1 882.] Botany. 133 



being thickened towards their base and this spreading laterally so 

 as to give the surface of the carrot somewhat the appearance of 

 having rings of growth. Furthermore these fibers instead of 

 spreading out into the ground seem to hug the main root and 

 are turned commonly to one side as if the carrot had been twisted 

 in the pulling. Sometimes on the same root they are turned both 

 ways, and generally or always more or less downward. 



The rootlets of parsnips are distributed much as those of carrots, 

 somewhat thickened at base, but generally much longer and more 

 spreading and branching. They penetrate more deeply into the 

 soil too and hence the difficulty of digging them. The rows of 

 fibers seem to form a longer parallelogram' than those of carrots, 

 the sides being about as 4 to 7. 



The rootlets in curled dock ( Rmnex crispus) are plainly in three 

 rows (except in one forked root the larger branch of which had 

 four distinct rows). Swamp dock (R. verHHUatus) has the main 

 root much divided, but the fibers of these divisions are mostly in 

 fours, the rows perhaps not quite so regular as the three rows of 

 the curled dock, still plainly to be distinguished. 



The roots of evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) have rather 

 large rootlets very plainly in three vertical rows. 



I designed to make observations on other roots, but the cold 

 weather has come on and frozen the ground.— Charles Wright, 

 Wcthcrsfield, Conn., Dec. 1881. 



The Royal Gardens at Kew. — From the Gardener's Chronicle 

 we learn that the Report on the progress and condition of the 

 Royal Gardens at Kew, for the vear 18S0, has just been issued. 

 Pending its receipt, the follow in --'will be found of interest. The 

 number of visitors during the vear amounted to very nearly 

 three quarters of a million (723,681), the highest number for one 

 day being 61,831. In the plant houses of 'the Botanic Gardens 

 ™e palms have been entirelv re-arranged owing to their crowded 

 condition. In this department more space is urgently needed. 

 A he Arboretum suffered much from the frosts and gales of the 

 winter of 1879-80. Curiously a number of California!! species 

 r u TOi! greatly from the inclemency of the weather; thus Finns 

 instgnis, F mu , y , t p , ,/ i/; , r ?\and A! < braetcata were all 

 more or less injured. Finns liliiottii was also injured. 



There are now no less than 220 species and varieties of Oaks 

 grown in the Arboretum ; 24 of Chestnuts, 34 of Beeches. A 

 catalogue is in preparation " which will give the names of the 

 Principal species and varieties with their native countries and 

 g*»yms ." Such a catalogue from such a source can not fail 

 o be of the highest value to botanists the world over, and its 

 -PPyarance will be looked for with interest by all. 



The important economico-botanical collections from the India 

 museum at South Kensington were transferred to Kew during 



