Domestic Notices : — Scotland- 705 



plough, of Mr. Smith of Deanston, and of the reaping machine of this gentleman, 

 and of the Rev. Mr. Bell, whose machine has been introduced into the United 

 States of America, will a.stonish them, (^^ee the Constitutional and Perthshire 

 Agricultural and General Advertiser, Oct. 8.) This number of the Consti- 

 tutional is almost entirely filled with agricultural matter, and is well worth 

 purchasing by all agriculturists, for the information it contains on reaping- 

 machines. — Cond. 



Samples of Wheat, from the Spanish Main, in the Straw, were sent us, in 

 August last, by the Earl of Mount Norris, from which it appears to be identical 

 with the Victoria wheat, of which so much has been said in preceding volumes 

 of this Magazine. Lord Mount Norris is of opinion that it will not answer 

 for this country. M. Vihnorin, who sowed this variety last year, from seeds 

 which, through the kindness of Lord Mount Norris, we were enabled to send 

 him, is of opinion that the variety differs in nothing from the Victoria wheat. 

 The ears of the samples sent us were small, and the straw both slender and 

 short. — Id, 



A Refinery of Sugar from the Beet-root is being erected at Thames Bank, 

 Chelsea, which it is expected will be in operation in about six weeks. In the 

 vicinity of the metropolis, during the past summer, a great many acres of land 

 have been put into cultivation with the root, at Wandsworth and other 

 places. The machinery will be principally on the plan of the vacuum pans; 

 and a pure refined sugar will be produced from the juice by the first process of 

 evaporation, after it has simply undergone the process of discolorisation. 

 Another part of the premises is appropriated to the manufactory of coarse 

 brown paper from the refuse, in which it is extensively used in France. In 

 case the government do not interfere, and, by rendering the product exciseable, 

 retard or prohibit its manufacture, several individuals have it in contemplation 

 to establish refineries in different parts of the kingdom for purifying sugar, 

 which may be produced, in agricultural districts, for domestic or individual use, 

 A refinery has lately been established at Belfast, in the vicinity of which town 

 upwards of 200 acres of land have been put in cultivation with the beet-root for 

 the manufacture of sugar. (^Salisbury Herald, Oct. 8.) 



SCOTLAND. 



The Botanical Society of Edinburgh was instituted on March 17. 1836; and 

 we are happy to learn that it is in a highly prosperous state. Local branches 

 of this Society have been established, or are about to be established, in dif- 

 ferent parts of the kingdom ; and each local society will have a local 

 secretary, who will correspond with the central secretary at Edinburgh. In 

 this way a complete botanical police will be established all over the country, 

 and the extinction of a plant in any particular habitat, or the appearance of 

 a new habitat for any species, will be instantly recorded. The central secre- 

 tary is W. H. Campbell, Esq., Brown Square, Edinburgh; the president for 

 18.36 is Professor Graham; and the vice-presidents. Dr. Greville and Dr. 

 Balfour ; the foreign secretary, E. Forbes, Esq. ; and the curator, E. 

 M'Nab, Esq. Catalogues of the British Flora, printed under the direction of 

 the Society, for the purpose of facilitating botanical correspondence, and dis- 

 tinguishing t'le plants found in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, may be had 

 of Maclachlan and Stewart, Edinburgh ; Baldwin and Cradock, London ; 

 Hodges and Smith, Dublin; and James Brash and Co., Glasgow. — W. C. 

 Clapham Road, May 26. 1836. 



Subscriptions for a Monument to Douglas. — " At the last anniversary- 

 meeting of the Dumfries and Galloway Horticultural Society, a subscription 

 was proposed, and cheerfully entered into, in aid of the fund for erecting a 

 monument to the memory of the late Mr. David Douglas, botanist, in his 

 native parish of Scone, in the county of Perth ; a gentleman to whom the 

 flora of his country is deeply indebted, and who actually became a martyr to 

 his zeal for enlarging the boundaries of whatever is rural, lovely, and inviting. 

 The sum collected and deposited in the hands of Major Adair was very 

 handsome ; but still, as many fast friends to such objects were unavoidably 



