42 REPORT — 1860. 



is on the driest and most exposed part of the mounds that the plant occurs. 

 Its change from such a poor position to our garden, which though only un- 

 manured forest marble-clay, is yet moist and stiff, will doubtless account for 

 its wonderful growth. 



Cuscuta epilinum. — Our last year's report on experiments in the growth 

 of this Dodder excited so much attention, that we determined upon following 

 out some additional ones in the present season, to which end we sowed two 

 plots with flax-seed, as follows : — 



Plot 1. Flax-seed perfectly pure. — The result was a very fine crop, per- 

 fectly clean. 



Plot 2. Dirty Flax-seed with some seeds of Cuscuta epilinum intermixed. — 

 This was scarcely half a crop, and the fine specimens of Dodder bearing 

 down the partial crop, is at once an evidence of the mischief this parasite 

 can do to the crop in question, as also of the perfect ease with which we can 

 grow it ; so also how easy to prevent its presence in the flax-crop if we take 

 care to sow pure seed. 



As regards the Clover Dodder, though this pest is yearly becoming more 

 and more prevalent, yet this season has been especially bad for ripening its 

 seed, and we are still in want of seed for special experiments upon it. 



Seeds of Orobanche minor have been collected this year with a view to a 

 series of experiments upon it, as the Broomrape, like the Dodder, is yearly 

 becoming more and more troublesome ; and it would seem that Clovers are 

 liable to attacks from both forms of the parasite, and in all probability of 

 more than a single species of either; for, as regards Broomrape, we have col- 

 lected the two forms O. minor and O. elatior from different Clover crops ; we 

 still want to know whether the Cuscuta europcea and C. Trifolii are specific- 

 ally distinct. 



Myosotis. — We last year reported upon some curious changes wrought in 

 the cultivation of M. sylvatica, in which we gave it as an opinion that the 

 M. palustris of authors was subject to great variations, giving rise to annual 

 as well as perennial forms, the former introducing us to the M. sylvatica aud 

 others, as offsprings of M. palustris. Our present stock still bears out this 

 view, as we have as derivatives from M. sylvatica a still decreasing flowered 

 form and annual and perennial conditions of our varieties. 



This year we introduced into the garden the very bright blue Forget-me- 

 not of our ditches ; this in cultivation (the same plant) has become the small 

 flowered light blue form which we take to be the M. repens of Don, as de- 

 scribed by Mr. Babington. 



While upon this subject we must not omit to mention that, having been 

 favoured with a packet of seed from the eminent firm of J. Carter and Co. of 

 Holborn, under the name of Myosotis azurea major, we were much inter- 

 ested in observing what kind of bedding plant it might make, particularly as 

 in the Seed Catalogue for February 1860 we find the following remarks 

 appended to the Myosotis species : — 



" Forget-me-not. These beautiful flowers are too well known to need 

 recommendation : will grow around fountains, over damp rockeries, or in any 

 moist situation. 31. azorica and azurea major are the finest." 



Of course, from this announcement we expected something rather choice; 

 but our disappointment may be guessed when we found the result to be a 

 very poor small light-coloured variety of M. palustris. 



Now, we are far from blaming the Messrs. Carter for this, as it will at once 

 be seen that this was an induced form, and no one can at all answer for its 

 permanency ; and it may be that our position or some new circumstances of 

 cultivation induced the change from an expected fine flower to a very insig- 



