472 General Notices. 



Melilotus as a Forage Plant. — T am decidedly of your opinion, that live stock 

 dislike .Melilotus. The M. officinalis, and a variety with white flowers, with 

 ordinary culture will reach the height of 5 ft. ; but, by the time they reach that 

 height, they are too hard and wiry to be easily eaten, and at no stage whatever 

 of their growth are cattle fond of them. This, however, will not lessen my 

 obligation to you for the seeds of M. arborea from Bokhara (see p. 300.), 

 which I shall carefully cultivate, and send you the result. — Id. 



Kuhnxa eupatoriol&es. (See p. 144.) — The seeds you sent me have come up; 

 but not so those of the Canadian lily, which will probably not vegetate till 

 September next ; for I find that, in a general way, the seeds of bulbous-rooted 

 plants vegetate about the time which the parent bulb begins to show signs of 

 vegetation. — D. B. Kingsbury, June 8. 



We have introduced this sentence for the sake of the general principle 

 which it contains ; and to set an example to young gardeners, of scientific 

 generalisation. On referring to all Mr. Beaton's papers in the different 

 volumes of this Magazine, there will be found in them a constant tendency to 

 philosophise on the subject which he has in hand; a most valuable quality of 

 mind in a practical man, and one which, in these days of all-pervading science, 

 no gardener can be expected to rise to the top of his profession without ac- 

 quiring. — Cond. 



Disinfecting Nightsoil. — In France, the eminent chemists, Messrs. Payen 

 and Buran, have recently discovered a method of instantly rendering night- 

 soil perfectly inoffensive, by arresting chemical action, and yet preserving 

 the substance of the manure, without rendering any part of it insoluble in 

 water, or otherwise diminishing its fertilising properties. This manure is said 

 to be extensively used in France; and a French gentleman, M. Poittevin, 

 who has taken out a patent for the manufacture of it in England, is pre- 

 paring it on an extensive scale in the neighbourhood of Whitechapel. It is 

 said to be much cheaper than any other concentrated manure ; and, being in a 

 state of powder, may be sown broadcast over growing crops, or drilled in 

 with turnip or other seed. — F. F. Hampstead,Jidy 10. 



Insuring the Prolificacy of the Hautbois Strawberry. — The old Hautbois straw- 

 berry was formerly held in much higher estimation than it is now; chiefly because 

 it has ceased to be productive. One reason has been given for its barrenness, 

 namely, that its constitutional character as a bisexual flowering plant is 

 changed into one which is truly dioecious. All plantations lately made, there- 

 fore, if filled with an undue proportion of either male or female plants, yield 

 fruit in such very small quantities, that the cultivator meets disappointment. 



To cure this defect, it has been advised to intermix the sexes with more 

 precision, in order to insure a crop. This we have seen tried very carefully, 

 but without the expected success : but, in following up the experiment, a va- 

 luable fact has been the result. A practical man, who knew nothing of the 

 parts of fructification, nor of the classes of Linnaean botany, discovered that, 

 in order to make the hautbois 3 fruitful, it must be intermixed, not with any 

 of its own species, whether male or female, but with any other free-flowering 

 sort, no matter which. This we have seen done with complete success, and 

 think it well worthy of imitation, wherever the excellent hautbois is particu- 

 larly wanted. 



This result is so much like what is so perfectly practicable in causing shy- 

 bearing species or varieties of other plants to be fruitful by the artificial ad- 

 mixture of the pollen, that we cannot withhold assent to the rationality of the 

 practice. — J. M. Chelsea, July 12. 1939. 



The Milford Pea. — This is a large pea, resembling the marrowfat in size 

 but inferior in flavour. It grows about 4 ft. high, boils very green, and 

 promises to be a most valuable addition to our garden peas. The seed was 

 received from Italy three or four years ago, and Mr. Young has been raising 

 it for sale, and will have a supply of seed for gardeners by next autumn, at a 

 moderate price. — John Scott. Milford Nursery, July 11. 1839. 



Sollya heterophylla var. linearis. — This variety has been raised from seed 



