488 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November 11, 1880. 
very large flowers, which are white within, the exterior being 
tinged with purple and clothed with long brown silky hairs. 
Indeed, being a near relative of A. Pulsatilla, it possesses some¬ 
thing of the peculiar hoariness which is characteristic of that 
species. It should be placed in some open spot in the rockery, 
where it has a good deep soil. April and May. Alps of Switzer¬ 
land, and also the mountains of Norway and Sweden.—H, 
THE POTATO DISEASE. 
I am sorry'I have been unable to reply earlier to “ Amateur’s ” 
remarks. His request that I should account for the first appear¬ 
ance of the disease in 1846 is not reasonable. His view is that 
unless I can make my theory fit in with the facts of 1846 I am 
wrong. This is not good logic. My theory may fit all the facts, 
but if I do not know them I cannot use them. I hold that a firm 
grasp of all the facts is absolutely necessary to a sound conclusion ; 
and because I believe there is an aspect of this most important 
question which has not had sufficient investigation, I write with 
the hope that some of the able men who read my remarks and 
who have the means of closely investigating them by observation 
and experiment will do so and give us the results. My own 
appliances and time are very limited. 
I earnestly beg the closer attention of your very able correspon¬ 
dent “ S.” He has evidently missed my point. He has given us a 
lucid description of the normal conditions of circulation and 
evaporation of the plant, and his reasonings are based on these, 
hence they are inapplicable to my statement. My statement is 
that the disease is caused by the abnormal conditions of circula¬ 
tion and evaporation ; in fact it is due to stagnation. The densely 
saturated atmosphere prevents evaporation and consequently 
circulation. More than this, the tissues and cells are gorged to 
bursting, disorganisation, or death, by a vapour bath continued 
too long. Portions of the plants are now disabled, and are 
successfully attacked by the fungus. Will “ S.” kindly master 
this view and let us have his opinion upon it ? Practically we 
shall have gained a great deal by these papers if we can show the 
advantages of wide planting and employing means to dispose of 
the excessive wet.— An Interloper. 
Ip 
if n 
0TES-GLEP; 
I4GS.; 
The following books are missing from the Lindley Library, 
and of which no entry appears in the loan book—Brande’s “ Forest 
Flora Darwin’s “ Origin of Species,” 6th ed.; De Candolle’s 
“ Memoirs et Souvenirs,” 1862 ; Gray and Dochard’s “ Travels in 
W. Africa Hooker’s “ Flora of British India,” Part 4 ; Hum¬ 
boldt, “ De Distributione Geographica Plantarum,” 1817 ; Lind¬ 
say’s “ Popular History of British Lichens Lowe’s “ Manual 
of the Flora of Madeira Neill’s “ Fruit and Flower Garden;” 
Matthew “ On Naval Timber “ Annales des Sciences Naturelles,” 
6me ser., tom. iii., 1876. Whoever may have any one or more of 
the above works in his possession is requested to return such at 
once to the Secretary of the Koyal Horticultural Society, South 
Kensington. 
- Mr, Sam Ainsworth sends us the following note on 
Gladiolus NATALENSIS :— “ In your issue of the 4th inst. a 
correspondent writes an article upon the Gladiolus, but he has 
omitted an important form, G. natalensis, which was in com¬ 
merce at about the same time as G. byzantinus, and I believe 
the forerunner if not the progenitor of G. gandavensis, the colours 
and growth being similar, only inferior in brilliancy to the first 
named.” 
- The specimen at Kew of that rare but attractive tree 
Parrotia persica is now assuming the rich crimson tints which 
distinguish its foliage in late autumn when trained against a wall 
similarly to the specimen referred to. It is curious that when in 
the open the leaves fall comparatively early, and thus the tree 
loses its chief beauty. The first engraving of the Parrotia persica 
appeared in the “ Botanical Magazine,” where the fine tints of the 
foliage with the bright crimson anthers of the flower are well 
shown. Dr. Hooker in describing it states that “ it is one of the 
rarest trees in cultivation.” Two plants, of which this is one, 
were sent to Kew from St. Petersburg about forty years ago, and 
it is surprising that it has not become more common. It is an 
ally of the Liquidambars, and is a native of the northern parts of 
Persia. It is quite hardy at Kew. 
- In the greenhouse at Holme Lacy there are now some fine 
plants of Schizostylis coccinea. The plants are grown in 
9-inch pots, each of which supports from twelve to fourteen 
spikes. These brilliant masses mixed with other winter-flowering 
plants render the house very gay. 
- A correspondent states that Bouvardia Bridal 
Wreath is one of the best of winter-flowering varieties he is 
acquainted with. Its large trusses of white flowers, together with 
its free-flowering and compact habit, should make it a favourite 
of all lovers of white flowers. 
- Our correspondent “ G. 0. S.” sends us the following 
amusing definition of artificial manure :—“ One day this 
week our village schoolmaster, examining a reading class, asked 
the head of the class, What is artificial manure ? ‘ Don’t know,’ 
said he, and the same reply was given by four other boys ; but a 
precocious youngster, not yet in his teens, was equal to the occasion, 
and said, ‘ Please sir, it’s the stuff they grow artificial flowers 
in !’” 
- Messrs. Sutton & Sons of Beading have sent us some 
plants of their improved strain of Cyclamen persicum, to show 
what can be done in about twelve months after the sowing of the 
seed. The plants are the result of seed sown on October 20th 
last year, and are, we are assured, a fair example of thousands 
now growing in their nursery, every plant of which is showing 
from fifty to a hundred flowers. The plants are not more 
remarkable for their fine flowers than for their thick, massive, 
and marbled foliage. They represent an excellent strain admirably 
cultivated. 
-Writing respecting the shrub Aristotelia Macqui 
variegata, our Clonmel correspondent states that there was a 
fine specimen in the grounds attached to Minella House that is 
now quite dead, though it survived the winter of 1878. “ Both 
the soil, situation, and shelter were in its favour, and I should 
like to know if the shrub has survived elsewhere.” 
- We have received information of the following garden¬ 
ing appointments Mr. Quintin Bead, late of Pieasley Yale 
Gardens, Mansfield, has been appointed gardener to Frederick 
Mappin, Esq., M.P., Thornbury, Sheffield ; Mr. W. Jordan, late 
gardener to J. Boustead, Esq., Cannizaro House, Wimbledon, has 
been appointed gardener to J. H. Nix, Esq., Silgate, Crawley, 
Sussex ; and Mr. Peter Conway has succeeded Mr. Beach as gar¬ 
dener to the Marchioness of Bath, Muntham Court, Worthing. 
- Mr. Lee of Clevedon has sent a truss of his seedling 
Aster, referred to and figured on page 325 of our issue of Oc¬ 
tober 7th, to show its continuous flowering habit. The truss is 
very fresh and fine, superior to the spray figured on the page 
indicated. 
-A handsome Conifer that is comparatively rare in gardens 
is Abies Smithiana, of which there are several good though not 
large specimens at Kew. It is noticeable chiefly for the pendulous 
young growths, which impart a very graceful appearance to the 
tree. It is said to attain a height of 150 feet in its native localities 
in the Himalayas, where it is found at elevations of 7000 to 
12,000 feet above sea level. It is known in some districts as 
Morinda, a native word signifying the nectar of flowers, an 
