COLONIAL NOTES.

VARIOUS BULLETINS AND REPORTS. THE progress that has been made in recent years in the establishing of botanical gardens or stations in many of our Colonial possessions, particularly in the West Indian Islands and on the West Coast of Africa, is more especially marked by the increasing number and regular appearance of the reports and bulletins that now form part of the system under which those gardens or stations are administered. Time was when an annual report of a botanic garden was little more than a mere record of the number of plants received and distributed, together with a few notes on alterations in the plant-beds and walks; but the more general adoption of monthly or quarterly bulletins, instead of an annual report, has changed all this. Besides, the greater attention that has been given to the economic or commercial side of plant culture, and the interchange of the useful plants of one country for those of another, by which the number of their products have been increased, and the constancy of their supplies ensured, has done much in adding to the usefulness of these bulletins. Further, the arrangements adopted for diffusing these publications and the cheap rate at which they are sold-many, indeed, being distributed free of charge-have been the means of putting them into the hands of planters and commercial men generally, so that the needs of one country become known in another, and the needs of the world are known throughout the world.

All this marks a distinct advance in the interest taken in the economic side of botanical science, and promises important results that must accrue to the commerce not only of our vast oversea possessions but also to the mother country, as well as to the world at large.

It is

a result that has been long looked for. The subject has been brought more prominently to our mind by the receipt of a batch of reports and bulletins from the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the West Indies, the Government of the Gold Coast, the Straits Settlements, and others, a few notes from each of which will emphasise the truth of our statement.

West Indian cultures are, as is well known, carefully looked after by the Imperial Commissioner and a qualified staf, having its headquarters at Barbados, and from which is issued quarterly the West Indian Bulletin, and fortnightly the Agricultural News, besides numerous publications in pamphlet form. These are all valuable in giving original and extracted articles and notes on every branch of work connected with the department; but, besides these, we have the usual annual reports of the curators of the botanic stations at all the smaller islands; these, however, are more of the nature of financial statements, with details on the general condition of the gardens and some interesting notes on economic plants thrown in, which, if collected into one pamphlet, would be more come. at-able and consequently more useful.

Of the Jamaica Bulletin, which is issued monthly and is edited by the Director of the Department of Public Gardens and Plantations, the Hon. William Fawcett, the matter is carefully selected and is mostly of a very useful nature; and the same may be said of the Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, issued quarterly from the Botanical Department of Trinidad, and edited by the Superintendent, Mr. J. H. Hart. Going further afield, we have the Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits and Federated Malay States, under the joint editorship of Mr. H. N. Ridley and Mr. J. B. Carruthers, which contains a great variety of notes and articles, both of scientific and commercial interest, and we may perhaps refer to one in particular, namely, that on "Malay Drugs," from the pen of Mr. Ridley, in the June number. As may be supposed, rubber comes in largely for consideration in all these publications, and this is particularly the case in Mr. W. H. Johnson's report on the Botanical and Agricultural Department of the Gold Coast for 1905. Referring to the number of seeds distributed during the year, Mr. Johnson states that it was the largest on record, and was accounted for by the increased interest in rubber cultivation. It is satisfactory to learn that though the seeds of Hevea braziliensis, Funtumia elastica, Manihot Glaziovii, and Castilloa elastica have all been

distributed, a considerable amount of attention seems to have been given to the first-named species, which is the source of the Para rubber, the most valuable of all; they are reported to have made more satisfactory growth than the African trees, and to be the most promising crop.

NEW VARIETY OF COCOA.

The following paragraph is also of much interest as indicating a new and improved source of commercial cocoa: "The plants of the new species of cocoa, i.e., Theobroma pentagona, continue to make good progress. The beans of these plants are larger and finer than those of the Forastero type; comparatively few plants have, however, been propagated, as the majority of the seeds have been stolen. Unsuccessful attempts have been made to bud the new species on the Forastero stock, but better results are anticipated from inarching the two plants." Referring to this, in his review of the report to the Earl of Elgin, Major Bryan, the officer administering the Government of the Gold Coast, makes the following remarks: "The fact that the majority of the seeds of the new variety of cocoa (Theobroma pentagona), introduced by the director, were stolen from the gardens, shows how quickly the natives appreciated the differ. ence between the finer bean of this plant and that of the ordinary cocoa (Theobroma cacao). It is desirable, however, that they should express their intelligent interest in the experiments undertaken in the gardens in a less incon venient manner."

