91 



BOLBOPHYLLUM RETICULATUM, a CUnouS Bor- 



nean epiphyte, introduced by Messrs. Yeitch and 

 Sons. It has a prostrate rhizome, with solitary 

 ovoid pseudobulbs at intervals, each bearing one 

 largish, cordate ovate, pale green leaf, beautifully 

 reticulated, the veins being marked out of a deep 

 green color ; the flowers are white closely streaked 

 with purple hnes, and grow in short two-flowered 

 racemes. 



MusscHiA WoLLASTONT, "a beautiful plant intro- 

 duced from Madeira to Kew about 10 or 12 j^ears 

 ago, where it has since flowered annually in a cool 

 greenhouse." It is a large-leaved under shrubs, 

 with a naked stem, terminated by a crown of leaves, 

 and prj^amidal panicle, the flowers being yellow with 

 a cylindrical tube shorter than the reflexed lobes. 

 It is closely allied to Campanula. 



The American Heather, is now considered by 

 Dr. Seeman different from the European, and is 

 named Calluna Atlantica. 



Bumpsfir lelrflfgFHrp. 



The United States Agricultural Society. 

 — The Fifteenth Annual Session of this body has 

 been held, and it has been well attended by the life 

 members, every section of the Union having been 

 represented. 



Hon. B. B. French was re-elected President, and 

 Major Ben Perly Poore was re-elected Secretary, 

 with the old Board of Vice-Presidents. Hon. 

 Marshall P. Wilder, of Massachusetts, the founder 

 and the first President of the Society, was appoint- 

 ed a Commissioner to represent the Society at the 

 Paris World's Fair, and at the Agricultural Exhi- 

 bitions in Europe during the coming year. — Wash- 

 ington Star. 



Norway Spruce as a Hedge Plant.— The 

 following, from a letfer received recently frcm Mr. 

 C. R. Powell, of Sterling, III., gives the facts 

 which decide me to set half a mile of it in hedge 

 at Mendota, the cominor s!)ring, using plants tWu to 

 three feet high, three feet apart in the row. 



Mr. Powell says : — " I have seen some very beau- 

 tiful Norway Spruce Hedge, while East, on the 

 grounds of Ellwanger & Barry. It is a solid thing, 

 and will turn any stock, even a rabbit. If people 

 here would set out Spruce fi'om two to three feet 

 high in hedge, in four years, with good care, I 

 would w^arrant them a hedge that would defy horses, 

 cattle, sheep, and, in a year or two more, hogs. 



"It has advantages over the Osage, in not 



shading the ground so much, is perfectly hardy, 

 and a beauty forever. I am so well convinced of its 

 reliability, that I think of setting fifty rods around 

 my orchard in the spring." — Samuel Edwards, 

 in P. Farmer. 



[Can any one tell whether such a hedge would 

 turn horned cattle?— Ed. Gr. M.] 



On the Period and Batio of the Annual 

 Increase in the Circumference of Trees. — 

 The following experiments were instituted in order 

 to ascertain whether the production of wood in trees 

 was more rapid during some portions of the grow- 

 ing season than others, and at what periods growth 

 commenced and ceased in the species of tree chosen* 



The Carolina Poplar [Populm mmiRifera^ Ait.) 

 was selected on account of its rapid growth, en- 

 abling me to easily note the increase of circumfe 

 rence each seven days. 



The following table shows the result. For the 

 sake of system, the same day 'n the w^eek was 

 chosen. In order to tabulate the figures, the same 

 date is used for the three years ; but as the same 

 day fell on different dates, there is a difference of 

 three days in each date. For instance. May 17 in 

 1863 is May 18 in 1862, and l^Iay 20 in 1866— the 

 three years during which the measurements were 

 taken. 



1876. 1862. 



Ft. In. 



x\pril 12 (Male catkins in flower) 

 " 15, .... 

 Leaf buds burst) . 



1863. 1866. 



Ff. In. Ft. In. 



May 



22 

 29, 

 6, 



" 13, . 



" 20, 

 " 27, 

 June 3, 

 " 10, 



" n, . 



"24, 



1, 



8, 

 15, 

 22 

 29, 

 5, 



" 12, 

 " 19, 

 " 26, 

 " 31, 



From these figu 

 in growth only du 



July 



Aug. 



1-10 



rioi 



rn 



rii! 



9- 



2-U 



2'2 



2-2t 



2-21 



2-3 



2-3 



2-3 

 2-3 



2 ■31 



2-31 



2-3f 

 2 -4 J 

 2 -41 



2-5i 

 2 -51 

 2-5^ 

 2 -6 J 

 2-61 

 2 -61 

 2-61 

 2-61 

 2-61 



3-6| 

 3-61 

 3-61 

 3-7 

 3-7i- 

 3-7^ 

 3-71 

 3-8 

 3-8V 

 3-9^ 

 3-91- 



3-91 



3 lOi 



3-10^ 



3-101 



3-10:1 



3-10^ 



3-lU 



3-lU 



3-lU 



es it appears the tree increased 

 ing the three months between 



