THE ikOPitAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Jut* *, 1867. 
If the two reporters on timber had worked together 
and combined their matter, such information would 
have been more easily available. We are bound, 
however, to say that the second report, being the 
result of actual practical experiments, will be found 
very useful. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
♦ 
The Camphor Trade in Formosa, which had 
almost become extinct, has recently been taken under 
the protection of the Chinese authorities as a govern- 
ment monopoly. Mr. Consul Giles states that for 
some years the collection has been so scattered that 
it has been impossible to obtain camphor in Formosa 
in remunerative quantities ; the Government has there- 
fore now undertaken to establish fixed depots for 
receiving the scattered supplies, which will be paid 
for at a certain rate and resold at a fair profit for 
export. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 
Coca Leaves. — With respect to coca leaves Professor 
Schrenk remarks that the lines on the under surface 
of the leaf are formed by a narrow band of tissue 
consisting of several rows of elongated oblong cells, 
which contrast very much with the polygonal cells of 
the epidermis bordering these lines. A cross section 
through one of these lines shows that it is a ridge 
consisting of a subepidermal strand of collenchymatous 
cells. There is no connection, as has been statpd, 
between the lines and the veins of the leaf. He 
believes that the lines serve as an elastic stiffening 
of the blade of the leaf. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 
Wonderful Plants. — I recently came across the 
mention of two of these in an Arabic book (with an 
English version of the text as well as the original), 
printed in 1801, in which the following occurs : — 1. A 
singular work by Ebu Tophail says: — Our pious fore- 
fathers (may God reward them !) relate that there is an 
island among the islands of India which is under the 
equinoctial line ; and this is an island in which 
there are born men without father and mother, and 
in which a tree bears women as fruit ! 2. The 
fourth magician made a tree having branches of iron 
with hooks ; and when a bad man approached it, 
these hooks seized him, and would not dismiss him 
till he confessed his crime.— I give you the English 
translation ; the original is at your service for 
perusal. — N. E. D. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
Marram Grass. — In our issue of last week allusion 
was made to what is termed the Marram Grass which 
our Government Botanist introduced to Australia, and 
sent seeds to Belfast and elsewhere for use in bind- 
ing the drift sands of the sea coast. The grass has several 
synonyms both English and scientific, being popularly 
known as Morrem, Marrem or Bent Grass, and to scient- 
ists as Psamma arenaria ( Roemer and Scbultes ) 
P. littoralis (Beauvois), Calamagrostis arenaria (Roth), 
and Arundo arenarius (Linnreus). It is found wild on 
the coasts of Europe, North Africa and middle North 
America. It is one of the most important, says Baron 
von Mueller, of reedy grasses, with long descending 
roots, for binding moving drift sands, for the con- 
solidation of which, in Europe chiefly, this tall gra^s 
and Elymus arenarius are employed. It delights 
in the worst of drift sands, and for its full development 
gradual accumulation of fresh sand around it becomes 
necessary (Wesseley), hence it never gets suffocated. 
The plant will by gradual upgrowth finally form stems 
and roots sanded into a depth of fully a 100 feet. 
It can be also used as a paper material, for tying and 
for mats, but cattle will not touch it. It collects the 
sand drifts at the top of the ridges, while the Elymus 
fastens their sides. — Leader. 
