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  trunks 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  24 
  had 
  produced 
  ichneumons, 
  and 
  also 
  that 
  five 
  

   larvfe 
  of 
  Pohjr/onia 
  c-alhum 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  Flintshire. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Sich 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  entitled 
  " 
  A 
  Beginner's 
  Remarks 
  on 
  the 
  

   Tortricina." 
  (See 
  page 
  11 
  ante.) 
  

  

  JULY 
  13th, 
  1918. 
  

  

  Visit 
  to 
  John 
  Innes' 
  Horticultuai, 
  Institute, 
  Merton. 
  

  

  By 
  E. 
  Step, 
  F.L.S. 
  

  

  On 
  Saturday, 
  July 
  13th, 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  thirteen 
  members 
  paid 
  a 
  visit 
  

   to 
  the 
  John 
  Innes 
  Horticultural 
  Institute 
  at 
  Merton, 
  on 
  the 
  invita- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  Bateson, 
  F.R.S., 
  the 
  Director. 
  Unfortunately 
  

   domestic 
  affliction 
  had 
  called 
  Dr. 
  Bateson 
  away 
  from 
  home, 
  but 
  the 
  

   party 
  was 
  received 
  by 
  Mrs. 
  Bateson, 
  and 
  conducted 
  through 
  the 
  

   grounds 
  and 
  experimental 
  houses 
  by 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  J. 
  Collins, 
  B.A., 
  F.L.S., 
  

   and 
  several 
  experts 
  explained 
  to 
  us 
  what 
  was 
  being 
  done 
  there 
  for 
  

   the 
  practical 
  improvement 
  of 
  plants 
  of 
  economic 
  and 
  horticultural 
  

   importance. 
  Messrs. 
  Collins 
  and 
  Allard 
  showed 
  us 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  

   breeding 
  disease-resisting 
  potatoes 
  ; 
  and 
  Miss 
  Sutton 
  and 
  other 
  lady 
  

   experts, 
  how, 
  by 
  hybridisation 
  and 
  selection, 
  great 
  cropping 
  im- 
  

   provements 
  had 
  been 
  effected 
  with 
  sugar-peas 
  (edible 
  podded), 
  flax, 
  

   and 
  garden 
  plants. 
  A 
  new 
  race 
  of 
  Flax 
  {Linum 
  tisitatissimnin) 
  had 
  

   been 
  evolved 
  here, 
  which 
  gave 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  20% 
  of 
  fibre, 
  

   but 
  objections 
  were 
  raised 
  to 
  it 
  by 
  manufacturers 
  because 
  the 
  

   greater 
  length 
  of 
  fibre 
  necessitated 
  an 
  alteration 
  of 
  machines 
  !. 
  The 
  

   methods 
  of 
  experimenting 
  in 
  insect-proof 
  cages 
  to 
  ascertain 
  which 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  various 
  fruits 
  were 
  susceptible 
  to 
  self-pollination 
  and 
  

   which 
  resisted 
  it, 
  were 
  also 
  shown 
  practically 
  and 
  in 
  detail 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  

   other 
  houses 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  plants 
  with 
  wonderful 
  variegated 
  

   foliage, 
  and 
  enquiries 
  into 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  such 
  variegation. 
  These 
  are 
  

   a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  subjects 
  explained 
  to 
  us 
  with 
  great 
  courtesy 
  and 
  

   patience 
  by 
  the 
  experienced 
  workers. 
  

  

  Tea 
  was 
  hospitably 
  provided 
  for 
  us 
  in 
  the 
  Laboratory, 
  and 
  our 
  

   President 
  expressed 
  the 
  thanks 
  of 
  the 
  Society 
  to 
  Mrs. 
  Bateson 
  and 
  

   the 
  staff 
  for 
  the 
  cordiality 
  with 
  which 
  we 
  had 
  been 
  received 
  and 
  in- 
  

   structed. 
  Before 
  leaving, 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  J. 
  Collins, 
  F.L.S. 
  gave 
  us 
  an 
  

   account 
  of 
  his 
  cultural 
  researches 
  into 
  sex-aggregation 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mosses 
  (Bryophyta). 
  

  

  