482 Foreign Notices : — France, Germany, Poland. 



been proved by M. St. Hilaire, may be somewhat increased by supporting 

 them. The fruit experimented on was the pear. It is curious that the 

 Lancashire gooseberry-growers have long been doing nearly the same thing 

 with their prize berries. 



The Everlasting Potato, and the late Red Roger Potato. — With regard to 

 writing " two words " upon them, they are not worth one, being nothing 

 more than a small variety of the common potato ; any of which maybe cul- 

 tivated to the same purpose, and in the same way : this being selected for 

 its smallness, as more resembling neiv potatoes when taken up from its bed 

 in winter ; which bed, when the tops die in autumn, is to be thickly covered 

 with litter or leaves, through which, in spring, the shoots will come up 

 freely, and root in very thick clusters. The specimens sent are removed at 

 a bad time, having tops to be pulled off; which if they do not reproduce or 

 die, I will send you more, an you wish it. They are very common about 

 here ; and, in winter, form a delicate supper vegetable, having all the excel- 

 lence of new potatoes (an there be any excellence), without their sweetish 

 insipid wateriness. I send you also a most excellent variety of potato, here 

 called the Red Roger, and highly esteemed by fancy solanists as a late sort, 

 coming into eating about May, and keeping good till the great crop of others 

 is quite ripe, while most vegetables are scant. It is, however, a very poor 

 cropper. Mr. Murray, at dinner with me in July, thought this variety a 

 treasure, and took some with him to Stranraer in Galloway. This is the 

 Spider Murray who figures in your Magazine of Natural History. — John 

 F.M.B. Westfelton, May 30. 1830. 



Art. II. Foreign Notices. 



FRANCE. 



Paris, June 10. 1830. — Notwithstanding the severity of our winter, all 

 the plants of Magnolia grandiflora at Sceau have stood without losing any 

 of their leaves. The Laurustmus and Jlaternus, the common whin, and 

 some other evergreens, have been cut down to the ground. Cupressus 

 sempervirens, at the least 40 years old, almost killed. Rhododendrons, 

 and other evergreens, in southern exposures, killed or much injured, while 

 those exposed to the north are unhurt. This, I believe, takes place in most 

 countries, the injury being done by the sudden influence of the sun. — 

 Thos. Blaikie. 



GERMANY. 



Michael August Stoettner, of Nuremberg, has one of the most extensive 

 assortments of pelargoniums on the Continent. We saw them in the au- 

 tumn of 1828; and Mr. Stoettner, who has lately visited London, has pre- 

 sented us with his catalogue for 1829, which contains upwards of 430 names,' 

 with their authorities. This gentleman, who is an amateur, has, with the 

 assistance of M. Reider, a well known gardening author of Nuremberg, 

 commenced the Geranidcece there, after the manner of Sweet's. The en- 

 gravings and colouring of this German Geranidcece, he says, are much supe- 

 rior to those of the English one ; but this, till we see a specimen of the 

 work, we must take the liberty of doubting. — Cond. 



POLAND. 



The Pfandbriefor Mortgage Society here had its origin in the following 

 manner : — The landed proprietors in Poland, after the late wars and dis- 

 turbances on the Continent, found themselves encumbered with debts, for 

 which they were compelled to pay a high interest to Jewish and other 

 money-lenders. The consequence was, that great numbers were either 



