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of flowering plants. Now, these sexual organs were 

 known to exist in fungi closely allied to the Potato fun- 

 gus, but they had not been clearly seen in that particular 

 species till MK. SMITH had the good fortune to discover 

 them the other day. MONTAGUE and BERKELEY had both 

 been on the right track, but it was WORTHINUTOK SMITH who 

 successfully solved the mystery. 



The import of this discovery will strike every one, al- 

 though the practical results may not be immediate. Many 

 plants, even among the higher plants, exist in several stages, 

 just as an insect passes through several stages before it 

 emerges as a full-fledged butterfly. It is one of these stages 

 and that the sexual stage that Mr. SMITH has discovered 

 in the Potato fungus. We still lack the knowledge what 

 are the conditions which induce this particular stage of ex- 

 istence. We are still without explanation of the fact of its 

 occurence mainly in American varieties, or whether it be, 

 which is hardly likely, confined to them. We know in the 

 ease of the Bee Orchis, for instance, that the plant may go- 

 fer years without flowering, and then all on a sudden the 

 flower-stalk is thrown up. But we do not know what cir- 

 curnstances bring about this result, any more than we do in 

 the case of the Potato fungus. Is this sexual stage just 

 discovered by Mr. SMITH really of very rare occurrence, or 

 does it occur frequently ? Again, what circumstances favour 

 it which are prejudicial ? 



Answers to these inquiries must be forth-coining ere 

 the discovery is likely to be of immediate practical benefit. 

 Meantime, as there is no cure for an unknown disease 

 ignoti nulla est cwatio morbi so we may hope that now 

 the disease is better known, if cure be not possible, preven- 

 tion may be. 



