1867.] Botany and Vegetable Physiology. 387 



rotundifolia, L., Potentllla canadensis, L., Popidus balsamifera, 

 L., Potamogeton pusillus, L., and Perfoliatus, L., and others. From 

 the list, it appears that the plants found are a selection of the most 

 hardy species from the present Canadian flora. Dr. Dawson shows 

 that this cannot have been an accidental selection, nor due to the 

 river bringing refuse from more northern latitudes. Hence we 

 must infer refrigeration, and that there was such an amount of re- 

 frigeration as these plants seem to indicate is borne out further by 

 what would necessarily occur were the land again submerged to the 

 extent that it was at the time of the deposition of the Leda-claj. 

 A climate like that of the Labrador coast would be the result. 



Australia. — Culture of Fruit Trees. — Dr. George Bennett 

 publishes an interesting account, in the ' Journal of Botany ' for 

 April, of the extensive orangeries and other fruit-gardens near 

 Paramatta, New South Wales. Oranges, Lemons, Apples, Pears, 

 Loquats, Apricots, Peaches, and superior varieties of Grapes are 

 grown in great profusion, both for export and home consumption, 

 and exhibit a most striking instance of the success attendant on 

 well-directed efforts at acclimatization. The orange, apple, and 

 lemon trees of Mr. Pye, of Paramatta, are grown in a soil consisting 

 of a very poor sandy loam, from which crop out all over the region, 

 large sandstone rocks, the trees being planted around and between 

 them. In the Azores many of the orange gardens are formed in 

 places where there is often not a greater depth of soil than 18 or 

 20 inches above the shattered volcanic ash. In New South Wales 

 the orange trees frequently give three crops in the year, the fruit 

 of each crop differing considerably in form and size, but all being 

 of excellent flavour. Oranges frequently remain on the tree over 

 fifteen months, and when gathered are in excellent condition. The 

 largest trees grown in this orangery were over 35 feet in height and 

 about the same diameter, such a size being very remarkable. In 

 an orangery in which there were about 70 trees to the acre, Dr. 

 Bennett states that ten on the average yielded 550 dozen oranges 

 in one year. The wholesale price at which they are sold is from 

 Id. to 8d. a dozen, anything over 2d. per dozen remunerating the 

 grower. The greater number are exported to Tasmania, Melbourne, 

 and New Zealand. Dr. Bennett also expresses his belief that the 

 thin-skinned pipless oranges which are sometimes called the "St. 

 Michael's oranges," are only the result of age and careful cultiva- 

 tion of the tree which produces them ; it appears that they cannot 

 be got from seedlings or young cuttings. Wax models of some of 

 the fruit and photographs of the trees in these Australian orangeries 

 have been sent to the Paris Exhibition, where it is believed they 

 will compare very favourably with those of the Northern Hemi- 

 sphere. 



Edible and Poisonous Plants of the order Apoeynacete. — Dr. 



