BOTRYTIS

a genus of fungi belonging to the section Hypo mycetes, and familiar by name to culti vat on from its real or supposed connection with the potato disease. It contains a number of those minute plants known as moulds and mildews, and of these some have the peculiar habit of growing in the ti ues of living vegetables. The threads of which their growth consists creep amongst the loose cells of the under side of leaves, and send up their fertile shoots through the stomata. Mr. Berkeley believes that they are first propagated within the plant; but the subject is very obscure. Many kinds of Botiytis are extremely destructive to various plants. Whole crops of onions are soon destroyed by one species; tares and pease suffer from another, but in a le degree; and a third species is sometimes injurious to turnips. The decay of the leaves and stem in the potato disease is certainly due to B, in fet i an a; and its appearance in the diseased ti ues of the tuber when exposed to the air makes it at least probable that it has a dose connection with that destructive murrain. The mould may be traced spreading round the edges of the brown spots on the leaves, and soon destroying the ti ue on which it has developed. Though extremely injurious to the cultivator, these moulds are sometimes very serviceable by destroying weeds. Poppies and other agricultural pests may often be seen looking yellow and unhealthy, when an examination of the under side of the leaves will show that this is owing to the ravages of these minute parasites.