344 MR. A - BENNETT ON SILENE OTITES, ARTEMISIA CAMPESTRIS 
The two rare species ( Silene and Artemisia) of the “ Breck ” 
region of Suffolk and Norfolk must have been more abundant 
in former times, especially before the large area of ground 
broken up and ploughed some years ago, when farming was 
in a very prosperous state, and of which much has gone back 
to a semi-natural state. Mr. C. S. Read observes,* “ It 
becomes every year more patent that a large extent of sandy 
soil in S. Norfolk should never have been ploughed, but 
have been allowed to remain in its original sheep-walk or 
rabbit warren. The mistake is hard to rectify. These 
blowing sands are extremely difficult to turf over with any 
kind of grass, and they will be many years before they will 
produce the hard, coarse herbage which formerly fed so 
many sheep and rabbits.” 
These deep-rooted perennials would suffer severely, while 
annuals would survive and flourish. 
The Silene still occurs in some abundance between Elden 
and Icklingham, but in most of its other Suffolk stations it 
is much more uncommon than formerly. It may still do so 
in W. Norfolk, but I have not visited its localities there. 
The Artemisia is certainly less plentiful between Thetford 
and Elden since 1876, yet there is no apparent reason why ; 
the road is “ better kept ” perhaps. And it produces so 
many stems from one root (I saw one root between Barnham 
and Culford with 32 stems) that collectors can easily satisfy 
themselves. Both possess strong tap-roots, and root deeply, 
so can stand drought, and rough usage above ground ; but 
I do not think seedlings can grow so freely as formerly, as 
the grass seems coarser and thicker than it used to be. 
In my garden the Artemisia produced seedlings in abundance 
The Silene I noticed in some years was considerably 
“ smutted ” by a fungus, Ustilago artheranum, Fries. 
Silene Otites, Smith, FI. Brit., ii., 469, 1800. 
Silene parviflora, Gray, Nat. Ar. Br. Plants, 647, 1821. 
Cucubulas Otites, L. Sp. PL, i. 415, 1753. 
Sesmoides Salamanticum Magnum, Gerarde, Hist. PI. 
(Johnson), 493, 1633, 
* In White’s ‘ Gazeteer and Directory of Norfolk,’ p. 71, 1883. 
