140 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[December 5. 
arranged as in the conifers , or pine tribe ; and the seed 
or nnts from these cones are the parts which are said 
to furnish the sago of commerce. It is now, however, 
questioned, by competent authorities, whether this is 
really the tree or plant wliicli produces the true sago, as 
was asserted by Rheede. Blume tells us that a gum, 
like tragacanth, is obtained from Cycas circinalis, which 
when dried is applied, in Java, to ulcers, in which' it 
induces suppuration in a short time. Thunberg also 
relates, that a hind of sago is produced from the soft 
pulpy matter inside the thick stems of Cycas revoluta. 
At the Cape of Good Hope, a substance called Caffre¬ 
bread is obtained from African Cycads, in the genus 
Encephalartos or Zamia, and in Mexico the eatable 
Dion , another Cycad, furnishes seeds as large as a 
chestnut, from a huge cone which could hardly be distin¬ 
guished from that of the Araucaria. One of them which 
was sent to the London Horticultural Society, a few years 
ago, was as large as a child’s head. The Society have 
distributed plants of the Mexican Dion lately, which, 
with the different species of Cycas, and the African 
Zamias, and Zamia-like plants from the Caffre frontier, of 
which there are many species, together with the Screw 
Pines (Pandanus), from the south and eastern tropics, 
would furnish a low stove in imitation of those palaces of 
glass now becoming fashionable for the display of the 
more noble palms. Specimens from the different genera 
of Cycads may now be seen in the south wing of the new 
conservatory at Kew, which has furnished us this idea 
of the more humble imitation. 
We have also on record, in the Fossil Flora of Great 
Britain, that Cycads have once formed a large portion of 
the vegetation of this country, a circumstance not more 
to be a subject of surprise than that, notwithstanding 
the general similarity of Cycads to Palms, there is, in 
reality, but a single step between the former and the 
present race of pines and firs, and one more step would 
introduce us, botanically, into the regions of ferns! One 
day, not far distant, the spore cases, or seed cones, on the 
back of a fern leaf, that of the Cycads from the centre of 
a cellular stump, and the fir-apples of our grandfathers, 
will be found to be, after all, but different modifications 
of one and the same method of a nearly allied group of 
vegetation to perpetuate their species by seeds; and, 
also, it will be found that the pinnated leaf of the Fern, 
the Cycas, and Zamia, and the comb-like leaves of the 
Silver Fir, are but different stages of development be¬ 
longing to three large orders of plants, closely linked 
together by the ties of brotherly kindred.—B. J. 
THE ERUIT-G ARDEN. 
FORMATION OF FRUIT AND KITCHEN-GAIIDENS. 
(Continued from page 45.) 
This subject was by no means exhausted at the last 
handling; and we feel that by showing how the many 
little details connected not only with each tree indivi¬ 
dually, but with the whole collectively, and as a system, 
can be carried out, we shall be giving satisfaction to a 
numerous body of readers, not only present but pro¬ 
spective. We would beg it to be understood, before 
proceeding farther, that in proposing a scheme for the 
general disposal of fruit trees in the kitchen-garden, we 
deem it necessary to shake off' all fetters of a prescriptive 
character, and to discuss the matter on a mere common- 
sense basis; it matters not what has been recommended, 
we must see what can be done, and say why it ought to 
be done. 
We have to propose then, in the first place, that the 
tree culture of the kitchen-garden shall form a system 
by itself; the main pivot on which such a system is 
hung, being a thorough recognition of a special course 
of culture applied to the roots of the fruits, totally un¬ 
fettered by the vegetable or flower culture, which, it may 
be, is carried on to within six feet of their stems. 
In the second place, we are now going to deal with 
trees under what is termed a dwarfing system, whether 
trained or not; with the ordinary orchard tree we have 
nothing to do at present. It will be seen that, at page 
45, we suggested that nine inches’ width of border might 
be allowed to every foot in height of the wall. This 
advice was intended to apply to those who are so fond of 
planting gross vegetables on the wall borders. By it we 
had hopes of directing our readers to a thorough con¬ 
sideration of the root question : one, which we are sorry 
to say, our practical gardeners in the main scarcely 
recognize in its whole hearings. Still we should have 
no objection to allowing a much greater width to the 
wall border, provided that instead of vegetable culture 
dwarf fruit trees trained low were substituted. The 
margins of the south, east, and west wall borders may 
be thus appropriated; the north we may for the present 
leave out of the question. 
On the other side of the walk there should be another 
fruit border, of course parallel with the walk ; this we 
would plant entirely with dwarfed or pyramidal trees, 
without trellises ; confining the trellises (of whatever 
character, excepting high arcades) to the margin of the 
wall borders. Now the border next the kitchen-garden 
must have a walk behind it; this we would make about 
40 inches in width ; and next to this, at the south end 
of each quarter of the garden, we would have a huge 
slope for the cultivation of early vegetables: this to be 
the equivalent for the loss of the south wall borders. 
One has read, in certain fables or allegories, of birds 
confabulating; and why not vegetables? Only fancy a 
huge cauliflower, grown white with a liberal amount of 
manure, addressing his time-honoured companions of the 
peach border on the loss of their “ vested rights; ” and 
on the gross indignity of being compelled to associate 
with companions of inferior grade on this new-fangled 
slope, through the plotting innovations of disturbed 
minds with which the age abounds; Messrs, the peas, 
lettuces, Kidney beans, &c., calling loudly for a bill of 
indemnity, and for a proper equivalent. In such a case 
we could give both one and the other. As to indemnity, 
we could assure them that they should still have the same 
allowance of manure as formerly ; and that the well- 
formed incline of their new destination should guarantee 
them at least as much of the direct influence of the solar 
rays, with less of eddying currents of wind. And as an 
equivalent they will enjoy a greater depth of soil; for 
who, in these days of improved gardening, is not alarmed 
when ho sees the thoughtless labourer hacking away at 
the numerous healthy fibres which annually make their 
way to the surface, in order to get a “ good bottom ” for 
his early crops ! We have seen men, who ought to know 
better, thus committing certain damage for an uncertain 
good, who would otherwise shrink with horror from a 
case of root-pruning, the necessity for which was obvious. 
We beg pardon for thus making a joke of so grave a 
subject, but we would fain try any and all means to get 
our readers to throw aside this last great prejudice of 
border cropping as a necessity. 
Our able helpmate, Mr. Barnes, whose code of kitchen- 
