586 Short Communications. 



and flower until " winter comes on wi' its cauld icy coat." lam, 

 Sir, yours, &c. — George Thomson. High Ehns, July 1. 1833. 



A Plant of Hydrangea hortensis in the rectory garden, Sel- 

 worthy, Somersetshire, measured in 1832 forty feet in circum- 

 ference. —7'F. C. Trevalyan. Wallington, Jan. 28. 1832. 



Periploca graca, its Flowers should he used sjxtringly in 

 Nosegays. — Perhaps so ; as I have been led to conceive, that 

 the blossoms contain some deleterious property, from my 

 having observed the pavement under a blooming plant of 

 Periploca to be literally covered with dead flies, of the species 

 iVfusca domestica, while a great quantity of the same species 

 swarmed amongst, and settled upon, the blossoms. — William 

 Godsall. Hereford, Sep. 29. 1832. 



Sjiuff'and Tobacco made from English-grown Plants of the 

 Nicot'ihna rugosa and Tabacum. — Sir, I have often been 

 tempted to send you a letter on the subject of tobacco ; but, 

 seeing it taken up by others of your correspondents, I have 

 hitherto as often abandoned the intention. The letter of E. 

 S. (p. 12l).j and the remarks thereon, have at last induced me 

 to send you a sample of snufF of my own manufacture, from 

 English-grown tobacco ; but, as I am in the wake of others, I 

 shall not inflict on you a lengthy epistle. 



In 1830 I grew two species of tobacco, the 'Nicotidna 

 rugosa and N. Tabacum. After their herbage had been duly 

 fermented, dried, and fermented again ; being moistened, to 

 that end, by sprinkling with a little new perry (this second 

 fermentation is, as E. S. contends, indispensable to the at- 

 tainment of the maximum of quality in the flavour, &c., of the 

 herb), I found the former of a rank sweetish flavour, and fit 

 for no other purpose than fumigation ; for which ever since it 

 has been successfully employed. Part of the N. Tabacum 

 I made into cigars, these were rolled too tight ; part was cut 

 up for the pipe, and the remainder made into moist snuff*; 

 both these last were pronounced, by better judges than myself, 

 to be very good, and could in nowise be distinguished in 

 appearance from what might be procured at the tobacconists'. 

 The midribs of the leaves, after remaining a considerable time, 

 and having become perfectly dry and brittle, were reduced to 

 a fine powder in a mortar, and dried, to imitate high-dried 

 Welsh snuff*. This it does very nearly ; but more especially 

 that patronised by the Marquess of Anglesea, manufactured by 

 a man of the name of Ranson, of Ipswich. Indeed, there is 

 much less difference between this and my own, than between 

 much that (going under the same name) is the produce of 

 different makers. It is of this that I send you, herewith, a 

 small quantity ; I have none of the others remaining, and 



