MAY. 229 



These plants being grown in the same house, with the 

 same temperature and treatment, afforded a good opportunity 

 to notice the difference between them. On the appearance 

 of the earliest leaves of the American seedling, a difference in 

 the color of the under side was observed. This continued 

 until the plants arrived at maturity, when it was less noticea- 

 ble, the English plant havnig changed. It was most appar- 

 ent when the sun shone full upon the upturned edges, during 

 the earlier or later hours of the day, the coloring of the 

 English seedling being a dark dull red when compared with 

 the American, which was of a brilliant carmine. The leaves 

 of the latter were nearly six feet in diameter, with an up- 

 turned edge of five or six inches ; those of the English 

 plant, rather more than five feet, with the edge upturned 

 three inches only. The flowers were thirteen inches across, 

 when expanded. The first flowers of the American were 

 seventeen inches across, and more intensely colored. 



The growth of these plants in summer was more rapid than 

 the one whose diary you recorded in 1853, an increase of 

 the diameter of a leaf in 24 hours of 16 inches, being a com- 

 mon occurrence. 



This experience led me to anticipate more injury to the 

 American seedling, as the winter season approached. Early 

 in November the black spots of decay appeared upon the 

 leaves of this, while the English one was in perfect health, 

 and it so continued till February. In September, and at 

 intervals throughout the autumn and winter months, the soil 

 was added to, by a compost of loam and sand in equal parts ; 

 by this means bringing the deeper plant within two feet of 

 the surface, and for a time restoring its health. On the oc- 

 currence of cloudy and continued dull weather, the spots 

 again appeared and spread with more or less rapidity, as the 

 cause was more or less severe, each succeeding leaf being 

 diminished in size, thus dying out apparently step by step, in 

 the same manner as it advanced to maturity. The last leaf 

 was only 15 by 17 inches in diametec ; two buds following 

 this did not reach the surface, and the plant was removed and 

 another substituted in March. A centre root or rhizoma, 



