THE COFFEE -LEAF DISEASE. 55 



have to take that of Alton in its place ; while the numerous species 

 described by Dr. Welwitsch in MS., and published in the ' Flora 

 of Tropical Africa ' and elsewhere, must bear the name of the 

 author of the special memoh in which they occur. If the law can 

 be set aside, well and good ; my contention is that we ought not to 

 have two practices which contradict each other in existence at one 

 and the same time. 



For it must not be supposed that the neglect of the law is uni- 

 versal in England. For example, in this Jom-nal for 1881 (pp. 353, 

 354), the Messrs. Groves have adhered to it in attributing to Bruzel 

 and Kuetzingtwo species of Chara [0. haltica and. C.contraria) which 

 most authors, Kuetzing himself included, have assigned to Fries 

 and A. Braun respectively ; and I ought to add that it was theh^ 

 action in so doing which first directed my attention to the dis- 

 crepancy between written law and actual practice. 



The fact that, as already announced in these pages, a new 

 edition of Steudel's ' Nomeuclator " is in preparation, renders the 

 present a peculiarly fitting time for bringing forward matters of 

 this kind. Mr. B. D. Jackson has already shown" his fitness to 

 deal with questions relating to botanical nomenclature, and it is 

 certain that his plan of citation will be carefully considered, and as 

 carefully executed. If, therefore, this note should elicit from him 

 or from other competent botanists an expression of opinion upon 

 the point to which I have directed attention, my object will have 

 been attained. 



E^xttacts ana Noticts of Booits antr itltmotvs. 



THE LIFE-HISTORY OF HEMILEIA VASTATEIX IN COFFEE. 



[The following is Mr. Ward's summary of the main points of 

 importance in connection with his investigations into the Ceylon 

 Coffee-leaf Disease (see p. 22). From Dr. Trimen's letter, which 

 accompanies the Report, we learn that '* Mr. Ward looks upon 

 the present Eeport as final in its character, and does not anticipate 

 that any discovery of practical value would result from further 

 work at Hemileia. The only point of any importance remaining 

 unsolved is the history of the second kind of spore."] 



" 1. — Hemileia vastatrix is a parasitic fungus, the spores of 

 which are capable of rapid germination on the moist surface of a 

 coffee-leaf. The short tubes thus produced enter the breathing 

 pores of the leaf, and in less than a week, in favourable circum- 

 stances, begin to form a mycelium which at the end of another 

 week or so have done sufiicient damage to the leaf to produce 

 yellow spots. During the third week the spores are usually pro- 

 duced, each to act as before, if sown, &c. 



* Journ. Bot., lH8l, pp. 75—82. 



