EXTRACTS OF PROCEEDINGS. 



cxxi 



or winter use and pig-feeding, but the weak-stemmed and foliaged 

 sorts were annihilated by the murrain, only the more robust and 

 coarser surviving, and only one that could in any measure be 

 relied on had stout woody stems that remained upright, with large 

 thick leaves. It was known as the 1 Old London Red.' The quality, 

 however, of the tubers was inferior, and Sutton's Red-skinned 

 Flourball was an improvement of great value in those days. Ever 

 since varieties of the same upright growth and strong leaf-power 

 have proved to be the best disease-resisters, and, fortunately, the 

 tubers of several of these are now of good quality. Tender- 

 stemmed late-growing varieties which fall and cover the ground 

 not only prevent evaporation from the soil, but lose all their best 

 leaves prematurely through want of light and air. the weaker 

 leaves towards the tops of the stems alone remaining (as long as 

 they can) to exhale moisture and carry on the other functions of 

 plant life. For this reason such plants fail to withstand the 

 fungus, which readily takes possession." 



Mr. Henslow drew attention to the recommendation of his 

 father (the late Prof. J . S. Henslow) to save the starch from 

 Potatoes which might be so far decayed as to be useless as an 

 article of food, for 75 percent, of starch can often be recovered 

 from such tubers. Several Suffolk farmers followed his sug- 

 gestion in 1845, when whole fields were utterly destroyed by 

 the disease. Mr. Henslow would be glad to describe the method 

 to anyone who will communicate with him at Drayton House, 

 Ealing. 



Stylidium graminifolium. — Mr. Morris called attention to a 

 plant exhibited, a native of Australia. It is well known for the 

 peculiarity of its irritable style. This is at first bent to one side, 

 but when touched at the base suddenly flings itself over to the 

 opposite side of the flower. A similar movement is observable 

 in Maranta, a plant allied to the Ginger. 



Gypripedium superbicns. — A plant was exhibited by Malcolm 

 S. Cooke, Esq., of Kingston Hill, of this Orchid, remarkable for 

 having three flowers, two of which bore double labella, while the 

 third was twin-petalled. Dr. Masters observed that the number 

 of malformed blossoms of Orchids which he had received was on 

 the increase ; many occurring on C. Sedeni, they being always 

 late flowers which are malformed, according to Mr. Yeitch's ex- 

 perience. C. Lawrenceanum is another which affords many 



