THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
61 
say. Poiiltr}^ and cattle like the seed either in its natural state 
or cmshed and made into cakes. No plant produces such fine 
honey and wax ; when the flower is in bloom the bees abound in it. 
— Indim Gardening. 
Fruit of Trailing Arbutus. — For every person who has seen 
the fruit of the trailing arbutus, there are thousands who have 
seen the flowers ; and yet the seed is apparently not very rare, al- 
thougfh most botanists seem to^ think it is. In clumps where the 
flowers are ungathered, the flowers rarely fail io set seed. The 
fact that the botanists' attention is attracted in some other direc- 
ion when the seed is ripe, probably accounts for his failure to 
notice it. 
The Cow Pea in the South. — The cow pea's botanical name 
is Vigna sinaisis, and although commonly called a pea, is cor- 
rectly speaking, neither a pea nor a bean, and differs widely from 
both. To' be sure, they all belong to the same family (Legumino- 
sae) , but so doi clovers^ alfalfa and vetches. According tO' De 
Candolle and other authorities it is a native of India and was culti- 
vated there at least three thousand years ago. There is no defi- 
nite record of its introduction intoi this country, but it is believed 
to have beai sent from England to the Oglethorpe Colonies in 
Georgia about 1734. Its value, even in those days of slow travel, 
must have been speedily recognized, for by the beginning of the 
last century the plant was common in all settled parts of the South. 
It is a native of the tropics, is most at home in the Southern States, 
but by its readiness to suit itself to circumstances it has developed 
a large number of varieties, some of which fully mature in the 
short northern summer. Some sorts mature seed within 60 days 
from planting; others maintain a vigorous growth for six months 
or longer, even putting forth flowers till the vines are killed by 
frost. Some are short, stocky and erect in growth, others rapid 
climbers ; while others train along the ground and send out great 
masses of vines. The seeds vary in size, color and shape; flat, 
round, oblong, kidney; black, white, red, purple, yellow, striped, 
mottled ; small, medium, large. — From ''The Cow Pea/' 
