NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 269 



PAPERS READ. 



I. — Apiarian Notes in Argyllshire in 1882. 

 By Mr. Robert J. Bennett. 



In this paper the author, after referring to the past season, c om- 

 mented on the qualities of the recently introduced Cyprian bees, 

 which he hoped would improve the stocks in this country. He 

 then gave a detailed account of the work done by the bees during 

 the past summer, and in conclusion strongly condemned the prac- 

 tice carried on by some unscrupulous bee-keepers of adulterating 

 the honey with sugar. 



II. — Experiments with Chilian Seed-Potatoes. 

 By Mr. Thomas King. 



Last year I read before the Society a paper by Mr. John King, 

 Corresponding Member, residing in Chile, entitled "The cultivation 

 of the Potato in its Native Country." In that paper the writer 

 clearly shewed that the potato disease has never been known in 

 Chile. This naturally gives rise to the question — Why is the 

 disease present here and absent there 1 ? Two answers maybe given 

 to this question: first, the potato disease fungus, Peronospora in- 

 festans, has never been introduced into Chile, and so the potatoes 

 there have had no opportunity of becoming diseased; or second, 

 the potatoes, if attacked by the disease in that country, are able to 

 resist it. As bearing on the first alternative, I will read the fol- 

 lowing extract from the Gardeners 1 Chronicle: — " The exotic origin 

 of the fungus which destroys our potatoes has never been doubted, 

 and all known facts point to the neighbourhood of Peru as its 

 home. The potato fungus attacks other Peruvian and Chilian 

 plants, such as the tomato, the petunia, and the schizanthus." If 

 this be so, we must adopt the second .alternative, namely, that 

 Chilian potato plants, though attacked by the disease, do not fall 

 victims to it. Taking this for granted, we may now ask — Why do 

 Chilian potatoes possess a disease-resisting power which European 

 potatoes do not 1 ? That is a question which has not yet been satis- 

 factorily answered; but before making the experiments I am about 

 to describe, I was of opinion that the true cause was to be found 

 in the difference between the methods of cultivation pursued in 



