34 6 TlMEHBifc! 
trichatoma) ^closely allied to the well-known and des- 
truftive potato-fungus, appears in the substance of the 
11 tuber" or M head it; in its incipient stages, under the 
form of a number of minute bright yellow >spots, corres- 
pondingtorthe vascular bundles which are always. attacked 
first :• -at a later period these spots become brown or 
blackish and the intermediate parts brown ; and even- 
tually: the whole tuber, with the exception of a narrow 
peripheral portion, becomes blackish and decayed; 
The disease seems to be confined to the tubers or heads; 
or at all events is there first noticeable ; and it only 
enters* these " heads i" where they have been damaged — 
as for instance, where the skin has been broken, either 
by the^ tearing off of an offset, or by a wound from an 
instrument. It does not appear that the fungus could 
penetrate the outer layer or it! skin "of the head;. Whea 
these heads, therefore, are cut or broken, the pieces, 
before being planted, should be placed for a time in a 
dry place, so that a prote6tive layer may be developed 
over the injured portions. This would prevent an entrance 
of the disease. 
All diseased plants should be wholly destroyed by 
burning, since after being buried or after being used as 
food for animals, the reproduftive bodies or " spores Hi 
which possess great power of vitality, might still survive. 
As the offsets of diseased . " heads ", even when quite 
young, contain the fungus in their tissues, these should 
also be burnt. By these methods, the disease would 
soon be stamped out. 
Labarrias born in the Museum. — A short time back, 
the interesting occurrence of the birth of eight labafrias 
