Mutations of Imported Agaves.—When these 
plants are first imported they are very various in the 
development of their foliage and spines—some being 
short in the leaf, with strong spines; others longer,, 
and with much less spine development. Some have 
very flat and others concave foliage, with a very thick 
base. Thus in A. horrida we get the large flat- 
foliaged varieties called A. Regelii ; small concave 
plants, A. De Smetiana; A. horrida, the moderate 
sized plants, with broad concave foliage ; and some 
pigmy forms. In about four or five years, if they 
get liberal treatment, these gradually change their 
characters, and take up the ordinary form of A. 
horrida. In the varieties called A. Roezlii, A. Gil- 
beyi, &c., we get, in the first-named, a very strong 
thick-leaved plant, about 2 feet 6 inches through; A. 
Gilbeyi, i foot, very sturdy; but the short one has 
grown long, and the large plants (especially some) 
have narrowed and elongated, until I can see the 
characters of the old species, A. univittata—of which 
I have no doubt they are forms—peeping out. The 
same thing is going on in the forms of Agave 
called Kerchovei and Beaucarnei — gradually the 
foliage lengthens, and the spines grow less 
vigorous, until the old A. heteracantha is shown. 
A few years ago I thought we were getting a quantity 
of new species of the noble plants, but now I look 
upon such plants as A. Verschaffeltii, Leopoldii, 
Saundersii, Scolymus, cochleata, &c., as seedling 
forms of A. amcena. The same is true of forms of 
which univittata is the type, others as of heteracantha. 
The only plants that I look upon as new are A. 
Victoriae Reginse, A. Bessereriana, A. utahensis, A. 
Peacockii, and A. Seemanni. A. Parreyi is so much 
like a compact applanala that I suspect it. There are 
some good distinct varieties in each section, but with 
time we shall find that these will grow out on flower¬ 
ing. We shall never see the like again, except they 
be reimported. Many of the plants may be kept 
dwarf, and so retain their peculiarities by exposure 
and the Banting system, but give them ordinay treat¬ 
ment and they will follow their parents. Peculiar 
climatic conditions have produced them, but give them 
the conditions of the original parent and we shall 
get reversion. This I have found to be the case with 
Agaves, and especially with Cacti, more than any 
other set of plants. Croucher , Sudbury House. 
