most wanting is a 

 spirit of industry among our free population, since there is no want 

 of plants to yield sufficient oil. [See Dr. Hamilton's paper, Vol. II. 

 p. 157.] The whole of Plantain River course is covered with plants 

 of the castor oil nut (/^icinus comnuuiis), yet few take the trouble of gather- 

 ing them. The Elac'is guineensis is common, and yet I only once saw the oil 

 obtained from it." 



I hope the foregoing extract of a letter from Jamaica may find a place in 

 the next Gardener's Magazine. 1 have almost persuaded myself that the 

 mulberry tree may be most advantageously cultivated in the West India 

 Islands, not only for its leaves but for its timber, which I have understood 

 to be very solid and durable. At present the trees are not very numerous, 

 and it might much contribute to their effectual establishment, if an easy 

 mode of propagating from those which are already there (some of which 

 are more than seven years old) were pointed out. Perhaps the best method 

 would be to cut down the trees, for the purpose of laying the young shoots 

 which break from the ground. [We should think it would, and every part 

 of the tree cut off, young and old, would grow in the form of cuttings or 

 truncheons ] If you would have the goodness to suggest the best plan and 

 the practical details, I think you might do a service to our islanders, who 

 are, unfortunately, but bad gardeners. Allow me also to ask, whether the 

 oil of the castor plant is not perfectly good for lighting lamps, and making 

 oil gas? and whether it might not be sold in almost any quantity for those 

 purposes, and probably others connected with the arts, if it could be ten- 

 dered at reasonable price ? 



The olive will increase very easily by small cuttings. We got a number 

 of large stakes of the olive from Spain a few years since. They resembled 

 hedge stakes. The lower ends were wrapped up in canvass and pitch. We 

 cut them off, and planted the stakes in large pots, which were sunk in the tan 

 in a hot-house, and put forth abundant shoots, which they have now con- 

 tinued to do for four or five years. From these we have made some hun- 

 dreds of plants, part of which are gone to the islands, and the rest are to 

 follow. I am. Sir, &c. — X Y. April. 



The olive and the mulberry agree in this, that every part of the root, 

 trunk, boughs, and branches may be turned into plants by separation ; the 

 small shoots, or spray, and the small roots, into cuttings; the larger shoots 

 into stakes; the arms into truncheons; and the trunk, stool, and roots, 

 into fragments having a portion of bark on each. The olive is so propa- 

 gated in Italy. (See Encyc, of Ag?-., § 288.) — Cond. 



NORTH AMERICA. 



Linnean Botanic Garden, near Neiu York. — Sir, I have read the tissue 

 of falsehood, calumny, and error, which has by some means found a place 

 in your Magazine (Vol. III. p. 348.), signed A Philadelphia Nurseryman. 

 To so base a communication, emanating from a source which I have reason 

 to suppose of the most contemptible description, I cannot condescend even 

 to reply ; and in this opinion all my highly respectable friends concur with 

 me. I, however, annex some letters from different gentlemen, indicative of 

 their opinions of my establishment; and to you, personally, I will also make 

 some comments. Immediately on perusing that communication, I addressed 

 a letter to each of the principal Philadelphia nurserymen, requesting an 

 avowal or disavowal of its authorship. In reply, no one presumed to avow its 

 authorship ; but from one I have not been able to obtain any but a quibbling 

 reply, and this not signed by the persons of the firm itself, but by a substi- 