From the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the West Indies the following reports have come to hand: Botanic Station, Experiment Plots and Agricultural Education, Antigua.-The drought seriously interfered with many cultural experiments. Mr. T. JACKSON became Curator of the Botanic Station last August. In the Grammar School both boys and girls now receive instruction in agriculture and botany. In St. Kitts-Nevis Mr. F. R. SHEPHERD is Curator and Agricultural Superintendent, and Mr. H. HOLDER is foreman. They report useful work performed during the past year, but drought was a considerable hindrance. At the Experiment Station, Tortola Virgin Islands, economic plants are largely distributed and much appreciated, and efforts are being made to encourage the cultivation of Cotton by the peasantry. Mr. FISHLOCK is to be congratu lated on good work carried on under great difficulties.

Mr. MILLEN, Curator of the Botanic Station, Tobago, reports satisfactorily upon the plant distribution work of the year. This has necessitated enlarging the nurseries. Various improvements have been made. We note that there is now communication between Tobago and Trinidad by means of wireless telegraphy.

Mr. BUTTENSHAW, Scientific Assistant Department of Agriculture, St. Lucia, forwards the reports of the Superintendent on the Botanic Station and Agricultural School to March, 1906. The general condition of the Station was satisfactory, and much useful work was done in the educational departments. Mr. HUDSON's ser vices in Cacao and Rubber cultivation proved of great value.

Throughout these bulletins and reports there is generally a notable improvement in the omis sion of unnecessary formalisms in quoting official correspondence, by which much space is saved, as well as time in seeking for the substance of the matter dealt with.

mospheric temperature should at first be maintained at about 65° at night, with a rise of 5° during the day by artificial means, admitting a little air when the heat rises to 80° by sun warmth. Keep the soil moist by affording waterings of tepid, weak guano-water, and maintain the atmosphere moderately moist by damp. ing the floors twice each day. Syringe between the plants early in the afternoon on fine days.

Plants bearing fruits should now be kept in an atmospheric temperature of 65° to 68 at night, but in very cold weather a heat of 5° less will suffice. The pits should be covered at night with mats, which will greatly economise the fire heat. The atmospheric temperature may be allowed to rise 10° in the day, keeping the bottom heat at about 85°. Carefully examine each plant every two or three days and afford the roots water when they have become dry.

Successional Plants.-During the next six weeks hard firing should be avoided, relying more on covering the glass with mats at night. Plants of the Smooth Cayenne and Charlotte Rothschild type should not be hurried, but at the same time they should not be retarded by being kept in too cool conditions. The supply of water must be very carefully regulated.

The Cherry House.-To obtain good flavoured Cherries, these indispensable fruits should be grown indoors, either in pots or planted out in borders. Where the latter method is adopted, there will doubtless be some shoots that are not

required for extension or for filling blank spaces. These should now be cut back. If almost daily attention was given to stopping and pinching the shoots during the growing season, there will be very little need to use the knife much at the present time, and as the Cherrytree is so subject to "gumming "this is advantageous. The terminal shoots on pyramids or fan-tailed trees will not require shortening

unless the extreme extension has been reached

in each case. Wash the trees with Gishurst compound dissolved in warm water, and ventilate the house very freely night and day, until the trees are to be started into growth.

PLANTS UNDER GLASS.

