HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



259 



plant, and obtaining all particulars as to soil, 

 locality, &c., he took no further notice of it, except 

 that he had lost ii.—T. B. W. 



Potato Disease. — Mr. W. G. Smith, in his 

 paper in Science-Gossip last month, mentions 

 sulphur as a remedy. Last year the disease showed 

 itself about here, and I sprinkled sulphur over the 

 potatoes which were goinpr, and it certainly did 

 them good. The fungus on the leaves at once dried 

 up ; but then the difficulty is, when the wind and 

 rain have cleared the sulphur away, to prevent the 

 disease reappearing. I use a solution of sulphuret 

 of .lime for my vines, and it keeps them ]3erfectly 

 free from mildew ; and so I tried syringing the 

 potatoes with it, as the two diseases seem some- 

 what alike. I am afraid the use of it was delayed 

 too long; but I do not see why it should prove 

 efficacious in one case and not in the other, if it is 

 used soon enough ; and the disease really takes its 

 origin from above downwards, and not from the 

 root upward. I always, when I plant, put sand 

 round the potatoes. It is very seldom I have had 

 many diseased, and I may say that it has only 

 shown itself in those potatoes which, when grown, 

 were not amongst the sand. This held good this 

 sadly unhealthy year. — E. T. Scott, Norwich. 



Epipactis latipolia. — The above fine plant, 

 along with E. purpurata (E. ovalis ?) and Listera 

 ovata, have recently shown themselves in the 

 gardens of Chace Cottage, Enfield. 



Epipactis palustris. — Last month a new station 

 was discovered for the rare orchid Epipactis 

 palustris. It grows in the county of Surrey, 

 between Mortlake and Kew. It is strange that so 

 rare, and conspicuous a plant should have been so 

 long undetected in a place traversed by scores of 

 botanists every summer. — Al. I., 2S, UpjKr Manor 

 Street, Chelsea. 



Bee axb Ely Okchis {0. apifera and musci- 

 ferd). — Within a few miles of Alresford, both these 

 plants may be met with in tolerable abundance. I 

 have hitherto preserved them from the ravages of 

 the spoiler by wisely keeping secret the spots where 

 they are to be found. — Joseph Anderson, juii. 



Vegetable Haiks. — I have sent a leaf or two 

 of a dry Myosotis arvensis, I think, the hairs of 

 which are peculiar, and form an interesting opaque 

 object, which I have not seen described in any work. 

 The hair springs from a bulb, and is surrounded at 

 the base by nine or twelve or more little round 

 balls, which in a good light look like small pearls. 

 —E. T. Scott. 



" Peloria," ok Plant-monstrosity. — Peloria 

 is especially interesting, physiologically as well as 

 morphologically. It is also of value in a systematic 



point of view, as showing how closely the devia- 

 tions from the ordinary form of one plant repre- 

 sent the ordinary condition of another. Thus, 

 the peloric Calceolarias resemble the flowers of 

 Fabiana; and De CandoUe, comparing the peloric 

 flowers of Scrophulariace(S with those of Solanacece, 

 concluded that the former natural order was only 

 an habitual alteration from the type of the latter. 

 Peloric flowers of Papilionaeea in this way are 

 indistinguishable from those of Rosacece. In like 

 manner we may trace an analogy between the 

 normal one-spurred Delphinium, and the five-spurred 

 Columbine {Aquilegia), an analogy strengthened by 

 such a case as that of the five-spurred flower of 

 Delphinium elatum described by Godron. — Masters' s 

 " Teratology:' 



A Botanical Difficulty. — " E. R. H.'s " 

 botanical difficulty is simply owing to the fact that 

 Cannabinacece and Urticacece, or the Hemp and 

 Nettle families (to which may be added Moracece, 

 or the Fig family), are closely allied natural orders ; 

 by some botanists combined under Urticacece, as 

 one order with sub-orders; by others separated 

 into three orders. This accounts for the apparent 

 discrepancy in the assigned position of Humulus 

 lupulus. — G. S. P. P. 



The Hxjmulus.— "E. R. H." asks to what 

 natural order Humulus lupulus and Cannabis sativus 

 belong. I have examined the plants, and find that, 

 in the two above mentioned, the ovule is pendulous 

 and the embryo hooked and without albumen, while 

 in Urticacece the ovule is erect, and the embryo 

 albuminous and straight. By some authors this is 

 not thought of sufficient importance to separate the 

 order from Urticacece. It is one of the smallest 

 families, comprising only the two above mentioned, 

 but at the same time one of the most valuable. I 

 think that "E. Pi. H." will be right if he makes a 

 separate order of them, for, though the difference 

 does not appear great, it is really so. — Thomas B. 

 Blow. 



Eloka of Liverpool. — In our notice of this 

 creditable production of the Liverpool Naturalists' 

 Eield Club, we unwittingly gave all the credit to 

 the workers of the last generation. This was 

 entirely due to the modesty of the members, and 

 it is therefore with sincere pleasure we give the 

 names of the most active living workers, some of 

 which will not be strange to our readers. Amongst 

 them are the Rev. H. H. Higgins (president), 

 Messrs. H. S. Eisher, J. Harbord Lewis, E. P. 

 Marral, Heywood Chapman, Robert Brown, Thos. 

 Williams (Ormskirk), E. M. Webb, and Thomas 

 Gibson, as well as those of Mrs. E. Boult and Miss 

 C. Grundy ; all of whom have indefatigably and 

 successfully Idboured in producing what we hold to 

 be a model local flora. 



