120 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCILTY. 



had taken to get together this very fine collection, and for affording this 

 opportunity of seeing them. Their very hearty thanks were due to him 

 for having done so. 



The President said that the applause with which they had followed 

 Mr. Vezey's remarks expressed gratitude which they all felt to Mr. 

 Watson Baker for this instructive exhibition. 



Dr. Hebb said the Fellows would regret to hear that Mr. Nelson was 

 still too unwell to be able to attend the Meeting, but he had sent three 

 short notes, the first of which, describing an old form of Microscope, had 

 been illustrated by drawings which Mr. Karop had enlarged upon tho 

 blackboard. The second dealt with the earliest forms of achromatic 

 objectives, and the third described a useful ciliper gauge, also illus- 

 trated upon the board. He then read the several notes. 



The President said he was gratified that Mr. Nelson had placed 

 before them the great services rendered to Microscopy by Mr. Lister, 

 which were too much overlooked. 



A vote of thanks to Mr. Nelson for his communications was unani- 

 mously passed. 



The Chair having been taken pro tern, by the Hon. Sir Ford North, 

 the President gave an interesting account of some recent investigations 

 which he had made in reference to a disease which had caused great 

 mischief in the cherry orchards in Kent. 



Prof. Bennett said he was sure the Fellows present had all listened 

 with great interest to the very lucid account which the President had given , 

 them of this important fungus disease, and he should like to take the 

 opportunity of calling attention to the small amount of work which was 

 being done in this country towards the study of such matters, and to the 

 very little encouragement which the Government gave to researches of 

 this kind. In the United States the agricultural department undertook 

 these investigations and employed experts to carry them out, and issued 

 bulletins describing what had been discovered, and advising the course 

 to be taken. Independently of this almost every separate State had its 

 own experimental station where this kind of work was done, whereas in 

 this country work of this kind had to be carried out by private means. 

 Some short time ago they had a paper before them describing the para- 

 sitic fungi found on farm seeds, and now they had another description 

 of a similarly destructive disease, but in both cases the investigations 

 were entirely private work. He felt they were very much indebted to 

 the President for bringing this subject before them, and he thought 

 their Society was doing a very useful work in publishing the information 

 thus communicated. 



The Chairman then moved that the thanks of the Society be given 

 to the President for his very interesting and instructive address, and on 

 putting it to the Meeting, it was carried by acclamation. 



The President said he was glad that Mr. Bennett had called atten- 

 tion to the want of a public department for investigating diseases that 1 

 attack farm and garden plants. It was not cj editable to England that 

 no such institution existed here, while on the Continent, and especially 

 in the United States, important services were being rendered to the 



