THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. 77 



^country yields much of the valuable timber for our navy. Messrs. p 

 \j Peter Lawson & Sons, of Edinburgh, have presented to the Museum 

 ' their collection of Scottish agricultural, horticultural, and arboricul- 

 I tural products. This forms in itself an important addition to our 

 stores. The names of contributors stand attached to their respective 

 donations, which need only be inspected to attest the worth and ex- 

 tent of the gifts, and the liberality of the givers. And when the 

 Guide Book to the Museum is printed, which has been necessarily 

 delayed, in consequence of*the great recent additions, a yet wider 

 publicity will follow. Such contributions, together with the collec- 

 tions received during this year from Dr. Hooker's Travels in Eastern 

 India and the Himalaya, will more than fill the present structure. 



Hitherto we have, in noticing the collections in the Royal Gar- 

 dens and Museum, pointed chiefly to their public utility, in affording 

 to a large portion of our population the means of inspecting what is 

 most wonderful and beautiful in the vegetable creation. It remains 

 to show that they are no less important to the country in a scientific 

 view. This is evident in the many new plants that have been lately 

 introduced and published, and the numerous discoveries hereby made 

 of those plants which afforded useful products. For example, the 

 African Oak (or Teak, as it is sometimes called), the Gutta Percha 

 Tree, the Rice Paper Plant (so termed) of China, the Chinese Grass, 

 which yields a fibre among the most valuable in commerce ; the Ce- 

 dron of South America, the Vegetable Ivory, the Coquilla Palm (its 

 nut and fibre both articles of trade,) the Gum Bdellium Tree ; all 

 these afforded important articles of commerce, while they were to- 

 tally unknown to science ; now they are clearly ascertained and de- 

 scribed. 



Many able botanists, of our own country and from abroad, freqnent 

 the Garden and Museum, also the Herbarium and Library of the 

 Director, for the express purposes of study. M. Treent, of Paris, re- 

 mained here for several weeks to examine the anatomy and physiolo- 

 gy of the Victoria, and to make elaborate drawings of it. The Pro- 

 fessor of Botany at the University of New Cambridge, Massachu- 

 setts, Dr Asa Gray, who was charged with the publication of the 

 Botany of the United States Exploring Expedition, under Captain 

 Wilkes, and who required to compare that collection with the various 

 herbaria in Europe, spent three-fourths of the time (a year) allotted 

 to that purpose in examining the collection atKew, because it yielded 

 him the largest amount of important information. 



Scarcely a day passes in summer, but one or two artists may be 

 seen making drawings for botanical and other works, of such objects 

 as they cannot easiTy meet with elsewhere. 



r Her Majesty has graciously given a house on Kew Green as a resi- 

 dence for the Director of the Gardens; and this will enable him to be 

 always on. the spot, and to bestow more continual attention than was 

 compatible with a residence at some distance from Kew. 



(Signed) W. J. Hooker, Director. 



Protect your Fruit Trees from Insects. — Mix powdered sulphur and 



copperas in equal quantities, and apply it to the roots of apples, pears, 



peaches, plumbs, or any other kind of trees. First dig away the earth / 



Q and sprinkle it in from four to sixteen ounces, and replace the dirt. — A 



Q You may scatter a little in the crotches, or rough bark, to great ad- q\ 



rafrtage. ^y 



