354 
THP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November 2, 1891. 
it is, perhaps, worth while to call attention to the 
ease with which that beautiful tree can be propa- 
gated for cuttings. As is well known, it is only 
necessary to take a piece of a branch and insert it 
into moist sand and to protect the cutting with a 
bell-glass to secure a rooted plant ; but it is less well 
known, perhaps, that the last articulation of the 
branch is capable of making roots much more quickly 
and readily than those lower down. Mr. Gamble, 
inspector of the forests of Madras, in South India, 
tells me that when they desire, in his district, to 
make plantations of this valuable tree, workmen 
always take the end of a branch with a single leaf 
for the cutting, as experience has shown tha.t this 
is the way to obtain plants quickly and surely, and 
I believe that horticulturists would do well to follow 
this plan always in propagating B'icus dastica. 
This tree, by the way, does not demand a real tro- 
pical climate. On the contrary, it flourishes outside 
the tropics in regions where snow falls sometimes and 
which experience several degrees of frost. I have 
seen in the beautiful garden of Hamah, near Algiers, 
specimens of Ficus elastica, and of its relative, J^. 
Roxhunjliii, as large as our large forest-trees, casting 
a shade blacker and thicker than I have ever seen 
before. Generally, the genus Ficus is hardy and 
easy to acclimatize. 
Ficus aufitralis succeeds admirably in Algiers, and 
F. Bcnjamina is used in the same city as a shade tree 
in the suburb of Mustapha. There is a large speci- 
men of Fictts (mstralis, already old, on the Italian 
Rivera at Mentone, which, protected on the north by 
a house, forms a superb mass of dark green foliage ; 
and at Cadiz there is a handsome avenue of large Fig- 
trees, with small leaves, not far from the Botanic 
Garden. These are trees two feet or more in diameter 
of trunk, with thick spreading heads. There are often 
severe frosts, however, in all these regions. 
With regard to the fruit of Fiais elastica, I have 
once seen it on a small plant cultivated in a pot at 
Bale, so that it appears that this species bears fruit 
sometimes in a comparatively young state. 
Bale, Switzerland. H. Chist 
— Garden and Forest. 
PLANTS OR TREES PER ACRE. 
The following table will be found very convenient 
as giving the number of plants or trees on an acre : 
6 in. each way, 
1 ft. „ 
li ft. „ 
2 ft. by 1ft. „ 
3 ft. each way, 
3 ft. by 2 ft. 
6 ft. each way, 
4 ft. „ „ 
5 ft. „ „ 
Rows 6 ft. apart, and trees 1 ft. apart in the row 
7,31,5 trees per acre. 
Rows 8 ft. apart, and 1 ft. apart in the row, 5,434 trees 
per acre. 
Rov/s 10 ft. apart, and 1 ft. apart in the row, 4,389 trees 
per acre. 
One mile of vrind-breaks or shelter-belts requires 
4,280 trees or cuttings for a single row, 1 ft. apart m the 
row. — Adelaide Obatroer 
154,240 
6 ft. each way. 
1,200 
43,500 
8 ft. „ „ 
699 
19,306 
10 ft. „ „ 
430 
21,780 
12 ft. „ „ 
300 
10,890 
15 ft. „ „ 
300 
7,260 
18 ft. „ „ 
135 
4,840 
20 ft. „ „ 
110 
2,730 
22 ft. „ „ 
90 
1,750 
30 ft. „ „ 
50 
Botanical Ent?;i,puise in the West Indies.— The 
May number of the Keio Bulletin is devoted to 
record of the steps that have been taken to organise 
botanical stations for the introduction, trial, and 
diffusion of plants of economic importance. Thi; 
BuUi tiii also contains the text of Mr. Morris' report 
on his recent visit to the West Indies, embodyini 
the results of his visit to the several islands, an 
the lectures therein given. His mission occupied 
106 d.'iys, and the distance covered was a little over 
12,000 miles. As we shall have another opportunity 
of alluding to Mr. Morris' work, and of illustrating 
a new dwarf Palm discovered by him, we content 
ourHclvcB for the proaont with this brief montion 
-^OardcnQn' C'hrwiiclet 
Grass Seeds. — Few continental cities can show 
such beautiful lawns as those of England. The turf 
at the German exhibition is English, having been 
sown down with Suttons' Grass seeds. We also learn 
that the seeds sovm to form the velvety cai-pet of the 
arena at the Naval Exhibition, which was the only 
cheerful sight out-of-doors on the opening day, were 
supplied by the same firm. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
Sutton's Potatoes in Ceylon. — We learn that Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons, of Reading, were awarded a Gold 
Medal at the Ceylon Agri-Horticultural Exhibition, 
held at Nuwara Bliya on April 1, 1891, for a collec- 
tion of Potatoes of excellent quality grown in the gardens 
of His Excellency the Governor of Ceylon, and in- 
cluded Abundance, Satisfaction, Seedling, Windsor 
Castle, Masterpiece, &c., all varieties of Messrs. 
