364 PROFESSOR BALFOUR ON THE ASAFETIDA PLANT. 
produced, which became reduced in size, and ultimately disappeared as the terminal ° 
umbels were reached. Mr M‘Nas furnishes the following particulars :—The plant 
which flowered in 1858 had been growing vigorously for many years. It had 
been transplanted on 10th March 1857, and had been protected with glass during 
winter. On 15th February 1858 it first showed symptoms of flowering, by shoot- 
ing up a large round ball of a greenish-yellow colour, with a few short leaves 
rising from it. On the 19th of March the plant had assumed a peculiar club- 
shaped appearance, twenty-one inches high, and fifteen inches in circumference 
at the top. This appearance is well seen in some of the photographs taken by 
my friend Mr W. Waker, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. 
About the 22d of March the sheaths began to unfold themselves, and expose 
dense clusters of flowers; and at this stage the daily growths became very con- 
spicuous. When it reached the height of about two feet, it was freely exposed 
to the air, but protected from wind,—and for some time without injury, though 
the temperature of the night was almost regularly under that of freezing. 
The following are the measurements made :— 
From 8 a.m. of the 22d March to 8 a.m. of the 23d, growth 4 inches. 
Do. 23d do: do. 24th do. 42 do. 
Do. 24th do. do. 25th do. 4i do. 
Do. 25th dv. do. 26th do. 34 do. 
Do. 26th do. do. 27th do. 2% do. 
Do. 27th do. do. 28th do. 14 do. 
Do. 28th do. do. 29th do. 54 do. 
Do. 29th do. do. 30th do. 6% do. 
Do. 380th = do. do. 31st do. 22 do. 
The upward growth was less marked after this, and at the same time the lateral 
branches (twenty-nine in number) increased much in length. On 7th April 1858 
the plant was 5 feet 7 inches in height, and the branches 36 inches in diameter 
of spread. The plant attained the height of upwards of 10 feet, and produced 
abundance of flowering umbels, when it was destroyed by a sudden severe frost 
on 13th April,—the temperature falling to 22° Fahr. in the night. 
An opportunity had been afforded, however, of taking photographs of the 
plant in its different stages of growth, but unfortunately the fruit was not 
developed so as to allow of its characters being recorded. 
In 1859 other Asafoetida plants produced flowers, and one specimen in parti- 
cular, which had been planted for five years in the open air, in front of the Orchid 
House, grew most vigorously. It showed symptoms of flowering at the end of 
February, long before any of the non-fiowering specimens had produced leaves. 
The flowering axis shot up, as in the former case, from the underground stem, 
without developing the usual large radical leaves. In order to secure the plant 
against frost a glazed wooden frame, about 8 feet high, was erected around it, 
and a connection was established with the adjoining stove, so that a moderate 
heat might have been supplied in the event of intense frost occurring during night. 