By B. CROMWELL, Gardener to T. SUTTON TIMMIS, Esq. Cleveley, Allerton, Liverpool. Begonia Gloire de Lorraine is an indispensable plant for decorative purposes in winter, and from observations made in reference to propa gation I prefer plants which have been grown from leaves, or from seed. At Cleveley we have now in flower some 250 plants grown in pots and shallow pans: the latter are used for sus pending from the roof of the corridor. The stock was raised by leaf propagation, from cuttings, and from seed, the latter germinating on the surface of the pans, which last year were sus. pended in the corridor, thus showing clearly that B. Gloire de Lorraine will reproduce itself from seed, providing the atmospheric surroundings are suitable.

Plants raised from seeds are best.-There can be no question as to the superior quality of the bloom produced by the seedlings, apart from their more vigorous habit of growth, which has been most noticeable throughout the whole period of development. Next to the seedlings, those plants raised from leaves have a more vigorous constitution, and produce finer flowers than the plants grown from basal cuttings.

Propagation by means of leaves.-If propaga. tion by leaves should be the method to be adopted, no time should be lost before making a selection of fully-matured leaves taken from clean, healthy plants. The leafstalk should be about 1 inch long, and such leafstalks, with leaf attached, should be placed singly into small 60-size pots, rather than pans, because this Begonia is impatient of root disturbance in a

The leaves should not be pressed close on the soil, otherwise they will damp off before roots are formed; neither should they be subjected to a confined atmosphere. Once the leafstalk has made roots and become estab lished, the leaf will commence to decay, and eventually the young growth will appear.

Propagation by cuttings.-Growers who favour propagation by means of cuttings should choose those growths that arise at the base in prefer

ence to side or stem growths; the latter invariably continue to produce flowers. The old plants, after flowering, will need to be shortened, but not too close, and, if placed in a little extra warmth, will soon furnish such basal growths as I have recommended. Much of the success in growing Begonia Gloire de Lorraine is due to maintaining an evenly-balanced atmosphere in the house, which, from the commencement of the flowering period, has been kept at a temperature of 60 and uniformly moist.

General work.-Schizanthus from seeds which were sown early in the autumn may now be pricked off into 6-inch pots, placing to the number of five or eight plants in a pot, and using rather a light soil. Keep the plants in frames or pits, and mat these up as a protection from frosts. These structures will be found better suited to the requirements of the plants than heated pits. Continue to repot Cinerarias and herbaceous Calceolarias before they get pot-bound, and apply artificial heat only when frost is imminent. Clivias should be kept in an intermediate degree of heat at this season, and rather dry at the roots until the flower sheaths appear.

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

By HUGH A. PETTIGREW, Gardener to the Earl of PLYMOUTH, St. Fagan's Castle, Glamorganshire.

Wistaria. Any notes on hardy shrubs and climbers for walls would be incomplete which did not include Wistaria sinensis. For decorating the south front of a house, especially in the south of England, it is unrivalled.

will elapse before they are seen through the soil. Care must be taken that hotbeds have been made long enough to allow the first violent heat to subside, otherwise the prospects of a good crop may be quite ruined. There is no need to plant the tubers in a great depth of soil to begin with, but rather add to it when the young growths require earthing-up. Too much soil at first has a tendency to stifle the heat arising from the manure underneath.

Potatos in pots.-Pots may be used for the early crop, if desired, but the returns from these are never so profitable as when the plants are well cultivated in a frame. Now that many Peach houses and vineries will be closed and warmed, it is a good time to start pot-culture. There is an abundance of light in such houses, and the pots can be moved to later houses when necessary. An early crop by this means can easily be secured by Easter. Any attempt to secure earlier crops seldom results in obtaining tubers of good eating quality, which, after all, should be the first consideration.

Early Peas.-This crop must be grown slowly from the beginning, and those who contemplate sowing Peas under glass with a view to plant. ing them cut later may safely sow at the present time. It is better to begin early and grow the plants in cool conditions than later, and have to hasten them by too much fire-heat. Boxes or 4-inch pots may be used, and, as a rule, we prefer to use pots, as the plants can be transplanted from these without receiving any check. The Pea, however, transplants very readily, and either method of raising them is

To encourage

quick growth in the first instance good loam or manure should be supplied when planting, and plenty of moisture at the roots during the growing season is indispensable. The Wistaria requires plenty of space to ramble over, and a sunny aspect. Solanum jasminoides is suitable for planting against a warm wall, whether of house or garden. Its light, starry flowers, borne in trusses, give a delightful effect in autumn and early winter. Its cultivation is simple. Cuttings will make roots easily and if propagated in October or even at the present time, and treated liberally in pots until planted out in the summer, the plants will flower the first year.

