232 



Agaricus cristatus raised from Seed. By George Sparkes, Esq. 



For some years past I have been industriously sowing in a Ward's 

 case the sporules of different Agarics, and during the two last months 

 have had the pleasure of obtaining a good crop of Agaricus cristatus. 

 Perhaps this may interest some of your readers. 



George Sparkes. 



Bromley in Kent, 30th June, 1845. 



Our Reply on the name Lastroia recurva. 



The discussion on the name Lastraea recurva appears to have origi- 

 nated in a review (Phytol. ii. 22), in which we endeavoured to defend 

 the term recurva against Mr. Babington's strictures previously pub- 

 lished in the 93rd number of the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural 

 History.' Our contributors having expressed their opinions freely on 

 the subject, and nothing now remaining in our hands for publication, 

 it seems desirable that we close the discussion by availing ourselves 

 of our undoubted right to reply. Our view of the case has been sup- 

 ported by the Rev. Mr. Bree ( Phytol. ii. 75), Mr. Wilson ( Id. 113 ), 

 Mr. Newman (Id. 114), Mr. Watson ( Id. 170), and Mr. Edmonston 

 ( Id. 183), and has been opposed by Mr. Babington (Id. 113 ) and 

 Dr. Bell Salter ( Id. 200 ). It may perhaps be said that the question 

 under discussion is one of individual interest to three of these bota- 

 nists, since Mr. Bree is its author, Mr. Newman its adopter, and Mr. 

 Babington wishes to suppress it in favour of a name of his own. We 

 therefore exclude the arguments of these gentlemen from the observa- 

 tions which follow. The other disputants are perfectly unprejudiced, 

 and can only have in view the adoption of the best name. We believe 

 that almost all British botanists will regard the brief but pithy con- 

 tribution of Mr. Wilson as overwhelming evidence in our favour, and 

 not a few have regarded Mr. Watson's remarks as equally decisive, but 

 we must not shelter ourselves under these high authorities, and thus 

 endeavour to escape from the clever and pointed remarks of Dr. 

 Bell Salter, the only disinterested opponent of the name. 



Dr. Bell Salter seems to place the matter before our readers some- 

 what syllogistically, thus : — 



1. — There exists a uniformity of practice among botanists in the 

 use of the prefixes in and re. 



2. — The structure of Lastrsea recurva is that expressed by the pre- 

 fix in. 



