568 BOTANICAL NOTEs^ NOTicKS, AND QUERIES. [^September. 



Botanical Proverbs. 



" 111 weeds grow apace." A single plant may produce — of 



Number of Seeds to Total. 



Flowers. eacK Flower. 



Grroundsel 130 x 50 = 6,500 



Chickweed 500 x 10 = 5,000 



Shej)lierd's-piirse 150 x 30 = 4,500 



This proves the truth of another proverb on the same subject, — 

 " Oiie year's seeding 

 Seven years' weeding." 



And if we grow weeds they will certainly seed, and the immense fecundity 

 of a single plant should of itself impel us to avoid every source of weed- 

 growth. Hence the lately enacted Australian law, for the eradication of 

 weeds, is not a useless or vexatious legislative enactment. Agricola. 



A correspondent asks where he could obtain some seeds of the more 

 showy herbaceous (exotic) plants in exchange for seeds of our rarer indi- 

 genous species. It is hoped that some of our readers may be able to tell 

 our correspondent, whom we take the liberty of naming " W." 



Medicago maculata. 



JBlach spots on the leaves of Medicago maculata. — These spots are always 

 present on the young leaves, and there are some of these on the plant till 

 it has nearly completed its period and performed all the functions for 

 which it grew, viz. the ripening of seeds. The distinction between this 

 species and M. denticulata is not very obvious. 



Desiderata. 



The undersigned is desii'ous of procuring a few seeds of Mulgedmm 

 alpinum ; also he wishes for a series of British Saxifrages, named, for aU 

 of which he would give in exchange indigenous plants of Guernsey. — 

 G. W., St. Andrew's, Guernsey, or A. I., 45, Prith Street, Soho, London. 



Answers to Correspondents. 



Our correspondent, A. P., is informed that the celebrated traveller and 

 plant collector in both the eastern and western hemispheres, Mr. Fortune, 

 was Curator of Chelsea Botanical Garden, which office he resigned in 

 184<8, and was succeeded by Mr. T. Moore, the well-known pteridologist. 



Commimications have been received from 



E. N. Blomfield; John Barton ; G. W. ; Professor E. Bentley, F.L.S. ; 

 Heniy Grove; W. Sutherland; W. ; George Lawson, M.D. ; J. S. M. ; 

 A. Jerdon; P. B. W. ; Agricola; Kev. W. M. Hind; S. B. ; J. Sim. 



BOOKS RECEIVED FOR REVIEW. 



The Atlantis; No. 3. 



Soioerhy's British Wild Flowers ; Part 2. 



Hooker's Species Filicuni; Parts 7 and 8. 