Sutton's raising. — Ibid. 
Stem-foem in Cacti. — A correspondent lately sent 
us stems of a hybrid between Phyllocactus crenatua 
male and Cereus speciosissimus as the female parent, 
with the remark that the seedlings all produce angular 
stems at first, but that subsequently they become 
flattened, as in the male parent. It was not unnatu- 
rally supposed that this change of form was the result 
of a dissociation of hybrid characters (a sport) ; but, 
unfortunately for thi.s interpretation, we find that the 
stems of Phyllocactus frequently produce angular 
branches without any crossing at aU. — Ibid. 
Fobestey in Ireland. — The first special annual re- 
turn by the Registrar-General of forestry operations 
in Ireland has just been issued. It appears that 1,488 
acres were planted with trees in Ireland during the 
year ended June 30, 1890, of which 384 acres were in 
Leinster, 556 in Munster, 329 in Ulster, and 219 in 
Connaught. The total number of trees planted on 
the 1,488 acres was 380,280. Larch trees constituted 
more than one-third, and Fir trees about 12 per cent, 
of the total number planted. The number of trees 
felled both for clearance and for thinning plantations, 
during the year ended June 30, 1890, amounted to 
1,256,887. About one-half of the total number felled 
consisted of Larch trees. The area returned as clear- 
ed is 1,399 acres — namely, 400 in Leinster, 786 in 
Munster, 165 in Ulster, and 48 in Connaught.— Jiti^. 
Mildew. — Our American cousins find the practical 
advantage of spraying their trees for mildew and various 
insects. Mr. B. T. Galloway, of the United States 
Department of Agriculture, in a circular issued by 
the Department, says that experiments have proved 
conclusively that powdery mildew of the Apple, Pear, 
&c., can readily be controlled at comparatively little 
expense. Ten millions of young fruit will be treated 
this year. The Bordeaux mixture, or the ammonia 
solution (carbonate of copper, 5 oz., to 3 pints of strong 
liquid ammonia), dissolve, and mix with 45 gallons 
of water. A suitable spray-pump should be used, 
such as the knapsack-pump, or a barrel-pump, 
drawn by a horse. In no case should the treat- 
ment be delayed beyond the period when the 
leaves are half grown. Early treatment, vigilance, 
and repetition of the spray every twelve days, are the 
most important points to be kept in mind. — Md^ 
China Grass. — This well-known fibre, the produce 
of a Nettle-like plant, Boshmeria nivea, has been re- 
introduced of late with the idea of supplanting 
silk, cotton, and worsted in the cheaper class of goods 
to be used in upholstery wherever strength and dur- 
ability are required. From the samples before us, it 
is evident that the fibre is capable of being dyed in 
a good range of colours. In appearance, it is between 
fine wool and flax-thread, being less glossy than the 
latter, and scarcely so rough as the former. At 
present, the cost of producing the fibre is a bar to 
its utility, but it is hoped that this objection will 
shortly be removed, and that it will then take a promi- 
nent place amongst materials for weaving, as the 
plant from which it is produced can be readily grown in 
many of our colonies. The fabric known as grass-cloth 
is manufactured from the same fibre. It ia a pity 
the name "grass" should be attached to it, as it has 
as little to do with grass as it has with Cucumbers ; 
but for persistence of error, there is nothing to beat 
a poinilar name.— 
