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THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 2, 1858. 
I 
I 
earth; and should we possess this gift of vision in another 
existence, what an interesting study of worlds will open out 
to us ! In the following sentence Professor Hitchcock antici¬ 
pated the experiments we have just detailed:—“The foulest 
enormities of human conduct have always striven to cover 
themselves with the shroud of night. The thief, the counter¬ 
feiter, the assassin, the robber, the murderer, and the seducer 
feel comparatively safe in the midnight darkness, because no 
human eye can scrutinise their actions. But what if it should 
turn out that sable night, to speak paradoxically, is an unerring 
photographist!” “It is as if the universe were one vast 
picture gallery; in some part of which the entire history of 
this world, and of each individual, is shown on canvass, 
sketched by countless artists with unerring skill.” “Won¬ 
derful—wonderful are the position man occupies, and the 
part he acts!” “We may indulge the thought as highly 
probable that our friends, who have gone before us into the 
eternal world, may be as familiar with our conduct, our words, 
and even our thoughts, as we are ourselves. If we are acting 
as we ought, this must be an animating idea : but if we are 
not, let it servo to stimulate us to our duty, if a sense of the 
Divine omniscience is not sufficient.”— Edward A. Copland, 
Chelmsford. 
HISTORY OF THE FLUKE KIDNEY" 
POTATO. 
In a late number of The Cottage Gardener, you re¬ 
quested information respecting the origin of the Fluke Po¬ 
tato ; and, being in possession of the history of this highly 
esteemed variety of Potato, that seems to be the pet of the 
day, I beg to forward you the following remarks respect¬ 
ing it: — 
Until 1854, very little had been heard of this Potato; so 
that, I apprehend, many will be greatly astonished when I 
point out that it is now sixteen years since it was first raised 
from seed. It is supposed by some persons to be a cross 
between the Fink Fye and Lapstone Kidney ; but the follow¬ 
ing statement plainly contradicts it:—John Turner, a hand- 
loom weaver, and occasionally a farm labourer, of Birch, near 
Middleton, Lancashire, first raised the Fluke from a seed- 
apple, taken indiscriminately from a field of Potatoes grovm 
on the Langley Hall farm, and near his residence, in 1841. 
He sow T ed the seed in his own small garden, and it produced 
twelve plants—one of which was the Fluke; the others, 
being of little value, were thrown away. He grew the Fluke 
several years, and occasionally made presents of tubers to his 
friends : amongst others, to a neighbouring farmer, who has 
sold large quantities of them; but Turner himself never made 
one farthing by them in the way of trade. N 
In 1852 a subscription was got up for him, chiefly through 
the exertions of Oswald Dicken, Esq., surgeon, of Middleton; 
and Mr. John Lanckshire, farmer, of Little Heaton ; to which 
the Earl of Derby subscribed £10, and the Earl of Wilton 
£5. The amount raised was £115, with which a small life 
annuity was purchased for him; but this he only enjoyed a 
very short time, as he died on the 28th of February, 1854, 
aged seventy-two years. 
A 3 before stated, Turner never knew from what variety he 
took the seed-apple ; but the proprietor of the Langley Ilall 
farm says he never grew the Lapstone , neither was it ever 
grown in the neighbourhood; but at the time the seed was 
taken he was growing the Pink Fye ; and to this variety the 
Fluke has some resemblance, more especially in the eye.— 
Edward Bennett, Gardener to Sir 0. P. Wakeman } Bart. } 
Perdiswell Hall , Worcester. 
THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S 
MEETING. 
The January Meeting of the Entomological Society 
was held on the 4th instant; the chair being occupied by 
William Wilson Saunders, Esq., F.R.S., Treasurer of the 
Horticultural Society, &c.; who announced that, at the Anni¬ 
versary Meeting on the 25th instant, the Council intended to 
propose that Dr. J. E. Gray, Head Keeper of the zoological 
department in the British Museum, should be nominated as 
the President for the ensuing year. He also mentioned the 
alterations intended to be made in the list of the Council. 
