December 18, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
555 
means this : that the twenty years, which a short time since was the 
period allowed by the Lumbermen’s Exchange in Chicago “for the 
exhaustion of the Pine forests of their district,’’ formed an unnecessarily 
liberal estimate. The statement means, moreover, that when the 146,000 
hands now engaged in the business have felled the last tree in the 
northern territory, they will be by no means content with the contem¬ 
plation of their work. “ The magnificent pineries of Michigan and other 
States in the lake region are fast disappearing before the axe ; but the 
whole south is a forest region, and when the northern lumber supply fails 
the great saw-mills will be removed to the southern forests, and these 
will become the new centres of the industry.” There is a savour almost 
of (brutality about this bare summary of the situation. No touch of 
regret^softens either record or forecast; and that the latter will in due 
course be justified, there seems unhappily little reason to doubt. During 
Fig. 93.—Agave geminiflora (Bonapartea jancea). 
seven months of the year 200,000 feet of lumber are daily sawn into 
planks in one mill in Ottawa, and there are over 25,000 such establish¬ 
ments at work in the country. It is obvious that not even the majestic 
areas of the American forests can long stand before such a terribly 
destructive force, exercised without judgment, and succeeded by no 
system that makes practical restitution to the soil. Of the results of this 
wholesale denudation there are already abundant signs. In the States 
chiefly affected, the volume of many of the tri butary streams is lessened, 
draughts are frequent, and the productive qualities of the neighbouring 
farms seriously impaired. It was observed by Humboldt that in the 
tropical regions an immense variety of trees live separately or “ un- 
socially ; ” and it is clear that, owing to the immediate benefit reaped 
from them, trees thus situated are more jealously conserved than their 
woodland brethren. It is the province of forests beneficently to modify 
the climate of the adjacent plains, in the cultivated enclosures of which 
their loss is the most appreciable. Of the succour thus afforded there is, 
however, little general recognition—unless, indeed, by the forestry 
officers appointed by the Governments who systematicaUy evade their 
representations. 
Many portions of Australia and New Zealand, it has been found, are also, 
in their turn, suffering from the multitude of “ clearings ” made by the 
early settlers, whose crude efforts may to some extent be condoned by the 
exigencies of their position. Even now, however, many colonial areas of 
cultivation—of which rather boastful accounts are given—are annually 
extended by the unconsidered destruction of the forests on which much 
of their ultimate fruitfulness must depend. The “progress” of Florida 
has of late years been remarkable. This State contained in 1860 only 
6586 farms : a number which had risen to 23,438 in 1880. We are toll 
that this indicates a large influx of farmers from other States ; but it 
also “ indicates ” a wide levelling of the forests of Oak and Cedar, Pine 
and Hickory, for which Florida was once famous. The Pampas of South 
America are also gradually falling under cultivation, and are here and 
there covered with crops of Wheat and Maize. Their permanent pro¬ 
ductiveness. however, will be greatly assisted by the maintenance of the 
bordering forests : a fact of which the Argentine Government appears to 
be quite exceptionally conscious. In Canada, on the contrary, the long 
indifference of the authorities to an average annual production of no less 
than 2,600 000,000 feet of lumber (broad measure) has been at last 
compelled to give place to anxiety ; and the Dominion Government is 
now reserving large “ blocks” of forest at the base of the Rock Mountains, 
lest the injury to the climate should become irreparable. From an 
interesting paper contributed by Sir George Bird wood to the catalogue of 
the Indian section of the Forestry Exhibition, it is apparent that east 
and west there has been a singular community of official apathy upon 
this subject. Of Afghanistan the writer declares that “a once fertile and 
wealthy country has thus been converted into an inhospitable desert.” 
The Forest Department of India has happily been able to arrest, and in 
some degree repair, the ravages which up to some forty years ago had 
been going on for centuries in the forests of India and Burma. The 
whole of Central Asia has more or less suffered from similar causes.— 
(St James's Gazette.') 
AG-AYE GEMINIFLORA (Bonapartea juncea). 
This is one of the most graceful of the important genus Agave, and it 
is very distinct from every other species. As will be seen from the 
accompanying illustration it has a short thick trunk, which bears a crown 
of very numerous narrow linear recurving leaves. From the centre pro¬ 
ceeds a tall stout flower-stem, which, when seeds have been matured, 
closes the career of every individual, this species being what is termed 
moaocarpic, or fruit-producing once only in a lifetime. Fine specimens 
have from 200 to 300 leaves 14 or 2 feet long. They are convex on both 
surfaces, deep green in colour, with threads splitting away more or less 
from the two edges, and are flexible and without teeth. The flower stem 
may reach a height of 24 feet, but usually in cultivation it is from 6 feet 
to perhaps 10 feet high. The flowers are in pairs, very close together, and 
with open blossoms the inflorescence is from 6 to 8 inches through. The 
flowers are about 14 inch long, of yellowish green colour, with long 
protruding stamens. The plant flowered first in 1815 in the garden of 
Count von Litta near Milan, and in his honour the name Littsea gemini¬ 
flora was given by Tagliabue. It has also been called Bonapartea juncea 
and B. flagelliformis, and has been referred as well, without ground of 
course, to Yucca and Dracmna, with the specific name Boscii in both 
cases. Mr. B. S. Williams has, or had, a hybrid between this and A. 
densiflora, which he calls A. Taylori. It is most like the present plant’ 
though very distinct in character. 
A. geminiflora is a native of Mexico. Its culture is by no means 
difficult. It requires a greenhouse temperature, and loamy soil is the best, 
though it is not particular as to what it is grown in. With the loam it 
is an excellent plan to mix broken bricks as well as sand, so as to afford 
free drainage. There is no danger of harm from too much water if the 
drainage is good, and perhaps the only thing to guard against is starva¬ 
tion, which causes the plant to flower prematurely and its loss in con¬ 
sequence, though usually it lasts many years. It is easily raised from 
seed, which it produces very freely.—R. Irwin Lynch. 
[The engraving (fig. 93) has been prepared from a photograph for¬ 
warded to us by G. T. Clark, Esq., Djwlais House, Dowlais, Glamorgan¬ 
shire, with whom a plant has flowered this season. He gives the following 
particulars :—The plant came from Belgium in 1870, so that it is of good 
age. It began to throw up the flower stem about June, and attained a 
height from the base of the pot to the top of the flower stem of 9 feet 
6 inches.J 
NATIONAL AURICULA (SOUTHERN SECTION) CARNATION 
AND PICOTEE SOCIETIES. 
In consequence of the decision arrived at at the annual general meeting 
of the above Societies, as recorded last week, that rules be adopted for their 
governance, and the ratification of the resolutions pertaining to the appoint¬ 
ment of officers, including a Treasurer and one Secretary (Mr. James Douglas), 
we are informed that Mr. E. S. Dodwell has signified his intention of retaining 
he books and moneys of the Societies, and also of appealing to several 
