Botanical Society of Edinburgh. ^58 



If the method here recommended be properly attended to, Mr. 

 M'Nab has not the least hesitation in saying that an excellent hedge 

 of native thorns may be acquired in five or six years after planting. 

 At several places he saw the indigenous thorns employed as a fence ; 

 at least they had been- planted with that intention, and had attained 

 a considerable height, but from want of proper attention to pruning 

 and weeding, they were so slender that easy access might be obtained 

 between each stem. From such instances of mismanagement, an er- 

 roneous opinion seems generally to prevail that hedges will not suc- 

 ceed in America. " But," he very properly remarked, "if newly- 

 planted hedges in Britain were equally neglected, there can be no 

 doubt that they would soon degenerate, and become no better than 

 those which I observed in the United States and the Canadas." 



March 13.— Dr. Seller, V.P., in the Chair. 



Robert Balloch, Esq., Glasgow, was elected a Non-resident Fel- 

 low of the Society. 



Numerous donations to the Library and Museum were announced, 

 particularly from R. J. Shuttleworth, Esq., Berne, a collection of 

 North American plants, and the 14th Fasciculus of Meisner's Plan- 

 tarum Vascularum Genera ; from the Imperial Academy, Naturae Cu- 

 riosorum of Breslau, the Supplement to vol. xix., and parts 1st and 

 2nd of vol. XX. of the ' Nova Acta '; from Professor Graham, plants 

 collected in Jamaica by Dr. G. M'Nab ; from H. C. Watson, Esq., 

 his Botany of the Azores ; from Mr. William Gardiner, jun., Dundee, 

 Botanical Rambles in Braemar, &c. Dr. Parnell presented a copy of 

 his beautiful work on the Grasses of Britain. The thanks of the 

 Society were voted to the respective donors. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. "On the genus Closterium (continued)," by Mr. J. Ralfs, of 

 Penzance. 



2. " On Encyonema prostratum of Kiitzing," by the same. These 

 papers will appear in the ' Annals of Natural History.' 



3. Mr. M'Nab read a continuation of his Journal of a Tour through 

 part of the United States and Canada. The last portion of this 

 journal read before the Society chiefly related to the botanical aspect 

 of the country immediately to the westward of Kingston ; the indi- 

 genous thorns and their fitness for forming hedges being particularly 

 described. From Kingston the party crossed I^ake Ontario to Ro- 

 chester, situated on the American side, a few miles above the mouth 

 of the Genessee river. Considerable tracts of shallow water extend 

 for some distance on either side of this river, in which the wild rice 

 grew more luxuriantly than had been hitherto observed. Proceed- 

 ing upwards the river becomes narrower but deep, having beautiful 

 banks rising about 150 feet on either side, wooded chiefly with oak, 

 elm, hiccory, beech and birch, interspersed with hemlock spruce, 

 white pine and arbor vitse of large size. On the north bank the black 

 snake-root, Actcea ramosa, was abundant, its long spikes of white 

 flowers having a singular effect beneath the shade of the trees. It 



