287 
EU Messrs. Ide and Christie's monthly circular, dated 15th November, 
ii » stated :— 
** China porri a pe is inquiry, and a large turn over has ocean 
“ from 30s. to 34s. [per ew 
* Rhea.—Stocks of raw ‘bons cleared out up to 16s. [er ewt.]. 
* Market bare, with plenty of inquiry." 
It may be mentioned that the remarks on the Papleux system, m 
appeared at p. 276, may be supplemented by the information that Mes 
. H. Spencer & Co. are associated with The Boehmeria Sepa, 
Limited, at Hitchin, Herts, formed for the purpose of converting Ramie 
and other textiles into yarns 
CXXVI.—COOL CULTIVATION OF TROPICAL AND 
SUB-TROPICAL PLANTS. 
Horticulture is essentially an empirical art. Botanical science can 
afford but little à priori information as to the cultural conditions which 
any given plant will require or will tolerate ; Alien for the most part 
can only be found out by trial and experience. 
There can be no doubt that owing to this circumstance very great 
mistakes are made in the treatment to which newly introduced plants 
flour’ shes, to give any “clue to es conditions. Take the case E 
Brazilian Tree Ferns. "There is nothing in habit or botanical characters 
to show whieh of these require cool and which hot treatment; and it 
is not till one has succeeded in killing a good many by the latter that e 
begins to wonder whether the former might not be worth irying. And y 
- it is hard to rid oneself cf the prepossession that plants from the nein 
must be best treated by heat and moisture eg that there is something 
xpi irrational in giving ion nything e r. H. J. Veitch, in an 
. able paper recently published ia cud J Tien of ihe Royal Horticultural 
RiT, as shown by what slow steps cool treatment for orchids has 
been gradually established. ** Epi phyta tal orchids," he remarks, * were 
] Fo 
* half a century England was, as Sir Joseph Hooker once observed, 
** * the grave of tropical orchids.’ 
It might have been ex posted t that the same thing would be found to 
be true of other kinds of plants, and in some measure this is found to 
the 
Ll 
