Domestic Notices. — Scotland. i 7 1 



quantity of salt that it requires no chemical anal3'sis to discover it ; it 

 is perfectly obvious to sight, touch, and taste. I shall make no further 

 observations on this case at present, but only remark that, if this is 

 not decisive of the dispute, I think nothing can be. I herewith send 

 you some of the leaves, and also some of the seeds, which were brought by 

 a gentleman from the West Indies. It is an uncommonly great bearer, and 

 of superior flavour to any other sort I ever tasted. The fruit should be 

 gathered before they exceed 4 in. in length, and never should be allowed 

 to remain on the vine longer than till they arrive at that size, unless you 

 wish to save one for seed. The more you gather the more the plant will 

 produce; but, if the fruit are allowed to grow large, the vine ceases to pro- 

 duce more. — W. Green, jun. Stepney, August 31. 1827. 



A Transmitting-heat Wall for the Ripening of Fruit. — A patent for this 

 improvement has been taken out by James Andrew Hunt Grubble, of Stan- 

 ton, Saint Bernard, Wilts, clerk, dated January 9th, 1828,- the specification 

 to be given in six months. {Repertory of Arts, Feb., p. 1.39.) 



A fine Bunch of Asparagus was gathered in an open garden at Atterclifie, 

 near Sheffield, on Christmas day last. {Sheffield Courant.^) 



SCOTLAND. 



Leith Walk Linnean Society. —In April, 1815, about iwen'cy of the join' 

 neymen gardeners then employed in the Edinburgh College botanic garden 

 and the Leith Walk nursery, formed themselves into a society for mutual 

 instruction in matters relating to their profession. As the unsettled nature 

 of their employment at the time prevented their entering into a permanent 

 scheme, it was resolved, as an experiment, to devote the summer months to 

 practical botany; and, as a preliminary step, to setabout acquiring an accurate 

 knowledge of the plants indigenous to the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. The 

 meetings were held every Monday evening in a school-room hired for the pur- 

 pose. The subscription was 6d, each per week; the amount was laid out 

 weekly in the purchase of elementary books, suited to the subject then 

 under consideration. Willdenow's Elements of and Smith's Introduction to, 

 Botany, Hull's British Flora, Martin's Language of 'Botany, and the Epitome of 

 Hortus Kewensis, were soon procured. The worthy president, Mr. Mackay 

 (now of Clapton), favoured the Society with the use of Lightfoot's Flora 

 Scotica. Such formed the library at the outset ; the books were lent out 

 to the best advantage, and seemed to answer. The plan adopted was to 

 appoint two of the members weekly, in their turn, to proceed in certain 

 directions, and to collect all the indigenous plants they found in flower, 

 which were handed to the secretary to arrange and name previously to laying 

 before the meeting. At the meeting, all the plants collected in the course 

 of the week were exhibited, and their habitats stated; the descriptions were 

 read by the president from Lightfoot's Flora, and every term explained 

 from Martin's Language of Botany. 



By these means the members not only became practically acquainted 

 with the native plants and their habitats, but they were gradually led into 

 classification and terminology, in a way not unlikely to fix them on the 

 memory. An alphabetical list of the plants examined was weekly handed 

 to the collectors, in order that they might avoid gathering duplicates. ' In 

 the course of the summer, most of the indigenous Flora of the neigh- 

 bourhood were collected, and a great taste for rural botany, and a spirit of 

 emulation, excited. In autumn, many of the members, as well as myself, 

 left Edinburgh, to fill situations in various parts of the country ; those who 

 remained commenced de novo next spring, but with what success I never 

 heard. In the course of my peregrinations throughout the empire, I have 



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