HORTICl'LTUHAL SOCIKTY OF LONDON. 



(>9 



Harrison's Fioricultural Cabinet for December, from the 

 Editor. 



Compter rendus des Stfances de V Acadcmie des Sciences, &c. Nos. 

 18, 19, 20, second half year, 1838, from the Academy of Sciences 

 at Paris. 



The AthencEum for November, from the Editor. 



Jan. 15, 1839. 

 ORDINARY MEETING. 



The following candidates were elected Fellows of the Society ; 



Richard Catlow Bowden, Esq., Claphnm Common. 

 Mr. Alexander Pontey, Nurseryman, Plymouth. 

 Lieut. -Col. Thomas Sowerby, Putteridge Bury, Luton, Bed- 

 fordshire. 



A communication was read from Sir George Stuart Mackenzie, 

 Bart., upon the result of some experiments he had made upon 

 the cultivation of the Potato. The first experiment related to the 

 difference in productiveness between the point, the middle, and 

 the base of a potato. Three different varieties were taken, and 

 every eye but one was carefully removed from the sets. The 

 results were. 



Point. Middle. Base. 



No. 1 produced 4lb. 4lb. 6oz. 31b. 8oz. 



2 produced 5lb. 6lb. 3oz. 31b. 8oz. 



3 produced 5lb. Soz. 7lb. 8oz. 7lb. 8oz. 



Total 14lb. Soz. ISlb. loz. 14lb. Soz. 



It, therefore, appeared that eyes from near the point and base 

 of a potato should be rejected by the planter, and the middle eyes 

 only used. In another experiment, exactly the same quantity of 

 the tuber was taken, with a scoop, from each of the above three 

 sorts, so that each set formed a hemisphere of about half an inch 

 in diameter. Under these circumstances, No. 1. yielded 4lbs. 9oz., 

 No. 2. ^Ibs. 4oz. ; the result of No. 3. was considered doubtful. 



It was announced that a collection of dried plants from Ceylon 

 had been presented to the Society by the Right Hon. Sir James 

 Steuart Mackenzie, Bart., Governor of Ceylon. 



Mention was made of a specimen of the fruit of Musa Caven- 

 disliii having been received in the interval between the present 

 and the previous meeting, from Messrs. Lucorabe, Pince, and Co., 

 Nurserymen, Exeter, it had been produced in the garden of Mrs. 



