Domestic Notices. — Scotland. 289 



surer ; and Mr. John Hay, fruiterer, Terrace, secretary for the present year. 

 And prizes were awarded for rhubarb stalks, tulips, wallflower, brocoli, 

 hardy auriculas, anemones, apples, and currants. (Scotsman, Feb. 10.) 



The Highland Society of Scotland , at their anniversary meeting, Jan. 9., 

 received a detailed account of the transactions of the past year, by which 

 it appears that the manufacture of straw plait, in imitation of Leghorn 

 bonnets, has been brought to considerable perfection by Messrs. A. and J. 

 Muir, of Greenock. The specimens exhibited by them, and which were 

 plaited and knit in Orkney, by females at their own houses, were of uncom- 

 mon fineness, and perfect in imitation. They were made from the straw 

 of the common rye, the grain being sown very thick on purpose, in a sandy 

 or gravelly soil, and cut soon after it comes into ear. The straw is after- 

 wards bleached, sized, and sorted in the way particularly reported by 

 Messrs. Muir, the joint next to the ear only being used for plaiting. 



Premiums for the neatest kept Cottage, were given, memorandums beino - 

 received from the clergy of the cottages visited by them in the exercise of 

 their parochial duties which were most distinguished for cleanliness ; and 

 these being afterwards visited by the reporters, a selection was made for 

 the premiums. 



Wedge Draining, (Encyc. of Agr. § 3972.) has been extensively prac- 

 tised by different rent-paying farmers, who, independently of the distinc- 

 tion conferred by premiums, have been " doubly paid by the first crop." 

 On the whole, this society maintains its character of usefulness. (Ed. 

 Courant.) 



Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Dec. 10th. — The following list of rare 

 plants, which have flowered here during the three preceding months, was 

 communicated by Dr. Graham, to Professor Jameson's Journal. 



Aralia spinosa. This plant has stood on the open wall three winters, protected partially with 

 broom twigs, but never flowered till the beginning of November last, having nearly reached the 

 top of a wall fourteen feet high. 



Asplenium flabellifolium, Aster pulcherrimus, Banksia integrifolia. 



Begonia undulata. We received this plant in 1825 from Mr. Otto of Berlin, under the speci- 

 fic name here adopted, and were informed that the native country was Brazil. It has been kept 

 in the stove. 



Bignonia candicans. This plant has never perfectly evolved its flowers, but these have repeat- 

 edly decayed, both this year and last, when they were just about to burst. The shrub thrived 

 well in the stove, and is trained to a considerable length along the glass. 



Brexia madagascariensis, Buddleia brasiliensis. Seeds communicated to the Botanic Garden 

 by Mr. Hunneman in 1824, and received by him from Russia, under the name here adopted. 

 Sprengel quotes under Buddleia Brasiliensis, B. jierfoliata of Humboldt; but this is quite distinct 

 from our plant. 



Convolvulus candicans. Flowered on the wall outside one of the stoves. 



Crataegus (Photinia Lind.) glabra. This fine plant was covered with flowers, on the open wall, 

 in November, and will continue so during this month also, unless the weather prove very severe. 

 It seems probable that it came into flower, and pushed much new wood, at this season, in conse- 

 quence of the warm rains, which succeeded the unusually long continued hot and dry weather of 

 summer and autumn. If it shall prove sufficiently hardy for the open ground, there have been 

 few more desirable additions made to the shrubbery; and it has already borne, without injury 

 even to its flowers, a cold of 20° Fahr. (We know of several plants which have endured the last 

 three writers unprotected, in the neighbourhood of London. — Cond.) 



Crotolaria dichotoma. The seeds of this plant were brought to the Botanic Garden from 

 Mexico in 1824, by Dr. Mair, and the plants have flowered in our stove during the last two years. 



Cypripedium insigne, Dianthus fruticosus. Flowered freely in the open border. Eucalyptus 

 cordata, and E. perfoliata. These two plants have been covered with buds on the open wall dur- 

 ing several weeks, but have not expanded any flowers. They have not, however, been in the 

 least injured by the late severe frosts ; and the last has been out of doors for three years. 



Lantana hirta. This species is a native of Mexico, from whence the seeds were brought by 

 Lord Napier in 1825, and obligingly communicated to the Botanic Garden. They, and the seeds 

 of many other species, some of them entirely new, were picked by his Lordship from plants in 

 the wild state among the mountains of Arizaba, or Real del Monte. It is much to be desired 

 that others of our countrymen would equally profit by the opportunities afforded them, of con- 

 tributing to our knowledge of exotic botany. 



Metrosideros lanceolata. This plant has stood on the open wall for three winters, partially 

 protected with broom twigs. 



Monarda punctata, Passiflora capsularis, Patersonia glauca, Pilea mucosa. This curious little 

 plant, so well illustrated in the Collectanea Botanica of Lindley, has for several years flourished 

 in our stove ; but I have not observed it frequently in collections. 



Ruellia anisophylla, Silene regia. This fine plant was sent, while in flower, from Mr. Fergu- 

 son's of Raith, whose gardener raised it from seed sent from Montreal. Vanda rostrata. < 



