84 NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Careful identification of species is essential, and great care
in gathering and drying herbs and seeds is of prime importance.
This is a matter of technical detail which can not be enlarged
upon here. A caution is given that it is "highly desirable
that collection should be conducted with discretion, so that a
given species may not be unduly depleted in any locality, but
that ample stock may be left to preserve continuity." Here
it is my contention that growing the herbs, rather than collecting
them in the wild state, is the best course to pursue; and com-
plaints as to the extermination of species would thus be met.
In our garden here at St. Osyth, in accordance with the
Board's suggestions, we have experimented on a small scale
in growing these plants, in most cases with entire success. We
have grown large patches and rows of thorn-apple, henbane,
belladonna, valerian, elecampane, cammomile, rue, dill and
many others, showing that these herbs could easily be cultivated
by small-holders and cottagers. But the crux of small cultiva-
tion confronts us here. How to secure a market for the herbs,
and how to get them conveyed to the wholesale druggists and
manufacturers ? It has for years been clear to me that only
two solutions are possible in order to allow small holdings in
remote country districts any economic success. One is such
an extension of the Parcel-post as would permit consignments
of agricultural (or indeed any country-side) produce to reach
the consumers' hands on the "pay on delivery" principle, or
a resuscitation of the small village markets to bring producer
and buyer in touch with one another. Perhaps "after the
war" this vital question may have a chance of being considered.
—William Cole, St. Osyth, July 1915.
NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Variation of flowers of Ulex europaeus.—On 6th Dec-
ember 1914, I observed upon a bush of Furze (Ulex europaeus) that
the standard, or vexillum, of its flowers showed a peculiar
variation from the normal type. A careful scrutiny of all the
open flowers showed the variation to occur in every one without
exception. At the first glance it appeared that an almost semi-
circular piece had been bitten out of each side of the standard
towards the top, and I presumed that it might be the work of