416 General Notes. 
of Virginia must have recently been imported there by Spaniards, 
for it was not a small, half-sized potato that grew in Sir Walters _ 
garden, but evidently large, attractive tubers, already brought up 
to size by long cultivation. > 
Was the potato carried across from the Rio Grande to the foot 
of the Alleghenies in an early day ? and if so, by whom?—7.6 
Lemmon, Oakland, Cal., Jan, 23, 1883. ie 
P. S.—Tubers of these native potatoes were collected, an 
when the spring opens, will be sent out in securely packed pat 
cels of a dozen each, to applicants, addressing J. G. Lemmon 
Lemmon Herbarium, Oakland, Cal. . 
Tue NUMBER oF Species or NORTH American F ING 
PLants.—In a paper read last year to the botanists at the Mor- 
treal meeting of the American Association for the Advancement 
of Science, Dr. Gray gave some interesting facts as to the num: 
ber of species of flowering plants in North America, me 
Mexico. According to it, in 1878, the Polypetale num 
3038, and the Gamopetala after Composita 1656 species. A 
the increase of four years, Dr. Gray estimates that the 
alone must reach “about 5000 species.” He further €s 
that these “must make up half our phanogamous botan; 
that upon this basis we should have for the whole at least | 
species. The great increase in the number of Coe 
probably carry the number somewhat higher than this; and W 
down November Ist, and is now growing vigor 
earth. The other branch left undisturbed remaine 
tion of it, till about New Years. The room was use 
gosporee); half a page to the egg-spore plants (Q0sP 
pages to the mushrooms and their allies (Carpospore#) 
