THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. I 7 
flowering trees, but is never so noticable as in the sun-loving 
catalpa.) 
Seeds of Pitcher Plant Wanted.— Any reader of The Am- 
erican Botanist v^^ho can collect a small packet of seeds of the 
pitcher-plant (Sarracenia Purpurea) and send them to my address 
during the summer would do me a great favor. None grow in the 
vicinity and I should like to raise them nearer home if possible. 
Will return postage and favor in any way I can. — Asa A. Schaef- 
fer, Knnklctozim, Pa. 
Use of theCommon Wood Fern. — Thedealers in bouquets do 
a lively business in New Orleans in winter, for flowers are cheap 
and easily grown. The greenery that is mixed with the flowers, 
however, is not so reajdily produced it would seem, for a northern 
fern, no other than our common wood fern {Nephr odium spinu- 
losinn intermedium) , is the principal thing used. Since this fern is 
not konwn to grow^ south of Tennessee I had the curiosity to visit 
a florist and make inquiry regarding it and was informed that the 
fronds are all from the New England States, being sent down by 
the millions in Autumn and kept in cold storage until wanted. 
Thus does bleak New England contribute to the enjoyment of a 
Southern winter. —Fmz Bulletin. 
The Chayote. — Much has recently been written about a new 
vegetable, the chayote (Sechiinn ediile), commonly grown in 
Porto Rico^ and now recommended for cultivation in the warmer 
parts of the United States. It does not appear to be known that 
the chayote is not entirely new to the United States, though it has 
long been grown in Louisiana and is common in the markets of 
New Orleans. It is known among the French as ''mirletonf 
while the Italian marketmen call it ''vegetable pear." In shape it 
is much like a cucumber, largest at the blossom end. 
The plant is of the melon family, but unlike other species 
the chayote has but a single large seed in each fruit. The plant 
is a cucumber like vine that spreads rapidly and the root is peren- 
nial, but will not withstand frost. Hundreds of tons of the chay- 
ote are annually sent to the London and Paris markets from the 
warmer parts of the Old W orld. 
