148 Domestic Notices s — England. 



Charles M'Kenzie, arrived in the Spanish Main in the first week of Septemher, 

 and, by the middle of November, had gathered and packed between COO and 

 700 plants of Cacti, Orchideac, &c, with a large assortment of seeds, roots, 

 &c, including a dwarf Euphorbia, of elegant habit and beautiful foliage. All 

 these arrived in the most perfect state of preservation ; indeed, the cereuses 

 and melocactuses are as fresh as when gathered, although almost wrecked off 

 the coast of Ireland, and detained between Cork and Liverpool nearly five 

 weeks during the late frosts. 



The following articles from the Kingsbury portion of the above importations 

 were exhibited at the meeting of the Horticultural Society, held February 19th. 

 A specimen of Cereus senilis, 5 ft. 3 in. long ; another 3 ft. 6 in. long, 

 and others of the same species, in various stages of growth, showing the 

 different states of this singular species from 2 in. to 5 ft. in height. The 

 smallest of these, a dead specimen, although only 2 in. high, and supposed 

 by Mr. Beaton to have been only about 18 months old when taken up, showed 

 all the characteristic features of the " old man ; " having its grey-hair-like 

 (?) urceolae as strongly marked as that of any of its older brethren. It was 

 procured from Mexico, and exhibited in order to establish the fact that the 

 hair is produced in this species in the seedling state; a fact of which Mr. 

 Beaton was not aware last year, when he exhibited seedlings of a very 

 different species, supposing them to be those of C. senilis ; the seeds 

 from which those plants were raised having been purchased for those 

 of C. senilis. Several other long cereuses, and some melocactuses not yet 

 described j a curious root or tuber, which bore some resemblance to the hand 

 of an ape ; a new (?) orchideous plant, with large, long, pseudo-bulbs, not 

 unlike those of Dendrobium speciosum, and two fine specimens of Elephan- 

 topus, the bulb-like masses of which are a great acquisition to a grotesque 

 collection of plants, such as Cacti, &c. The Cacti were not exhibited for a 

 prize, but to show that these plants could be brought over in the depth of 

 winter, when carefully taken up and safely packed. 



Besides these, Mr. Harris exhibited an exceedingly handsome-flowering 

 stove acacia, with inga-like flowers, of the most exquisite colour and 

 texture. Mr. Harris does not exhibit any plants except new ones when they 

 first flower with him ; or any real good old ones, such as the acacia, or inga, 

 above named, which ought to be more generally known. 



Mr. Harris's unique collection is open to the inspection of the botanical 

 world every Wednesday throughout the year; but, to prevent this commendable 

 liberality from being abused, it is necessary that strangers be either already 

 known as scientific botanists, or furnished with an introduction from some 

 botanist or botanical patron. — Cond. 



The Royale Hative Plum. — In the Proceedings of the Horticultural Society, 

 No. 4., you will find mention made of the Royale Hative plum, an excellent 

 variety, rivalling the Reine Claude Violette in excellence ; and I think it will be 

 about a fortnight earlier. Shoots very downy ; those of the Reine Claude Violette 

 smooth, which might have been observed and noted as a dissimilarity by the 

 French authors, when they compared the two in the Bon Jardinier. — R. T. 



Van Mons Leon le Clerc Pear. — Latterly a new pear has made its ap- 

 pearance, and is also noticed in the Proceedings, No. 4., called the Van Mons 

 Leon le Clerc *, not Vomons Leon le Clere, as you will perceive it ad- 

 vertised by M. Rene Langlier, of Jersey. 



There has been a Leon le Clerc pear in cultivation for several years, and it 

 is necessary to guard against confusion, and, perhaps, much disappointment, by 

 observing that Leon le Clerc is totally different from the Van Alons Leon le 

 Clerc ; the former being only a stewing pear with flesh tough as that of Uvedale's 

 St. Germain ; the other is quite a beurre. The royal hative plum, and the 



* M. Leon le Clerc, of Laval, wished the name of Van Mons to be conjoined 

 with his own, in the name of this fruit. 



