MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. ART. I. General Notices. To destroy Insects by a Solution of Chlorine.-In the May number of the Irish Farmer's and Gardener's Magazine, p. 227, a correspondent, Mr. H. Hall, states that he has employed this solution for the last three years. It is "made by mixing with twenty gallons of spring water, a pound of the chloride of lime (or common bleaching powder), in a large jar, which can be easily made air tight; to this add about a pound of sulphuric acid (vitriol), which disengages the chloride, and, uniting with the lime, precipitates in the form of sulphate, leaving a clear solution of chlorine." No mention is made of the mode of using this solution, but probably by syringing the plants infected.-Conds. Mining Insect on the Rose.-The peculiar appearance of the leaves of rose-bushes, which is frequently observable in the fall of the year, in which their upper surface are marked in various directions with broad brown lines, having a narrow darker colored one down the middle, is caused by the small caterpillar of a minute moth (Microsetia ruficapitella,) which feeds inside the leaf. When full grown it is nearly two lines long, of a yellow orange color, with a brown mark down the back, the head very flat and sharp, and light chocolate. About the 24th of October, when full grown, it eats out of the leaf and crawls down the stem, until it has found a convenient place to fix its cocoon; this is very flat, at first of a pure white, which is changed by the first shower of rain to light orange it afterwards changes to a deep brown, nearly resembling the color of the bark of the bushes, and scarcely distinguishable to the eye. The pupa is light brown, of an oval shape, about a line long, and half that in breadth; the perfect moth appears about the 12th of May. This is the Tinea ruficapitella Haworth. The wings are gold colored, with the apex purple, the head ferruginous; expansion of the wings, two and three quarter lines. (Entomological Mag., Vol. I, p. 424.) ART. II. Foreign Notices. The Metropolitan Society of Florists and Amateurs held a show of flowers in Vauxhall garden, on Aug. 20th last. Prizes were awarded for pansies, dahlias, China asters, roses, picotees, carnations, cockscombs, orchideous plants, Clèthra arbòrea, &c. &c. A plant of Magnòlia grandiflora, under a foot in height, was exhibited bearing a fine flower. "A box of petunias," of various sorts, cut from the plants, and their stems passed through holes in the lid, into water, we infer, was contributed by Mr. Dennis. The visiters were numerous.-(Gard. Mag.) The dwarf fan Palm (Chama'rops humilis) has flowered in the botanic garden at Oxford for many years. The plant is supposed to be nearly a century old. The whole height of the plant is five feet six inches; the petioles of the full grown leaves are four feet long; the lamina, or expanded part of the leaf, one foot four inches long and two feet broad; diameter of the space the plant covers, nine feet six inches, or twentyeight feet in circumference.-Ib. Oncidium ciliatum.-A specimen of this fine plant, with forty-four flowers in a panicle, was exhibited before the London Horticultural Society on Nov. 4, 1884. The gold medal placed at the disposal of the society, by the Rt. Hon. Lord Grey, for the best orchideous or parasitical plant, was awarded to Mr. Janies Bruce, gardener to Boyd Miller, Esq., for this production.-I. Royal Duke Cherry.-A fruit under this name was exhibited before the London Horticultural Society on July 21, 1925. it was received from France under the name of Royal tardive, or Anglaise tardive. Its qualities are stated to be equal to the May duke, and it ripeus just after the latter is gone. We should be glad to know if there is a variety cultivated for sale in our nurseries under the above name; if not, it would be an object to introduce it.-Conds. GERMANY. Botanic Garden of Berlin.-In this garden there are cultivated in the open air, between 1500 and 1600 hardy trees and shrubs. It is on an open space, and is exposed to storins: the soil is light sand and moist peat, for the most part, and the trees grow well. We notice this garden in order to show the number of plants which bear the open air in the severe climate of Germany, where some of the North American species of Pinus in the same situations do not live. It proves the vast in portance of giving more attention to the naturalization of plants. The species and varieties which are enumerated, we copy entire : "Protected by large trees, or in places where the cold from the north and east wind is not felt, we grow, in the open air, Salisbùria adiantifòlia, Jasınìnum fruticans, Camphorósma monspeliaca, Paliùrus aculeatus Zizyphus vulgaris, Aràlia spinòsa; Bérberis Aquifolium, aristàta, and sinensis; Asimina parviflora and triloba, Kölreutèria paniculata, Laúrus Sassafras, Hydrangea quercifòlia, Decumària bárbara, Cydònia japónica and sinensis, Photinia arbutifòlia, Raphiólepis índica, Eriobótrya japónica; Cotoneaster