194 ^^^ Ottawa Naturalist. [February 



explained that the rosette arrang'ement, while not the best, on 

 account of overlapping of the leaves, was, nevertheless, a g'ood 

 one, since the leaves comprising it obtained a large share of sun- 

 light and by the close arrangement held possession of the soil. 



Another topic discussed was the relation between the slope 

 of the leal and the type of root the plant has. In the case of the 

 tap root, which goes deep into the soil, it is an advantage to have 

 the leaves shed the rain toward the main axis ; in the case of 

 fibrous root, which spreads out in all directions, it is better to 

 have the water shed out toward the growing tips of the roots. 

 The latter type of root is able to take the water trom a larger 

 area than the former. It is manifestly an advantage to have the 

 water shed over this area about the centre of the plant. Of course 

 the main business of a leaf is to place itself in the best possible 

 relation to light, but the above incidental relation — viz., the slope 

 of leaf to type of root — is important also. The plantain was cited 

 as a probable exception by Mr. Attwood. Smce the discussion, a 

 number of specimens of the plantain have been examined at the 

 Geological Surv^ey and the roots vvere found to belong to an in- 

 termediate type. 



A branch of a cork elm, brought from the Aylmer Road, was 

 exhibited, and elicited the statement from Prof. Macoun that these 

 trees are now curiously confined to fence corners and roadsides. 

 Seeds are blown into these sheltered places where a better chance 

 is given them to survive. This tree is one of the smaller species 

 of elm. It has a beautiful shape but has not such slender, swing- 

 ing branches as other species, owing to the disposition of cork. 



Mr. Whyte referred to an elm about eighteen feet in circum- 

 ference standing north-east of McKay's Lake, and advised a pil- 

 grimage to so venerable a patriarch of the suburbs. 



A discussion on the size of trees brought out the statement 

 that larger trees grow on the western coast of the Dominion than 

 in the east. Thus, in British Columbia there is a species of maple 

 with leaves and top of enormous size. One of the leaves, 

 measured by Mr. Carter, was ig}4 inches by 23 inches. The 

 diameter of the top of a tree, measured by Dr. Fletcher, was 

 200 feet. This large top and leaf is evidence of absence of wind 

 storms which would play havoc with such an immense tree. The 



