460 



very same causes materially operated here as elsewhere in producing 

 the brown-spotted and also the foetid disease, and I hope that the 

 readers of the ' Phytologist ' will keep a good look-out in the coming 

 season for the fungus which is suspected to have been influential in 

 some way to the detriment of the crops of the past season. 



Dr. Ure, in the same article, has levelled an ill-directed criticism at 

 Professor Liebig, overlooking the fact, that Liebig states that not only 

 the diseased, but apparently sound potatoes, were found last year to 

 contain an unwonted principle, casein, and that in his work on ' Che- 

 mistry applied to Agriculture,' casein, whenever present in vegetables, 

 is said to be always in a state of extreme wluhility, and therefore 

 does not require an alkaline menstruum, such as Dr. Ure employed. 

 The filtered juice of the potato contains the casein, and on the addi- 

 tion of any acid it is precipitated. 



As to the protective efiects of sea-air, I would suggest to Mr. Ste- 

 phens that the mild temperature of the coast may have operated only 

 in preventing the injury from frost. I do not find that the potato- 

 disease was confined to inland situations. 



My remarks must close here for the present. I shall probably re- 

 sume the subject in a future number of the 'Phytologist." 



I will just add, since Mr. Stephens has omitted to supply the cor- 

 rection, that Dr. Montague's fungus, observed by him only in potatoes 

 that had germinated, is named Artotrogus hydnosporus (from a^roj and 

 rpccyu). For the knowledge of this interesting fungus J am indebted 

 to the kindness of the JRev. M. J. Berkeley, whose assistance during 

 my inquiries has been of the greatest service to me. 



W. Wilson. 



Orford Mount, February 3, 1846. 



Note on Mimuhis luteus. By George Lawson, Esq. 



In writing the note on the occurrence of Mimulus luteus in Forfar- 

 shire, which appeared in the January number of the 'Phytologist' 

 (Phytol. ii. 389), I merely wished to call the attention of botanists to 

 the plant, for it seemed to me, that although its claim to rank as Bri- 

 tish did not appear to be strong, it at least merited notice from the 

 fact that it is really naturalized in this country. Since the appearance 

 of that note several articles on the subject have been published in the 

 ' Phytologist.' These, however, do not, I think, go to prove that it is 

 really a native. 



