THE FERTILISATION OF THE SUGAR-CANE. 303 



The entry in the ' Synopsis,' on which rests the original claim 

 of S. pentandra to appear in our Floras, runs : — -" In Hibernia locis 

 arenosis observavit Dr. G. Sherard." Its records in Britain are 

 certainly erroneous, and this might have been more clearly stated 

 by Mr. Druce. Thus he says: — "Sir James Smith in E. B. 

 No. 1536 (1805), figured a plant which he called 8. pentandra L., 

 but which, as figured, is apparently a form of S. arvensis L." 

 Mr. Druce does not seem to be aware that this plate is reproduced 

 in the 3rd edition of ' English Botany,' t. 253, and cited by Syme as 

 S. arvensis, var. sativa, which it undoubtedly represents. Mr. Druce's 

 quotation from ' Comp. Cyb. Brit.' hi. 490, is hardly accurate : he 

 cites: — " Watson says, ' S. pentandra Sin. non Linn., Bedford, 

 Lancashire,' and identifies it (with his usual acumen) with the var. 

 vulgaris [Boenn.] Syme ii. 127." Mr. Watson wrote: — ■" Spergula 



(arvensis) pentandra Sm. (not of Linn.) Bedford. Lancaster. 



. . . . S. arvensis var. vulgaris ; Eng. Bot. ii. 127." No one doubts 

 Mr. Watson's " acumen," but on this occasion he is simply citing 

 Syme's determination. 



It would be easy to quote other records of this Spergula as a 

 British plant, but in every case it is practically certain that a 

 form of 8. arvensis was intended. Whether Mr. Druce's evidence 

 is sufficient to establish its claims to be considered Irish, each one 

 must decide for himself. Mr. Druce writes : — •" Stokes, in Withering, 

 1787, vol. i. p. 482, says it is much like S. arvensis but smoother, 

 and simply quotes Sherard's locality." But here I must again 

 demur (as in other instances which might be mentioned) to his 

 citation : for the first half of this sentence is merely quoted by 

 Stokes from Linnteus, and he does not mention either Sherard or 

 his locality. Stokes does say, however : — " The botanists of Ireland 

 may enable us to ascertain" more about it; and I think his words 

 may fitly apply now. The ' Cybele Hibernica ' says, "Spergula 

 pentandra, supposed to have been found in Ireland by Sherard, was, 

 in all probability, a species of Lepigonum." Mr. A. G. More will 

 be able to tell us whether he has subsequently modified his opinion. 



THE FERTILISATION OF THE SUGAR-CANE. 



We are indebted to the kindness of Dr. Fressanges, formerly 

 President of the Medical Society of Mauritius, for a copy of the 

 ' Pievue Historique et Litteraire de l'lle Maurice,' for April 23rd, 

 18SJ0, which contains a communication from his pen on the 

 fertilisation of the Sugar-cane, read before the Society on the 12th 

 of November, 1884. The letter from which we extract the following 

 is of great interest, especially when viewed in the light of recent 

 researches. There seems little doubt that Dr. Fressanges really 

 has seen and figured the germination in situ of the Sugar-cane ; 

 but it is to be regretted that he did not obtain and describe the 

 actual seed, which would have placed his discovery absolutely 

 beyond question. This, unfortunately, he did not do. 



