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THE FERTILISATION OF THE SUGAR-CANE. 303
The entry in the ' Synopsis,' on wliicli rests the original claim
of S. pentandra to appear in our Floras, runs :— " In Hibernia locis
arenosis observavit Dr. G. Sherard." Its records in Britain are
certainly erroneous, and this might have been more clearly stated
by Mr. Druce. Thus he says: "Sir James Smith in E. B.
No. 1536 (1805), figured a plant which he called S. pentandra L.,
but which, as figured, is apparently a form of S. arvensis L."
Mr. Druce does not seem to be aware that this plate is reproduced
in the 3rd edition of ' English Botany,' t. 253, and cited by Syme as
S. an-ensis, var, sativa, which it undoubtedly represents. Mr. Druce's
quotation from ' Comp. Cyb. Bnt.' iii. 490, is hardly accurate : he
cites:— "Watson says, ' S. pentandra Sm. nou Linn., Bedford,
Lancashire,' and identifies it (with his usual acumen) with the var.
rulii'iris [Boenn.] Syme ii. 127." Mr. Watson wrote: " Spenjnlu
[(irccnsis) pentandra Sm. (not of Linn.) Bedford. Lancaster.
. . . . S. arvensis vav. vidi/aris ; Eng. Bot. ii. 127." No one doubts
Mr. Watson's " acumen," but on this occasion he is simply citing
Syme's determination.
It would be easy to quote other records of this Spergula as a
British plant, but in every case it is practically certain that a
form of .S'. arvensis was intended. Whether Mr. Druce's evidence
is siifticient to establish its claims to be considered Irish, each one
must decide for himself. Mr. Druce writes :— " Stokes, in Withering,
1787, vol. i. p. 482, says it is much like .S'. arvensis but smoot'ier,
and simply quotes Sherard's locality." But here I must again
demur (as in other instances which might be mentioned) to his
citation : for the first half of this sentence is merely quoted by
Stokes from Linnreus, and he does not mention either Siierard or
his locality. Stokes does say, however :— " The botanists of Ireland
may enable us to ascertain" more about it; and I think his words
may fitly apply now. The '
Cybele Hibernica ' says, '^ Sjienjula
pentandra, supposed to have been found in Ireland by Sherard, was,
in all probability, a species of Lejiiyonum." Mr. A. G. More will
be able to tell us whether he has subsequently modified his opinion.
THE FERTILISATION OF THE SUGAE-CANE.
We are indebted to the kindness of Dr. Fressanges, formerly
President of the Medical Society of Mauritius, for a copy of the
' Revue llistorique et Litteraire de I'lle Maurice,' for April 28rd,
I8'.i0, wliich contains a communication from his pen on the
fertilisation of the Sugar-cane, read before the Society on the 12th
of November, 1884. Tlic letter from wliich we extract the following
is of great interest, especially when viewed in the light of recent
researches. There seems little doubt that Dr. Fressanges really
has seen and figured the germination in situ of the Sugar-cane;
but it is to be regretted that he did not obtain and describe the
actual seed, which would have placed his discovery absolutely
beyond question. This, unfortunately, he did not do.