Summer Drinks i'rom Honey. — There seems to be 
very little doubt that in the near future honey 
will be used for many things, as in primitive times, 
and nothing is more wholesome. The rustic, when 
he spoke of the clergyman and his bees, said " he 
have edecated them," meaning he had great power 
over them, so I suppose the public taste must be a 
little more " educated " before it can appreciate the 
various articles made from honey. I have before me 
a very exhaustive list emanating from the honey 
depot at Heading, which I believe owes its existence 
to the Rev, V. H. Moyle. Commencing with the 
healing art not only were there medicines for the 
human race, but honey drinks for horses and calves, 
dog soap, &c. Then there were drinks innumerable ; 
and, valuable as honey is as an article of food, it 
is still more so in drinks. It is needless to mention 
all the drinks sold at the honey depot. Some people 
make a specialty of them. I mention these things 
to cheer the beekeeper, and to show him (or her) 
that ^there will no doubt shortly be a revival of 
business in the honey trade, and a sale for all the 
honey which can be gathered. While on this sub- 
ject, I do not consider it a good thing to mix honey 
and lime-juice ; at any rate, it would not suit some 
stomachs. The musty taste of most kinds of lime- 
juice mixed with honey does not seem the right 
thing. It may not be generally known, however, 
that there is a lime-juice which is not musty at all, 
the name of the manufacturer of which, as well as 
that of the fabricator of the varied honey drinks 
mentioned above, I would supply to any person 
desirous of having either. He has various kinds, 
which are not only very pleasant to drink, mixed 
with aerated or common water, but also medicinal, 
antiscorbutic, &c. — Walter Chittv, Pewsey, Wilts. — 
Gardeners' Chronicle, 
Red-spider on Vines. — Mr. Douglas inquires if any 
correspondent can suggest a safe plan to destroy red- 
spider. In my opinion the sponging of the leaves with 
soft-soap and water is the most effectual and the safest 
way. The sponging should be carefully and thoroughly 
done, sponging the upper and lower surfaces of every 
Vine leaf in the vinery. All Beans aud Strawberry 
plants should be removed from t^e vineries when 
such are grown there, as the dry atmosphere main- 
tained whilst the Vines are flowering is almost 
certain to lead to the spread of spider from these to 
the Vines. The sponghjg process is somewhat 
tedious, but the result amply repays the labour 
thereby incurred. With regard to the practice of 
sulphuring the hot-water pipes Mr. Douglas says: — 
" It should be done when the temperature has been 
raised in the afternoon to 90 ° , and that the house 
ought to be shut up with this temperature, an d that 
the pipes must be sufficiently heated to cause a slight 
mist in the house from the fumes." Is not after- 
noon a misprint for evening 8 I notice this because 
I fear that disastrous results would follow the ac- 
tion of the sun on the leaves and Grapes while in 
such an atmospheric temperature as that indicated 
above. Sulphur should be supplied to the hot-water 
pipes in the evening only. No moisture should be 
distributed in the house that afternoon. The fire 
should be started early, so as to get the pipes well 
heated by the time the sun had gone completely 
off the houses leaving air on till then, when the 
flowers of sulphur, at the thickness of paint, should 
be put on the heated pipes with a brush, keeping 
the temperature at between 85° and 90 0 for about 
three hours, at which time a little top air should 
be given, and the fire banked up. The house should 
be ventilated more freely than usual for two or 
three days afterwards. However I have a great 
objection to the red-spider "remedy" of painting 
the highly-heated hot-water pipes with flowers of 
sulphur, inasmuch as the fumes arising therefrom, 
in my opinion, destroys the freshness of both leaves 
and Grapes, and also leaves a musty, ungenial smell in 
the house for several weeks afterwards, — H. W. WARD; 
Your correspondent, Mr. Douglas, asks for 
remedies found serviceable in preventing the ravages 
of red-spider infesting Vines. I have found passing 
a soft dusting brush on the under side of the 
leaves with a little flower of sulphur and water to 
be efficacious — syringing the under sides of the leaves 
with clean, cold, soft water, taking care not to wet 
the Grapes, which can be easily done by a practised 
person using a syringe with a nozzle. The operation 
should be done about 6 o'clock in the evening, when 
it will act as a cold bath to the red-spider for the 
rem inder of the night— a treatment which they 
dislike. When red-spider infest Vines badly it is the 
resuit of a dry ungenial atmosphere in the vinery. 
— R, Maheb, Tattendon Court.— Gardeivsri Chromic, 