Buddleia Colvillei.-This shrub is somewhat tender, and probably would not succeed in the open except in favoured localities, but planted against a sunny wall it should do almost anywhere. It is one of the prettiest of our flowering shrubs. The flowers, which appear in July and August, are in pendulous panicles 1 to 13 feet long, and rose-coloured. Its one drawback as a wall plant is its vigorous growth. B. variabilis, having smaller and lilac-coloured flowers and of hardy constitution, is also a desirable wall plant. Both are superior to the more familiar plant B. Lindleyana. Muhlenbeckia complexa is desirable for growing on a trellis against a wall. It is simply a foliage plant, as the flowers are inconspicuous, but its graceful, free-growing, evergreen trailers are beautiful. It reminds one strongly of an Adiantum Fern. The plant grows freely and rapidly, soon covering a wall 20 feet high.

Ceanothus. Few shrubs are more useful for wall plants than these, because of their foliage. The colour and profusion of their bloom are very effective. C. dentatus is particularly fine, as its deep blue flowers, appearing first in May, continue almost until autumn. C. Veitchiana and its varieties, too, are splendid.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.
By J. GIBSON, Gardener to His Grace the Duke of
PORTLAND, Welbeck Abbey, Notts.

Early Potatos in frames.-Where Potatos are cultivated in frames a start must now be made, if this has not already been done. The first consideration is to procure good "seed" tubers, and, to save time, place the tubers in a warm house to induce them to start into growth before they are planted. Thin out the sprouts to two to each tuber. These growths may be allowed to grow to 2 inches in length before planting is done, and, if then planted in moderate heat afforded by a hotbed, a few days only

When sown in boxes the seeds should be planted 1 inches apart each way, so that the plants will not become closely entangled with each other before planting time. An atmospheric temperature of 45° to 50° is sufficient, and when the seedlings are well through the soil the pots may be removed to a cold frame. They must not be coddled, as the stems would thereby be weakened. Soil shaken from pot Chrysanthemums, if put through an inch-meshed sieve, will form first-rate material for this early sowing.

THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By W. A. Cook, Gardener to Sir EDMUND G. LODER, Bart., Leonardslee, Sussex.

Filberts and Cobnuts should now be pruned. Standard trees may have some of the inner branches cut away. Close, short-jointed wood fruit best, therefore, cut out the strongest growths. Keep the heads shapely, and the ground about the roots free from weeds. Fork over the surface, and apply a mulch. ing of refuse soil from the potting shed or hotbeds. A little lime may also be added. Specimens grown as bushes will require more pruning. Some of the older growths should be taken out, in order to make room for younger ones, but only as many new growths as there is ample room for should be retained. Do not allow Moss, Lichen, or Ivy to grow near the stems. Fork over the surface soil, and mulch it as recommended for standards. Some of the best sorts are Filbert Early Prolific, Red-skinned Filbert, Kentish Filbert, Kentish Cob, Pearson's Prolific, Merveille de Bolwyller (a very large nut, with a thick shell), Louis Berger (a free bearer, and produces very large bunches), and Cosford Cob (a very thinshelled nut).

trees

Walnuts. On many old estates these are old trees, which generally get plenty of pruning by the annual thrashing they receive. But a few young trees should be planted on all old and new estates to succeed the old trees when they become worn out. It is the gardener's duty to see that this is done, and, if fair-sized that have been properly planted and staked, are now of moderate size, they are not much trouble. The branches may be trimmed off up to about 7 feet in height to allow cattle to walk under them if growing in a park or on meadow land. The variety known in France as Mayette-Charbette produces very large nuts. Juglans fertilis is of dwarfer habit, the shells thinner, and the fruits ripen 10 days earlier. These trees are satisfactory as isolated specimens, or planted in groups of three or five specimens at distances of not less than 12 to 15 yards apart. When planted in groups

they are better able to resist the wind, as single specimens are liable to get battered about in the S.W. gales.

