Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 9 (1871).djvu/379

 BOTANICAL NEWS. 351

Gray states that he re-examined P. caroUniana carefully in a living state, and finds the anthers are quite as much introrse as extrorse as to insertion, and truly introrse for dehiscence. A transverse section removes all doubt, showing the connective to be posterior, and the anther, consequently, to be as truly introrse as possible.

Mr. MacOwan, of Gill College, Somerset East, Cape of Good Hope, who has been working very energetically lately in the exploration of the eastern tracts of the colony, and has established amongst the few Cape botanists an Exchange Club, on the model of our English one, writes to say that he wishes to be introduced to some British and European botanists desirous of having eastern Cape plants. For Britain he possesses only the wreck of a collection almost destroyed in transit to the colony, and for western and central Europe nothing at all. We hope that some of our readers will be able to help him, and can speak from personal knowledge of the excellence of the specimens he sends out.

The meetings of the Linnean Society will be resumed to-morrow, November 2, for the winter, beginning at the regular hour, eight o'clock.

A report of the result so far of the labours of Mr. Chalmers, who went out from Kew in 1868 for the purpose of establishing a Cinchona planta- tion in St. Helena, and improving generally its arboriculture, has been drawn up by Mr. J. C. Melliss, the late surveyor of the Crown lands in the island, who is now in this country. A suitable plot of land for the Cinchona, five acres in extent, was secured on the southern and windward side of the great central bridge, at an elevation of 2600 feet above the sea. Several Cinchona plants, including some raised from seed a year or two previous to 1868, were placed out in different parts of the high lands, secluded spots, safe from the tracks of cattle, amongst the native vegeta- tion, being selected for them; and in the following year (1860) the general planting of 5 acres commenced, sufficient young plants by that time having been raised by seed, given to the island by Dr. Hooker. At the present time the plantation presents, in a healthy thriving condition, 500 trees of Cincliona sncciruhra and 300 of C. officinalis, numbering in all 800 plants; the tallest of these is a plant of C. officinalis, raised by Mr. Melliss, and planted out on the high land on October 14, 1868. It now measures 7 feet 2 inches above the ground. The next tallest tree in the plantation is one of C. snccirubra, planted out ni May, 1869, and now measuring 6 feet above the ground. About 300 of those first put out average a height of 4 feet 6 inches, and the remainder vary from that down to 6 inches. The cultivation of the species C. Calisaija and C. Pahudiana has not been continued, because it was found that in St. Helena they do not grow so well as the other species. The nature of the ground fornnng the plantation is very steep and rugged, which prevents it from being planted very thickly. It is incapable of con- taining more plants ; and the fact of the surrounding land being in the hands of private persons, who do not as yet see the advantage to be derived from the cultivation of this valuable plant, is the chief reason for the non-extension of the plantation. The actual cost of the^le 800 trees, exclusive of l\Ir. Chalmers' salary, and such outlay as could not be fairly charged against a limited number of plants, has been £244. 19s. id., or very little over 65. a tree. He has also planted out a number of trees of Araucaria excelsa, Juniperns hermudiana, Finns Pi- naxter, Podocarpns elonc/ains, Encalijptns diversifolia, and /Icacia lontji- folia, and is trying to introduce the cultivation of Tobacco and Guinea

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