ADOLPHUS HENRY KENT 305 



but, when his father died, it was obvious to all that, with his 

 afflictions, it was impossible that he could carry on a boys' 

 school. It was a happy thought of the late Sir George Macleay 

 to introduce Kent to Messrs. Veitch, and some years later I 

 remember Sir Harry Veitch — as he now is — saying to me before 

 Kent, though not in his hearing, that it was a happy day both for 

 Kent and for the firm when they met. In spite of his deafness 

 he was able to conduct the foreign correspondence, and then 

 carried out two important botanical works for his employers. In 

 1881 appeared the first edition of the Manual of the Coniferce, of 

 which a thoroughly revised version appeared in 1900 ; and in 

 1887-94, the larger undertaking, the Manual of the Orchidacece, 

 in two volumes. Both are exceptionally good specimens of 

 botanical work adapted for horticultural purposes ; and it must 

 be remembered that Kent was practically a self-taught botanist. 

 In 1887 Sir Harry Veitch and I had the pleasure of proposing him 

 for election as an Associate of the Linnean Society, a well-earned 

 honour ; but his work was so completely identified with that of 

 the great Chelsea firm of horticulturists, that there seems some- 

 thing singularly appropriate in the appearance of the announce- 

 ment of the close of his earthly labours almost simultaneously 

 with that of the dissolution of a business which has become 

 historic in gardening annals. 



In Chelsea Kent did much useful parochial work, in the 

 course of which he found a wife ; but we are here concerned only 

 with his conscientious work for horticultural botany. With 

 advancing years his visits to the Natural History Museum became 

 rare, and he was for some years obviously failing in strength. He 

 died at Fulham on September 12th, in the eighty-sixth year of 

 his age, and some thirty-five years after his first entering the 

 service of Messrs. Veitch. 



G. S. Boulger. 



SHOBT NOTES. 



Senecio sarracenicus L. — In my small stock of dried British 

 material there are two very distinct plants under this name, both 

 of which appear to have been included by Linnaeus in his species ; 

 but I do not yet know which of them is represented in his 

 herbarium. The first occurs plentifully by small streams, some- 

 times in company with our native form of Aconitum Napellus, and 

 looking equally wild, in several parts of Somerset. It agrees very 

 well indeed with De Candolle's description (Prodromus, vi. 353) 

 of S. sarracenicus Jacq., of which 8. fluviatilis Wallr. and S. 

 salicetorum Godr. (see White's Bristol Flora, p. 382) seem to be 

 synonyms. This is large (up to five feet) and strong ; stem -leaves 

 more or less amplexicaul, broad (the lower sometimes an inch and 

 a half), strongly and rather coarsely serrate, with a short point ; 

 phyllaries many (12-15) ; heads often very numerous, with eight 

 ray-florets ; pappus at length exceeding the disc-florets. The 



