116 THE AJMERICAN BOTANIST. 



"Philosophica Botanica "of Linnaeus they were likely to learn 

 a few things worth while along- many other lines of nomencla- 

 ture. Another question that might be brought up here is that 

 the above discussion seems to point to the fact that since the 

 genus Amaryllis received its name because of the character of 

 the plant called Ainaryllis Bella donna, this plant is to be con- 

 sidered the type of that genus. This is worthy of note since 

 some one has pretended to separate from the genus this type 

 itself thereof under the name Coburgia Belladonna. — J. A. 

 Nieuwland, Notre Dame,, hid. 



Blueberry Culture. — The blueberry is the latest of the 

 promising fruits to be brought under cultivation. Up to the 

 present the vast quantities of blueberries and huckleberries that 

 have annually appeared in the market have come from plants 

 growing wild on mountain sides or in bogs. Efforts to culti- 

 vate them commercially have thus far resulted in failure and in 

 consequence little could be done to propogate the more desir- 

 able varieties. It now turns out that all the plant needs, in 

 order to grow luxuriantly is a soil in which lime is lacking. 

 Given this and it seems to thrive as readily as any other crop. 

 The whole heath family, to which the blueberry belongs, is 

 very intolerant of lime and the species are usually absent 

 from lime stone regions. If they do occur they are invariably 

 in bogs or other situations where the soil is sour. Such soils 

 not only lack lime but are deficient in nitrogen, also, this latter 

 a most important element in the economy of all plants. The 

 blue-berries, however, get around this difficulty of a lack of 

 nitrogen by means of a fungus upon their roots with which 

 they have formed a partnership. This fungus is able to take 

 nitrogen from decaying organic matter, and thus the plants are 

 supplied. It is likely that the discovery of the blueberry's re- 

 quirements will revolutionize the handling of this crop. 

 Swamps that have heretofore merely taken up room on the 

 farm may now be made to become most profitable pieces of 

 property. 