Mr. Mason exhibited a specimen of the root of Monizia 
edulis , of Lowe, a plant from the Deserta Island, near Madeira; 
which, although apparently dead and dried up, had thrown 
out some sprouts at the crown. These sprouts had imme¬ 
diately been attacked by specimens of the mealy bug, which 
had been developed at the same time. The plant itself is an 
edible one, used in the same way as Arrowroot. 
Mr. Waterhouse exhibited some specimens of Atomarice .— 
beetles well named from their atom-like size; but which had, 
nevertheless, raised an angry discussion between Mr. Ianson, 
Ihe Secretary of the Society, and Mr. Waterhouse; the latter 
affirmed that lie had discovered the species previous to their 
having been detected by some friend of Mr. Ianson, who 
claimed the merit, such as it was, of the discovery. 
Mr. Douglas exhibited a portion of an oak flour barrel, 
manufactured in America, which had been attacked and ' 
rendered useless by a small beetle belonging to the family 
Bostrichidce, which had eaten the softer parallel layers of the 
wood, making a number of rows of small oblong holes. 
Mr. Stevens exhibited a number of very beautiful insects, 
chiefly Lepidoptera , recently sent from Egse on the river 
Amazon, by Mr. Bates ; including a new species of Papili&- } a i 
new Hetcera, together with numerous interesting Tineidce. 
The Coleoptera and ITymenoptera were amongst the most 
interesting and beautiful which he had hitherto collected. 
A conversation took place on the proposed plan for marking j 
the proper pronunciation, and assigning the true derivation 
of generic and specific names in entomology. Captain Cox | 
also entered into some details relative to the cure of the Elm ] 
trees attacked by the Scolytus destructor in the Regent’s j 
Park, which had been effected by the adoption of the plan he ! 
had proposed ; and for which he had received the prize medal 
of the Royal Botanical Society. 
NOTES FROM THE CONTINENT.—No. 19. 
FERN CULTURE. 
The German gardeners are certainly in advance of the 
English in their cultivation of Ferns, particularly those of 
arborescent habit: it may not, therefore, be uninteresting or 
entirely devoid of profit, if I devote one letter to this subject. 
In doing so, I shall not confine myself to the method practised I 
in any one garden, but narrate whatever may appear worthy 
in the plans pursued in any of the places I have seen. To j 
begin at the beginning : let me tell you of a successful way of j 
raising them from spores. A cube of turfy peat, an inch and 
a half square, which has been dipped in boiling water to 
destroy all life, either animal or vegetable, that may be in it, 
is laid in a flat saucer, or “ feeder;” the spores sprinkled 
upon its upper side; a small quantity of water poured into j 
the saucer, and then covered with a bellglass. A little water 1 
must bo added from time to time, as evaporation carries it ; 
off, taking care to pour it in without washing the spores off 
the turf; and in a short time (on the average four to six ; 
weeks), a green moss-like substance will cover the turf; and 
gradually young fronds will dev elope themselves. Some tree 
Ferns (which were, I believe, first raised from spores in the 
Botanic Garden here), take a longer time; and will even lie 
for ten months without giving any signs of life. 
It is astonishing how quickly some Ferns will grow when 
raised from spores. I have seen several specimens of Cibotium 
Schiedii, which made their appearance within a fortnight after j 
sowing; and in six weeks had. made distinct fronds. These 
plants, when I saw them, were not quite five years old ; and 
yet they had fronds nearly nine feet, long, and half that in 
width; with a crown (from which fourteen such fronds 
sprung), twelve inches high, and five in diameter. I do not ' 
think this Fern is so well known in England as it deserves to 
be. The glaucous colour of the under side, together with its 
gracefully drooping habit, renders it one of the most beautiful 
of this family. It was discovered some thirty years ago by i 
Schiede and Deppe while travelling in Mexico. 
The best plan with newly-imported tree-fern stems is at 
once to pot them, and then to place them in\ moderately 
cool place, until they show signs of growth; when they may 
