586 



siological Botany.' " Proceedings of the Linnean Society, and of the 

 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. " The Potato Fungus," by M. J. B. 

 in 'Gardener's Chronicle.' 



For the most part the Botanical contents of No. 113, are useful or 

 valuable contributions to science, creditable to their contributors or 

 to editorial selection. But they are not such as present passages 

 adapted for separate perusal, as illustrative extracts. From this 

 general approval we must make an exception of some parts of the 

 notice of the ' Flora Calpensis ;' the reviewer having unfortunately 

 selected for his commendation, and for extract, just those particular 

 matters in the work reviewed, which are most imperfect and untrust- 

 worthy : we refer to the habitats of the species in other parts of the 

 world, and the numerical summaries founded thereon. Whatever opi- 

 nion we may form of the ' Flora Calpensis' in other respects, we may 

 confidently say that the holding up of such exceedingly imperfect 

 notices, as " a very valuable addition to the list of species, showing at a 

 glance the countries in which each plant has been observed," is a serious 

 mistake on the part of the reviewer. We do not suppose that the 

 author intended them to be so received; for he expressly qualifies the 

 numerical results, by saying " as far as the extent of my inquiry has 

 enabled me to judge ;" and this qualification was really very neces- 

 sary. But when these same results are blindly copied by a reviewer, 

 who omits the requisite qualification, and substitutes a high eulogy 

 in place thereof, they can only mislead and confuse, instead of yield- 

 ing suggestive ideas, confessedly requiring more research. 



The importance of the subject may justify a reprint of the few lines, 

 on ' the potato fungus.' " Mr. Moore of Glasuevin, has sent me this 

 morning a leaf of a potato clothed with our old enemy, Botrytis infes- 

 tans, from potatoes in the Royal Botanic Garden, Dublin. Every- 

 thing seems to tend to a repetition of the ravages of last year. I can 

 persuade nobody here that there are any [reason for] fears, and all 

 advice is vain." The existence of some plants infested with the 

 Botrytis infestans, really does not appear any strong reason for fears, 

 so long as it does not spread largely, as was the case last year. At 

 the date of writing these remarks, we have been using this year's 

 potatoes from the open garden, full three weeks, and not a single 

 diseased tuber has been found among those dug up : on the contrary, 

 they are found to be remarkably healthy and good, in the ground to 

 which we allude, on the south side of London. But should continued 

 cold and wet weather follow the dry heat of June, as was the case 

 last year, we may then be too successful in persuading people to fear. 



