Page:On the cultivation of the plants belonging to the natural order of Proteeae.djvu/37

 Rh much as possible to the sun, never suffering any wet to fall upon them at this period; nor have I any doubt that most of these plants, if not all, by attention on the gardener's part at the critical time, when the stigma exudes its viscous liquid, may be made to ripen seeds with us. In the hermaphrodite genera of Paranomus, Erodendrum, and Serruria, some species afford them annually without any care at all.

With respect to their diseases, I have only observed one, but that is too often fatal. It commonly appears towards the end of summer, and in the autumn, mostly attacking the largest and healthiest plants. This gangrene, if I may use the term, always begins in that part of the stem near the root, and with close attention may be soon discovered, as the diseased part immediately changes colour. The only remedy I yet know, is to cutaway all that is discoloured, not leaving the smallest unsound speck, and paring the wound quite smooth; then close it up with grafting clay, under which lay a sufficient quantity of dry wood or bone ashes to dry up the moisture of the wound, and then press the clay tight to prevent any water flowing towards the stem till a new bark is deposited over the wound. I am unable to assign any cause for this disorder, except it is the effect of hot sunshine immediately succeeding heavy thunder showers, at which time the bark may probably be scalded near the surface of the earth, which is the place the disorder generally first appears in, and which makes rapid progress.

In dividing the Natural Order of Proteēæ, into genera, those who are more learned than myself, think that the Inflorescence is of primary consequence,, , and most botanists who lived before Author:Carl Linnaeus, had no scruples in employing it: but, though the last named immortal naturalist made a law, always to exclude inflorescence from generic characters, he was