148 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



part of the season. This of course is the time of quick growth and 

 development. 



The weekly loss of water, as recorded by the porous cup atmometer, 

 was in the Western Highland 137 ccm. This area has a rainfall of 50 

 inches, and is chiefly granite, schists, and gneiss ; the northern part 

 was originally Sugarmaple-Beach-Hemlock forest. The Eastern 

 Highland station gave 173 ccm. This was formerly an oak forest, 

 and the rainfall is 46'35 inches. The Central Lowland, which used 

 to be Chestnut and Oak forest, evaporated 171 ccm. (rainfall 47 inches), 

 and the coastal region 135 ccm. (rainfall 46 inches). — G. S. E. 



Felicia, By W. Vorwerk {Gartenflora, vol. Ixiii. pt. i. pp. 2-3 ; 

 I col. plate). — ^Three varieties of Felicia are well worth cultivation 

 in the cool house on account of their value as decorative plants ; 

 viz. F. fruticosa (syn. Aster fruticosus), F. amelloides (Cineraria 

 amelloides), and F. harhata (syn. Aster harhatus). They are easily 

 propagated from cuttings struck in February or March, and grown 

 in a mixture of sand, peat, and turf in gentle heat. In April, move 

 into small pots containing peat, leaf-mould, loam, and sand, and trans- 

 plant later into larger pots containing horn clippings added to the 

 preceding compost. — S. E, W. 



Fern, An Ornamental Algerian. By Dr. L. Trabut {Rev. Hart, 

 de VAlg. May 1913, p. 165 ■ figs.). — Dr. Trabut describes the densely 

 wooded swamp near Lake el Hont in Algeria, where a large colony of 

 Dryopteris propinqua var. callensis [Nephrodium callense Trab.) has 

 made its home. This fern had been collected before, but only in 

 summer, and therefore never with fertile fronds until Dr. Trabut 

 found it at Lake el Hont in the autumn of 1903. 



The fern is here described and recommended for Mediterranean 

 gardens and for temperate houses. — M. L. H. 



Ferns, Chinese. By Carl Christensen {Bot. Gaz. Oct. 1913, 

 pp. 331-338). — ^This is a complete list of the Ferns collected by Mr. 

 WilHam Purdom in 1910 in Shensi. 



There are two new species of Athyrium, one of Cheilanthes, two of 

 Dryopteris, one of Maltencia, and a Polystickum, all of which are here 

 briefly described. — G. F. S. E. 



Fig Coffee. By Antonin Rolet {Rev. Hori. de I'Alg. Sept. 1913 

 p. 349). — An excellent substitute for chicory in coffee is produced 

 from dried, roasted, and powdered figs. A drink very suitable for 

 children may even be made of this powder without any admixture 

 of coffee berries proper. The various processes in its preparation 

 are described, and it is pointed out that inferior figs not otherwise 

 suitable for market might thus be made of use, and that the substitu- 

 tion of fig coffee from Algeria and Southern France for chicory, which 

 is principally imported into France from Belgiimi and Germany, 

 would be a great gain to the revenues of the country. — M. L. H. 



