Agriculture. 68& 



Cratse^gus next spring, and let us know the result. The Celtis at Purser's 

 Cross is upwards of 30 years old, and nearly 30 ft. high. — Cond. 



Xanthorrhoe'a arbdrea,t\ie Grass Tree. — In Vol. XI. p. 338 — 34-2., some 

 account of the esculents and fruits of Van Diemen's Land is given by Mr. 

 James Backhouse, of the York Nursery, in which this singular tree is men- 

 tioned. Mr. Backhouse's article has appeared in the Van Diemen's Land 

 Almanack, from which it has been quoted at length into the Companion to 

 the Botanical Magazine, No. xiv. p. 38 — 41. ; and the following very interest- 

 ing note added to the part relating to the Xanthorrhoe^a : — " A portion of the 

 noble stem of this plant, which forms so striking a feature in one of the plates 

 in Fiinders's Voyage to Australia, was sent from Australia to the Mauritius, and 

 thence, after some delay, to us (Sir W. J. Hooker) in Scotland. It was 

 placed in our private collection ; and, after a lapse of nearly, if not quite, three 

 years from the time of its being severed from the parent tree, it shot out a 

 beautiful tuft of leaves from the extremity ; but, though every means was 

 taken to encourage the continued vegetation of the plant, the leaves soon 

 perished. It was after this period, that, being placed in the same museum, an 

 entomologist was gratified by this stem giving birth (at different times, and 

 during a space of two years) to several living specimens of a rare baetle, ap- 

 parently a new Cerambyx, of a beautiful chestnut colour, about 2 in. in 

 length, exclusive of the antennee, with which several cabinets have been sup- 

 plied. The same insect has also been taken in New Holland by Dr. Logan. 

 (Compa}non to Botanical Magazine, vol. ii. p. 40.) 



AGRICULTURE, 



The most extraordinary Agricultural Improvement of modern Times, is the 

 system of thorough draining and subsoil ploughing of Mr. Smith, of Deanston 

 in Stirlingshire, noticed at length in Vol. IX. p. 448. In Mr. Shaw Lefevre's 

 Rej)ort to the Agiicultiiral Committee, this system is mentioned as capable of 

 reclaiming every acre of cold, wet land in the country, and raising it, in a 

 short time, to a par with the very best soils. According to Mr. Lefevre's 

 idea, if this system were applied, whether with or without a corn law, the 

 produce of Britain would become so abundant that there would be no danger 

 of prices rising for half a century to come. Mr, Lefevre counsels the British 

 agriculturist to accede to a total repeal of the corn laws, and to stand on the 

 field of free competition with all the world ; trusting to his improved skill 

 and improved modes, to his capital, and to the aptitude of the soils of his 

 country for improvement, to enable him to do so. 



Acceleration of the Groiuth of Wheat. — At the meeting of the British As- 

 sociation held at Bristol in August, 1836, Mr. G. Webb Hall read a paper, 

 the object of which was to show that " the occupation of the ground for 

 .wheat might be very materially abridged. At an average, this might be 

 averaged at 10 months, though 12, and even 13, were not unusual; and 

 8 might be considered as the shortest period for the ordinary winter 

 wheat. By a selection of particular seed, and a choice of peculiar situations, 

 vi^heat sown early in March has been, on different occasions, ripened before 

 the middle of August; a period scarcely exceeding five months. Mr. Hall 

 considers it an unquestionable law of vegetation, that the offspring of a plant 

 of early maturity, itself seeks to become so likewise, even when placed in un- 

 propitious circumstances ; and that it recedes with reluctance from the con- 

 dition of its parent. Hence the seed of a crop which has been ripened in five 

 months has a better prospect of producing another crop equally accelerated, 

 than that from a crop which has been longer in ripening. He also asserted, 

 that the acceleration of a crop was farther promoted by thick sowing, which 

 likewise might be considered advantageous in checking and stopping the mil- 

 dew. — Dr. Richardson referred to the remarks of Humboldt, that in South 

 America the wheat crop was ripened in 90 days from the period of sowing; 

 and stated that about Hudson's Bay this period was only°70 days. He sug- 

 gested the probable advantage that might arise from importing seed from the 



