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some disease or morbid condition quite different in outward 

 aspect to that which we first saw by the sea in Kent, sub- 

 quently at Chiswick, afterwards in various localities in Eng- 

 land, and within the last few days in the south-west of 

 Scotland. For our own parts we must still doubt the* 

 identity of the so-called new disease with " curl/' as the ap- 

 pearances presented do not tally with the printed descrip- 

 tions of that malady ; while, as we have stated, the oral 

 statements of those who were personally familiar with it 

 are very conflicting. If these potatos of American extrac- 

 tion be really affected with " curl/' then the discovery of 

 the Potato fungus in its various stages in them is of the 

 more interest, as it shows that it must have been in the 

 country in the old " curl" days, long before, the murrain; 

 was heard of. Meantime, as some of our correspondents to- 

 whom scientific terms are not familiar, and who are not 

 accustomed to the study of microscopic fungi, are doubtful 

 as to what ME. SMITH really has done, we will endeavour to 

 put the matter into plainer language, though at the risk of 

 sacrificing strict accuracy to clearness. The spawn of the 

 Potato fungus permeates tuber, haulm, a?nd leaf in the form 

 of extremely fine whitish threads. Through the pores of 

 the leaves it sends up branches bearing buds of two differ- 

 ent kinds the one sort arranged in little joints, which 

 separate, fall off, and grow, the other sort consisting of egg. 

 shaped cases containing minute spores, which, when they 

 escape from the burst .case, move about in the way once 

 supposed to be exclusively confined to the animal kingdom 

 hence the name " zoospore." These zoospores cease- 

 their vagrant habits in a little while, and they too, grow .. 

 So far then we have the Potato fungus propagated by two 

 sorts of buds, which become detached, and reproduce the 

 fungus just as the bulbils of the Tiger Lily grow into a new 

 plant. But in addition to these which we liken to buds 

 because, unlike seeds, they are not the result of reciprocal 

 sexual agency there are in some fungi, probably in all 

 true sexual organs analogous to the stamens and pistil 



