1909] Meetin'g of Botanical Branch. 251 



tained this, the forester decides upon the most important tree 

 in that society and studies how best it can be reproduced. 

 Forestry has for its object the reproduction of the most valuable 

 species of timber on forest lands. Timber is reproduced by. 

 natural means wherever possible, by producing the conditions 

 of light, soil and moisture upon which the plant, or tree in this 

 case, thrives best. The problem is rendered more difficult by 

 the fact that the conditions must be produced over large areas 

 and without expense to the lumberman. For instance, spruce 

 requires for natural reproduction shade, mineral soil and 

 moisture. This tree is reproduced by so managing the lumber- 

 ing operations that only the large trees are taken. The trees 

 remaining furnish the shade and the seed; the logging opera- 

 tion tears up the ground, exposes mineral soil and a natural 

 reproduction of young spruce is the result. If the reproduction 

 is successful, it presupposes good botany; if it has not cost too 

 much it has been good forestry." 



After a short discussion on the remarks made by Mr. 

 MacMillan,a number of very interesting botanical specimens were 

 shown by different members of the Club. Some of these had 

 been collected between 30 and 40 years ago from points around 

 Ottawa at that time, but now covered by large public and 

 private buildings. Mr. Eifrig showed specimens of charred 

 apples and wheat, probably 3,000 years old, which he collected 

 during the past summer at Lake Pfaffikon, Switzerland, near 

 the ruins of the homes of the pile dwellers. These people built 

 their homes and storehouses on piles over the water, presumably 

 for the sake-of protection. Some of these were burned in course 

 of time, and the charred remains precipitated into the water, 

 where they sank, and, being beyond the reach of air and also 

 protected through being charred, have been preserved all these 

 vears. 



L. H. N. 



REVIEW. 



Fishes of Ontario. 



Check List of Vertebrates of Ontario Fishes. By C. W. 

 Nash (Lecturer on Biology, Ontario Dept. of Agric); Education 

 Department, Toronto, 1908. 



A new work on fishes by a Canadian author is a rare event, 

 and doubly welcome on that account. As far as this work goes 

 it will be very useful, and there vnll be a great demand for it. 

 Probably few- persons are like the late J. A. Froude, the his- 

 torian, who declared that, owing to their cold clammy character. 



