Mr. W. C. Steele, Switzerland, Florida, writes: "In the spring of 1885 I planted a dozen bulbs of Milla biflora in the open ground. They all grew and bloomed finely. As most of such bulbs are hardy here in any ordinary winters, they were left in the beds. The unusually heavy freeze of January 9-12, 1886, destroyed six of the bulbs, the other six were moved in the spring and seemed to be all right. But as the season advanced, only one bulb showed any signs of growth; that one bloomed and ripened seed. A short time ago I dug it up and found it a large fine bulb. Strange to say, four out of the other five bulbs were still there and as sound as the day they were planted, having lain perfectly dormant for over a year. How do you account for this?"

[We could only answer, that vital activity varies in different individuals, and yet we are conscious that it is an explanation that does not explain. Yet we see the fact everywhere in nature. A transplanted tree does not push into leaf as soon as one not transplanted. Some transplanted trees indeed will remain a whole season and not push into leaf until the next year. This is especially true of the Ash family; and even as regards bulbs, a quantity may be planted together, all set the same depth, and all apparently with the same conditions about them, yet they will not all appear at the surface at the same time. We are accustomed to say that those which appear first have the greatest vital activity; but just what influences this latent power for active life, we suppose no one knows. - Ed. G. M].