236 
centre of the walls) displayed on its surface no less than 2,097 surface cells. The 
number of cells exposed on the lower surface of the entire Boletus alone was 
35,858,700. The number of spores displayed on the surface alone was 3,898,800. 
The number of spores in the entire Boletus was 4,678,560,000. The number of 
cells in the tubes (including spores) 29,487,240,000. The number of cells in the 
entire fungus 61,344,166,000. 
THE GLADIOLUS DISEASE. 
For many years past the Gladiolus has been subject to 2 damaging and. 
singular disease. As in many other diseases of plants, all sorts of conflicting 
opinions have been expressed regarding the natwre of the disease—some growers 
almost denying the existence of any disease whatever, whilst others have described 
it as so bad as to threaten the almost total extinction of the Gladiolus as a garden 
plant in this country. Asin the case of the murrain of Potatos, Peach blister, 
&c., different observers have had different conditions of the host plant in view ; 
some writers have attributed the disease to a fungus, whilst others have totally 
denied the presence of any fungus whatever. Amongst all these conflicting 
opinions the fact remains that there is a Gladiolus disease, and one singular in its 
nature, for the cause is at present imperfectly understood. 
As far as my experience goes the Gladiolus disease is invariably most 
virulent in damp, heavy soils, and in wet seasons; in well-drained, dry soils the 
disease is almost unknown. It is much more destructive in England than in 
France, simply because the latter country has a clearer and less humid atmos- 
phere. Just asin my experience of the Potato murrain I have found the first 
attack to be almost invariably made upon the seed tuber whilst in the ground, so 
I have observed in the Gladiolus the first part attacked is almost invariably the 
seed-corm which is planted, though the attack may be made before as well as after 
planting. When growth commences the diseased condition of the seed-corm 
rapidly spreads to the sprouting leaves and petioles, and the plant of the year is 
destroyed. It does not follow as a consequence that the new offsets must be 
diseased, for the offsets from a diseased corm are frequently quite sound, though 
it is possible they may have the germs of disease in their constitution, which 
will only show themselves in a bad form inthe spring which follows. It is exactly 
the same in the Potato disease. Under certain conditions of dryness, diseased 
seed Potatos will produce healthy plants and tubers free from the murrain. When 
the corm of the Gladiolus is badly diseased it is shrivelled, and permeated 
throughout with a rich red-brown colour. When the corms are lifted from a damp 
soil they are infested with the spawn of different fungi, and as decomposition 
goes on the corms are at length totally destroyed by diverse fungi, infusoria, 
nematoid worms and mites.. 
I have often examined the diseased corms of Gladioli, and made notes of the 
various parasitic fungi found in and upon them, but till lately nothing has struck 
me as being specially new or different from what one might expect to find upon 
decaying bulbs or corms of any variety. 
