FOREIGN NOTES. 



Laboratory of Vegetable Biology at Fontaine- 

 BLEAU. — The study of experimental anatomy has be- 

 come very important in France during the last few 

 years, and the study of this branch in botany has al- 

 ready given very satisfactory results. 



A laboratory devoted to the study of vegetable biol- 

 ogy, and connected with the laboratories of the Faculty 

 of Sciences, at Paris, has just been erected at Fontaine- 

 bleau. The director is Gaston Bonnier. The station 

 has ample grounds for experimentation, and will mater- 

 ially aid in the advancement of science in France. — 

 Revue Horticole. 



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ViLMORiN & Co. have succeeded in obtaining a double 

 hybrid cineraria, which will soon be offered to the pub- 

 lic. — Rf-nte Horticole. , 



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Ramie for the Silk Worm. — The Kezu Bulletin says 

 that the leaves of the ramie can be employed with great 

 success for the nourishment of the silk worm, which, 

 with this food, produces larger cocoons and finer silk. 

 This fact was discovered by a person who had no mul- 

 berry leaves to feed, and so tried the ramie. The re- 

 sult was surprising, and the experiment was continued 

 with success. 



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Planting of Highways with Fruit Trees. — The 

 lowest district tax is found in Suabia, and this is due to 

 the fact that the people are shrewd enough to plant fruit 

 trees along all the highways, roads, lanes, etc., and they 

 are well taken care of. There are many districts in Sua- 

 bia that have an annual income of $5,000, received from 

 the sale of the fruit raised in this way. 



In 1858 the district of Monheim set out trees in the 

 above manner, and in 1S68 it had an income of $1,850. 

 In 1S78 the sum had increased to $4,250, and in 1885 

 about $7,000 were realized. Reutlingen, another dis- 

 trict, received in 1885, $65,000 from its wayside fruit. — 

 Gartenjlora . 



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Austrian Exhibition. — Arrangements are being made 

 for a National Agricultural Exhibition at Prague, Aus- 

 tria, to be held in i8gi. New prizes will be offered 

 each month during the time in which the exhibition is 

 held, which will probably be for six months. — Garten- 

 jlora. 



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The Culture of Fruit under glass is steadily in- 

 creasing in France. 



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Obituary. — Carl Braun, a well-known landscape gar- 

 dener of Germany, died at Camenz in Schleswig, on the 

 31st of August, aged 74 years. 



Julius Niepraschk, director of the Royal Garden 

 "Flora," at Cologne, died October 14th. 



Francis Dumer died recently at Moscow, Russia, aged 

 76. He was head gardener of Moscow, and the city 

 owes most of the adornments in its squares, parks, etc., 

 to his good taste and untiring industry. 



James Mcintosh, a prominent English horticulturist, 

 died Nov. 5th, aged 76 years. 



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New Fruit and Vegetable Market. — The Lord 

 Mayor recently laid the foundation-stone of a new 

 fruit and vegetable market in the Farringdon Road 

 (England). The area amounts to 54,000 feet, and the 

 building about to be erected will occupy a space of 30,- 

 000 feet, so that there will be room for extension. A 

 very important consideration is the basement work. 

 The rails of the Great Northern Railway Company will 

 traverse the entire length of the building, and lifts will 

 be provided for raising the produce to the market above. 

 — The Garden. 



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A Forest Plague in Bavaria. — The /Ce^^l Bulletin 

 describes a pest which has attacked the pine forests of 

 Bavaria. It is known as the nounen, and is caused by 

 the caterpillar of the north, Liparis monacha, which has 

 regularly attacked forests on the continent for the last 

 200 years. The loss is estimated at about $200,000. 

 Munich has been invaded, and in some cases people re- 

 treated before them. 



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Forests in Europe. — The following statistics about 



the extent of forest land in Europe have recently been 



compiled. Forests occupy 39.7 per cent, of the totaj 



area of Sweden; 36.9 of Russia; 32. 5 of Austria ; 28.4 



of Hungary ; 25.2 of Germany ; 24.5 of Norway ; 19.9 



of Servia ; ig.6 of Belgium ; 18. g of Switzerland ; 17.7 



of France; 17 of Spain ; 15.2 of Roumania ; 13. i of 



Greece; 12.3 of Italy ; 7 of Holland ; 5.3 of Portugal ; 



4.8 of Denmark, and 4 of Great Britain and Ireland. 



As to the United States, the figure is 19 per cent, of the 



total area, and the actual extent of forest land is equal 



to 15 times the area of Pennsylvania. — The Garden. 



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New Cauliflower. — Carter's Extra Early Autumn 



Giant Cauliflower is an acquisition to the select list of 



standard varieties already in cultivation. The large 



heads are close and white, and both " flower " and leaf 



are less coarse than those of the Autumn Giant. — H. W. 



Ward, in The Gardeners' Chronicle . 



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Senor Barboza Rodrigues has been appointed direc- 

 tor of the Botanic Gardens of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 



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The Potato Disease has not been so destructive in 

 England as was at first supposed, and a fair crop of 

 good tubers has been obtained. 



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Reform in nomenclature does not appear to find con- 

 genial soil in Europe. Old customs are all-powerful. 

 In orchids, and a few other plants, good rules of nomen- 

 clature have been formulated, but common plants, vege- 

 tables and fruits are untouched. 



