692 Provincial Horticultural Societies : — 



The Coovii-paru of Guiana. — At a late meeting of the Medico-Botanical 

 Society, Dr. Hancock read a paper on a plant called coomi-paru by the natives 

 of Guiana. It is used to intoxicate fish so as to enable the fisher to catch 

 them with the hand. It flowers at all seasons of the year, and is constantly 

 covered with leaves of a purple colour ; the flowers are small and white. The 

 fluid circulating in the plant is lactescent, nearly as thick as cream, and is so 

 abundant as to trickle down in a small stream if the bush be wounded. A 

 seed of this plant taken internally is of great use in dropsy. Can Dr. Hamil- 

 ton, or any of your correspondents who, like him, are acquainted with the 

 botany of South America, favour your readers with the scientific name of the 

 above plant, and state whether any living specimens are to be seen in this 

 country, and where ? — T. J. D. Bristol, Aug. 4. 1835. 



'Ldthyrus magellanicus. — Do you know whether a hardy annual, called Lord 

 Anson's Pea, be still cultivated in gai'dens, and whether it is the iathyrus 

 magellanicus Lam. ? It was common in gardens some years ago, and is very 

 distinct from our plant. — David Cameron. Bot. Gard. Birmingham, Oct. 6 . 

 1835. 



A Mode of preserving the Flowers of the Pansy. — I was induced last sum- 

 mer to endeavour to preserve the flowers of some very fine pansies, by gum- 

 ming them on pasteboard, and covering them with gum water : they looked 

 very well at first ; but in a short period the colours of several of them began 

 to fade, while others are at present as brilliant as the day I finished them. 

 Had all the specimens faded on exposure to the light, I should not have been 

 so much surprised ; but I cannot account for some having faded, while others 

 remained good. Perhaps some of your readers would be kind enough to give 

 me information as to the best and surest mode of preserving the colours. I 

 have heard that if the flowers are gathered under a very hot sun, the colours 

 will stand. — X L. Oct. 23. 1835. 



Potatoes. — A correspondent of the Leeds Mercury states that he is in- 

 formed it is the practice in Lincolnshire to salt potatoes to prevent their 

 vegetating in winter, and that these potatoes, if planted, will not root, parti- 

 cularly in wet seasons, which he thinks may be the cause of the frequent 

 failures of this crop. He has never met with but one failure in the course of 

 ten years, and on that occasion he bought his potatoes for cutting into sets, 

 in the spring, having neglected to provide himself in the autumn ; and he con- 

 cludes that the cause of their not having grown was that they had been 

 salted. We should be glad to know, from any of our Lincolnshire cor- 

 respondents or readers, how far the above account sent to the Leeds Mercury 

 is true. — Cond. 



Art. VIII. Notices of the Exhibitions of the Provincial Horticultural 

 Societies Jbr 1835. 



In reading over the notices of these societies, it is impossible to avoid being 

 struck with the immense increase which has taken place in the floricultural 

 department. The number of dahlias grown in different parts of the country 

 appears almost incredible. Some very fine seedlings appear to have been 

 raised in various places, both of this flower and of the pansy. We may also 

 direct attention to a seedling fuchsia, mentioned p. 698. ; some seedling apples, 

 p. 699.; and a purple wallflower, p. 714. 



Bedfordshire. — Gravid Horticultural Exhibition in Bedford, — Sejot. 15. 

 We have only an account of one exhibition in this county, viz. the one above 

 alluded to; and even this is called by the reporter "long expected." It was 

 a dahlia show, and the principal successful candidates were, the Rev. Mr. New- 

 by of Tilbrook, Mr. Webster of Sandy, and Mr. Widnall and Mr. Brown of 

 Cambridge. We were, however, sorry to see the words "no merit" placed 



