781 



legist,' as they serve to corroborate facts previously noticed in one or 

 two of the public journals. 



About three years ago I received from a friend a packet of lucerne 

 seed, which had been imported by the East India Company from Aff- 

 ghanistan. It was at a time when our East Anglian agriculturists were 

 much alarmed at the somewhat serious ravages of Cuscuta Trifolii 

 amongst their clover crops. Previously, therefore, to sowing the lu- 

 cerne seed in my garden, which I had intended to do to ascertain its 

 value in an agricultural point of view, I was induced to examine it, 

 and somewhat to ray surprise I found it to contain a considerable ad- 

 mixture of what appeared to be seeds of a Cuscuta. I immediately 

 set to work in order to try to raise some plants ; a portion of the 

 seed was sown in a large flower-pot, and placed in a cucumber frame, 

 and at the same time an additional quantity was sown on a bed in 

 the open air. In both instances the young lucerne plants soon made 

 their appearance, but it was only in the flower-pot that I observed 

 any trace of the Cuscuta. Here I was fortunate enough to obtain 

 three young specimens, but the many vicissitudes to which plants of 

 their peculiar and delicate habit are exposed, soon deprived me of 

 two of their number. With the remaining one, however, I was more 

 fortunate ; it soon commenced pushing out its stems in all directions, 

 and in a short time destroyed all the lucerne in the pot. It did not 

 at this time exhibit any signs of flowering : I was therefore induced 

 to transfer it, flower-pot and all, to the centre of the bed before-men- 

 tioned, in order to furnish it with a suflScient supply of food for its 

 further development. Soon after its being placed in this situation 

 my hopes were well nigh blasted ; for suddenly the stems, which had 

 been previously growing vigorously, became shrivelled, and life ap- 

 peared almost extinct. At first I was at a loss to account for this 

 circumstance, but afterwards found that it was occasioned by the 

 scorching rays of the sun; a succession of damp, cloudy weather soon 

 after ensuing, it reassumed its healthy appearance, and grew with a 

 rapidity truly astonishing. 



In the course of time my Cuscuta came to maturity ; several clus- 

 ters of flowers were produced, which enabled me at once to see that it 

 was quite distinct both from C. Epithymum and C. trifolii, both of 

 which, however, it resembled in habit very closely. Fresh specimens 

 were sent to Mr. Babington, who at once pronounced it to be his C. 

 approximata. 



There appears to be considerable difficulty in getting the seeds of 

 Cuscuta to vegetate ; since making the above experiment, I have 

 Vol. II. 5 f 