Fig trees growing in cold districts should now be unfastened from the wall and have their branches tied together, so that the embryo Figs may be checked from developing. In severe weather, the branches should have some old mats, bracken, Heather, or some other protective material tied around them. In the south this will not be necessary; in the western counties I did not find this system an advantage, and even in the north it is not necessary except in very severe weather. In order to cultivate Figs successfully they need a restricted root area, and should any root-pruning be decided upon it may be done at any time now when the weather permits. Plenty of old mortar rubble should be placed about the roots when the soil is disturbed. The best variety for outdoor culture is Brown Turkey. Negro Largo, a very fineflavoured variety, succeeds well in some places on a very warm wall. Brunswick is another desirable kind for culture out-of-doors, and White Ischia also does well, but the fruits are small. White Marseilles bears rich and large fruits, but the tree is a shy bearer out-of-doors until it is of considerable age. The Fig should be planted in the poorest of soils, but, at the same time, it should have efficient drainage, for the soil will soon become sour about the roots of Figs in badly-drained land. A sandy soil, in which are incorporated plenty of brickbats, is one of the best rooting mediums. Figs require nourishment in the form of liquid manure when growing.

THE ORCHID HOUSES.

By W. H. WHITE, Orchid Grower to Sir TREVOR LAWRENCE, Bart., Burford, Surrey.

Miltonia vexillaria.-Plants which are now in full growth will require to be examined occasionally, as sometimes, when growing fast, the tender leaves clasp each other so firmly as to check the younger ones and crinkle them. When this is observed gently separate the leaves by passing the thin bone end of a budding-knife between them. It will also be noticed that at the base of some of the new growths there is a short, brown-coloured, outer sheath, which frequently clasps the growth so tightly as to prevent the young roots from entering the compost. Remove this sheath by carefully slitting it in several places, and pulling it off in small pieces. The amount of water supplied to the roots should be gradually increased. During the winter months I discontinue damping between the pots, in order that the potting material may dry quickly after being watered; if kept in a saturated condition for long together the leaves suffer at their points, and become spotted. This same condition may be caused by the atmosphere of the house falling below its average degree of heat, especially if it is too damp at the same time. Such fluctuations are the more likely to occur if the plants are grown in too much heat during the winter months; an atmospheric temperature ranging between 50 and 60° will suit them admirably.

Other Miltonias.-M. Endresii, M. Bleuana, and its several varieties, also the rare M. Schroderiana, of which some plants have been recently imported, succeed well in the same conditions. M. phalaenopsis prefers the drier atmosphere of the Mexican house.

Odontoglossums. After cleaning the glass and woodwork of the Odontoglossum house, and during the rearrangement of the inmates, each plant should be carefully attended to as advised for the Miltonias, and where rare and valuable varieties of O. crispum, &c., are producing their young, succulent flower spikes, a rough piece of wadding should be wrapped around them, over which slugs will seldom pass. Carefully guard against allowing any unhealthy or shrivelled plant to produce its flower spike, or the plant may be irretrievably ruined.

Oncidium Clæsianum.-Plants that are pushing forth roots from the new growths should be protected from the ravages of slugs, &c.

Masdevallia tovarensis.-In the same house with Miltonia vexillaria this well-known Masdevallia is now producing numerous pure white flowers, which appear well above the green foliage. Do not keep the plant very wet at the

roots.

EDITORIAL NOTICE.

ADVERTISEMENTS should be sent to the PUB. LISHER, 41, Wellingtɔn Street, Covent Garden, w.c.

