36 General Notices. 



better, and is not liable to crack and rot, as when nearer the ground ; it is a 

 decided improvement in the culture of early and late melons. My book will 

 also include my system of hand-glass culture of rock melons, and the common 

 method in frames on dung beds ; also my method of growing and forcing aspa- 

 ragus and sea-kale. — John Mills. Gunnersbury, Nov. 6. 1840. 



Garden Syringes. — You have often noticed the great excellence of Reid's 

 syringe for every purpose of the cultivator ; also M'Dougal's, the bend of 

 which renders it indispensable. These are confessedly the best syringes of 

 the present day ; but are they perfect ? So far from this being the case, any 

 practical man, after working these for half an hour, could give directions for 

 making a better instrument. For every straightforward purpose, Reid's is 

 all that can be desired ; but by it we cannot possibly reach the covert insidious 

 marauders that so unceasingly annoy us. It is by an instrument throwing 

 up a perpendicular jet, that we can eiFect this. Therefore a right-angled bend, 

 put upon Reid's syringe, would render it by far the most efficient instrument 

 in use. It may be supposed that M'Dougal's syringe, having a bend, would 

 accomplish all this ; but this is only partially the case. The aperture which 

 admits the ingress of water, is by far too small to fill in any reasonable time 

 the vacuum created by the working of the piston, and thereby renders the 

 operation both tedious and laborious, causing a great deal of power to be 

 spent wholly in vain ; and the bend is set at such an angle, that when the in- 

 strument is held horizontally by the operator (which is not generally the case), 

 the jet produced, instead of being perpendicular, is thrown directly in the 

 operator's face. Thus the properties of these instruments, imitated and 

 improved, would be a valuable combination ; and it is a pity that the patented 

 protections of these gentlemen should deprive the public of what would be so 

 really useful. — M. T. Sept. 1840. 



Autumnal Colouring of Quercus and Tlliiis. — We have received from J. T. 

 Brook, Esq., of Flitwick, specimens of Quercus and iJhus, more splendid in 

 colouring than any which we have hitherto seen. The Flitwick Arboretum 

 was planted in 1829, and hence these trees have upwards of 10 years' growth. 

 The colours of all the leaves are of the most intense scarlet, in the case of 

 the Rhus tinged with dark purple. The species are Quercus palustris, three 

 varieties; Q. falcata; Q. rubra, of a dark red, almost black; Q. champaniensis 

 Lod., with very large foliage, very dark red ; and Q. Banisterz, dark brown red ; 

 Jlhus suaveolens, of an intensely dark purple; Rhus typhina, of an intensely 

 deep scarlet ; and Rhus glabra, of a scarlet so dark as to be almost purple ; 

 J?hus Cotinus, the leaves of which generally die off yellow, but in this in- 

 stance they are of a fine scarlet, with a glaucous yellow beneath. No lover 

 of trees could see these specimens without being enchanted with them, and, if 

 he has not already an arboretum, rendered irresistibly desirous of planting 

 or visiting one. — Coyid, 



American Oaks. — A collection of very beautiful specimens has been sent us 

 by M. Vilmorin, from his extensive plantations at Barres, and of which we 

 hope he will favour us with a history. The following are the names of the 

 species received, and the dimensions of the current year's shoots and leaves. 

 Quercus alba L., Mich. Leaves 7| in. long, by 3f in. broad. Young shoot 8i in. 



nigra L., Pursh. Leaves 5f in. long, by 4iin. broad. Young shoot Sin. 



Phellos Zy., Pursh, Mich. Leaves 4iin. long, by |- in. broad. Young 

 shoot 9iin., branched. 



macrocarpa Willd., Mich., Pursh. Leaves 12^ in. long, 7 in. broad. Young 

 shoot 4i. in. 



Prinus discolor Mich, fil., Pursh. Leaves l^^m. long, 5^ in. broad. 

 Young shoot 5 in. 



Prinus monticola Mich,, Pursh. Leaves 8 in. long, 2^ in. broad. Young 

 shoot 3 in. 



viibva L., Mich., Pursh. Leaves 11^ in. long, 8|in. broad largest leaf. 

 Young shoot 6 in. 



heterophylla Mich., Pursh. Leaves 6J in. long, by 2\ in. broad. Young 



