Gardens, has been appointed t 

 Ihe Government of His High: 

 the Bombay Presidency. 



Mr. Frederick Enos Willky, in the employ of the R >val Gardens, 

 as been appointed Acting Curator of the Botanical Station at Aburi, 

 nder the Government of the Gold Coast, during the absence on leave 

 \Mr. W. Crowther. 



Melhania erythroxylon, Ait.— This is the redwood of St. Helena, an 

 endemic tree 20 feet high, hearing large tubular flowers, white when 

 first expanding, changing in a day or two to pink, and finally to red. 

 It is now almost extinct in the island. In 1883 Mr. Morris, the 

 Assistant Director of Kew, when on a visit to St. Helena brought home 

 seeds of this plant, which were widely distributed. Plants were success- 

 fully grown at. Jamaica and put out at the Hill Garden attached to the 

 Government Cinchona Plantations. It is doubtful, however, whether 

 any of them have since survived, as the tree is, evidently, difficult to 

 grow under cultivation to a mature utate. One of the last of the plants 

 raised from the same seed at Kew was killed during the winter of 1891. 

 It would be interesting to learn whether the tree has been successfully 

 grown elsewhere outside St, Helena. In order to make further trial of 

 it application for a good supply of seed was made a short time ago 

 to Mr. W. Grey Wilson, C.M.G., Governor of St. Helena. This was 

 obligingly sent in November last, and a portion was at once distributed 

 to the following W'tanica I gardens, viz. :— Berlin, Kdinburgh, Glasnevin, 

 Paris, Antigua (Leeward Islands), Hakgala (Ceylon), Jamaica, Natal, 

 Port Elizabeth, Svdiu y, Trinidad, and to T. Ilsmi.urv. Ksq., at Meutone. 

 The seeds sown at Kew germinated in a few days, and there are now 

 i healthy young plants. 



Californian Plants. — Kew is indebted to Professor E. L. Greene, of 

 the University of California, for a parcel of about 300 dried plants, from 

 western North An- riea. mostly from California, and largely consisting 

 of types of novelties described by him from time to time. The specimens 

 are excellent, and form a valuable addition to the Herbarium. 



Garbelling of Spices. — Probably few persons of the present 

 generation understand what was meant by " garbelling of spices." 

 though the us,, of the term may still linger in the rrade. The sense in 

 which it is used in this connexion is to pick, cleanse, and sort into 

 different qualities. In the »jft of hooks to Kew Iron, Mr. TJios. Ilan- 

 bury, F.L.S., referred to in the last number of the Bulletin, p. 22, is a 

 pamphlet of 87 pages entitled : 



A profitable and necessarie Discourse for the meeting with the bad 

 Garbelling of Spice*. u>«\ in these duies. And against the Combination 

 of the vvorkemeu of that office contrarie vnto common good. Composed 

 by diuers Grocers of London, wherein are bandied such principall matters 