Letters for Publication as well as specimens and plants for naming, should be addressed to the EDITOR, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London. Communications should be WRITTEN ON ONE SIDE ONLY OF THE PAPER, sent as early in the week as possible, and duly signed by the writer. If desired, the signature will not be printed, but kept as a guarantee of good faith. Special Notice to Correspondents.-The Editor does not undertake to pay for any contributions or illustrations, or to return unused communications or illustrations, unless by special arrangement. The Editor does not hold himself responsible for any opinions expressed by his correspondents. Illustrations. - The Editor will be glad to receive and to select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, &c., but he cannot be responsible for loss or injury. Newspapers.-Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs they wish the Editor to see. Local News.-Correspondents will greatly oblige by sending to the Editor early intelligence of local events likely to be of interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of horticulturists.

APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15-German Gard. Soc. meet.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE for the ensuing week, deduced from observations of Forty-three Years at Chiswick-40′0'. ACTUAL TEMPERATURES:

LONDON. Wednesday, December 12 (6 P.M.): Max. 48';
Min. 38.

Gardeners' Chronicle Office, 41, Wellington Street,
Covent Garden, London.-Thursday, December
13 (10 A.M.): Bar., 29-5; Temp., 42'; Weather-
Overcast.

PROVINCES.-Wednesday, December 12 (6 P.M.): Max. 41
S.W. Ireland and Cornwall; Min. 37 Cam-
bridge.

SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK, MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY

Sale of Bulbs, Roses, Plants, &c., at Stevens' Rooms, 38, King Street, Covent Garden, W.C., at 12.30. WEDNESDAY

Dutch Bulbs, Perennials and Border Plants, at 11; 5,000 Roses, at 1.30 and 4; Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Palms, &c., at 4; 1,265 cases Japanese Liliums received direct, at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris,

at 1.

FRIDAY

Hardy Border Plants, Perennials, Roses, Azaleas, Orchids in variety, &c., at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris.

Rose Society.

The meetings of the National The National Rose Society are conducted in the most business-like manner, and the annual meeting held on the 6th inst. was no exception to the rule. We do not wish to make any comparative statement, but we may certainly say that the meetings of the Rose Society are not only managed in a careful, business-like way, but they are Somehow permeated by a sense of refinement and geniality, as if the members had unconsciously imbibed something of the spirit of the Rose itself-of the Rose without its thorn, be it understood. We are all of us-Roses as well as men-more or less influenced by circumstances, by the action of the environment, as the phrase now runs, and, this being so, it is no wonder that the Rose should shed some of its charms upon its devotees. The Rose Society includes among its members a large proportion of really earnest amateurs who put their hearts into the work to a degree not commonly witnessed in similar Societies, except among the professional members. Some societies seem to be established and to exist mainly for the benefit of their commercial members. The amateurs

take relatively but a small part in the work of the society either as exhibitors or as members of the executive. This is not, and never has Been, the case with the Rose Society. Moreover, the society has been specially fortunate in its administrative officers. One of the principal objects of the late meeting was to induct the new president, Mr. Lindsell, in the place of Mr. Shea. By a somewhat self-denying ordinance of the society, Mr. Shea, after a presidency of two years, had to resign his post to other hands. Of course, there are excellent reasons why the presidency of a society should not in all cases be occupied too long by the same person, but the definition of the period connoted by the words

too long "might surely be made more elastic and less automatic than it now is. Be that as it may, we are quite sure that those who were glad to welcome Mr. Lindsell would have been well pleased if the fates had not ordained that Mr. Shea should relinquish his office at the allotted time.

In some societies the presidency is more or less nominal. Some distinguished member is elected on general grounds, and if his tenure of office is short, it affords the better opportunity for the appointment of some other person who would also confer honour on the society. But where the president is a hard worker and a shrewd man of business, full of tact and ability, then it seems a pity that the rules should not be relaxed so as to permit a longer period of office.

