210 
stalks, about uine inches long, from the axils of upper leaves, 
hairy; flowers white, in three or four semi-globular clusters 
or corymbs; calyx, five-segmented, woolly ; petals, glossy 
and horny when dry ; stamens, monadelphous, dividing, how¬ 
ever, into five bundles of three each, with a barren stamen 
between each two bundles; stiymas, five, spreading; ovary, 
spherical and hairy. 
It grows quickly, is readily propagated by cuttings, in 
bottom-heat, under a glass; requires a light, rich loam, and 
abundance of water. 
The name of Dombeya was once assigned to a genus of 
the Pine tribe, but the species on which it was found, 
1). chilensis, is now known as Araucaria imbricata. Both 
genera were named in honour of M. Bombey, a French 
botanist, employed for several years by the King of Spain, in 
collecting, together with MM. Iluiz and Pavon, the plants 
and other natural productions of Peru. Returning to his 
native country, he finally was enrolled among the martyrs 
of science; for, being sent by the National Convention to 
examine the Flora of North America, he was captured by 
an English cruizer, was carried into Antigua, and died there 
in 1796, in the 51-st year of his age. J. 
THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 
Strawberries ripening. —It is not too late yet to 
warn our readers of the necessity of paying the utmost 
attention to the fruit whilst changing colour; for if a 
wet period occurs, and the plants are gross in habit, it is 
in vain to seek for satisfactory flavour, unless extra 
means are taken to encourage a free circulation of air, 
and the admission of sunshine, together with a preven¬ 
tion of accumulating damps, leading to rot, mouldiness, 
and a general deterioration of quality. There has been 
a good deal of fuss made about certain celebrated tiles, 
but it is well known that such things are frequently, 
When tested, any thing but a step in advance. For our 
part we have availed ourselves of the half-decayed slates 
from an old shed; and the principal dessert Strawberries 
i being in double rows, about twenty inches apart, and on 
| beds elevated six inches above the ordinary level, we 
| have two capital outsides, each forming an incline; this 
I incline we face with the slate, and cover the ground 
| between, on the surface of the bed, with clean, new 
wheat straw. From the exterior, the best flavoured 
dessert fruit will come, and those from the interior may 
([July 3. 
be used in confections or preserves. It is really not 
advisable to place auy tiles or other impervious surfacing 
over the surface of the ground long before the ripening 
of the fruit. Such, in the majority of seasons, will be 
found to render the fruit dry and crippled, by excluding, 
in a wholesale way, that moisture so essential to the 
Strawberry during the period of swelling. It is not 
improbable that some material having small boles in all 
directions, after the manner of malt-kiln tiles, might 
prove serviceable; inasmuch as water, when necessary, 
might be conveyed in an equable manner to the roots. 
In this case colour in the material would be an import¬ 
ant consideration, trifling as it may at first sight seem. 
Now, everybody talks a deal about the utility of black as 
applied to fruit culture; the only one idea, it would seem, 
being, the necessity of trying to accelerate ripening in 
adverse periods. It may be submitted, however, that 
under many circumstances, it is more the part of 
common sense to ward oft’ by reflection, or otherwise 
to alleviate, the parching efforts of continued sunshine. 
Such, during a very still condition in the atmosphere, 
is but too apt to scorch and blister some tender-skinned 
fruits; or if it proceed not so far, it very frequently 
hurries the fruit into an imperfect ripeness. 
To digress for a moment, to a point which has a 
collateral bearing on the subject, we feel persuaded that 
one of the principal reasons of the unsatisfactory flavour 
of some of our new Pears is the disproportion the aggre¬ 
gate amount of light bears to that of the heat. This 
hypothesis would seem to account for the very contra¬ 
dictory statements we receive from various districts 
concerning the very same kind; for we well know that 
in those counties or portions of the kingdom where, on 
the average of years, the greatest amount of rain falls, 
there a murky atmosphere, on the whole, must be most 
prevalent. And so, in all probability, with the Straw¬ 
berry : a free admission of light, with as free a circula¬ 
tion of air, is indispensable to flavour, doubtless; and if 
a non-absorbent material is placed under them, it as¬ 
suredly, to be generally useful, should not be selected 
on the grounds of extreme absorption of heat. Of course 
our adoption of slates in the present case will strike the 
reader : let it be remembered, however, that they happen 
to be at hand, and that we have no better material ; 
also, that the beds in question run north and south, 
and, therefore, the two slate inclines are exactly east and 
west, in which position they will not absorb one-half the 
solar rays that a southern incline will do. Those who 
have an incline of the latter character might try a non¬ 
absorbent material of a white colour, against one of 
black, in a similar position; this would tend to settle 
the matter. And here we wish some of our ingenious 
amateurs, who have more leisure than some folks I could 
name, would take up such matters, and faithfully report 
on them. Such would be of eminent service, and by 
means of an increase of materials of this character, the 
writers of such works as The Cottage Gardener would 
be able to generalise occasionally in a manner exceedingly 
useful to their readers. Facts of this kind must not be 
considered in an isolated point of view: they have, in 
general, exceedingly broad bearings; and to show forth 
the latter is much the province of those who unite the 
rudiments of .sound science to a long and varied expe¬ 
rience in practical details. 
It requires some little management during showery 
weather to secure the ripening fruit; for it is of no use 
leaving it on the plants when fully ripe, and most 
persons need all they can obtain for preserving or culi¬ 
nary purposes. The moment the fruit is dry, on each 
morning, it should be looked over, and gathered care¬ 
fully in flat-bottomed baskets, and, if possible, in single 
layers. Those, if required to remain a day or so in the 
baskets, must be suspended in some place that is parti¬ 
cularly dry and somewhat cool, and must be handled or 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
