NEWS AND NOTES 



In a lecture on Trees and their Varieties, Prof. A. Henry, of 

 the forest school at Dublin (whose work in producing new trees 

 by hybridization was briefed in this volume, p. 97), accentuates 

 the theory that species and varieties of one and the same genus are 

 as a rule geographic adaptations, one species being adapted to dry, 

 the other to moist or wet conditions of soil or climate. Sports 

 are solitary phenomena, freaks not forming starting points of a 

 new species and speedily becoming extinct by nature, but possible 

 to propagate by grafts, layers, or cuttings, they are, however, apt 

 to revert to the type. A number of such sports are described, like 

 the one-leaf ash, the fastigiate Irish yew and Lombardy poplar, 

 weeping beeches, elms and spruces, etc. 



Hybrids on the other hand, mostly due to man's interference, 

 arise from cross fertilization, and exhibit as a rule exceptional 

 vigor in the first generation, but reproduce a second generation of 

 individuals all different from one another, splitting up into a great 

 number of varieties. Reference is made to a hybrid poplar, 

 Populus robusta, which in 14 years attained the height of 45 feet. 

 The lecturer concludes that the creation of first crosses is pos- 

 sibly of great economic importance, for an ash tree salable at 

 35 years would, if 5 per cent interest is figured, be worth four 

 times as much as one that would attain the same dimensions in 

 63 years. 



An exhibition of the importance of the derivation of seed in the 

 success of plantations was found by the Silviculture class of the 

 Faculty of Forestry, of Toronto University, on their visit to the 

 Provincial nurseries at St. Williams, Ont. 



A White pine plantation of several acres, four years old, 

 planted with stock imported from Germany was so severely in- 

 jured by a June frost in 1912 and again in 1914 that its entire 

 final destruction is to be anticipated. The terrace is rolling sand 

 hills covered with grass sod, the planting was done in furrows. 

 The depressions were undoubtedly frost holes, for the plants on 

 the slopes and tops suffered much less, but even here a striking 

 difference in individuals could be observed, some specimens, 

 having made an unusually vigorous growth and being absolutely 



275 



