182 Foreign Notices ; — Itali^. 



the water, which unites with the carbon of the grain. MM. Edwards and Colin 

 propose to examine, on a future occasion, whether the carbonic acid thus 

 formed is totally or partially disengaged, and whether the hydrogen of the 

 water is absorbed by the grain. {V Institute, No. 257., as quoted in Phil. Mag. 

 vol. xiv. p. 74.) 



Art. II. Foreign Notices. 

 ITALY. 



MoNZA, Jan. 9. 18-tl. — In one of my former letters, I think about two 

 or three years back, I mentioned that at Milan, in the garden of Count Cas- 

 tiglioni, President of the Royal Institute of Sciences and Arts in the kingdom 

 of Lombardy, there was a Salisbiina «diantif61ia female, which had flowered, 

 but which at that time had not fruited. I mentioned also, I think, that it 

 was grafted on a branch of a large male plant of the same species. Well, 

 for the last two years it has borne fruit, and perfect fruit too ; as last year I 

 sowed some, and all have grown. They are ripe at the beginning of October, 

 some were eaten and found tolerably good ; I, however, have never tried 

 them, and therefore cannot say any thing of their flavour. If I knew how 

 to send you seeds, I would transmit them ; if you would like to have some, 

 let me know how to send them, it being rather difficult here to find an 

 opportunity of sending to London. 



The Baron ZanoH, already frequently brought under your notice for his rich 

 collection of plants, has this year introduced the following species : iarix 

 commiinis pendula GodsalK ; Pinus japonica, P. 'RyisseMdna, P. Jievomdna, 

 P. pityusa, P. palustris excelsa, P. leiophylla, P. macrophylla, P. oocarpa, 

 P. MonteziimcF, P. apulcensis, P. Hartwegw, P. Pseudo-iStrobus ; ^^bies 

 gigantea, A. ^alsamea male, A. ialsamea female, and a Ddmmara australis 

 4 ft. high. While speaking of the pinetum of Baron Zanoli, I will give you 

 some notices on the ^^bies monocaulon (see vol. xvi. p. 99. of the Gard. 

 Mag.), which appears to me rather to belong to Picea. It was discovered 

 in 1838, in the mountains round Vicenza, in the Venetian States, by M. Giu- 

 seppe de Salvi of Vicenza. He only found about ten plants in one locality, 

 but he hopes to meet with others, and parent plants. He told me that all 

 the plants he found were not higher than 3 or 4 feet ; that most of them had 

 only one stem, few had two. He is of opinion that the bifurcation was 

 caused by the cattle, which are pastured here during summer, cropping oft" the 

 original stem. 



I have been at work now for several years compiling a catalogue of the 

 plants in the Royal Gardens. Your excellent works, the Encyclopcedia of 

 Plants, Hortus Britajinicus, and the Arboretum et Fruticetum, are of great 

 assistance to me in this undertaking. I have arranged it alphabetically, and 

 by the side of every genus I have given the class and order according to the 

 system of Linnaeus, and the natural order to which it belongs : and as in 

 the present state of science it is of consequence to take the synonymes into 

 consideration, in order not to run the risk, in selecting plants or seeds from 

 different catalogues, of getting duplicates, that is, of choosing a species 

 which we already possess, because they do not all follow the same authority, 

 I have thought it best to introduce all the Latin synonymes, and even most of 

 the Italian ones. As to the rest, that is, the signs indicating the habit, the 

 duration, &c., I have made use of the table you gave in your two valuable 

 works, the Encyclopcedia and the Hortus Britannicus, which in so few columns 

 contains so much that is interesting in theory and practice. 



The love of horticulture is making rapid progress in Lombardy, of which 

 we have a proof in the numerous nurseries every year established. In Milan 

 alone, during the last year, two or three have been opened. I will give you 

 soon an account of the new plants which in the course of last year, 1840, 

 have been inti'oduced into the Milanese. 



