42 General Notices. — Foreign Notices. 



moved forward so that the tube (c) may come over the place made 

 by a. The seed is then put into the tube at d, which conducts 

 it to the place made for it by a. By this method there is no 

 stooping, because the sets are in the top of the planter ready 

 to be put into the conducting tube (c). You will see at once 

 the object of my improvement ; and you may say it is strange 

 that this improvement should not have been made long ago. The 

 part e is for the foot to press the planter into the earth, as before 

 described. 



Fig. 4. shows the planting-machine in use. 

 Fort Green Cottage, Garstang, July, 1842. 



[We expect to be able to give another article by Mr. Saul, 

 on the culture of the potato, in our next Number.] 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. General Notices. 



Destroying Wasps. — This year I tried, and succeeded wonderfully, in de- 

 stroying the queens. They are well known by every naturalist to be the only 

 breeders. The method I adopted is the old simple one of hanging bottles 

 partially filled with sweetened water against the walls, in the spring of the 

 year, about the time when peaches, apricots, &c., are in bloom ; before food 

 for those noxious insects becomes plentiful, and while they are glad to seek 

 out any thing in the shape of sustenance. The water in the bottles, while fer- 

 menting, attracts them ; and, on their going in to drink, they are almost in every 

 instance destroyed. By the above-mentioned means 1 killed between 200 

 and 300 queen wasps, thereby causing a great diminution in the number of 

 nests this summer. While other people have had upwards of one hundred 

 wasps' nests to destroy, I have not had more than a dozen, although situated in 

 the midst of plantations where they might, almost undisturbed, increase to an 

 alarming extent. — John Armstrong. Belmont, near Durham. 



Clematis azilrea grandiflora must rank as the queen of hardy climbing 

 plants. It is a rampant grower ; its hardiness is indisputable ; its large star- 

 like flowers are matchlessly showy, and so suitable is our climate to its 

 growth, that this year my plant, which climbs an Irish yew, has produced 

 perfect seed. Clematis Sieboldi is entitled to be the fairy queen of the same 

 class of climbers, from its slender growth and delightfully beautiful flowers. — 

 Richard Tongue. For ton Cottage, near Lancaster, Oct. 2. 1842. 



Art. II. Foreign Notices. 

 NORTH AMERICA. 



ShepHe'rdia. argentea Nutt. — Some of our readers will recollect that this 

 was recommended as a fruit tree by Mr. Russell in our Volume for 1831, 

 p. 570. Desirous of knowing how far the tree was maintaining its reputa- 

 tion as a fruit tree, we wrote to Messrs, Winship, nurserymen at Brighton 

 near Boston, U. S., who were said by Mr. Russell to be the only cultivators 

 of the tree in 1831, and the following is an extract from their answer : — 

 " We are glad you arc about to notice a plant which has always been 