acuminata, affinis, macrophylla, laxiflòra, frígida, and rotundifolia; Magnòlia glaúca, tripétala, auriculata, macrophylla, conspicua, and obovata; Spártium júnceum, Onònis fruticosa, Hibiscus syriacus, Colutea nepalénsis; Astrágalus caucásicus, aristatus, and tumidus; Malcura aurantiaca, Liquidámbar imbérbe, Myrica cerifera, Coriària myrtifolia; Nyssa villòsa, tomentosa, and biflora; Nitrària Schóberi. Where there is no protection from the snow in winter, the small trees and shrubs are sheltered by the foliage of the Pinus Stròbus; and, when the winter is very severe, the branches of the Pinus sylvéstris is used, being placed all round the plant. In mild winters, the following stand out; but in very cold weather they are sometimes killed by the frost:-Rhamnus Alatérnus, Vibúrnum Tinus, Laúrus nóblis, O'lea Oleáster, Phillyrea angustifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, Arbutus Unedo, Vitex A'gnus castus, Aucuba japónica, Pistácia Terebinthus; Rúscus aculeàtus, racemòsus, and hypoglossum. Without any particular protection, but in sheltered situations, there stand out here Tlex Aquifolium and its varieties, and I. opàca; Smilax, Rhododendron, Kálmia, Dáphne póntica, and Cneòrum; Ulex europæe'a, nàna, and provincialis, and Táxus canadénsis. Ephedra distàchya, monostachya and altíssima stand out without any protection whatever. We have but few evergreen shrubs which stand out without protection."-Gard. Mag. ART. III. Domestic Notices. O'xalis crenata.-You have no doubt heard much both for and against the productiveness of this bulb. Four years ago I grew it in a small pot, and afterwards threw it out as useless, producing nothing but fleshy fibres. I tried it again last spring, and planted a bulb in the ground and earthed it up as we do the potatoes in Ireland: this fall I lifted two quarts at one root. J. B. Smith, Esq., of this city, put a 'small box round the bulb he had in the ground, and, as it grew, filled the box with earth; it produced half a peck of tubers of the size of small potatoes. If cooked dry they are very pleasant to taste, but if cooked wet they are nauseous: the tops make an excellent salad, and it may be considered a very useful vegetable, and will, no doubt, gain favor.-Yours, B.-Philadelphia, Dec. 1835. Passiflora èdulis.-When you visited this city, your limited time prevented you from taking a glance at the lovely and handsomely arranged garden of Mrs. Stott, late of Castle Dykes, Scotland. I saw a few days ago at her country seat, & Passiflora edulis, growing on the back of a new vinery, only planted from a cutting last spring, and now covers an area of 320 feet, and loaded with hundreds of fine fruit. The gardener, a very scientific man, (Mr. Wm. Chalmers) told me there had been a great many pulled. The fruit is equally as rich in flavor as any of the fine sorts of gooseberries.-Ib. Pennsylvania Hort. Society.-The only articles of interest exhibited before this society, on the evening of the 21st inst. were cucumbers from the garden of Mrs. Stott, presented by Mr. Chalmers, and a plant of Euphorbia Poinsettii, from the garden of H. Pratt, Esq., grown from a cutting since June last—had two branches a foot high each, and crowned with a bracteæ sixteen inches in diameter.-Yours, A. B., Philadelphia, Dec. 1835. Cleome grandiflòra.—We had but just finished writing the short notice in our December number, respecting this fine plant, and sent it to press, when we received a letter from Dr. Ward, in which, among many other interesting notes, he makes the following observations in relation to it: "I shall be glad if you will let me know how you succeeded with the seeds of the Cleome grandiflòra, which I sent you. I was a little disappointed in seeing no notice of it in the reports of your exhibitions, though perhaps it were too early [Nov. 20]. My own plants are later, and have not done quite so well this year as last; but there is no mistake about it at all, that, if well grown, few things can equal it in the green-house, in December. I find it can be propagated by cuttings, treated like balsamines, and other such succulent things, and hope you will try a few, as I am now doing, to turn out in the border in spring." We hope it will be flowered to perfection the coming season,-Conds. Astrapa a Wallichii.-This magnificent plant mentioned in another place as in bud at Belmont Place, is now in bloom at the nursery and exotic garden of R. Buist, Philadelphia. We have been kindly promised a description of it.-Conds. ART. IV. Retrospective Criticism. The To Kalon Grape.