215 
RUST OF FLAX. 
A short time ago we received from Mr. Frazier S. Crawford, of Ade¬ 
laide, South Australia, some specimens of flax affected with a fungus, 
which upou examination proved to be Melampsora lini, (DC.) Tul. Mr. 
Crawford wrote that the parasite had destroyed a crop of flax near Ade¬ 
laide, and expressed the fear that it would spread and prove a trouble¬ 
some pest. The fungus has long been known in Europe, where it has 
occasioned considerable trouble; but so far as we are aware it has not 
been found on cultivated flax in this country. This seems rather 
strange considering the fact that it occurs here on quite a number of 
our native species of Linum; but after all an explanation of this may be 
found in the fact that the fungus is as yet confined to regions where 
there is little or no cultivated flax grown. We have it from this coun¬ 
try on the following hosts: 
Linum Virginicum , Decorah, Iowa (Holway). 
Linum perenne , Sand Coule, Mont. (Anderson). Flagstaff, Ariz.; and 
Palisade, Nev. (Tracy). 
Linum Lewisii , Spring Hill, Mont. (Anderson). 
Linum rigidum , Livingston, Mont. (Seymour). 
Linum sulcatum , Armstrong, Iowa (Cratty). 
We see no reason why this fungus, if once introduced, would not 
prove a serious pest to our flax-growers, and until it is shown that it 
will not attack this crop it would be well to look upou it with suspicion. 
We have under way some experiments designed to throw some light 
on the question as to whether the fungus from western hosts will at¬ 
tack cultivated flax, but it is yet too early to speak definitely in regard 
to them. ; ' 
NECESSITY FOR A REDESCRIPTION OF THE TYPE SPECIES IN KEW 
HERBARIUM. 
In another part of the present Journal will be found an interesting 
paper on some of Berkeley’s types, by George Massee of the Royal Her¬ 
barium, Kew, England. There are over seven thousand type specimens 
of fungi in the Kew Herbarium, but every mycologist knows that in the 
9 * * 
majority of cases the descriptions of these are so meager and the fig¬ 
ures so inaccurate that it is absolutely impossible to use them in the 
determination of species. As a result species and even genera are con¬ 
stantly being redescribed as new, thereby adding to the confusion 
which already exists. 
To avoid further trouble of this kind, and at the same time to pre¬ 
serve to the world the valuable material, which however well cared for 
will eventually through the ravages of time become worthless* it seems 
to us of the highest importance that the types should be described 
anew from our present stand-point of knowledge. Such a work, accom¬ 
panied by good illustrations, would be of untold value to mycologists 
