HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 209 
birds, but at nigbt go forth in armies to carry on tbeir work of destruction, 
to lay waste the gardener's toil. It would be a matter of economy for those 
who till the ground, to provide the toad with a suitable place for retreat in 
the day time, thus virtually saying to him : " my dear little fellow, I value 
your services, and will do all I can for your comfort." 
With proper appreciation for his services, and care for his preservation, 
the toad will become quite domesticated, and will continue his valuable 
work, for years, simply for his "board and lodging." Those who wan- 
tonly destroy the toad, should be classed with those who kill harmless and 
useful birds. — Ohio Farmer. 
MONCECIOUS AND DICBOIOUS PLANTS. 
Thinking that you might be interested in knowing that at the time the 
Strawberry controversy was going on in the Pennsylvania Horticultural So- 
ciety a similar subject was attracting attention on the banks of the Ganges, I 
have copied part of an extract from a letter from C. J. Muller to Dr. 
Hooker, dated Patna, October 28th, 1853, republished in the June number 
of the Journal of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, from the Pharmaceutical Jour- 
nal of October, 1854. 
" The plants which have completely flowered, are, with the exception of 
one, to all intents and purposes, monoecious, while all the botanical books I 
have access to, make Cannabis strictly dioecious. The single plant which 
appears to bear only female flowers, is not completely in flower yet. The 
male flowers come last, and may yet appear, or I may have overlooked 
them. You will be interested, I think, in examining the inflorescence, and 
therefore I enclose some specimens. (They appear to be true Cannabis 
Sativa. — Editor.) It is requisite to ascertain whether the Rajshahye plant 
presents the same character, and I have therefore sent to Rajshahye for 
specimens. 
" You will perceive that this subject is curious, as bearing on the alleged 
fertilization of female flowers of the dioecious class, in the absence of the 
male plant ; for example, Coelbogyne, Lychnis dioi a, &c. If dicecious 
plants have a tendency, under certain circumstances of soil and climate, to 
become monoecious, the anomaly of fertilization in the absence of the male 
plant is in a great measure removed. This remark rests, however, on the 
assumption that Cannabis Indica, sativa, Ganja, and Bhang, are all identi- 
cal, a point I think yet extremely doubtful ; though I can scarcely make up 
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