To revert to the proceedings. The society is flourishing. It numbers more than 2,000 members, and there are no fewer than 46 local societies affiliated with it. Its income is satisfactory. Its reserve fund, though not large, is increasing, as it should do, in order that the treasurer may not be disturbed by the occurrence of a rainy day. The report and balance-sheet, as presented, were submitted for adoption by the president, seconded by Mr. Prince, and carried without comment. An amendment to Rule 2, to the effect that a commutation fee of £15 155., or of £10 10s., might be accepted in lieu of an annual subscription of L1 Is. or of 10s. 6d. respectively, was proposed by the Rev. F. Page Roberts, seconded by Mr. Frank Cant, and carried without any adverse criticism. The Rev. H. B. Biron, in a speech full of geniality and pleasant reminiscence, submitted that the members of the committee and the officers were entitled to the best thanks of the members, a proposition seconded by Mr. John Green, and, of course, agreed to by acclamation, renewed when Mr. Mawley got up to respond.

A similar well-nerited compliment was paid to the chairman, who then, as we have already mentioned, inducted as his successor Mr. Lindsell, the hero of a hundred fights-best evidence that he will carry out his promise and of his ability to carry out the duties of the office in the most satisfactory manner. Among the principal features of the report, to which we have not already adverted, were the allusions to the three exhibitions held by the society during the year. At the Regent's Park no fewer than 8,000 "exhibition " Roses were shown, in addition to the socalled garden and decorative Ros, so that the show in the beautiful grounds of the Botanic was altogether a great success. The Edinburgh Show suffered in consequence of

the drought, as did the September Show at the R.H.S.

Allusion was also made to the Hole memorial medal, the subscription list to which is now closed, and to the D'Ombrain memorial, which still stands in need of further assistance. The next metropolitan exhibition will be held in the Regent's Park on July 4, and the provincial exhibition at Saltaire on July 16.

The autumn exhibition will be held at the R.H.S., Vincent Square, on September 24. Mention was also made of the publications of the society, whose usefulness is much appreciated. Referring to the obituary record, Mr. Shea mentioned that as the death rate among the members was only 7 in the 1,000, instead of the usual 15 or 16, rosarians desirous of prolonging their years should join the society, and that the attention of the several insurance societies should be called to the fact!

A dinner, in the evening formed a very appropriate termination to a satisfactory meeting.

LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. At the evening meeting, on Thursday, December 20, 1906, at 8 p.m., the following papers will be read:-1, Dr. A. B. RENDLE, M.A., F.L.S., and others, Botanical Results of the Third Tanganyika Expedition, 1904-5"; 2, Mr. F. CHAPMAN, A.L.S., Fossil Foraminifera of Victoria. "The Balcombian Deposits of Port Phillip." Exhibitions: Albino Woodlice, by Mr. WILFRED MARK WEBB, F.L.S.

ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY.-The Rev. Canon BARKER, Chairman of the Reform Committee, has given notice that at the Fellows' meeting to be held on Friday, the 14th inst., at 4.15 (after the publication of this journal for the week). he will ask if the Council still maintain that the only means of keeping the Society alive is to increase the Fellows' subscription, and if so (as this proposal has on a vote been twice rejected by the Fellows), by what means they now propose to keep the Society alive; also whether they still contend that the appointment of a competent Superintendent is unnecessary and inexpedient."

PROF. PFITZER. We greatly regret to have to record the death of this gentleman, the well-known professor of botany, at Heidelberg, and the author of various treatises on the morphology and classification of Orchids. Prof. PFITZER took part in the Hybridisation Conference last summer. died of heart affection on the 3rd inst.

He

MR. E. H. WILSON left Liverpool on the 5th inst. for his third visit to China. He goes out this time under the auspices of Prof. SARGENT, of the Arnold Arboretum, Boston. We can only wish him an equally successful journey and a safe

return.

VACANCY ON STAFF OF IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WEST INDIES.-The post of Scientific Assistant on the Staff of the Imperial Department of Agriculture in the West Indies will probably be vacant by the promotion of Mr. W. H. BUTTENSHAW, M.A., B.Sc., to an appointment under the Government of India. The salary is £350 per annum. A highly qualified scientific man, with good experiences in editing and bringing out publications, is desired.