-In your Magazine for December, I perceive some remarks on the To Kalon grape, and a doubt is expressed whether it is synonymous with the Catawba. Permit me to place this question at rest, so far as my testimony will go. In the spring of 1834, I received by mail one or two grafts of this variety, taken from the parent vine, sent to me by a gentleman residing in the State of New York, who had published a flattering description of its merits, derived from those who had seen the fruit in perfection. I succeeded in raising one plant, which, during the past autumn, matured several fine clusters; and I have no hesitation in saying that the fruit is identical with the Catawba. I compared them in various stages, and could never discover the slightest difference, either in flavor or appearance. They are precisely alike in the oblate form of the berry, the color of the fruit, the period of ripening, and in the peculiar disease which affects a portion of the berries when they are nearly grown. It has been said, and I find the same thing repeated by you, that Dr. Spafford raised the To Kalon from the seed, probably, of a foreign variety. On examination, the most superficial botanist will readily perceive that the plant bears no affinity to the foreign species. It is, beyond doubt, a variety of Vitis labrusca in which species so many valuable native varieties are found. If the To Kalon be a seedling, its parentage is purely American. We have already two grapes, namely, the Catawba and Muncey (and this may perhaps make the third), which, on the authority of Maj. Adlum, were dicovered in different and remote parts of the country; and between them, every point which can constitute identity is complete.-Yours, T. S. P.—Beaverdam, Va., 1st mo. 12, 1836. Maclura aurantiaca.-Gentlemen,-I have no apology to offer for intruding upon the pages of your valuable Magazine, except to elicit facts, and more especially upon a subject that has been so often (faintly) handled, not only in this country, but in almost every horticultural periodical in Europe. The Maclura aurantiaca is a diœcious plant, and (although it has been contradicted) Mr. Nuttall is perfectly correct in placing it in Deœ'cia tetràndria. In McMahon's nursery, near this city, there are four trees that were among the first introduced. These trees are planted two and two, each pair being about 400 feet apart. While that nursery was in the possession of the late firm of Hibbert & Buist, in 1831-2, the proprietors were astonished at discovering that one of the trees produced larger fruit than the others, which fruit contained perfect seeds. Two of the other trees produced fruit nearly as large, that were abortive, while one of the trees was entirely barren. The next year, the trees were closely observed; and, in June, 1832, the barren tree proved to be the male plant, and the tree that produced seeds stood by its side. The flower of the male tree is very diminutive, and of a green color, so that the tree may be passed, by a common observer, while in full bloom, unnoticed. Perhaps the reason that the true character of the plant has been generally obscure, is, that the female tree seemingly produces perfect fruit. The Maclura is not only very ornamental, but it retains its foliage longer than any other deciduous tree. It will prove to be useful for ornamental fences, if properly attended to; but, for general fencing or hedging, doubtful. The wood contains a beautiful yellow dye, and I doubt not but it may prove as fine a dyeing material as Broussonètia tinctòria, properly Morus tinctòria, or fustic-wood.-Yours truly, R. Buist.Philadelphia, Jan. 9, 1836. Exhibitions of Horticultural Societies.-Do you not occupy too many of your valuable pages with voluminous matter, and names of plants, &c. exhibited at meetings of Horticultural Societies? for instance, 150 names of dahlias from one place, many of them as old as our memory; why not give us only a few names of the most select sorts.-Yours, B. REMARKS The state of market, during the last month, has been dull, and but few sales, to any great amount, effected. Potatoes remain about the same; sales rather brisk; very few have as yet arrived from the eastward, owing to the cold weather. We had intended to make some observations on the sorts generally brought in for summer use, and their comparative earliness and quality, as, also, to notice some new kinds which have been proved the past year to be excellent; but we leave this till our next. Turnips are yet plenty. Sales of onions for shipping, since our last, have been few, and consequently prices are lower; but they are so fluctuating an article, according as the demand is greater or less, that, before our next, they may have advanced to much higher rates. Of beets, carrots and parsnips, the crop is abundant, and prices moderate. Salsify is scarce. Horseradish is plenty, and of excellent quality. Cabbages are becoming much more scarce, and prices have advanced considerably; the stock on hand is very small. Of brocolis, there are very few. Cauliflowers are nearly gone. Celery is very scarce, and prices high; numerous quantities remain frozen in the ground. Lettuce is tolerably plenty, of fine quality, and prices very moderate for the season. Radishes are much more plentiful, and of larger growth. Canada crookneck squashes are about gone; those on hand command a good price; common kinds are also higher; few Lima in the market; the past week, two squashes from Palermo, weighing 69 pounds each, |