844 



ought to be kept secret, when the knowledge of it might prove of ad- 

 vantage to science, or contribute to the pleasure of a fellow-student, 

 yet after such a threat, was I not justified in retaining the information ? 

 — George Crozier ; 111, Shudehill, Manchester, November 23, 1843. 



426. Note on the Botany of France. I have been highly pleased 

 with Mr. Woods' paper on the Botany of France (Phytol. 785). There 

 is no place to which an English botanist is so likely to go, and even 

 to fire-side travellers it must be pleasant to compare the Flora of an 

 opposite shore with our own. I will just mention, that on Mont St. 

 Katherine near Rouen, I found, two years ago, plenty of Bupleurum 

 falcatum. The two plants that most attracted my eye between Havre 

 and Paris were Mercurialis annua and Eryngium campestre. — Geo. 

 Sparkes ; Bromley, in Kent, December 5, 1843. 



427. Note on Potass and Soda produced by the ashes of Plants. 

 It has been for a long time the general opinion, that the ashes of in- 

 land plants produce potass, of maritime plants soda. Whether mari- 

 time plants removed inland would continue to secrete soda, is an in- 

 teresting enquiry, and is a point on which Sir James Smith and Prof. 

 Liebig, although they do not absolutely contradict each other, can 

 scarcely be said to agree. While things are in this uncertain condi- 

 tion, I have been much astonished at perusing Hartwig's analysis of 

 the ashes of inland plants, and observing the large proportion of soda 

 which he professes to have found in them ; for example : — 



Carb Potass. Carb. Soda. 



In Beech wood, 11-72 .... 12-37 



Hanoverian tobacco, .... I'Gl 



Bean-straw, 1332 .... 16-06 



Pea-straw, 4-16 .... 8-27 



It would be well if some English chemist were to repeat these expe- 

 riments. — Id. 



428. Note on Agarics. I have eaten, this season, Agaricus perso- 

 natus and nebularis. The former, which is occasionally eaten, is not 

 very pleasant; but the latter I can highly recommend. I have scarce- 

 ly found a single specimen of Agaricus deliciosus this season. Those 

 of vour readers who have paid no attention to Fungi, may be interested 

 in knowing that by taking an Agaric not quite full grown, cutting the 

 stalk off, and placing the top on a sheet of white paper, the gills down- 

 ward, they will obtain a copious supply of sporules. As in most Aga- 

 rics these are white, coloured paper is the most appropriate. The 

 existence of ammonia in ketchup may be shown by adding quicklime 

 to it. The ammonia may be recognized by its smell, or by holding 



