66 
at the Mer Bleue and offers almost the same plants. Cypripedium 
parvifloram was abundant, but the flowers were mostly faded, and 
Lonicera obhmgifolia occurred in great profusion Those who remained 
at the river obtained among other fine plants Cypripedium acaule and 
Orchis spectabilis. Insects as on the previous Saturday seemed unusually 
scarce, but towards evening the Black flies and Mosquitoes were 
sufficiently abundant. 
Some members, lovers of botany and the muses, made a trip to 
North Wakefield on the 18th June, for the purpose of visiting a swamp 
discovered last autumn to contain great numbers of the Showy Ladies- 
slipper {Cypripedium spertabile). The display of these lovely planfs 
was even more extensive than had been expected, and charmed and 
delighted the party, who returned laden with spoil. 
VALUABLE EXPERIMENTS. 
Mr. Frank T. Shutt, M.A., chief chemist of the Dominion experi- 
mental farms, read an interesting paper at the recent meeting of the 
Royal Society, descriptive of a preliminary series of experiments with 
the object of ameliorating certain alkaline soils in Manitoba and the 
North-west territories. He opened by drawing aitention to the occur- 
rence of the " alkali patches " in many parts of these provinces. These 
patches or barren spots, which vary greatly in extent, always occupied 
low places or natural depressions in the soil. In dry weather they 
were covered with a white incrustation, but when moist the affected soil 
was usually black. Apart from the presence of the injurious chemical 
analysis had shown these alkali soils to possess all the elements of 
fertility. Complete analyses of the three samples of soils supposed to 
be typical of these spots were given. They showed that in addition 
to comparatively small quantities of salts of soda, a considerable amount 
of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) was present. To get rid of the 
soda salts, thorough drainage was instanced as the most effective means. 
The soda salts were usually either carbonate or sulphate the latter 
was not as injurious as the former. The use of an application of 
gypsum had proved efficacious to soils impregnated with carbonate 
which was thereby converted into the less injurious form of sulphate. 
To ascertain the effect of magnesium sulphate on vegetation, Mr. Shutt 
