1915] The Ottawa Naturalist. 19 



MEETING OF BOT-ANICAL BRANCH. 



February 5th, 1915, at the residence of Mr. D. A. Campbell. 

 There were present Messrs. Blackadar, Buck, Clark, Dymond, 

 Donaldson, Fryer, Grindley, Honeyman, Lelacheur, Newman, 

 Simpson, Tully, Whyte and the host, Mr. D. A. Campbell. 



Mr. R. B. Whyte described his recent trip to Egypt and 

 Palestine, and exhibited interesting specimens, photographs, etc., 

 collected during the trip. Mr. Campbell showed a series of 

 lantern slides, consisting of certain examples of the adaptation 

 of plants to their environment, etc., which are used in his botani- 

 cal and nature study courses at the Collegiate. 



Mr. Whyte, in addition to describing many interesting 

 experiences in Egypt and Palestine, drew attention to places 

 through which they passed en route. Madeira, for instance, the 

 first stopping place, produces large quantities of grapes and 

 sugar canes; Gibraltar, the great fortress; Algiers, the city with 

 beautiful Moorish architecture; Monaco and Monte Carlo, with 

 their unique histories and present tragedies; the trolley-ride to 

 Nice with the blue waters of the Mediterranean, 200 feet below; 

 Naples and Pompeii — all received passing notice. The country 

 between Alexandria and Cairo was described as fiat, with canals 

 about a mile apart intersecting it in all directions. The houses, 

 in many cases, are built of mud, and elaborate pumping systems 

 distribute the water to the agricultural land, from which several 

 crops are taken every year. In this district a forage crop, 

 somewhat like alfalfa, known locally as berseem, is produced in 

 great quantities. It is really one of the clovers, and is listed 

 as Egyptian or Alexandrian clover, an annual winter variety 

 used in warm countries where irrigation is practiced. Wheat 

 is also produced in great quatities around Alexandria. 



At Cairo, Mr. Whyte found many things of interest in its 

 numerous bazaars and incidentally picked up a new method of 

 buying. At Ghizeh, noted for its pyramids, 14 in all, the 

 canals are far below the level of the Nile. Heliopolis, five 

 miles from Cairo, was the old university city of Egypt. Only 

 an obelisk is now left to mark its site. 



From the standpoint of the botanist, there was not very 

 much of great interest in the Nile valley. Only a few weeds or 

 wild flowers had an opportunity of becoming established, owing 

 to the annual overflow of the river. A small iris and a few odd 

 weeds were all that could be found. All the public parks of 

 Egypt, such as those in Cairo, had flower beds, in which were 

 grown poptilar garden flowers like the annual phlox, verbena, 

 etc., Farm hands in Egypt received from 15c. to 2 5c. per day. 



At Jaffa, the port of entry to Palestine, Mr. Whyte picked 

 the fine flavoured Jaffa oranges. The orange groves extend 



